Chapter Text
"Oof!
…Oh, the Adorable...Are you...Alright...?"
"Daddy, you are back! Y-you are really back!"
"...P-Papa is not gone...! L-Lily is so happy...!"
"Please, don't do...S-something like this again, Father!"
"Venti is back! H-he is really back!"
"...O-our family is back...!"
"H-he's back...! H-he's back...!"
"...M-Mister Venti is...H-he is really...!"
"P-please, don't...L-leave again...!"
...
Back then, when he was suddenly tackled by the children,
As they and those who couldn't fit inside the Casket,
Were crying about how he finally returned back to life...
*Their sorrowful crying so intense that soon enough...
...
Those poor children...They cried themselves to sleep,
The ones who tackled him falling asleep on top of him,
And those who couldn't fit inside the casket...
*Thankfully he managed to react in time,
Catching them with Anemo before they reached the ground...
...
-...Because of me, those poor children...-Barbatos couldn't help but guilt-strikingly say, as he floated each one of them towards an approaching adult, who not even a moment later were carrying the sleeping children. -...Don't worry, I am alright. As alright as I could be after coming back to life and finding out that because of me, everyone had been...-He tried to reassure them and badly failed, his words trailing off once he saw just how tired and broken his children looked. -...Not only the Adorable Children, but the adults, as well...I am truly sorry, everyone. -He couldn't help but soon add, upon summoning his lyre and starting to play a soothing melody on it, as a moment later he noticed an expression of disagreement appearing on some people's faces. -...I am truly alright, everyone. I wouldn't collapse just from this. So please, let me heal you, even if a little. I am already feeling guilty enough as is. If I don't do this...
-You have nothing to feel guilty about, Lord Barbatos! Especially not for dying! -He was suddenly interrupted by Xiao, who looked and sounded equally mad and distressed. -The one truly at fault here is...!
-...Xiao, why are you...? -The Archon couldn't help but soon wonder aloud, his words trailing off as he noticed a certain energy coming from the Yaksha. One which was heightening his negative emotions now. -...Abyssal Corruption...? But after I and the Traveler purified it back then...It should have been gone!
He couldn't help but soon add, wondering what could have happened...
*And why, seemingly out of nowhere...He started feeling guilty...
...
...
Oh, a sudden 'Vision'...?
*One of the past...
...
Deep underwater, was a teen-sized form,
Completely encased in numerous Abyssal-infused vines,
With only what looked like a left hand seen poking out of them,
As well as familiar looking wings, which were limply hanging down...
...
Xiao was floating near those vines,
Slowly but surely absorbing their corruption into his own body,
Up until not even a speck was left on the vines, with them now being able to be cut,
As his limp and transparent dead body was finally allowed to be set free from them...
...
...
This...'Vision'...
*So Xiao, too,
Because of...Him...
...
...
-Xiao, in order to save me back then, you...Such a huge amount of corruption. -He couldn't help but soon say, starting to feel guilty, once again, before he deeply sighed to calm himself down. -...I am alright, just...Just let me help you, Xiao. Let me 'purify' that corruption...
-I simply did my duty to one of my savio...To the one who had saved me before. There is nothing you have to repay me for, Lord Barbatos. -Xiao interrupted him, looking and sounding dead serious, his expression turning worried and a little ashamed as he noticed the Archon teleport to his side and start 'purifying' him anyway, the Golden Streaks in Barbatos hair now shining brightly. -...Please, stop. You have just come back to life. Which, by itself, was a great miracle. If you push yourself, especially by helping me...
-I wouldn't collapse just from this, Xiao. So please, stop talking. -Barbatos couldn't help but soon slightly absentmindedly say, his full focus now on the current task of getting rid of the corruption, as his expression turned guilt-stricken moments later. -...Besides, I am doing this because I genuinely want to. Because I feel guilty for your current condition. If not for me, you would have never needed to absorb such a huge amount of corruption. -He soon admitted, sounding just as guilt-stricken, before deeply sighing. -...And on that matter, if I didn't die back then, no one would have to...
-Venti, please, stop blaming yourself! It's not your fault that you...B-back then...! -Jean interrupted him, her voice trailing off as tears quickly welled up in her eyes and started to spill, her expression turning sorrowful and guilt-stricken moments later. -...Y-you are not...A-at fault...Y-you are not...A-at what happened...I-instead...T-the one who...I-is truly...
-...But I still made you suffer, didn't I...? With my death. -The Archon interrupted her, soon glancing between her and everyone else in the hall, his expression turning even more guilt-stricken moments later. -...How exactly did it happen? How did I die...? -He couldn't help but soon ask, upon lowering his head in shame. -...How did I, while promising not to worry you anymore...?
He soon sorrowfully added, his words trailing off,
As he couldn't help but remember a certain memory...
*The last thing he remembered from back then...
...
"...Jean, he is starting to wake up. The Sigils worked!"
"...V-Venti is...W-waking up...?
...H-he is...R-really...W-waking...?"
"...NoT fOr LoNg.
...So he was finally about to wake up...HoW uNlUcKy FoR hIm~
...My, He SuRe CaN rEsIsTs It. NoT fOr LoNg, ThOuGh...~"
...
Familiar voices...And agonizing pain...
*And then, the next time he woke up,
During his own Funeral Proceedings...
...
"...This is really weird...It's still not disappearing...
...There's no way this is real...
...Why am I in a Casket...? Did you plan to bury me...?! Can someone tell me what in Teyvat's name is going on here?!"
...
"...Barbatos, what is the last thing you remember...?"
...
"...Oh, hi...Morax...? You are not a hallucination right...?
...Sorry, Morax, it's just...I didn't expect to wake up at my own Funeral Proceedings...
...As for what I remember last...Jean's and Frederica's voices...Then the Traveler's sibling's voice...And then...
...A-Abyssal Energy...T-there was so much of it...T-that I...!
...And then, I suddenly wake up in a Casket...In the middle of my own funeral proceedings...With everyone looking so...Broken...
...Back then, not just falling unconscious, I must have also gone limp...Was this why everyone thought I was dead and planned to bury...?"
"You didn't just appear dead, Big Brother. You were actually dead."
"...I...What...?
...I was actually...Dead...?"
"Transparent, yet somehow still solid body. The usual Anemo shine completely gone. Extremely limp.
...You were definitely, 100% dead, Barbatos."
"And then, just in the middle of the chaos, when Mondstadt's children...
...The whole thing was very dramatic! It began with your voice, saying "...please...don't cry...". Then you started shining in a Golden Light, as a magical Circle appeared under you and started to rapidly expand, until it filled the whole area. It was very detailed, with Ancient Teyvatian text and a bunch of different symbols! From what I noticed, those included the Anemo Symbol, Cecilias, feathers and tiny wings, countless clocks and strange clockwork parts and also some ‘mysterious icons’ I could have sworn I saw for the first time in my life! Those gave me a very weird feeling, you know…It wasn’t a bad feeling, but one that made me think ‘Something very important is happening right now’. It was like...."
-I will tell you what happened, Venti. How you died. -His reminisce was interrupted by the Traveler's quiet words, with them looking equally sorrowful and guilt-stricken, as tears were already welled up in their eyes. -...How, my twin had...Killed you. And I could do nothing...T-to save you...!
They added in even more guilt,
The tears in their eyes starting to spill...
*And then, came the retelling of the events,
One which felt more akin to a confession...
-...A-and then, I finally...F-found you, Venti...L-laying face down on top...O-of Cider Lake Water...W-with numerous fish already...G-gathered and even...N-nibbling and you...Y-you were so...S-so still...! -The Traveler continued a few minutes later, their face now full of tears and their expression equally sorrowful and regretful. -...I-I am sorry...! I-I am sorry...! I-I am so sorry...! B-because of my twin...! B-because of my twin...!
They suddenly started to apologize over and over,
Their resurfacing guilt making them recall a certain memory...
*One which they will never be able to forget...
...
Venti was lying upside down in the water, his transparent body completely still,
The hair on the back of his head seen clearly, with his now-black braids slightly moving in the water,
His back was partly hidden by his wings, which were opened wide on top of the water, the far feathers submerged,
As his legs, which were mostly hidden by the Anemo Green nightgown he 'wore', were kept completely straight, the feet partly submerged,
With numerous fish seen swimming around his body, some of which were actively nibbling on it, with it not moving an inch in reaction...
...
They carefully landed in the water, this action scaring the fish away and making a small wave,
Venti's limp body obediently moving in tune with it, as if it was already part of the lake,
Stopping its movement only when the water finally subsided...
...
They reached their hands into the water and carefully wrapped their arms around their dead friend's body,
Soon turning it around, as Venti's head, arms and wings uselessly dragged behind,
This horrible sight of their friend being so limp bringing tears to their eyes...
...
They lifted Venti's dead body by the chest area and into their arms, soon hugging it tightly,
His friend's head and shoulders titling all the way back, as his arms and wings hang down limply,
The tears now quickly streaming down their face and dropping onto Venti's lifeless body...
...
...
The memory...Of how Venti...
*Because of what...Their sibling did...!
...
-It's alright, Traveler. I don't blame you for what happened. -The Archon soon told them, looking and sounding reassuring. -...You are not your sibling and can't physically stop them in their...
-B-but they still killed you, Venti! M-my own sibling did...-The Traveler interrupted him, looking and sounding even more guilt-stricken now, as well as sorrowful. -...A-and if you hadn't...R-revived when you did...A-and instead continued to...T-the Funeral would have...A-and you would be...-Their words soon trailed off, as they glanced towards the end of the Funeral Hall, mainly the small room behind the Speaking Podium. -...E-enshrined inside of...Y-your body physically...T-there but the person...A-a good friend I knew...A-as Venti...W-would have...F-forever been...
-It's not your fault, Traveler! -Barbatos couldn't help but emotionally yell, wind starting to blow in tune with his emotions, completely dissipating moments later, as he looked around the hall. -...Neither is it any one of yours! You did all you could back then and for that, I am truly grateful. -He quietly added upon looking between the people gathered, their guilt-stricken expressions making his own guilt surge. -...And considering how dangerous your opponent was, I am just glad that all of you seem to be okay. -He admitted, his expression of gratitude suddenly shifting into an annoyed one. -And if I hear you blame yourself for what happened even one more time, I am going to create a bunch of Anemo Slimes and make them into my new friends and family! I am never going to interact with any of you ever again! -He threatened, sounding very serious, his expression falling moments later. -...As for what happened after my death, how much I made you suffer...Even if you tell me not to blame myself, I still can't help but feel really guilty...
He couldn't help but soon guilt-strikingly admit,
His words clearly heard in the eerily silent hall...
*As he couldn't help but wonder just how bad their reaction was,
Especially since, what he saw after getting brought back to life...
...
...
Oh, there's suddenly...'Visions'...
*'Visions' of the past...
...
...
He was sealed inside of a big clam, lying unnaturally still in the Corruption-infused Water,
As his head was tilted further back and his legs and arms were held straight,
With his wings now partly pressed upward, too big to fit in normally,
As they were obscuring parts of his body and the nightgown from view,
All of the color, except for the faint Teal light in his braids, completely muted...
...
This is...What the Traveler described...
*About how he...Inside of the Clam...
...
"...Venti...? Why is your...Elemental Energy...?", Vennessa said in alarm, just as the Teal light in his braids suddenly started to dim, "...Don't tell me...That…!"
Her words cut off just as the light dimmed completely,
As not a moment later, his head tilted all the way back in an unnatural way,
With his wings slumping down, falling onto the Clam's shell as if broken,
While his arms and legs were hanging down limply...
...
"...Barbatos, you...", Dvalin said next, his voice equally sorrowful and disbelieving, as his dragon friend slowly grabbed the Clam with his paw and quickly shook it, his dead body still stuck inside limply moving with the motions, "...After everything that...Your people did…!"
"...Venti is...?", the Traveler was the next to sorrowfully say, their voice trailing off as Dvalin put the Clam back to its original position, "Because of my twin...He is now..."
"Lord Barbatos is...Because we weren't fast enough...!", Xiao words came next, his voice and expression as guilt-stricken as the Traveler's, as moments later he fell to the ground in a sitting position, "...I failed...One of my saviors...How...Could I...?"
He added in even more guilt and shame now, as well,
Before becoming completely quiet, as sobs were soon heard,
Resounding in the now-eerily silent area and moments later joined by others...
...
And this is...When he died...
*When Vennessa, Dvalin, the Traveler and Xiao...
...
...
"...Papa is...G-gone now...?!"
"...The grown-ups...C-couldn't save...H-him...!"
"...I-is Daddy really...G-gone now...?! A-after...P-promising to...?!"
"...F-Father couldn't...K-keep his...P-promise...N-not when...T-the Traveler's...S-sibling...!"
"...W-why did...Y-you do...I-it...?! W-why did...Y-you kill...V-Venti...?! A-answer me...W-why...?!"
"...T-that's right...! B-because of you…V-Venti is...! V-Venti is...!"
"...W-what did...H-he ever...D-do to you...?! Y-you huge...?!"
"...B-because of you…W-we will…N-never...W-with Venti...!"
"...W-we were...S-supposed...W-when he...I-is found...A-and saved...T-the Slumber...P-party...!"
"...B-but because...O-of you...Mister Venti...I-is dead...!"
The children yelled through tears, their expressions equally sorrowful and enraged,
As their crying soon intensified, their words getting too unintelligible to understand...
*With the children being held back by the adults from running to the Clam,
As the Abyssal Energy coming from it was still way too strong...
...
Those poor children,
Because he died...They...
*They should have never,
Had to experience something like...This...
...
...
"...Venti...", the Traveler sorrowfully said as they noticed his dead body laying face down on top of Cider Lake water, numerous fish already gathered around and below his transparent form, some even nibbling on it, "...Since he's...Dead now...There's not much...Difference, is there...?", they added upon carefully landing in the water, the action scaring the fish away, "...Venti, I am sorry...", his friend added in some guilt now, as well, as they reached down into the water and turned his body around, the limbs uselessly moving with the motions, tears soon welling up in the Traveler's eyes, "...I am so...S-sorry...! I-I am...S-so sorry...V-Venti...! S-so...S-sorry...!", the Traveler took his dead body into their arms and hugged it tightly, the tears now rapidly streaming down their face, "...B-because I...C-couldn't...S-stop them...Y-you are...! Y-you are...N-now…!"
...
And this is...When the Traveler found him...
*Laying face down on the water...Looking so lifeless...
...
...
People were gathered in one of the Cathedral's bigger rooms,
The area silent except for the sounds of crying coming from the middle of it,
As Barbara and the children were sitting near and at the sides of a makeshift bed,
On top of which his dead body now lay, completely still...
...
When they brought...'Him' back...
*And everyone was...
...
...
"...I should have been able to save him...Save Lord Barbatos...And yet, I...Badly failed, this grave sin...
...Back then, what happened to the Traveler's sibling before they...To Lord Barbatos...!
...They were possessed by Abyssal Corruption, didn't they...? And considering how easily they broke the barrier between the Human and the Void Realms in multiple nations...
...The thing possessing them must be the Abyss itself. Could it be the Will of the Abyss...?"
“...It is, as much as I want to deny it...
...And last time, the possession was gradual. Unlike now, when it happened almost instantly. If this continues, my twin will surely be...
...I am truly sorry...Because of what my twin...Did...Venti is now...!"
...
This...Exchange...
*Xiao and the Traveler...
...
...
Alice was now in the room, checking on his body,
With the children nowhere to be seen and Barbara sitting by the bed,
As she was seen desperately holding onto his left hand, her face stained from tears...
...
This is...What happened later...
*When Alice finally arrived and...
...
...
"...I am going to be honest with you, there's nothing I can tell you that you don't already know.", Alice told the people gathered, upon carefully closing both of his now-dark grey eyes and retracting her hand from his dead body, "...I checked him with my magic before and even opened his eyes to try and see if there could be anything anyone could do, but...", the witch's words trailed off, as she glanced between the people gathered in the room, deeply sighing moments later, "...He is undeniably dead and still affected by the curse, so even the Ode of Resurrection wouldn't work. And because there are no Time Sigils left, either..."
"So Barbatos is dead, just like that?! After everything the people of Mondstadt did to bring him back to life...?!", Dvalin interrupted her, looking and sounding enraged, "...Even though, for most of this week he was deeply asleep due to being affected by the curse...?! For all this time, ever since he was brought back to life, Barbatos was...!", his words soon trailed off, as Crystaltears started to quickly well up in his eyes, ready to spill, "...A-after everything, he...W-was simply given a...L-little more time...!"
"...The People of Mondstadt, the Winds, even his friend...", Vennessa was the next to slowly say, her expression turning more and more sorrowful by the second, "...They sacrificed their lives to bring him back...A-and yet..."
"...V-Venti barely...G-got to live...!", Barbara cried from her side of the bed, tears already streaming down her face, as the Deaconess' hold on his left hand was even more desperate now, "...A-and now...H-he is...D-dead and...W-we have...T-to...!", her voice broke off as she slowly stood up from her seat, let go of his left hand and leaned towards him, soon enveloping his dead body into a tight hug, "...I-I can't...A-a funeral...F-for Venti...! T-this is...W-way too...C-cruel...! H-he shouldn't...H-have been...! H-he...S-shouldn't...!"
She continued to cry upon holding onto his body as if a lifeline,
His body limply moving with every shake of her shoulders…
*A sight everyone else quietly watched unfold...
...
"...So we really have no choice but to hold a funeral for Lord Barbatos...", Seamus slowly said, both his voice and expression equally sorrowful and grave, "...To think that, after everything, not only did we fail to save him...", the Seneschal's words trailed off, as tears started to well up in his eyes, "...T-there is nothing else that we can...D-do for him now..."
"...I will send people to help with the preparations...", Frederica told him in what was supposed to be reassurance, as the Alder Knight soon turned her gaze towards Alice, "...Thank you for your help, Miss Alice. As soon as we make...Adequate preparations, we will send you an invitation letter for his...", her words trailed off, as her expression turned sorrowful, "...Upcoming Funeral. So, if you are able to attend it..."
"I still need to return to reinforce the recently broken barrier, which is going to take some time.", Alice told her, soon glancing between the people gathered in the room in clear pity, stopping her gaze on the sight of Barbara tightly hugging his dead body, "I will try to finish it in time for the funeral."
She soon promised, before slowly turning around and starting to leave the room...
...
...
This whole...Exchange,
When Alice checked on his...'Condition',
And soon enough she...And everyone else was...
*Hurting so much...Because of him,
Because he...Died back then...
...
...
Huh...Crystaltears...?
*When did he...Start crying...?
...
Barbara...?
*When did she...?
-...D-did something...H-happe...? -His words cut off as the scared-looking teen suddenly cupped his cheeks and kissed him, the Anemo Element's familiar texture soon entering his body, quickly making him feel refreshed. -...Barbara, could it be that you...When you saw me crying...? -He couldn't help but start as soon as she let go and pulled away, her expression a little worried, yet also relieved now. -...Were you afraid that I will suddenly collapse and...Die again...?
He finally asked in rising guilt, soon patiently waiting for a reply,
One which came moments later, when the Deaconess' expression turned sorrowful...