Genshin Writing

To learn of a friends Passing • Venti and Zhongli

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've written anything on here. So yeah. This isn't meant to be a romantic pairing, but a friendship pairing given how these two are friends in game canon. Part of me wondered how Venti initially reacted to the news that Rex Lapis had "died" before he realized that it was faked. Also timing may be weird, but just roll with it
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"Did you hear? Liyue's archon fell from the sky during the Rite of Descension. They say he was murdered."

Venti stopped in his tracks as he overheard the conversation between the two people near Mondstat's fountain.

'Murdered? Morax was murdered???' The thought alarmed Mondstat's archon. How could one of his oldest friends suddenly turn up murdered, and at his own custom too. 'There's no way.'

Venti lingered nearby, pretending to tune his lyre while leaning on a railing, as he hoped to hear more about what happened in Liyue. After all, if what they claim is true, he must know more.  Morax was one of his oldest friends, if he lost another friend.....

"Yes, I did! And the Qixing say that the Honorary Knight is responsible for it!"

'The traveller?!!'  Venti stiffened slightly, 'but that does not make sense.'

"Ah, the Qixing don't know who actually did it, I don't think the Honorary Knight would actually pull such a feat. They only blamed them because they ran away from the scene. Rumors say they're heading for the Adepti to tell them what happened."

The pair of civillians meandered off, leaving the bard to his own thoughts. Pushing off the railing he was leaning on, the anemo archon made his way towards the city gaits. He would go to Liyue and find out more about what happened to his dearest friend himself.

'It would have probably been at minimum two days since these events had happened,' Venti mused as he used the wind currents to travel towards Liyue, 'word between Liyue and Mondstat takes time still. This would have given the Traveller time to meet with the Adepti.'

If the Adepti were like he remembers them to be, they would first consult with each other before deciding on a course of action. He suspected they'd choose to go to Liyue Harbor and demand answers......or retribution. The wrath of the Adepti would not be good for the people, especially when the matter they are upset about is their beloved god and friend.

The thought made him urge his current to move a little faster.

He landed by one of the Statue of the Seven sharpened after the Lord of Geo. From where Venti had landed, he could see activity on the docks of the Harbor. Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, Cloud Retainer, and the Conqueror of Demons stood on the dock, discussing something with the Traveller and the Tianshen of the Qixing.

'What have I missed? What had occurred down there?' The bard wondered as the Adepti started to leave the docks, headinn towards their mountain and inn homes.

"Hello old friend," a familiar deep voice spoke out behind him. The bard whipped around, eyes widening for a second in surprise as he registered the man before him.

"Is that you, Rex Lapis?" He asked, staring at the very god who had been said to have died. "The word that came to Mondstat was that you had died!"

"It is me, yes, I go by Zhongli now. I hear you go by Venti, am I correct" the amber eyed man paused to let the bard nod before continuing, "for all intents and purposes, Rex Lapis is dead to Liyue. I have decided to retire as the Geo Archon, to live amongst my people as one of them."

'Zhongli now huh?' Venti noted before he opened his mouth, "Well, I'm glad to see you're not dead, you old blockhead. You gave me quite the scare for a second."

Zhongli only chuckled before motioning to walk down the path towards the mountains of the Adepti. "Come, let me tell you what has passed during the last few days."