A few minutes earlier—just as Noah brought down the Baptist and Dvalin ended his battle with Durin, Venti stood under the giant oak tree, watching the war unfold. His fingers strumming across the strings of his lyre, the melody carried by the wind through every corner of the battlefield.
Whether near Noah's group on the ground or high above the sky where Dvalin and Durin clashed, the wind moved with care.
He listened.
He watched.
And when needed, he let the wind flow carry this will, his intentions and his power, just enough to turn the tide in favor of his people.
------
As Venti played a note, the trembling young injured knight stood on his shaking legs. Around him, his comrades lay wounded, their voices ragged as they pleaded with him.
"Go... just run... forget about us..."
"You... can still make it..."
"Come on, man... it's okay..."
"Go!! Save yourself!!"
But he didn't move. Despite their pleas, he couldn't abandon them, not the friends he had bled with, trained with, shared meals and laughter and long nights beside the campfire. The Rifthounds and Abyssal beasts closed in, he gritted his teeth and raised his fist, preparing to fight unarmed to protect his friends until the end.
And in that moment, a sudden gust swept through them all.
A soft thud tapped against his boot. When he looked down, it was his sword, which had been flung far away, now at his feet.
He blinked, stunned, but didn't question it. He reached down, grabbed the hilt, and straightened his stance.
"Get up," he said, voice trembling but steady. "He's watching us."
His comrades saw it too. They felt the abyssal corruption stopping, their ragged breaths calming down, strength returning to aching bodies.
One by one, they rose. Bloodied. Bruised. And their will is stronger than ever.
"...Lord Barbatos..."
"Thank you..."
"For... Mondstadt," one whispered.
"For Mondstadt!!" another roared.
Together, they charged not for glory, but for each other. For their home. As they understand, their god was with them.
-----
A group of adventurers, bruised and low on stamina, were cornered behind the shattered remains of a barricade. Abyssal creatures came closer and closer with each step.
"We're out of options," one whispered, gripping a cracked shield with trembling hands.
"So this is how it ends..." another muttered, eyes closing as if bracing for the inevitable.
"…If I'm going to die, then I'll take them with me!" the old adventurer growled, pushing himself upright. His hand gripped his spear tightly.
"Old man—!"
"Heh... That's right," said a burly man beside him, lighting a worn-out cigar. His massive greatsword rested on the ground. "Why are we even afraid?" he grinned, stepping beside the old man. "I'm with you."
"Kakakaka!!! Then better keep up, boy!" the old man barked, eyes blazing.
"You two are insane," another adventurer said, shaking his head with a grin. "...But I like that plan!"
Just as they prepared to charge, a powerful gust of wind flash through. A small tornado burst between them and the enemy, sucking the Abyssal monsters and hurling them like ragdolls against nearby rubble.
They all froze. Eyes wide. The wind fell still.
"Huh?!"
One of them looked up, awe in his voice. "Lord Barbatos… you're watching us, aren't you?"
"Bwahahahaha!!" the old man roared with laughter, "It seems the Anemo Archon still has use for this stubborn fool!"
He grinned, his eyes scanning the remaining monsters.
"Then I'll answer that call!"
"For Mondstadt!!"
------
As Venti strummed another note, the wind carried his music far reaching the far plains where a woman, a sister from the church, run across the battlefield. She was searching, driven by one thought.
"Please… please still be alive…" she whispered, teeth gritted, as the abyssal corruption affected her.
Through blurred vision and aching limbs, she spotted him, her husband, collapsed in the grass, motionless. She pushed herself forward, even as her consciousness began to slip.
Then a gentle breeze surrounded her, carrying with it the scent of Cecilia flowers. The fragrance was faint, but it was there. Her breathing returned to normal, her mind regained clarity. Strength coming back into her limbs.
"…The wind…?"
She stood up shakily, then ran. Faster than she thought her legs could carry her.
When she reached him, she saw it: a swirl of wind shielding his body, warding off the corruption and monsters.
Her eyes welled with tears as she dropped to her knees and embraced him. "He's breathing… he's still breathing…!"
"Thank you… Lord Barbatos…" she whispered, voice full with emotion. "Thank you so much..."
Without wasting another moment, she lifted him with all the strength she had and began the long run back toward the camp, the wind gently following behind.
------
Venti's fingers danced across his lyre, and the gentle wind carried his melody toward the large tent that served as the med bay. Inside, chaos and urgency filled the air. Nurses and healers from the Church rushed from bed to bed, their hands glowing with elemental energy, trying to keep up as more and more patients were brought in; some were gravely injured, others afflicted with abyssal corruption.
"We're running out of anti-corruption potions!" a nurse cried out, panic lacing her voice as she stared at the nearly empty supply shelf.
"Then get someone to make more!" the Head Healer snapped, cleansing dark energy from a groaning adventurer using her Hydro Vision. "We need those potions now!"
"The alchemists are already working on it," another replied breathlessly. "But the demand… it's too much. They can't keep up."
The Head Healer clenched her teeth. Around her, even the most experienced hands were faltering, their strength waning.
Then it happened.
A soft breeze stirred the tent flaps.
Music, it was clear and serene, dancing along with the wind.
"…What's that sound?" one healer whispered.
"Music…?"
"It's… the wind…" another said, eyes widening.
The melody grew stronger, flowing through the tent like a river. The wind danced around them with a cool, gentle, comforting feeling. The exhausted felt their fatigue gone. Healers who had pushed past their limits felt their elemental energy surge anew. The alchemists, once struggling to think straight, felt clarity return, their hands once shaking for exhaustion stopped, as they continued their work.
Even the patients, those affected by corruption, began to breathe easier. Black veins slowed. Their pain dulled. A warm wind circled them, easing their suffering.
"This is… impossible…" a young healer murmured.
"By the Anemo Archon…"
"Lord Barbatos… is that you?"
"It's a miracle…"
"Thank you… Lord Barbatos…"
All around the med tent, people stood still for a moment silent, reverent.
Then the Head Healer inhaled deeply and raised her voice. "Alright! You heard him! Lord Barbatos is with us! Get back to your posts, we're saving lives today!"
"YES! For Mondstadt!!" The response echoed like a war cry. And with renewed hearts, they returned to work stronger and filled with hope.
----
Every moment, Venti listened to every cry, every whisper, every plea that rose across the battlefield. The wind moved at his command, gentle yet resolute, weaving through the chaos to find those in need. It carried strength to the weary, comfort to the broken, and hope to the hearts nearly lost to despair.
"Even if I fall here, The Abyss will keep spreading. This world will fall, piece by piece... and in the end, it will be devoured!"
And Venti heard it, the conversion in the distant battlefield. The wind carried their voices from the words of the Abyss to Noah's answer. He let out a small smirk as he continued strumming.
"Maybe... but it won't be today... And not tomorrow either....because no matter how hard you try to drag this world down..."
Venti opened his eyes as he strummed his lyre. The wind responded, blowing outward in all directions carrying Noah's voice to every corner of the battlefield.
"There will always be people who brave the abyss... to fight for the future they believe in."
And it reaches them, towards those who are still fighting for the future they believe in..
From Rostam and Arundolyn, side by side as they brought down a Rockfond Rifthound and Thunderhelm Lawachurl, laughing between breaths.
"Noah..." Rostam whispered. "That guy..."
To Hideon and Melissa's group, surrounded by a group of Breacher Primus and a Large Overgrown Breacher Primus. Forming a tight wall protecting the injured at their back
Melissa sighed, her eyes following the wind. "...Miss Elysia is really lucky to have someone like him."
Hideon twitched. "...Damn... ain't the cool…"
To the wounded, exhausted adventurers and yet still standing with sheer will keeping them on their feet.
To the medics and healers, pouring every ounce of energy into saving the dying.
To the wounded who are affected by the abyssal corruption.
"For tomorrow we want to see..."
"No one is giving up yet... then so will we,"
"We're not done yet..... there are still many lives we can save.."
"...That is right!! our fight is not yet over!!"
They all heard it, the answer that denied Abyss and believed in the future that they want to reach.
And then.
"FOR MONDSTADT!!!!"
-----
"Ehe~ That's right, isn't it?" Venti smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Why would we ever lose to those who deny our worth?"
He turned to face the direction where Noah and the others were, the wind slowly gathering around him.
"And to prove that!! Here's Mondstadt's answer to the Abyss!"
Venti summoned his bow. Anemo energy swirled into the arrow as he pulled back the string.
"Don't even think about getting away~"
He released the arrow. It soared toward the center of Windrise, and moments later, a massive storm erupted. A swirling vortex swept across the battlefield, pulling in the Abyssal monsters.
The monster caught mid-air, their forms slowly twisted but the force until they disintegrated into dust.
After a few long moments, the storm slowly faded. A small explosion burst from its center, pushing back the dark clouds and along the remaining traces of abyssal energy.