The Winds Bring with them Change (Volume 1)

Venti was sat under the wide tree branches in the yard before Aether's home, writing furiously when Xiao went to sit beside him. He didn't need to check over his shoulder to know when he was writing about, the heartbroken, raw expression in his eyes showing him immediately. Or perhaps he was just getting better at reading his face. The battle for Mondstadt's freedom. He'd been thinking about it a lot lately.

The form he'd taken was a direct result of the war, his friend's death granting their new Archon a new life. That was one experience he and Xiao didn't share, but the pressure to live up to the expectations of a dead man, that was a familiar feeling.

And though he wanted to stay at Venti's side, they both had agreed he would go with Aether and Kazuha on his first commission after the injury. He had grown a bit find of the Inazuman, as he seemed to be doing so often these days; growing attached to mortals, but no matter how fond he was of him, he was most confident in his own abilities to protect Aether.

It wasn't long they were sat there before the pale man clad in red was beckoning Xiao from across the courtyard. He spared a quick glance at his partner once more, giving him what he hoped resembled a kind smile. He wasn't quite used to those yet, but when Venti was upset like now, they tended to work well. And the smile he got in return was only a bit duller than usual, accompanied by a thumbs up that followed him out of the teapot.

Kazuha glanced at him, then made his way back over to where Aether stood. They shared a look Xiao couldn't decipher, and he joined them in looking out across the Island chain. The atmosphere was thicker than anywhere else Xiao had been, plants not really flowing in the wind, instead seeming to float as if underwater. It was almost suffocating, in a way it had not been in Inazuma City.

The others seemed to breath much easier than he as they began their walk toward the commission area. As they made their way around structures and trees, Xiao carefully filtered the air around him, just enough so he didn't feel like he was being weighed down. Once he could breathe fully again, Inazuma began to look genuinely beautiful.

The trees swayed strangely similarly to the grasses, purple hues dancing across his vision and bright lightning flashing across the sky above them. It was a wilder land than he was usually fond of, enemies around nearly every corner, but he could appreciate why others may love it.

Speaking of enemies, the next corner they took was a mistake as multiple samurai sat there sharpening their weapons. Whilst Xiao pulled his weapon almost immediately, Kazuha waited a moment for the strangers to call out their surnames before drawing his own.

There was immediate fear in their opponent's eyes when he called his own name, the echoing, "Kaedahara Kazuha, of the Kaedahara clan," the only sound in the valley. However, before any of them had the chance to see him even move, a volley of arrows found their aim on the unsuspecting enemies heads.

Xiao looked to Aether, but at the relaxed look on his face and the realization he hadn't even drawn his weapon, he was much calmer. Kazuha had sheathed his sword as well, and Xiao noticed that the enemy Samurai had all been defeated. A man jumped from a cliffside near them, and he was on alert again, weapon moving faster than he felt he was capable of without some warmup.

"Hey! Captain, tell your man to drop his guard." Though his tone was teasing, there was genuine alarm in the ginger's eyes, his hands raised at the sides of his head. His ears were twitching at the top of his head as well, one focused solely on Xiao and the other on his companions. Xiao dropped his hand too his side, knowing that if he was in any way a threat, one of the others would have shoved their weapon through his chest already.

He stepped back a bit, standing near the group, but clearly separate, as he didn't exactly feel like speaking with yet another new person so soon after being forced into meeting one. The man was nearly as short as him, with wild ginger and white hair and huge ears on the top of his head. His teal eyes were cautious same as Kazuha's, but held mirth still as he was hugged tightly by the men.

His clothing was strange, not exactly the same as the other Inazuman clothing Xiao had seen with loose pants and an armor plate covering his shoulder. Though Xiao's first thought was that the whole shirtless with a single armor plate look was useless in actual combat, he supposed if he was fast enough and a good enough archer, it wasn't too useless.

He'd been freed from the barrage of affection, even Paimon popping in for a moment to speak with him before leaving again to keep Venti company. She'd decided that he would be lonely all by himself in the teapot, and took it upon herself to stay with him. Thankfully, his partner had more patience than he himself, and quite enjoyed her simple way of thinking.

The man made his way to Xiao, a smile playing on his lips, though Xiao wasn't sure if it was a kind, or a predatory one.

"General Gorou of Watatsumi Island." He stuck his hand out and Xiao groaned inwardly. He had just barely enough energy left in his body to almost smile and offer his name in return.

"Xiao." He was almost struck with that he hadn't introduced himself 'Adeptus', mayhaps this new life was beginning to stick after all. His grumpy words got a short huffing laugh from the canine-like man, and he was quick to fall in step with Kazuha and Aether. Their conversation sounded joyful, and Xiao kept pace behind them, allowing his thoughts to wander to the place they wandered most often lately; Venti's plight.

He hadn't yet found any solutions to the erosion plaguing his loved one, and all the books in the Mondstadt's library had on it were the results. Huge storms formed from the blood of the Anemo and Electro Archons, rockslides and earthquakes that killed followed Liyue's Archons, Sumeru's gods had left behind confusion and rot. It had been like that for all past Archons who succumbed. He wasn't ready for his newfound love to leave, it had been just out of reach for so long, and the moment he grasped it, it started slipping again.

He made up his mind to speak to his lord soon, he knew the most of it as the oldest Archon still alive. And though Aether had mentioned Raiden Ei fighting her own erosion, he didn't know if he could stand seeing her after she attacked the blonde. His attention was drawn to the back of Aether's head, dwelling for but a second on his anger before going back to Venti.

If this was truly erosion as they thought, then there was most likely no cure, only treatments to slow it if anything. His first thought would have been to get rid of Venti's gnosis, but it was already gone and he was losing his memories faster than even Xiao had when he worried about it. They had thought for a little while that music might help him as it helps Xiao, but when they tried on one of his bad days, it didn't help and only resulted in him freaking out more.

The General halted their movement then, signaling Kazuha forward and whispering to him before nodding at Aether. Xiao had his weapon in his hands again, the cool metal reassuring in the face of his worries and the battle ahead. Aether caught his gaze for a bit, signing quickly before drawing his sword.

"Two Lawachurls." Xiao nodded, pulling himself away from the group and around the enemies. He reappeared on the other side, making eye contact with the others. Kazuha was moving in that moment, wind swirling around his sword as he drew the hilichurls together into a group that was quickly hit by a volley of arrows. They fell quickly, and Xiao was joining them, flicking from one side of the Lawachurls to the other as the rest of the team dealt with the mass.

Once it was only the big ones he moved his focus from distracting them, to actually hitting them where it hurt. His head was pounding when he summoned his mask to cover his face, the wind whipping around him at speeds he hadn't felt since the day he 'died.' The arrows that fell around him hit the monsters perfectly every time, missing his slashes by a hair. Aether summoned constructions of stone, blocking them in, making it easier for Kazuha and Xiao to land their hits, blinking from the ground to the air and summoning lethally harsh winds to their commands.

It wasn't long before the creatures had faded out of existence, crumbling into nothing. His mind cynically compared this to Venti, the irony of the erosion chipping away at him so slowly, like a gentle breeze wearing away at rock not lost on him.

Aether had other commissions still, but he had a sudden homesickness wash over him, the thought of seeing his Lord again the best thought in his mind. He bade his goodbyes, politely excusing himself from the team under the excuse of an emergency. Which, wasn't a full lie.

His most cared for one was in danger.

It was time to find answers.