Dadaupa Gorge.
The wind stilled.
Stanley—no, the man calling himself "Stanley"—could not move under Venti's gaze.
"Oh!"
Paimon suddenly slapped her forehead.
"I get it!"
She flew to Lumine's ear and whispered loudly,
"H-He must've hidden that broken sword and shield here beforehand!"
"He did it for Jack, right? To protect Jack's dream of adventure—and to preserve their 'friendship'!"
The man's shoulders jerked.
She had guessed correctly.
Venti ignored the aside.
He looked toward the cliffs of the gorge.
"You're very familiar with this place, aren't you?"
His voice was gentle.
"As if… you once fought here."
Stanley seized the opening.
He straightened immediately, returning to his exaggerated bravado.
"O-Of course! Dadaupa Gorge! I, Stanley, conquered it long ago! Every hilichurl here remembers my might!"
He thumped his chest proudly.
Venti smiled.
That smile sent a chill through Stanley.
"Is that so?" Venti said lightly. "To preserve memories so vividly… what remarkable 'perseverance.'"
"Hmph!"
Stanley avoided his eyes.
"I-I have other business! Watch out for hilichurls yourselves!"
He fled.
Almost in a panic.
"Hah! Guilty conscience!" Paimon crossed her arms.
"He's not guilty," Venti said quietly, watching the retreating figure.
"He's trapped."
"Trapped?" Lumine echoed.
"Yes." Venti lowered his gaze. "Because he boasted to Jack. And so, no matter how afraid he is, he has to keep 'performing.'"
The Anemo Archon sighed softly.
"If someone clings only to the past… they may truly lose their future."
"Huh?" Paimon blinked. "What past? What future?"
Venti instantly returned to his carefree grin.
"Ehe! It means I'm thirsty!"
"Let's head back to Mondstadt! Angel's Share awaits!"
—
Night.
Mondstadt.
Angel's Share.
The door creaked open.
The tavern was unexpectedly quiet.
Only a few scattered patrons.
Diluc stood behind the bar, polishing a glass.
He glanced up.
"You're here."
"Wow, Master Diluc," Paimon floated closer. "Business is slow tonight."
Diluc snorted.
"This," he replied coolly, "is peace."
Venti and Lumine found a table in the corner.
"Bring one—"
"Stanley… you… you are Stanley…"
A slurred, tearful voice drifted from a nearby table.
It was Stanley.
Collapsed over a table piled high with empty glasses.
Drunk.
"Stanley… Stanley… you have to be Stanley…"
He clutched his hair, repeating the name over and over.
Paimon tilted her head.
"That's weird. Why does he keep saying his own name?"
"Or… wait!" Her eyes widened. "Is there really another 'Stanley' in Mondstadt?"
Lumine remained silent.
She watched.
The man began to cry.
"I… I'm not…"
"I'm not Stanley…"
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: "Oh? Truth coming out with the wine?"
[Chatroom – Beidou]: "Ha! Told you he was a fraud!"
[Chatroom – Jack]: "Huh? What is Mr. Stanley saying?"
[Chatroom – Venti]: "Shh. Everyone. Let's listen to a story."
Inside the tavern, Stanley's sobbing grew raw and broken.
"The real Stanley… he… he died."
"He died in the Mare Jivari."
Paimon covered her mouth.
Lumine's pupils contracted sharply.
"He… he died saving me…" Stanley's voice trembled, burned by alcohol and memory.
"Fire… so much fire… he pushed me out… he…"
Venti's whisper brushed Lumine and Paimon's ears.
"His companion died in that uncharted wasteland… saving him."
Paimon trembled. "Th-Then… he stole the name?"
Venti nodded faintly.
"I was so afraid…" Stanley curled up like a child.
"I was afraid that if he died… no one would remember him."
"That Mondstadt would forget his story. Forget the hero."
"So!"
He suddenly lifted his head.
Red eyes blazing at the empty cup.
"I am Stanley!"
"I am 'Stanley'! As long as I live, the legend lives!"
He roared—
Then collapsed back onto the table.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… Stanley… I'm sorry…"
Silence.
He slowly lifted his head.
His bleary eyes met Lumine's. Paimon's. Venti's.
"..."
"Waaah! He saw us!" Paimon squeaked.
Stanley jolted half-sober.
Fear. Shame. Anger.
"You—you heard?!" he barked hoarsely.
"Get out! Get out! You heard nothing!"
The tavern door burst open.
"Mr. Stanley! Traveler! You're all here!"
Jack rushed in, holding the rusty sword.
"Great news! I showed the 'Sword of Glorious Courage' to my parents—they agreed! They're letting me become an adventurer!"
He ran up eagerly.
"Mr. Stanley! I'm going to repair the sword and shield!"
"But I'm not leaving Mondstadt just yet."
"Before you go… could you tell me another story about Mare Jivari?"
Stanley froze.
He looked into Jack's clear, trusting eyes.
Then at Lumine and Venti—who now knew everything.
"Jack…"
His voice was gravel.
"I'm… tired today."
"Tomorrow."
Jack nodded vigorously despite the disappointment.
"Okay! I'll come back tomorrow!"
He dashed out like a gust of wind.
Silence returned.
"You…" Venti lifted his glass.
"You care about that child."
Stanley rose slowly and walked over.
"…Thank you."
"For not exposing me."
Venti smiled faintly. "Ehe. Why would I expose the great adventurer, Mr. Stanley?"
The title pierced him.
"Don't… call me that."
"I'm just a liar."
He sank into a chair.
"Jack's dream is so pure."
"And I watered it with lies."
"That's not true!" Paimon protested. "Your story is real! The real Stanley really was a hero!"
"Was he?"
Stanley stared at his trembling hands.
"I… I can barely remember his face now."
"His voice is fading."
"I'm afraid… one day I'll forget him completely."
He began to shake.
"I let him die! It wasn't glorious!"
"He burned alive in that fire!"
"I heard him screaming… and I ran!"
"I ran away like a coward—!"
He broke down.
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: "So that's the truth."
[Chatroom – Arataki Itto]: "(…He's not so bad.)"
"You're not a coward."
A quiet voice cut through the sobs.
Venti.
Stanley lifted his head weakly.
"You don't understand…"
"I do."
Venti's emerald eyes held no pity—only ancient understanding.
"Because I, too, have lost someone important."
He set down his glass.
"You've carried this long enough."
"Hans Archibald."
Stanley—
No.
Hans Archibald—
Went rigid.
"How… how do you know that name…?"
Even he had nearly forgotten it.
Venti smiled softly.
"Ehe."
A breeze stirred within the tavern.
It lifted his cape. Brushed his hair.
It touched Hans's cheek.
This wind—
No.
It wasn't Mondstadt's.
It was dry. Hot.
Carrying ash and sulfur.
"This… this is…"
Hans's lips trembled.
"The Mare Jivari… it's the wind of the Mare Jivari…"
He stared, awe-struck.
"Lord Barbatos…"
His hand reached out, shaking.
"The Anemo Archon… truly…"
Venti extended his hand.
"Hans Archibald."
His voice turned distant. Resonant.
"You carried his story… and bound his soul."
"Now…"
He opened his palm.
"Return him… to the wind."
Hans looked at the offered hand.
Tears fell freely.
Slowly—
He placed his hand atop Venti's.
A hum.
Soft teal light blossomed between them.
Hans saw it.
A translucent figure rising gently from his own body.
It was—
It was—
Stanley.
The real Stanley.
Scarred. Steady.
The spirit turned.
Looked at Hans.
Smiled.
A smile of relief.
Then dissolved into countless motes of green light.
Drifting out the tavern window.
Into the free sky.
The wind stilled.
The light faded.
Hans collapsed to his knees.
Breathing hard—like a man unburdened after a lifetime.
"…Unbelievable…"
He whispered.
"The wind… truly carried him away."