XLI

Finally landing in Mond after so long apart was like a breath of fresh air. The rolling hills and soft breeze surrounded you, brushing through your hair.

And then you frowned when it smashed into you like a giant wave, hugging you all over like it was inspecting every thread of your clothing and hair on your head. This continued until it blew away from you and condensed in a human form not too far in front of you.

The wind formed shapes and outlines. Slim legs and the soft curves of a torso, lithe arms and long, effortless beautiful angel wings. Barbatos appeared to you, still in his godly form, a controlled expression on his youthful face framed with glowing green braids.

However, once the god's foot touched the grass it was as if he never was so godly. His typical bard outfit was back, the ornaments and ruffles and cape swaying in the last of the dissipating breeze.

He walked towards you, expression unchanging, a for a horrible moment, you thought he would yell at you, berate you, tell you how it was all your fault. You shouldn't think it, you know he never would, Venti was enigmatic in terms of personality and emotion, but not unreasonable. But the nervousness born from his stoic expression, the goldy aura you remembered from the rescue attempt in the abyss that almost had a pressure to it you couldn't explain, it festered anxiety in your stomach.

That was until Venti cupped your face, just as he had done so long ago under Vanessa's tree, and smiled. It was then you realized, his swirling eyes were lined with tears and the hands against your face trembled lightly.

His voice was a relieved whisper. "I'm so glad you're not hurt. I'm so happy I didn't lose you."

His hands slid to your shoulders and you were pulled down into another hug, one of what you would presume to be many. His body felt like cold sun, like a day in spring with a pleasant breeze but the sun has yet to hide behind any clouds and beams down on the earth below in a gentle warmth. He surrounds you so lovingly, letting his smooth fingers brush through your hair, as if he was comforting you and only you.

You melted in his embrace, leaning down so your arms wrapped around his waist. You simply basked in his presence, feeling warm and protected. "I'm happy to be back."

You felt him sigh, his fingers curling in your hair. "Everyone was so worried about where you ended up after you had been thrown in that portal. They've been on edge for days."

You pulled back, a furrow to your brow. "Days?"

"You've been gone for four days after you were pushed into that portal."

You hummed in surprise. "I was in Sumeru for three days then."

Venti's eyebrow arched. "Sumeru? That's where you fell?"

"Yeah," you waved off. "It's not a big deal. I got picked up by a good doctor and when I woke up, crossed the border into Liyue and called for Xiao. Then I spent yesterday in Liyue."

"With Xiao?"

Your face, unknowing to you, lit up a bit more at the mention. "Yes!" You hopped over to the adeptus, who all this time had been standing beside in silence, not wanting to leave you just yet. "And look! He got his wings a little while ago and I preened them and now look how gorgeous they are!"

You stood next to Xiao, arms displaying his heavy wings that shone like gold. Said wings had pulled closer to the adeptus, a pink blush on the man's cheeks. You saw Venti's eye twitch.

"You preened him?"

"Yeah." You looked between the two winged creatures as they stared at each other, having a silent conversation through their eyes that you couldn't even begin to understand. "Was that inappropriate of me? I'm sorry, if it was."

"No." Xiao cuts in before Venti could open his mouth. "It's fine."

"Ooookay." You turned to Xiao and smiled. "Anyway, it was nice to see you, and I'm sure I will again soon, but I'll be heading off now. I have some people to reassure that I'm not dead."

Something flashed in Xiao's eyes, probably anger from how casually you spoke about your presumed death, but he didn't linger, giving you a short nod before flying away.

You turned back to Venti, holding your hand out for him to hold. He grasped it tightly, intertwining your fingers as the two of you began the walk to Mond. For the most part, the two of you walked in companionable silence, an ease of atmosphere as you walked and enjoyed the sights you didn't realize you were homesick for.

"How did everyone get out of the abyss okay?" You liked the silence, but the question had been burning in your mind.

"Defeated the lectors, handled Lumine, ran through the portal we came from." Venti said easily.

"Any injuries?"

"Nothing substantial."

You breathed a sigh of relief. The thought of you friends, your family, getting hurt trying to help you was horrifying.

"Tell me a story." Venti spoke suddenly.

"What?"

Venti turned to you with soft eyes. "The journal you gave me for that holiday you celebrate, I've read every poem and story a hundred times over. I want you to tell me one."

It was as if every story you had ever been told fled from your mind the moment those words were uttered. "I don't know what to tell you."

"Anything." He said earnestly. "I just want to hear your voice."

Your breath hitched and you squeezed your eyes shut to stop the sudden tears from escaping. "Okay, let me think."

You eliminated everything you had put in the journal, crossed out explaining whole book plots, noped on childhood memories... mythology? Folktales? Scary story? But what's a good one? You smiled.

"Once," you began, a comically mysterious tilt to your voice. "A man wished to hunt in the northern wilderness, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not find a partner to lead him. After asking for so long, a local man approached him and said he would take him. The hunter was glad and the two set off.

They set up camp by a beautiful frozen lake, which glittered under the sun, and as far as the eye could see, the ground was covered in snow. When night fell, and the hunter and local man were attempting to get some rest, they were unable as the vicious wind howled outside their tent.

To see the windstorm better, the hunter opened the flap to their tent, but was surprised to see everything still. Not a leaf was swaying and not even a breeze ruffled the hunter's hair, but he could still hear the wind howling. However, the more the hunter listened, it sounded as if the wind was calling the local man's name.

'Deee-Faaaa-goooo!' The wind called. 'Deee-Faaa-goooo!'

The hunter thought he must've been losing his mind, but when he turned to his partner, he saw that DeFago had left his sleeping bag and was huddled in the corner of the tent, trembling with fear.

'What's wrong?' the hunter asked. But DeFago only shook his head saying it was the wind playing tricks on his ears.

But the wind called louder and louder. 'Deeee-Faaaa-goooo!'

DeFago threw himself towards the entrance of the tent, about to run, but the hunter grabbed his arm. 'What will I do when you leave?' He asked 'You can't leave me-'

And the hunter was cut off by a terrible roar of the wind across the glimmering ice lake. Something swept over the tent, nearly lifting it from the ground. Despite the hunter's protests, DeFago ran from the tent and into the darkness of the wood.

The hunter could hear DeFago screaming as he went, 'Oh my fiery feet, my burning feet of fire!'

The next morning when the hunter went to look for DeFago, he followed his tracks in the snow. Though he noticed something strange, the tracks would get longer and longer as if something was hurrying him along, until they disappeared on the frozen lake. There was no hole in the ice for DeFago to have fallen through, but the wind had picked up once more and the hunter could hear DeFago's voice high above his head screaming, 'My fiery feet, my burning feet of fire!'

The hunter fled the scene and went back to camp. He left some food for DeFago and weeks later, arrived back at the trading post in search of his partner. Though he asked around, nobody had seen a wisp of the man.

An old man had given him an answer one night. 'A wendigo.' His deep voice rumbled. 'They say it comes with the wind, drags you along at great speed till your feet are burned away. Then it brings you high in the air and drops you.'

The hunter had been greatly startled but came back to the hunting post the following year. Gathered around a small fire, a man sat next to him, his face covered with a hood. The hunter watched him for a while and noticed something similar. 'DeFago?' He asked. 'Is that you?'

But the man didn't answer, not to that call nor the many that followed from the hunter. Frustrated with his silence, the hunter pulled the hood from the man's head and promptly screamed, as where there should have been a body, was only a pile of ashes!"

Finishing up your creepy tale, you turned to Venti with a bright smile. "Whattda think?"

Venti huffed, an adorable pout on his lips. "How terribly you portrayed me, a monster come to steal young men and burn them to bits! So rude of you!"

You laughed, swinging your intertwined hands between the two of you. "Oh come onnnn. That was a good story! Creepy, windy, shocking! What else could ya ask for, hm?"

Venti scoffed, but the soft smile on his lips made heat rise to your cheeks. "I suppose it wasn't the worst... though it could've used a few good rhymes to make the flow better."

"It does not need rhymes, Venti."

"Well, it would've brightened up your story telling a bit, I'll tell you that. Quite the boring voice you have."

You gasped in mock offense. "How dare you. I used my spooky voice and everything for that one!"

Venti shrugged. "I could have told it better."

"You'd've made it sound like a riddle." You accused.

Now it was Venti's turn to gasp. "A riddle? I'd have made a terrifying ballad."

The two of you broke into peals of laughter, the atmosphere significantly lighter than when you had been dropped off by Xiao. It felt easy and smooth, and when your hand squeezed his, and he squeezed back, the warmth in your chest was like a pleasant fire, burning bright.

-

Arriving at the gates of Mond, you didn't quite expect to be rammed into by a fluttering angel, wings beating with nervousness so hard you'd fear they'd break.

Stepping back, Ariel took your face in his hands, staring deep into your eyes to find the slightest hint of terror, lingering fear, anxiety, hatred, or whatever could have followed you after being trapped. When he was satisfied with his search, satisfied that even if you weren't totally okay now, you would be, with time and surrounded by the people you loved.

You held Ariel's hands to your face, trading warmth, and kissed his forehead. His wings slowed down till they rested against the backs of his knees, his eyes drooping shut.

"I know we just reunited, but can you get everyone to meet us at our place." You smiled indulgently at Ariel's frown and kissed his forehead again. "I want to see everyone again and make them dinner to relax the air."

"Fine." Your angel grumbles, taking to the skies once more.

You turn to Venti. "Dinner at my place with everyone else?"

"What're you planning on making?" He asks cheekily, following you when you begin to walk towards your long-missed home in the city of freedom.

You tilt your head to the side, catching the sight of the general store on your way. Jogging up to the owner, you ask for some steak and lemons. Going to pay you sighed as you remembered your current lack of financial resources.

But a small stack of mora was left on the counter that was soon picked up by the owner with a happy 'thank you!'. I look at Venti with my eyebrow raised and he only gives me a smirk back.

"Since when did you have money?"

He looked affronted. "I always have money."

"I'm sure Master Diluc would like to hear of that."

"Ehe." The bard chuckled sheepishly. "It isn't like we have to tell him or anything."

"Alright." You sighed fondly.

And with that, the two of you were back on your way towards your Mond home, groceries in arm and a bard in hand.

A/n - The story used is "The Wendigo" from 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' by Alvin Schwartz.