Falling for You

Chapter 31 - Just a little longer

Venti's POV

 So...

 I cleared out most of the ruin hunters and abyss mages, I talked to Jean, and I did the rest of the small stuff too, so the last thing would be...

 I looked up towards the snow-covered mountain in the distance with a frown.

 "God or not, that place is still too cold."

 Well, it's not like I have much of a choice. Doing it somewhere else might result in another misunderstanding.

 Thinking about the last incident...

 "Up to Dragonspine we go!"

 Instead of walking, I decided to directly fly up the mountain, even through the cold winds. Like this, it only took me a few moments to reach the small camp halfway up the mountain.

 "You'll freeze to death if you keep doing that." I heard a cold voice behind me as I landed.

 "I'm not that weak."

 "I'm not saying that you're weak, but your wings barely recovered and you're already flying through frigid winds on Dragonspine."

 "I know my limits," I said as I turned around to face the alchemist.

 "Do you, Barbatos?" HIs always emotionless face turned rather doubtful.

 "Venti is just fine."

 "If you say so. Come let's get on with it before it turns dark." Saying this he directly walked over to a hidden corner, pulling out a box from under the snow.

 "Shouldn't you hide that a little better? If someone found it, it would bring us more than a little trouble."

 "Who would come this far up the mountain and search around in the snow instead of just taking what's visible?" 

 That's fair. I don't think even treasure hoarders were that desperate.

 I took off my shirt and sat down on the tool in the center of the camp. Holding his notebook, Albedo approached me from behind.

 "Does this hurt?" He asked, touching a few spots on my back.

 "No, it doesn't, but if your hand goes any lower, you might lose it." I sent a glare at him as his hand closed in on a specific spot at the center of my lower back.

 "I don't know what you think of me, but I still have a conscience. Even though I'm curious as to what would happen, I'm still not shameless enough to touch it." He looked offended

 "It would not be wise to underestimate your curiosity. Even in this very moment, you're laying hands on an archon, who knows what you would and wouldn't do."

 "You're the one who asked me to do this in the first place. Take your wings out." He took a step back.

 "If I had a better option, I wouldn't be here." I spread my wings and he came closer again.

 "Even now I still wonder why you would do something like this." He said as he pinched the places my wings had been short before.

 "How about you try falling in love, Albedo."

 "The emotion you call love is still a mystery to me, and it will probably stay like that forever."

 "We'll see about that." I chuckled, thinking back to a certain scene I saw the other day.

 "What is the meaning of your words?"

 "Nothing, really nothin- Hiss!" I flinched as he applied pressure to a certain place on my wing.

 "You're in this state, yet you still dare fly up Dragonspine. I don't know whether I should call you stupid or daring."

 "How about neither? So how is it?"

 "If nothing goes wrong your wings should heal completely in another week or so. As for the other matter... Are you sure you want to do this? Wouldn't it be better to just let me take a look-"

 "You will not lay a hand on him, Albedo." I glared at him. Even I have my limits.

 "I'm not asking you to let me experiment on him or anything, just let me take a look-"

 "No is no. Karmic debt is not something humans should meddle with." My stance was firm on this.

 "We both know I'm not human." He retorted.

 "That doesn't change anything. You're not touching him, end of story."

 "If you insist. But your method is just too dangerous. If something goes wrong, you'll lose your life."

 "I know what I'm doing. I have made more than enough preparations for this, your part is the last piece."

 2000 years worth of preparation... I won't let it be for nothing.

 "Even if I make you what you want, it will be nothing but a shell incomparable to that of the electro archon. Yes, you'll be able to walk around, but you won't be able to use a single ounce of elemental energy and you'll need a lot of rest too if you don't want to overexert your soul." He explained.

 "Just being able to move about is enough for me, Albedo. I never expected you to be able to copy something that took Ei years to perfect, in just a few months. For me, not needing to fall asleep for who knows long is already enough."

 I looked up at him, only to be met with a pair of piercing eyes.

 "Do you truly wish to do this, Barbatos?" he asked emotionlessly.

 "Yes, I do." No hesitation. This is not something I would back out of.

 He just stared at me in silence for a few minutes, his blue eyes piercing cold just like the frosty mountain.

 "It will be ready in a month. There's no need for further testing so just come back at that time." As he spoke, he turned around and placed the box back into the snow.

 "Thank you." I thanked him from the bottom of my heart. Without him, this would have been delayed indefinitely.

 "Just don't do anything stupid for the next month." He scoffed.

 Letting out a laugh, I flew up, but before I went out of hearing distance, I still shouted to him teasingly.

 "I can't promise anything!"

 "Barbatos!" I heard an annoyed shout just moments later, but I didn't turn back.

 Leaving Dragonspine, I went back to Windrise, sitting down at the roots of the tree.

 Looking up at the darkening sky, I couldn't help but let out a sigh I had been holding back since earlier.

 "With this, your endless suffering will end. Just a little longer, my dear Xiao."