Barbatos was shocked,
HE WAS "UNRESPONSIVE" FOR ALMOST THREE WEEKS?!
...
It wasn't a few months or years...
...
Still, for him to suddenly be in "Limbo",
On the verge of death...
...
And for almost three whole weeks!
...
...
What could have happened...?
And why couldn't he remember any of it...?
*Why was a part of his memory blank...?!
...
- Can you tell me what happened...? At least vaguely…? -He finally asked, looking in confusion between the people standing closest to him. -...Why is part of my memory completely blank...?
They exchanged concerned glances.
-...If Lord Barbatos roughly knows what happened, the chance of him endangering himself again will be lower. -Albedo finally said, looking completely serious. -...In the first place, it happened since he wasn't aware of the risks...-He heavily sighed, before looking guilt stricken. -...And neither did..."We".
It sounded like he was about to say something else instead of "we".
Was he somehow feeling guilty for what happened...?
...
Why...?
...
-...I agree, Albedo. It would be better if Lord Barbatos knows. -Jean quietly said, both her voice and expression getting sad. -...We might not be so fortunate next time...
The person in question looked between the two with even more confusion.
...
"Might not be so fortunate"...?
"Next time"...?
...
Just what...
...
Just what happened...?
-Lord Barbatos, you being in "Limbo" for almost three weeks happened because of Equivalent Exchange. Specifically, due to one of it's conditions getting broken. -Albedo explained, his expression getting even more ashamed as he looked at the aforementioned person. -...And it happened because I unknowingly asked something I never should have. -He continued, before suddenly looking down on the floor. -...It's no wonder that sister Rosaria tried to kill me. Even if I didn't know of the danger, there is no question that I nearly committed Deicide.
That made Barbatos look towards the other in shock.
...
Equivalent Exchange...?
One of the conditions got broken...?
And that is why he was in "Limbo"...?
...
...
And, Albedo...
-...Rosaria tried to kill you...Because of Deicide...? But, you didn't mean to...! A-and I wasn't really...! -He slowly started, getting more and more shocked and weary by the second, before finally putting his hands on his face. -...Oh, Celestia…! Why did I ever become an Archon...?!
-...The question was about your memory. Mainly, your sealed memory brought about due to the Equivalent Exchange. -Albedo continued in a dead serious voice, yet still sounding ashamed. -The memory of what happened 500 years ago was one it's conditions. The one that was broken and sent you into the state of "Limbo". -He paused, before deeply sighing. -...The other condition is the memory of a person close to you, one you must have known in the past. I have a hypothesis of who it must have been, but for your own safety, I shall keep it a secret.
...
So, five hundred years ago something happened, now he can no longer remember it and his life would be in danger again if he does...?
...
And more importantly, those memories included what exactly happened to him,
As well as memories of someone precious to him...
…
Of a friend or even a loved one,
Of someone he was close to once.
...
...
And yet he could no longer bring himself to even remember their name.
*If he tried to and died again, everyone would be so sad,
He didn't want them to experience that kind of thing again...
...
...
- This is so complicated...- He said in a conflicted voice, as he lifted his hands and paused in confusion moments later.
...
Rosaria...?
...
Was she here the whole time or did she join recently...?
Was he so shocked and overwhelmed that he didn't notice her until now...?
...
And it seemed that Barbara also wasn't around anymore,
Nor was the traveler and their "companion"...
...
Right, they collapsed,
Someone must have taken them to rest,
And Barbara dutifully decided to watch over them as a healer...
*She was so kind and diligent. He couldn't have asked for a better devotee.
But, just like her older sister, she took too much on herself.
When he is feeling better, he should do something about that, as well.
Especially since he must be the reason why her eyes were red with tea...
-Lord Barbatos, now that you know of the danger...Next time you feel sad about not having a memory of what happened 500 years ago...-The nun said in an eerily quiet voice, interrupting his thoughts, as she was now standing before the makeshift bed, hovering over him. -...DON'T TRY TO REMEMBER. -She almost yelled out the last part, making some people look at her in shock. -...And if you foolishly try to do such a thing anyway, completely ignoring my warning, I will...
- I know. I know that well now. -He interrupted her in a quiet and serious sounding voice. - Being "awoken" like this and the aftermath...It showed me enough.- He then smiled warmly. - You shouldn't worry anymore. From now on, I shall cherish this life that you gave me. That you worked so hard to return. -He said with all sincerity, which made her and everyone else look at him in shock. -...Surprising, isn't it, that I am suddenly saying this and with so much conviction...? -He couldn't help but chuckle at her shocked expression. - In the past, I was quite reckless. But, now I know better. -He quietly continued, before smiling again, this time slightly mischievously. - I wonder if you can call it "character development"...? My, to think that this would take me so long to realize~
After everyone's shock died down, Barbatos was told what happened when he was "dead". It turned out that the Mondstadtians weren't the only ones who were praying to him, but people from other nations as well. Who can't call him "An Absentee Archon" anymore and even helped with the restoration and upgrade of the temple (That last part the Archon chose to ignore entirely...). All the time he was in "Limbo", there was a storm in Mondstadt, while the winds completely disappeared from the other six nations, as if all the winds were...
...
Wait...
...
The winds from all seven nations were here right now?!
"Now he notices us...!", the winds from Nathlan said in annoyance, sounding hurt, "Even though we were here most of the time that you were "dead"..."
Then, before anyone could react, all the Cathedral doors leading to outside suddenly opened with a loud bang and soon the whole place became extremely windy. So much in fact, that people had to hold onto something to not be blown away.
Barbatos felt himself sigh deeply, before creating Anemo shields around everyone.
*Thankfully, he was stronger now due to everyone's faith, so it wasn't exhausting.
He tried not to think about what they might have done to make it so. Like that...Temple.
...
He was never going to visit that embarrassing place!
Not even if they drag him there kicking and screaming!
...
He didn't need to get even more embarrassed than he alrea...!
-WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME IS GOING ON HERE?! -Someone yelled out in shock, their voice barely being heard by almost everyone around them.
-... The winds from all seven nations are here. -Barbatos wearily answered, being the only one unaffected by the sudden typhoon, hence not even bothering to make an Anemo shield around himself. - And they are really overdoing it with the dramatic entrance.
"What is wrong with our dramatic entrance...?", the winds from Fontaine told him in confusion, "...We thought you loved those, didn't you...?"
Yes, he did,
As long as it didn't hurt anyone, that is.
...
Which was not the case right now!
...
If not for his Anemo shields,
EVERYONE WOULD HAVE SUFFOCATED ALREADY!
...
"Sorry about that...", the winds from Liyue said, sounding equally serious and ashamed, "...It appears that there was some miscommunication."
A few seconds later the winds in the Cathedral calmed down,
Which made Barbatos sigh in relief, as he deactivated the shields...
...
Now, the most important question was:
Why were the winds from all seven nations here...?
"We were worried, so we came to "visit" you.", the winds from Snezhnaya said like it was the most apparent thing in the world, "Must there be another reason...?"
"Rushed here the moment we felt you die! Left the other nations dry for almost three weeks, haha!", the winds from Liyue joked or rather, tried to.
There was silence for a few uncomfortable seconds...
"...What was that just now...?", the winds from Snezhnaya asked in a deadpan voice.
"... We have to agree, that was absolutely horrendous...", the winds from Mondstadt finally said, having been unusually quiet until now.
"...Sorry, we may have inherited our domain lord's almost nonexistent sense of humor...", the winds from Liyue said in shame.
"Rex Lapis...?", the winds from Sumeru asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.
"...Yánwáng Dìjūn, yes.", Liyue's winds quietly admitted.
...
That sounded like Rexie, alright!
He was always such a…!
"Rexie…?", Liyue's winds asked in rising shock, "...As a short version of "Rex Lapis"...?!"
...
Yes...?
Wasn't that Morax's other name...?
*Why was it so shocking to make it into a nickname...?
...
"... Yánwáng Dìjūn is one of his titles. "Rex Lapis" is a badly made translation of that title.", Liyue's winds slowly explained , "...It was never a name."
...
Oh...
...
Wait,
Seriously?!
...
He was butchering the blockhead's title for all this time,
And the other never planned to tell him about it...?!
*So, that's why he looked so uncomfortable about it!
And he thought it was because the other was just a boring grandpa!
...
...
"Shouldn't we discuss more important matters...?", Sumeru's winds seriously said, "Like the fact that Barbatos "died". Again."
...
Yeah, that happened,
And it wasn't even intentional this time...
...
Unlike that time during the invasion,
He was quite reckless back then...
*And didn't even think about how everyone else would feel...
...
He already died and revived twice this month and a half,
With the second time being barely able to hold on...
...
If he dies again, he might not be able to come back,
No matter how much and how hard everyone will try to save him.
*"Third times the charm", isn't it...? So ironic...
...
"If you don't get killed, you may as well live forever.", Inazuma's winds admitted, "...Something that Bhaal is trying to achieve in her brainwashing, with all the wrong methods.", a heavy sigh was suddenly heard , "...Which may lead to a rebellion soon enough..."
"...Yes, the best way for her to "live forever" is to make her people latch onto her, unable to let go.", Sumeru's winds thoughtfully said, "Similar to what Barbatos unknowingly did to his own."
That made the Archon wonder what exactly they meant by that,
He knew that he was stuck in "Limbo" thanks to his people...
...
But, somehow it sounded like there was more to that...
"It is. The only reason why everyone could hold you back from slipping away and coming back to life this time, was because of the so called "curse"." Sumeru's winds explained in a dead serious voice, "...Without it making you collapse when you did, you would have already..."
...
He would have died instantly, didn't he...?
And then disappeared...
...
...
He should really stop dying already!
*Even if it is unintentional...
"That sentence sounds highly illogical.", Sumeru's winds mumbled, "...But logic doesn't seem to work for some people these days, so what do we know...?", then a loud and tired sigh was suddenly heard, "... What is normalcy, anyway...?"
" It's not your fault, Barbatos. It's the fault of whoever killed you 500 years ago!", Fontaine's winds said in a very serious voice, "We ought to find that sinner and...!"
"They are already dead.", Sumeru's winds interrupted, their voice unreadable, "They were killed five hundred years ago in an act of revenge."
"...And their death was one of the reasons the Tsaritsa changed so drastically...", Snezhnaya's winds wearily said, "...She was so nice before. But, now..."
She completely changed,
Hardening herself to the extreme...
...
And to think they were friends once,
Sometimes he wished he could go back to those times...
...
But, that time has already passed...
...
His friendship with the Tsaritsa,
His sealed memory of an important friend,
Even the friendship of his first friend and those that he knew afterwards...
…
They were long gone,
Those times weren't coming back...
*No matter how hard he wished for them to.
...
All he could do now was move towards the future,
Thankfully, he was not alone this time...
*His people truly cared for him,
He was very grateful for that...
"We also care for you, Barbatos.", Mondstadt's winds said in an unreadable voice, "...Even though we failed to save you before...", they continued as their voice turned heart broken, "...We tried to stop you from remembering...", suddenly a sad sigh was heard , "...And yet, you still..."
...
The Archon's eyes widened in realization,
Was this why they were so quiet until now, barely joining the discussion...?
...
"...Yes, we feel ashamed...", they admitted in a quiet voice, "...Even though we are the ones who are always with you...", there was suddenly a pause, "...We couldn't make sure that you remained safe..."
...
So they felt guilty for what happened to him...?
*Even though it wasn't their fault at all...
...
...
He really should take better care of himself now,
So no one would blame themselves for his condition again...
*They shouldn't hate themselves for something they had no control over.
"...It's mostly because you are a god, Barbatos, an Archon in control of one of Teyvat's nations. Even if you refuse to rule over Mondstadt.", Sumeru's winds explained, sounding completely serious, "Due to that position itself, humans get "overwhelming" when it comes to you. And when you act familiar with them...", there was suddenly a pause, "... Well, you must already know what happens then. You experienced it first hand, after all."
...
His best choice would be to get used to the attention,
Even though he might die from embarrassment before he coul...
-Lord Barbatos, are you alright...? -His thoughts were interrupted by a worried voice, as Jean was crouched by and looking at him in concern. -You were so quiet for a while now, we began to worry that...
...
He forgot that they had company,
His own people and those from other nations, as well...
...
They were looking at him in worry,
Some more than others...
- I am fine! There's no need to worry yourselves for my sake! -He reassured them, wondering for how long he was "quiet" for people to become so concerned. -It's just that since the winds from all the seven nations are here, we are having a full blown discussion! - His eyes suddenly widened, as he came to the sudden realization. -... If all of them are here, then not only there is no wind in other nations...But, all those human souls...!
For the love of...!
He was so overwhelmed, he forgot such an important thing!
...
All those dead people can't ride the winds to get to Celestia or the other side and have to reach it by different, more difficult and/or annoying means or they are stuck forever haunting the world of the living!
-... I have to apologize. -He suddenly said, looking and sounding ashamed, which confused and/or shocked a lot of people. -It seems that since the winds visited because they were worried for me, it made quite a hassle for everyone else. There are a lot of spirits haunting Teyvat, aren't there...?
He asked without really waiting for a reply,
As Barbatos knew that he already answered his own question...
...
The winds from the other nations shouldn't have come here,
And the more they stay here, the more of a problem there would be for everyone else...
*He was grateful that they were worried for him, but as things stood, they had to return to their own...
"Fine! Fine! We are "going" back! Sheesh!", Natlan's winds said in annoyance, sounding slightly hurt, before the poor entrance doors were pushed open with a bang.
Almost everyone were looking at the "scene" in rising confusion.
-...Those were the winds from Natlan just now. -Barbatos informed, confusing everyone even more. -... They are...Uh...Feisty.
And seemed to get hurt by his "dismissal", he realized.
...
He knew where they were coming from,
He didn't visit any of the other nations for a while, after all...
*But, as things were right now...
"If the dead stay in the world of the living any longer, the border between the living and the dead might weaken and then disappear entirely.", Sumeru's winds explained, sounding conflicted, "...We understand, we shall return to the Dendro Archon's domain."
A second later they flew away through the doors that the guards just closed, opening them in the process.
- Those were the winds from Sumeru . -He decided to explain, as he sadly looked towards the now open doors. - They decided to leave, once they realized what staying here any longer would entail...
Maybe he should visit them sometime...?
*When was the last time he was in Sumeru, anyway...?
When was the last time he visited the other nations, excluding Liyue…?
...
When he gets out of his "House Arrest",
He should visit them all again…
...
Which he hoped would be soon...
"We will go back too, then.", Snezhnaya's winds said, as the entrance doors were pushed open once more, so hard that they almost broke from their hinges, just when the nearby guards finally closed them again.
-...And those were the winds from Snezhnaya. -He wearily said before sighing. -... They don't really care about appearances and do whatever they want. - He explained, before noticing how the guards went to close the doors again. -... I think it's best to just leave the doors open at this point.
"Especially since Liyue's, Fontaine's and Inazuma's winds were yet to leave.", was left unsaid.
...
"Yes, we know. Visit us when things calm down, will you...?", Inazuma's winds said, before flying through the opening, "...Hopefully, Inazuma would still stand..."
"It was nice to see you again, Barbatos.", Fontaine's winds said, as they flew out too.
"We shall go, as well. Our domain's lord is currently in Mondstadt and should visit you soon.", Liyue's winds said, before flying out after Fontaine's.
...
After they all left, it actually felt quiet to the Archon...
*He didn't hear from them for so long,
That the time they shared together just now felt so brief...
...
"We are still here, Barbatos.", Mondstadt's winds reassured him, "...And we are going to stay with you. It's a promise we have no intention of ever breaking...", there was suddenly a pause, "...Even if Celestia itself would try to intervene."
Before Barbatos could react to the winds' declaration, there was suddenly a loud bang and the sound of rapid running.
...
What in Celestia's name is happening...?!
…
...
CALVIN?!
...
…
...
He kind of forgot about the Cardinal,
Since he was usually...
...
Quite...
...
Overwhelming...?
*And he also insisted on calling him "Lord Barbatos",
Saying something about "showing respect",
Even when he was in his bard form...!
...
…
When the man found out that he was Barbatos, the Anemo Archon,
His immediate reaction was...Kind of...
...
Even remembering it is embarrassing...!
*Hopefully, he never finds out how the other reacted all the times he was unconscious/"dead"/knocked out...
...
...
Since he was still lying on the makeshift bed,
Which was actually very comfortable...
*The way everyone tried to make him cozy was just adorable!
...
The de facto Seneschal still didn't notice him,
As it seems that he was mad about no one telling him of his "awakening"...?
*Barbatos would like to believe that Calvin wasn't mad just because of that,
But, knowing how the other was, his reaction this time appeared to be quite mild...
Was he what you would call "zealous" or even "overzealous"...? It wasn't explicitly bad, but still felt very embarrassing...
...
...
Oh, it seems that he noticed him now...!
*He should have faked being asleep,
That way it would have been less embarrassing!
...
This is going to be,
Um..."Interesting"...
*Actually embarrassing...
-I am immensely relieved to see you back with us, Lord Barbatos. -Calvin said in relief, as he was standing before the makeshift bed now, making Barbatos wonder just how fast he ran here or if he could teleport like Rosaria and Kaeya. -If only I was told that your "awakening" was successful, I would have come sooner. -He added while giving Jean, Albedo, Sucrose and Rosaria a side glare, which the Archon didn't really notice as he was busy looking at the other's appearance. The other kind of reminded him of a zombie right now, with his clothes askew, bags under eyes, shaggy hair...He should really take a break. And not just a small one in order to check on "his lord and savior" (Don't even ask), but an actual at-least-a-few-hours-long break. -...Seeing as there are so many people around, I am going to say all I wish for you to hear in prayer. -He declared before dropping to his knees in a sitting position and bringing his hands together. -Such important words should only be conveyed directly from me to you, my lord.
...
Barbatos wondered if it would be extremely embarrassing and was soon proven right,
Making his face rapidly heat up in embarrassment and wondering what exactly this prayer was supposed to be...
...
A declaration of undying loyalty…?
...
A declaration of eternal love...?
...
...
D-did he really want to know what this was...?