A Protective Wind 🍃Venbara🍃

🍃Seven🍃

TW: Panic attackish scene, mention of death, mention of blood, tasty angst

Venti POV
You're such an idiot Venti! Those jokes I made...ughhhhhh! I'm so embarrassed! But I-...No. I mustn't get attached, it's already bad enough that we're friends...If the fatui know...or anyone who plots against us archons knew...I would be putting her in serious danger...Mortals and immortals don't go together in reality, it's a mere dream...It is the one freedom we can't have unless you want to take the risks...If I stop showing up and talking to her though, I'll just hurt her...That old blockhead would actually come in handy right about now.

I was going to visit an old friend, and so I saw the ruins in view...It's a shame the ones who lost their lives aren't remembered all that much...The grave was still in tact as I clean it every time I come here. I sat down and placed a glaze Lily on the grave, I often brought different flowers because he wanted to see the world...I also asked the traveler to take pictures for me and so I placed down a picture from the tops of the Liyue mountains on the grave.

"Here's a part of the world for you...It's From Liyue, the city of contracts, a beautiful flower isn't it? Also, I had a friend take this picture for me...It's from the top of the mountains in Liyue...If only we could go together..."

I felt my eyes water and I laid down next to the grave on my back, looking at the sky. I chuckled in order to keep myself from crying but it failed...it was a laugh at first but then it slowly faded into sniffles and crying...

"If I had been stronger...You would be alive right now...I'm so sorry []...."

My eyesight was blurry from the tears and I could feel the uproar of wind from my emotions, and so I decided to take a nap next to him. I played the song her often played me until I fell asleep, then I heard a voice and got up only to notice it was bright outside. I sat up and looked around my surroundings, then began to look for the source of the voice...As I began to get closer, I noticed what it was saying.

"Barbatos~ Oh Barbatos~"

Was it my imagination? It didn't sound like anyone I knew... But I continued to walk closer and closer until I found a crystal and picked it up. It was his voice...Wait no...it's fading...No, no, no! Please no...[]!!! You're there aren't you!? I couldn't help but cry and feel powerless, everything was turning to black until I saw images of him surrounding me and slowly being covered in blood. Then I saw...I saw her slowly fading into the pictures instead...Her body covered in blood of her own...I fell onto my knees and began to hit the pitch black floor.

"Why I, the god of freedom, can never have true freedom myself!? It's so frustrating! Anyone I get close to, that isn't immortal like me, I will kill! Is this a warning of what is to come? No, no, no, I don't want to kill her...I don't want to kill anyone!"

The ground beneath me began to shatter and then I started falling, mirrors began to slowly surround me and have images of the ones I got too close to...Then she appeared in one and began to say, "You got to close, Venti, it's all your fault that they're dead. You should've been the one in their place. Do you want to kill me now as well?"

I couldn't stop the tears flowing from my eyes, she was right...I should've been in their damn place! Why the hell did they have to die!? Why the hell did I kill them!? Oh why does celestia favor me!? I don't understand, I'm just a murderer! I don't deserve my place, I don't deserve shit!

I began to open my eyes, hyperventilating, and I quickly sat up into a ball and began crying with my lyre beside me. Then I heard a familiar, high pitched, voice...I rubbed my tears, it must be Paimon...I don't want her or the traveler to see me like this, since the traveler is most likely by as well. My eyes were puffy though and I stayed in the ball formation until I saw the traveler out of my eye running towards me.

"Venti! Just the person I was looking f...Venti? Are...you alright?"

"Yeah, tone deaf bard, you seem a little...emotional."

There was a lump in my throat, I couldn't speak, I didn't want to cry again...especially in front of them. I looked up slightly and my face was already a giveaway.

"Venti, you can talk to me..."

They put their hand on my shoulder, softly speaking.

"No, I'll just hurt you traveler..."

I brushed their hand off with mine and looked away only to be greeted by Paimon in my face.

"Ton- Venti...You've never hurt us, in fact you've been a big help."

Paimon...Traveler...they won't understand...What's the point in explaining?

"I don't think you should get so close to me...I'll kill you."

The Traveler was taken aback by my words and stared at me...Probably wondering why I would say such a thing...Why do they even care? Most people view me as worthless, I'm just an absentee archon and a rat living in the street like Signora said...I view me as worthless...I began to stand up, looking away from the two by staring at the ground...My eyes stayed on the ground as I moved forward and said nothing else to the pair. I walked past windrise, not wanting to go to the city and perhaps bump into her, I don't even want to think about her. I need to leave her behind, for her well being...But I was snapped out of my thoughts as I heard her voice over in the forest. Barbara's voice sounded like it had some panic and exhaustion...Then a I heard an explosive, my feet began to run into the woods of Wolvendom and found myself looking from the forest to Barbara fighting hilichurls that she had ran into. I got my bow out and summoned a black hole then tried to walk away. It was slightly pointless though since she knew exactly who was behind it.

"Venti?"

~1090 words~