She slipped the silk sleeve onto her hand.
"Where is He?"
The Lady's voice betrayed little emotion.
The Thunderfire Sorceress replied, "At the Knights' training grounds. He's currently in the form of a young bard, wearing a green hat and a green cloak."
"A bard?"
The Lady's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.
"As a god, what kind of story are you trying to sing?"
At the Knights of Favonius training grounds, Venti strummed his lyre, his thoughts drifting far away. He glanced toward the Goth Hotel, his eyes lowering, a guilty smile flickering across his face.
Klee, sitting obediently beside him and watching the bustle, noticed the shift in Venti's mood. She tugged at his sleeve. "Big Brother Anemo, are you sad?"
Venti looked down, smiling gently. "No, don't worry about me."
"Really?" Klee asked, skeptical.
"Of course it's true."
Gods were not all-powerful. In truth, no god was truly omnipotent. Even they had moments when they were bound by forces beyond their control.
Venti's mind wandered to old memories, stirring a quiet melancholy.
Time passed, and the Knights stationed in Mondstadt completed their assessments. Those stationed elsewhere would be evaluated later. Soon, the Knights who had passed stood on the training grounds, now equipped with weapons and cards, brimming with confidence and vigor.
On the platform, Diluc surveyed the faces before him—some young and still green, others seasoned and mature. Yet all were true Knights, their hearts burning with unyielding passion. With the power of the cards in their hands, they radiated newfound strength.
"Shall we head to the statue now?" Diluc asked, turning to Venti.
"Yes," Venti nodded.
The group left the training grounds, their transformed demeanor catching the eyes of Mondstadt's citizens. When word spread that Venti was Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, the people followed in a fervor of excitement.
Venti had known since the Genshin Impact trailer that hiding was futile—not just for him, but for Zhongli too. So he didn't bother trying to conceal his identity anymore.
They arrived at the plaza in front of the Favonius Cathedral, where the towering statue of the Anemo Archon loomed. In Venti's hand appeared a card labeled God. He could feel the immense faith gathered within the statue and the cathedral, a vast and powerful force. For years, he had never drawn upon it. But soon, even without anyone wielding it, this faith would protect the people of Mondstadt on its own.
A gentle breeze stirred.
The wind chimes tinkled softly, their sound light and pleasant.
The great windmill's blades turned slowly.
Leaves rustled, and ripples danced across the surface of Cider Lake. The grassy plains of Windrise shimmered with life.
There was no need to prove His identity. The faithful gazed at the statue with reverence.
Venti raised his hand, and the card floated toward the statue, which began to glow with a golden light. From the cathedral, faint threads of multicolored light converged, forming a river in the air, like a vibrant ribbon flowing toward the statue. Across Mondstadt, tiny specks of light rose from the city, soaring into the sky before merging with the statue. From the Statue of the Seven, Windrise, Starfell Valley…
In the wilderness, Eula turned as a team member called out, "Captain, something's coming out of us!"
She saw golden, red, and gray threads rising from her team, drifting toward Mondstadt.
"What is this?"
"Does it feel strange?"
"Not really…"
In Clear Springs, Diona stomped her foot, bewildered. "Why are these things coming out of us?!"
From Liyue to Inazuma to Fontaine, wherever the children of the wind roamed, their faith in the Anemo Archon gathered. The winds blowing across the world grew softer, brushing against faces like a gentle hand, as if the wind itself remembered its people.
At the statue, where the Anemo Archon's hands were cupped, the threads of faith converged. The crowd looked up in awe. The multicolored threads wove together, forming a human shape.
It was pure, divine.
Its form shifted, reflecting the image of the Anemo Archon in each person's heart.
It was as gentle as a breeze, yet as fierce as a storm.
Countless threads settled in its hands as it listened silently to the hopes of its people.
At Dragonspine, halfway up the mountain, Albedo painted on his canvas. The scene depicted a snowy mountain range, with threads of light rising from various points, drifting toward the distance. He gazed toward Mondstadt, then added a few words to his painting:
The Birth of the God of Faith.
Lu Heng looked toward Mondstadt. The world's fate had shifted dramatically.
Furina leaned against his shoulder, sensing the birth of a new god. Having divine power was unremarkable, but the emergence of a divine presence was as striking as thunder in a clear sky, a beacon visible even from afar.
Zhongli set down his teacup. A new god had been born in the land of wind—familiar yet unfamiliar. He watched from a distance, unsurprised. It was something he had long foreseen.
In Mondstadt, the Lady raised her hand, trying to grasp a fleeting thread of fiery red light, but it slipped through her fingers.
Faith in the Anemo Archon?
In her?
How absurd.
She mocked herself bitterly. She had hated so fiercely, yet somewhere deep within, buried for centuries, was a faith she hadn't noticed.
The girl she once was…
"…Heh. Long dead."
At the statue's plaza, the newly born god stood before Venti. It bore a striking resemblance to Barbatos, nearly identical.
"Mondstadt's future is in your hands now," Venti said with a light, joyful smile.
"This is my purpose," the god replied, its voice ethereal and gentle, neither male nor female.
The crowd stirred, still processing the sight.
"Lord Barbatos, this is…?"
Venti laughed. "This is the Anemo Archon born from your faith. I am Him, but He is not me."
"Huh?"
"So Mondstadt has two Anemo Archons now?!"
"Unbelievable!"
"I'm leaving," the new god announced, its sacred voice resonating in the ears of all its people.
"The wind is with you."
It dissolved into a gentle breeze, off to fulfill its duty.
"All right, everyone!" Venti called out, grinning. "We're all free here, and now that a new Anemo Archon is on the job, I'm retiring to enjoy mortal life! See you!"
He, too, vanished in a gust of wind, leaving the citizens of Mondstadt staring at one another in stunned silence.
Venti reappeared at the Knights of Favonius headquarters.
"Lord Venti, this is a diplomatic request from the Fatui," Jean said.
"Approve it," Venti replied. "I'll meet her myself."
"Understood."
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T/N:
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