Venti smiled lazily, then introduced himself as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
"Venti. Traveling bard. Also the three-time reigning 'Most Beloved Bard' in Mondstadt."
"Ha?" Paimon blinked. That was… not the answer she expected.
Lumine pinched the bridge of her nose. "And what does that have to do with our question?"
"It matters a lot," Venti said, shrugging as though it were obvious. "Bards tell stories—and stories love mystery. People like listening to those."
Paimon opened and closed her mouth. "I feel like I understood that… and also didn't at all!"
Venti's eyes crescented. "So, what did you need from me?"
"If you already recognized us, no point beating around the bush," Paimon said, turning to Lumine. "It's about Stormterror. Traveler, show him the thing."
Lumine nodded and took out the crimson crystal—
—only to freeze. It had turned white.
"Oh?" Venti's brows lifted. "This is—"
"Huh?! It's purified?" Paimon yelped. "Since when?!"
"Strange," Lumine murmured. "It was red back at the Knights' headquarters."
Venti's voice softened. "It's a tear. Shed by Dvalin… in pain." He sighed, then produced another teardrop crystal and handed it to Lumine. "Try channeling your power into this one."
She did. The red gleam bled away to pure white.
"Eeeeh?!" Paimon's eyes went round.
"You truly possess a remarkable power," Venti said, wonder threading his tone. "A soul like yours belongs in the verses bards sing.
Stand in the sun and you'll become a hero; stand in shadow and you may yet guide disaster…"
He caught himself and shook his head. "Alas, no time to compose a new song. Even if we don't slay Dvalin, his life is burning away. He'll consume himself in anger."
"Is there anything we can do?" Lumine asked.
"You've already helped by purifying the tears. I'm grateful." Venti spread his hands. "But I've got a plan of my own."
"What plan?" Paimon prodded.
"Those tears reminded me of an old friend," Venti said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Well then—excuse me."
"Hey! Where are you going?!"
"To the symbol of Mondstadt's hero. See you."
A breeze coiled around him, and the bard vanished as though he'd simply stepped into the wind.
"…Traveler, what do you think?" Paimon muttered, scratching her head. "Is he really Barbatos?"
"He's… unusual. We should keep watching," Lumine said. "But 'the symbol of Mondstadt's hero'… Where is that?"
"Oh, Paimon knows! It's gotta be Windrise—that huge oak tree! You remember it, right?"
"Then let's go now." Lumine turned, already gathering Anemo under her feet. "If we hurry, maybe we can still catch Kairo at Good Hunter."
Paimon brightened instantly. "Right! If we find Kairo, we can move way faster—and maybe snag dinner while we're at it!"
Lumine couldn't help a tiny laugh and set off at a run. The city air carried the faint, mouth-watering scent of charcoal and roasted meat.
"Mmm—so good," Paimon sighed, drifting alongside. "If Kairo really ordered skewers, here's hoping they've cooled just enough to gobble."
They rounded the last corner toward Good Hunter.
Good Hunter, warm with firelight and the smell of grilled spices.
Sara stepped out from the kitchen, balancing a fresh plate of skewers. She headed to the corner table by the window—the seat Kairo usually favored for the view of the doors and the plaza beyond.
"Order up! Today's skewers are fresh off the coals—secret spice blend, you'll want another plate—" She stopped.
"…Huh? Where'd he go?"
The glass still beaded with condensation; his fruit wine was half-finished. He'd been here moments ago.
Sara set the plate down, frowning as she glanced around. "Weird. Did he step out?"
A few paces away, Kairo watched her with a faint, amused smile.
He hadn't left.
No one could see him—because he'd triggered Seele's Path skill: Phantom Veil.
So it really is full invisibility, he thought, looking down at where his hands ought to be. In bright lamplight he cast no shadow. The world seemed to forget he existed—sight, sound, even the prickle of someone's sixth sense slid off him.
Even the air didn't shiver around him. Even the wind refused to acknowledge he was there.
"Stronger than a normal stealth technique," Kairo judged silently. "Maybe even stronger than the version Seele herself uses."
The Hunt's way hid you with speed and angles; this was different. Phantom Veil erased the fact of him.
Outside the city, night wind combed the green. The scent of distant flowers threaded through the grass. The breeze tugged at a green cloak.
Venti paused mid-step, tilted his head, and frowned slightly. "…They didn't follow?"
By Paimon's temperament, he'd expected them to be nipping at his heels. Instead, he felt their trail veer—
"Good Hunter?" His smile quirked. "Stocking up on energy first? Can't blame them."
The humor faded. A deeper puzzle intruded.
"Not right… they're looking for Kairo." He let the wind whisper. A short while ago, he'd clearly felt that adventurer's presence—like a quiet, heavy current running beneath Mondstadt's breeze. Now, it was gone. Cleanly, utterly.
"How interesting," Venti murmured, chin propped on a knuckle. "An otherworlder, is he? And… earlier than the Traveler?"
Wind was Venti's oldest friend. It carried fragments of past and present, rumors and residue. In the aftermath of Jean's cleanup, the air had still borne a faint, stubborn trace of ruin—a destructive undertone not native to Mondstadt.
That echo felt very much like something that clung, invisibly, to Kairo.
He'd met the strong before. He'd crossed the high and mighty in ages long past. But this—
"Kairo's power can't be recorded by the wind?" Venti's brows knit, curiosity finally cutting through his nonchalance. Was it concealment? Or had Kairo somehow stepped outside the world's senses?
Tempting as the riddle was, he let it go with a breath. He preferred to let answers arrive with the proper rhyme and meter.
"Another time," he said, rolling a chord across his lyre. "For now—Windrise."
He walked on, vanishing into rolling green with a tune on the breeze.
The front door to Good Hunter swung wide.
"Kairo! Kairo!!" Paimon's voice rang out as she and Lumine hurried in.
They scanned the room. Paimon's gaze snagged on the still-steaming plate. "Huh? Skewers are here—but where's the guy?"
"This table…" Lumine recognized the spot immediately. She stepped up to the counter. "Excuse me—was Kairo just here?"
Sara tapped her apron. "He was. Placed an order, I brought it out—and poof, he's gone."
"No way! He better not be off looting treasure without us!" Paimon huffed.
Lumine exhaled, then turned to leave. "Let's go to Windrise first—"
"What's the rush?"
The voice came from behind them—quiet, amused. Both of them whirled.
Kairo stood there as if he'd always been, hands in his pockets, a crooked smile in his eyes.
"Kairo!!" Paimon zipped around him in excited circles. "Where did you go? We got here and you'd vanished! Paimon's heart nearly jumped out!"
Lumine's shoulders loosened. She didn't flit about like Paimon, but the relief was clear. "We're headed to Windrise. Since you're here… could you give us a speed boost?"
Paimon pumped both fists. "Yes, please! Your skill is so convenient. With you, we'll get there way faster—and be back for dessert!"
Kairo chuckled and rolled one shoulder, the last traces of Phantom Veil falling away. "All right."
He set a hand lightly to Lumine's shoulder, a ripple of unseen force unfurling like a tide around their legs.
"Let's race the wind."
Next: Windrise, the great oak… and a bard who isn't just a bard.
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