"Windblume Star, have you chosen your Windblume?
Please consider your choice carefully. Remember, you are representing the whole of Mondstadt."
This was the usual opening lines for the start of the ceremony,
And yet, when she put a wreath of flowers on top of her Archon's head,
Barbara couldn't help but feel nervous about how he would react to her choice...
...
Ironically enough, thankfully her offering wasn't similar to the Traveler's,
At that time when they put both Venti's and their own favorite flowers together...
"Thank you, traveler. I never thought that I meant so much to you~ To think that you want us to stay together so badly~
And this blushing expression of yours, it's extremely adorable, you know~ It's cuteness brightens my day~"
*If Venti...Lord Barbatos suddenly started flirting with her like that...!
...
...
"Don't worry Barbara, I love your choice!
...Now then, how about a dance, my Adorable Deaconess...?~"
...
And even without outright flirting,
He still found a way to make her feel embarrassed...!
*Of course, she still agreed to his invite, as charming as it was,
And then, the "Dancing amidst the flowers" has started...
...
As just like last year, with the help of the gliders, he brought them all up to the sky,
Where, surrounded by numerous flowers swirling around them, they soon started their dance...
*This time there was a different melody accompanying them,
Apparently it was called "Seeds Of Promise" by "Paul Dinletir"...?
...
...
Watching Venti and the Traveler dance was one thing,
But actually being his dancing partner, in a duet at that...
...
Somehow, it felt nice and freeing,
But it was also really embarrassing...
*It looked like the two of them were a couple and...!
...
I-it even reminded her of...T-THAT time...!
"I don't really get what the whole problem and this whole argument is about anymore. Aren't Venti and Barbara already married...?
...As a husband and wife, this amount of affection between the two shouldn't be surprising at all. So really, why is everyone making such a big deal over it...?
To begin with, with Barbara being the Deaconess and Venti Mondstadt's Archon..."
"Traveler, please, stop! There is no need to explain anything or continue this "discussion"!
...It's not the same for Mondstadt. It would have been really weird if it was and..."
"In many places that I traveled to, there was this really interesting religious tradition...~
When someone becomes either a nun or a priest, they also basically marry the god they serve. And if we apply that same tradition to Mondstadt, it would mean that..."
...
"TRAVELER, STOP EMBARRASSING ME ALREADY!
I AM NOT MARRIED TO EVERYONE FROM THE CHURCH! I CAN'T BE A HUSBAND AND ESPECIALLY NOT TO SO MANY PEOPLE!
...I...Uh...Forget what you just heard...I wasn't thinking straight just now...
L-let's continue enjoying our festival, alright...? T-there is so much grilled fish, how nice!"
...
T-this "discussion"...!
*I-it was just...!
...
...
...
But from the the Traveler's..."Explanation",
She is not the only one married to Venti, but the whole church is...
...
Including her own father...
...
...
Rather than feeling embarrassed by this "news",
This was actually a little weird to think about...
...
...
-Barbara, you are being really Adorable right now, you know that...?~ -Barbatos couldn't help but soon say, as he had been watching her change in expressions in great interest. And her lovely rosy blush, which just appeared in reaction to his words, was just as adorable...~ -...My Adorable Deaconess, did you forget that we are currently in the middle of a partner dance...? -He made sure to ask, holding back amusement at his partner's deepening blush. -...I can see all of your lovely expressions from up close and so can easily etch them into my mind for years to come~
He made sure to add in a very alluring voice,
In reaction to which the cute Deaconess's blush deepened even more~
*He knew that he might have been playing dirty, but seeing HIS Darling Deaconess make such interesting expressions...~
...
...
He should probably stop teasing her now,
Or she might get so embarrassed that, while they are floating in the sky...
*He could still catch her, of course, but to drive her to this kind of condition...
...
...
Still, both Barbara and the rest of his people,
They were so lovely, that if he wasn't the God of Freedom...~
...
...
Oh, a Vision...!
*No, a memory...
...
Of a different Timeline...
...
It was a familiar, yet a different, domain,
Akin to the "Dreamscape", but also similar to the Serenitea Pot,
Looking just like Mondstadt city, but in fact a simple, yet very convincing, copy,
Full of familiar buildings, the greenery and even "Cider Lake"...
...
And yet, the area was limited to "Starfell Valley" borders,
With just pure whiteness continuing from there on,
As the Power of Time consisted the domain,
Affecting everyone within it...
...
...
At some point in time, he went insane,
Trapping his people, his children, in this domain,
A place where they could never grow old and then leave him...
...
He told them it's to keep them safe,
But that wasn't the real reason for his actions.
...
...
He didn't want to be alone, so in his delirious mind,
He chose to "keep them nearby"...Forever.
...
...
Oh, he...
...
He did trap them all in his domain,
Saying that it's for their own safety...
*And yet, he did it for his own selfish desires...
...
...
But him going insane, was he affected by corruption back then...?
*If so, then, the Abyss Order must have...
...
Just like...That time...
...
"So the Anemo Archon arrived a lot faster than we anticipated. Surprisingly enough, you seem to care about those humans quite a lot.
I would advise you not to make any sudden movements. I wouldn't want to "mistakenly" slip~
Now that we have reached an "understanding", you are surely wondering why we lured you here. The answer is quite simple, we would like you to ally with us. An Archon's help, even a weaker one, would be very useful, right...?"
...
"...You! What kind of nonsense are you sprouting...?!
Why would I ever join you lot, especially after you dared to...?!"
It seems that you misunderstand, you have no choice in this matter. Especially since we have this...
This is one of yours, isn't it...? Did you ever wonder where it disappeared to...?"
...
...
"NO!
...The corruption, I...I can't...!"
"But you don't have a choice.
I heard that Archons have a certain connection with their "Statues of the Seven", but never had a chance to fully ascertain how deep this connection was. This is a good learning..."
What happened back then and afterwards...
*He could still vagally remember THAT feeling even now,
When he succumbed to the darkness...And those words...
...
...
...
"As I stated before, I have a Resistance, not outright Immunity. So even after I was able to revert it, there's still a tiny bit of corruption remaining in "me".
But it's alright, I will snap if and only someone gets me extremely mad... Like if THEY dare murder a certain person I love and once again I would have to..."
...
...
This sudden...Vision...
*And the familiar voice...
...
So SHE, too, just like him...
...
...
But, this begs the question,
How was SHE corrupted...?
...
...
And whom was she talking about when...?
...
...
"...Venti, I can't tell you much, but you can't die and completely disappear, alright...? So make sure to be very very very careful, okay...?
...You like how things are now, right...? Between you and the Mondstadt citizens. Even me and the other nations' people. So if you want things to stay this way...
...You are not allowed to die, Venti. So if I ever hear you doing something reckless... "
"I...I am not sure what this is all about, Traveler, but if you feel so strongly about it...
...I am going to be really really really careful from now on and not "run into" all kinds of trouble, so...
...Do you want me to make you an official promise, Traveler...? Will that put your concerns to rest...?"
...
...
"Alright, Venti, I agree to your proposal.
As long as it's a promise from "Barbatos, the Anemo Archon.", that is. You agree to this condition, right...?"
"...Ah, yes. I agree, Traveler.
I, Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, promise to do everything within my power in order to fight against death itself, striving to survive against every and all odds.
...Traveler, do you find my promise satisfactory or do you wish for me to elaborate on it further...?"
...
...
...
"I am sorry for being so pushy with you, Venti. The moment I realized that all the "progress" will be completely lost, I...
...Well, since you made that promise, it should be okay. At least, I hope so..."
...
...
It wasn't...
...
Himself, was it...?
...
...
...
And since SHE was both the Goddess of Time and his mother...
-Venti, are you sure you are alright...? -Barbara asked as soon as they landed on the ground, both her voice and expression worried. -...During our dance, you suddenly...
-I am alright, Barbara, don't worry. -Barbatos said almost right away, making sure to look and sound as reassuring as possible. To both her and himself. The direction that his thoughts went to...He really hoped that "Kairos" didn't do anything drastic because of him. She wouldn't, right...? -...I should be enjoying the last day of Windblume with everyone...-...Yes, this was not the time nor place for daydreaming. Not when the festival was still in full swing. -...How about we check the buffet that was so graciously prepared, my Dear Deaconess...?
He told her moments later, to which she slowly nodded, slight worry seen in her eyes,
One that the Archon decided to ignore, instead prompting to offer her his left hand,
And with barely noticeable reluctance, she laid her right hand on top of his,
Letting him lead her to the buffet in question...
...
One which was laid out a few feet away.
...
...
Before and during their "Dancing amidst the flowers", all of the tables were well covered,
As to not have the flowers and their petals drop in the food and drinks, thus spoiling their taste,
But as soon as the activity ended, the buffet was promptly uncovered, revealing the feast underneath...
*The Gourmet Supremos were the ones who instigated it and the Archon was truly glad they did:
As masters of the culinary arts, they made sure to prepare all kinds of dishes and beverages,
Both those which are native to Mondstadt and those native to other nations...
...
Barbatos could have sworn he saw a few exquisitely prepared Snezhnaya's dishes,
And there were even unknown dishes that he had never seen or heard of existing in any of the seven nations.
*When he examined them, they appeared to perfectly fit the Traveler's descriptions...?
...
...
-Papa, Venti! We have a surprise for you!
-Daddy, you have to see this!
-You are going to love it, Father~
-Of course Venti will, they are so cute!~
-Because Venti likes adorable things, right...?
The children suddenly ran up to him and started their enthusiastic exchange,
But before the Archon could ponder on their words, Diluc Jr, and Charlotte walked in,
Followed by a litter of cubs, ones which looked like miniature versions of the fox couple.
...
...
Charlotte had given birth...?
*And based on the cubs' size and fur color,
Some time had already passed since then...
...
...
Right, this situation,
It shouldn't surprise him...
…
…
"...I seem to have been too out of it to notice this before, but Charlotte, are you perhaps pregnant...?", he asked the vixen, with her soon proudly showing her belly in reply and Diluc Jr. squealing in an affirmation, "...I-I...I AM GOING TO BE A GRANDFATHER! MY BABIES ARE ALL GROWN UP NOW! I AM SO HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
...
He was...
...
…
He was…!
…
…
...
HE WAS NOW A GRANDFATHER!