It was now the third day of Windblume and Charlotte was being late...
*The Steambird newspaper's Charlotte, not the one from another timeline,
That one was quite crazy to make such a reckless contract with Durin,
And what was she thinking by offering her own left arm as the price…?!
…
…
That reckless idiot was back in her own timeline.
*And in all likelihood, permanently…
…
…
"Astrologist Mona, to show my deep gratitude for looking after our Archon, I have decided to invite your associate, Journalist Charlotte, to the upcoming Windblume."
This was what Alder Knight Frederica told her a few days ago,
As she showed her the letter that is to soon be sent to Fontaine...
...
This was almost two days before Windblume started,
And yet Charlotte still didn't arrive, five days later...
...
Did something perhaps happen to her...?
What kind of trouble could she be in...?
*Charlotte had a Cryo Vision, so she could take care of herself,
But if something went wrong...
...
Should she use her Astrology for this...?
*On one side, using hydromancy for your own benefit was forbidden,
While on the other, they weren't really friends, but...
...
Mona had to admit that she didn't dislike Charlotte's company.
...
...
...
The wind around her suddenly started moving all weird...
*It felt as if those "Winds" were laughing in the background.
...
...
Even though her concern about her frie...Associate's wellbeing was a very serious matter!
"Good morning, Venti.", he heard a familiar voice as soon as he opened his eyes, coming from Vennessa in her spirit form, her expression turning a little worried moments later, "How are you feeling...? Are you still...?"
-I got my answer from HER. In the "Dreamscape". -Venti soon interrupted her words, as he couldn't help but feel conflicted. -...Well, it's actually a "part" of HER, part of "Kairos". The Time Power she left me...-...The one that was left to him through some Equivalent Exchange 500 years ago. During an event he clearly forgot...Or was made to forget…-...The explanation itself wasn't long, but the information she shared with me...Truthfully, I still need some time to take it all in.
"Do you need a few minutes to yourself, Venti?", Vennessa soon asked him, getting a small nod in reply, "...Alright, I will be just behind the door if you need me."
She promised him moments later, soon leaving the room...
*And leaving the Archon alone with his thoughts...
...
"...'Did "Kairos" really have something to do with my friend's death...?' is what you must still be worrying about. I summoned you here to give you the answer to that question.
...
...She..."We" didn't lead to your friend's death, but "We" didn't prevent it from happening either...When "We" could have done so easily. I can't tell you the reason why this decision was made, as it might change the favorable future event from occurring. A precaution of sorts that should be able to save your very existence when THEY..."
His answer, the one he wanted to hear,
And yet it made him feel so conflicted...
*The reason for his friend's death…
…
"...My dream of seeing the sky...The free birds flying above...Just for a little...Longer...I wish...Together with you...To..."
"...Venti...? Hey, are you okay...? Venti, are you...? N-no...Y-you can't die...! Y-you can't, not now! N-not when we finally got our freedom! N-not when you promised...T-that when all this is over...W-we would be able...W-would be able to...S-see the whole world...T-together...! Y-you were so young...W-why did you...? W-why did it have to be you...?! W-why couldn't I do anything...?! W-why couldn't I save you?! WHY WAS I SO USELESS AND LET YOU DIE?! WHY, JUST WHEN WE COULD FINALLY BEGIN OUR LIVES ANEW...?! Why...?! I-I...W-why did I fail to notice those arrows sooner...? I-if only I noticed and stopped them sooner...Y-you wouldn't be...! I-I am sorry...! V-Venti, I am so sorry...! I-I...I-if only I..."
…
…
It was somehow going to save him in the future...?
*And not just saving his life, but his "very existence"...?!
...
And "THEY"...?
*Celestia...?
...
"Barbatos, I don't know if you can hear me, but please take care.
Those..."Individuals", THEY know of our connection and are surely watching you more closely now.
No matter what you do, don't let THEM know the extent of your Time powers.
Make sure to quietly and slowly develop them, but don't let THEM see how much you have grown.
The way THEY are now, your life won't be spared if THEY see you as a threat!"
This message he got from HER...
*So this is why he had to be careful...
...
...
"...As a part of "Kairos", I would like to apologize to you for what happened to your friend. Even if his death was necessary, it still hurt you deeply and was one of the reasons why you almost gave up on life.
...I deeply apologize for how much "We" hurt you, Barbatos. If "We" could, "We" would have gladly paid the price necessary for altering fate "Ourselves"."
It wasn't hard to see just how apologetic "SHE" was,
How ashamed "Kairos" was to have done what she did...
*Not preventing his friend's death when SHE could have...
…
…
"...If "We" could, "We" would have gladly paid the price necessary for altering fate "Ourselves"."
And this part,
This admittance…
*It sounded so resolute…
…
If "Kairos" could, she would really have…
…
…
"Being an Archon and having a whole nation worship you sure is efficient. You can easily use any of your "people" as meat shields, then simply revive them if they die. And it doesn't look like they even mind.
...This one readily offered to die in your stead. How sickly devoted and increasingly dumb. Just pathetic."
...
That time, when the Abyss Herald,
And then Amber taking his pla...
...
NO!
He didn't want to remember about that time!
*But if it's going to be similar...
"...I ruined...Your plans...Huh...? You wanted...To kill...Venti...But got...Me instead...My bad...~
...I promised to...Protect him...As the...Outrider...Of the...Knights of...Favonius and...Also as...A friend...
...He is...Usually so...Friendly and...Easygoing...It's sometimes...Hard to...Believe...He is...An Archon...
...But myself...And everyone else...In Mondstadt...Really like...Him...This...Way..."
...
...
I-it shouldn't be, right...?
...
...
"...A-Amber...Y-you...! J-just because I became your friend...Y-you...!
AMBER! PLEASE, DON'T BE DEAD! P-PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU!
I NEVER WISHED FOR YOU TO SACRIFICE YOURSELF FOR MY SAKE! NOT YOU, NOR ANYONE ELSE! PLEASE, COME BACK! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANYONE I CARE ABOUT EVER AGAIN!"
...
...
...Just what was going to happen...?
*He didn't want to…
…
…
…
-...Not like this...-He couldn't help but quietly say, as a Crystaltear soon rolled down his cheek. -...Not with a sacrifice, please...
"It's alright, Xiao. No matter what happened in the past, you can always make new memories.
As long as you are still alive, it's never too late to experience new things and to spend time with your loved ones.
So, how about being part of our extended family...?"
Such a..."Foolish" notion this was...
*But he was still grateful to be seen as family,
Even after everything he did in the past...
...
Getting invited to celebratory dinner just the last evening,
Being allowed to stay the night in the Gunnhildr Estate, in a nice room...
*It helped him forget, even if a little bit, about that horrible nightmare...
...
"Yaksha Xiao, Nun Rosaria, there is no need for you to continue guarding this room.
I can look after Barbara and Venti, so it's okay if you leave to do your own duties."
Was what Falcon of the West Vennessa told them a few hours ago,
A little while after the others already left the Estate...
*She was...Very persistent, so he and the nun soon left,
And now he was in the "Preparation Room", helping out...
...
Just as he promised to the children that he would...
*He was recently..."Reminded" of this fact,
By Lord Barbatos' mischievous "underlings"...
...
...
The last of the preparations seemed to be doing well,
With the children and their pet helpers, as well as Collei, ready to start,
As more people, including Cyno and Oceanid Callirhoe, seemed to have joined the "Talent Show"...
...
...
Including some bard woman who was looking at a photo of Lord Barbatos with a determined expression on her face...?
...
-...I can do this. I have painstakingly trained for this day. -Said "Bard Woman", who turned out to be Sansa, was currently mumbling in resolution. -...Ever since that day, I have worked on both my bard craft and my stage fright...
She couldn't help but admit in even more determination,
Remembering the day the Archon decided to become their music teacher, their "Kapellmeister"...
*As he gathered them all by the Statue Plaza, soon making that dramatic entrance of his,
Appearing in a new, yet older and beautifully enthralling, form...
...
The form was of a 18 year old with long black hair with aqua tips cascading down his shoulders, a golden diadem in the form of triple-feathered wings on top of his head and the Cecilia tucked in its middle.
Wearing a white toga with gold embroidery, the top slightly open to show skin and some cyan glowing tattoos, the hands and legs partly bare, more glowing tattoos etched on top of them with no shoes of any kind on his feet.
As he opened his eyes, they looked more serious and strangely mesmerizing, the effect amplified by the golden eyeliner on the upper half of them.
And then, not long afterwards...
"I suppose that it's time to stop playing around.
You want to know why I asked you all to gather here, don't you...?"
...
There was suddenly a cyan light on his face from which appeared a pair of glasses,
Not a second later the same thing happened to his right hand, from which a staff manifested itself,
It was golden, long and delicate with an aqua gem in the form of the Anemo symbol on top of it and big white triple wings on each of its two opposite sides.
He even made the staff and those sexy glasses appear and...~
...
...
...
Before she realized it, mesmerized by this older form,
He asked to hear her sing, a moment that she still remembered so clearly...
"...But, it seems like I moved too fast with this. In truth, I didn't hear all of you sing. That should be corrected now.
Sansa, come here.
I want to hear you sing."
...
"I-I am sorry, Ve...Kapellmeister! But, I can't possibly...!
As soon it's a performance, my stammer just gets out of control...If I try singing to a crowd, especially one this big, I..."
Her voice died in her throat as the currently sedu…The Archon suddenly walked extremely close to her and grabbed her chin in his hand...
"It's going to be okay, I will make sure of it .
Just look into my eyes and you will see that I am telling the truth .
I want you to sing for me. I want to hear your voice. Would you grant me this wish...?
...
Just close your eyes and forget about everything around you.
Good. Now listen to the sounds of nature all around you. Can you hear the birds chirp? Can you hear the winds sing ?
Don't you want to join them? Let your song reach them, your voice soaring to the heavens above..."
...
After which she did as asked,
And his reply to her singing was...
"It's not bad.
Your singing is not perfect, but not bad at all. It just needs some polishing.
You may return to your previous spot now, Sansa."
Many things happened since that day,
So many hardships that everyone went through...
*Most of which concerned their Archon, Lord Barbatos,
Who was even kidnapped, corrupted and almost killed before...!
...
...
She wasn't a fighter, so she couldn't help much back then,
But as a bard named Sansa, she decided to give it her all,
She was going to show hi...Everyone how far she had come...!
...
She had enough courage for it now!