Venti woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling,
One which he soon found out looked very elaborate...
*This place he suddenly woke up at,
Where was it again...?
...
...
"...I also heard from the Winds how you just talked about "sleep-cuddling" and Mister Albedo's explanation to Klee. I-I never really saw it like that before...But I still liked it...
After leaving the Hanayomi Estate and before coming to find you, Big Sister Jean and I talked about our sleeping arrangements. Both of us agree to "sleep-cuddle" together tonight, all three of us. Big Sister doesn't mind, but what do you think about this, Venti...? Do you want the three of us to share a bed...I-in a platonic way...Or do you not like this idea, since it sounds a little embarrassing...?"
After soon agreeing to the sleeping arrangements, the sisters led him to the Hanayomi Estate,
A place he didn't think he would return to, especially so fast, after suddenly leaving it in the middle of the Banquet.
*Apparently Nahida asked Shahzaman Hanayomi to let them stay at one of the Estate's Guest Rooms,
Which the family head soon readily agreed to and the rest of the family seemed happy about...
...
Even though he basically "ran away" from the place before...
...
...
T-that's right, he...
...
He was currently in Sumeru City, the Guest Room of the Hanayomi Estate...
*Since neither Barbara nor Jean were here now, it must be near afternoon, right...?
...
...
For some reason he couldn't remember what happened yesterday...
*Or rather, the last thing he remembers was...
...
"We can explain what happened to 'Radish Archon' Nahida, Barbatos.
...It's those Awful Sages' fault, since they locked your Adorable Little Sister in the Sanctuary of Surasthana for 500 long years!"
The Winds telling him of Nahida's trauma from having been confined in the Sanctuary of Surasthana for 500 years...
*Those Fot...Sages and what they did to his Little Sister!
If he could have reached ALL of them beyond the grave, he would have...!
...
...
...
Samir would have probably already punished them all, if he could, right...?
*And besides that...
...
Their souls were used to strengthen the border between the three realms, right...?
*But, where did he hear this information from...?
At the moment, he couldn't quite remember...
...
...
...
Getting back on topic, what happened after his talk with the Winds...?
*And why couldn't he remember any of it...?
Just what happened yesterda...?
...
...
"Are you enjoying the competition, "Venti"...? It looks like fun, doesn't it?~
...But as well as the "Sand River" was done in such a short amount of time, there's still something missing. A certain something which will make this event even more exciting...
Lord Barbatos, would you mind helping me with something small...? I recently..."Acquired" a few bottles of first grade Spirytus I wouldn't mind sharing~"
...
...
Oh, right, "Layla's" reward...
*He left to drink the alcohol and...
...
How much Spirytus did he drink, exactly...?
*He had a very high alcohol tolerance,
But since that drink was 192 Proof...
...
...
3 bottles...? 4 bottles...? 5...?
*He probably stopped counting at some point,
But he left the rest for a special occasion, right...?
...
...
Just how many of these he drank to have a blank...?
...
...
...
"We can tell you all about it if you want, Barbatos! As well as what you did afterwards to the Former Sages...~", the familiar cheeky voices were soon heard, as the Wind Spirits appeared before him, looking very amused, "...They are suffering so much right now, we can't help but feel pity!"
-...Are those...Three babies...? Why are they acting as Albedo's naked muses...? -Venti couldn't help but ask as soon as he teleported in, before a moment later pausing in thought. Since the Winds mentioned the Former Sages and the fact they are supposed to be here..."...As well as what you did afterwards to the Former Sages...~", "...They are suffering so much right now, we can't help but feel pity!"...-...I didn't actually turn them into babies, did I...? And as for what this whole situation even is...
With the three Former Sages now in the form of babies,
Having been stripped completely naked and put in very..."Interesting" poses,
Displaying everything not only to Albedo who now drew them, but also everyone in the area..
*This highly embarrassing (for them) display was definitely someone's punishment...
...
...
"...and then there was Samir...With his Bowling Ball of Destruction~"
"He kept rolling himself at people in that ball form of his, which was very effective!
...Though for some reason, Samir kept attacking people between the legs. Paimon wonders why..."
"Samir was already deliberately punishing them with these "attacks", Paimon.
...It was an irreversible punishment, too."
...
And he already had a hunch about whose idea this was...
*A certain person who was standing nearby, looking very amused.
-...It's quite an effective punishment, isn't it...? -Samir told him in an equal amount of amusement, as he was clearly enjoying watching the Former Sages-Now-Turned-Babies' humiliation, before his expression soon turned thoughtful. -...Actually, just having Albedo draw them naked is starting to get pretty boring. We should definitely "spice things up", if you know what I mean...-He mumbled upon turning to look at Venti, his expression getting amused once again. -...I heard about your "Cherub Form" before and it would fit quite well here, right...?~ But as for where to get those wings...
The god's words soon trailed off, as his expression became thoughtful once more,
And all the while, Venti couldn't help but feel a slight sense of pity for the Former Sages...
*As awful as they were before, this kind of punishment,
If the effect of his Time Power is the same as before, then...
...
Even though they were now physically babies, weren't they still mentally adults...?
*If so then this kind of punishment was extremely humiliating,
So much so that after they turn back to their original forms...
...
...
"But you are not a tyrant, Venti. In fact, you are the furthest thing from being one.
And as a fellow god, one loved by all of his people..."
...
"Nahida, can you tell me the history of the "Diadem of Knowledge"...? Just what happened during that Interdarshan Championship...?
Little Sister, whatever happened is not your fault. So stop blaming yourself, alright...?"
"...I will try to, Ven...Big Brother.
...It's just...Even though there was nothing much I could have done at the time, as Sumeru's Archon, I can't help but feel guilty about how things turned out..."
...
"Upon finding out that Sachin made Abtin fall into depression, Samir told me everything and I tried to help out, but...
...I failed, badly...By that point, it was already way too late to save his soul."
...
"...I...I am alright now. I think...
...I do know that Abtin's death is not my fault and yet as Sumeru's Archon, I still can't help but feel responsible..."
...
"...It really pains me that so many of my...Of Sumeru's people had lost their way. The Sages, some Akademiya researchers and Eremites, Sachin..."
…
…
"...What the Akademiya did to me was bad enough, but I am an immortal and should be able to fully heal soon enough. But all those children, on the other hand..."
...
"...But her earlier words about the Akademiya...I am sure she knows that I know of her trauma and the fact it's not something that would heal easily. And yet, she's still lying, even now...
...It's nothing for you to worry about, Venti. You have a home to return to and can't stay in Sumeru for years at a time. As this nation's fellow god, I will make certain Nahida heals."
...
...
"I-I apologize, but the mere idea of visiting the Sanctuary of Surasthana...!
I am really sorry for suddenly yelling, but that place, I...
There's nothing much to see inside of that old building, I can assure you of that! How about I show you some truly fun places instead...? Such as Apam Woods, Pardis Dhyai or even Mawtimya Forest...! You wanted to see Mahavanaranapna, right...? We can spend the whole evening and night playing there! I also have a certain amount of dominion over dreams and...!"
...
"We can explain what happened to 'Radish Archon' Nahida, Barbatos.
...It's those Awful Sages' fault, since they locked your Adorable Little Sister in the Sanctuary of Surasthana for 500 long years!"
...
…
...
"The relationship between yourself and the people of Mondstadt seems to be extremely close, despite the fact that you are their god.
...Oh, I apologize, I forgot to introduce myself. You may call me Nahida and I am...
...No, it doesn't matter right now. At the moment, I am still...
...
...I also understand your feelings. Having a place to belong, with people who love and cherish you for who you are...This kind of close relationship, I can't help wishing that mine was similar...But this "dream" feels further and further as days go by…"
...
...
...
Actually, no, they don't deserve even a sliver of his pity.
*Those..."People" deserve everything they are getting for hurting his...!
-What are you doing, Samir?! Why are you having them...In such an embarrassing way...?! -His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the familiar voice of his Little Sister, as she teleported into the area, looking and sounding quite annoyed. -You promised me that you are going to look after them, not this! Even as a punishment, this is going way too far!
-...It's not really "going too far", considering what they did...-The aforementioned person couldn't help but soon mumble, before he turned to look towards his fellow god. -Besides that, just as I promised, I am "looking after" them...Just not quite in the way that you expected me to, Nahida~
Seeing as his fellow gods clearly had things under control,
Venti decided to ignore the, honestly quite amusing, craziness for now...
*The real reason was to leave the two to their..."Lovers Quarrel"...?
...
...
"...And Samir just calmly explained what was going on, all the while admitting that all along, he knew it was going to happen and was eagerly waiting for when he could finish his redemption.
...I have to agree with what Nahida said back then, that he was "never truly evil, but just made a mistake. A great one that he desperately tried to correct, even agreeing to such a "contract" that would have him disappear once its conditions are fulfilled, unable to enjoy...". Here he interrupted her, saying that him "being able to come back to life like this, was more than he ever deserved" and that he "was glad that he could correct his mistake, even if a little.". Then he quietly turned around from her and the rest of the people, saying that this was hopefully his final goodbye. By this point Nahida was begging him to stay and not go, since he was "her friend and the one she knew the longest after being born", as she tried reaching out to him and her hand went right through his disappearing form.
...Honestly, I can understand Nahida's desperation here. Their relationship reminded me of the one I have...Had with my Twin. And to suddenly lose the person you were the closest to, in such a way..."
Nahida and Samir were not only friends...
*Quite close ones at that, considering what happened before...
"...Nahida then admitted that while she was imprisoned for those 500 years, for the first 253 years she felt so lonely, useless and unneeded. She was comparing herself to the late Lord Rukkhadevata and wanting to be even a little, just like her predecessor. Thinking that if she was, then her people would finally accept her. But it all changed when he "appeared" 247 years ago and they started to secretly converse with one another. She made a friend, one who liked her for her, and her imprisonment was that much more bearable due to it. But now that he plans to leave, even with all those people she befriended later on, she was certain that the sudden separation will leave her lonely once more...And she didn't want to be alone..."
...
...
But now the two also shared their very lives...
"This is when the Temple of Silence members, led by Cyno, came in. Right away, they told Nahida that there's a way for Samir to permanently stay: By having them both make a soul binding pact, which would make their very lives be connected to one another.
...
With great annoyance, Samir first asked them what the hell they think they are doing, before going on a whole lecture about "the dangers" of this contract. The main point being that if their lives will be connected so closely, if one of them gets badly hurt or even dies, the other person would as well!"
...
Still, wherever they could be more than that...
*At their current states, both of them were quite young and...
...
...
...
Just what was he thinking about now...?!
Was all the Spirytus he drank still affecting him somehow...?
*As if his Alcohol-related blackout wasn't enough, now he was...
"We are sorry to interrupt your musings, Barbatos, but a mysterious letter suddenly appeared on the side table in the Guest Room of the Homayani Estate!", the Winds suddenly yelled out, sounding very shocked, before there was a short pause, "...This letter...Feels just like a certain 'Mad Dog'..."
They added in clear suspicion and not even a moment later...
...
"Who let the dogs out?
(Who? Who? Who? Who?)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who? Who? Who? Who?)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who? Who? Who? Who?)
Who let the dogs out?
(Who? Who? Who? Who?)"
...
Venti was reminded of a certain song chorus...
*The punishment he inflicted a little less than a week ago...
...
...
Ill Dottore, that 'Mad Dog...Doctor',
Just what was he plotting this time...?