To the unknown Future

Chapter 20:

Venti who escaped the Knights of Favonius and the work there, was wandering around the City of Mondstadt and was looking around the stalls set up around the city. Everyone was full of smiles and laughter, enjoying the festival with their family, friends, and potential lovers as well.

He went around the town and greeted the people who didn't see him while he was busy inside the Knights of Favonius headquarters and enjoyed the games for the festival with, of course, the wines as prizes.

He had so much fun that he almost forgot the highlight of the Windblume Festival if not for the people on the streets talking about it. He immediately used the alleyways and went to the top of the side tower that takes in the view of the center of the Cathedral and the Statue of the Anemo Archon. He looked down and counted the people with Anemo visions on the crowd below the statue and was met with a surprise.

"Uriel? Oh my, did Zhongli succeed in making Uriel believe in my Archon form once again?" Venti mused to himself while excitedly looking at her form together with Xingqui and Zhongli in the crowd.

"I'm only doing this because Mother and Father said so, and the two of you won't stop trying to make me do this, please enough already," Uriel said in a helpless tone and he saw the two nodding their heads.

'What in the world... they forced her?!' Venti frowned and thought about the situation at hand and if he could make something pleasant for her to remember about this particular event, She might recover sooner and faster.

'Though... do I really need to show up as Barbatos? hmm... Nah, just a few gifts will do,' Venti thought, and his focus was back on the ceremony.

The sisters of the cathedral lead the event and everyone placed their windblumes on the feet of the statue one by one. The one last to offer the Windblume was Uriel, some saw her hesitating look, but with Xingqui's and Zhongli's persuasion, she finally offered the Windblume in her hand. After she placed her windblume, which is a Cecilia, the gust of wind went into the plaza and everyone took a step back and gaze up at the statue. There was a forming of condensed Anemo element upon the hands of the statue.

Everyone was surprised when a wind current appeared in Uriel's direction. She pulled Xingqui back with wariness, thinking that it'll hurt the heir.

"Jiejie, it's obviously for you, why are you hesitating?" Xingqui asked, a bit excited that his older cousin is getting the attention she earned for herself.

"..." Uriel looked back at him with a look, Did he already forget her will that she just told him yesterday? What a child.

"Child, go up and have a look, this is an occurrence once every Windblume festival, you are worthy of being Barbatos' beloved child," A sister from the cathedral said and gave her a push to accept the blessing of the Anemo Archon.

When she was gliding up with the wind current, she was a bit surprised by the fact she got it.

'Wait, what? His name is Barbatos?' Uriel landed on the hands of the statue and stared at the face carved on stone. She feels familiar with the face and wanted to take a closer look but the building Anemo element was blocking her path.

She looked at it and reaches her hand to it, and she got something in a peculiar shape to her hand. When she pulled her hand out, the Anemo element dissipates into the air, and she looked at the 'gift' she received from the Anemo Archon.

"An Anemo crystal fly? no, wait- Huh?" She inspected the gift and found that it was a hairpin modeled into a crystal fly, but it was transparent like glass, and when the light shone on it, It was almost invisible.

"Wings... You-" Uriel looked back to the face of the statue with a complicated look but it was cut short when the people down below rejoiced and started singing songs and having fun. Uriel took a deep breath before putting it back in her backpack and descending down the plaza.

"Jiejie! Let's go to the other stalls too, let's have some fun," Xingqui walked towards her and link arms with her before escaping the crowd. Zhongli walked behind them, and when they got to the garden behind the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, another person appeared.

"Hello everyone!" They looked up and found Venti gliding towards them.

"Old friend, you are here," Zhongli said Venti greeted him and the other two.

"Look, Zhongli! I won two of the Finest Dandelion wines in Mondstadt! Here, have one bottle," Venti took out the bottle from his bag and gave it to his friend. When he turned to the two he also offered some of the souvenirs he won from the games.

"Do you two want some books? Oh, I also have these accessories from the archery game," Venti gave the book to Xingqui and the bracelet to Uriel with a Cecilia flower as a pendant. Uriel admired the bracelet on her wrist before looking back to Venti.

"Thank you, Venti," Venti smiled at her and sat beside her before asking curiously.

"I was a tad bit late when I arrived at the ceremony, Uriel, can I ask what the Anemo Archon gifted you?" Venti asked and Uriel paused before looking down to the bag that was resting near her feet.

"Oh right, I've been meaning to ask the same thing, Jiejie, what is the gift that Anemo Archon gave you? Surely it's not something miscellaneous yes?" Xingqui also asked and looked at her with an interesting look on his face.

"..." Uriel sighed before taking out the 'gift' with a heavy heart.

"It's 'wings'," Uriel said and placed opened her palm. Everyone saw that it was a glass crystal fly hairpin. Zhongli looked at him with a weird and confused look but Venti only shook his head to him.

"Oh, a hairpin. I wonder why a hairpin though, I'm confused," Venti speculated and looked at the crystal fly with a concentrated look on his face.

"It is no use to try and guess a deity's thought, Them and the mortals have different goals and interests," Uriel dismissed their words and put the hairpin back in the bag.