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Thoma tried not to struggle as the guards pushed him to his knees. He’d done plenty of that already, trying to get away from the Tenryou Commission thugs that tracked him down. He’d just left the teahouse to get some Dango for Ayaka. She’d seemed awfully down recently.
He was disappointed in himself. He was supposed to be on the front lines, fighting against the Vision Hunt Decree. But here he’d gone and been swept up into it instead.
The vision in question hummed at Thoma’s side.
The sky was heavy with the threat of rain, and a sharp rush of wind blew through the courtyard. Lightning flashed off in the distance; part of the storm that’d been plaguing Inazuma for about a year, now,
People milled about on the sidelines. Thoma could feel the staring eyes, more than he saw them. It was a small crowd. He couldn’t see every face, but the ones he could were less than a comfort. Mostly high-ranking officials. But not the ones he wanted to see.
The Kamisato siblings were nowhere to be seen. Which Thoma had expected. Either Ayato or Ayaka would be putting themselves at major risk by showing up. Just their appearance could be taken as a slight against the Shogun. But the knowledge didn’t prevent the hurt.
The Statue of the Omnipresent God was a foreboding promise.
The Raiden Shogun herself emerged onto the ‘stage’ as a bolt of lightning. Her entire body crackled with Electro. Thoma tapped into his elemental sight for a moment, and she was bathed in purple. Radiated it, even.
Her gaze was piercing as she made direct eye contact with Thoma.
The sight punched a gasp out of him. She was a God. He was meaningless in her eyes. Just another pawn to play with and throw away when he stepped out of her painted-down lines.
The Shogun didn’t care about the people of Inazuma. All she cared about was her stupid eternity.
Thoma just barely held his tongue from saying something worthy of treason. Even if they weren’t here, his actions still reflected on the Kamisato clan. He wouldn’t cause them any more trouble than he already had.
The Shogun raised her hand, and Thoma’s Vision rattled. He watched as his belt was pulled loose, and the pyro vision went flying. Right towards the Shogun’s waiting hand.
It felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. A wave of pain ran through Thoma, from his head to the tips of his toes. It was like he’d been shocked.
Thoma lurched forward with a shout. The guards caught him as he fell forward.
“No!” Thoma begged as tears welled in his eyes.
At that moment the wind picked up, and it swirled into such a fervor that Thoma could just barely keep his eyes open. The entire scene was a blur. He struggled to keep himself upright, especially with his hands bound. One of the guards beside him fell, and the other’s polearm was ripped from his hands. Wind tore at his clothes and his legs slid against the wood as he was pushed backwards. He could only bow his head and try to withstand the onslaught. What was-
Then it stopped.
The wind died to a standstill. Like someone had pressed ‘pause’ on the entire scene.
Thoma blinked.
A young boy in green floated in the sky, half-way between Thoma and the Shogun. And in his hand was Thoma’s vision. The wind was gone, but the boy’s clothes still whipped around him as though caught in an invisible breeze.
Wait- those braids. It couldn’t be. Thoma’s mouth went dry.
“That wasn’t very nice of you.” The boy said, as though teasing. He floated in place effortlessly.
The Shogun’s eyes narrowed.
“Barbatos.” She announced.
The crowd erupted in whispers. But their words didn’t reach Thoma.
The boy -the God- looked over his shoulder and winked at Thoma before turning back to the Shogun.
“That’s my name! Don’t wear it out.” He sang.
“What business do you have here?” The Shogun was obviously unimpressed.
“This, of course.” He dangled the vision by the rope belt that was still attached.
“You have no right to interfere with my Decree!” The Shogun announced. Lightning crackled around her.
Barbatos pulled out a lyre from somewhere, and strummed a quiet tune. The sound echoed through the stagnant courtyard, turning the music eminous.
“Actually, I do! You see, Thoma here is from Mondstadt. Thus, he’s mine.”
Barbatos had come out of hiding to save him?
“Look at the vision in your hand.” Said the Shogun darkly.
“It does not bear the wings of Mondstadt. He is as much mine as any other Inazuma vision wielder.”
Barbatos tutted.
“Ages change and time marches on, but the home of our heart is where we belong.” He sang.
“Thoma belongs to the city of Freedom. He cannot be restrained by your rules of Eternity.”
Something brushed against Thoma’s back and he braced, only to realize it was the wind. The rope holding his wrists snapped. He pulled his arms in front of him, and wiped his cheeks.
He was freed, but where could he go? He refused to leave his vision behind, if he could help it.
Thoma looked up and caught the Traveler in the crowd, and Paimon. They were both watching him with concern.
He tried to put on a confident facade, and nodded at them. The two nodded back, and Thoma turned his attention back to the Gods that were fighting over him.
The Shogun’s eyes narrowed.
“I don’t define your Freedom. Who are you to define Eternity?”
“Oh how you wound me! My intentions are anything but, dear Shogun. You have as much a right to Eternity as I do to Freedom. But so do my people.”
“The winds may carry the seeds of the dandelion to distant lands, but dandelions they shall remain.”
The Shogun snapped. Her voice was booming.
“Then remove him! I don’t care where you take him, but if he is not a part of Eternity then he has no place in Inazuma.”
“I thought you’d say that.” Barbatos’ tone could only be defined as pouting.
”Alright, you have a deal. Or as our dear pal Morax would say, a contract.” He floated forward and raised a hand towards the Shogun. She looked at it for a moment before shaking hands.
“Oh-” Barbatos pulled on her hand, unbalancing the Shogun. A startled look passed over her face. The Tenryou guards stationed around the yard tensed, and held their weapons tighter. But what could they do against a foreign God?
“Tell Ei to pull that stick out of her rear, won’t you? Things are changing, whether she likes it or not. She should see with her own eyes before it’s too late.” He sounded bitter.
As quickly as he had appeared, Barbatos was gone. And so was Thoma’s vision. The fight drained from him, and he crumpled where he sat.
With Barbatos’ departure, shouting broke out between onlookers and guards alike.
“ Quiet! ” The Shogun commanded. Her voice was a rumble, like thunder. A threatened silence stole over those gathered.
“As for you,” She spat. Thoma barely had the energy to lift his head, to meet her eyes as she glared at him. It was something like disgust. It carried more vitriol than before Barbatos’ arrival.
“Take him to Tenryou Station. If Barbatos wants him, he can bail him out of jail.” And she dismissed herself in a shower of sparks.
A beat after her departure, the guards that had been standing by him before grabbed Thoma once again. But not for long.
“Hya!” The Traveller descended from the crowd in a gust of wind. The squall knocked the guards flat on their butts, for the second time this evening.
“Come on, come on!” Paimon fretted. She grasped at his jacket, trying to get him to his feet. Her shrill worrying did nothing to help Thoma’s headache.
Thoma didn’t really remember the escape and mad dash, aside from the heaviness permeating his body. His knees tried to give out on him multiple times, and the Traveler basically carried him away from Inazuma City. The next thing Thoma knew, the Traveler was dropping him at the entrance to the Kamisato Estate. But the sight didn’t bring the same rush of emotion it usually did. Thoma just felt… empty.
Was this what everyone felt like when their vision was taken?
This helplessness, lethargy. In that moment Thoma couldn’t even recall what it felt like to be happy. How could there be anything other than this apathy? What was the point in trying for anything else.
To think, ninety-nine others were suffering just like him. And so would more, after him. Because he was the only one lucky enough to be saved by a God.
That should’ve riled him up. It should have made him even more determined to change things. But it didn’t. The task just seemed overwhelming, like rowing into a tsunami. Why had he ever thought he could question the Shogun? He didn’t have any real power. Acting against the Shogun was a fool’s gambit.
“Oops! Sorry about that, ehe~”
Warmth was pressed into Thoma’s hand. Without thinking he cradled it to his chest. When he came back to himself enough to interpret what he was looking at, he saw the red and orange vision shining through his clenched fingers.
Oh.
“Venti!” The Traveller exclaimed.
“We didn’t expect to see you in Inazuma!” Paimon chimed.
But it wasn’t them who Thoma saw when he opened his eyes.
“Thoma?” Ayaka’s face was awash with worry. They must’ve gone for her. What did she know-?
“Hi.” He said meekly. It was far from a proper greeting, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He had his vision back, but the numbness was stubborn.
“What happened?” Ayaka asked someone else.
“And who’s this?”
“Ba-” Paimon was cut off.
“The name’s Venti! I’m just a simple bard from Mondstadt.” He lied. And it was a bold-face lie, at that. But if he wanted his identity a secret, so be it. Thoma owed him that much. And he always returned his debts.
Thoma felt slightly more like himself, particularly at seeing Ayaka. He looked down at his vision yet again. The remnants of his belt hung resolutely from the jewel, but it was beyond wearing. He used what was left to tie it to his jacket, close to his heart.
“Tenryou officers caught me.” Thoma explained bitterly. He stood on shaky legs.
“The Shogun wanted to make an example of me. Venti came to my rescue.” He took a deep breath.
“I can’t stay in Inazuma. Venti made a deal to take me to Mondstadt.”
Ayaka’s mouth hung open and her eyes were wide.
“But you- why-” She stumbled over her words.
“You belong here. This is your place. Why can’t you stay?”
“I’m not from Inazuma. So the Shogun doesn’t want me here. If I stayed, she would know. It would put the Clan at risk.”
Ayaka’s expression gave her away. She certainly didn’t look happy, but she also didn’t have any way to refute his claims. She bit on her bottom lip in that same nervous gesture she’d had for years. She usually tried to hide it behind a fan. But here, there were no such barriers.
Barbatos -Venti?- put a hand on Thoma’s shoulder.
“You need to say your goodbyes, Thoma. The longer we stay the more likely the Shogun might change her mind.” Thoma couldn’t harbor any negative feelings toward him. He was the reason Thoma could stand here, right now. The reason why he even got a goodbye, and wasn’t just thrown back to the Kamisato’s broken and missing parts.
There was nothing waiting for Thoma in Mondstadt. He’d been gone for so long, he could barely even remember what the city looked like. Aside from the towering statue in front of the church. A statue whose likeness stood beside him, now.
“Looks like this is goodbye.” Ayaka’s eyes were full of unshed tears.
“I’m sorry Ayato isn’t here. I sent for him when you disappeared, but he hasn’t returned.”
“It’s not your fault. Or his. We just have to deal with it.” Thoma’s fingers curled around his vision, returned to its proper owner. Why was it an Inazuman vision? Just because he was in Inazuma when the heavens dropped it in his hands? There must’ve been more to it, but his theories never held water. Maybe there were some things mortals just weren’t meant to understand.
“Could I-” Thoma began. Then thought better of himself. He bit his lip.
“Ask me anything, and I’ll do whatever I can to make it true.” Ayaka assured.
Thoma felt like he’d been unmoored. The ground was unsteady, and so was he.
“Could I have a hug?” He asked brazenly.
Ayaka’s lower lip wobbled, and then she threw her arms around him. She was cold against Thoma’s burning skin, but he didn’t much mind. Thoma returned the hug, savoring in the steadying action. Ayaka couldn’t see the tears welling up in his eyes this way, either.
He’d stood with the Kamisato Clan for so long… he didn’t know what he’d do without them.
“This isn’t forever,” Ayaka cried.
“You always have a place here Thoma. The decrees won’t stand, I won’t let them!” She twisted her hands into his jacket.
Thoma simply held her, and lightly kissed the top of her head.
Ayaka was the sister he’d never known he wanted. Her and Ayato, they’d changed his life. They were there for him every step of the way, like fate had brought them together. Or maybe it was the winds?
“I’ll be back. When the Sakoku decree is lifted, I’ll be on the first ship out.” Thoma squeezed her once more, then pulled back.
“I promise you this.” And he couldn’t help himself from clearing her bangs from her eyes.
Ayaka looked so young, like this. When had he gotten so tall?
Behind them, Barbatos laughed.
“And the wind shall fill your sails!” He announced proudly.
“Tone-deaf bard! Now is not the time!” Paimon fumed. Her little hands smacked the top of Barbatos’ head.
“Sorry, sorry!” He smiled as he pushed her away.
“Did I ruin the moment?”
“Of course you did!” Paimon resumed her assault. Then she grabbed Barbatos’ hat, and flew upwards with it. Barbatos squaked and followed upwards after her.
Papers and decorations were sent flying by the rush of wind. Thoma looked at the mess with despair. But he wouldn’t be the one cleaning it up. Not this time.
Barbatos descended, hat procured, and patted down his clothes.
“Ready?” He asked, and offered Thoma his hand. Thoma wasn’t sure what would happen when he took it… but he could sense the finality.
“I’ll see you again.” He said, determined. Ayaka smiled weakly and nodded.
“We’re just a waypoint away.” The Traveler assured him. Thoma wasn’t entirely sure what was meant by that, but it was still comforting.
“We’ll come get you as soon as the Decree is gone!” Paimon announced with full confidence. She waved at him from the Traveller’s side. Both were waving, actually.
“I’m sure you will,” And Thoma forced a smile onto his face.
Ayaka met his gaze. She made half a heart with one hand, and Thoma completed it. Even if he wasn’t in Inazuma, Thoma was still a part of this Clan. Of this he was certain.
Thoma took the God’s hand and they were gone in a gust of wind.