𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖 || 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨!𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙭 𝙛!𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

[𝟕]. dear liyue,

Hopping on each rock crevice, you caught up to the idle bard, your breaths short and curt as Bennett wobbled off your back.

"Wow... this is so cool! Thanks, [Y/N]!" The earnest boy bent down, staring at the ground below as Aether caught up quickly.

"That was totally not fair! Tone-Deaf Bard can fly! [Y/N] can run really fast! Bennett can leech! Traveler could only run!" Paimon defended her friend, stomping the air angrily as Venti giggled.

"Haha! Maybe if he ran a bit faster, he would've beat us!"

"What?!"

"You're literally floating, Paimon. I don't think you get to complain about running."

"Floating is just as hard as running!"

Jolting upwards from beside you, you gazed warily at Venti, tilting your head in confusion as the boy shuddered.

"[Y/N]," He spoke, using his little prayer method as you blinked in confusion.

"I just got a prayer,

It was from that one pigeon boy who sits on the bridge at Mondstadt. Did you know what he prayed for?!"

Shaking your head, the bard took a deep breath, continuing on.

"He prayed for me... Barbatos... to become a BETTER archon?!

The audacity!"

". . . " You processed what the archon had said, your mouth slightly open as Venti crossed his arms.

"Tell the poor boy's dad to come back home. Then you'll be a great archon," You mumbled, averting your eyes on purpose to avoid seeing the bard cover his heart in a feigned hurt.

"How mean!" He cried.

✩

"The view... Paimon has never seen anything like it!" The elf exclaimed, watching the sunset over Liyue. The group had opted to take the route of the mountain instead of the path. After all, what fun was taking the normal route when you could take the scenic one?

"It truly is a marvelous city... Liyue has advanced miraculously since I last visited," Venti rested a hand on his hip, a proud smile on his face as lights illuminated the waters, the houses of each residence were a beautiful orange, matching the sky above them.

Gazing over at his adeptus companion, the bard's proud smile morphed into a soft one, his cerulean eyes closing as [Y/N] stared at the city before her in awe.

Before, Liyue was no more than a few straw houses in the middle of Guili Plains.

Now? It was the center of contracts and attractions. Filled with life and love, Liyue had grown tremendously since she last stepped foot in the land of geo.

Taking a deep breath, the scent of barbeque filled her nostrils. Excited chatters and squeals of children... such mortal happiness that could only be found in a place as comforting as Liyue Harbor.

"It's as cool as the storybooks!" Bennett exclaimed, pulling out a picture of a sketched out harbor, blue, orange, yellow, and red painting the sheet.

A storybook... that's where Liyue came from.

And, in that storybook... perhaps, [Y/N] was the character who had strayed from home, only to find herself returning once more.

Ah, home.

That was what Liyue was, and always would be.

—As if the city had heard her thoughts, lights flashed on and off, welcoming her arrival like she were a war hero.