Chapter Text

“Welcome to the first session of our support group,” Jean started off, staring at everyone gathered in the room with her today. 

They were all sitting in a big circle in her office, crisscrossed on the floor. “Before we begin, may I remind all of you that this is an open space, for all of us to vent and help each other. Any questions? ” 

Albedo raises his hand, “Yes Master Jean, what am I doing here?” He asks blankly, he just wanted to visit his brother at his new job when Kaeya decided to drag him into this weird… coven circle? 

“You're here because you know the secret of course!” Lisa giggles.

Albedo blinks, “What secret?” 

His brother, Kintsugi, gasps at him with eyes full of amazement, “Wow, you're really good at acting brother! I’ve been struggling not to spill Ventis' secret ever since I came here, thankfully Boss Jean has been helping me with my lying !” He smiles.

“Acting ,” Jean corrects automatically, “My assistant,  acting is a more… honest term.” 

“But isn’t it the same thing? Also acting has nothing to do with being honest!” Kintsugi says brightly. 

“Aaaand that actually sounds like the perfect place to start our support session!” Jean yells out awkwardly. “Would anyone like to go first about how they feel about… this burden we all carry.” She mutters.

“Oh I do!” Kaeya yells out while raising his hand like an excited child. “Hello my name is Kaeya Alberich-Ragnvindr, I got my name officially recharged - again - last week!” He said with pride. If he had a Mora for every time he had to legally change his name, he’d have three Mora now! 

“Hi Kaeya Alberich-Ragnvindr” everyone repeats.

“So I actually learned about Venti’s secret the day me and my brother reconnected… and that day was a hard one… for both of us.” Keaya started off, like he was reminiscing a funny story and not the tragic drama that has been the last four years of his life.

“Let’s just say there was a lot of crying involved! But before I came to Mond I was actually told that Venti would kill me for who my family was, that turned out to be a complete lie . We all know that bard couldn’t even kill a bird… but let’s just say when I first learned I was a bit of a mess! And I try not to see my friend differently now but… We haven’t had our usual drinking get-togethers in a while now. And I know he’s busy but sometimes I feel like he’s avoiding me .” He confessed with a heavy heart, his brother patting his back in comfort. 

“Hi Jean Gunnhidr here,” said Jean. 

“Hello Jean Gunnhidr,” everyone else said as Albedo felt more and more overwhelmed. 

“Keaya,” Jean started off sweetly, “I wouldn’t worry about that. He’s been avoiding all of us…” 

Her Solemn tone made Kaeya feel less alone and hopeful.

“He hasn’t been avoiding me!” Lisa said, ruining the moment. 

“ Pardon , Lisa?” Jean said sharply. 

“Well my darling ~ unlike you, me and the bard have tea every Sunday!” She smiles slyly, and Jean couldn’t stop the jealousy from radiating off her. 

“Oh yeah I remember that stunt with the shirt…. Way to keep a secret ‘ secret’ Lisa.” Diluc glared. 

“Don’t look at me like that Diluc, it’s not like anyone believed it,” Lisa huffed.

“What shirt!?!?” Albedo yelled, getting frustrated at how lost he was. 

“You didn’t see it? Awww that’s a shame , it was truly hilarious!” His brother smiled. 

“Hi, I'm Bennett, leader of Benny's adventure team.” Bennett said, raising his hand. 

“Hi Bennett, leader of the Bennys adventure team.” Everyone parroted and Albedo bagan to wonder if maybe he was dragged into a cult meeting. 

“I just want to confess I messed up last weekend at church! I accidently said Dear Venti instead of Dear Barbatos in front of Sister Victoria! I 'm sorry !” The unlucky boy cried. 

Albedo had… no idea why that was relevant.

“It was really funny, first time at church. Smells like books!” Razor said happily. 

Bennett has been taking him into the city more often, now the two were never apart, Bennys adventure team officially had another permanent member. 

“Hello Lisa the librarian,” Lisa said. 

“Hello Lisa the librarian,” everyone once again parroted, except Albedo. 

“Bennett don’t worry sweetheart. It’s not like anyone in this city is going to figure it out if they didn’t after my stunt. And Razor, how dare you visit the city and not visit me. Also how did you learn of our dear bard's alter ego?” Lisa asked the wolf boy, everyone curious about how each of them came to find out this crazy secret. 

However, before Razor could respond Bennett yelled out, “ HE KNEW! HE KNEW FOR YEARS BECAUSE ANDRIUS TOLD HIM!” 

“Ha Ha.” Razor smiles cheekily. 

“Hmm, that makes sense.” Lisa hums. 

“How did we all find out anyway?” Kaeya then asks, “Am I the only one who's going to share?” 

Diluc, who was sitting right next to Kaeya, turned to answer his brother, “I found out along with Master Jean during the Dvalin situation .”

“I found out because Andrius called him by his ‘other’ name in front of me…” Bennett giggled. 

“Ohhh that’s funny.” Kintsugi laughed. 

“I found out when he sent my dead friend's spirit to the afterlife-” Stanley shrugged. 

Everyone stared at him a bit shell shocked, unsure what to even say to that. 

For the moment the room was filled with awkward silence before, “Stanley,” Bennett spoke up, “Are you okay?”

“No…” the man hums, “Also my names not Stanley, it’s Hans… felt like I should get that off my chest.” He laughs. 

Everyone continued to stay silent, unsure how to even process that. 

“So… Barbatos can send souls to the afterlife?” Bennett asks. 

“Affirmative.” Hans nods. 

“ Awsome .” 

“Wait Venti’s Barbatos?” Albedo whispers out loud, finally using his brain and clicking the pieces together. 

“Wow! You have to teach me how to act like that! Your shock looks so natural!” His brother applauds, oblivious to the panic setting into Albedo’s core.

Venti is the Anemo Archon, how is he not dead?! Kintsugi knew he was Barbatos— they’re friends for goodness sake! Klee is friends with Venti! She told him the bard was teaching her poetry! Oh Archons, he’s Barbatos?! And everyone except him knew?! 

“ Wait… Kintsugi wait !” Albedo begins to whisper but his brother ignores him. 

“I found out after I absorbed the memories of my dead brother who witnessed Barbatos in battle.” Kintsugi said smiling, like that wasn’t more odd than the dead friend thing. 

Jean gives her assistant a grief stricken look, “You and Albedo had another brother? Oh dear, I’m sorry for your loss.” She says, both Kintsugi and Albedo gulp down a wheeze, oh wait till she finds out about the other ones— 

“Don’t be,” Kintsugi hums, “He ate me and I’m still petty about that.” 

“….pardon me, but what?” Jean says bluntly. 

“Wait, how do you absorb memories?” Bennett questions and Kintsugi realizes that he made a mistake saying that. 

Albedo gives his brother a panicked look,“…. Alchemy ?” The man says, lucky for the both of them, that lie seemed to save the day. 

“Wow, I didn’t know alchemy could do that! That’s so cool!” The Adventurer gushed. 

“Anyways, how did you find out Miss Lisa?” Hans questions. 

“I… I’m just surprised I was the only one who figured it out.” She said, trying to suppress her laughter.  

“ Figured it out?” Hans repeats in confusion.

“Yeah, on your own. It was quite obvious for me,” she winked, “But surprisingly you all found out either by someone telling you, or the bard doing some godly act that you couldn’t deny he wasn’t Barbatos. Now I realize why no one pieced it together after the shirt incident, you're all just dense.” She huffed, feeling her ego explode with pride. 

“Okay not all of us attended the Great Academia, Lisa.” Diluc rolled his eyes. 

“It’s not book brains you need to figure this out Diluc,  it’s called common sense .”  She glared back. 

The room fell silent and the two interlocked in a childish staring contest. No one noticed Kaeya picking up a floating wooden board and began reading the message that appeared on it. “ You’d think he’d have common sense but this kid tried to kill his younger brother because of a diary secret…” Kaeya mumbled his dads message under his breath.

“Hey!” Kaeya yelled out loud causing everyone to turn to him as he stared at the board in his hand, “my secret wasn’t—” Kaeya’s lips shut as soon as he realized he yelled that out loud, blinking sheepishly at his friends who have no idea why he started ranting out of nowhere. 

“So if no one else figured it out on their own then how is the rest of Mond going to finally grow a brain?” Lisa retorts, breaking the silence. 

“Well the kids know.” Bennett shrugs. 

“The kids!? What kids?!” A majority of the room gasps out. 

“All the little ones in Mondstadt know he’s Barbatos… like all of them.” Bennett shrugs. 

“I’m pretty sure even Arther knows and he’s never even personally met Venti.” Hans mutters, remembering how the boy had been gossiping about Venti with three other children outside the Angel share one night. 

“Huh,” Lisa muttered, the gears turning inside her head. “Maybe what the people of Mondstadt lack isn’t common sense but childlike thinking…”

“More like belief,” Kaeya huffs, “You have to admit when citizens of Mond grow up they mostly stop believing that Barbatos will ever return, some even stop believing that he even exists at all,” He finishes, knowing that people’s relationship to their absent god can become conflicted, goodness his own relationship with the Archons and the divine is still rocky and full of holes. He can’t blame people for their conclusions to the unknown entity that is Venti. “ Jean stop gaping at me like what I’m saying is a scandalous crime — it’s the truth.” 

“But it does make me wonder, one of us or Venti is bound to mess up eventually. Right?” Lisa hums. 

“Are you suggesting that we guess when the rest of Mondstadt will find out Barbatos has returned?” Hans questions suspiciously. 

“Maybe~” Her smile sharpens. 

“Let’s make it a bet!” Keaya yells.

“Yeah!” Bennett cheers. 

“Guys! No betting!” Jean scolds. 

“Jean, you bet first!” Kintsugi yells excitedly.

“What?!” She gasps. 

“When will the rest of Mondstadt discover Barbatos true identity?!” Her assistant yells, everyone staring at her with anticipation.  

“Ugh…i don't know! during Weinlesefest?!” Jean blurts out the first holiday that came to mind. 

“Oh that’s a good one! Because Barbatos receives all that wine! So he’s sure to get caught or do something godly while drunk on all that wine!” Keaya laughs and Jean nods along pretending that was her intent all along. 

“Hmm, Maybe we should make this year's wine batch stronger for the holiday.” Diluc mutters seriously. 

“Do you really want to drug a god?!” Hans questions in disbelief, but Diluc’s gaze continues to glare into the distance as he ponders his new mission. 

“Yeah, I’m betting my mora on Weinlesefest! ” Hans calls out to Jean. 

“Hm, well we can’t all put our money on one horse,” Keaya mutters, “I’m betting 3000 mora that Venti’s secrecy will be revealed after three more months!”  

“I’m betting 5000 mora that no one’s finding out within this year.” Kintsugi declares. 

“20,000 Mora that he reveals his identity accidentally while performing at my bar.” Diluc says with a feral smile. 

“Oh yeah that nearly happened already, when he blew up our wall!” Keaya gasps, upset that he didn’t think of that bet sooner. 

“Yup.” 

“I bet four potatoes that it happens when Miss Vanessa returns,” Razor shouts excitedly, finally understanding what’s going on. 

“ Vanessa?! ” Jean gasps as Lisa corrects Razor's statement, “Razor you need to bet with Mora, potatoes aren't currency, sweety.”

“That’s just stupid, potatoes are much better than yellow coins,” Razor mutters, Bennett nodding along in agreement.

“Hey if potatoes were the currency Teyvat used, I wouldn’t be broke.” Bennett smiles awkwardly. 

“But that’s not how economics work.” Diluc huffed. 

“Are you sure Diluc? Are you positive? Or has Mora been an illusion all along?” The boy whispers ominously. 

“I’ll bet Diluc One hundred-thousand Mora that Venti’s identity is going to be revealed on June 16th, during lunch! ” Lisa then screams at the top of her lungs, causing another wave of outcry among the therapy group. 

“Wait, we're allowed to bet against each other directly?!”

“So specific… and she’s so confident too!” 

“Lisa you can’t just bet against me this is supposed to be a group thing! This is targeting!”

“And who made those rules?!” 

As the group devoured into chaos right before Jean's eyes, she took in another deep breath and questioned why in Barbatos name did her life end up here? 

It could be worse, she thinks, Mondstadts safe and everyone is okay, everything is okay 

“Hey Jean, you're keeping track of bets right?” Kaeya whispers to her, as they continue to watch the heated argument over valid and not valid betting rules unfold before them. 

“Sadly, yes I guess I am.” Jean said mournfully.

“Then can you put down 3000 mora for Ludi Harpastum.” He asks.

“But… didn’t you already make a bet?” She blinks, recalling that Kaeya made a bet of a post three month range, and Ludi harpastum is ages away. 

“Yes, But this one’s for dad-” the Calvert Captain says without a care in the world. 

“ Kaeya ?!” Jean gasps, completely horrified at what she just heard “Have you gone mad?!” She hissed under her breath, praying for Kaeya’s sake that Diluc didn’t hear them. 

Her friend stared at her in confusion, like she’s the weird one! Like she was the one who talked about her father who's been dead for almost five years like he was alive and well! Like she was the one going crazy! “No.” Kaeya blinked, “Dad told me.”

She stared at him speechless, eyes wide and her face as pale as a sheet. Kaeya did not at all understand her reaction, “On the magic board.” He said, lifting up the ouija board, hoping to ease her confusion. 

It in fact, did not– for Jean began to question every second of her life, wondering if maybe nothing ever mattered all, because her best friend has now lost all his sanity. 

“Alright! I bet Thirty Thousand Mora that Venti will expose himself! By saving someone's life in front of the entire city!” Bennett declares, full of faith that he will win this bet, for once his luck will shine through! 

Everyone stares at Bennett with disappointment, “I revoke Bennetts betting rights because he’s too young to go into financial debt,” Jean states. 

 “And that bet was stupid.” Diluc adds on.

“ Oh Com’ on! ” The boy yelled, another senseless argument beginning again between the two pyro wielders. 

“You know what if Kintsugi is right?” Hans then questions out loud. “What if no one finds out this year? Or ever? ” He says with dread, everyone in the room falls silent. Their disagreements and differences pushed aside, as they all ponder the same questions that leave Hans mouth. 

“Will we have to bear this secret forever? Forever watching our words and always making sure we never treat our dear friend any differently because let’s be honest we all see how Venti freezes up and hides in shame whenever he even hears someone praising Barbatos or the ground Barbatos walks on!” Hans sighs, conflicted in a loss at what to do, what to think.  

He doesn’t know what to think anymore, first he thought he knew all the details, that the new bard around Mond that has been so kind to him was just another child looking for some fun. Then that night happened, and his good old drinking buddy turned out to be someone else entirely. Then Hans felt like he and his Archon were the same, both wearing a false name. But Venti’s identity is more complicated than he had ever thought. It’s more than just pretending to be a lost loved one, Hans thinks Venti’s identity is his freedom. 

“Do you think maybe it’s cruel of us to wish for his anonymity to be exposed? That’s we are blind to the true burden of godhood and naive to the cruel reality around us?” The man finds himself questioning. 

No one answers, for a moment they are all silent.  

“Huh, you know who we forgot to invite to the group therapy session?-” Kaeya then says out loud. 

“This is not a therapy group, it's a support group!” Jean interrupts. 

“Same thing!” Lisa yells back, interrupting Kaeya once again. 

“-The traveler!” Kaeya yells. 

“Ohhhhh,” everyone then gasps at once, “Right,”

“Okay,” Jean sighs, embarrassed that she forgot to invite the Traveler to the first meeting, “Make sure to invite her to the next meeting. And that’s a wrap of our first Official ‘I know Venti is Barbatos’ support club.  Now everyone get out of my office!” She demands, unable to handle another second of all these people in her room. 

“Wow Jean, way to end the session,” Diluc glares teasingly. 

“Right when it was getting good too, How cruel.” Kaeya adds on, both brothers teaming up to be the bane of her existence. Just like old times- 

“Oh hush you two.” She rolls her eyes fondly.

Everyone begins to pack up their belongings and slowly trickle out of Jeans office, all excited for their next support meeting and grateful of the fact that they are no longer alone. No one pays any mind to Albedo, who has not moved an inch from his spot since the meeting has begun. 

“Hey Albedo, you okay? You don’t look too good.” Kintsugi asks his brother with worry, wondering why his brother looked so… shell shocked. 

“Oh… yeah,” Albedo smiles weakly, “Yeah yeah yeah.  I’m fine! I am great!” He says, chuckling weakly as one question plays on loop in his head, ‘why did this have to happen to me!?’

Chapter Text

Paimon is dead, she is so dead. 

If these kids don't kill her from the sheer stress of it,  then Venti surely will. 

Paimon has gained a new and unexpected respect for that tone deaf bard. Like how?! How did this bard manage to take care of these five demons for over three months while Paimon couldn't even last two seconds alone with them!? 

She should've noticed what those kids were planning before she even opened her mouth! ‘ Oh Paimon, do you know where the spiral abyss is?! We totally aren't trying to go there or ANYTHING! ’ 

It was so obvious! Yet she told them the exact location and didn't even realize! She knows she can be oblivious and completely dense sometimes, but she didn't think she was that stupid! 

But here she is, now racing after five idiotic children as they dive head first into the purple portal thing on top of Cape Oath to get to the spiral abyss, and this entire situation is completely Paimon’s fault for failing to read the room, once again! 

“Woah, so this is the entrance to the spiral abyss!” Sage gasps.

The children take in the beautiful yet eerie sight of the circular pool of stars, Spiraling into this beautiful abyss of darkness. The group could just feel the dark aura practically brushing their skin… it was exhilarating! 

“ Guys this is so exciting! Our first field trip without Venti!” Nora yelled, feeling like a fledgling bird leaving her nest. 

“I already miss him, our dear mama bard~”   Timmie sighs dramatically, shedding a fake tear. 

“Well no point standing around, let's get ready to have the best friendship battle ever!” Flora cheers. 

“You guys are insane! You're all going to die! Don't you all understand, the Abyss is dangerous! Even if you did survive the first few floors with Klee’s help there is no chance you'll survive twelve, the Traveler barely survives twelve !” Paimon suddenly snaps, feeling all the stress and anxiety crumble her into insanity, “ You're all kids ! Most of you don't even have a vision let alone a weapon! Oh Archons, you're all dead! I'm dead! If I don't die tonight, Venti is going to kill me! ” She cries, so lost in thought that she hardly notices the almost bored look on all the children's faces. 

“Psh, relax Paimon. You've got nothing to worry about.” Nora mutters casually. 

“Oh yeah!? Well then, tell me! How in Celestia's name do you plan to take down whatever bloodthirsty monsters are in there?!”   the floating fairy yells. 

“Well with these of course!” Klee giggles, flipping her backpack upside down and letting all the weapons, bombs, and mechanisms fall out. 

“Are those… dull, beginner weapons?” Paimon questions out loud, as she notices the dull blade and the other four beginner weapon types now lying on the ground. How… did all that fit in Klee’s backpack? 

“Haha, yup!” Sage smiled, “We stole them from the knights training grounds! We each got a weapon for ourselves, and we also brought Klee’s new glitter bombs, along with our rocket launcher! Because we can't leave you out from all the fun Paimon~ ” he teases, as he picks up the Dull blade. 

Timmie then hands her her rocket launcher, the one they made together only hours earlier so Paimon could be launched into the sky like a firework… they were planning to throw here at the enemies like some kind of cannon ball.

“You're dead.” she says blankly, staring at the rocket launcher now in her hands, “Were going to die. I’m never going to have sticky honey roast again, or get a hug from the traveler, or–” 

“ Dont worry Paimon! We’ll protect you!” Flora says with joy, a bow now secure on her back, and a row of glitter bombs now on her belt. 

At this point, Paimon has started crying, “ That's what I'm worried about.” 

___

The weapons were distributed among the children, Flora got her bow; while Timmie immediately claimed the polearm. Sage got the dull blade and Nora was hulking around a giant claymore that was over three times her size… Paimon didn't expect that from her. 

Apparently, the only ones with professional training in their weapon were Flora and Klee. Klee who’s had her catalyst since gaining her vision, and Flora who's been taking archery lessons ever since Venti taught her the basics. 

As for the rest of the children… they were fighting off pure beginners instinct… wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

The group was now standing in the center of the first floor, in silence as they waited for their enemy to arrive. Once they set foot in the domain both the entrance and the gateway leading to the next floor were sealed, the only way to get out now was to beat the crap out of some hilichurls…or slime… or whatever beast decides to rear its head today. 

“So… is something supposed to happen?” Sage questions, his voice echoing in the empty chamber. 

“Oh yeah, just give them a minute.” Paimon muttered, already accepting her fate. 

Suddenly three electro slimes proofed into existence right in front of them. They looked small and so sickly that Paimon felt a bit embarrassed for the Order, like this was its first defense? 

“It’s… slime?” Klee questions out loud as the weak and pitiful slimes started bouncing towards them.   

“Oh… that’s kinda disappointing.” Timmie said.

As the group watched the slimes slowly advance towards them, Nora suddenly jumped into the air and plunged her claymore on top of the poor pitiful slime, taking all of them out in one attack! 

“Woah! Nora! You took them all out in one blow! Impressive!” The children cheered, clapping together in the middle of the empty domain. 

“Hope it gets a bit more exciting after this, this was a let down honestly.” The girl shrugged, letting the giant claymore rest on her shoulders. 

The kids all nodded along, as they headed towards the now open staircases and started traveling up to the next level. As the children talked about what monsters they might encounter on the higher levels Paimon couldn’t help but let out a weak chuckle, “You guys have no idea.” 

___

For the first few levels the children’s experience was much the same. 

The monsters were just too easy. They took turns just practicing on the poor and unsuspecting hilichurls, improving their skill and sometimes they toyed with the enemy. On floor five, Flora and Sage gave a group of hilichurls a spa day before Timmie came in polearm at the ready. 

This easy vibe really didn’t change, that is until floor eight. By floor seven they stopped messing around and just focused on fighting, but no monster got close to laying a hand on the kids, until a flying ruin guard got an opening on the third level of floor eight. 

The mechanism started flying full speed at Flora, who was so busy beating other mechs’ to a pulp. She had no idea it was coming right for her! 

No one noticed, except for Paimon. 

How could she not! The flying fairy has been freaking out watching the kids fight this whole time, standing in the corner unsure what to do! But then she saw the flying ruin guard, and she screamed for Flora to turn around but no one could hear her! 

In the moment of panic, Paimon knew what she needed to do. 

With a shaking hand she grabs her rocket launcher, aims herself to fire, and takes off into the air. 

Like a shooting star in the dazzling sky! Paimon is soaring through the air and crashes right into the eye of the flying ruin guard! 

The Khaenri’ah mech never stood a chance against her. Once the mechanical beast fell, the domain went silent, the children left star struck.

“PAIMON!!!”  Timmie screamed in shocked joy. 

“You saved my life.” Flora gasped.

The children ran over to pull the dizzy Paimon up, all of them amazed at their friends' bravery. 

“No way! That’s our Paimon!”

“Our beloved rocket launcher!” 

“That was amazing Paimon! you were so cool!” The children all yelled over each other.

Paimon… actually did something?   She wasn’t useless or helpless. She actually helped them win the fight?! 

“Hehe, our hero!” Klee smiled and Paimon could feel the tears overflowing.

“Aww, You guys!” Paimon yelled out happily. Pride filling her chest as she thought maybe, maybe she can keep these kids safe. After all, they’ve now cleared over half of the Spiral. They got this! 

“Floor eight complete! Four more to go!” 

___

Paimon doesn’t even know how, but these kids were destroying the Abyss!

From floor nine to eleven it was nothing but chaos, the Order didn’t stand a chance! The children and Paimon seemed to flow like a single unit, an unstoppable force! 

It has been nothing but fun for them! Glitter bombs going off left and right, showering the domain walls with an array of color! At one point Sage hit a glitter bomb with his sword and launched into the mouth of this giant snake thing. 

They were unstoppable!

Nora has been crushing the enemies and when she got bored of knocking them unconscious with her giant claymore. She resorted to the power of poetry battles! (Actually, all the kids challenged the enemies to a poetry rap battle on floor ten—) 

All the kids seemed to hold their own, and even Paimon found herself getting the hang of launching herself at enemies that got too close to the kids. By some unknown miracle the children always came out on top, even when they looked seconds away from death. 

One time an abyss harold came close to harming Klee, but suddenly the harold slipped on the floor and knocked himself out. It was bizarre… like some unknown deity was keeping these kids alive. Or maybe these kids were the deity, and they kept themselves alive out of pure chaos. 

That’s another thing! This whole time the children haven’t actually killed anyone. They’ve just been knocking the enemy unconscious and would tie them all up in glittery bows and ribbons.  

Very odd, but ehh- probably just luck on the kids' side, best not to think too much about it! 

For the most part the domains were a piece of cake! 

Then came twelve— Paimon forgot how… horrifying twelve could be. 

Almost every horrifying beast was there, from mechs to giant serpents and other horrifying monsters that Paimon hasn’t even seen before. Heck! She’s pretty sure she saw a purple unicorn at one point! A unicorn ! But everything happened so fast that she couldn’t really tell.

“Guys! I think these enemies are too strong for us!” Timmie yelled to the group as they ran away from the monsters.

“You think !?” Klee yells, “There’s a creepy lady chasing us right now with a magic bird!” 

“But we’ve come so far! We can’t give up now!” Flora cried.

“Hey, sometimes a strategic retreat is necessary !” Nora reasoned. 

“Oh, if only we all had visions, even for just five minutes! I bet we could take all these guys down!” Sage huffed.

“Could you imagine, we’d be so unstoppable that the gods would have to take the visions back! Klee alone is too powerful,” Flora laughed.

“Aww, thank you~” Klee gushed, taking her words as a compliment.

“Well too bad only Klee has a vision, let’s go.” Paimon says, kinda bummed that fun was over but relieved that the kids are going to come out of this adventure alive .

But as she turned away… she heard five gasps and a sound that reminded Paimon of when Lumine gained elemental power from a statue… oh no. 

She turned around to see… that yup, in the hands of four children, where four new visions appeared. 

Paimon cursed whatever deity thought that this would be funny as she yelled, “SERIOUSLY?! WHO THE HECK GAVE THESE KIDS A VISION?! WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?! WHY?! HOW?!”

“Oh my Archons.” Timmie whispered in awe. 

“We have visions!” Flora cried like the happiest kid in Teyvat. 

“ This isn’t possible !” Paimon cried like it was the end of the world. 

“A Dendro vision!” Nora whispered 

“I got a Cryo vision, neet!” Sage giggled as he began to make soft snow fall around him . 

Klee was bouncing at the heels of her feet, overjoyed for her friends. “I’m so happy for all of you!!!” 

“Yes! Hydro!” Flora fist pumped the air, “I love Hydro! I can finally water my damn plants without carrying buckets of water across town! Hahahaha !” 

Timmie then began cracking like a madman, the group turned to him to see his smug and overjoyed face, “I got an Anemo Vision! Venti’s element ~” he said with pride. 

“How?!” The others gasped. 

“Because, I’m just better like that,”  the bird boy teased.

“Oh please!” Flora scoffed. 

“ How- Wha-wha ?” Paimon stutters out, unsure what to even say until she remembered that they’re in the middle of the Spiral Abyss and the enemy is surrounding them, “Stop bragging! There’s a bunch of monsters still attacking us!” 

She doesn’t even pick up the rocket launcher this time.

She just starts flying to the closest enemy and goes feral. “Go rocket Paimon, go! Defeat the creepy lady!” She hears one of the kids scream. 

The children soon joined in, Flora creating a beautiful attack of vines made of hydro coming up for the ground and holding the giant mechanical snakes down as she shot them with her bow, a trail of hydro flower petals trailing behind her shots. Klee added the finishing blow with a jumpy dumpy creating a vaporize reaction. 

Timmie and Sage teamed up, the dull sword wilder sending out a wave of frozen pine leaves with a swish of his sword and the bird boy summoning a legion of Anemo pigeons, together creating a hurricane of snowy birds that tore their enemy’s apart.  

Nora spent quick time on creating two trees and a vine hammock in the middle of the battle field, getting some good relaxation time. She lied down on her amazing swing, and then sent a wave of dendro that took the form of desert plant minions to attack her enemies. 

Eventually all the enemies were defeated and Paimon had knocked out the creepy bird lady. They were victorious. 

___

“Yay! We did it!” Klee cheered, as they returned back to the normal world, leaving the spiral abyss behind them. 

Paimon was so tired, she's pretty sure she could sleep for a good week after this nightmare… maybe even longer. 

“Guys,” Nora then gasped, “my vision is gone!” she cried. 

Everyone looked at her in disbelief, “Are you kidding- aww… aw man ,” Sage sighed as he looked down at his belt to see that his vision was gone too, all the new visions were. “Well it was fun while it lasted right?” he chuckled. 

Maybe it was for the best… they are already strong enough without them, but he loved being able to make anything out of Cryo. 

“Darn you Celestia!” Timmie growled at the island in the sky, “Too scared to let us keep em! Huh ?!” 

“How do you even know Celestia is the one that gives them out?” Flora mumbles, still bummed that she's going to have to still travel across town for water. 

“I always thought it was the Archons, but that wouldn’t make sense with Venti being asleep constantly.” Timmie shrugged, Klee nodding along. 

“Does the traveler know Paimon?” the explosion girl asks. 

“No… we don’t know much of anything really,” Paimon mumbled, remembering the big notebook of Teyvat conspiracy theories that the traveler carried around full of her bizarre theories. ( like the one about her being from  celestia… Paimon doesn't know what that one means but it made the fairy shiver with hurt)  “Although we do have a theory that the visions are connected to the archons' wills or traumas!” Pamion adds.  

“ Oh , yikes…” Nora winced at that. 

“Maybe secret lizards that were once rulers of the world give them out!” Klee suggests.  

“Mmm I’m putting my bets on the Springvale fairy.” Nora says after Klee puts her ideas out. 

Oh! Maybe visions are sentient!” Timmie then adds, “And it’s like some reverse adoption thing!”  

“Our Visions can’t adopt us!” Flora cries, “Venti’s the only one allowed to do that!” 

The five children then look at each other, and start laughing. 

Even Paimon has a grin on her face, “I honestly can’t believe you five, how does Venti do it?” 

“No clue,” Sage shrugs, “He says he’s the three time winner of most popular bard in Mondstadt, but really, I think he should get more recognition for being able to babysit all of us. His love is the only thing stopping us from world domination~” 

“Yeah!” Klee cheered, “Because we know that world domination would make Venti sad!” 

“We must never make our tone deaf bard sad!” Nora nods.  

“Hey, wait a minute,” The fairy grumbles, “ That's my ugly nickname! ”

“Well sharing is caring Paimon!” the children yell before starting to laugh again. Paimon can't be mad at them for it though, they're kinda right. 

Y’know for all the bad things that could've happened, today turned out pretty good… huh, wait she doesn't know where Venti and Lumine ran off too… 

How is she supposed to get home!?

Chapter Text

The past year had been odd… scratch that, the past several years of his undead life had been odd. 

Crepus never expected to die so young… Well maybe he should’ve, he knew what the effects of what a delusion would do. He supposed he just didn’t expect it to happen so soon… not when his eldest was only eighteen. 

He didn’t expect a lot of things that night, the worst thing he expected to possibly happen was Diluc getting too drunk at his own birthday party. 

He didn’t expect to uncover the truth of his youngest fate just hours after becoming a spirit trapped between the planes of life and death.

Didn’t expect to watch his children fight with the intent to kill only hours after becoming aware again; unable to stand between them. Unable to be heard as he begged them to stop, unable to hold them at their lowest and tell them everything would be okay.  Unable to whisper the words “I love you, I don't blame either of you, everythings going to be okay.” 

He couldn’t do a single damn thing but watch, unless. 

He just watched. 

That was his life for a long long time… 

___

At first he was a guilt bound spirit… a lost soul with unfinished business, tormented by all his regrets and unsaid words. 

In other nations this information would have been a huge problem, guilt spirits were nuisances that slowly went insane until an exorcise put them out of their misery or someone was able to grant their final wish. ( Or they just became so far gone that there was nothing left to save- ) 

But in Mondstadt it was different; Barbatos’ spirit within the wind was able to keep him sane. It also constantly gave him a path to follow home, to where spirits went to rest. 

But every time their spirit offered Crepus would politely decline to let them lead him home, (because for Crepus his boys were still his home and they were still among the living) Barbatos’ spirit would always politely let him be but not without showering his soul with little bubbles of warmth and love. 

Crepus would say that this was the first interaction he had with Barbatos. An invisible presence that he could only sense, who always offered him silent comfort and love as he watched his children slowly drift further and further apart. 

There’s not really much to tell about those years. 

He had quite the fright when Diluc left the city. 

Crepus was so horrified the first week of his ghost prison, watching over Keaya, his youngest, who looked ready to join him any second with the injuries he sustained from his brother. Crepus was so distracted that he didn’t know his eldest son had left the city until Kaeya found out himself. 

His boy was so devastated , only having his brother's pyro vision left behind as a goodbye. 

He was helpless, watching as his son moved out of his childhood home, changed his name, and started over with the small amount of money he had made as a knight in training at only sixteen. Far too young to start over alone. 

Crepus was furious that his youngest son felt so responsible to do this to himself. For Barbatos sake! He left both his children a fortune in his will!

Yet the child refused to touch any of it out of guilt. Went so far as to disown himself so the will would become void. 

And all Crepus wanted to do was shake him back and forth as he yelled at him that he didn’t care if he was some spy! He didn’t care about Khaenri’ah or loyalty! They were family, he was his child! Nothing changed that, and nothing ever will! 

But no one but Barbatos would be able to hear him…

___

It wasn’t so bad… he wasn’t the only spirit in Mondstadt after all. There was a good handful that roamed, all completely sane thanks to their archon's will. 

Many of them stayed to watch over their family or had an unfinished wish that they knew could be granted in the right moment. Some few still roamed on the living plane just because they could; they found freedom in watching the world go by, and some just feared the unknown. 

There was also the thousand winds, childish little spirits that he could finally see and hear after years worshiping them while alive. They couldn’t do much about sending a message to the world of the living like he tried, but they were still friendly little creatures who traveled all around teyvat and it was a delight to come across one from time to time. 

Once he even had the honor to meet Vannessa. That was the first time he met one of the four winds in person. Another spirit had mentioned that she was still around as a falcon and as spirits we could still see her true form if she showed herself to us but he never really bought it until that lone night in the quiet halls of the knights of favonius. 

It was during the heat of the Fatui investigation. 

The Fatui had rooted themselves so deeply into Mondstadt’s government system after using his death as the final political boost they needed. 

Crepus felt so stupid, so foolish for trusting their alliance, for letting them have power because he thought it was the right thing to do at the time. 

He couldn’t beat himself up too much over it, he wasn’t the only power name in Mondstadt they approached. 

The Fatui were smart in planting their trust, in gifting their ‘gifts’ . They made sure to have every clan, every family, wrapped around their finger before coming in for the kill.

The people who were meant to protect Mondstadt fell for the trap, and now their children paid the price. 

Young Jean, despite still only being a trainee herself, had been working herself to the bone. Secretly finding all the clues and keys to beating the Fatui. She knew she was overlooked, Kaeya too, which is what made her so perfect for the job. 

A young trainee and a cavalry captain who only became a captain because his brother had disappeared. It didn’t matter if both of them were children of powerful clans, Jean was still seen as a child and Kaeya… was clearly still battling his grief, already disowned from his Clan name and using his pay check to get drunk at any tavern that would give him wine even if he was still clearly to young to be drinking without guardian supervision. 

(Not like there was a guardian left to take Kaeya out for a drink… that was Crepus' job. And no, his sons sneaking into the Angel Share’s wine cellars when they were stupid children didn’t count! Even if that was the first time both of them got drunk it was supposed to be a special moment! Like how he was the first person to buy Diluc glass of wine when he became of age. Even if his eldest didn’t have much of a taste for alcohol it was still a special moment between a guardian and their child in his family. But he never got to do that with Kaeya, they were supposed to. Now it was too late. ) 

They really were seen as nobodies with no power, so the Fatui let them be.

But as the days passed he watched as Young Jean, his son, and many others work their way tiredly through the night. 

They all had their own reason to fight the Fatui, even if they still only seemed to shower them with ‘ gifts of protection’ . Many had been hurt by their actions. Kaeya, despite cutting his ties, still wanted revenge for his brother, for his father. Jean wanted the nation she grew up in to be free again. 

Even if the public remained mostly unaware, they still saw the hints that something was wrong, the spike of fear growing over time. 

They kept their heads down and observed those like Eroch, compiled their evidence under Varka’s protection, loosed the holds they had over the people who knew the truth, and all the while had to lie to the public that everything was just alright in their city of freedom. 

They were making progress, Jean had already successfully gotten Eroch out of the picture and all that was left were his allies in hiding. Crepus had heard whispers that the Fatui were growing wrestlers, even rumors of a warrior in red causing them trouble up north which had weakened their hold over Mondstadt exponentially. 

Their children were so close, Crepus could feel it as he watched them work every night. 

One of those nights Crepus had been watching over Kaeya sleep at the knight of Favonius hall; he had decided to visit Jean a few rooms away, still up into the late hours working in the protection of night. That’s when he met Vannessa, her spirit watching over the young trainee. 

They locked eyes and the legendary hero smiled, a warm and comforting smile, like everything was going to be okay. 

That’s when Crepus knew his children would succeed where their parents had failed. 

And a falcon flew away into the night sky where no living eyes could follow. 

___

It was a great relief to see Diluc again after four years. 

When his son returned Varka had already left Mondstadt, Vanessa and many others following. (Back then Crepus was just relieved Kaeya didn’t go with them- he didn’t know if he could safely leave Mondstadt’s borders and stay sane without Barbatos wind –and unlike the other Mondstadt free spirits he was not willing to test it. ) 

Diluc was far different than what he remembered when he returned, he was cold, angry, and oh so quiet compared to the smiling ball of sunshine that had left all those years ago. 

Then again it wasn’t like Kaeya was much the same anymore as well. His youngest had taken to hiding himself from the world, pretending to be unbothered, relaxed, and flamboyant to hide his uncertainty, exhaustion, and fear. 

….he guessed they both changed, grew up without him, without each other. 

They both became shells of people that neither could recognize. 

It was hard to watch them avoid each other, hard to watch his youngest drown himself in alcohol and watch his back every second of the day. 

Crepus felt selfish for following Diluc around those first few weeks of his return when his youngest was silently drowning in pain and terror behind his mask of confidence; but he couldn’t help it! 

He hadn’t seen Diluc for four years, hadn't seen him since he left his vision behind and ventured the world alone. He had no idea what his eldest son had been through or seen in that time. 

So he quietly followed and watched, trying to learn as much as he could with every clue given to him. 

And oh was there so much to learn… 

His son made himself a damn target on the Fatuis radar… gotten himself fully banned from one of the seven nations! 

If Crepus wasn’t already dead he would’ve died from a heart attack right then and there.  

Crepus continued to watch, watch as his son established himself as the new wine tycoon. Set up a secret network of information, and then proceed to become a criminal Vigilante right after… 

Crepus could understand why his son chose to hate the knights… after what Eroch did. But… 

There were so many good people still working for their nation that tried their best. Young Jean had gotten justice for Crepus! Along with Kaeya’s help she had gotten the Fatui’s influence out of their government's roots. Despite Kaeya being so young and acting careless he was a good knight– like his older brother Kaeya had also taken to creating his own underground of information and protecting people from things they weren’t aware of. 

Even though only Barbatos knew- Crepus could tell Kaeya had thwarted many of the Abyss Orders plans… his little boy had been playing the game of triple traitor for years… and yet he still saw himself as a monster for something he couldn’t control. 

Gods it was hard to watch his children interact. Watch them “ hate ” each other. 

Hard to watch as Dliuc quietly broke down away from anyone’s sight when he found out Kaeya had disowned himself the first week of his return. Feeling further betrayed and abandoned when Kaeya only did so because he believed that was what Diluc wanted when his elder brother left Mondstadt. 

Hard to watch Kaeya fall deeper and deeper into guilt when he was only a child on that rainy day… watched as his youngest mask continued to crack from the pressure of a double traitor who truly believed he would be better off dead- with no one in the world left who loved him. 

Those first days Crepus was glad for the young Alchemist Abledo who had arrived in the city of freedom not too long ago. 

If it weren’t for his slowly growing friendship with his youngest son, Crepus would’ve worried that Kaeya wouldn’t have survived himself after Diluc returned while they both pretended to hate each other. 

Crepus knew he’d forever be grateful to the alchemist for just being there even if he was oblivious to it all. 

___

Crepus only felt a small hope that his final wish had a chance at being fulfilled when Collie arrived in Mondstadt… 

The events that transpired that Ludi Harpastum got his boys to work together for the first time in years. 

And although they both still wore their masks, they could now talk to each other for the first time in years… and an eyesore of a vase found its way to Dawn Winery soon after. 

___

A few months later was when things really started to become weird again…

The wind… it was so much more alive-

Crepus thought he was going crazy when he started to physically feel the sensation of wind again. Feel its warmth cuddle him in hugs and ruffle his hair as if he were a child. But lo-and-behold the other ghosts felt it as well.

They had felt Barbatos spirit within the wind before of course, but it was always reserved and only ever emanated a quiet feeling of love and compassion that kept them grounded, now it felt so much more… real. 

Crepus could feel the curiosity, the adoration and overwhelming love! Could feel when the wind became concerned or mildly frustrated, even cheeky. 

The other spirits said it was a sign that Barbatos had returned… but Crepus couldn’t believe it… if they had returned then where was he? 

Why would Barbatos return now on such a random morning? 

But even if Barbatos had returned to Mondstadt, Crepus didn’t look deeper into it… he had more personal problems on his hands and was only grateful to feel such a comforting presence now keeping him grounded and feeling alive again in his everyday Un-life. 

Then a dragon started attacking the city. 

___

It… hadn’t gone well for Crepus… or his children. 

The last time there was a dragon in Mondstadt, Crepus had died, and his sons had set fire to the last they had that very same night. 

To see a dragon attacking their nation again, –even if it was a different one, even if Crepus was already dead– still threw all three of them into a panic of horribly memories that each one of them wished to forget. 

As the dragon attacks became more and more intense, Kaeya had started to come to the conclusion that the Abyss Order was responsible. Crepus had followed his youngest around long enough to pick up when Kaeya came across something from his past before Mondstadt, so Crepus knew this dragon posed a much larger threat to his youngest than anyone else. 

For all he knew, it could’ve been a sigh that the ones who placed his son in his fate would soon cash in the favor from their little traitor. 

So Crepus decided to stay by Kaeya’s side throughout the whole Stormterror crisis. Even if he was useless to protect him at least he could still be there. 

He was there when Kaeya came across the new Outlander. Just like his son Crepus also felt suspicion… A random person who just arrived in the city was able to fight and scare off Stormterror so quickly as they arrived. It felt too similar to Dettores' act with Ursa to not let the fear and anxiety bleed. 

But the Outlander didn’t ask for much after saving them. No, they seemed too oblivious when they arrived. Crepus was sure that if they did have some involvement with the Abyss Order or the Fatui they definitely weren’t aware of it.  

He continued to follow Kaeya throughout that week, as he dug up information and leads of what was going on. 

Crepus didn’t know much about an Abyss Prince, but he could tell his son knew more inside that head of his that he refused to say out loud, not much he could do about that. 

But while Crepus had been following Kaeya’s trail that week, his older son had run off to fight the new dragon with Jean and the Outland by his side! 

Because of course he did! 

Why wouldn't he!? 

Why was Crepus even surprised?! 

He knew his boy, reckless and impulsive like no tomorrow ! 

Not to mention Jean's level of recklessness, he knew who set fire to his grape fields! He watched that young girl risk her life to outsmart the entire Fatui origination even when it could have been her life on the line! 

Why was he even surprised his son got involved when he was supposed to be “just a winemaker” now. Well what kinda winemaker fights crime at night with nothing but a slim mask hiding his face and an underground army of informants at his call Mr Just a Winemaker!?

Suck a colossal mess… Crepus didn’t know if he wanted to be disappointed or proud. 

But Crepus was really leaning towards disappointment by the next week when Crepus watched his son willingly give someone who was clearly underage wine! 

That Bard.

Venti was new to the city, and had tried to gain access to wine at Angle Share before, of course he taught his children well and no matter what the bard tried Diluc never gave the kid what he wanted. 

Diluc was stubborn like that, even though his eldest never intended to inherit the family business ( Kaeya being the one to show interest in that back then) he was still a good businessman with morals. He didn’t serve wine that was made with half effort. He never took bribes or traded extra monetary gain for poorer products. 

He made sure younger drinkers who had reached drinking age were still with a guardian, he ensured any new product that could be too harmful were never added to the menu. Because despite never wanting to inherit the family business, Diluc still cared for its legacy. He cared for the people of Mondstadt who trusted them as the best in the business even with the countless of taverns in this city alone. 

But surely his son must've knocked his head in from fighting that dragon because he started giving the bard whatever he asked for! (At least he also gave the teen a job to pay back the tab… but still-)  

Crepus knew his son had to have had a good reason. Maybe the bard really was older than he looked, Maybe he just didn’t have a guardian to keep an eye out for him so Diluc was stepping in? Maybe he knew something that Crepus didn’t? He did work with the bard during the Stormterror crisis when Crepus was away watching Kaeya so there had to be something that excused the bard's exception to Mondstadts standard drinking laws! 

But still it didn't make sense. Maybe if it was one glass of wine a week Crepus would consider it fine but Diluc was definitely giving the bard past the legal limit of wine for a full grown adult! He literally saw the bard drink over sixty seven glasses in one sitting! ONE SITTING AND HE STILL GOT UP AND WALKED HOME ACTING COMPLETELY SOBER! 

How was he not dead!? 

This had to be some prank? 

Crepus decided it had to be. 

But still… the bard became a real mystery. Not to mention that whenever he was near the kid he swore the bard's eyes would follow him. 

When they sang, Crepus was almost certain that Barbatos’ wind would sing too, like a quiet whisper you could barely grasp before it disappeared. 

It made no sense… The bard made no sense! 

So he decided to keep an eye on him. 

That’s how he found out the truth. 

And that’s how he finally got his final wish fulfilled, that’s how he got his sons to reconcile. 

Thank Barbatos indeed. 

___

Crepus will admit, he had a stage of awkwardness. 

Who wouldn’t? He just met god! Their god, the god whose spirit had kept them all sane!  Who had helped Crepus feel comfort and love during his years of torment as a guilt bound spirit. 

And he may or may not have blackmailed that god… ugh, good Celestia when did his life become so odd? 

Oh right, when he died- 

But the wind moved on, they held no bitterness towards him. The wind still ruffled his hair, they still sent the warm sensation of a hug and the whispers of adoration. 

It got better, he was with his family again. His children were finally healing after all these years. They smiled, they talked about their day , they apologized. 

Of course they still had some ups and downs behind closed doors, but they were brothers again, and that’s all Crepus could’ve asked for. 

Finally, after years of guilt and torture, his family felt whole.

So why did it have to fall apart?

___

The other spirits felt it too, the small handful of the ones in the city, could tell something was wrong. 

The first sign was back when the thousand winds stopped greeting them, leaving Barbatos' spirit within his wind as the only voice left keeping them sane.  

Then Barbatos' spirit started to feel sick… 

He could still feel Barbatos' love, he could still sense their presence and array of emotions that Crepus had linked to Venti’s personality long ago. 

But now their hugs felt so weak, Their presence felt so frail and breakable… and over the course of weeks this feeling of hunger began to overtake the unconditional love that was there. 

It made Crepus worry, made all the ghosts worry.

Each one of them had gotten to know Barbatos at that point, many meeting Venti personally when he came to talk to them in private and ask if there was anything he could do to help fulfill a final wish before being guided to the next life. 

Some souls needed that, the souls who were here before only because they feared the next life had finally been able to leave their imprisonment happily; Venti holding their hand every step of the way. Hence why there was now an even small number of plane bound souls like Crepus still in the city; and all of them had grown to adore their god. 

Not just because his spirit had been with them since they passed, but because Venti was truly kind in the living world– always greeting them when they crossed paths even when it made the bard look like a fool for talking to thin air. 

So Crepus worried, and worried until he saw Venti physically safe and sound when Kaeya watched him sing in the market square that night. 

Except Venti… looked right past him like he wasn't there. 

That was the third sign…  

Barbatos could no longer see them. 

No matter how much Crepus tried, no matter how much he yelled, he could not be heard. 

Something was wrong, Something was wrong with his Archon!

His Archon whose love had kept him sane, who had made the years of torment and anguish in death less lonely. The kind soul who help Crepus fulfil his final wish and loved him in the same way Crepus loved his own children was unwell; and Crepus couldn't do a single thing yet again, only able to watch.

Useless.

___

He tried getting his sons’ attention with the magic board thing. But there never was enough time. 

First it was planning Jeans party, then both his kids getting drunk at said party. Crepus thought he’d have more time as he stood next to Diluc and Kaeya’s side the night in the bar. He thought he'd have more time to warn them, thought he could wait until one of them decided to pull out the board like they did every night. 

But then everyone in the bar disappeared… including his sons. 

Before he could even begin to process it all, process that both his children were now out of his sight, the windows within the Angle Share shattered from the force of wind outside and snow began to flood the inside. 

Snow in summer, 

A storm in Mondstadt. 

If Crepus could still breath he would have stopped breathing right then and there. “What's happening? ” he heard his own voice whisper in horror. 

What was happening? 

After a beat of being frozen in fear, watching his family's tavern become filled with snow through the cracks of broken glass, he began to move, phasing through the door and outside to the streets of Mondstadt. 

He wasn't afraid for his life, he didn't have one to lose. But his children did, the people of his nation did, Barbatos did. He didn’t know what was going on, but he had to find out because something was wrong. 

Even as a spirit he was blinded by the storm, he could only imagine how painful it would've been to his skin if he were still alive. Ice shards had practically turned the air into a blender and the snow was piling up so fast that Crepus would assume one could drown in it. 

He ran for a while that night, searching for a clue to what was going on. He came across other ghosts who were doing the same. But as the night passed, He and the other spirits began to realize how terrifying this truly was; because their numbers grew. 

New ghosts started to pop up out of the snowy ground, suggesting their bodies had been buried underneath, and then Crepus and the others had no time to seek answers to their burning questions; because it was clear as day. 

This was an attack on their home, and slowly new spirits piled up with the fresh trauma of death and a desperate need of comfort.

But Barbatos' wind was no longer there to comfort them, it was then that they realized Barbatos love – for the first time in their afterlife– was completely gone… so it was the elder spirit's job now to give comfort. 

Hours into the night was when he witnessed a quarter of his home get obliterated into dust from a force from the sky. Crepus and the other spirits had no time to register what happened because a wave of new dead followed instantly. 

Only for a few minutes later Barbatos spirit finally returned, briefly . Taking a large amount of new spirits away to the next life (however many still remained for their death was too recent to be comforted by Barbatos words. ) 

Crepus had felt Barbatos call like all the others in that brief moment. His waves of grief and his voice constantly apologizing over and over. 

Crepus didn’t know what had happened, but he knew Venti had blamed himself and all Crepus wanted to do in that moment as he felt his Archons love and grief was for once to contort him in return, after they had kept him sane with their comfort and love for so long. 

It was only an hour later when the storm finally died, and the sun rose to a new day. 

Crepus didn’t know how to feel, his Un-life had been turned upside down in a matter of hours and he didn’t even know what had happened. 

He was Useless. 

___

Eventually living people returned to the city, thankfully both of his sons made it back alive. But Diluc had been scared with fresh terror, being there to watch Barbatos almost die.

And Kaeya, Crepus knew Kaeya felt responsible. He watched as Kaeya pulled away from his older brother's embrace when they finally reunited, without saying a word, and only a father could see the self-blame within his star-born eye.

He could see his boys begin to drift. Diluc unaware of what caused his younger brother to pull away dove into keeping busy and helping Mondstadt rebuild. 

Cerpus had learned a lot of what truly happened that night by following his sons around, all the ghosts were there in the room when Jean told the public. 

Personally, he didn’t know how to feel about Venti’s secrets being forced over, even if it really was the right call. 

He and many of the spirits prided themselves in knowing Barbatos spirit so personally. His love was the only thing that kept them going for so long… 

To know that their parent, who blessed them so much after life, would lose something so dear as their mask… well Crepus could only hope that the Mondstadt of the living was ready to give Barbatos something of a much higher value; acceptance. 

As Diluc began to work and distracted himself, telling himself that Kaeya would come to him when he was ready, lied to himself that Kaeya was fine . His youngest drowned in old wounds reopened. 

It was almost like all the progress they had made in the past several years had been stripped away, and Crepus couldn’t hug his son as he silently cried. 

As his baby boy looked at his own reflection and only saw a monster whose blood was responsible for the deaths of others. 

Neither of them tried to contact him with the magic board. He couldn’t warn them that what they were doing… isolating themselves … would bring nothing good. 

Crepus couldn’t do anything. 

He just continued to comfort the new spirits that were still too terrified to move on. Barbatos' wind, although present again, still felt so weak. Their love was outweighed by so much grief and pain that it made Crepus own soul ache. 

He could only feel grateful that there was a presence even there, when for a brief moment the spirit that had protected Crepus and loved him for so long… was completely gone. 

How Crepus wished with all his heart he could feel Barbatos’ love hug him again as the weeks passed by. 

How much he wished he could gift his sons the same feeling himself, how much he wished he could hug them tight and whisper I love you , over and over again into their ears. 

How much he wished as if it were his final wish. 

But he couldn’t, he couldn't do anything. 

No one could see him, no one could hear him. 

 The best he could do was hover by their bedsides at night as they slept and whisper “I love you.” to the silent air. 

But no one could hear him;  no one but Barbatos.