Venti's POV
Even though we didn't know what this was about, we all decided that it would be better if we went to Mt. Aocang before Morax got angrier than he already was.
With Childe in tow, it took us about an hour to reach, though it would have been at least twice as fast if it was only me and Xiao.
"Two monster-like bastards." Childe panted on the ground from exhaustion.
"You're the one who's slow, fatui." Xiao sent a glare in his direction.
It's kind of cute how he still doesn't tolerate Childe even though he's been together with Morax for a while already. Protective as always.
"There you are, Barbatos. Come with me for a moment." Zhongli was smiling.
I know that smile. That smile he always has when I pull a prank on him. But...
"I really didn't do anything this time, I swear!" Not this time, really!
"Then what the hell is that?!" He pointed at the table.
On the table, or rather above it, floated a cloud of red smoke of unknown origin.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"It came from that thing you gave Cloud Retainer, Barbatos." He pointed towards the broken pieces of a familiar box.
"That thing was just a toy from Inazuma. Why the hell would something like that come out from it?"
"Who gave you this so-called toy from Inazuma?"
"Yae Miko."
"You mean the fox that likes to pull pranks on others as much as you do?"
"That..."
I never thought about that. If it's her then...
"Damn little fox, what did you put in that box?" I asked, more myself than anyone else.
"That's exactly what we need to figure out. That thing has been floating about for hours. Look there it goes again, it floats about for a few minutes before settling again."
I looked toward the smoke, which had moved away from the table right towards...
"Xiao watch out!"
"Ajax!"
It floated right towards the arguing Xiao and Childe.
We can't possibly let it touch them if we don't even know what it is!
But it was too late.
The two stopped arguing and turned around hearing out voices. The moment they turned, was also the moment the smoke reached them, hitting them straight in the face.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
"Cough, what the cough, hell?!"
Then came the worst. The small amount of smoke suddenly grew, surrounding both of them completely and blocking my and Morax's sight.
The smoke only started dissipating by the time the two of us reached them. Though the smoke dissipated, another surprise awaited the two of us.
In the place where Xiao and Childe had stood, were now two toddlers looking about one year old, clothes too big for them to wear hanging loosely around them.
"Barbatos..."
"I can see it too," I muttered, looking at the two.
The two children were obviously none other than Xiao and Childe, I could see that much from their appearance. But why were they so... small.
At that exact moment, the sound of wings flapping was heard along with a familiar voice.
"Morax make sure not to touch that smoke! It will turn you into a... child..." Cloud Retainer came flying over, but her warning got interrupted the moment she caught sight of the two toddlers.
"Explain." Morax turned to her.
"After I finally opened that box red smoke came out from it, this much you know as well since I called for you the moment it happened." She explained, so flustered she even forgot her usual manner of speech.
"Yes. You called because you didn't know what it was, so how did you find out about it?"
"Well, a few moments after I sent the message, I noticed a piece of paper on the ground, one that I was sure wasn't there before. Just before I could take it, though, it flew away in the wind and I only caught up with it a few minutes ago." She held up a piece of paper with her wing.
Morax immediately stepped forward and took the paper. As he read it, I saw his face turn uglier by the second before he threw the paper into my face.
"Read it!" He growled at me.
I took the paper and began to read it.
Dear Barbatos,
For the many pranks you pulled on me in the past, I decided to gather all my vengeance into the greatest prank yet.
If you're reading this, then I probably succeeded, and for the next month or so, you'll be stuck as a one-year-old.
It's a pity that because you're an archon, this little surprise of mine can only affect your body and not your mind. Had you been anything else, you'd have really turned into a toddler, both body and mind, for a month. What a sight that would have been.
Anyway, I hope you have fun in a body of a child,
Yae Miko.
I looked up from the paper, my line of sight going to the two children.
'It's a pity that because you're an archon, this little surprise of mine can only affect your body and not your mind. Had you been anything else, you'd have really turned into a toddler, both in body and mind, for a month. What a sight that would have been.'
"Oh dear Celestia!"