At the same time, by the Cathedral's doors...

-As I have informed you many times before, you can't all rush inside. If you have any concerns, I will advise you to wait until an official statement...

-And when will that "Official statement" be...?! It's already almost evening and there's still no news about what in Celestia's name happened to our Archon...!

-...I understand your concern, all of us do, but there are still certain rules you have to follow. And as members of the Knights of Favonius, it is our duty to...

-...Listen here, I don't care if it's your goddamn job to guard the entrance door! As a citizen of Mondstadt, I have a right to know...!

-If something really happened, you will be shortly informed of it by both the Seneschal and the Grandmaster! So back down and wait for news with the rest of the people!

The people were busy arguing with the guards by entrance,

As more and more knights gradually arrived due to the commotion...

...

-...P-Papa is not gone, right...? P-Papa Venti didn't leave Lily, right...?!

-Father promised he wouldn't die! H-he promised, so...!

-...D-Daddy is just busy...! H-he must be, right...?

-...V-Venti is...V-Venti is...! T-the grown-ups...A-are not telling anything...!

-...Y-you think that...T-they just don't want us to be sad...? S-so Venti is really...!

While the children were standing a few feet away and heavily crying,

Certain that their friend/other parent was now dead...

...

It was simply complete and utter chaos...

...

...

This was also when said "not quite dead" Archon suddenly teleported in together with Barbara,

As moments later, all the sound died down completely, making Venti really confused...

*Just what was this reaction, anyway...? As soon as he teleported in, everyone just...

...

They look completely speechless,

And those expressions on their faces...

*Is that really...Shock...?

Just what was going on here...?

...

...

"We apologize for interrupting you, Barbatos, but you have to go to the Statue Plaza and fast!

Since you weren't seen for most of the day and considering them noticing Deaconess Barbara's, Acting Grandmaster Jean's, Battle Nun Rosaria's and Chief Alchemist Albedo's recently frantic actions, your people realized that something is wrong and started gathering in order to storm the Cathedral for answers!"

...

...

Yes, the Winds said that before, but still...

*Was it really that bad...?

...

And the children's red faces,

With the tears still glittering...

*Just how much and how hard did they cry...?

The same as Barbara or...?

...

...

...

Did they really think he was dead now...?

*Realizing this, he couldn't help but feel guilty...

...

Which happened a lot during this "fine day":

First the previous Timeline, then with Barbara and now...

...

...

...

-As you can see, I am perfectly fine now! I am really sorry about worrying you all. -He couldn't help but soon say, with as much reassurance as he could muster. But, it didn't look like they were fully believing him. Some small explanation should be okay, right...? -...To tell you the truth...-He soon started a summary about what happened, which took more time than needed, since he had to reassure everyone a few times that he was really alright. -...And this is why I was "missing" until just a while ago.

He ended with this, hoping that the small explanation sufficed.

*Hoping that they would no longer be so worried about his wellbeing,

Hoping they would no longer argue between themselves and/or cry so much that...

...

...

But now that he thought back on the situation,

He couldn't help but get worried about a certain matter:

The fact that he had a solid body in that Timeline.

*Since his soul left his own body, then...

...

It was still himself, just in another Timeline,

But as the God of Freedom, the mere idea of what he unintentionally did...

...

...

Did the part of "Kairos" within him, his Time Power, had something to do with it...?

*He wouldn't be surprised if she did, just so that his "state" in that Timeline will be stable.

...

...

"...Barbatos...? H-how are you...?!

...Oh, we see now...So that's how it is...You are Barbatos, but not OUR Barbatos…

...(OUR) Barbatos is already..."

Which explained this reaction that the PT's Winds had…

*Of course, until the end, he…

...

His people, his Children of Wind,

Was it just his imagination or did they look really worried now...?

Was it because he got distracted for a while, deep in his own thoughts...?

*After he was "missing" for most of the day, did they think that him getting distracted was...?

...

...

...

He should continue his ponderings later, preferably when he's alone,

The current priority was to have them know that he was 100% okay.


"Venti, Venti, can you play with me...? Soon, it will be time to go to sleep!"

"Yeah, we didn't see Daddy for most of the day! We didn't spend enough time together!"

"Lily also wants to play with Papa! Now that Lily knows that Papa didn't leave..."

"Of course Father didn't! Father made a promise and he always keeps his promises!"

"...Didn't you also cry about Venti leaving...? I saw tears..."

"T-that didn't happen! Y-you just saw wrong! I-I was just...!"

"Klee wants to gnoom Venti's wings. Can't we just do that instead of arguing about who cried and who didn't...?"

...

"...T-that's right! Spending time with Father should be the priority now!"

"...Papa, you want to play with Lily, right...?~"

"...Hearing Daddy sing will be better...~"

"...I feel like we forgot something..."

"...Forgot what...?"

...

...

"THE ANIMAL PATROL!"

This was the children's very enthusiastic discussion just a few minutes ago,

Right after he finished reassuring everyone that he was alright now…

*And when it had already became early evening...

...

He didn't mind spending time with them all,

Especially as he knew why they suddenly suggested this...

*Just like Barbara, they had to be sure he was really alright...

"...Can I stay here, too...?

...Venti, please, I...I have to be sure that you are still...A-alive..."

...

...

Of course, she also joined them,

But the amount of activities they could choose from now...

...

...

In the end, they all decided to travel to the Lawrence Estate,

As they were currently riding a cart, with the animals acting as patrolling guards,

And some KoF members clearly hiding along the route, making sure nothing goes wrong…

*Seems like his previous reassurance didn't quite work,

For the people to still worry that he was going to…

Either way, since their initial surprise failed, the children decided on this idea,

Which was actually really cute, if he had to say so himself...~

...

...

-...So then, Mister Enjou gifted Venti a lot of alcohol, saying it's "payment" for having their spar! Of course, when Venti saw all the wine, he agreed right away! -Venti heard Klee tell the other children in enthusiasm, reminding him of a certain "matter" he didn't particularly want to remember right now. Mainly, how his "duel" with Enjou ended back then. Even though he made some "Special Rules" for that...-...Even though Venti made sure the spar was going to be in a "very safe location", which mom got me to so we could watch it together, the place still went up in flames! -...Yes, he...He remembered that...With Enjou's fire and the Anemo's swirling ability, the whole place was...-...It looked so cool and dazzling! There was so much fire all over the "designated area" that even mom got very impressed and asked for "a few pointers"! -She soon started explaining just how "cool and dazzling" it was, which took too much time for Venti's liking, so at some point, he just stopped listening. -...And now Klee and Enjou are good friends!

...

...

Wait, what...?!

...

When did they become friends...?

*Those two pyromaniacs, as friends...?!

...

...

He didn't really mind them separately,

And neither did he mind "working" with one of them...

*Just as he did with Klee before,

Which were truly fun times~

...

...

But those two, as good friends...?

*With the addition of her even-more-of-a-Pyromaniac mother,

If Klee is now good friends with Enjou, an Abyss Lector, too...

...

Just what kinds of things will she le...?

...

...

Oh, he was suddenly seeing,

A vision of a different Klee...?

...

...

A face that let you know that she had "seen things",

Which turns even more unhinged when she starts dropping her bombs...

...

When she is using her Elemental Skill, with the same unhinged expression as before,

The bomb doesn't just split into small mines, but also creates a Wind Current in their place...

...

And then, during her Ultimate, instead of the usual "Sparks 'n' Splash" Laser flowers,

Klee summons...A flower/sun hybrid thing, that continuously drops bombs from its four "attached" rings...

...

Klee soon glides up the recently made Wind Current, turning into a living "Attack Helicopter",

As she proceeds to inflict death and destruction on her (now-pitiable) enemies via Carpet Bombing...

...

...

...

"Seeing" Klee..."Like that" was...Really worrisome...

*Especially when he realized that this looked just like…

One of these "Visions of a past Timeline" he kept seeing recently…?

*Klee wasn't this crazy in a past Timeline, was she...?

Just what happened to her to turn out like this...?!


They were at the Lawrence Estate now,

The children, Barbara, the animals and himself,

Waiting while the Kuschelzimmer/"Cuddle room" was being prepared.

*To think that the Lawrence Estate now has a specified room just for that...

...

...

It did feel a little embarrassing, but after everything that happened today,

Venti decided he was going to do what everyone else wanted...

*This should be a way for him to atone for worrying them so much.

...

...

...

They shouldn't be worrying about him suddenly dying,

And in the case of Barbara…

He should do something about her resurfaced trauma.