Mondstadt, the City of Freedom and Wind, was seldom wrapped in a cloak of true cold and piercing loneliness. There were certain nights when the wind coming down from the mountains brought with it a sharper breath that made the warmth of the homes more distant.

And though he now lived immersed in the freedom he had so longed for for his people, Barbatos, now Venti, could not ignore the subtlest whispers of his city. Freedom also brought with it empty spaces, forgotten corners. And the wind, his faithful companion and extension of his being, not only carried songs and dandelion seeds; Sometimes, it whispered worries.

That night, he had left the Cat’s Tail tavern after a lively presentation. He had managed, with his lyre and his voice, to get even the most grumpy customer to hum the melody. He had "borrowed" a few bottles from the special reserve. But as he walked the cobblestone streets, that heat began to dissipate.

The wind blew with a different rhythm, restless, as if looking for something. He left the main street and entered a narrow alley. Here, the silence was not peaceful; it was dense. A small, almost imperceptible sound. Not a cry, but small muffled sobs that were lost in the darkness.

Venti stopped. The last vestige of drunkenness evaporated. His gaze sharpened. He followed the sound to a dark corner, between two large empty wooden barrels. There, the moonlight barely managed to illuminate a small lump, a shrunken shape wrapped in a piece of dirty, torn cloth. The barrels, involuntarily, formed a miserable shelter.

Venti's heart tightened with an unknown force. He approached quietly and knelt on the cold stone floor, ignoring the moisture that penetrated his leggings. His height was no longer that of an imposing god, but that of a compassionate bard.

"My little one..." His voice had no trace of singing joy. It was soft, terribly tender, and resonated with deep sadness. "This is not a place for you."

The words floated in the icy air of the alley. And Venti, the god who preferred freedom to intervention, knew at that moment that his night of partying was over. There was something more important to attend to.