Anyone in Mondstadt knew this. As long as there was even the slightest hint of a breeze, your prayers would always reach Barbatos. And the region's wind was ever-present but never overbearing. Even in the rain or the rare thunderstorm, calmness always prevailed in the wind. That night, however, the wind was a bit stronger than usual.
"Please Barbatos," A young nun prayed into the wind. "Protect my sister in her journey through Liyue and Inazuma. May your winds guide her through the darkness that has enveloped the Land of Thunder."
The wind carried her prayer through Mondstadt city and Springvale, caressing the vineyard of Dawn winery before rushing into Stone Gate.
"If I have to check another carriage with more barrels of wine and ale, I'm quitting this job." A Millelith guard complained to his peers. "I'll make a house in Mondstadt and make Barbatos pay dearly for tempting me every day."
Those words were picked up by the wind, continuing their journey south through Dihua Marsh before circumventing Wangshu Inn. A lone Yaksha rode through the rushing gale before jumping away and facing unsuspecting corrupted enemies. Dealing with them in one strike, he turned south.
"It's been centuries since I last witnessed your fearsome strength, Barbatos. What enemy is worthy of such display?"
Picking up his question, the gale quickly crossed Guili Plains and reached the Sea of Clouds, where Liyue Harbour was settled. Hats were blown away, and candles and lamps were extinguished as the wind picked up in strength. They continued unopposed until they faced Rex Lapis, who they avoided out of respect.
"What are you doing, my friend? If I can feel you, so can Beelzebul."
The gale carried his words through the sea, accelerating to even greater degrees. The gale of wind crashed against the Inazuman storms, before pushing through and reaching the Alcor.
"Wait, Venti! We're supposed to fight him together!"
Mona's warning came too late, as the winds and the information it carried reached the God of Freedom. Prayers, questions, begging and threats… the mere mention of his name was already strengthening his resolve and power. And then, he moved.
Barbatos' pure Anemo powers crashed against Scaramouche's shield, launching him flying into the air. Wind and thunder clashed through the clouds, creating a storm within the storm.
There were many legends about Barbatos' peacefully dealing with issues. Not so many of him taking the brunt of the fight. Almost all of them included a champion chosen by the God of Freedom himself. Whether it was Gunnhildr, Venessa or even Dvalin, Barbatos never fought alone. Because he was not a fighter. Barbatos had known this for a very long time. Fighting, killing, he loathed it all. He preferred to sing, boost their friends and aid their journey because battling one-to-one was a moot point. Perhaps that's why he loved rebellions. Everyone against a few tyrants. Like a party, except it ended with somebody getting his head chopped up.
After a hundred clashes in the span of a few seconds, Barbatos descended to the raging seas for cover. He couldn't break through the enhanced electro and anemo shield. In his prime, he would have completely immobilised Scaramouche in but a few seconds. Now, the Harbinger matched his strength and then some.
Baal's pure power plus the strength of that Anemo vision gave Scaramouche a versatility he didn't have. The only thing keeping the Harbinger at bay was the bard's flying speed, which was several leagues above Scaramouche's sky walking.
Flying close to the waves, Barbatos shot a volley of arrows toward the pursuing Wanderer. The pure anemo arrows crossed through the waves without soaking themselves in water and broke through Scaramouche's shield. Albeit the Wanderer received no damage, Barbatos saw that concentrated energy could penetrate his defences.
That realisation mattered little as lightning exploded around the Archon, the only thing faster than him. That brief pause in his judgement was exploited by his enemy, who used the wind to raise the sea around Barbatos. The endless tie swallowed and then electrocuted him as lightning dug its way towards him.
"How have you accomplished anything while being so weak?" Scaramouche immediately asked Venti, who barely escaped the sea's grasp. "It's infuriating. You truly leave all the hard work to whatever peasant fancies you?"
"You'd find that grouping yourself with friends makes everything easier. Don't tell me the Harbingers aren't a nice group to hang around?" Venti dried his twin braids, still showing an air of conformity. "It's too late for regrets."
He summoned his lyre, playing a tune through the deafening sounds of the waves, thunder and wind. The unexpected display was reinforced by a sudden air beam impacting Scaramouche's shoulder. Another note and his arm got hit by pressurised air. As the music became louder and louder, so did the wind waves inside Scaramouche's shield.
"Trying to use anemo against me is pretty ballsy, nephew." The seas grew calmer as they became attuned to Barbatos' song. "That shield of yours is useless if it's not swirling. Spin it around, and let it go wild! The elements infusing it will become stronger as well. It doesn't matter since I'll still be able to hit you anyhow."
"Weak! Even after all this, you still disrespect me!"
Scaramouche's form disappeared in lightning, warping around the seas in an almost instantaneous manner.
"Copying Ei's moves?" Through his calm words, Venti held back a nervous laugh. Lightning's speed was always greater than his own.
Electro exploded on his back, sending him crashing into the waves. The sea became enraged again, as lightning strikes became more and more prominent. Barbatos managed to reappear from the seas, only to be attacked by pressurised air slashes. The attacks barely grazed him, he believed, until he saw half of his left hand missing. With his palm severed and with only a thumb and his index finger, playing a tune became a bit more difficult.
The lyre began floating on its own as the Harbinger reappeared in front of him, punching him with the strength of anemo, electro and hydro. The seas split from impact, sending Venti deep into the ocean. The ocean floor cracked from the impact, only to be completely crushed after a scattershot of elements rained down on it.
Water soon rushed to fill the brief gap in the seas, crushing the Archon with hundreds of metres of ocean.
Above the waves, Scaramouche grew tired of waiting and slowly descended with his anemo shield. The seas parted as he descended, the scarce light disappearing after a few dozen metres. The bubble around the Harbinger was ten metres wide and tall, but the ocean's weight shrank it considerably. After two hundred metres of descent, he found Barbatos in his own little bubble, calmly examining his mangled hand. The anemo shield didn't oppose resistance and merged both bubbles.
"You know, this was my favourite hand."
Scaramouche answered by kicking him in the head, before stomping on his chest.
"Your body is too fragile. Come on. Use your gnosis. Otherwise, you stand no chance against me."
Venti just laughed. "And be indebted to the Watchtower above? I rather die."
The Harbinger didn't like that answer. "You… Can't you see? I am above you in every way. I'm stronger, faster, smarter! Anything you can do, I can do better. You have no chance otherwise!"
"Aw, concerned about my well-being? Or ashamed that I'm not worried at all?" Venti got kicked in the stomach, rolling on the ocean floor.
"You went through all this trouble to isolate me, just for you to double down and die?" Scaramouche approached Venti and seized him by his shirt collar. "You are supposed to elevate me, to make me better than you are. So take this seriously."
"Isolate you?" Venti grasped the Harbinger's wrist. "Back in Liyue, Morax would have captured you for what you did to the Mizar. You even tried to curse Mona with a Tatarigami. And I still let you roam around because I believed that you were just a person doing whatever it could to break off his chains. But the reason I let you board the Alcor was not to isolate you." The air suddenly built up, threatening to destroy the air bubble. "It was so that I could go all out if you showed no remorse."
Air surged from the ocean floor, cutting through the hundreds of metres of water and the storm above. Walls of water receded against the hurricane winds that had suddenly sprouted from Barbatos, the flora of the seas finding themselves ashore in the wet rocky ground. The winds pushed and pushed, creating walls of water around a perimeter of hundreds of metres.
"Incredible…" Scaramouche muttered as he gawked at the ocean walls. "You truly are a spirit of the wind," He forced his eyes shut before glaring at Barbatos. "Are you finally taking me seriously? Do you think a mere display of power means I will give up and become your little follower? I do not need your redemption."
Venti floated again, his hands locked in prayer as anemo wings appeared on his back. Two metre-long wings spanned horizontally, flickering briefly before two smaller wings appeared below them. His mangled hand shone as anemo swirled around it and created three ethereal fingers as temporal replacements.
"You want the truth? It was never about you." His eyes glowed in intensity again. "The truth is I cannot let go of the past, the only person I wanted to redeem was myself. You said something about my supposed grudge against Ei... Do you truly know why she believes that?"
Scaramouche didn't answer, choosing to jump back a few metres. He raised his right arm towards the now clear skies, bringing back the storm that engulfed the seas. Thunder rumbled above as lightning descended upon the Harbinger, whose strength increased through new levels.
"It's always about her, every time. You, Dottore, the Harbingers and all the lunatics of Sumeru and Fontaine. It's always about Baal. I am my own person! I am not her puppet, not anymore. I never chose her to be my mother. Do you hear that?!" The winds swirled around Scaramouche. "I thought you of all people would understand that. That I am free! Goddamn it! I do not desire to be controlled, I never wanted another master! I just wanted…!"
"You're a slave of your mindset, Kunikuzushi. You are not free. Even now I can see the strings attached to your body. And it wasn't Ei or the Harbingers who put them there, it was you." Barbatos summoned his lyre again, leaving it hovering around him. "All this time you've acted to prove yourself that you are not a puppet, only to continuously run into people who only desire to use you like one. No wonder you've grown so bitter. But it wasn't always like this, was it? Who was it, Kunikuzushi? Who treated you like a friend?"
"Shut up! Shut the hell up already! You and the Astrologer, it's always talk, talk, talk! You two look at me like… like I'm something to be sorry for! I am… I will be the God of Storms! Not a puppet, not a Harbinger, not a Wanderer! And then, my purpose will be complete!"
His anemo vision flared up in power, as the wind increasingly swirled to speeds higher than before. An electro tornado engulfed his body, dwarfing even the high sea walls of Barbatos. Electro jumped from the tornado to the sea walls, to the sky above and even to the ground below as storm winds battered the whole ring.
Barbatos glanced at his lyre, making it play a mellow tune before diving towards the tornado that had become Scaramouche. Through the thunder, rain and wind, he could barely hear the nice tune. But that wasn't important, he just had one goal in mind.
Avoiding lightning and repelling pressurised wind blades, Barbatos circled the tornado before charging into it. Like an anemo bolt, he easily ripped through the cyclonic winds like it was wet tissue. Lightning engulfed the Archon for a brief moment before they too were dispelled by the sheer intensity of his powers.
That small lapse allowed Scaramouche to change in form. Not only had he grown taller, but his whole attire had changed into a sleek, synthetic fabric that resembled a faux Baal's form. Decorated with several Mitsudomoe and typical Inazuman armour pieces, it brought Barbatos memories of the darkest moments of Khaenri'ah.
Electro energy converged in shapes and created artificial limbs floating around his body. Four artificial arms and two detached hands boosted his range and strength tenfold. One hand showed an electro symbol on its palm, while the other one showed anemo.
"Don't you see, Barbatos?! I was always a weapon meant to aim higher than any of you Archons! And by taking your gnosis, I will show everyone that I truly—"
Taking a deep breath, Barbatos had created a vacuum inside the tornado. The cyclone suddenly collapsed into itself, creating an air and electro explosion that blew Scaramouche away. He crashed against a wall of solid air, that served as the anvil of a flurry of air bolts and blasts. Staggering, the air wall suddenly disappeared and he was forced to the ground by a burst of hurricane-like winds.
"Something tells me you've never heard the fable of the Snake and the Crab. Because it looks to me that you can't shut up either." Barbatos flew around Scaramouche, blowing a sigh that transformed into a bow.
The faux Archon quickly recovered, lunging at Barbatos with lightning and wind. Solidified air stopped his elemental attacks, but his artificial limbs broke through it and knocked Barbatos out of the air. A salvo of arrows covered his retreat as he tried to widen his distance from the Harbinger. Lightning hampered his escape, allowing Scaramouche's new form to intercept and once again knock him to the ground.
The seabed cracked as Barbatos dodged and rolled away from the close-quarters the Harbinger sought. Like a bolt from the blue, lightning once again struck the Archon to little effect.
"How are you so resistant to electro?!"
"Ask your mother!"
The provocation caused Scaramouche to teleport several times around Barbatos as more lightning bolts limited his possible movements. Thunder rumbled as a gale of wind caught the Archon unaware, leading him right into the grasp of the Harbinger's robotic arms. Barbatos' winds flared up, but not in time to avoid his already mangled hand from being fully chopped up.
"Your elemental mastery and resistance are unreal!" The Harbinger connected a combo of punches against him. "But your body is as feeble as paper!" Barbatos tried to block him, but his inexperience only left him wide open in other areas. "My body can take anything you throw at it with little damage! While your injuries will only turn the tide in my favour! My storm will only grow stronger the more you struggle… this is why I'm worthy of the title God of Storms!"
In one last strike, Scaramouche's fist pierced through the Archon's stomach. A mixture of blood and pure anemo started to ooze and evaporate from the wound.
"This is a storm?" Thunder boomed as Barbatos glared at his enemy. "Your half-assed ambition will never measure up against my life-long dreams!" Condensation suddenly became visible in both combatants' breaths.
The Harbinger prepared to attack again, only to find his movements restrained and slow. The ground was frozen, much like most of his body's left side. Scaramouche immediately realised the culprit. The Lyre. Floating high above, it was drawing air and winds from all around, descending them towards the battlefield.
"Mondstadt defeated Decarabian," Barbatos broke through Scaramouche's grasp, flying back. "After his defeat, I received the name of Barbatos, the God of Freedom. But that's not my only title." Cryo-infused winds circled through the whole makeshift arena, joined by a current of flying Hydro. "The air high above the skies is freezing cold. The sea winds are humid and wet. And you have given me a tinge of the last ingredient." Electro energy surged from Barbatos, boosted by his anemo powers. "The only God of Storms is me."
Scaramouche experienced a mixture of panic and relief when he broke through the ice restraining him, only for electro, cryo, hydro and pure anemo arrows to suddenly pierce his chest. His body had been injured for the first time. He summoned again his shield, but Barbatos was already upon him.
"In comparison to my winds," Barbatos isolated one of the artificial hands with the pressurised wind. "You're but a meagre breeze!" A hydro bolt drilled into the hand and caused it to explode.
The Harbinger crashed against a wall of solid air, leaving him vulnerable to another attack. Lightning and anemo enveloped his body, but Barbatos had another objective in mind.
"Makoto's thunder would never be this silent!" An electro arrow pierced through the remaining hand, triggering a raging flurry of attacks.
Solid air continued to impede Scaramouche's retreat as a blizzard of cryo hampered his speed even further. The God of Freedom didn't suffer in the slightest, protected by a rushing air. The Harbinger attempted to replicate the ability, but it was already too late.
"And Ei's lightning," Rushing Scaramouche, Barbatos winded up a punch that impacted the fake Archon's face. The remaining arms shattered from the immense shock and anemo released from contact. "Would never be this slow!"
The airwaves of cryo, hydro and pure anemo cascaded towards the Harbinger with unparalleled speed. With the last drops of electro in his body, Barbatos prepared one last arrow. Flowing with all the electro he had absorbed throughout the fight, he aimed it at Scaramouche's chest.
The electro arrow overtook the rushing air, striking his enemy's already damaged chest with an explosion of several elements. As soon as a trickle of blood appeared, cryo and hydro winds rushed Scaramouche and trapped him in an ice prison.
Barbatos breathed heavily, bleeding from his nose, arm and stomach. But as he waited for a counterattack, it never came.
He descended towards the ice prison, observing it closely. The flowing air around the makeshift arena was ready for anything as Barbatos blew the ice away, only to trap Scaramouche with solid air. It was unneeded, however. He wasn't moving, only heaving as blood poured from his chest.
"You want a title associated with tyrants and losers? Take it. Take it and whatever remains of your body when Ei splits you in two." Venti spitted blood and continued. "If you cannot defeat me, you won't even touch her. I don't know what the hell happened to you, but you're not giving me many options. I truly saw hope for you, instead, you've sunk more into the despair that's been tethered to your being."
There was no answer from his defeated enemy.
"No more petty insults? No more projecting? Being silent will not exempt you from retribution." Barbatos asked with an increasingly threatening pitch. "I used to pride myself in only killing whenever it was the only option. And now, after the bloodbath that I took part in five hundred years ago, should I even trust my judgement? Because I only see one option with you."
He raised his remaining hand, anemo converging in his palm. Aimed at Scaramouche, Venti only had to fire away to end whatever life was left in the Harbinger. But as their eyes crossed one last time, he couldn't bring himself to do it. His eyes only brought memories of the twins.
Venti dispelled his attack, choosing to sigh and rub his eyes. What would Ei think if he killed him? Would she be relieved? Depressed? Angered at his meddling? He believed that if he could help the Wanderer, then Ei might think better of him. But now, he wasn't so sure.
"Why didn't you use it?" He crouched next to the Harbinger and removed a catalyst attached to his body. It pulsated with decaying energy. "A delusion, was it? You could have turned the tides with this."
"…What's the point of using a power that is not mine to control?" He tentatively answered. "Winds stronger than a typhoon, than the ocean itself. The air's density changes to your will. The elements bow to your prowess… Even if I used it, you would have won. You're not even really hurt, are you…?"
Barbatos held back a cough full of blood, using his powers to stop the bleeding of his other wounds.
"Not in the slightest. I wanted to make you drop your guard," He lied through his teeth. "But I can see that even you have a bit of pride. Just like you didn't take my gnosis the moment you woke up. Or how you didn't just destroy Mona's hat. Or how you made that Tatarigami trap overly obvious so she wouldn't fall for it. Or how you held back when we first met… and above the Alcor." Venti's knees started trembling, losing strength by the second. "Beneath all that smug and disdain, there's softness inside you."
"Just shut up… You won, leave me be…"
Barbatos clutched at the hole in his stomach, breathing heavily but victorious over the Harbinger. The air flows were dispelled and the night sky above became clear once again. With a bit of power, he tried to heal the Wanderer's wound. But he was too exhausted to do so, and merely closed his wound.
"Why…" Scaramouche faintly murmured, his eyes unfocused. "After everything I've done, once again I have to be helped against my will. She was right. I'm a failure… A puppet without strings is useless…"
"You're two thousand years behind me. And even then, it could have ended way differently." Venti answered, the glow in his eyes fading away. The wind holding back the ocean became weaker and weaker, it would burst through at any moment.
"I just wanted to show her that I was worthy of her gnosis." Scaramouche continued, her voice feeble and miserable. "If only it had been Makoto who created me, I would have been greater than anyone."
Venti held back a laugh. "She was awful with kids, I doubt she'd give you those nifty gadgets either. Ei wasn't much better, but she was always more, let's say, aware of a child's innocence. That's why I know that she never meant to hurt you when she let you go. She might steel herself behind a cold exterior but her heart's softer than a puppy. Just like you." He sat down beside the defeated Wanderer. "Ei wanted you to be free. But you were confused, were you not? And then, something must have happened. You lost a good friend, did you?"
Scaramouche averted his eyes and closed them tight.
"You enacted vengeance on whoever did it, found no solace, and so you chose to blame her instead." The bard strained his eyes, glancing at the night sky above. "We're not so different, not at all. I asked you before if you knew the reason… why Ei hates me and believes that I do so as well. Nobody knows this, just me and her. You should know too since it concerns Makoto."
"…You blamed Ei for Makoto's death." The Wanderer pointed out before he could finish.
"Losing people never gets easier. I've lost many friends before, always believing that it was somehow my responsibility. But when I saw Makoto's body being held by Ei, I just… decided that for once it wasn't my fault." His lyre suddenly fell from the skies, next to him. He attempted to grab it but stopped. "Yes, in the heat of the moment I blamed Ei. Insulted her. I threatened her and even worse. I doubt she'll ever forgive what I said back then."
"But you are right. It was her responsibility, she deserves your hate. Why aren't you following through?"
"Kunikuzushi, she lost her sister. Ei would have sacrificed herself before Makoto even got a scratch on her fingers. And after her worst nightmares occurred, I come in like a bumbling idiot pouring a mountain of salt in her open wounds. We were friends, and I just… lashed out. And I dug her hole of misery even deeper." Venti wavered for a moment, clearing his throat. "I realised what I had done afterwards, after disappearing for centuries. And then, I decided to pretend it even happened. You suffered a similar fate, except you never got the dissatisfaction of facing Ei. So you still long for that moment, where you think everything will be set right. But it never will."
"It doesn't matter anymore." The Wanderer admitted, defeated. "Leave me here and dispel those winds. A broken weapon's grave is the ocean."
"So that's it? After all I'm telling you, the only thing you can think of is to blame yourself?" Barbatos got up, glaring at his enemy. "Your friend's memory matters that little to you?"
"…You mentioned the tale of the Snake and the Crab before," Scaramouche answered, his voice a pitch higher. "The crab chastises the snake for not walking forward, only meandering around. The crab is a hypocrite since it cannot walk forward either. Even a kid knows it."
"You chose an awful time to be a smartass, you know that?" Venti sighed. "Besides your lack of engaging storytelling… Yes, I blame myself. But you are supposed to be better than me, aren't you?"
The Wanderer's eyes lit up slightly, but he quickly turned away.
"Your ambition is to become better than the Archons, isn't it? But that doesn't mean being a better ruler, physically stronger or being a master of the elements. If you hate Ei for abandoning you, do not abandon your friend's memory. If you hate me for being a hypocrite, then don't become one yourself. What's stronger than owning up for your mistakes?" Venti dispelled the air blocks bounding Scaramouche to the sea floor. "You want to be the God of Storms? Adapt the title to your homeland. A storm is violent, yes, but after the destruction, rebuilding and flourishing appear. A revolution is not the destruction, but the hope and prosperity it brings along."
"Spare me the pep talk." The Wanderer found no strength to stand up and decided to sit down. "A few words won't change my opinion of Baal." He looked at Venti. "And I believe you're a naïve fool, yet I never had any quarrel with you. You're not exactly wrong either."
"You know, back in Liyue, you offered me a drink at some place in Inazuma. Is that offer still up? Let's open up over some good Inazuman sake."
"I was being coy, buffoon. The Fatui wanted you in Inazuma and I almost ripped your head off. I don't drink anyhow." He mutedly replied. "I don't need to say that they're expecting you, do I? They've been preparing this for years, right under my stupid mother's nose."
"Sorry, what? But Ei's pretty good at detecting those things."
"Think a little, Barbatos. I was the test. She created another puppet and somehow transferred her consciousness, I don't know the details. Baal's fled from reality and is staying in her little bubble. Much like you did, she couldn't bear with the pain."
"Oh. I see." Venti got up, his knees slightly shaking, and glanced at the fleeting air walls barely holding back the ocean. "What's your plan? Wanna tag along? If both of us appear, maybe she'll come out of her shell."
"No," Scaramouche didn't move and chose to stare at the night sky above. "I don't want to be witness of your little make-up session. In any case, the Fatui will probably learn of this little incident and will try to track me down. Not only will the Alcor reach Inazuma, but now my dear mother will probably know you arrived. I'll just… visit some places. If they want to stop me, they can try."
"A bit of a wrench on their plans, is it? See how we're more similar than you believe?" Venti lightly smiled. He offered Scaramouche his missing hand, before using the other one.
"I don't know nor care about that. Regardless, I don't know any more about this plan. It's supposed to be a trigger for something bigger, whatever that means. And honestly? Fuck the Fatui. They're of no use to me anymore." He took Venti's hand, struggling to stand up. "I'm not going to apologise for anything I've done, I hope you realise that."
"You don't turn grapes into wine in one day."
Their hands were clasped for a bit too long before the Wanderer pulled it away. Gnawing at the back of his head, like the sound of a half-dead fly trying to fly, he found nothing but a continuous emptiness.
"…What's my purpose then?" He asked with a mixture of scorn and worry. "If I'm not the God of Storms, and I'm not meant for an electro gnosis, then what am I?"
"Well, why are you asking me?" Venti turned his hand, revealing an anemo feather. He placed it on Scaramouche's hair. The latter tried to remove it, but it had disappeared.
"What did you do?"
"You'll be able to remove the feather when you're truly free. Relax, it will only itch from time to time. It will help you realise your true self… one that is not a puppet. Reflect on your wrongs and your rights, and make your friend proud." Venti started to slowly fly again. "Whenever that happens, come find me. We'll try and fix your wrongdoings. And if you still forsake your mother, I'll take you under my wing."
"I'm not going to do that just because you ask nicely, Barbatos." The haughty answer quickly lost any meaning. "…What does it mean to be free?"
"That is for you to find out, nobody can tell you what to be. But, I'll throw you a bone. Freedom is taking responsibility for your actions. It can't be measured or enforced. Once you begin to understand yourself and the world, you'll see that nobody can control you. And that you can control nobody." Venti clasped his injured forearm. "This is why I'm going to Inazuma. And free myself and Ei from my mistakes."
"Again, I don't need your drama. You want me to hold back my inherent superiority over the mortals, is that it? I am above them, it only makes sense that I can push them around to do what I seek."
"Well then, since I'm stronger than you, that means I can push you around to do it. And if I can't, then that means you cannot do the same over normal people." Venti explained with the biggest grin imaginable.
"I hate it when you open your mouth."
"It's what happens when words hold coherence and weight. Unlike yours."
The seas finally managed to break through the high winds and rushed to fill the unnatural void in the middle of the ocean. The time for fighting and discussion was over.
"Oh, if you do something bad, the winds will tell me. And I might probably, more than likely, be forced to kill you." Venti threatened him as he flew up to avoid the waves.
"As if I'd ever give you the chance, Barbatos. Once I self-reflect on what happened here, I'll be stronger than ever."
With one last lightning bolt, Scaramouche disappeared from the sea floor. Barbatos didn't stay idle either and quickly fled from the ocean's full might. He couldn't see the Alcor anywhere, so it took him a while of scouting to find the ship.
Though rain and tall waves battered the Alcor, they no longer shoved the vessel like it was floating paper. In the ensuing fight, the storms around Inazuma had severely weakened. Ei should have taken notice of that, but so far there had been no reaction from Baal.
"I've weakened the storm, we should skedaddle out of here." Venti landed on the deck, but his balance quickly threw him to the ground. "That… that guy isn't a problem anymore."
He tried to get up, but his left leg didn't seem to be moving as he wanted it to. It felt shorter than it should.
"Oh my god, Venti!" The bard had trouble identifying who said those words. "Your arm! Your leg! Y-Your stomach…!"
"Ah, right. I used my lifeforce to get stronger." He looked at his severed arm, seeing his vessel's blood mixing with his anemo powers. "I can't heal that much damage… And normal healing spells won't help this body… Vennessa, where are you…?"
Everything felt heavy for Venti. Even his eyelids proved too much to maintain open. He knew that his physical vessel was done for. There was no way he'd be able to repair the damage on his own, and the Windrise connection to Celestia was too far away.
"Who? Hey, don't close your eyes!" His face was slapped several times. "He's goin' to bleed out at this rate, I'll get'im inside!"
"Come on, Venti!" Somebody else yelled at him while somebody lifted him. "We're almost at Inazuma, you can't give up now!"
But he very well could. A mortal vessel was fine to interact with people, but he could simply revert to his original form and easily arrive at Tenshukaku. Everything would be fine if he'd just closed his eyes.
Then again, Ei should have detected him. She should have arrived on the ship already. Something was clearly wrong, it wasn't something he could fix by being wind incarnated.
So many people had helped him to reach this place as well. Morax, Mona, Ignatz, Xiangling, Beidou, Xiao… Even people who he had never met like Xingqiu. All the progress he had attained with Scaramouche as well would be lost too. His body had done so much, he couldn't leave all those promises behind.
To start this whole trip and die in the middle of it would be shameful! Part of a journey was the end. And wind had no end.