𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖 || 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨!𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙭 𝙛!𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

[𝟖]. atlas

"Where were you?! Aether and Bennett were just about to expose their cover to find you!" Paimon crossed her arms, huffing angrily as Venti giggled.

"Better late than never, right?" The bard hummed, still holding [Y/N] in his arms, dismissing the futile efforts of the girl trying to pry out of his grip.

"Well? Let's go!" Bennett rushed out of the harbor, retracing the steps that he had previously run, Aether and Paimon following.

"Going where?" [Y/N] stood up, her gaze narrowed as she ran alongside the Traveler, Venti's worried eyes boring into her back.

"Jueyun Karst!" The small mascot exclaimed, doing flips in the air like a dolphin.

"What?" Venti glided beside the pixie, his fingers subconsciously plucking the strings of his lyre.

"We need the help of the adepti..." Aether explained, showing the [e/c]-eyed girl the sigil he has received from Childe.

Her breath hitched in her throat, the sight of the sigil and its calligraphic strokes engraved onto it like a ward.

"Very well."

✩

By the time the sun had set, the group had only made it to Dunyu Ruins.

"We should keep goi—" Aether started, only to be cut off by the girl beside him as she crossed her arms.

"No. Jueyun Karst is a great mountain range. If we were to keep going now, we'd fall off somewhere in the night," [Y/N] sat down, watching Bennett light a fire as Venti crawled up beside her.

The ruins were covered fully by water, draining in and out like an endless puddle as Aether began roasting up some food.

Walking in between an invisible line between Mondstadt and Liyue, [Y/N] could only wonder where her loyalties lie.

Now that Rex Lapis was gone, was there any point of honoring Liyue? She never shared a close relationship with the citizens... She had more of a connection to Mondstadt itself.

The girl blinked, glancing down at her lap which nested a very serene Venti.

He's resting his head on my lap. The girl thought, narrowing her eyes as the bard's eyes shot open, a small grin on his face.

"What do you think you're doing?" She glared at the archon, seeing past his antics.

"Sleeping," He quipped, a cheeky wink following up.

". . ." Her hands hovering over his head, Venti was fully prepared for the girl to pick him up and drop him into the fire that Bennett had created.

His cerulean eyes widened as soon as her calloused hands came up to braid his hair, delicately twirling them into three strands as she began to work like she was knitting.

And as the moon rose, illuminating the constant pond of Dunyu Ruins...

The girl let go. Let go of the pain of recent events, instead opting to move forward.

Each loss only taught her one thing, and such things were:

Appreciate those who are here now. Such a common saying, yet still, it was hard to find people who truly honored such morales.

Staring down at Venti's sleeping form, the fire illuminated her face, the camp falling asleep as only she stayed up to keep watch.

What would Xiao think?

[E/C] irises closed, a shaky breath leaving her lips.

One could only imagine.

✩