On the stone path outside the cathedral, the evening breeze swept up a few strands of Lydia's white hair.
She leaned over the railing, her chin resting on her folded arms, her gaze fixed on the far end of the square.
There, a little girl with pigtails was being led by her parents.
The girl had a beautiful smile, her dimples seeming to overflow with starlight.
Lydia's lips curved upward unconsciously, her eyes softening.
But the smile didn't last long, gradually fading beneath a nearly invisible layer of weariness.
Her fingertips idly picked at the vine-like patterns on the railing, her nails scraping softly against the stone.
She had seen this scene countless times in her dreams.
But every time she woke up, she was always alone...
"What are you looking at?" Venti's voice came from beside her.
He walked to the railing and leaned against it sideways.
His teal braids hung over his chest, his gaze lingering on the faint blush at the tips of her ears before settling on her downcast eyes.
Lydia froze for a moment before realizing Venti was speaking to her.
Her snow-white hair swayed, revealing eyes still clouded with a hint of confusion.
She scratched her head and smiled sheepishly. "Ah? Oh, it's nothing... I was just thinking, it must feel so warm to have your family hold your hand like that."
As she spoke, she lowered her head again, her fingertips digging harder into the railing.
The words were too direct, like laying a secret she'd hidden for seventeen years bare under the moonlight. It made her feel a little embarrassed.
Venti watched her, hesitated for a few seconds, then finally voiced the question that had been weighing on his mind.
"Why are you so trusting of Lumine and Paimon?"
He deliberately softened his tone, afraid of startling the girl who seemed so carefree but was actually deeply sensitive.
"Knowing your personality, even if you're quick to trust, you wouldn't let your guard down this fast, would you?"
He knew Lydia too well.
When she first met Jean, she had called her "Sister Jean" with sweet familiarity.
Yet, whenever Jean reached out to stroke her hair, she would subtly take half a step back.
When she first spoke with Barbara, Noelle, or the others, she always maintained a subtle distance.
But with Lumine and Paimon...
She had only known them for a few days, yet she dared to bring them back to Mondstadt.
When chased by Hilichurls, she had even sent a distress signal to Lumine.
This wasn't just trust in Lumine; it was also an acknowledgment of her strength.
While this would undoubtedly help Lydia and Lumine become friends, everything seemed to be happening... too fast?
Lydia's fingertips stilled.
She stared at the patterns on the railing for a long moment, her voice as soft as the wind. "Because they feel different."
She looked up, her eyes reflecting the moonlight, astonishingly bright.
"The first time I saw you was during the Windblume Festival. You were crouching on the ground, helping me pick up the pinwheel the wind had blown away. I felt... like I'd known you forever. Not a stranger at all."
"Lumine, too. When she told me about being separated from her brother, her eyes were red. That panic—the desperation of searching for family and not finding them... you can't fake that."
Venti's heart clenched violently, as if seized by an invisible hand.
He remembered the baby abandoned in a cave in Wyrmrest Valley, on Dragonspine, seventeen years ago.
He had been the one to bring her back to Mondstadt, entrusting her to the nuns of the Favonius Cathedral, yet he had failed to give her a complete family.
He had secretly watched her grow from a toddling child into the young woman she was now—one who would bicker with him and sneak out for adventures.
They had so much history between them...
Yet Venti had never dared to tell her the truth: that her parents had long since left this world.
Guilt washed over him like a tide. Venti's hands tightened, his knuckles turning white.
He couldn't bring himself to look into Lydia's eyes, afraid of seeing disappointment in their clear depths.
"So... you don't resent the Anemo Archon?"
"It'd be a lie to say I don't."
Lydia was surprisingly honest. She pouted, her eyes slowly turning red.
She tilted her head back, fighting to keep her tears from falling.
"I always wonder, why did the Anemo Archon bring me back from Dragonspine? Why didn't he just leave me with my parents?"
"Even bringing them to Mondstadt with me would have been better... Sometimes, I feel so utterly alone."
Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
But then she suddenly straightened her back, like a young animal feigning strength.
"But it's okay! Once I master swordsmanship with Noelle, I'll go to Dragonspine and find them myself!"
"Maybe this is what the Anemo Archon intended all along—for me to find my family through my own efforts?"
She turned to Venti, her eyes filled with anticipation. "Venti, you have to come with me then! Dragonspine is huge, and I'd be scared to travel alone at night."
Seeing her like this, Venti's heart ached with a tender sorrow.
He was the embodiment of "wind"; nothing in Mondstadt escaped his notice.
He knew that every time Lydia touched her Vision, she imagined her parents by her side.
He knew about the countless nights she cried in secret, yearning for her family's companionship.
He remembered his time as a wind spirit, accompanying the "boy" across every inch of Mondstadt.
Yet, in the end, he couldn't save the boy. He understood the pain of losing a loved one better than anyone.
So this time, he would never let Lydia face it alone.
He reached out and ruffled her hair, gently pressing down the stubborn tuft of white that always stuck up.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
"Whether it takes ten years or twenty, I'll be with you."
Lydia's eyes instantly curved into crescent moons.
Just as she was about to smile and say, "Pinky promise," Paimon's shrill, frantic shriek pierced the air from behind them: "Oh no! We've been spotted!"
They both whipped around to see Lumine sprinting toward them.
Behind her, four or five Favonius Knights charged forward, swords drawn, the clang of their armor piercing the night's silence.
Paimon floated beside Lumine, her short legs flailing wildly as if she were running through the air.
"Venti! Lydia! Run!"
Venti's eyes sharpened. Without a second thought, he grabbed Lydia's wrist. "Let's go!"
He vaulted over the railing, pulling Lydia into his arms as he leaped.
The girl felt as light as a feather in his embrace, and Venti instinctively softened his grip.
Carried by the wind, they floated gently upward, verdant Anemo energy swirling beneath their feet, steadily guiding them toward the distance.
Nestled in Venti's arms, Lydia's cheeks instantly flushed crimson.
She had known Venti for so long; holding hands and bickering were commonplace.
But this was the first time they had ever embraced so closely.
She could smell Venti's faint fragrance and feel the warmth of his arms. Her heart couldn't help but beat a little faster.
But when she turned to see Lumine gliding closely behind them, her Wind Glider unfurled, with Paimon cheering "Go, go!" beside her, she couldn't help but laugh.
Getting into trouble... it's definitely most fun with friends!
The wind carried them far away, and the shouts of the knights behind them gradually faded into the breeze.
Venti looked down at Lydia, who was smiling so brightly in his arms that her eyes curved into crescents. He sighed softly to himself.
The matter of the Holy Lyre der Himmel is still unresolved...
But for now, all he wanted was to let this girl smile a little longer, just a little longer.
-
Spy-I can smell the tragedy coming from a mile away