Chapter Text
Venti stretches, his shoulders popping. A few birds sleeping beside him make disgruntled chirps as they’re disturbed, wings fluttering as they scatter. Venti hops off of the branch he was sleeping on, body light despite sleeping on one of the most uncomfortable things he could’ve chosen to sleep on. He trots down the dirt path, his tights remaining pristinely white despite the dirt kicking up beneath his heels. While walking, he quietly debates internally on what he wants to do that day;
”I could go down to Liyue? Nah, it’s already almost noon, and I don’t feel like traveling that far.” After his quick inner monologue, he decides to do what he usually does: he goes to the main city of Mondstadt. He passes through the main gate, waving at the two guards on-duty. They wave back, smiling at him. Venti skips through the city, taking a deep breath of fresh air. The air of Mondstadt has always been his favorite smell (although he can admit he is a tad biased) He breezily walks through the city, waving at citizens who cheerfully wave back. Venti drifts through the city, eventually ending up at Angel’s Share.
“Hm…” Venti feels around in his pockets. He pulls out a few loose mora, along with a shiny rock he found during the walk to the city. He tucks the rock back, and holds onto the mora, stepping into the building.
”I’m sure Diluc won’t mind a performance in exchange for some wine, right?” Venti mumbles to himself. As he enters, his ears are hit with noise: a group of adventurers clustered around a booth, laughing and clapping each other on the shoulders. A few other people are around, including Stanley. He seems less depressed than when Venti helped him back when the traveler was still in Mondstadt, which Venti is relieved about. He can’t help but miss the traveler…Venti hasn’t seen him in a while.
“Oh. Venti. You’re later than usual today,” A familiar voice snaps Venti out of his thoughts. Diluc stands behind the bar, cleaning a glass with a small cloth.
“You know me too well,” Venti says coyly. Diluc rolls his eyes subtly, but grabs a glass and pours some dandelion wine into it. Venti reaches out, but Diluc extends a hand, raising an eyebrow. Venti sighs, dropping some of the loose mora he found into his open palm. With the payment, Diluc finally hands over the glass. Venti takes a sip, the liquid going down easily despite being a decently strong alcohol. Venti starts to take another sip, but is cut off by loud thudding at the door.
“Probably just some drunkard…” Diluc says, his voice calm and uninterested. The patrons in the bar nod, seeming to accept that answer. Right as everyone seems to forget, a young adventurer runs into the room, panting and terrified.
”The abyss…they’re…they’re attacking! Right now! Please, help!” The young adventurer shouts, cutting through the mindless chatter of the bar. The drunk adventurers seem to sober up, and even Diluc sets down the mug he was cleaning. Venti narrows his eyes softly, leaving his cup on the bar. A swarm of people leave the bar, preparing themselves for battle. Once most people are gone, Venti slips out, materializing his bow. He walks, all his earlier breeziness replaced with suffocating tension. Venti freezes as he hears cries from an alleyway.
”Help! Please, somebody!” A young, terrified voice cries out. Venti immediately moves, darting to the alley. Looking in, Venti can see a young boy huddled in the corner, with a few rifthounds closing in. The rifthounds turn, but not quick enough. Venti easily shoots through the creatures. They crumble to dark ash as the arrow tears through their body. Venti approaches the child, kneeling down.
“You’re alright now. Why don’t you head to the cathedral? They’re gathering everyone there for safety,” Venti’s voice is gentle, despite his earlier ruthlessness with the rifthounds. The child nods obediently, quickly getting up and running for the cathedral. Venti leaves the alley, looking around for more civilians to evacuate.
”Look at that. Barbatos himself, actually doing something for his city. Never thought I’d see the day.” A grating voice comes from the shadows. An abyssal herald steps out from the shadows, followed by an entire army of abyss creatures. Rifthounds snarl, as abyss mages summon their elemental shields. Venti narrows his eyes, pulling the string of his bow back. As a rifthound lunges, the battle begins. Venti could easily vaporize the army…but he doesn’t.
“What’s wrong, Archon? Why won’t you go all-out? Scared to harm your precious nation?” The herald taunts. Venti ignores their words, but doesn’t disagree. That is exactly why he won’t go all-out, and Venti knows that’s why they went after him in the city. The battle continues on. Venti holds his own, until he realizes something.
“Wait…they aren’t going all-out either. Are they distracting me? But for what?” Venti thinks to himself. Before he can think further, a flash of movement behind him forces him to focus back. Whirling around, Venti meets eye-to-eye with a woman. She almost looks like The traveler, but there are two noticeable differences: most obvious, she isn’t a man. Less noticeable but still pretty obvious, the abyssal influence oozing off her like a physical presence.
“Are you—?” Venti doesn’t get a chance to respond. The woman raises a hand, aiming straight at him.
“Yes. I am his sister. And I’ll make sure your kind pays for everything.” The woman’s voice is cold, but beneath is a cruel, sadistic excitement that makes Venti shiver involuntarily. Before he can even ask, a glow emits from her hand. She aims it straight at him. Right as Venti is about to dodge, he feels cold hands grab at him, holding him in place. The light hits him straight-on. Venti feels a sudden weakness, as he collapses back into the abyss mages holding him. As his vision swims, he can vaguely see the woman approach, her heels clicking against the cobblestone.
“Take him back. Don’t let him escape, and don’t let yourselves be followed.” The abyssal creatures nod frantically at the woman’s words, dragging Venti off. Before Venti’s consciousness fully fades, the woman looks back, her smug, malicious smirk being the last thing he sees before his eyes drift shut.