Chapter Text
A paper airplane flies lazily around the room. Five pairs of eyes stare at it out of curiosity, and they gasp when it eventually slows down and hits the back of Morax’s head, who had his eyes closed the entire time. An exasperated sigh suddenly leaves the Geo Archon’s lips, and Focalors finds herself instinctively sinking into her chair in an attempt to disappear under the table before a long lecture breaks out. (She was the one who made the paper airplane.)
“Where is Barbatos?” Morax asks, choosing to ignore the paper airplane he’s currently crumpling and eyeing the one seat that had been vacant for almost two hours now.
“Ah… you know him,” Makoto says, waving a hand around. She smiles apologetically despite not being guilty before glancing at the door, hoping to see it open any time now. “He’s not... a very early person.”
“Yeah, Morax,” Murata says, tapping her fingers onto the stone table. “He’s just late, as usual.”
“But this is a bit too late,” Morax says, frowning. Did Barbatos not get his letter? He had made sure to send one to each archon a day before the meeting would be held. He’s not sure if he should feel worried or disappointed, but he decides to finally stand up from his seat. Delaying this meeting any longer would waste more of their time. The others have to return to their own nations soon. “Perhaps it would be best to start the meeting first to avoid wasting any more—”
The door swings open at this very moment, and they all turn their head to look at the newcomer. Barbatos stands there with his cheeks flushed, face covered in a thin layer of sweat. The feathers of his wings are disarranged, and he looks unsteady on his feet as he hastily makes his way to his seat.
“I am so, so sorry,” Barbatos says, voice coming out breathless. He slumps into his chair, almost toppling midway (Makoto was already prepared to help right next to him). He lowers the hood over his head. “I didn’t mean to be this late.”
“There is nothing to apologise for. Are you alright?” Morax asks, his face now concerned. The Anemo Archon is normally playful when he’s late, however he looks nothing but exhausted this time, and the apology he has given is surprisingly sincere.
“Yeah—I’m alright,” Barbatos says, lips curling into a faint smile. He looks over his shoulder when he feels a hand combing his wings, and he sends Makoto an appreciative look when he sees her fixing some of the messy feathers. “Don’t let me interrupt you, Morax. Please, continue.”
Morax stares at him for a little longer, before he nods his head. If Barbatos doesn’t feel like telling them, then he supposes it is nothing grave. He begins the meeting by explaining how Liyue has faced several attacks by the Abyss Order these past few days, and it turns out that his nation isn’t the only one experiencing the same problem. Rukkhadevata comments how an army of Abyss Mages had tried to infiltrate into Sumeru, while Tsaritsa mentions that a large group of hilichurls had constantly attacked her people’s homes.
Morax’s eyes eventually flicker to Barbatos, trying to gain his feedback on the issue, but he notices how the other has his eyes drooping, his head lolling forward. The Anemo Archon nearly drops his head onto the table, but he manages to wake up with a jolt. The sudden movement causes everyone’s attention to go back to him, and he tries to cover it up by giving them a sheepish smile.
“Sorry, I—um…” he visibly swallows, his hands fiddling with his white cloak. “What were we talking about again?”
Rukkhadevata looks at him from across the table, her face visibly worried. “Barbatos, are you okay?”
“You look like you really need some sleep,” Focalors comments, rubbing her chin as she looks up thoughtfully. “We know Morax is boring, but this issue is thankfully far from boring…” She suddenly purses her lips, covering her mouth with a hand. “Aw, does the poor Anemo Archon need his beauty sleep already?”
They can tell that Focalors is simply joking, but when they notice Barbatos only looking away and not answering...
“Hey!” Murata yells, slamming her hands onto the table. “Why the hell are you not sleeping?!”
“You idiot!” Focalors exclaims, and Barbatos yelps when she knocks her fist behind his head. He doesn’t know when she has gotten behind him, but it’s scary to think that she was sitting across from him just a few seconds ago. “Give us one good reason why you’re acting like a fool right now, Barbatos,” she says, her eyes narrowed. The look she’s giving is a complete contrast to the remark she made moments ago.
“Focalors,” Morax says sternly, and the Hydro Archon huffs, reluctantly taking a step back, before returning to her seat. Barbatos yelps again when the Geo Archon also sends his fist knocking the back of his head.
“Ow?!” Barbatos uses his hands to shield his head from any more incoming attacks. “Morax, I thought you were on my side! Why are you guys ganging up on me anyway?!”
“Because if you had told us earlier that you needed to fall into slumber, we would’ve understood,” Morax says, his face deadpan. He crosses his arms over his chest, and Barbatos starts to sweat when he realises that all of them are doing the exact same motion. “Why are you even attending this meeting when you need rest, Barbatos? You shouldn’t take your slumbers lightly.”
With the way everyone is staring down at him menacingly (it sucks not to have the height advantage!), Barbatos thinks it would be best if he just answers truthfully. He squirms uncomfortably in his seat, his nervousness becoming more and more apparent.
“Okay, look,” he begins, choosing to stare at the table to avoid everyone’s gaze. “If I’m being honest... it’s not time for me to sleep yet.”
“What?” Tsaritsa and Murata speak at the same time. The rest just look at him in shock.
“Mondstadt has been under attack for several days,” Barbatos says, his face turning solemn. Makoto immediately glances at his wings, and that may have explained some of the missing feathers she had spotted while she was combing them. “My people were strong, but the enemies were stronger. I couldn’t let any more of them get hurt.”
“Why did you not request for any assistance?” Morax asks, his eyes widening. He wishes he was made aware of this. He wouldn’t have hesitated to help his neighbouring archon if he needed it. Barbatos had occasionally helped his people during his visits, and it was only natural that he would like to do the same.
“One of the Abyss Mages said that there were more of them attacking around Teyvat,” Barbatos says, lowering his head. “So I knew Mondstadt wasn’t the only one under attack. I couldn’t bother you guys when you might be protecting your nations too.”
“We would’ve still tried to come and help if you needed it,” Rukkhadevata says, frowning. “Sumeru may be further than Liyue, but I will find a way to get there as soon as possible once I’m free.”
“She’s right, Barbatos,” Makoto says, turning her head to the side to look at him. Her eyes dart around momentarily, trying to find any other signs of injury on him. Thankfully, there seems to be none. “We are friends. We come to each other’s aid when we need it. One of us could’ve been available at the moment to help you.”
“It’s okay—I could handle it, really,” Barbatos reassures, waving his hands in the air. He’s starting to regret telling the truth now, but he is really grateful for their concern. “I was a little shaken up because someone almost got badly injured, so I used more power than I was supposed to while fighting them. I thought I could recover before the meeting, but it seems I’m still a little tired…”
“Then you should rest, Barbatos,” Tsaritsa suggests. “We know how important it is for you to replenish your strength through your slumbers. Do not push yourself.”
“I would love to, but right now, I can’t,” Barbatos says, and he runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “What if there’s another attack? I can’t leave Mondstadt defenceless. I know they’re capable of defending themselves, but the enemies—”
This time, Murata is the one who knocks his head. When has she gotten behind him? He’ll never know. But Barbatos immediately yelps in surprise, hands automatically flying to protect his poor skull.
“We can look after your nation while you sleep, Barbatos,” she says, and her voice leaves no room for any more argument. Even though all of them have always looked out for one another, that still doesn’t mean he feels any less guilty at the thought of passing his responsibility to someone else. “Come on.”
She easily pulls him off his seat, and without even asking for his consent, she starts dragging him to the door.
“W-wait—Murata?!” he squeaks, glancing at the others for help. The rest choose to merely nod and follow right behind her, whispering about something like if he doesn’t want to sleep, then we’ll just make him (“Even if that comes with knocking him out ourselves,” Focalors adds, somewhat joyfully). He tries to get out of the grasp he’s stuck in—because holy shit, that sounds intimidating. However, no matter how much he struggles, there’s no chance of winning against the God of War.
“Do not fret, Barbatos,” Morax says, noticing his struggles, and Barbatos doesn’t know if the smile he’s giving is amiable or menacing. “This is for your own good.”
Barbatos swallows the lump in his throat. “A-all of you are being awfully mean to me today,” he stammers, trying his hardest to catch up with Murata’s steps. “I understand Morax, but the rest of you—how dare you treat the second eldest of the Seven like this? You seriously put the Ragnvindr’s to shame!”
➳
The door to the domain opens, revealing a large, dimly-lit space. The only thing that sits at the centre of the place is a stone platform, just big enough for someone to lay down on it.
It has been about twenty years since Barbatos’ last slumber, and he wishes he can stay conscious for just a little longer to make sure that Mondstadt is truly safe from the Abyss Order. However, with his friends’ reassurance, he trusts them that they can look after his nation while he sleeps. He hopes that his nation is safe while he sleeps though; he doesn’t want to actually burden his friends to fight what was supposed to be his own battle. He prays that his body doesn’t sleep that long, but it shouldn’t be a long slumber anyway, since it’s not like he’s heavily injured. The most he’ll sleep is probably about a month.
Even though he is hesitant to possibly trouble the others, a part of him is relieved that he has such kind-hearted friends. He doesn’t think he can last much longer if he’s forced to continuously use his powers.
Speaking of his friends...
“Merde!” Focalors exclaims, jumping a few meters back as if she has seen a ghost. “What in Teyvat is that?!”
All of them look at where the Hydro Archon is pointing, and they see possibly a hundred sets of little eyes blinking from a dark corner.
“Oh... they are just my friends—siblings?” Barbatos adds as an afterthought, before he waves a hand at the blinking eyes. “There is nothing to fear, it’s just me and my friends, everyone!”
Like a swarm of bees, they all float out of the darkness, and the other archons gasp at the sight of the wind wisps surrounding Barbatos. It’s rare to see a wind wisp in person, so this is truly a sight to behold. The wind wisps, on the other hand, look very happy that the Anemo Archon has returned. Some of them are rubbing their heads against his cheek, while the others are perching themselves on top of his head. Barbatos tries his best to give all of them a hug—despite them easily slipping through his fingertips.
“There’s so many of them,” Rukkhadevata can’t help but whisper, her eyes widening in awe. She leans closer to Tsaritsa. “Isn’t Barbatos originally a wind wisp too?”
“He is,” Tsaritsa says, nodding her head. Though, she’s not very sure herself about the rest of Barbatos’ origins. “I heard he’s also related to the God of Time, but that’s all I know.”
“From what I heard, his familial relationship is quite complicated,” Focalors says sagely, wanting to join in the gossip now that she has heard it.
“Yes—I don’t know why either,” Barbatos says all of a sudden, nodding to one of the wind wisps who has whispered something to him. “I told them that they didn’t have to follow, but they insisted—and dragged me here against my will! Can you believe it?”
The wind wisp’s eyes widen, before it continues to say something to him, which sounds in disbelief.
“Barbatos, you have some nerve talking about us when we’re right here,” Murata says, and Barbatos immediately hides behind the group of wind wisps when he sees the tips of her hair burning.
Still, it doesn’t stop him from whispering something to the wind wisps, pretending to shudder in fear, and when they all look like they’re ready to charge at the Pyro Archon, that’s when he quickly drags them back with his arms, pulling them away. “I’m joking, I’m joking! Please don’t attack her.”
After Barbatos has calmed his army of wind wisps and introduces them to the archons, he ends up gathering in a circle with them at the centre of his domain. A few wind wisps rest on top of his head, while two of them are toying with his braids, giving the blue tips a soft glow. Barbatos is stroking one of the wind wisp’s head, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
“Well... I guess I’ll be going to sleep after this,” Barbatos says, smiling faintly at them. The wind wisp under his palm wiggles itself out of his hold and floats lazily to join the others. “I’m sorry for troubling you guys with this. I really hope I don’t sleep too long this time.”
“You should just take your time, Barbatos,” Morax replies, sending him a reassuring look. “It is important for you to get enough rest.”
“Yes,” Makoto nods. “If anything happens to Mondstadt, we’ll deal with it.”
A wind wisp flies to Barbatos, and he tilts his head closer to it, listening to what it’s saying. He glances at the other wind wisps, who are staring at him from a distance. He sends a nod their way.
“Alright, alright, I’ll go to sleep now,” Barbatos says, and he pushes himself into a standing position. The wind wisps circle around him in anticipation, waiting for him to sit on the platform. He looks at the other archons, and he can’t help but give them a wide grin. “I really owe you guys one. See you later—whenever I wake up.”
Morax is about to remind him that there is no need to feel indebted when he has always helped them, but the Anemo Archon has already lain down on the platform, his eyes slowly closing. The tips of his braids begin to glow, and all of a sudden, the wind wisps start to glow around him too.
“We should go,” Morax says instead, and everyone doesn’t miss the sombre tone in his voice as he stands up and turns around. Even if he doesn’t say it out loud, it’s obvious that he would miss Barbatos the most, considering how long the two of them had been friends.
The rest give Barbatos one final look—the wind wisps look like they are enveloping him now, protecting him—before they follow the Geo Archon out of the domain.
They hope Barbatos gets all the rest he needs.
➳
A few days have passed since Barbatos fell asleep.
The attacks by the Abyss Order have lessened significantly—surprisingly—but that doesn’t mean the archons are letting their guard down. They’re trying to figure out why the attacks have suddenly decreased, and one of the conclusions that they have come up with is that the Abyss Order are most likely retreating to form another plan.
They have expected the Abyss Order to attack now since Barbatos has fallen into slumber, but it seems that they are doing the opposite instead. Not that they are complaining, at least Barbatos doesn’t have to worry that Mondstadt is in danger while he’s sleeping.
“But it’s very strange,” Rukkhadevata says, rubbing her chin. She stares at the table, her eyes unfocused as she thinks. “Do you think that it’s a coincidence that the Abyss Order stopped attacking when Barbatos slept? I would expect them to send stronger attacks now that one of us isn’t here.”
“Rukkha, you have to remember, they don’t know that he’s asleep,” Murata says, folding her arms on the table. “As long as they assume that Barbatos is still around, I’m sure they won’t attack recklessly. For the time being, we’ll just have to prepare if they do end up attacking while he’s sleeping.”
“Hm. When is he waking up again?” Focalors mumbles, propping her cheek in one hand while using the other to cover her mouth as she yawns.
“Focalors,” Makoto chides, nudging her arm and making her wince. “He should take his time. You know that’s the only way for him to recover his strength.”
“I know, I know,” Focalors huffs, batting her arm away. She suddenly makes a sharp turn with her head, her eyes landing onto Morax. “It’s just that—I’m tired of seeing this old man brood every single day ever since Barbatos fell asleep!”
Morax notices how everyone’s eyes are on him, and he immediately straightens his back, awkwardly clearing his throat as his self-consciousness starts kicking in. “I am not brooding,” he says flatly.
“Morax, no offence, but it is quite obvious,” Tsaritsa comments, the corners of her lips twitching upwards.
Murata only nods to him from across the table, mouthing the words, It’s okay, we know.
Morax uses a hand to rub his face. Why does this happen at every occasion when Barbatos isn’t around?
“We understand, Morax,” Rukkhadevata says, and despite her genuine sympathetic tone, it only adds to make this whole situation worse. “Barbatos is the one who often visits you, so you can’t help but miss his presence when he’s not here.”
“Yeah. You pretend to be annoyed when he’s fooling around in Liyue, but we all know you secretly enjoy it,” Focalors says, and all of a sudden, she chooses to lower her voice—trying to imitate the Geo Archon. “Barbatos, do you not have a nation to look after? But then the next second,” she places the back of her hand over her forehead, dramatically looking away, “Oh, Barbatos, it is not the same without the wind by my side! Whatever shall I do without you—ack!”
A stone hits her square in the forehead, and she pouts before using a hand to rub it. Murata is trying her best to suppress a snort from behind her hand, earning a glare from the Hydro Archon when she catches it.
“Um,” Makoto glances at the Geo Archon, subconsciously raising her hands to placate him. She can’t help but let out a nervous laugh. “Morax... have you tried visiting Barbatos?”
Morax stops his one-sided deathly staring contest and raises a brow, looking at her curiously. “Visit him?”
“Yes,” Makoto says, smiling. She knows just what her oldest archon friend needs. “Tsaritsa and Rukkha visited him a week ago—you know, just to check on him. Maybe it’ll help if you pay his domain a visit?”
“Hm.” Morax isn’t actually considering; he would love to visit Barbatos just to make sure that he is well. He narrows his eyes when he sees Focalors batting her eyelashes at Rukkhadevata—somehow, he has a feeling that she’s making fun of him—and she quickly ducks when a larger rock flies into her direction. “Perhaps I will.”
“Morax, you stupid pebble!” Focalors yells from under the table, her hat peeking out just enough for him to see her waving a fist in the air. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“Actually, I was planning to visit him today,” Murata quickly interrupts before the two of them can argue, leaning forward to look at Morax. “Wanna go together? I feel like leaving him some flowers so that he knows we were there.”
“I left him some Mist Flower Corollas the other day,” Tsaritsa says, using a thumb to point at Rukkhadevata. “Rukkhadevata left some Sumeru Roses.”
“Then I will be looking for some flowers too,” Morax says, inwardly deciding which flowers he should leave as a gift for Barbatos.
“Hmph, well, since everyone is giving flowers to Barbatos, I suppose I’ll have to leave some for him too,” Focalors says, poking her nose into the air. She throws a glance at Makoto, snapping her fingers to gain her attention. “Makoto, shall we visit his domain together this Tuesday?”
It’s obvious that Focalors just wants a friend to follow her while she visits Barbatos, not that she would ever admit it out loud. Makoto only laughs, nodding her head. “Sure, Focalors.”
➳
Makoto and Focalors are on their way to Barbatos’ domain. Makoto has a pouch of Sakura Blooms with her, and she can’t help but eye the Hydro Archon right next to her, who has her hands full with flowers from Fontaine. She’s trying her best to push down the smile from making its way to her lips, but she thinks she isn’t being very subtle about it when Focalors sends her a very annoyed look.
“What?” Focalors asks, clutching the flowers close to her chest. “These flowers were ruining the aesthetics of my garden, so I thought of just giving them to Barbatos, considering how dull and hideous his domain was.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Makoto says, lips splitting into a wide grin. She moves closer to the Hydro Archon, keeping her hands behind her back. Her voice is playful when she adds, “Is there a reason why you suddenly feel the need to justify yourself?”
Focalors turns her head away, though Makoto still sees the reddening of her cheeks. “You were giving me an accusatory look. I couldn’t help it.”
Makoto lets out a soft chuckle. “Focalors, I was just looking at you with admiration…”
Her voice trails off when she spots the domain. The moment she sees the small crack at the entrance, she knows something is wrong. It seems like Focalors notices it too, because she immediately looks at her, her face worried. The two of them rush inside, and while the domain barely has any light since their first arrival, something about its darkness this time fills the both of them with a sense of dread.
“Barbatos?” Focalors calls, her voice echoing in the empty domain. The place is too quiet, and she feels the need to drop some of the flowers to summon her sword in one hand. “Are you awake?”
“Has it always been this dark?” Makoto asks. She can’t see what’s ahead of her with how dark it was.
“No,” Focalors says, lips pressing into a thin line. She finally abandons the flowers in her hand and makes a gesture with it. “Makoto, give me some light here.”
Makoto summons a ball of electro, and they both let out a horrified gasp when they see a trail of white—which turns out to be the wind wisps—scattered on the ground, their bodies unmoving. Someone had apparently trashed Barbatos’ domain, because the flowers that the other archons had left for him were everywhere, and the stone platform he was supposed to sleep on was split in half.
Barbatos himself is also not here.
Makoto quickly runs over to one of the wind wisps on the ground, picking it up with her free hand.
“Are you alright? Please, give us a sign that you’re okay,” Makoto says, gently tilting the wind wisp in her hand. Her eyes widen when the wind wisp trembles, its wings fluttering for a moment, before falling limp. “Focalors, I think they’re still alive!”
“Okay. Okay,” Focalors breathes out, forcing herself to snap out of her frozen state. She looks around before pointing to the other wind wisps. “Makoto, put it down with the rest of them. I’m going to try healing them with my powers.”
“You can heal?” Makoto asks as she carefully places the wind wisp down.
“My powers are not used for healing, so they’re weak compared to an actual healer,” Focalors replies, spinning her finger in the air. A circle forms on the floor around the wind wisps, and her hair and eyes begin to glow a bright blue. “But it’s better to try than nothing.”
Makoto feels a little nervous, seeing that the wind wisps are trapped in a bubble of water. However, she’s aware that Focalors knows what she’s doing, so she waits patiently for her to finish using her elemental skill. The bubble suddenly splashes, and the water immediately vaporises into thin air. The wind wisps are still lying down on the floor, but they slowly return back to consciousness when their wings begin to flutter; their beady eyes blinking at them.
“Thank goodness—you guys are okay!” Makoto says, her voice full of relief while picking up an armful of wind wisps.
“What happened here?” Focalors asks, lifting up one of the wind wisps who was crawling towards her. It shifts a little in her palm, its wings fluttering weakly behind it. “Where’s Barbatos?”
Please… help us, the wind wisp whispers. Its form droops; some of its injuries are still there. Barbatos is in danger. They took him away.
“What?” Makoto says, overhearing them. She moves closer to Focalors, who has stiffened in shock. She stares at the wind wisp in her friend’s hand. “Do you know who took him?”
The wind wisp makes a sound akin to coughing, tilting its head to look at Makoto. The Abyss Order, it answers weakly, before it curls into a ball. It starts to shake its head. It’s not time, it’s not time. He still needs more time.
“More time?” Focalors asks. She brings the wind wisp closer to her face. “He needs more time for what?”
His slumber, the wind wisp answers, shaking. The other wind wisps nod from the ground, while others are staring at the broken stone dejectedly. We tried to stop them, but they forced him to wake.
One of the wind wisps in Makoto’s arm starts weeping. He hasn’t even fully healed from their last attack, it says, its voice barely audible.
“Barbatos… you really are an idiot,” Focalors mutters, the realisation finally hitting her.
Makoto feels like dropping to her knees. “He never told us he was injured.”
➳
Morax is busy having his evening tea, when he hears frantic knocking coming from his door. He frowns as he lowers his porcelain cup, wondering who was at his door and interrupting his tea time. He didn’t have a chance to tell the other to come in, when the door abruptly flew open. The moment he sees Makoto and Focalors—moreover, in person, unannounced—panting at his doorway, he instantly knows that something bad has happened.
“What’s wrong?” Morax asks, hastily standing up from his seat.
“Morax, you have to help us!” Makoto exclaims, looking at him, teary-eyed. “It’s Barbatos—the Abyss Order broke into his domain while he was sleeping and took him away!”