Chapter Text
Venti let the bowstring slip from his fingers, and his Anemo-infused arrow soared through the air and lodged directly into the Wither's skeletal chest. The elemental energy erupted, blowing the three-headed monstrosity back a few feet, but it wasn't nearly enough to take it down.
Having seen the sheer destruction this creature was capable of, Venti didn't think twice. He thrust his hand out, quickly enclosing Oliver in a swirling, protective barrier of wind.
The Wither launched a glowing, explosive skull toward the bard. Venti swiftly twisted his torso to the right, letting the projectile zip past his shoulder. It slammed into the terrain behind him, blowing a massive crater into the blocky grass.
He readied his golden bow again, aiming high at the floating target, and let another arrow fly.
Oliver could only watch helplessly from the safety of the wind barrier. Venti wasn't exactly struggling to evade, but the creature wasn't getting any weaker, either. "Venti, be careful!" Oliver yelled over to him. "That's a Wither, it's strong as hell! Not to mention it's being possessed by that dark thing—that's just making it even worse!"
Venti dodged and weaved effortlessly around the explosions, but none of his Anemo arrows were doing significant damage. He wanted to unleash his burst... or tap into his full Archon powers like he had in that world with the robots. But his energy hadn't fully replenished yet; he was forced to rely on his basic powers.
The Archon sprinted toward the creature, sliding across the blocky ground right beneath it. He fired an arrow straight up into its underside, rolled gracefully to his feet, and fired another shot at its back. "This really isn't working," Venti grunted, his boots skidding against the grass, looking back up at the monster.
"It's not going down!" Oliver yelled.
"I know that, Ollie!" Venti called back, still firing. "I'm only able to use my basic powers right now until they replenish naturally! If I had my Gnosis, that would have been instant!" Venti gasped as another skull explosive hurtled toward him. He leaped out of the way, landing in a crouch with one fist planted in the dirt. He narrowed his eyes at the Wither. "If only I had another elemental user with me who had a Vision other than Anemo... I could trigger a basic Swirl reaction." Venti analyzed the floating boss. "That would probably stagger it long enough for me to prepare my burst at least..."
Venti glanced back at Oliver, who was still safely tucked inside his wind enclosure. The bard's eyes widened slightly as a spark of inspiration hit him. I could do that... Venti thought to himself. But I haven't made one in so long...
He shot a few more arrows to keep the Wither distracted. He debated the idea furiously in his head. He didn't want to put Oliver in the line of fire, but... Oliver was already in mortal danger just by traveling through these hostile dimensions with him. I don't have a choice.
The bard abruptly stopped shooting. He diverted his full attention away from the monster and toward his boyfriend. "Ollie! I have an idea!"
"Huh? What idea!? What is it?" Oliver yelled back.
"No time to explain, literally!" Venti shouted. "Even though I have to, we gotta rush!"
Oliver looked past the bard and saw the Wither hovering directly behind him. His eyes widened in absolute horror. "VENTI, LOOK OUT!"
Venti didn't react fast enough. The Wither launched a point-blank explosive that slammed into the ground between them. Grass and dirt blocks went flying into the air as the sheer force of the blast shattered the surface, giving way to a massive, hidden cave system directly below.
Knocked off balance, Venti's focus broke, and the wind barrier around Oliver instantly dissipated. Together, the human and the Archon went tumbling into the dark abyss of the cavern.
Venti recovered quickly in mid-air. He re-centered his senses, aiming his hands downward to form a swirling cushion of Anemo energy beneath them.
Oliver panted heavily, clutching onto his boyfriend for dear life as Venti slowly and gently lowered them both down to the stone blocks below.
"There we go," Venti said softly as their feet touched solid ground.
Oliver blinked, his eyes adjusting to the dim lighting as he looked around at the incredibly familiar sight of a Minecraft cave system. He shook his head and looked up at the massive, jagged opening high above them. Sunlight trickled through the hole, but it barely reached the cavern floor. "I think it's still up there," Oliver said softly, but his voice echoing slightly. "I... I thought it would have followed us." He frowned, looking toward the dark tunnels. "It's being controlled by Nerraw. You'd assume it'd be a bit smarter, right?"
"Right," Venti nodded, glancing up at the distant sky. "I can get us back up there, no problem. But... not when you're naked with nothing."
Oliver nodded, "Yeah, I—WAIT, WHAT?!" Oliver choked on his own breath.
Venti quickly waved his hands, shaking his head. "I mean, naked of powers! Hehe! Not like that!"
Oliver blinked, still recovering from the heart attack. "Powers? But... I thought we established that I'm not in my avatar anymore."
"Yes, I know," Venti nodded, a mischievous glint in his eye. "But the wind may find a way!" Venti winked and suddenly turned his back to Oliver.
Oliver just stood there in the damp, cold cave. In the distance, he heard the low, eerie scrape of ambient cave noises. He leaned to the side, trying to see what the bard was doing.
Venti, still facing away, caught Oliver out of the corner of his eye. "Hey! No peeking!"
"What are you doing?" Oliver arched an eyebrow.
"It's a surprise!"
Oliver could see Venti's hands moving rapidly, as if he were shaping or grabbing something out of thin air, but from his angle, he couldn't make out the details. He sighed and stayed planted in his spot.
Venti glanced over his shoulder again. Oliver blinked as he noticed Venti's eyes intensely scanning his face, as if he were searching for a specific detail. Then, the bard looked forward again.
"Uhhh... What were you looking for?" Oliver asked, deeply confused.
"Just checking to see if you have an ear piercing, and hooray! You do!" Venti beamed.
"Ear piercing?" Oliver touched his earlobe. "Oh! Yeah, I..." Oliver squinted. "Huh. I've been in stasis for so long, I'm surprised the hole didn't close up..." He shifted his attention back to his boyfriend. "Venti? What are you doing? Why did you even ask about a piercing?" He suddenly noticed a bright, icy blue glow radiating from Venti the front of Venti. He tried to lean over for another peek.
Venti giggled. "Hey, I said no peeking!" He playfully sent a gust of wind directly into Oliver's face.
"Ah!" Oliver gasped and stumbled slightly, blinking rapidly. "What—hey!"
"Hehe! When I say no peeking, I mean it~!" Eventually, the brilliant blue glow faded. "Alright. I'm done!" Venti turned around, one hand balled into a tight fist.
Venti smiled warmly and slowly opened his fingers. Resting in the palm of his hand was a glowing, icy-blue Cryo Vision, flawlessly embedded within a silver earring casing.
Oliver gasped, his eyes darting between his boyfriend's face and the divine artifact sitting in his palm. "V-Venti, you..."
"I am bestowing a Vision upon you!" Venti declared with a proud smile. "Normally, humans would have to go through years of training, hardship, and trials before they could be awarded a Vision by the gods of Celestia or an Archon. But this is a dire situation, and I need some help!" Venti stepped up close to his boyfriend, rising onto his tiptoes as he reached up to carefully slide the earring into Oliver's piercing. "This is why I was looking."
Oliver blinked repeatedly. The lore theories... were they real? Or was this just a thing just for Sub-3921?
A warm blush crept across Oliver's face from the sudden, intimate proximity of Venti being so close to him. He couldn't help but get lost in Venti's bright teal eyes. "But why an earring, though?"
Venti smiled as he secured the backing. "Ehe, well, I think it looks classy, for one! It really complements your beautiful brown skin! But I also chose it for practical reasons. It is entirely possible to lose a Vision. Since you haven't lived the typical life of a Vision-bearer in Teyvat, you might lose it rather quickly if I just made it a heavy pin attached to your shirt." Venti gently flicked the crystal. "But you can't lose an earring, right? Ehe, unless it's too loose, but I made this one perfectly!"
Venti stepped backward, admiring his handiwork. "So, besides the newfound elemental power, how does the earring itself feel?"
"It feels... great, actually!" Oliver nodded, gently touching the casing. "It honestly feels more comfortable than the earrings I used to buy for myself!" He smiled, fascinated by the sensation. "Like, seriously, it feels really good. Kinda... cool, too? It has a slight chill to it."
"That would be the Cryo energy," Venti giggled.
Oliver arched an eyebrow, his gamer brain kicking in. "Why Cryo, though? If an Archon can actually forge Visions on the spot... wouldn't you make one of your own element? Shouldn't I have an Anemo Vision?"
Venti shook his head. "Archons can forge any Vision they feel is a perfect fit for the person they wish to bestow it upon. Though, I do see where you are coming from, as that makes more historical sense. But I believe it works best like this. Especially now, with how united the Archons are becoming, none of us are strictly limited to our own nations' elements anymore. We can give any, but can't use any for ourselves."
"Have you ever given someone a Vision before?" Oliver asked in awe.
"Not in a very, very long time. I was going to make one for the Traveler in the past, but he had already found his own way with the Statues of The Seven, so I decided not to interfere."
Oliver gently traced the smooth glass of the glowing orb in the earring casing. "You still didn't answer my question, though, why Cyro?"
"Oh, do you not like Cryo?" Venti tilted his head, looking slightly worried. "Sorry, I was in such a rush, I didn't even bother to ask what element you liked best. Though, if you had asked for Anemo, I would have had to deny it."
"No, it's nothing like that! Cryo is cool..." Oliver blinked, realizing what he just said. "No pun intended..."
Venti snorted. "Tighnari would have strangled you for that one."
Oliver laughed. "Haha... basically, I was just asking why you picked this specific element for me."
"Well, babe, everyone in this cave right now knows that I am an Archon. But, as you also know, I don't have my Gnosis." Venti pointed to his chest. "Archons can still use their powers without it, but it's greatly severed. Using my raw powers to blow up that warehouse took a massive toll on me, and I have to wait for that strength to naturally build back up. At the moment, I can only use basic Anemo attacks."
Oliver nodded along, following the logic. "Oh, so you're weaker right now? Wait, so you needed me as a support to help?"
"Exactly!"
"But... what can Cryo do? If basic wind can't do squat, how could this?"
Venti placed his hands on his hips, slipping seamlessly into his instructor self. "My basic powers still rival a master Vision-holder in terms of sheer strength. When another element mixes with my Anemo currents, it triggers a powerful—"
Oliver's eyes widen as he pointed a finger at Venti, "SWIRL! SWIRL, I KNOW THIS!!!" Oliver shouted, completely cutting Venti off, smiling greatly.
The sudden, passionate outburst startled Venti so badly he froze, his eyes wide.
Oliver quickly cleared his throat, his face burning red. "S-Sorry. Just... the Genshin Impact fanboy coming out of me..."
Venti snorted, bursting into laughter. "Haha! I sometimes forget you already know how my world's mechanics work. But yes! Swirl! My wind and your new Cryo powers will chain-react and stun that 'Wither' until I'm ready to use my full strength again! Though I'll probably just use my burst and not my raw Archon powers." He looked at Oliver seriously. "Does this world have innocent residents? I don't want to take that risk. I refuse to hurt innocent people. I'm not like my immature and brash self from when I was in my hundreds."
Hearing that last part made Oliver chuckle. "Wow. That sounds incredibly cursed."
"Hey! What can I say? An Archon ages slowly and beautifully!"
Oliver giggled. "And you say you were immature. You're still completely silly, you know~"
Venti playfully rolled his eyes. "Hey, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being playful! It's good for the soul!" He gently shoved Oliver's shoulder. "Now, let's have you do a little practice run before we head back up to the surface, yeah? Try to..." Venti stopped dead in his tracks. He blinked slowly. "Wait... oh, crap."
Oliver tilted his head. "What is it?"
"A weapon is needed to channel a Vision's power," Venti groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Out of all the things for me to forget, it's the most basic rule."
"Oh... Uh.... I don't have a weapon."
"I know," Venti sighed. "Any weapon would have done. A sword, a bow... but I cannot just conjure weapons out of thin air. Great. The Vision is practically useless now unless you have a weapon. I'd hand over my bow for you to use, but then that puts me out of a weapon, ehe..."
Oliver looked around the damp, dark, blocky space. His eyes scanned the stone walls until they landed on exactly what he was looking for: a block of raw, Iron Ore.
"Venti, could any weapon work?"
"Any?" Venti dropped his hand and looked at Oliver. "Well, yes. Anything can act as a conduit for the Vision. But even as an Archon, I can't just spawn a sword on a whim as I said. So, I cannot make one for you."
Oliver didn't look away from the ore. "This is the world of Minecraft."
Venti straightened up, intrigued. "Does this place has weapons? Ooh! You're thinking of finding one! How long will that take?"
Oliver pointed to the Iron Ore embedded in the wall. "It's more like you have to make your own." But as Oliver said it, the agonizing logic of the game's world set in. To mine iron, he needed a stone pickaxe. To get stone, he needed a wooden pickaxe. To get wood, he needed trees. And the trees were currently on the surface being guarded by a Wither.
Oliver stared into the pitch-black depths of the cavern tunnel stretching out before them. "We could look for an abandoned mineshaft..." Oliver muttered quietly. But the thought sent a shiver down his spine. Minecraft on a computer screen was a fun survival game. In real life? It was a claustrophobic horror film.
He did not want to venture into the deep dark.
And literally... the Deep Dark. His absolute worst nightmare would be wandering into a near a Sculk sensor and coming face-to-face with the Warden.
"A mineshaft? In here?" Venti asked.
Oliver hugged his arms. "It could be anywhere... we could be walking for hours and never find one. And we don't have torches or tools anyway. Also, the cave might just be a dead end."
Venti smiled his trademark radiant smile and suddenly grabbed his boyfriend's hand, his optimism unwavering. "Well, we definitely won't find it just standing around in the dark all day, will we? Come on! Let's go!"
"B-But what about the Wither up above?" Oliver stammered as he was pulled along.
"It didn't even follow us down here," Venti reasoned.
"Which makes zero sense to me! I don't think Nerraw is stupid. Why would it just let us go?"
"I dunno. But either way, we have to find a sword for you."