Chapter Text
"Time: the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole." ,
That was the definite meaning of the word and yet...
...
Time itself, it was pretty weird, wasn't it...?
...
...
"Yes, I am pleased by your hospitality. No, I don't need anything else.
...Truly, I am alright. I am already comfortable here, so there is no need to make a fuss about it. I would rather you go about with your day."
The day he was welcome to spend at Dadaupa village...
*Even after he showed up there so suddenly...
...
"Huh, another call. Just as the Traveler promised.
Good day to you, Traveler. How's the "Burning the Akademiya down" situation going on...?"
...
" ...Just as Rhadames promised, he did talk to the Ayn Al-Ahmar clan members in a dream."
The day he got the first call from the Traveler...
...
"VENTI, THIS IS HORRIBLE! THEY KIDNAPPED COLLEI, THOSE FUCKING FATUI ASSHOLES!
AND DO YOU KNOW WHO THEY WORK UNDER?! A BATSHIT CRAZY HARBRINGER CALLED ILL DOTTORE WHO ALREADY EXPERIMENTED ON HER IN THE PAST!"
And then a second, more desperate one...
...
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"VENTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! WE MISSED YOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!"
The day the children arrived at the village, clearly having missed him...
*And the one where he made that promise with Lily...
...
"...Thanks to Lord Barbatos' visit to our village, it seems to have become very popular...
Seeing how many visitors are here, shouldn't we already start preparing for dinner...?"
"We definitely should.
Let's prepare the grandest dinner we can for our Lord and High Priestess!"
"Yes, it's high time to show them our appreciation!"
The day when the dinner banquet was being held...
*One which many of his people also helped prepare for...
...
"...Wind Spirits, what are they exactly...?
...If they are truly ordinary and weak life forms, similar to slimes, then why are you the only one, Barbatos...?"
The day when Albedo asked him such weird questions...
*They made him see weird "visions", from a time long past...?
...
"Jean, I am sorry to interfere in your time with Barbara, I really tried to wait with this, but...
...A while ago, I got some news from the Traveler and...It's pretty bad. The "OH NO, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?!" kind of bad.
...It has to do with Amber's Sumeru friend, Collei."
The day he informed Jean of the events of Sumeru, as per her previous request...
*He could clearly see how distraught she looked by the end of it...
...
...
It was merely days ago since then and yet,
Somehow, it felt like way more time had passed...
...
...
" Oh, there you are, you poor soul! Still so young and yet already went through so much...!
...Hey, do you wish for another chance...? I have the power to grant this wish, if you so desire."
...
"...Hum, but if I use my power like this, wouldn't that mean we would become related...?
…And I could always add "something extra" if needed, couldn't I…?"
...
"A child, yes...I always wanted to have one~"
...
...
" You are going to be my favorite, Barbatos.
Mom is going to make sure you enjoy your life this time."
...
...
Just what was he, really...?
Why couldn't he actually remember...?
*Just what will happen if he actually does...?
...
...
...
Mondstadt's current peace was the silence after the long storm,
If it was possible, he would rather it stays like this for a while longer...
*It would be best to reminisce about happenings around him instead,
Such as the events occurring during those last few days...
"Oh, we can start it, Barbatos! Just like we did nearly a week ago~" , the Winds suddenly and quite enthusiastically, said, "Let's start with something "light" first and gradually go from there, so our dear readers wouldn't be too overwhelmed by the information~" , they soon said, before there was a small and dramatic pause, "Three days ago a lighting strike, followed by loud thunder came from the direction of Inazuma! It continued for some time since a certain Electro Archon was very annoyed about something quite silly~"
They added in some amusement, deciding not to elaborate further,
Which made Venti wonder, once again, what exactly were they hiding and why...
*He knew they liked to mimic his personality traits, including some...Childish ones, but still...
"Don't worry, Barbatos, all those traits combined are what makes you so lovable~" , the Winds suddenly said in amusement and some tease, before there was a small pause, "...We are still not going to tell you what the Electro Archon was so annoyed about, though...~" , a small chuckle was heard, before another short pause followed, "Dawn Winery's Diluc has finally mastered the art of "Nonverbal skill activation"! Isn't this great news, Barbatos...?"
...
Venti had to agree that it was, though...
...
Maybe he could do something "interesting" with this particular information...?~
"...Wherever you are planning, we are 100% behind you on it!~" , the Winds admitted, before there was a small pause again, "Dragon Dvalin is still staying in Dragonspine, having some "alone time" with Dragon of the East Durin~" , they couldn't help but say in rising tease, "What's more interesting, is that Alchemist Emilia visited them at some point and came back to Mondstadt "refreshed". Apparently another book is going to be published soon and she is the author~"
They chuckled by the end of the sentence,
Which made Venti realize once more that there was more to this story...
*But as long as no one was doing anything bad, it should be okay, no...?
...
Besides, everyone needed a break sometimes, even a homunculus and a pair of dragons...
" That they are!" , the Winds soon agreed, before there was a short pause, "The stay at Dadaupa village was "greatly interesting" for everyone, even the villagers themselves. Or rather, the ones who were tasked to act as Stalker Albert's wardens during this time and noticed the fact that he was unusually resistant to pain..." , the started, before there was a dramatic pause, "...So after our Adorable Archon, the similarly Adorable Deaconess and the rest left Dadaupa village, they asked Battle Nun Rosaria for a "special course" of slapping and smacking them with the fish claymore to level up their resistance to pain, as well!" , they continued, before there was a short pause again, "...It's quite the interesting approach, yet we can't fault them for choosing it, since Battle Nun Rosaria's "special training" does look to be greatly effective…"
They thoughtfully added, before becoming completely quiet,
And even if the whole thing sounded highly weird, Venti had to agree with them...
*Rosaria's approach to combat training, no matter how questionable, was indeed very effective...
...
By this point, she has perhaps become like a combat teacher respected by the people of Mondstadt,
It was quite surprising that she still didn't realize that she has become loved by everyone and accepted for the way she is...
...
"That she did, but it's time to move on to the recalling of more serious matters." , the Winds said moments later, their voice slightly serious now, "After some thinking, Acting Grandmaster Jean decided to inform Outrider Amber of Poor Collei's kidnapping. This decision came from the realization that if she didn't share this news with Outrider Amber, should things end poorly and her friend dies, not only will the Grieving Outrider resent the Regretful Acting Grandmaster, but might even change so drastically there would be nothing left from the usually cheery person that she is now..."
They explained, their voice getting sadder by the end,
And Venti knew full well what they meant...
*If things go wrong and Collei were to die,
Amber would surely want to stay with her until the end,
And if for whatever reason she wasn't allowed to, it would just break her...
...
If Amber wouldn't be there, no matter how it goes, in the end she...
"Which is why we are glad Outrider Amber was told the news in the end, soon deciding to go to Sumeru in order to help the Traveler find and save The-Child-Who-Just-Started-to-Live Collei." , the Winds interrupted him, sounding calmer now, yet still a little sad, before there was a short pause, "...Since Outrider Amber made this decision, you knew that the fastest way for her to get there would be with Vigilant Yaksha Xiao's help. You also remembered your promise to Reborn King Samir, Barbatos, so while Outrider Amber was getting ready, you made sure to create 200 Sigils of Permission. You even made 100 more later, in order to give to Pyromaniac Alice via Falcon of the West Vennessa..." , there was another short pause, "...It's good that you are a lot stronger now, Barbatos, or else you might have fallen unconscious from the fast energy drain..."
They gratefully added, reminding Venti of the time this last happened,
As he soon realized that this time it was really much better, as he barely even felt the energy draining...
...
Surely, given enough time, he would be able to create so many more of them,
And then, seeing as they are infused with both Anemo and Time powers, he could...
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...
...
Huh...?
Was was he about to...?
"Barbatos, are you alright...?" , the Winds asked in worry, before there was a small pause, "...No, it must be one of THOSE situations...It would be best if you don't force yourself to remember..." , they thoughtfully mumbled, before there was another short pause, "After all the preparations were done, you called Loyal Yaksha Xiao, who teleported in not even a split second later. You explained the situation to him and he too, informed you of what went on in Sumeru during those last few days." , they continued, "First of all, Overly Self-Critical Samir retracted his warning about the Traveler avoiding the "Desert of Hadramaveth" entirely, saying that it should be fine, but if they ever enter the "Mt. Damavand" territory, even by mistake, they should be very careful as it's a highly dangerous zone at the moment. If they catch even a glimpse of a huge serpentine dragon, they should run away as fast and as far as possible.", they explained, before there was a small pause, "...We are not sure what this "Huge Serpentine Dragon" is, but with that kind of warning, it must be something really powerful, no...? It's also weird that the Sumerian Winds are not saying anything about it, either."
They asked in confusion and some thoughtfulness,
And Venti had to agree that they had a point...
*Was this also information that shouldn't be shared until later...?
...
But then, when would be the right time to know of it...?
"Was-really-powerful-in-his-"Past life" Samir gave that warning, so we agree that the Traveler should be very careful nevertheless." , the Winds soon admitted, before there was a short pause, "Moving onto the other news, Weak to the Heat Tighnari was so grateful for the Traveler's and General Mahamatra Cyno's decision to save Poor Child Collei, as well as ashamed that he couldn't prevent her kidnapping, that he promised to help the group in Sumeru city with wherever they might need. At the moment he should be helping Lawyer Yanfei collect evidence for her continuing "legal battle" against the Asshole Sages, as well as help "calm down" Denyarzad's Still Enraged father and some other people from going overboard and doing something drastic, lest they would ruin the progress Lawyer Yanfei already made." , they explained, before there was a pause again, "...This "Legal battle" is really taking quite a while. If the Akademiya's We-would-rather-they-have-died-already-no-one-would-miss-them Sages didn't have so much control over Sumeru it could have already been over by now!"
They complained, sounding quite annoyed,
As the wind blew all around the room for a few seconds, before it soon calmed down...
*Seeing what happened, Venti couldn't help but wonder how much they were trying to "emulate" him...
...
After he became the Anemo Archon, the Winds slowly but surely started showing more and more personality,
But surely, as they saw for themselves what happened during the Archon war, those Sages...
"They are still the worst, those asshole humans! On the level of those awful Lawrences led by Shoes who disrespected you so much and even allied with the Abyss Order! " , the Winds suddenly yelled out, sounding really annoyed and slightly mad, before a sigh was heard, "...We are grateful for being able to learn about emotions from you, Barbatos. It helped us feel things that we never could before and it also made us able to distinguish good from bad, right from wrong and so much more..." , they gratefully explained, before there was a short pause, "...Which is why we can't help feeling mad about all those Asshole Sages did, especially considering that Too Merciful Kusanali has so many similarities with you, Barbatos! Just imagining your people doing to you what those Sages did to her just makes us so fucking mad!"
They yelled out in rage, as the wind in the room gathered up again,
Staying like that for a worryingly long while, before it dissipated...
...
And yet the Winds were still eerily quiet,
Which made Venti feel concerned...
*He understood why they reacted like this, he really did, but still,
For them to react so strongly, was it really a good idea to...?
"It's okay, Barbatos. We are fine." , they soon reassured, sounding calmer now, yet also a little tired, "...Just as we said before, we don't regret learning emotions from you. It's just that the events currently happening in Sumeru...Those emotions are hard to keep in check. But us "rushing over" to Sumeru and joining the Sumerian Winds in order to destroy the Akademiya in a huge hurricane would probably make things worse...We don't want to put you and Mondstadt in trouble..." , they quietly explained, before a heavy sigh was suddenly heard, before there was a short pause, "...We best continue the retelling and the last "serious matter" has to do with So-similar-to-Barbatos-in-the-past Kusanali. Added to all the other problems in Sumeru, it was found out that "Eleazar is a manifestation of the Withering on the human body, which can only be cured by finding a way to take care of Irminsul's own withering.", so the group was also trying to do something about that and that's when she met Deserter Fatui Scaramouche, with Crazy Woman Haypasia by his side who was calling herself his servant!" , they continued in some dramatism, before there was a short pause again, “ Suddenly Enraged Scaramouche admitted that he hates Lord Kusanali immensely, even saying that she is the exact same as "the god that created and threw him away" and it's all because she "remorselessly uses Sumeru's Katheryne as a skin suit", which she was very sad to find out about, feeling extremely regretful!", they explained, before there was a short pause , "...Taking over a puppet's body was something she had no choice but to do, if she wanted to "set foot outside" of the Sanctuary of Surasthana's meditation chamber, but we can also understand why Originally a Puppet Scaramouche got so mad...It's truly such a problematic situation..."
They thoughtfully and sadly continued, before becoming quiet,
And Venti had to agree with them on this, as well...
*The situation was highly problematic and not much could be done about it...
...
"...And then Enjoying her Regret Scaramouche shared with her the memories of his past, making the Already Feeling Awful Kusanali to feel even worse. Worried About His Friend Samir soon arrived and tried to reassure her about this, saying that she didn't have another choice." , the Winds continued, sounding a little weary now, "One thing led to another and now Determined Kusanali knows the truth of why Used A White Lie Samir couldn't just let her out and agreed to try his (Hopefully successful) future plan which he needs the "Sigils of Permission" for. Now he and Scribe Alhaitham, who agreed to help, are busy "brainstorming" ideas of how they should do it."
They ended with this, before becoming completely quiet once again,
A long silence which showed that they ended the "discussion"...
...
...
Venti couldn't help but feel annoyed at the Winds silence,
Just like the reason for Ei's sudden annoyance, there was something they weren't telling:
The fact that the people Mondstadt seemed to be very busy with something lately,
Though no one, not even Mondstadt Winds, would tell him what they are doing...!
...
"Weeeeeell, normally we would tell you anything you wish to know, Barbatos, but..." , the Winds started, sounding quite sheepish, "...We can't, sorry. It's supposed to be a surprise!" , they continued, before there was a small pause, "...Speaking of, Deaconess Barbara is on the way to get you! Just change into THAT robe and wait for her, alright, Barbatos? You will know the truth then~ Hehehehehe~"
Gathered by at the nicely decorated statue plaza,
Everyone was patiently waiting for the Archon to arrive...
...
Everyone but Emilia, that is,
Who couldn't help feeling annoyed about the this whole situation,
Or rather, the fact that she had to so hurriedly rush here in order to participate in the event!
*Which was, for whatever reason, apparently a mandatory one for all Mondstadt citizens!
...
...
It's not like Emilia didn't know what this event was for,
What is with all the Cecilia decorations, food, drinks and presents,
All of it in order to celebrate the year ever since...A certain Fatui invasion happened...?
*Honestly, she wasn't in the city at the time, so she only heard about what happened back then...
...
But did they really need her to be here at this time, just waiting for the Archon to arrive...?
*She could have continued working on all those projects in the meantime and just arrived later...
...
Her own projects and those her "twin" asked for her help with!
And then there was also the book about "dragon relations" she planned to publish!
...
...
Yet she had to wait here with everyone else from Mondstadt,
As well as some visitors from other nations...Including a weird Snezhnayan woman...
*She didn't know who this woman was, but she was probably up to no good!
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-UGH! Why do I have to just stand here, losing precious time while doing nothing productive...?! -She couldn't help but yell in rising annoyance, her words getting mostly unheard in the sea of chatting people. -...If only I could somehow "upgrade" those children from my "Flower Garden" so they all would be smarter and able to assist me in my...!
-Then how about you make yourself a few cute little Emilia's instead...? -Her words were suddenly interrupted by a familiar, yet amused voice of Lisa, the Librarian's expression quite teasing. -You know how humans reproduce? If you would only let me, I can...~
-NO! THERE IS NO NEED FOR THAT! -Emillia suddenly yelled out in panic, for a few seconds confused about her own outburst.
And then it came to her, the memory of the last time she asked Lisa for help...
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That dreaded and painful period experiment she did!
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Never again...
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Never again will she let Lisa enjoy her pain!