After leaving Liyue Harbor, Ruola suggested returning to Mondstadt.
This day was all for Ruola, so Venti and the others naturally had no objections.
When the topic of how to return to Mondstadt came up, Ruola suddenly looked at Venti with sparkling, wide eyes:
"Barbatos, will you fly me back to Mondstadt? I've never flown before, it must be an amazing feeling!"
Gliding with a Wind Glider didn't count as flying, and besides, Diluc was always very strict, so Ruola never had much chance to glide down from high places.
As soon as Ruola spoke, Diluc, Lumine, and Paimon immediately looked at Venti with unreadable expressions.
Their unspoken meaning was probably:
Dare you refuse?
Venti smiled faintly and took out his lyre:
"Are you ready?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Ruola clenched her fists; she was the most excited among them.
"Then, let's depart..."
Venti gently strummed the strings, and a soft wind enveloped the five of them, slowly lifting them higher into the sky.
Although supported by the wind, the feeling of weightlessness from below still made Ruola disoriented. After flailing her limbs for a bit, she hugged her brother Diluc's neck.
With something to hold onto, Ruola finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Big brother, is it okay if I hold you like this?"
Diluc held his sister in a princess carry and shook his head slightly: "Ruola, look."
Ruola followed her brother's gaze downward, and the beautiful scenery of Liyue spread out before her eyes. The place they had stood earlier was already too small to see.
She hadn't realized they had reached such a height so quickly.
Slightly afraid of heights, Ruola tightened her grip on her brother's neck.
After a while, Ruola gradually relaxed.
With Barbatos here, surely she wouldn't fall, right?
Ruola was looking down with interest. It was her first time seeing Liyue from this angle, and at this speed, they would probably reach Mondstadt very soon.
She was more than familiar with Mondstadt, but she wondered what it would look like from this perspective.
Casually looking up, Ruola noticed Lumine and Paimon smiling at her.
"Paimon, Lumine, look, isn't that Dragonspine over there?!"
Lumine and Paimon gave a perfunctory glance, then turned back to look at Ruola.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Is my face dirty?"
Thinking this, Ruola even turned to ask Diluc: "Brother, is there something dirty on my face?"
"No, Ruola is very pretty."
"Hehe, of course!"
Not just Lumine and Paimon, but Diluc and Venti were also quietly watching Ruola.
The scenery had always been there, never changing, but some people, tomorrow, would never be seen again... Venti's speed was very fast, and it didn't take long to reach Mondstadt's territory.
Seeing all the familiar sights of Mondstadt, Ruola became even more excited, her big eyes scanning everywhere:
"Brother, look, I remember there's a Sunsettia tree on that cliff over there. Last year, Noelle and I even had a picnic there!"
"And over there, there are so many fish in that small river, hehe, I took Klee there to bomb fish, even Klee said the fish there tasted better!"
"Wow, that big guy hasn't been cleaned up yet? Brother, let me tell you, that was the biggest monster I ever defeated, and it was all thanks to Klee..."
Only Ruola's voice echoed in the high sky.
Diluc knew that Ruola wasn't just trying to share her interesting experiences with them; more importantly, Ruola wanted to remember these things that happened in Mondstadt forever.
She didn't want to forget these, didn't want to forget Mondstadt, didn't want to forget everyone.
She hadn't prepared to face death, no matter how outwardly optimistic she appeared, Ruola... she must also be incredibly afraid of death, right... "Barbatos, if I shout loudly here, can the people below hear me?"
"It's too far, the people below can't hear you."
"Then can I shout?"
"Haha, of course."
Ruola cleared her throat and gestured for Paimon to cover her ears, but Paimon shook her head.
Ruola stretched her neck, looking down, and suddenly shouted with all her might:
"Mondstadt— I, Ruola, am back—"
After shouting, Ruola added in her heart: Although I'll be leaving again very soon...
---
Mondstadt, Solitary Confinement.
Klee wasn't in solitary confinement, but having spent so much time there, it seemed more like her own room.
At this moment, little Klee was sprawled over a white piece of paper, drawing. The drawing was already half-finished, depicting two cute girls, one big and one small, smiling by a lake and throwing bombs into it.
Both were very 'firey' girls; the smaller one was little Klee, and the older one was self-evident.
Although many days had passed, Klee still couldn't forget Sister Ruola.
She had seen Sister Ruola from afar, inside a large block of ice. It must have been very, very cold inside.
Sister Ruola, like her, preferred warmth and disliked the cold.
Master Jean and the others buried Sister Ruola in the ground, and Klee knew that Sister Ruola wouldn't be coming back.
Sister Ruola had passed away, and Klee would never see Sister Ruola again.
She was very sad and cried for a very, very long time, but no matter how much she cried, Sister Ruola wouldn't appear before her to comfort her like before.
Klee was currently coloring her drawing. Dodoco was placed in the most prominent position so that Klee would see him at a glance when she rested.
Knock knock knock—
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door of the solitary confinement room. Klee put down her paintbrush and ran to open the door.
The moment the door opened, Ruola, who had been waiting outside, immediately picked up little Klee and gave her several kisses on her cute little cheek.
"Little Klee, Sister Ruola is here to bomb fish with you! Are you happy?!"
"Sister Ruola, it's Sister Ruola!"
Klee's previously sad little face immediately lit up with a smile as she excitedly called out "Sister Ruola," and at the same time, she kissed Ruola's face several times.
She didn't understand why Sister Ruola had appeared, but it didn't matter. Sister Ruola was still here, Sister Ruola hadn't passed away. For Klee, this was the greatest news!
Ruola wanted to put little Klee down, but Klee clung to her, refusing to let go. Helpless, she could only continue holding little Klee.
"Let's go! Do you remember what I told you? When we came back, I'd definitely take you to bomb fish, and have a blast!"
Ruola carried little Klee out of the solitary confinement room.
She hadn't expected to see Kaeya as soon as they stepped out.
"Brother Kaeya, I'm taking Klee to bomb fish, are you coming too, Brother Kaeya?"
Kaeya's eyes were filled with shock and delight. Ruola was alive, Ruola was actually alive?!
After Ruola's passing, Kaeya's grief was not much less than Diluc's. As a sister he had doted on since childhood, how could he not feel heartbroken?
Just as Kaeya was about to step forward, he was suddenly held back by a strong arm. Diluc leaned close to Kaeya's ear:
"I'll explain the details to you later. For now, Ruola is asking you, do you want to come along to bomb fish?"
Kaeya nodded frantically without even thinking:
"Yes, I'm coming too!"
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