I can't believe I'm finally back with a new chapter T^T
If you're still here after the long break I took, I'm really thankful you decided to stick with this fanfic! Honestly? I missed you guys soooo much and I'm really happy to post again! Now that I'm done with my exams, I only have an interview for university and an entrance exam in May, but this won't require me to go on a break thankfully. However, just for the sake of my sanity, I will be posting only Fridays.
Also, no matter how many times I try to fix the order of the chapters, Wattpad always messes it up so I won't bother anymore, sorry for the inconvenience
I hope you will enjoy this chapter!!
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Kaeya felt nauseous. The world around him was spinning, he couldn't feel solid ground under him, keeping an iron grip on the first Archon he had managed to reach before they teleported away.
Coincidently, the Archon that was holding the stupid, stubborn person Kaeya was trying to reach. He didn't think twice about what he had to do. All that mattered was that he did not trust the archons. He had no idea what they were planning to do, but he was not about to let them go any time soon without following them.
Kaeya made the mistake of letting Venti and Dainsleif go alone. Rationally, he knew he wouldn't have been of much help, but he couldn't shake out of his mind the idea that he had accepted Venti's deal.
Then he had gone home and sat at his desk, staring at the shape of his hands in the dark, waiting for the wind to call for him.
It never did, and he should have expected it. He hadn't thought Venti and Dain would go immediately after the conversion Kaeya had with the Archon. Had he known, he would have never agreed. He would have fought harder; he would have proven himself to be even more stubborn than Venti. He had known that something was off the moment Venti had tried to talk him out of coming with them. But instead of doing the most rational thing, he agreed to the stupidest deal he had ever heard.
Kaeya sent an ice shard to the Geo Archon, thus distracting the God for a very brief moment. Moment brief enough, however, as he took the opportunity to immediately snatch Venti from the Geo Archon's hands, taking off the hand that was still clutching the Archon in favor of a better grip on his own God. Kaeya was lucky enough that he didn't get lost in limbo, as the traveler fortunately enough chose this precise moment to land. Kaeya hastily took a few steps back as soon as he felt solid ground under his feet. The knight put one knee on the ground, resting Venti still unconscious from against him as he pointed his sword at the archons, daring them to come any closer.
He knew very well they wouldn't, not when he was the one holding Venti. And he was armed.
Not that he would ever bring harm to the Anemo Archon, but that was beside the point. All that mattered for Kaeya now were the mighty archons standing in front of him while he glared at them, all of them wearing varying expressions of shock and anger on their faces.
Funnily enough, Kaeya felt like scoffing at them.
By his side, from the corner of his eye, Kaeya could see Diluc standing beside him, clear as day. Kaeya faintly remembered someone screaming his name and grabbing onto him when he latched to one of the archons. So Diluc must have been teleported with them, then.
The Ragnvindr glared at him very briefly, wielding his claymore in front of him in a defensive state, and Kaeya felt reassured that at least, he wasn't alone against gods. Even if Diluc disagreed with him on many levels, he was ready to stand by him and defend him when he did something reckless. Just like he used to do when they were still mere children.
It warmed Kaeya's heart a little bit, and he quickly refocused on the archons, noticing immediately as the traveler raised his hands in the air in a defensive manner. Kaeya narrowed his eyes, clutching Venti tighter against him.
"What do you think you are doing exactly?" Morax hissed at them, the first to speak after what seemed like only seconds to Kaeya.
The eyes of the Archon, although furious, kept dancing between Kaeya and Diluc, resting on Venti for a moment before going back to the two men. Good, Kaeya thought with mirth, the Archon was weary of them.
"Kaeya?" the traveler whispered uncertainly, as if afraid he would be heard. "Diluc?" Kaeya noticed that he, too, kept glancing between Diluc and him.
Not that he could blame him, really. Or any of them for that matter, but Kaeya could only be glad they weren't attacking him and the red haired man standing by his side.
Diluc doesn't say a thing, and neither does Kaeya. His eyes only narrow further as the Hydro Archon pointed an accusing finger at him, staring at him with cold and narrowed eyes, judging him. How fitting.
"You!" she said. Kaeya raised an eyebrow. "You were the one talking with Barbatos that night!"
Kaeya only pursed his lips, feeling he was starting to understand what exactly it was the God of Justice was accusing him for. He was slightly miffed she had been listening in. Yet another point to add to the ever growing list of things he should have done better the night Venti convinced him to stay behind.
Kaeya actually scowled at her. "You were spying on us?" He scoffed, this time. "Typical."
And if only himself understood the double meaning behind that word, then it was even better. The Hydro Archon was cunning, she was sneaky, and he did not expect any less from her. This did not mean however that he shouldn't have stayed on guard. Yes, he knew she was very good at listening in on people and hiding, but he didn't expect her to listen to one of the most important conversations he ever had.
Focalors was not done yet. "He asked you to stay away, he knew what was coming," she said as realization slowly dawned on them all. Kaeya watched their eyes go wide as their gaze locked on him.
"Well that turned out perfectly, didn't it?" He responded sourly as he rolled his eyes at them, not bothering to hide it. His glare intensified just then, eyes falling directly on the Hydro Archon. As he opened his mouth, ready to say more, Diluc decided it would be a good moment to interrupt, effectively shutting Kaeya up.
"Although Kaeya did something foolish," he said as he glared again at the knight, "I don't trust our God with you either," he spat. Kaeya felt triumphant, having Diluc on his side for once. Let them say anything, he dared them. Kaeya wouldn't stay still, he wouldn't fall silent if the archons thought it would be wise to continue provoking them. All he wanted was to get Venti back to Mondstadt, away from the very people he always seemed sad when talking about.
And in Kaeya's experience, that sadness he always saw in Venti's eyes whenever the knight tried to bring up the archons, wasn't something good. It wasn't the kind of sadness that made one reminisce good times. No, it was the kind of sadness that only spoke of bad memories. And Kaeya feared he knew what was causing this pain. Who was the cause of it.
And Kaeya would never stay silent when the very being who saved his life and gave him a second chance when no one else would, was suffering. Not that he would ever admit that out loud to anyone. It was only for him to know.
"Hey, hey, guys!" the traveler screamed, successfully gaining everyone's attention. He looked frantic, as if he had been trying to make them notice him for a while, now.
And now that he had everyone's attention, he only glared at them all. "Don't fight, we can't afford this right now," he said harshly. "We need to take Venti to Istaroth before he wakes up and starts attacking us all again."
Kaeya would not have any of this, not before he had an idea of what was going on.
"Who is she?" he asked, sceptic.
The only person Kaeya trusted between all those standing before him, was traveler. But also, Kaeya knew not to trust people blindly, even if that person happened to be the traveler.
Kaeya watched as Aether bit his bottom lip, furrowing his eyebrows, debating whether to tell him or not. It was who seemed to be the Electro Archon that cut the silence that had suddenly settled.
"Look, I'll explain later, I promise," she simply said. Kaeya looked straight at her. He didn't trust archons, not one bit, so what would assure him that the Electro Archon would fulfill her promise and explain everything to him? Maybe she would when it would be too late, when Kaeya would have unknowingly doomed Venti by following the gods, gods who had taken everything from him once upon a time.
It was a decision Kaeya wish he didn't have to do alone. He wished for Dainsleif to be by his side right now, Dainsleif who Kaeya knew would have an idea of what to do. But the man was somewhere in Celestia, and Kaeya had no idea what had happened to him, if he was captured or not, dead or alive. And if the latter was true, Kaeya hoped he had died quickly. The curse placed upon both of them was difficult enough to live with.
All because of Celestia, because of the archons. It was always because of them.
The Electro Archon took a step forward. "Please, allow us to help him."
The look in her eyes, it seemed so sincere that Kaeya felt his determination falter. What was he supposed to do now? He wanted Venti to be sent back to Mondstadt, get healed there, and the archons also apparently had the same intention, although they wanted the Anemo God to get treatment in this strange place they were in. Kaeya thought Mondstadt would help Venti more, would do him more good seeing as all his believers were there, praying for him. The wind was everywhere in the air, Anemo particles flowing freely. Maybe that would help soothe Venti a bit, and for Kaeya, it seemed better than whatever this place in ruin was.
But the traveler also knew that Mondstadt would help Venti, and yet he was determined to keep the God in this strange place. Did that mean that simple healing wasn't enough for Venti? No, Kaeya was only fooling himself here. Of course it wasn't some pesky thing that could be healed in the Cathedral. But what about Windrise? What about Stormterror's lair? Venti was fond of those places. Whenever he felt bad, weak, that was where he went. So why? Why was this place so special? What did it have that Mondstadt didn't? He guessed it had something to do with this Istaroth he still knew nothing about.
It was only when Diluc put a hand on Kaeya's shoulder that the knight sighed. At the very least, he knew he could trust Diluc. Even if he would never admit it, Diluc cared for Venti as much as Kaeya did.
"I don't trust you, not one bit," Kaeya spat as he put his sword away, before getting up and holding Venti's body tight against him. "But if you know how to help him, then I'm willing to follow you."
In the end, Kaeya reasoned that they all wanted the same thing, so he was ready to cast his mistrust aside just for now, until the Anemo Archon was purged from whatever it was that had him in this state, a shell of what he used to be.
They trekked together silently, heading to who knew where. Kaeya barely resisted five minutes before he felt like he might combust if he didn't say anything now. So without hesitation, he asked, "Where are we going exactly?"
Kaeya will admit to not doing any effort to hide his dislike to the gods, and he couldn't bring himself to care about it. He wanted answers, he needed answers. If they weren't going to tell Diluc and himself just who was this Istaroth, then they at least deserved to know where the heck they were heading to, or what this strange place even was - where it was on Teyvat.
Kaeya didn't feel in Teyvat anymore. He didn't know how to feel about that.
It reminded him too much of Khaenri'ah.
Kaeya allowed himself to wonder, from times to times, if he would ever go back there, if he would be able to stand the sight without memories rushing back to him, memories of that fateful night, when everything changed, when his world came crumbling around him. He had barely been a child, back then. He had been hiding in a corner, crying his eyes out. He hadn't understood what was going on. His parents had suddenly disappeared, told him to hide, he had been left al alone in the house, then it had gotten destroyed barely a few minutes later, debris falling on Kaeya and trapping him inside.
He had tried to hide, sink in the floor, or shield himself in a corner. In the end, his savior had been the very one who had destroyed his home. Or at least, that's what Kaeya had assumed when he first saw Venti. The Archon had tried his best to comfort him, had taken him to safety, told him to escape and avoid the other archons.
To this day, Kaeya still didn't understand why Venti had done what he did, why he had betrayed the archons for a little child he had just met, why he would sacrifice his life to save a nation his kind was destroying without an ounce of regret.
Venti was strange, he was different than the others. And he was the only Archon Kaeya truly respected. The least he could do was save Venti's life, repay him for saving Kaeya's own five hundred years ago.
If Venti could hear him right now, he would slap him, without any doubt. Not that Kaeya didn't mean any of it. He really did feel indebted to Venti - for a right reason, too. He wasn't going to let go of Venti, not if he could help it. To his side, Kaeya felt Diluc getting closer to him, looking as equally cautious as Kaeya felt.
The Raiden Shogun looked at them both for a short moment before looking back straight ahead. "We are heading to that big tower over there," she explained, pointing somewhere to the front. Kaeya looked and, sure enough, a strange tower stood in the dark, not far from them but hidden enough in the darkness that surrounded them. "The Dainichi Mikoshi."
Diluc hummed. They both waited for the Archon to continue; surely, she hadn't finished explaining to them, yet.
"Istaroth, the God of Time, former Archon of Mondstadt," she said.
Kaeya's eyes widened while Diluc's breath hitched. He didn't need to look at his brother to know that he too, was thinking about the Temple of the Thousand winds that stood in Mondstadt. A former Archon, she says? One that ruled over Mondstadt before Decarabian? But that wouldn't make sense, as far as Kaeya knew, Mondstadt had always been under Decarabian's rule before the rebellion that led to the destruction of what was now known as Stormterror's lair, formerly Old Mondstadt.
Then, logically, Istaroth's reign must have started somewhere after the fall of Decarabian, but that too didn't make any sense, because Venti became Mondstadt's God a little after the rebellion. There would not have been time for Mondstadt to gain an Archon in between the fall of Decarabian and the rise of Barbatos.
Oh, Kaeya had known about the God of Time for a long time, perks of working with someone like Dain, but he had never known that she was once considered as Mondstadt's Archon.
"I think she can help him," finished the Raiden Shogun.
"You think?" Diluc hissed angrily, not that Kaeya blamed him. "Are we just following you blindly to a God claiming she can help?"
Kaeya stopped dead in his track, considering going back and ditching them. He would find a way to get out of this place, with or without their help. They were guiding Diluc and himself to someone who probably won't be able to do anything for Venti. And what was Kaeya supposed to do? Wait for the verdict that the God of Time didn't have any solution, that she couldn't do anything, didn't know what to do? Kaeya would have none of it.
"Celestia can't reach us here," the Dendro Archon butted in before Kaeya could say anything. "This is the safest place for him to be right now. For all of us."
And against his better judgement, Kaeya found himself walking forward again.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was right. If they were to return to Mondstadt, they would get attacked once more and bring the destruction of the nation. That was the last thing they needed, a repeat of Khaenri'ah. And this time, there would be no Anemo Archon to save those he could. As little as it pleased Kaeya, the place they were in was indeed the safest they could be right now.
The traveler, who was previously walking in front of them, went to Kaeya's side, squeezing his shoulder and sending him an apologetic smile.
"I didn't know you were close to Venti."
Kaeya shrugged.
It wasn't long before they arrived to the Dainichi Mikoshi. In front of the massive doors stood a figure. She rushed over to them the moment they were spotted. She stopped in front of Kaeya, looked at Venti, her eyebrows furrowed in what seemed to be worry as she passed a hand on his cheek. It had Kaeya's own eyebrows raise up in surprise. Was this Istaroth? She must be. She seemed motherly with the Anemo Archon, and Kaeya wondered once more what was the nature of the relationship between the two of them, and why had Venti never mentioned the God of Time to him.
Istaroth - or at least Kaeya assumed that was her - rushed them inside, taking them to a room with only a bed in the center, nothing else. It seemed as if this room was previously empty, and the bed had been put recently, on a short notice.
"Put him here," she told Kaeya.
He did as he was told, not really having any other choice but to comply and hope the God would be able to save Venti. Kaeya wanted to ask, wanted to know why the God of Time was staying in this gloomy and dark place, why she wasn't ruling over Mondstadt anymore, couldn't take care of Venti earlier when he had clearly needed help.
"What should we do now?" asked the Pyro Archon. A valid question, in Kaeya's opinion.
The Pyro Archon crossed her arms uncomfortably, staring at the unconscious God laying on the bed. If Kaeya didn't know any better, he would have thought that Venti was dead, archons forbid.
He felt sick.
"We have to get rid of the corruption," Istaroth said, as if it wasn't obvious enough. The God sighed. "We have to find out where it originated from first."
Kaeya watched as all the archons looked at each other, unsure of what to do, how to proceed.
"What are those looks from? Does any of you have an idea?" asked Diluc, irritated. Kaeya found himself sharing the sentiment.
Where did the corruption originate from? Kaeya didn't even know his friend had been corrupted, until he came back all purple and sealed Mondstadt from the rest of Teyvat. He didn't have any idea as to what might have caused it.
"I think..." the traveler hesitated, "I think I might have a clue."
Kaeya turned abruptly to the traveler, frantic. "Tell us."
The traveler bit his lip, rubbing his eyes in a tired manner. "I thought of Dvalin's previous corruption first. Because of me, some of the corruption the dragon was affected with seeped into Venti. But he healed it in Windrise."
The traveler took a pause, staring intently at Venti, at the purple marks all around his body. Purple, instead of the usual blue of Anemo.
"But Dvalin's own corruption... I believe Venti told me it came from Durin."
Kaeya's eyes widened, understanding where this was going. Dvalin had been corrupted from Durin, and Durin's heart was the only still alive corrupted soul in Teyvat, a soul that lived in Dragonspine ever since the battle that took place between the two dragons and the Anemo Archon. This battle was the origin of Dvalin's corruption, infected by Durin. But Venti? Venti must have taken a trip to Dragonspine recently, come in contact with Durin, accidently or not. Venti had made questionable decisions, and that had led him to being infected by the corruption that flew through Dragonspine.
"But if Windrise healed him the first time, why didn't it the second time?" Kaeya wondered aloud.
"Kaeya is right," continued Diluc. "Venti must have tried going to Windrise again, then why did it work the first time, and not the second?"
Silence settled in for a few seconds, before it was interrupted by Istaroth.
"Unless it didn't work the first time."
"What do you mean?" gasped the Hydro Archon.
The God of Time sighed once more, getting closer to the bed Venti was lying in, passing a hand in his hair tenderly. "I don't think Windrise is a powerful enough place to heal one's corruption," she explained. "The tree, the Anemo energy there, it must have only stopped the corruption from spreading because at that time, it's presence was very minor in Barbatos' body."
"So when he came in contact with Durin again..." concluded the Dendro Archon, "the corruption must have gotten too far, Windrise couldn't do anything to him anymore."
And this... this was a problem.
"Then what can we do?!" snapped Diluc. "Traveler, weren't you able to purify Dvalin's tears?"
The traveler nodded slowly. "I can, but Venti is not an object. This is a person we're talking about..."
"You could try, at least!"
Kaeya never knew Diluc could be this protective over Venti. In the end, he was glad the Ragnvindr had grabbed him at the last second, and had been teleported with Kaeya.
The traveler nodded again, stepping forward. He put his hands on Venti's mark, the purple one on his chest, and closed his eyes. Kaeya found himself praying for gods he didn't believe in, gods that he knew very well couldn't do anything for him, gods who stood as powerless as Kaeya, gods who, just like the one they considered a sinner, were just watching and praying for something to happen.
But the traveler removed his hands, lips wobbling. He shook his head quickly while Kaeya clenched his fists.
"Is there nothing we can do...?" asked the Raiden Shogun, her voice breaking.
"No way. I refuse to believe it," Kaeya breathed angrily. He turned towards Istaroth, "Do something!"
Nothing? Nothing they could do? Kaeya wouldn't accept that as an answer. There must be something. Why did they come here if the God of Time was also powerless in front of Venti's corruption? This was not his fate, and Kaeya would be damned if the Archon had to be killed because he could go berserk again.
"Would you calm down for a moment?" snapped the Cryo Archon. "Getting angry will achieve nothing!"
They weren't getting anywhere. They were getting angry at each other, and Kaeya wanted to get out of this place.
"Listen, I don't fucking care if you're an Archon, but unlike all of you, I care about Venti, and I won't let him rot away because of some stupid corruption," he spat, and archons be damned, admitting that he cared about someone wasn't a weakness.
"We also care about him, you-"
But Diluc, not ready to deal with anyone, interrupted the angry Pyro Archon. "Oh shut it, would you? Care about him?" he scoffed. "Was leaving him alone for hundreds of years care?"
It seemed like a punch for all the archons, as Diluc crossed his arms and stared defiantly at them.
"'Leaving him'? What are you talking about, Diluc?" asked the traveler, confused.
Kaeya didn't know the full story. He just knew that Venti's relationship with the archons wasn't the best, but it seemed the Anemo God never told the traveler anything about it. It was probably for the best, seeing as Aether had been on a quest to search for all the archons.
Diluc scoffed once more. "I'm not surprised he never told you," he said while pointing at Venti with a jerk of his head. "I don't even know the full story. All I do know is that they," he pointed at the archons, "decided it was a good idea to cast Venti aside for whatever reason, and are showing up again just now."
Diluc wasn't happy with the archons, that much was clear. And honestly? Neither was Kaeya, not since his former homeland was destroyed by those very gods when he was only a child, only luck saving him from death.
The dejected look on the Archon's face brought him some satisfaction. They seemed guilty, and just for that Kaeya was happy. They didn't get to bring their asses back to Venti when they thought they had messed up. They should have thought about it long before doing what they shouldn't have done.
A part of his brain screamed 'hypocrite' at him, but Kaeya ignored it. It wasn't the same for Venti and him. Venti was a kind soul, he didn't deserve anyone harming him, no one could ever hate him, it just wasn't possible. Kaeya, on the other hand, was a sinner, his soul was tainted since long, long ago. Kaeya's case was different from Venti's.
"His gnosis," suddenly breathed the Geo Archon, making everyone perk up at him. "The God took his gnosis to spread the corruption faster!"
Kaeya didn't miss the way everyone regained some hope, and he was no exception.
"How do we take it?" asked the traveler.
Istaroth breathed heavily. She put her hands in suspension above Venti's chest, a soft glow emanating from the tip of her fingers. Venti convulsed a bit, his body trembling. Then, slowly, they watched as his purple and pulsing gnosis got out of his chest, levitating under Istaroth's hands. She held it firmly in her hand, extending it to the traveler who reached for it, hesitating a bit before taking it from the God's hands.
"Do your best."
The traveler nodded. He looked at the gnosis before closing his eyes, breathing deeply and concentrating. A few seconds passed, seconds that seemed like torture for Kaeya. He turned his head to look at Diluc, and found his brother staring back at him. Although the Ragnvindr's face didn't betray any emotion, Kaeya knew that he must feel as worried as Kaeya was. Worried that it wouldn't work, worried that they would have to search for days for something that would help Venti.
Kaeya knew they both wouldn't rest before their Archon was on his feet again, playing music and living among his people like he always did when he wasn't sleeping his injuries away.
A scream escaped Venti's lips, a small cry for help that made everyone jump. His brows were furrowed, he was breathing heavily, anyone could see he was clearly in pain.
"Please traveler, hurry up," Diluc told him.
Kaeya's attention was taken away by Istaroth, sitting on the bed and playing with Venti's hair, shushing him and whispering words Kaeya couldn't hear. Another scream escaped Venti as he clenched his eyes tighter, started moving a little. Istaroth held his arms, trying to keep him in place while avoiding hurting him. Kaeya's heart was beating fast, fixating his heart on the gnosis, praying something would happen, and soon.
Those few minutes that passed seemed like pure torture for Kaeya, constantly turning his head from the traveler to Venti, and back again. He crossed his arms, bringing them close to his body in an attempt to comfort himself. He could only watch, he didn't have the power to purity unlike the traveler, the corruption would burn him. Kaeya felt useless, now more than ever.
Venti was in pain, and he couldn't do anything but watch and hope he would get better, hope he would turn back to his usual self, hope it would all get better soon. He tried to ignore Venti's screams, but each one of them lasted longer than the last, seemed more painful than the last, and each one of them made Kaeya wince harder. Sometimes he would flinch at a particular loud one, closing his eyes and pursing his lips.
The traveler screamed in triumph as a small purple part was turned to blue, taking another scream out of Venti. The next minutes passed the same way, all of them watching as the gnosis slowly regained its usual, natural blue color instead of the sick purple, drawing more and more screams out of Venti, screams that were getting harder and harder to ignore in favor of the gnosis.
Then finally, finally, it was done, the blue was back, and the gnosis was ready to be given back as the archons rejoiced. Kaeya smiled, putting a hand on Diluc's shoulder, feeling himself relax a little bit. He watched as the traveler handed the gnosis back to Istaroth, he watched as she lowered it to Venti's chest, as it disappeared from their view. They all watched as the tension in Venti's body got worse, but it was an immense relief when the purple turned into blue again, at last. Venti's body slumped against the bed, his face relaxing, returning to what Kaeya hoped was a peaceful sleep.
Now, all they could do was wait for Venti to get better. He was back, he was finally back, and Kaeya couldn't be more relieved. He slumped down on the ground, his feet not able to carry him anymore, they felt like jelly. It was Diluc who put his hand on his shoulder this time, and Kaeya was glad, oh so glad. He hoped this was the sign that things would get better soon, that they would get rid of this huge mess soon, and he hoped he wasn't being delusional.
For now, while waiting for Venti to wake up, he had a chat waiting for him with the archons, and Istaroth. Now that things seemed to calm down for the moment, they all had things to tell him, and he would not rest until he got some idea of what was going on.
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Sooooo, how was it?
Kaeya and Diluc are a bit out of character, I fear, but goddam are they hard to write.
For the interested, I'm happy with what I did in my exams, did super good in some, and did okay in others but I'm still satisfied. Now that that's over, I can finally dedicate some time to this fanfic again!
And oh boy, you won't know what hit you.
See you next Friday guys! Love you!!