The days in Mondstadt drifted by like clouds on a lazy afternoon. Ren spent them happily, filling his album, racing with Klee (and ensuring she didn't blow up the bridge), and discussing theory with Albedo. But as the time for his departure grew closer, a specific, silent pull tugged at his heart.
He needed to visit the Thousand Winds Temple.
He took his hoverboard, leaving the city gates behind. He flew low over the grassy plains, the wind whipping at his clothes. The temple ruins rose from the earth like the skeletal remains of a forgotten age, grand arches and weathered pillars standing testament to a time when the wind blew fiercer and the gods walked closer.
Ren glided into the amphitheater, ignoring the lumbering, heavy tread of a Ruin Guard patrolling the lower level. He kept to the high ground, his board humming softly as he navigated the broken stonework.
He made his way to the far side, to the secluded area overlooking the sea where the ancient Sundial stood.
He landed, stepping off his board. He ran a hand over the weathered stone of the sundial. He knew the lore. He knew the hidden quest of "Time and Wind." This place wasn't just a monument to Barbatos; it was a link to Istaroth.
The God of Moments. The Undying Wind.
Ren looked out at the ocean. He thought about what he knew of her. Of the four Shining Shades, she was the one who seemed to care the most. She had helped the people of Enkanomiya when the heavens abandoned them. She had aided Makoto in planting the Sacred Sakura to save Inazuma. And she had saved him in the dreamscape of Irminsul.
Why? he wondered. If I am an affront to the Heavenly Principles, a glitch in the system… why did Time herself step in to save me?
He didn't know the rules these higher powers played by. He didn't know what constituted a broken law or a necessary exception. But he knew one thing: if Time had saved him, she had given him an opportunity. She had given him a future. And he wasn't going to waste it.
Strum.
A soft, melodic note drifted on the wind, interrupting his thoughts. It was followed by another, and then a gentle, lilting tune that sounded like laughter turned into music.
Ren looked up. Sitting on a high ridge of the ruin, legs dangling over the edge, was a figure in green.
Venti.
Ren didn't call out. He simply channeled the violet energy within him. With a crackle of static and a flash of purple light, he zipped from the ground to the ridge, materializing sitting right next to the bard.
Venti didn't flinch. He didn't even stop playing. He simply turned his head, his teal braids swaying, and offered a bright, knowing smile.
"Hello again, little prince," Venti chirped, his voice light as a feather. "It has been a while since we shared a view."
"Hello, Venti," Ren said softly.
Venti stopped strumming for a moment. He reached into his cape and pulled out a bright, shiny red apple. He tossed it to Ren.
"Here," Venti said. "Fresh from the tree near Starfell Lake. I find them quite delicious. Crisp, like the morning air."
Ren caught it. "Thanks." He took a bite. It was sweet, tart, and perfect.
Venti rested his lyre on his lap, looking out at the ruins of his own temple. "I like this place," he mused. "It's broken, yes. Weathered. But the wind still flows through it. It sings through the arches."
He strummed a chord, the sound resonating with the stone. "Coming here… seeing the expanse… it fills me with freedom. To express. To enjoy. To simply… be."
He turned his gaze to Ren. The playful bard's mask slipped, just a fraction, revealing the ancient, boundless depth of the Anemo Archon beneath.
"But you… you are not feeling very free today, are you?"
Ren stopped chewing. He looked down at the apple.
"I can see it," Venti said softly. "The burden you are carrying. It sits on your shoulders, heavier than stone."
He looked at Ren with a gaze that seemed to see right through to the void in his memories. "You fear. Not just for yourself. You fear for your family. For Ganyu. For the Cloud Retainer. For the Tianquan. You worry that your existence… your nature… puts them in danger."
Ren gripped the apple tight. "I… I don't belong here, Venti. I'm an anomaly. The world might try to correct me. And if I'm near them when it happens…"
"Understandable," Venti nodded. "It is the nature of love to fear for the beloved."
He plucked a string, a high, clear note that seemed to hang in the air.
"But you should know, Ren… every step forward opens a new future. The past is stone, but the future is wind. It changes direction with every breath you take."
He leaned back, looking up at the sky where a hawk was circling.
"You have given my people a great gift," Venti said, a smile touching his lips. "You watched them riding those boards of yours? Soaring over the walls? You gave the City of Wind the ability to truly fly."
He looked back at Ren, his teal eyes shining with an ancient wisdom.
"But the board is just a machine. It pushes against the air. That is not what makes them fly."
He pointed a finger at Ren's chest.
"What makes them fly is the will to step off the ground. To trust that they won't fall."
"All you need is not wind, Ren," Venti whispered, his voice carrying the power of a thousand storms compressed into a gentle breeze. "But courage."
"Courage to face the unknown. Courage to accept who you are, anomaly and all. Courage to trust that your family is strong enough to stand with you."
He strummed a final, triumphant chord.
"That is what will allow you to fly higher than your burdens. Just as you have allowed my people to touch the sky."
Ren sat there, the taste of the apple sweet in his mouth, the sound of the lyre fading on the wind.
Courage. Not technology. Not elemental power. Just the simple bravery to keep moving forward.
He looked at Venti, at the god who hid his wisdom behind rhymes and wine, and he felt a weight lift from his heart. Istaroth had given him time. Venti had given him courage.
"Thank you, Venti," Ren said, a small, genuine smile returning to his face.
"Ehe," Venti winked, standing up and brushing off his shorts. "Don't mention it. Just… maybe bring a bottle of dandelion wine next time you visit? Apples are good, but a bard has needs."
Ren laughed. "I promise."
They remained there for a while longer, the boy and the god, watching the sun begin to set over the ruins, two friends enjoying the freedom of the wind.