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

"Hello friend."

Barbatos said softly.

"I was afraid of forgetting you, so I became you, to bear the burden for you."

---

The poison dragon was killed.

His calamity nearly destroyed the entire Mondstadt.

Raging flames licked the leaden sky, and billowing smoke shrouded the ravaged land. The body of the wolf cub Rustan had not yet been found, nor had the bodies of many warriors. Before Dvalin and the Anemo Archon arrived, it was they who had sacrificed their lives to protect the city of Mondstadt.

Barbatos walked barefoot on this desolate land.

Wandering aimlessly, all I could see was devastation.

Suddenly, she heard a strange sound.

Hey, can you help me?

The voice seemed to come from the depths of the soul.

Hey, keep moving forward.

Barbatos followed the sound, passing through jungles and damp swamps. Her heart was inexplicably agitated. She didn't know how long she walked, but she finally found the source of the sound.

It was a valley.

The golden wheat ears had been burned to ashes by the flames, and the boy knelt in the center of the valley. The long day was drawing near, and the huge, blood-red setting sun hung at the far end of the horizon, its blood-like glow enveloping the boy.

The young wolf was covered in blood, his snow-white robe was stained with filth, his eyes were empty and dim, and his sword was broken, just like his life, which was buried in the grave in the most spirited years. It seemed that blood and tears were flowing from his eyes.

He was covered in wounds, the poisonous blood seeping into the young wolf's marrow. His body was decaying, and the newborn shell could not be completed. His soul was exposed to the blood-red setting sun, pitiful and insignificant, as if it could disappear at any moment.

That was the shape of his soul.

“Hello, friend,” he said.

Wolf cub, Rustan.

The wind god had also seen this boy; his swordsmanship was formidable, and he was a very earnest young man—this was Barbatos's only impression of him. He had once sworn before the statue of the wind god to protect Mondstadt with his entire life, and to protect the wind god himself.

He also often came to sing in front of the statue.

Barbatos didn't care at the time; she lived a carefree and playful life.

But now, when she sees this boy again.

Barbatos gazed at the pure white shape of the soul, until the soul appeared naked before him.

For some reason, her heart skipped a beat; she had never experienced such an unfamiliar emotion before.

Familiar yet unfamiliar.

The howling wind whistled in her ears, and she seemed to be back in that cold, towering building, where the earth collapsed, the winds raged, and the pure white, nameless girl died in the wind's embrace. The wind could do nothing but whisper and sing.

'Hello friend'

'Hello friend.'

He failed.

He was arrogant and conceited, believing he could do anything.

He thought he could save everything, but he failed.

He died again on the eve of dawn, but unfortunately, this time he had no way out.

He had never failed before, but he failed this time, and I was at a loss.

A strange presence whispered in Barbatos's ear:

"His mission is not yet complete, his destiny is not yet fulfilled, and a new body has not yet been born. I cannot save him, though I am very reluctant. Aeolus of Mondstadt, I need your help."

Barbatos seemed to realize something, and she subconsciously took several steps back. The possibility in her mind kept expanding, and she murmured softly, "No...that's not right."

"It's...you?"

She realized she might have missed something, made a fatal mistake, something so small yet so deadly.

The boy was dead; the death was both so familiar and so strange.

She was late again.

Just like thousands of years ago.

This young man died for Mondstadt. He fought the poisonous dragon alone and died alone, with no one to accompany him.

Forget everything that happens next.

If you meet him again in the future, you must not recognize him, you must not mention the past, and you must treat him as a stranger.

No matter how many times we meet again, you will always treat it as if it were the first time.

Otherwise, the wear and tear of thousands of years of memories would instantly obliterate his soul.

Memories are a poison; once they are recalled, there is no going back.

silence.

Dead silence.

The Human System's words were cold and indifferent. Barbatos paused, his emerald eyes trembled, and finally he nodded.

Now, I need your Sky Harp, I need your power, and I will use this power to reshape his body.

The Harp of the Sky.

Barbatos lowered her head and gently plucked the strings with her index finger, causing the lyre of the sky to tremble softly.

The girl also loved playing the harp. Barbatos still remembered that on the mountain peaks of Upa Valley, in the time when lavender was nurturing its fragrance, the girl with emerald eyes plucked the strings, and the melodious pastoral song echoed beneath the wind wall. Wind spirits surrounded the girl, making a rustling sound.

Rustan also often sang under the statue, which Barbatos occasionally heard.

It was a slightly melancholic poem about lovers separated by war.

"The west wind will carry away the aroma of the wine."

"The mountain breeze brings news of victory."

"The wind from afar stirs my heart."

"The rustling of my voice sings of my longing for you."

...

The power of the wind god flowed through the strings of the lyre, and Barbatos played this slightly melancholic tune. The lyre of the sky could soothe any restless soul.

Soothingly, the wolf cub's soul gradually solidified, and he slowly calmed down from the brink of dissipation.

Human reasoning, drawing upon the authority of the wind god and borrowing his divine power, rapidly matured the new body.

As dusk fell, time slowly passed.

Kiyono Raimei—that boy doesn't yet have that name.

The boy's body was too weak; his breathing was shallow and his pulse was almost undetectable. He was as fragile as a newborn baby, and the world was so cruel. He struggled to open his eyes, but his silvery-white pupils were empty.

"call.."

He was so weak that he could die at any moment.

We've done everything we could; the rest is up to fate.

Now, send him to Inazuma City. He can't stay in Mondstadt. If he stays here, he'll be worn down and consumed at any moment.

Barbatos did as reason dictated.

The wind whipped the sails, and the small boat carrying the boy sailed along the bay, leaving the city of Mondstadt and heading further into the distance. The silver moonlight covered the boy's body, and he curled up, his body trembling slightly, as if he were trapped in a windless place.

Barbatos watched him leave.

She lowered her head, the cool moonlight covering her silhouette.

"Hello friend."

It is going to rain.

[You disturbed my morning dream; you've quietly departed.]

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

"On a rainy night at Guojiu Lake, I am willing to follow the wolf into the raging storm."

-

Today marks the triumphant return of the Pillar General.

The streets of Inazuma were deserted as everyone flocked out of their homes, eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary Pillar of State General.

This Pillar General is truly a gift from heaven to Inazuma.

Since Narukami left Inazuma, the Abyss invaded Inazuma, and all the kingdoms were on the verge of destruction. The Pillar General appeared out of nowhere and guarded the border of Inazuma, keeping the filth of the Abyss outside the island and preventing it from setting foot on the coast of Inazuma.

He stood alone on the border of Inazuma, his white robe stained with blood, without rest for dozens of days. If this general were not present, and the battlefield of calamity had spread to the entire territory of Inazuma, hundreds of thousands of civilians would have died.

After this battle, he was awarded the title of "Pillar of the State General".

This must be what they mean by "the streets are deserted"—a scene of such bustling activity.

Kiyono Raimei sat astride his tall horse, looking somewhat helpless.

He doesn't like grand displays.

Oh, these guys, why did they even arrange for an opera troupe?

Ying is back; he still has to rush back to court to report on his duties.

Today is the day after the first snowfall. The sky is clear and transparent, and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom as if they are burning, with each petal like a snowflake fluttering in the air.

The music was melodious, yet tinged with a faint sadness; it seemed to be a tune from overseas, but Kiyono Raimei didn't understand it.

But it does sound quite nice.

"Hello friend."

The poet who was playing the zither smiled. "Would you like another one?"