Mondstadt's Dragonspine—Wyrmrest Valley.
A man and a woman dragged their exhausted bodies along the snow-covered mountain path. They carried packs on their backs and were dressed as adventurers, clearly members of the Adventurer's Guild.
The howling ice winds whipped around them, and the falling snowflakes mercilessly leeched away their warmth.
"Darling, I'm so tired," the female adventurer's voice trembled. The white puff of her breath vanished into the wind the moment it formed. "Does this cursed mountain even have an exit?"
The male adventurer gritted his teeth and pulled his wife closer. His eyes swept the surroundings, then lit up. "There's a cave over there! Let's take shelter from the blizzard!"
Hunching against the wind, they rushed into the eerie cavern nearby.
They gathered firewood, pulled out a flint striker, and ignited a spark of hope.
The orange glow of the fire dispelled some of the chill, and the couple finally had a moment to look down at the infant in their arms.
The little one was bundled in thick swaddling clothes, not crying or fussing.
She lay there quietly, like a little dumpling.
As if sensing her parents' gaze, the infant drowsily opened her eyes.
Her large, doe-like eyes shimmered as if dipped in honey, perfectly complementing her chubby cheeks. The sight instantly made the couple forget their exhaustion, and they couldn't resist gently poking her little face.
"Silly child, sleeping so soundly. Doesn't she know what kind of situation we're in?"
The two adventurers shared a blissful smile.
After playing with her for a while, the couple reluctantly turned their attention to the map in their hands.
"Strange... According to the map, we shouldn't have gotten lost."
"Could we have bought a fake map?"
The male adventurer shook his head.
He had purchased this map from the Adventurer's Guild; it couldn't be wrong.
But without that assumption, they couldn't explain why they'd been trapped on this snow mountain for a full half-month.
"Either way, let's keep moving forward."
He picked up a torch from the fire and was about to lead his wife out of the cave when a strange sound echoed from within.
"Thump-thump... Thump-thump..."
The sound was rhythmic, almost like...
"'A heartbeat?'" the male adventurer voiced his suspicion first.
"'Who's in there?'" The female adventurer instinctively started to rise, wanting to see if others were trapped here like them.
The male adventurer quickly stopped her, pointing the torch deeper into the cave.
A red glow flickered in the pitch-black cavern, as if responding to the torchlight—now visible, now hidden.
They exchanged a glance and nodded.
Quietly, they activated the Visions at their waists, preparing for a potential monster ambush.
The faint shimmer of Anemo and Cryo elements gave them a small measure of confidence.
They gently placed the infant by the fire and, hand in hand, ventured into the depths of the cave.
A moment later, a piercing scream echoed through the cavern.
Following the scream came the sickening, scalp-tingling sounds of chewing and wet squirming.
By the fire, the infant seemed to sense something. Her tiny mouth puckered, and she began to cry.
-
A thousand years ago, he was a wisp among the Thousand Winds.
Representing gentle breezes and hope, he helped overthrow the tyranny of the Lone King of the High Tower.
The wind brought new seeds, but it also lost its most precious "treasure."
"Ugh, so noisy..."
Meanwhile, at Windrise.
Venti was sleeping soundly, leaning against the trunk of the great tree.
Just awakened, he stretched lazily, his sleepy face etched with exhaustion.
"It's been ages since I've slept this well."
He recalled the story from his dream, and a ripple of emotion stirred in his heart.
The last time I slept this soundly was... when was it again?
Before he could finish reminiscing, the sound of crying drifted over on the wind again, mingled with the faint, metallic scent of blood.
Venti snapped fully awake, leaping to his feet. "That crying... Is that a baby? And from the direction of Dragonspine?"
He had long since shed his divine attire and abandoned his Divine Throne.
He wasn't supposed to interfere too much in Mondstadt's affairs.
But a "call" this strong... it was the first time in a thousand years.
After three seconds of hesitation, Venti slapped his thigh. "Ah, forget it! What can I do? I'm Mondstadt's greatest bard, after all!"
"That little one is crying so pitifully. I have to go check."
Venti stood up and glanced at the pitch-black night sky, his brow twitching.
The moment the words left his lips, he transformed into a gust of wind and vanished from Windrise.
As soon as Venti entered the cave, he saw a small baby by the fire, its face flushed red from crying.
The little one was wailing loudly, as if it had been frightened by something.
Venti immediately scooped up the infant. "Oh, you poor thing... Shh, shh, don't cry~"
But his gaze swept toward the depths of the cave, and his recently relaxed nerves tensed again.
That repulsive aura... it's gone?
Is it just my imagination?
He raised a hand, summoning Anemo. The campfire flared up with a whoosh.
In the pitch-black night, the embers, fanned by the wind, swelled rapidly, instantly illuminating every corner of the cave.
Before Durin's heart, two skeletons lay huddled together.
Their adventurer uniforms were perfectly intact, showing no signs of human violence.
Durin's remains and heart were also powerful deterrents to monsters.
There were no signs of a struggle nearby, ruling out a monster ambush.
Moreover, Venti could clearly feel a faint warmth lingering on the clothes clinging to the bones.
Though the heat was fading fast, it proved they had died only recently.
"Wind, tell me what happened here," Venti murmured.
The Anemo swirled around the cave, recounting the couple's story: trapped on Dragonspine, searching fruitlessly for an exit, and finally taking refuge in this cave.
But when it came to the crucial "after," the wind fell silent.
He tried to grasp the souls of the deceased, but caught nothing.
Venti's gaze fell upon Durin's pulsing heart in the depths of the cave, his brow furrowed. "Durin... could it be you?"
"Waaaah!"
As Venti pondered, the infant in his arms began to cry again.
He quickly refocused, trying to make funny faces to coax a smile from the little girl.
Squeezing his eyes shut, sticking out his tongue... the more exaggerated his faces became, the louder she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks like broken strings of pearls.
Venti panicked, clumsily trying to soothe her. "No, no, no! My bad, my bad! I won't make any more funny faces!"
He scratched his head, wailing internally. No one ever taught me how to take care of a baby! If I'd known this would happen, I would have gone to Liyue to learn some parenting skills from the old man!
"Eeyah~ Eh~"
Just as Venti was spinning in circles with anxiety, the infant suddenly stopped crying. Her tiny finger pointed erratically toward the back of the cave.
Following her gesture, Venti saw two Visions beside the skeletons, flickering with their last vestiges of light.
Having captured the Archon's attention, they went completely dark.
Venti swiftly used Anemo to sweep the Visions over, gently placing them inside the infant's swaddling clothes.
The little one immediately reached out its tiny hands, clutching a Vision in each.
After a few giggles, it soon fell asleep, hugging the Visions and smacking its tiny lips.
"Poor little thing... losing your parents so soon after you were born."
Gazing at the sleeping rice ball in his arms, Venti's expression turned sorrowful for the first time.
In his millennia of life, he had seen countless homeless orphans.
He had no obligation, no responsibility to care for every single one.
But if he abandoned this baby on Dragonspine...
The little one would freeze to death in less than a day, wouldn't it?
"Ah, well... who said Venti the bard is the same as Barbatos?"
Being an Archon didn't define him as a wandering minstrel.
"Speaking of which, I don't even know your name yet."
"Since fate brought us together in the wind, let me give you a name!" He gently pinched the baby's soft, doughy cheek, pondering for a moment. "We met in the wind, and you're so adorable... How about Lydia?"
Seeing no "objection" from the infant, Venti smiled. "Alright, Lydia it is! It's pretty and easy to remember~"
Cradling Lydia, Venti transformed into a gentle breeze and drifted toward Mondstadt.
Soon, he arrived at the entrance of the Favonius Cathedral. He carefully placed Lydia on the steps.
Using a pen and paper, he wrote down the name "Lydia" and tucked the note between the two Visions.
Just as he was about to leave, he hesitated, feeling something wasn't right.
He turned back and knocked on the cathedral door, deliberately making some noise.
A moment later, the door opened.
A nun peeked out and immediately spotted the infant on the steps.
She gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "Heavens, whose child is this? Why is she here?"
The nun scooped Lydia up. Feeling the chill from the swaddling clothes, she quickly touched the little one's forehead.
"Thank goodness, no fever."
In her arms, Lydia seemed to sense the kindness. She opened her eyes and smiled at the nun, even shaking the Visions in her tiny hands.
"Are these... Visions? And a note? Lydia..."
Watching from a distant rooftop, Venti saw this and turned away, relieved.
"Good, she's finally found a good home."
"Lydia, make sure you grow up well~"
He whistled a cheerful tune, then transformed into a gust of wind and drifted away.
Now that I'm awake, I might as well see if the tavern is still open!
After all, finding a baby is something worth celebrating~
How could I not treat myself to a drink?
-
The nun carried Lydia into the cathedral, the commotion drawing the attention of the other sisters.
They gathered around, chattering excitedly. "Where did this child come from?"
"I found her at the entrance, along with two extinguished Visions," the nun said, gently stroking Lydia's head. "Lydia... what a lovely name. Let's adopt her, shall we?"
"Yes, yes! She's so adorable!"
"May the Anemo Archon watch over you, Lydia."
Lying in the nun's arms, Lydia gazed at the gentle, smiling faces around her. She shook the Visions again and broke into a sweet smile.
-
Meanwhile, at Liyue Harbor.
The seawater gradually coalesced into the form of a baby girl.
Carried by the surging waves, the infant washed ashore at the feet of an old man strolling nearby.
-
Inazuma, at the Raiden Shogun's disposal site for discarded puppets.
Buried beneath countless "broken bodies," a surge of Electro energy awakened.
-
Sumeru—Nahida dreamed of a young girl...
Fontaine—the House of the Hearth gained a child who refused to obey...
Natlan—Granny Itztli gained a troublesome "granddaughter"...
-
"Success! Success! Hmph, hahahaha~"
In Snezhnaya, Dottore stared intently at the blueprints, his lips twisting into a manic grin.
Before him, in a petri dish, a "humanoid lifeform" began to take shape.
Beside it, a label read: "Ultimate Weapon."
-
Seventeen years passed in the blink of an eye...