After Xinyan's rock song,
Barbara's and Yun Jin's soon followed…
…
And finally it was time for Venti's song, his gift for Liyue,
As well as a gift from one Archon to the other...
...
One which started with a beautiful melody and went from there,
As the people in the crowd soon started singing along...
"Glazed like a palace in the sky
The moon shimmers in the water
It's moonlight illuminates the darkness of the night
Who speaks of farewells again?
...
Red maple leaves outside the pavilion
The hustle of the harbor never rests
Scenes of lanterns lighting up the streets
Remains unchanged
...
May stories drift along with wind
Passed down amongst mountains and rivers
Bringing our past
To your ears
...
Even if the seasons change
The times in our memories won't be removed
Such a familiar scene
Yet you can't see it
...
...
...
The moon glazes upon the shores and ships
It's reflections attract waves in the water
Restaurants along the streets
Who speaks of separation again?
...
Oil paper umbrellas beside the bridge
Beautifully colored violet and fuchsia
Sails raised at the harbor representing her hope and anticipation
...
May stories drift along with wind
Passed down amongst mountains and rivers
Bringing our past
To your ears
...
Even if the seasons change
The times in our memories won't be removed
Such a familiar scene
Yet you can't see it
...
May stories drift along with wind
Passed down amongst mountains and rivers
Bringing our past
To your ears
...
Even if the seasons change
The times in our memories won't be removed
Such a familiar scene
Yet you can't see it"
...
...
-...It shouldn't be long before midnight and we could release the Mingxiao lanterns…-Ningguang couldn't help but mumble moments after the end of the song, eagerly awaiting for the time to come. -...With all the preparations we made, surely this year's Lantern Rite...
-Tianquan Ningguang...-Her words were suddenly interrupted by Ganyu, who looked and sounded very annoyed. -...WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME OF THIS YEAR'S MINGXIAO LANTERNS?!
She soon went on a full blown lecture about the situation and how Ningguang kept her in the dark about the plan,
And how the Tianquan woman should have known that the people being honored were also important to the half-qilin Adeptus...
*This whole lecture was taking quite a while, yet Ninnguang decided to let Ganyu let it all out, seeing how the secretary rarely did so before...
Some time after the music event ended,
Venti and Zhongli decided to leave for a "secret location":
The place where they and the rest of the Original Archons met up in the past,
All of them sitting at a large round table, with a huge Ginkgo tree standing above it...
...
A place they didn't visit in quite a while,
Not after only the two of them remained of the Original Seven...
*Honestly, Venti wasn't that enthusiastic to be here at the moment,
But he still understood why Morax invited him to this place...
...
In the start of the new year and a new age,
It was still necessary to honor their old colleagues...
...
It was necessary to honor their old friends...
*They were truly the last two of the Original Seven...
...
"Still, Morax was one of his oldest friends...
*If this blockhead dies and crumbles down now, he...
...
Morax was one of the only people who could keep him grounded..."
...
...
The other Archon was a solid presence in his life...
...
-Morax, we are truly the last ones, aren't we...? -Venti couldn't help but sadly say, as he was looking between the vacant seats. -Truthfully, as much as I love pranking and teasing you, if you were really gone after the last crisis...
His words soon cut off, as he didn't want to continue the sentence...
*No, rather than not wanting to, he couldn't...
...
Both of them, him and Morax,
They already lost so much...
...
...
And while he had comfort in his people, the Traveler and some others,
The ones who are already long gone, would he ever be able to see them again...?
*If he was able to completely perfect his Time powers, maybe he could, even if temporarily...
...
But then, wouldn't the Guys in Celestia notice it and...?
-Barbatos, whatever you are thinking about, it's okay. -His thoughts were soon interrupted by the reassuring voice of Zhongli, who had just sat at one of the chairs. -Even if they are all dead, as long as we remember them, they would never be truly gone.
He made sure to add, still remembering their times together,
All the meetings that the seven of them held in the past...
...
Strange, after the recent crisis,
Why did it feel like his Erosion had lessened...?
"Teach with wisdom, be bound by virtue, fortify the bones, unite in ambition"
...
"To unite in ambition is to be steadfast and immovable for all time."
"Wisdom is like water, it nourishes all those who receive it and in it is a reflection of the truth."
"Fortify the bones, that movement be supple when the time comes."
"Virtue grows tall like a tree, though there be shade it will flourish forever"
...
...
"This is the mark of our pledge, and it is also my challenge to you."
"All my wisdom is hidden within this stone dumbbell."
...
...
"Those little people are as small and fragile as dust."
"Because they are so small, they know not when they will lose their lives to disaster or strife, and so they are afraid."
"Because they are afraid, they try so hard to become more intelligent. This I understand."
"So I thought that since there is such a gulf between us in strength, I should use technique and wisdom instead."
"With your brawn and my brains, this city would surely become a great one."
...
"It seems that our journey together has come to an end. As for that stone dumbbell, forget about it, would you?"
"This is the mark of our pledge, and it is also my challenge to you."
"All my wisdom is hidden within this stone dumbbell."
"If you can unlock it—"
...
...
Guizhong, he clearly started to forget her,
And yet, he managed to recall memories of her...
...
Memories of their times together...
*Up until her death...
...
...
Does it have something to do with Barbatos reviving him back then...?
Could the Power of Time that the other Archon possesses be able to resist Erosion...?
*Barbatos did tell him that this power let him remember long sealed memories,
If it could be used on others in this way, then...
...
...
Celestia might be after Barbatos if they knew,
So it would be best to keep this theory(realization?) secret...
...
Barbatos might usually be a rascal and a nuisance, but he was still a good and loyal friend...
*The other Archon reviving him at that time, regardless of the danger in the event that Celestia notices, clearly showed him that fact...
"MORAX! YOU ARE FINALLY AWAKE!
You know how worried you made everyone?! First you were okay, even if cracking, then suddenly...!
...Morax...? Are you...?"
...
"MORAX, YOU COMPLETE BLOCKHEAD! WHAT IN TEYVAT'S NAME IS WRONG WITH YOU?!
I GET THAT YOU ARE ALL ABOUT "CONTRACT THIS" AND "CONTRACT THAT", BUT ARE YOU SERIOUSLY CONTINUING FROM WHAT YOU LEFT OFF WHEN YOU COLLAPSED?!"
...
"You can't stop midway and have to finish it Yadda Yadda I DON'T CARE!
YOU STUPID ROCK WALL COLLAPSED AND NEARLY DIED AND SCARED EVERYONE TO DEATH AND...!"
...
...
Indeed, Barbatos was still his good friend,
An old friend who was afraid to be left all alone…
*And that song that his friend sang during the event…
…
It was simply beautiful…
…
…
...
"YOU STUPID ROCK WALL COLLAPSED AND NEARLY DIED AND SCARED EVERYONE TO DEATH AND...!"
...
By saying this, was Barbatos actually speaking about himse...?
-Morax, look. The Mingxiao lanterns are getting released. -Venti suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts, as he was currently looking at the sky. -...All of them look so lively...
He couldn't help but comment soon enough, just as "Guizhong" flew into the sky,
Before going into a beautiful traditional dance, with the four "Yakshas" joining in moments later,
The five of "them" in the middle of a dance in the sky, with "Guizhong" being the main dancer and the rest her entourage...
*In the corner of his eyes, he could clearly see his friend looking towards them too,
Clearly mesmerized by their beauty and melancholically reminiscing the past...
...
...
This time, Venti decided to leave the other to his own thoughts,
As he understood fully well it was best to let Morax grieve and...
"...Flaimi...~"
"...Vita...~"
"...Suvinavi...~"
...
...
Where did those sounds suddenly come from...?
*He wasn't just hearing things, was he...?
...
...
But those words...
...
They sounded familiar...
...
...
...
It was best to ignore this for now and continue watching the lanterns...
*It didn't matter wherever he was hearing things or not,
And it didn't matter how important or trivial they were...
...
For the moment,
He just wanted to enjoy Lantern Rite...
And indeed, Venti wasn't just hearing things...
"...Aria, siyumi flaimi~"
"...Flaimi...~"
"Driha lei vita~"
"...Vita...~"
"Pyu~ Meladi suvinavi...~"
"...Suvinavi...~"
...
"Wendy" was currently singing, while swishing around in the robe,
With the mysterious song occasionally echoing through the "Dreamscape"...
...
"...With how much it echoes, I wouldn't be surprised if this song could reach the stars themselves...", Rostam couldn't help but quietly comment, as he was attentively watching her, "...This song..."
Didn't "Venti" already sing it before...?
*Back then, when Lord Barbatos...
...
...
This song...
...
What importance did it hold...?