Venti gazed into Dvalin's eyes and gently shook his head. "Dvalin, the look in your eyes... you're remembering this melody, aren't you?"
Turquoise Anemo energy swirled gently around him, carrying a soothing power that sought to awaken the memories Dvalin had lost to the curse.
Dvalin's head swayed slightly, as if he were struggling.
The deep, crystalline shards on his back flickered with unstable light, a clear sign that the Abyss's curse and the lyre's melody were locked in a fierce battle within him.
"They... they can actually communicate," Jean murmured from the side, her brow relaxing slightly. Her voice held a newfound understanding.
Though she had trusted Venti's plan, she had worried that Dvalin, tormented by the curse, had long since lost his sanity.
Seeing him cease his attack and fall silent, Jean felt the tension in her chest ease.
Lydia peeked out from behind Lumine.
She saw the confusion in Dvalin's vertical pupils and could sense the aura of pain radiating from him.
For some reason, the aura tormenting Dvalin felt faintly... familiar?
Just then, a beam of icy blue light shot out from the clouds, hurtling straight toward the Holy Lyre der Himmel in Venti's hands!
"Watch out!" Lumine reacted fastest.
But the attack was too swift. With a sharp CRACK!, an ice shard sliced through the lyre's strings and carved a deep gash into its body.
"Don't let him fool you, you poor dragon..."
A figure in ice-blue robes floated out from behind Dvalin—it was a Cryo Abyss Mage.
It hovered beside Dvalin's wing, its voice dripping with mockery.
"He abandoned you long ago! See? Now he's back to deceive you again..."
"You've already made an enemy of Mondstadt. There's no turning back!"
Dvalin snapped his head up, the confusion in his vertical pupils instantly replaced by furious rage!
He glared at Venti, then swept his gaze over Jean and Diluc, who had rushed forward to shield him.
His massive wings beat violently, whipping up a frenzied gale.
"Barbatos..."
"These people... did you bring them here to hunt me down?!"
"No, Dvalin!" Venti tried to approach, but the violent aura surging around Dvalin forced him back.
The Abyss Mage floated onto Dvalin's back and fanned the flames. "Don't fall for his lies! This dragon belongs to his true master now!"
Dvalin's roar shook the entire Starfell Cliff, and the dark aura emanating from the abyssal crystals on his back grew even denser.
Spreading his massive wings, Dvalin soared into the distant clouds with the Abyss Mage.
Only an enraged dragon's cry remained, gradually fading into the sky.
Venti stared at the broken Holy Lyre der Himmel on the ground and sighed deeply. His teal braids hung limply over his chest, his voice filled with despair. "It's too damaged... I don't think it can be repaired."
Silence fell over Starfell Cliff, broken only by the howling wind.
Jean watched the dark shadow disappear into the clouds before finally turning her gaze to Venti.
"Barba— Lord Venti, please take care of yourself."
Lydia, still lost in sorrow over Dvalin's departure, snapped her head up at Jean's corrected address, her eyes wide with confusion.
Why did Sister Jean almost call Venti "Barbatos"?
Before she could dwell on it, the name Dvalin had shouted—"Barbatos"—exploded in her mind.
She froze on the spot, as still as a statue encased in ice.
She stared hard at Venti, her lips trembling slightly. "Ba... Barbatos? Dvalin just called you... Barbatos?"
Venti lowered his head, gazing at the shattered Holy Lyre der Himmel on the ground. At her words, his body visibly stiffened.
He looked up, meeting Lydia's shocked gaze. The usual mischievous glint in his eyes was gone, replaced by a resigned honesty.
Seeing his silence, Lydia turned to Lumine and Paimon, her eyes pleading.
It was as if she were begging, "Tell me I'm still dreaming, please."
Paimon floated to her side, scratching her head. "Lydia, actually... we've known Venti was the Anemo Archon for a while now."
"It's not 'actually'!" Lydia's voice suddenly rose, laced with incredulous despair. "He's Venti! The bard who snuck drinks of Master Diluc's wine with me, climbed trees in the Whispering Woods to pick fruit with me, and ran from Hilichurls with me! How could he be Barbatos?!"
Her outburst silenced the air. Venti scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Hey, hey, don't just broadcast my embarrassing moments like that."
Jean sighed softly and walked to Lydia's side. "Lydia, please calm down first."
She wanted to say more, but the words caught in her throat.
Lydia had grown up in the church, deeply immersed in the faith of the Anemo Archon. To suddenly discover that the friend she played with every day was the very god she worshipped... anyone would struggle to accept that immediately.
What's more, this god was a bona fide... bad influence.
Diluc's gaze held a hint of understanding. "His usual demeanor certainly doesn't scream 'Anemo Archon'."
"But the Wind Dragon wouldn't be mistaken," he added. "Venti's identity... is real."
Lydia opened her mouth to speak again, but then she saw Venti slowly nod, his voice low. "I'm sorry, Lydia. I should have told you sooner."
That nod shattered the last shred of denial in Lydia's heart.
She stumbled back a step, her eyes wide, her cheeks instantly flushing crimson.
Not from shyness, but from sheer mortification!
Countless memories flashed through her mind:
The time she complained to the Statue of the Anemo Archon, "Barbatos, why don't you ever do any work?" while Venti stood beside her, stifling a laugh.
The time she grumbled about the "Anemo Archon's unfairness" while Venti listened silently at her side.
And just last night, she'd even thrown a drunken tantrum right in the Anemo Archon's face?
"You... you, you, you!" Lydia pointed at Venti, unable to form a complete sentence. "I... I even told you... told you Barbatos was a lazy god! And I complained to you..."
Venti couldn't help but chuckle at her flustered, mortified expression.
"I know," he said, stepping forward to gently ruffle her hair. "I know what's really shocking you isn't that I'm the Anemo Archon. It's that I heard every single one of your 'blasphemous' remarks, isn't it?"
Lydia's face turned an even deeper shade of red as she quickly covered it with her hands.
"If I'd told you sooner, would you still have caused trouble with me, snuck drinks with me, and run all over Mondstadt with me?" Venti asked with a gentle smile. "I'd much rather be your friend, Venti, than the lofty Barbatos."
Lydia lowered her hands.
Staring into Venti's sincere eyes, the shock in her heart didn't lessen in the slightest.
"But you still shouldn't have lied to me... I complained so much about the Anemo Archon to you..."
"I heard every word."
Venti's smile faded, his tone turning serious.
"You want to find your parents, you want to contribute to Mondstadt—I know all of that."
"If I had told you earlier, you would have scoffed at my words, just like that nun did, wouldn't you?"
Lydia stared into Venti's serious eyes, but her thoughts suddenly veered in a completely different direction.
She abruptly remembered the scene in the Favonius Cathedral where Venti had playfully called Gotelinde "Big Sister"!
"Wait a minute!" Lydia suddenly looked up, her earlier mortification instantly replaced by an even more absurd shock. "The nun you mentioned... was that Sister Gotelinde? You called her 'Big Sister' back then?!"
At her words, even Jean couldn't help but freeze for a moment, and the corner of Diluc's mouth twitched slightly.
Gotelinde had served in the Favonius Cathedral for many years; in terms of seniority, she was even more experienced than Barbara.
Even Jean usually addressed her formally as "Sister Gotelinde."
But Venti was the Anemo Archon. How could he call her "Big Sister"?
Lydia counted on her fingers, muttering, "Sister Gotelinde was raised by the Senior Nun, who was personally trained by the Matriarch Nun... If you call her 'Big Sister,' doesn't that make your seniority..."
She scratched her head, looking utterly bewildered.
"By calling her 'Big Sister,' where does that even place you in terms of seniority?"
Her whimsical thought, like a pebble tossed into calm water, instantly shattered the heavy atmosphere.
Venti choked for a moment, then flicked Lydia's forehead. "Ehe, seniority is so formal! Isn't 'Big Sister' a much friendlier way to address someone? Besides, that nun didn't object at the time, did she?"
"That's because she didn't know!" Lydia retorted indignantly. Then, as if remembering something, she clapped her hands. "It seems Sister Gotelinde was right. We really need to think carefully about Mondstadt's future."
"Ehe~"
"What's 'ehe' supposed to mean?!"