"Are you okay, little wisp? That was a nasty fall."

The bard immediately got up from the rocky terrain, glancing around like he had just been born. The rocky path, the grass sprouting every now and then… Everything seemed familiar and the same time alien. In that brief period, his mind suddenly remembered why he was there. He was walking through Mt. Yougou when he tripped.

"Is… something wrong, Venti?"

He quickly noticed Makoto's worried expression as she tried to help him up. They were going on the treacherous journey to Grand Narukami shrine when he tripped on a loose rock. He didn't exactly know the reason, but it felt like a good opportunity to be with Makoto again. She was wearing a long kimono, decorated with light colours and several Mitsudomoe.

"Ah! Yeah! I mean, no! I just thought I lost an arm and a foot."

He stood up while cleaning his new Inazuman kimono. From bottom to top, the clothes picture high mountain winds rising towards calm clouds above. There was no sun, but the pictured wind filled any void it might have. Besides some dirt and dust, it was undamaged from the fall.

"You know, this would be much easier if I just flew you up there," Venti complained, rustling through his hair. "I didn't think this mountain would be so… rugged."

"You have to take pleasure in the journey to enjoy your destination. I could have teleported up there, but it would be dull and depressing. I already have to teleport out of Inazuma city, so at least this way I can enjoy Narukami island to the best of my ability." Makoto took Venti's hand and continued the trip alongside him.

For Makoto, there was nothing wrong with the simple gesture. He was unfamiliar with the terrain, so it would be easier to guide him like this. Venti didn't think that. He was wondering if his grip was too tight or too loose. If this was the first time he had touched her or so long. Or how he so badly wanted a drink to stop overthinking the situation. But of course, he was nervous.

It was unbelievable that she had been linked to him for what must have been five minutes, but felt like hours.

"Thanks for the clothes." Venti clumsily said. "They're nice?"

"You already thanked me last time. Did you hit your head in the fall?" Makoto teasingly asked, with a hint of worry.

"No… well, yes. The kimono has given me the urge to write a song about Inazuma. So that's why I wanted to thank you." He then built up more courage by biting the inside of his cheek. "Maybe we could do it together? You sing and I play whatever instrument."

"That's a lovely idea. We could also compose a song for my sister, I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

"Yeah…! Wait what, for Ei? Does she like that sort of thing? It feels like she'd loathe being in the spotlight… What am I saying, you know her better than I do."

"Don't be so rough on her. You got along in that personal party with Morax, did you not?"

"That was the alcohol doing the talking. I can be as nice as ever but our personalities don't match, that's all. The whole 'opposites attract' phrase was coined by some guy in Sumeru who never left their home." He half-heartedly complained. "I don't remember much of that party anyways."

"That is for the better." She finished the conversation all of a sudden. "For me, that is. For you, not so much."

"Wait, you can't just say that! I have a very good grip while drunk and Morax usually stops me if I do something stupid."

Makoto awkwardly giggled before suddenly looking forwards. "O-Oh! Look, a cat."

At the mere mention of his mortal enemy, Venti froze in place. His allergy had grown unchecked into a phobia, but he usually just avoided them before even coming into contact with them.

"W-Where are you seeing it?" He looked forwards, seeing only the mountain path with a few bushes here and there. "It was probably a puma or something, let's go. Now. Please."

Still locking hands with Makoto, he pulled her forward without looking forward. Then, as soon as they walked towards the first bush, it shook as if something was inside it. Venti simply walked back and hid behind Makoto.

"Ladies first." His voice trembled slightly before something jumped out of the shrub. And then he hugged Makoto like she was the only thing preventing him from death. "Please tell me it's not a cat. I'm deadly allergic."

"Meow~!" The puffy creature suddenly answered.

Just as Venti was about to set a new record in flying speed, Makoto softly escaped Venti'd hug. She kneeled and took the fox with pinkish fur in her arms.

"You don't have to worry, it's just our mischievous little kitsune." She tried petting the kitsune, but it quickly scurried away from her arms. "She's a shapeshifting fox."

"Ah… Did this little furball prank me? Is that it?" All the tension in Venti's body disappeared as he rolled up his sleeves. "You know, in Mondstadt we punish pranksters with a devious torture from millennia ago…"

The kitsune wasn't able to escape as Venti quickly grabbed it and started the most heinous tickle attack of all Teyvat.

"You made your body allergic to cats." Makoto quietly observed the odd tickle fight as the kitsune bit Venti's hand.

"Hm? No, for some reason it always happens. I can't even think about cats without..." The kitsune jumped on his shoulder and climbed around his armpit towards his back. "Oh, that does it, you're going down fox-girl!"

"Perhaps you should try making another vessel… Morax does it, though I've grown accustomed to your current appearance. I can't imagine you being taller than me." The kitsune seemed to be on the losing end of a flurry of tickles when she managed to wiggle inside Venti's kimono. "Do you need help?"

"Okay, time-out! Time-out! Not inside!" The Kitsune popped her head through the kimono's collar before Venti fixed it a bit tighter. "Aha! You are now mine, you should have escaped when you had the chance!"

The fox didn't seem to care, finding the sudden comfort rewarding enough. She nuzzled her head against Venti's chest, anemo particles flying off from his body.

"Well, that's new. There, there, good fight." Venti patted her head before sneezing. "Oh, did you say something Makoto?"

"You seem like another person when you're with kids. I wonder if she's attracted to your purifying aura, Inazuma is quite corrupt as it is."

"Hm, maybe… Can't you talk, little fox?" He rubbed her little cheeks, but no sound came out.

"She can." Makoto quickly answered. "I'm quite positive she cannot stop talking."

"Oi, let the nice fox answer." Venti hugged her tightly, before pulling her out of his clothes. With a puff of smoke, she turned into a little girl in a shrine maiden outfit. "She's cute. I'm keeping her."

"You are the annoying bard." The kid said with a straight face.

"Woah, who told you that?" He sneezed again.

She pointed to Makoto, who quickly shook her head. "I did not. It was more than likely my sister… I suppose Ei's been sneaking off without telling me again."

"Oh, so you're friends with that sweet-tooth?" Venti properly held the kid with one arm.

The kid shrugged. "She's nice with me. Not like her." She pointed at Makoto again. "She's boring."

"H-Hey, what do you mean by that? I am very fun." The Shogun tried to defend herself to no avail.

"You know she's the Almighty Shogun, right? She's a snore so you can focus on being happy." Venti ambiguously added.

"That's a backhanded compliment…" Makoto sheepishly replied, pouting. "What are you doing out of the Shrine grounds? You should be studying at this hour."

"See? She's mean!" The girl faked a cry, rubbing her face against Venti's shoulder. "I only want Saiguu, Saiguu!"

"Yeah! Saiguu! Makoto's a meanie! But you shouldn't wander off on your own, you'll make your family worried." Venti caressed her soft pink hair before putting her on the ground. "Tell you what, do you know the way up?"

"Yes. I sneak off all the time." She proudly announced, much to Makoto's surprise.

"Show us the way and the Shogun won't snitch on you." Venti ignored the implications and added. "Between me and you, I'd do the same."

The kitsune pondered for a moment, before raising her left arm. "Follow me!" She proudly trotted away, struggling to maintain balance. Then, her tail popped up and stopped her odd stumbling for a few moments before she hid it again.

"She keeps hiding her tail, I don't know why. When she came to the shrine for the first time, she always displayed it." Makoto started, walking alongside Venti. "Lady Saiguu doesn't hide it at all."

"Saiguu's the Head Priestess, isn't she? The winds have told me a few things about her, but let's not get sidetracked. Little Kitsune keeps showing her ears, so it has to be because…" Venti stopped talking, focusing on the kid rushing ahead. "Hey! What's your name?"

The girl jogged back towards the couple. "Yae Miko! And look!" She pointed at something behind them. And as soon as they did, she continued her journey up the mountain.

"Did we just fall for the oldest trick in the book? Sneaky girl. So she's Yae, huh?"

"Miko," Makoto corrected him. "Family name first."

"Huh… Feels like I should have known that. Wait, so what's your full name?"

"Eh? Raiden Makoto." She tilted her head, confused.

"I thought that was part of the title of Shogun. So… every time I presented myself to someone here, did they think I was being weird?" Venti scratched the back of his head, trying to hide his worry.

"Of course not. You're not from these lands so they didn't take you for a fool. Now that you have a local attire, however, maybe you should think of one."

Venti started to think hard until he saw Miko's ears turning forward. She had been listening from afar. He lifted a finger, slowly raising the kitsune in the air and bringing her towards his arms.

"You know, it's really rude to eavesdrop." She acted none the wiser while Venti talked. "I may just steal your family name, you know?"

"I ran away from my family, it's just a name now!"

Venti turned to Makoto to check if she was saying the truth, but the latter shrugged.

"Alright then, I'll adopt you. You're henceforth named Miko of the Wind." He sneezed.

"I don't think you can do that, Venti," Makoto meekly objected. "Kitsune hierarchy is quite convoluted. Your seniority is beyond any but you're an outsider. And Saiguu is her blood relative, so you'd have to ask her first."

"Don't take me so seriously. Real or fake, nothing wrong with having more family, right? I can be your cool uncle!" Venti wagged his finger around, making Miko freely move in the air.

"I don't like uncles, they're creepy." Miko swam, jumped and rolled in the air, having the best time of her life. "Oho! Can you make fried tofu?"

"…I don't know what's that," He muttered before perking up. "Sure I can!"

"Okay! You're my dad now." She swam towards Venti and cusped her hands. "Parents feed their children. Fried tofu now, please."

"Yeah, uh, give me a minute." He used the wind to search for the unknown food. "It will take a moment… Wait, dad?"

"I'd say big brother. But if it wasn't for your young looks, your Archon personality would fit for a stern but loving father." Makoto kindly said, prompting a soft blush from Venti. "Then again, knowing you, I'm sure you'd pamper and spoil your kids."

"What, wouldn't you?" He nudged Makoto with his shoulder, before sneezing again. "You'd be too busy to take care of any offspring. The opposite of me!"

Miko glanced at both Archons and then at her empty cusped hands. "Tofu?"

"I suppose. They grow bitter and hateful of my responsibilities, but they'd be an outcast to the mortal world. The worse of both worlds. I wouldn't be able to burden that pain." She resentfully explained.

"Well, I… I suppose you are right. Many examples in the Archon war, weren't there?" Venti pursed his lips, before noticing Miko pushing her hands against his chest. "Oh, sorry! Is this it?"

A small plate suddenly fell on the kitsune's hands, followed by a rain of fried tofu cubes.

"I acquired them from the sanctuary up top, so don't eat them all at once." She immediately chomped half the cubes in one bite before absently looking at him with a full mouth. "Or eat them all. Hah, you eat as I drink! Maybe I should really adopt you."

"Do you want a child, Venti?" It took him a moment to register Makoto's words. Her posture had changed completely, it was tense and rigid. Her long loose hair, which had been flowing with the wind, suddenly settled and stopped unnaturally.

"Eh? Kind of a weird question." He quietly moved the floating Miko away as she ate her treats. "I have a bunch of friends I'd jokingly refer to as adopted by me. There's probably some Celestia rule against offsprings, anyway."

"You haven't answered." Makoto crossed her arms, an oddly serious expression painted over her face. "Besides, you've stolen from Grand Narukami Shrine. I expect some honesty from you unless you want to be barred from entering."

"Gee, what an ultimatum... I'm good around kids, but that doesn't mean I want one. I could probably split myself in my original form, though I don't even know what would come out of there. Either a mini-me or… well, let's not think about that."

"Ah, that's interesting! I told you the truth, so I wanted to know if you'd paid me in kind." The tension in her shoulders evaporated away. "So even a spirit of the wind thinks of such topics... Morax doesn't, he's quite the oddball sometimes."

"Oh, he did. Once." Venti casually mentioned before another sneeze stopped him. "But don't refer to me like a spirit! It's weird, like I'm dead or something."

"Hell wouldn't be able to claim you, either way." She giggled. "We are all different yet so much alike. That's why I find you so interesting, Venti."

There was silence for a few seconds. Venti could hear the floating kitsune nibbling the fried tofu even through the faint breeze. He turned away from Makoto and gazed at the view from the mountain. "Interesting… Is that what you think about me?"

"Among other positive adjectives, yes. Will you tell me what you think of me as well?"

Silence fell once again. Makoto glanced at the view behind Venti before placing her gaze on him again. Venti didn't seem to notice and sighed. "We spent millennia without interacting with each other. And I think that was one of the worst mistakes I've ever done. I'm just going to tell you a be done with all of this already."

Makoto tittered. "The past is but a museum of regrets."

Venti sighed even more deeply, studying the clouds' movements. Then he unexpectedly turned around. He raised his head, looked at Makoto straight in her deep purple eyes and said. "Well, if hell doesn't want me, how about your heart?"

Makoto looked into Venti's green eyes. Their expression was completely serious. She didn't understand where Venti's sudden authority had come from. Never before had she seen this level of seriousness from him. "Are you confessing your love?"

His stern expression cracked under her clumsy answer. "Eh, yes."

"Oh, I see." Makoto's eyes narrowed as if focusing somewhere on Venti's face. "I'm not sure how to react."

"Well, do you… love me?" Venti twisted his lips at the mere mention."

Makoto tilted her head, looking at a random point on the horizon before opening her mouth. "I don't believe so I'll have to think about it."

Venti blinked once, stared at Makoto's eyes one last time and sighed in resignation. He twisted his lips before raising the pitch of his voice. "Oh, well! Can't do much about it."

He turned around, using his powers to bring Miko closer to them. The kitsune twisted to the right as she was finishing the last piece of food.

"Venti…"

"It's fine, I was being weird by saying it all of a sudden." He waved his hand as the topic would disappear from their hands. "Anyways, enough dillydally. Let's get going."

The spell sustaining Miko in the air ran out, gently placing her on the ground. "More flying, please."

"I don't think so! You still gotta show us the way." Venti cleaned her dirty cheeks.

"Fi~ne…" She begrudgingly agreed, running up the rocky path.

He was ready to follow when Makoto stopped him by grabbing his hand. "Don't flee, let's talk about it."

"No, no, it's fine. Regardless of your answer, it doesn't really change anything." He pulled Makoto alongside him. "You know, a spirit of the wind and all that!"

"Even wind has patterns, Venti." She replied. "Just give me some time to think about it."

And so they walked through the mountain pass, the kitsune trying and failing to prank Venti time and time again. He continuously sneezed between attacks. His allergy shouldn't trigger with the little fox, but for some reason, he was having a bad time.

"I, eh, I think I'm going for a breeze of fresh air." He rubbed his itchy nose and took some tentative steps towards the edge of the mountain.

"But… we haven't even arrived yet, Mister Wisp." Miko pouted while looking up at him. "And my prize?"

Venti snapped his fingers, making her float again. He turned to Makoto.

"I'll be back in a bit. Make sure she doesn't fly off."

Without any advice, he flew up and around the mountain. No relief came from the fresh air of the mountain, neither for his runny nose or watery eyes. So he flew up and up, higher than any mountain of Teyvat before letting himself fall against the air.

"I'm so stupid. I tripped, got scared of a random fox and then I randomly confess. Of course she's going to say no." The rushing air didn't answer his mourning. "I'm dying inside! So awkward! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

He regained control of his fall, looping around the scenery of Narukami Island. Flying high enough to not be spotted by the people below, he controlled his breath and emotions. But that didn't help him at all. It was either anxiety or pure stress, but he couldn't shake off the weight wrapping around his heart.

In that state, he turned to Mt. Yougou and failed to find the spot he flew from. So he decided to simply find Makoto. He didn't double-check when he saw a figure calmly observing Inazuma from a random point of the path.

"I'm back!" Venti landed beside the figure.

"Oh, Barb-… Venti."

Venti and Ei stared at each other like they had just seen a ghost.

"I… thought you were Makoto." He answered, noticing the different and shorter kimono.

"I get that a lot. Nice kimono." Ei calmly conveyed, though her body seemed tense. "Is there anything you need?"

"No. Well, yes. Do you still think of me as a rogue element?" He crossed his arms.

"I don't believe you're actively seeking to destroy Inazuma anymore, no. However, it's my duty to defend this land. It is only common sense to see you as a possible threat."

"Ah, right. So the answer is yes." If he couldn't even make Ei trust him, he should have realised he had no chance with Makoto either way. His wings reappeared, ready to fly off. "Whatever, I need a drink."

"Please stop that detrimental addiction of yours." She did not attempt to stop him, but Venti looked back at her. "You seem oddly on edge. And such activities will hurt your body."

"What, you want me to stuff my face with sweets? That's not healthy either."

"...No. Do physical exercise. One look at your scrawny body tells me you barely even move." Ei pushed away a lock of hair. "What's the point of having a body if you do not use its full potential?

"To drink with people." Venti immediately answered.

She merely sighed at his reply. "I don't know why you're so stressed, but it will help you deal with it. Besides, you owe me a fight, remember? You offered yourself to protect Inazuma and I refuse to let you until you fight me."

"Fine, you want a fight?" Venti fully turned around and crossed his arms. "I've got some things to go through. So I'll fight you."

"Now? Well, even if it's simple sparring, take this seriously, please. Otherwise, I will be severely offended." Ei looked at the Grand Narukami shrine above. "The peace must be upheld. We should probably move t—"

Her hand reacted immediately, grabbing an anemo arrow mid-air.

"Come on! You always wanted this, fight me!" Venti's taunt only affirmed Ei's resolve.

With a glare, she crushed the arrow and summoned her naginata. She motionlessly observed how Venti flew up into the air, launching a volley of anemo arrows.

The bard could barely react to Ei teleporting right in front of him, the blade of her polearm aimed at his throat.

"One."

Venti hastily descended through the mountain slope, entering Chinju forest. The tree cover wouldn't hurt his arrows, and in theory, it should make Ei more careful. He summoned a thin layer of anemo energy surrounding his whole body and beyond ten metres. If Ei teleported, her lightning should pass through the anemo shield first before she could strike him.

He suddenly bumped his back against Ei, who calmly placed the polearm against his neck again. "Two."

Venti once again backed away, clicking his tongue before flying at top speed towards the sea. Augmenting his anemo barrier to a hundred metres, he used the sea to create currents of hydro. He then transformed his bow into a lyre and started playing a tune.

Lightning suddenly pierced the instrument, cleaving it in two. His detection field once again failed to warn him. The astonishment quickly gave way to outright annoyance, creating another bow from his mere breath. His trump card of calling elements from far away became almost impossible.

The moment he raised the field's maximum to 500 metres, he managed to somewhat detect Ei's almost instantaneous movement. That, however, never meant that he'd be able to dodge. The polearm stopped at his throat again, before Ei pulled it back. "Three."

Anemo wings appeared on Venti's back as a gale surrounded the two of them. Anemo, hydro and Ei's electro swirled with tremendous energy.

"Four," Ei calmly said through the wind. This time she had not moved at all.

"What are you even counting?"

"Five. The number of times I could have killed you. Six."

All available elements suddenly rushed at Beelzebul, whose eyes shone with energy before dispelling the tornado with her own energy. Her polearm danced around her hands before she lurched at Venti again. A block of solid air stopped her, allowing Venti to grasp the naginata. He closed the distance and aimed his energy point blank at Ei.

"Seven." Her fist landed firmly below Venti's ribs, completely paralyzing the Anemo Archon. And then solid air impacted her head, barely affecting her.

"Ha!—"

The blunt side of the Naginata hit him on the head, sending him plummeting to the sea. "Eight."

A nearby small fishing vessel witnessed all the wind, lightning and water suddenly flying all around them, especially of the impact against the sea of one of the combatants. And then they saw the Shogun herself following after some sort of air creature heading towards Inazuma city.

Bursts of wind and electricity wildly flew around Inazuma city as Venti used the winds to stop Ei's polearm from reaching his neck. And below in the streets, the citizens wondered what in the world was going on in its skies.

That question was answered immediately after two figures crashed through the pavement of Commercial street, somehow missing all pedestrians in the way. Anyone who was near it could see them. The Shogun herself stood triumphant over some unknown foe in the ground.

"A fool, that's what you are. Did you believe I could be defeated with underhanded tactics? You're creative but utterly unskilled in battle. Only a complete novice blinded by power would be defeated by you." Ei pressed her foot against his chest. "Your words are more dangerous than your abilities. And that is why I wholly disagree with my sister.

"Who needed to let out some pent-up stress again?" Venti answered with a cocky grin.

Their dispute didn't take off as the focus of the battle was replaced by the curious gaze of bystanders. The high-intensity spar had clouded their minds, and now half of Inazuma City had been witnesses of their fight. If word came out that two Archons had fought again, things wouldn't get pretty.

Ei immediately teleported the two of them into an empty Tenshukaku yard.

"My sister is going to kill me!" Ei hastily paced from side to side. "Nobody knows your identity, that should give us time. Maybe I can…" She glared at Venti. "Why did you try to shoot my head off?!"

"You told me to take it seriously!" Venti raised his hands as if that would stop her answer.

"But not immediately! There's a place and a time for everything, you imp!"

"You kept trying to kill me. You wanted the fight even more than me! And stop calling me imp!"

"Stop acting like an imp then!"

Thunder shook Tenshukaku's training grounds as a lightning bolt descended from the clear skies above. Makoto's sudden appearance wasn't as surprising as the angered expression painted on her face. A mixture of disappointment and indignation, it seemed that Baal herself was unsure of how to express these new emotions.

Ei had seldomly seen her sister angry, and Venti had never even thought of the possibility. So when Ei kneeled on the dusty ground, he mimicked her movement.

"What have you done?" Makoto's modulated voice only exacerbated the tension between the two culprits.

"It's not my fault." Ei and Venti said in unison.

"He's lying," Ei quickly answered. "He was the one who started the fight. The fault falls within his boundaries."

"No, no. She offered me to fight seriously in the first place. So it's her fault." Venti replied in kind.

"I've tried my best to connect with him, but he's never trusted or appreciated me. He keeps acting like a carefree brat."

"Oh, I'm the carefree one, Miss 'Born with a silver spoon in my mouth'? Cause you know what, takes one to know one!"

"That's enough!" Makoto's out of compass voice stopped their bickering. "Must you two always be at odds with each other? I thought you had finally warmed up to each other, only to throw it all away now? You two are perfectly capable members of the Seven, yet you devolve to children the moment you're together."

"Well, that's because…" Venti tried to speak, but he quickly weaselled out when Makoto's serious eyes noticed him. "I'll shut up."

"You were alone for five minutes. And in that brief period, you have fought all over Narukami island, disrupted fisheries and merchants, destroyed Commercial street, and interfered with Inazuma's peace. And the first thing you two try is not to apologise, but quarrel over who is really at fault." Makoto sighed, shaking her head in the process. "I should not cover for your mistakes. But Ei, you are Baal as well. This petty fight is humiliating for both of us. So I will create a cover story."

"I'm sorry." Ei immediately bowed, kneeling further.

"And you, Barbatos," Venti immediately tensed up. "You already are infamous for messing with the internal affairs of the nations of Teyvat. And now the populace has seen you fighting me. If your identity is revealed, the worst could happen. Do you truly want another incident like in Fontaine? Because of that, everyone eyed Mondstadt with suspicion for over a century. I'll remind you that war could have easily broken out if Morax had not intervened."

"I… I'm sorry too."

"I can't show any of you leniency just for being family or friends. You broke the laws of Inazuma and Teyvat." Makoto drew a symbol with her two hands. "I'm sorry, but you two are exiled from Inazuma for a year."

"What?!" Ei didn't hide her surprise. "But I… Your protection… My duties…!"

"You prioritised your feud over Inazuma. I hope this lets you rethink your actions, sister."

"Sucks to be you," Venti muttered, fully aware that being exiled from Inazuma meant little to him.

Makoto finished drawing an electro sigil, projecting it to both Ei and Venti. Their right hands absorbed the seal. "I heard that, Barbatos. There's little I can do to punish a fellow Archon. But I can do this. Go on, try to leave."

Venti suspiciously stood up, looked at his right hand and started to walk away. He walked around ten paces before his body felt an incredible force restraining him.

"Stop doing that!" Ei immediately shouted at him, her right hand glowing with electro energy. "She's bounded us."

"Bounded? Woah!" The force suddenly pulled him away from the ground, sending him crashing against Ei. "We're magnets now? I have to be with her all the time?"

"Perhaps this will help you iron out your differences. The spell is easily breakable, but I will know if you do so. And extend your punishment." Makoto started drawing another seal. "You will also receive no answer of that question either. Until the punishment is done."

His shoulders sank in realisation and Ei could only observe their awkward reactions.

"Tell me immediately if anything goes amiss," Ei asked. "Because you are right, sister. I accept this punishment, but that doesn't mean I will not rush to aid you. I… I don't want to be away from you."

"I don't want to be alone, but you leave me no choice. I long to see you again already so please, do not do anything rash." Makoto finished drawing another sigil. Her serious expression wavered for a second as she glanced at both Archons. "Don't argue and get along, please."

In a blink, Ei and Venti found themselves in the middle of the sea. The former calmly used her powers to stand in the air, while Venti let himself fall. And then the spell was activated, pulling him towards Ei and crashing into her again.

"Try that again and I will knock you out." Electro poured out of Ei, who made her animosity clear.

"Why are you complaining? You're cushioned." Venti maintained his distance. "Now I have to babysit you for a whole year. Ah, karma, you foul mistress."

"Babysit me? You're the drunkard, meddler and most infantile member of the Seven."

"Counterpoint: I'm older than you."

"No, you are not. My sister and I roamed Inazuma before Mondstadt was even settled."

"Yeah, well, so did I. And your body is younger than mine."

"Again, you created that vessel five hundred years ago. I have you beat by a millennium."

Venti and Ei stared at each other for a few more seconds before the latter gave up.

"Fine, whatever. Let's just move to the mainland." He summoned his wings, turning northwest. "Follow me close."

"Like five hundred years ago, do you intend to fall into stasis again?" Ei's voice stopped the sea from moving, paralysing the whole world. "Your wounds are too grave and reminiscing will only pull you closer to the museum of regrets you call memories. Will you escape this dream or sink further into it?"

"A dream?"

Gasping and sweating in a panic, Venti felt all muscles in his body ache in pain. The slightly moving room pointed towards being in the Alcor. He tried to push away the hair from his face, only to find himself staring at his missing left forearm. The stump was completely bandaged, but even then his missing hand provoked severe phantom pain. The same happened on his right foot, but he couldn't recall how he even lost that limb. Whatsmore, his only healthy arm seemed to be covered with fractal scars from all the lightning attacks he had absorbed.

"That last part didn't feel like a memory… Wait, I'm alive!"

Though his laugh was interrupted by the pain in his stomach, he couldn't help but grin. And then, as the reality of the situation settled in, he slowly came back to his senses. Confusing dreams and the real world was already embarrassing enough. His right hand no longer had Makoto's spell, not for at least 500 years. Now, only Morax's ring decorated his fingers.

He looked at his missing foot again. Living with one arm was already a hassle, but now he had to trek to Inazuma City with one leg.

A trickle of anemo energy left Venti's body, but it wasn't enough to make a fake foot. Not even to fly. He had used the little strength he had to defeat Kunikuzushi.

Mustering all his power, he managed to sit down on the border of the bed. He glanced at the empty chair beside it before looking at his foot again. Somebody must have been watching over him. He couldn't help but feel a bit lonely.

The sunlight entering through the porthole above the bed was the only way he could see the outside. He peered into the view.

They were at a port, one he didn't fully recognise. But the architecture of the settlement, the attire of the people, the very way the wind twisted around told him enough. This was Inazuma.

After so many trials, a breeze of change washed over the island.