I awoke suddenly, eyes shooting wide open as I struggled not to gasp.
I quickly looked around in a panic, my heart beating against my chest like a war drum. Only when I saw that Aha was no longer near me did I relax, sinking into my seat and sighing deeply.
I-, gods, my head hurt. I was fairly sure I'd dreamt of something while I was unconscious, though the fine details were lost on me. The clearest thing I could remember was something related to 'Honkai', though that word brought both wonder and terror in my heart.
I shivered, and it was then I noticed that something was clinging onto my hand. Or to be exact, someone.
I looked down, and a smile came onto my lips as I saw Furina still sleeping on my lap, though she was now holding onto my arm like a koala. She was mumbling incoherently with a serene smile on her face, likely submerged in a pleasant dream. Which was good—at least one of us was having a good dream.
Which was when I noticed something else.
Her other hand was clutching an Anemo Vision of all things, which meant that she'd gained the Vision while she was asleep. The fact that the Hydro Archon received an Anemo Vision of all things was amusingly ironic, but considering everything she'd gone through recently, I wasn't surprised that her connection to Hydro had dwindled to practically nothing.
Though something about the Vision felt…different. Nothing bad in a way, but the Visions I've observed felt almost dull when compared to the one Furina held. Hers felt practically like a sun while other Visions only felt like embers.
Maybe her Vision was just plain stronger? Or more pure in some way? I wasn't sure, and considering Morax didn't know much about how Visions were truly given out, I doubted Barbatos would be able to answer that either.
…That aside,
My expression soured slightly as I glanced at my Inventory, and I sighed as I brought out a familiar-looking Mask. It was colored a bright red that almost looked like blood beneath the lights of the Aquabus, and my fingers tingled as I held onto the mask.
[Mask of Aha 5★
One of the many Masks possessed by the Aeon of Elation, Aha. Only his Fools are given this—both a curse and a blessing rolled into a volatile power capable of destroying entire worlds. For this universe is a stage, and only Fools can dance between the Strings.
"A homecoming gift, little Storyteller. Let's meet again soon!" - Aha
When worn, grants a direct connection to the Aeon of Elation. Wear this with caution]
I smiled wryly as I shoved the Mask back into my Inventory. I mean, what am I supposed to even feel about this? I already had the attention of two Aeons on me, and now I had Aha's attention as well. How many people could claim that they'd caught the gaze of three different Aeons?
Then again, despite how dangerous Aha could be, he didn't seem to be overly malicious. He also seemed to know me from before my memories were wiped, so things…should be fine. Hopefully. Maybe.
I sighed as I took a glance out the window. The waters of Fontaine stretched out as far as the eye could see, though I could see that we were quickly approaching our designated station. The nation's border was approaching, and soon enough, we'd be out of Fontaine entirely.
What came after that was still in flux at the moment. I wasn't sure if Furina was keen on walking the entire trip, and in truth, neither was I. The nation that bordered us was Sumeru, and from the memories this 'me' had, I already dreaded walking through the expansive dunes that covered most of Sumeru. Traversing across tufts of dirt was far easier compared to walking across mounds of sand.
Honestly, I was contemplating just carrying Furina and flying across the skies once we'd explored the lush plains that surrounded Sumeru city. She was fairly light, so carrying her in my arms as I flew shouldn't be too hard. And besides, it'd be a good way to get Furina acquainted with her new control over Anemo.
Hopefully Furina wasn't afraid of heights. It'd make convincing her much harder.
I decided to wait the rest of the ride in silence, spending the time watching as the scenery outside slowly rolled by. The waters below sparkled blue beneath the light of the afternoon sun, and multiple times I felt my fingers twitch with the growing desire to hop out of the Aquabus and fish in the lakes below for a good hour or two.
On that note, I really wanted someone to pat me on the back for my restraint. Do you know how hard I had to try to keep myself from fishing these past few days? It was actively torture to be shown a brand new area and yet not attempt to fish something up! I mean, I could've, but I was both busy training Childe and keeping Furina company, alongside all the reconnaissance my clones were doing in secret.
Before long though, the Aquabus began slowing down as we approached the station at the nation's border, and soon, the Aquabus stopped entirely. "The current station is the Border Station to Sumeru. Please exercise caution as you leave the Aquabus." The announcer's voice echoed out across the nearly empty Aquabus.
I hummed as I gently shook Furina awake. "Mm…?" She mumbled, her eyes slowly opening. It took her a bit to realize the position she was in, and a little more to realize she'd unconsciously began hugging my arm during her sleep. Her cheeks went bright red as she abruptly stood up. "V-Vivianne!? I was-!"
I grinned teasingly. "There's no shame needed, Furina." I winked. "And besides, I quite enjoyed the warmth."
She sputtered, before she quickly tugged her hat down. "G-Geez, you…" She whispered, a smile tugging on her lips. "L-Let's just go, okay?"
I laughed heartily as I reached down and lifted her suitcase. "Then let us go." I extended my hand to her, and she blushed again as she took my hand. And together we stepped off the Aquabus, heading out to a fairly desolate station. There was no one to greet us, nor any tourists coming in from beyond the border. It was exactly as we wanted.
There, past the small forest that grew along the border due to Fontaine's waters, was a stretch of lush plains adorned with gushing rivers, swaying the shadow of that massive wall in the far distance. And in the center of the plains is the capital city of Sumeru.
Furina took a shaky breath. "So that's…?"
I nodded. "The capital city of Sumeru. Famous for its Akademiya, currently governed by the recently awakened Archon of Dendro." I smiled wryly. "It…has its issues from what I remember from my last visit, but it's definitely a place worth visiting." I glanced up. "And past that are the dunes of Sumeru, divided from the greenery you see by that massive wall in the distance."
Furina nodded slightly. She…wasn't entirely unknowing of the issues that plagued the nation. After all, Fontaine was right by its borders—it wasn't difficult to hear of all the commotion that occurred recently. "So," Furina glanced at me. "What do we do now?"
I smiled at her. "Anything you want." I gestured out towards the lush plains. "Whether you wish to explore the city," I then pointed at the wall. "Or to view the dunes of Sumeru with your own eyes," I turned back to her and patted her head. "This is our journey to undertake. There is no one to dictate your next step." My smile softened. "Such is the brevity of Freedom."
She huffed, though she smiled. "Your words are as airy as always." She gazed at the city. "But I'm not sure."
I hummed. "Then let us take it one step at a time."
Furina smiled back.
And together we journeyed forward, one step at a time.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of Liyue Harbor, away from prying eyes,
A Wind Sprite gently descended from the sky, before it began glowing white as its form began growing. Soon enough, I reformed back into being human, though I was still a girl. I then quickly dressed myself using the green robes I normally wore as Venti, and once I was sure I looked the part, I stepped back into the rest of Liyue Harbor.
Immediately, I was turning eyes wherever I went. It was undoubtedly by 'jade-like beauty' going into effect again, or whatever it was Guizhong liked to say. But despite that, the gazes I received were different than the ones I was used to. There was none of the reverence they usually carried—as of the moment, the people of Liyue Harbor merely looked upon me as if I was a normal human.
It was…interesting, to say the least.
I hummed. I wonder how the other 'me' were doing. Knowing that I was only a clone of the original Venti was an odd experience, but it wasn't that offputting. And besides, it wasn't as if I'd remain a clone forever—I'd return to being the original once this form of mine vanished and my memories returned to the original.
Anyway, that wasn't important. I had a mission to do.
To ensure that Furina's journey would be as smooth as possible, multiple clones of me had been sent to every nation we'd be visiting during our journey. It felt a little much at first, but after some consideration, I decided that it was the right thing to do. After all, this was a Teyvat thousands of years past mine. There was no telling what could've happened since then.
And from a cursory glance, it seemed like Liyue was fairly calm. Likely because the Traveler had already taken a visit here and solved most of the issues that once plagued these lands. The whole debacle about Morax's passing and Osial's reawakening had been solved through human strength alone, and now Liyue Harbor enjoyed a new Age of Humanity.
To say that I was shocked when I first heard about what happened here would be an understatement. But the moment I arrived here, I could easily tell that Morax was still alive. I mean, his Energy still roamed the harbor, and his Contracts remained seeped into the earth.
It did make me wonder how that news came to be though. For Liyue itself to claim that its Archon had passed meant that they saw something themselves. And from what I knew of that blockhead, he didn't seem to be the type of guy to dupe an entire nation by faking his death. That sounded more like something Guizhong would do.
And Guizhong. Gods, to learn that she was long gone in this world, having passed when Guili Assembly fell-
I was infinitely glad that I was there to save here when the time came.
That aside,
After following Morax's Energy, I eventually ended up in a teahouse that also served as a small theater. I made a small payment to enter, and once I was inside, I immediately attracted attention from nearly everyone who was inside.
But I cared not for the attention. For my eyes were drawn to one particular person who sat on one of the tables.
It was Morax, dressed in a suit that was both achingly familiar and not, calmly enjoying his tea in silence. His eyes then turned to me as I approached him, and soon both of us had everyone's attention as I smiled. "May I sit here, sir?"
Zhongli raised an eyebrow. The one before him was clearly Barbatos, yet at the same time not. "You may." He said, and I nodded as I sat down. "For what purpose have you sought me out?"
I was silent for a moment, before I smiled. "I have a few questions I must ask, Morax."
His eyes narrowed. "You know of me?"
I hummed. "I certainly do, though the circumstances that brought us together is a…long story. It would certainly be a bore to explain it all." I turned to him and smiled. "Unless you have nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon?"
He smiled as he gently placed his cup down. "I believe I am free for the rest of the day."
"Wonderful." I said, and taking a small breath, I began my tale.