Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

but.

But now she has doubts.

Can a twisted path truly lead to a pure white destination?

Can it really have a happy ending?

Does not.

All along, it was just her self-deception. Just as Rustan's heart had long since scattered with the grains of sand, the person the wolf cub loved was not her, not the lady. The person Rustan loved was a girl named 'Rosalyn,' but the girl had long since died.

He died long ago.

It was the woman who buried the girl with her own hands, and it was also the woman who buried herself with her own hands.

As Wendy said, she was the one who buried their poem.

Goodbye, dear Ms. Rosalyn

The melted letter box bore these words: Yes, they had said goodbye long ago.

Can she find redemption?

The woman never knew again.

The woman instructed the manager to dismiss the soldiers of the Evil Eye Factory, telling them to return to Winter, to their beloved. She walked barefoot forward, and fire butterflies fluttered in the dead souls, landing on the Evil Eye Factory and brushing past every eye.

The flames rose up, growing larger as she moved forward. The evil eye burned in the flames, evaporating the dark and chaotic energy. Sharp and venomous screams could be heard, and filth burned in the fire, becoming fuel for the flames.

Gradually, it became a wildfire that spread like wildfire.

She burned down the Fools' Evil Eye Factory, and from now on, she is a traitor too, having lost her seat as "Lady".

She is also burning down the path she once stood by.

The twisted road was burned down, and the dead could not return; she could not find redemption.

It's too late.

She can only repay it.

The sun danced on the sea, the autumn sun rising from the sea, and the shallow sunlight scattered through the gaps in the clouds, reflecting off the firelight.

"But that was not the dawn, my dear Rosalyn, it was a sea of ​​fire that consumed everything."

In the light, Rosalind heard a voice say this.

Bayun Island seemed to have been cleansed. The heavy haze that had once covered the island was now evaporated into mist, and the withered forests and decaying trees were reduced to ashes. Soon, new plants would emerge from these ashes.

After everything was burned to ashes, Rosalyn headed towards the castle tower, to meet the wrong end of that twisted path.

Before the emperor guarding the palace that day, at the end of those steps, the collapse of the kingdom awaited her.

That doll.

But it no longer resembles a doll.

The woman clearly sensed this.

Guo Beng's appearance is exactly the same as before, but the feeling he gives people is completely different. He is more real and more vivid, just like a disabled person has finally found what he is missing, a wanderer has found a home away from home, and Guo Beng has finally filled the void in his life.

At the top of the castle tower, General Raiden lowered his eyes, his cold gaze devoid of any emotion.

let's start.

One lost everything, the other gained everything.

The fire butterflies surged upwards, colliding with the wind that brought about the collapse of the nation.

Fire and wind intertwine and then cancel each other out.

The fire butterflies swept the sea of ​​clouds into a raging inferno, while the wind blades sliced ​​through them, shredding them into fragments that fell to the ground and turned to ashes.

As Guo Pang fought with the lady, he could feel his heart pounding. When the fire butterfly burned him, his heart ached; when he cut off the fire butterfly's path, his heart felt joy. Pain or joy, all feelings, all emotions, all touches were so novel and so captivating.

The nation collapsed, yet the child experienced everything with a childlike joy and genuine happiness.

My heart was pounding.

He saw the final battlefield again.

Seeing the soldiers of the Pillar State charging towards the giant serpent, he felt as if he were standing among them, experiencing the same thrill they felt.

He heard their voices.

The voices of those soldiers.

Four hundred years later, on the shore of Shirayaku, sword is drawn.

'Four hundred years later, Tanaka Morii draws his sword.'

...

Guo Pang also saw that old man, and he also saw Qingye Leiming.

He suddenly remembered the tradition of the Pillar Army, which was that after a soldier died, the next soldier was responsible for burying his body and remembering his name to continue the journey. Forgetting was the most complete death.

Kiyono Raimei was the last pillar of the army, so the old man had to bear the names of everyone.

And now, Kiyono Raimei is also dead.

He lowered his body, pressed down on the scabbard of the snake-slaying sword, and white mist emanated from between his teeth.

His aged heart pounded eagerly as he heard the voice that had been silent for four hundred years—the voice of Qingye Leiming.

"Four hundred years later, Qingye Leiming drew his sword."

Kiyono Raimei is dead, but he will not be forgotten.

—The puppet will succeed him and become the last pillar of the state army.

He finally grasped the meaning of "unwavering mind".

Follow the guidance of that heart—

Guo Beng pressed down on the wind blade, his eyes clear and bright. He lowered his body along with Qingye Leiming, white mist escaping from between his teeth. He pulled it out along with Qingye Leiming, and a lightning flash of 0.3 seconds and the swaying wind flowed across the sky together.

Four hundred years later, the country collapsed, and he drew his sword.

Everything lost its form in the lightning, everything lost its sound in the thunder, and all filth and defilement vanished.

The fire butterfly dissipated, turning to ashes in the thunder of Qingye, while Rosalin was also enveloped in the pure white light of the blade. This was the world of Qingye Thunder. This was also the world of Qingye Wind Whisper.

She did not feel any pain.

It was very quiet all around.

It's not scary anymore.

The tantalizing yet suppressed murmur disappeared, leaving only tranquility. All that remained was pure white, and Rosalyn walked amidst that pure white.

She saw the windmills of Mondstadt, their old, worn-out wheels turning over the clear waters of Cider Lake. She saw the azure sky, the castle, the church, and the statues beneath Mondstadt Square. She heard faint singing.

That long-lost melody, both bright and sorrowful.

"You can confide in me if you have any troubles; it is a knight's duty to share a lady's worries."

The western wind carries away the aroma of the wine.

The mountain breeze carries news of victory.

"My name is Rustan, and yours is Rustan."

The wind from afar stirs my heart.

[The rustling sound sings of my longing]

Those scars have long yearned for your gentle caress.

"But I wasn't joking."

I want to hold your hand.

You have quietly left, disturbing my morning dream.

Your scent is as fresh and sweet as berries, and as rich and fragrant as lilac.

"Have you packed your luggage?"

"This is for you. The time it takes to travel for a week is the same as the time you spend studying at the Faculty of Education. Once it has completely traveled, I will be able to see you."

Rosalyn walked toward the wolf, moving against the flow of time. She became the girl again, wearing a pure white dress and a scholar's hood, escaping her heavy studies and singing hymns on the statue in the square.

She saw the heart, and she finally understood it—at the end of her life.

"sorry..."

"sorry."

The girl spoke softly, her shoulders trembling slightly. She lowered her eyes, and crystal tears streamed down her cheeks. She was apologizing, but not just to Rustan. She was apologizing for all the ashes, for the lives that had turned to ashes because of her. She was apologizing to them.

Or rather... repentance.

"sorry."

The boy waited for her quietly, patiently and quietly at the end of that pure white world.

Rosalyn followed the boy toward the pure white end. She didn't know if the end of the road led to dawn or a sea of ​​fire that would consume everything, but she knew that at the pure white end...

She will finally find peace.

On a rainy night at Fruit Wine Lake, I would follow the wolf into the raging storm.

This is the last line of the lyrics for "Rainy Night at Fruit Wine Lake".

The thunder finally dissipated, and the castle tower slowly returned to its clear state.

Before the Emperor, Rosalyn scattered into one fluttering fire butterfly after another.

It slowly disappeared in the light.

Whether the smile on her lips was a gentle smile or a glistening tear, no one can know for sure; perhaps it was both.

-

PS1: This chapter is a combination of three words, which means I've paid off a chapter's worth of debt.

PS2: And then, goodnight everyone.