And we are back at it with another chapter !
This part will explore the aftermath of Venti's beatdown on La Signora and the inevitable consequences of it ...
Hope you all enjoy ! With that said , let's get this chapter started !
The next few hours passed by like a blur for him , with Venti organizing the knights into sealing off the rest of the area and securing what's left of the prisoners that were still kicking after he killed most of the squad that was sent to capture his Gnosis . He specifically instructed the knights to make sure La Signora got 'special treatment' which came in the form of tighter restraints and a heavier guard escort . While he may have been able to easily decimate her without breaking a sweat , he knows for a fact that only so few mortals can actually stand up to the might of a Harbinger . Though he would sooner cut his own throat then admit that to that bitch .
It felt odd commanding the knights again ... like he did during Vanessa's time , but he's is glad that his leadership abilities have not dulled since then . But at the same time he couldn't help but want to facepalm at how slow a response the knights were at securing the area , it made Venti want to curse Varka for taking all the experienced knights leaving him only with those who were in the reserve or had quite literally no experience in a fight or doing anything remotely important .
The infirmary or he supposes one could call it the hospital section of the cathedral is deathly quiet and empty , not too surprising considering the people of Mondstadt rarely ever got seriously injured and it was mostly used by the knights and adventurers who were injured on missions to recover .
Now standing by Lumine's bedside , he watches her as she sleeps peacefully . Paimon was also there floating by her bedside , a worried look on her face . He couldn't blame her , Lumine had sustained a serious injury to the gut , it was a miracle she didn't collapse from blood loss and pain . And this was the second time , Lumine had nearly been killed by the Fatui , with the first time she barely being able to escape thanks to the quick thinking of Paimon .
The nuns had already left the room after treating Lumine , after bowing their heads in reverence to him that is , but he quickly told them there was no need for it . He didn't need nor want that kind of worship . He almost wonders if Decarabian got off on this worship stuff , knowing that egomaniac he probably would .
Hearing the sound of the door opening behind him , he quickly was able to decipher it was Barbara from her footsteps alone .
That and he heard her nervous gasp upon seeing him in the room .
Being approached by his side , Barbara nervously fidget with her hands " L-Lord Barbatos ... " She nervously spoke " Are you sure you do not want to me to heal you ? I'm worried that you may have sustained some injuries from your battle with ... that woman ..."
" There is no need for that " Venti says perhaps a bit colder than he would have liked , but it seems to get his point across " I've already healed my body with the power of anemo , you need not concern yourself with me ..."
" I ... I ..." Barbara almost sounded like she wanted to refute what he had said , but seems to relent " I understand "
He feels guilty for making her feel that way , but he needs to be straightforward now " How is Lumine's condition ? "
" Lumine will be just fine Lord Barbatos , she was lucky that the blade didn't pierce anything too important as far as I am aware " Barbara explains a bit more calm than just now " We were able to stop the bleeding just in time and patched her up "
" I see ..."
Barbara fidgeted a little bit more , clearly unnerved by the silence of the room . He couldn't blame her , she was standing right next to the same god she had spent her life worshiping .
" I'll uh ... leave you three alone , Lumine should be waking up soon enough , just try to keep her from overexerting herself " Barbara mentioned before giving a proper bow to him , walking to the door a bit faster than she should have .
" Barbara ..." He says , before she can leave , making her stop in her tracks .
" Y-Yes , Lord Barbatos ? " Barbara sounding a bit scared in her tone .
It hurt him , but he didn't let it show on his face " Thank you ... for helping Lumine ... I appreciate it "
Barbara seems to flush at being thanked by her god , before holding up her hands in defense " N-No ! It is my honor to help you L-Lord Barba-"
" And you can stop calling me Lord Barbatos , Venti is fine with me " Venti cut her off , he honestly hated being called 'Lord ' .
" O-Of course , Lor-... Venti ..." Barbara bowed once more , before finally excusing herself .
The room became deathly quiet once more , the only sound that was barely audible was Lumine's soft breaths , he wasn't even certain he could hear Paimon's breathing or his own . As if neither of them wanted to be heard by the other .
Venti wonders if he should say something to the little fairy , comfort her or the like . Reassure her that Lumine would be okay , but he realizes that would be pointless considering Barbara had already done just that , so that left him with no conversation topic to speak of .
" They were scared of you , you know ? "
Venti looks to the little fairy , sitting on Lumine's bed side , gently holding her closest friends hand . As much as he tries to stop himself , he gives a hard look at the fairy .
" What ? "
" You heard me , they were scared of you back there , when you slammed Signora through the doors of the cathedral and walked in like a bloody maniac " Paimon's tone is weirdly harsh , but cold at the same time , something he would never come to expect of her .
" I was trying to save Lumine " Venti shot back .
" No , you were just trying to exact your anger and vengeance on the Fatui , you should have been more focused on saving Lumine than beating the crap out of the Fatui " Paimon gives him a harsh glare , one that rivals his own right back at her " You and I both know you could have stopped after beating Signora , but no , you had to go the extra mile and brutalize her in front of your own Church . You looked a lot more like the Grim Reaper in there than the God of Freedom "
Venti crosses his arms in the face of her angry mocking " Is there a point you're trying to make here Paimon ? "
" The point ... I'm trying to make here and the one you are clearly missing entirely , is that you let your anger control you " Paimon's tone still maintains the cold and harsh voice it has taken during this entire conversation " If you let it happen again ... I suggest you prepare to relive your days as the God of Death instead , Barbatos "
Venti was silent for a moment before speaking again " What I am wondering myself ... is how the heck you managed to escape from that block of ice so damn fast " He could see a brief moment of surprise in her eyes , before it shifted back to coldness " I saw you get encased in a block of ice itself , so how did you escape so fast ? "
Paimon didn't answer , merely glaring at him , if looks could kill he would be dead a hundred times over .
Venti and Paimon glare at each other , neither of them saying as silence washed over them once more , but their eyes spoke all the words they needed ... before it was interrupted by the sound of Lumine stirring and waking up .
" Ugh ... gods , what happened ? " Lumine questioned , as her eyes slowly fluttered open . Venti and Paimon gave each other a look of understanding . They would settle this later .
" Lumine ! " Paimon immediately hugged her , upon Lumine sitting up straight .
" P-Paimon ? And Venti too ? " Lumine looked at both him and the fairy in surprise " What ... what happened ? "
Venti gave me Lumine the events that had happened after she lost consciousness , though he did skip out some details like him cutting a man's leg off or brutalizing Signora into a bloody pulp . He already got an earful from Paimon , he didn't want to get any of it from Lumine .
" I ... I see , so that's really what happened ? "
" Yeah , that's what happened " Venti nodded , and it seemed Paimon wasn't going to call him out on leaving a few details out . He had already summed it up as him beating the crap out of the Fatui , she didn't need to hear the brutal details .
" We were all so worried about you Lumine ! " Paimon hugged her from her side , Lumine returning the hug " This is the second time you've been injured by those Fatui ! "
" Y-Yeah ... sorry for making you all worry " Lumine apologized , rubbing Paimon's head .
" You have nothing to be sorry for Lumine , I'm just sorry I couldn't protect you " Venti gave a look of self disappointment .
" Venti ... its fine , I'm alive and that's all that matters " Lumine gave him a soft smile " Thank you for saving me at least ... "
Venti gave a small smile of his own " It is my pleasure " He turned and walked to the door " I'll leave you two alone , catch up when you've recovered ..."
He heard Lumine give a 'goodbye' , but he heard no such words from Paimon . As expected .
As he stepped outside the room and closed the door behind him , he let out a sigh he had been holding in . Today had been a long day , one that he had not expected to have .
He pondered on what Paimon had said about him , about how he lost control and was so deep in his own anger ... he couldn't deny what she had said , she was right . He wondered if this rage of his was born from his time during the Archon War , Decarabian's power festering within him ... or was it simply hatred born from the loss of all those he had lost over the millennia .
Honestly at this point he didn't know , but he had bigger things to worry about right now .
He spotted Jean walking up to him and he quickly notices the concern look on her face .
" What is it , Master Jean ? " Venti asks , as she approaches him .
" N-Nothing of importance Lord Barbatos , just -"
" Just call me Venti , I prefer that name " He quickly cuts her off like he did with her sister earlier .
" Uh ... of course , Venti " Jean recomposed herself quickly , much better than Barbara did .
" Have you manage to secure the prisoners ? " Venti asks .
" Yes , we have , but I suppose 'prisoner' would be a much more appropriate manner " Jean speaks with a bit of dread in her voice and he did not miss the fact that she used singular when describing the prisoners .
" The other one didn't make it ? "
Jean nods " Yes ... despite our best efforts to try and save his life ... that man had no legs Venti ... it was honestly amazing he didn't die instantly " He catches the tone of horror in her voice as she speaks about the agent he had sliced their legs off with his wind .
" I see ..." Venti maintains his cool and calm composure " And Signora ? "
" She's ... in better shape than before I suppose I can say , we have her locked up at the Knight's of Favonius Headquarters " Jean explained " We were lucky we hadn't got rid of the interrogation room just yet for Lisa to turn it into her private workshop "
'That's ... actually not a half bad idea ' Venti thinks to himself ' Note to self : Consider renovating Knight's Headquarters in the future '
But that was just a thought for another time .
" Understood " Venti nodded .
Jean looks at the door behind him with a slightly worried expression , where Lumine was still resting with Paimon " How is Lumine ? "
" She's fine , I just talked to her . Barbara did a good job patching her up " Venti explained , dispelling the worried look on Jean's face " She should be back on her feet in no time "
" That's good to hear " Jean smiled in relief " Good to know that Barbara is still the best healer in Mondstadt "
Venti mildly chuckled at Jean's pride in her little sister , he really did make the right call granting the two of them their visions .
" There's something else you should be made aware of Venti ..." Jean's face took the expression of seriousness once more " Your battle with the Fatui and the Harbinger did not go unnoticed by the people of Mondstadt "
Venti was silent for a moment , not out of shock for being discovered , but more out disappointment in himself for letting his identity be discovered like this . Then again , he should have already expected this outcome when he decided to fight back against La Signora .
Venti lets out a sigh " I see ... that ... complicates things "
Jean gives him a sympathetic look " The people want to see you , the sooner, the better. They're all eager to see their god after your centuries of absence in Mondstadt . I was hoping you could help us address it . There's a large crowd waiting by your statue "
Venti has to hold himself back from letting out another sigh , he brought this upon himself he supposes , now he's gotta pay the price . Some part of his mind already knew that one day his identity would get revealed in one way or another , but he didn't expect it would be under these kinds of circumstances . Nevertheless , he must do right by his people especially after making them think he had abandoned them for so many centuries .
When in reality he had never even left .
But the people were not aware of it and he had to make things right for them .
" I will speak to them " Venti nods " Let's go "
" You plan on leaving me out of the celebrations , Lord Barbatos ? " A playful voice comes from behind him , as he turns to see Lumine walk out of the infirmary with Paimon floating by her side .
Venti smiles at her " Wouldn't dream of it "
When he opened the Cathedral's doors , which had been fixed somehow in the few hours he had just broken them from their hinges from slamming Signora into them repeatedly , the last thing he expected was to be greeted by the cheers of a small crowd waiting outside the Cathedral . It seemed that few had been waiting for him here .
"Lord Barbatos!" the crowd cheers.
"It's him , Venti ! Lord Barbatos ! " A child sitting on the shoulders of her father pointed at him " I told you he was real ! "
Venti smiled at his people , as he walked past them to the statue where he could see an even larger crowd assembled . As he walked his whole body glowing with anemo energy as it was transformed back into his true Archon outfit . He could hear their loud gasps as his wings unfurled , he controlled perfectly , keeping them from hitting the crowds at his side .
He saw Lumine give an amused smirk " Show off much ? "
" I try " Venti smiles , before taking off and flying towards his statue . He could hear the small crowd , Lumine and Jean quickly move to keep up with him . Its not like they had to run very far , he merely flew to the very front of his statue where dozens of his people were waiting .
The crowd cheered as he landed in front of his statue , several of the knights were there . He even spotted Kaeya , Lisa , Amber , Diluc , Albedo , Sucrose , Bennett , Fischl and manner other vision wielding adventurers who had showed for the return of the Anemo Archon . Lumine gently worms her way through the crowd to stand by his side for moral support , Paimon had little to no trouble merely floating over everybody's head to get to him .
He smiled , it was good to be back .
"My beloved people, I humbly stand before you today to apologize for my absence to you all . I have abandoned you all for too long , left some of you without a protector , even in their darkest moments in their lives " Venti looks over to Diluc who averts his gaze at him " There are no words or rhymes I can speak that would undo the suffering many of you have had to gone through in your lives "
Venti is of course speaking to the vision users in the crowd . Bennett who has been plagued with bad luck since he was born , Diluc who lost his father to that damn dragon , Albedo who has gone through more suffering than his calm exterior shows ...
" That's a flat out lie " To his surprise , Sister Rosaria steps forward with her arms crossed and a disapproving look pointed at him " You never abandoned us nor did you ever leave those of with darkness in our hearts alone , you gave each and every one of us the strength to fight back "
" Be that as it may Sister Rosaria , I have led you all to believe I have abandoned you all " He smiles sadly at her and turns back to the watching crowd. "It is for that very reason that I wish to right these wrongs. Let it be known that on this day , as long as there is a threat to Mondstadt and its people ... I will never abandon you all again "
His declaration to them all caused the crowds to cheer once more , some of the knights knelling in piety towards him . He even sees Sister Rosaria give a slight bow to him .
For the first time in centuries , Barbatos has returned to his people .
After his big declaration to his people , the crowds quickly organized an impromptu festival to celebrate his return . Even though he told them it was not necessary , they had all agreed that the return of their Archon called for celebrations . Tables were quickly laid out , food and drink was being served , and the sweet sound of music followed causing a joyous atmosphere all around .
It was the one thing that Venti would always lord over Zhongli for : Mondstadt people really knew how to party at a moments notice .
But this time however , Venti chose not to join in the festivities merely hanging off to the side , dressed in his casual bard clothes with a mug full of Dandelion wine in his hand . Now that his identity is out , it feels wrong to sing for mora as he knows his people would be all too willing to empty out their pockets just for him . Not that he minds it anyway , he has others way of obtaining mora , most of which involve preying on Treasure Hoarders and stealing their stuff , and silencing them permanently .
What ? It wouldn't be the first time he did something like that .
" Not joining in on the festivities ? " A familiar voice speaks to him and he sees Sister Rosaria approach and stand next to him .
Venti smirks " I could say the same for you "
" Festivals ... aren't really my thing " Rosaria shifted uncomfortably next to him , making him chuckle .
" I can tell "
A silence followed between them as they watched the people of Mondstadt enjoy themselves to the very fullest during the festival , it made Venti happy to see his people have a good time .
" Hey ... can I ask you a question ? " Rosaria asks suddenly out of the blue .
Venti nods " Sure "
" How ... do you choose who gets a vision and who doesn't ? " Rosaria's question surprised him , making him turn to her .
" What brought on this line of questioning ? " Venti asks with a raised eyebrow .
" Just curious is all " Even Venti could catch Rosaria's lie , but he decided it would be best not to call her out on it .
" Well ... to tell you the truth we Archons don't really have any control over who can hold a vision and who can't " Venti is quick to explain before Rosaria can interject " For some odd reason , only a small minority of people can hold visions , we Archons are merely the decision makers of whether the person is worthy of obtaining their vision and every person has an affinity for a specific element . Hence why Amber has a Pyro Vision , Jean has anemo and so on and so forth "
" But if you would like my answer ... I find that a lot of vision users have some darkness inside of them , in one way or another "
" Is it ... because of that darkness that they are chosen ? " Rosaria asks softly .
" No ... not even close " Venti smiles " I think it is in spite of that darkness that they still manage to hold on to that goodness inside of them , I've seen it many times before " Venti's mind drifts back to Vanessa and how she obtained her pyro vision " I believe that is when the worth of a vision user is truly tested , when they are faced with their own darkness and despair ... they still manage to hold on to their goodness when faced with suffering "
Venti smiles at the thoughts of all the vision users he has granted to so far . Jean , Kaeya , Amber , Sucrose , Diona , Fischl , Bennett , Razor and so many others ...
" It is those who can overcome their own suffering and pain , that I call ... worthy " Venti finished his explanation , taking a sip of his wine .
Rosaria goes silent for a moment , before speaking " I see . Well thank you for answering my question ... my lord " Venti swears he saw the smallest curve of her lips upwards as she walked away , joining the group of sisters who were organizing some kind of choir .
Venti continued to watch his people dance and sing , much to his happiness . But like with all of his days , he had work to do .
Scanning the crowds , he catches the familiar blonde hair of a young girl and the sight of a small fairy following closely by her side .
Putting on his best smile and putting his wine aside , he walked over to the two of them and put his arms around them both " Hey Lumine ! Let's go get a drink together !
" Venti ?! " Lumine sounded clearly surprise by his sudden presence , only it wasn't her that he was aiming for .
" Come on , let's go before Master Diluc runs out of all the good stuff ! "Venti playfully pulled them both over to where wine was being served .
" Ugh ... a drunkard to the very end " Paimon commented .
It was a few hours later that the festival had finally ended and night had fallen over Mondstadt , the knights and people were quick to clean up and head home . Even Lumine and Paimon helped out , despite Barbara's fussing over Lumine's condition and the fact that she had just been stabbed a few hours ago . But the Honorary Knight merely shrugged the Deaconess off , while she appreciated her concern she had taken far worse injuries before .
Like the time she was almost killed by that group of Fatui in the woods and was only saved by the string of luck and compassion of her loyal companion , Paimon .
It was not an event the fairy wished to relive ever again .
After helping clean up , Lumine and Paimon wished Jean and the others a good night . But before they left , they spotted Venti hiding in the shadows as everybody started leaving .
" Plan on hiding in the shadows all night Venti ? " Lumine asked , smirking at the anemo god .
Venti smirked right back at her " Just didn't want to waste anybody's time with praying to me " Venti stood up straight " So you guys headed back now ? "
" Yeah , we're heading back to our room at HQ "
" Alright then , have a goodnight " Venti gave her a playful salute " I got some business to attend to tonight ..."
" You ? Business ? Sounds like trouble " Paimon gives him a crossed look .
" You wound me with yours words Paimon , nothing of the sort ..." Venti gives them a smile " Though I do expect the one I am meeting to find the note I left for them "
Lumine shrugs " Well , have a goodnight , take care "
Venti gives a nod as Lumine walks away with Paimon floating by her side .
" What do you think that was all about ? Him meeting somebody tonight ? " Lumine asks , as they get out of earshot of Venti .
" Who knows ? Though if you want Paimon's guess , he's probably just going to get drunk tonight like alway-" Paimon stopped herself when she felt something move inside the tiny pockets of her dress . It felt ... crumpled , paper ?
Lumine doesn't seem to notice as Paimon pulls out a note that she hadn't even realized was placed inside her tiny pocket and reading it as fast as she could . Her eyes widen at seeing what the note had said , before they turned to cold anger as she already knew who sent it .
" Paimon ? " Lumine turned back to her and she quickly stashed the note back inside her pocket before Lumine could notice " Is something wrong ? "
" O-Oh nothing ! Just feeling full from all those meals from earlier ..." Paimon lets out a laugh to cover up the note she had found . Thankfully it seemed like Lumine had bought it , letting out an amused sigh at her laughter .
But underneath that laughter hid a cold anger as she thinks back to what the note had said :
Meet me at the Statue at Windrise after Lumine goes to sleep . Come alone . - V
It didn't take a genius to figure out who put the note there and as much as she hated it ... she knew she had to comply .
If you all read my 'For Her Sake' story than you all know what's going on here .
You don't really need to read that story to understand this one , since its all kind of self-explanatory .
Hope to see you all in the next one !
Angel Out .