When you make a promise to someone, you have to keep it, especially to a child like Klee.
The group arrived at the Knight Order silently. With Venti's help, such matters were trivial.
This discretion was Rola's request; she didn't want to cause a commotion because of her presence.
If Kaeya hadn't happened to encounter them, he likely wouldn't have known.
Rola longed to walk boldly through Mondstadt, but she was already dead. What had returned was merely a fragmented soul, with only a short time remaining.
She shouldn't cause any further trouble for Mondstadt.
She only had this brief time left, and it was enough for her to say goodbye to the friends she wanted to see.
-
The original group of five, now joined by Kaeya and Klee, arrived at Starfell Lake as a party of seven.
Except for Rola and Klee, the others kept a respectful distance behind.
"Klee, where's your Jumpy Dumpty? Quick, there's a fish over there!"
"Wow, that's a huge one!"
Klee pulled a Jumpy Dumpty from her backpack and tossed it at the largest fish visible near the shore.
Boom!
The explosion sent a massive spray of water into the air, blasting the giant fish and several smaller ones onto the bank.
Klee excitedly ran over and hugged the massive fish:
"Big Sis Rola, look! This fish is so big! It must taste delicious!"
"Klee, hurry! There's another one over here—it's huge too!"
Klee hurled another Jumpy Dumpty.
Boom!
Several more fish flopped onto the shore.
"Klee..."
Rola was busy spearing fish, while Klee was enthusiastically tossing Jumpy Dumpties. Their practiced movements revealed them to be seasoned offenders.
For some reason, the large fish in Starfell Lake kept darting close to the shore today.
Behind the busy pair, Kaeya stood with a heavy heart.
On the way here, Diluc had explained why Rola was here. After hearing the explanation, Kaeya fell into a long silence.
Diluc: "On this final day, I only wish for Rola to be happy. I'll stay by her side, doing whatever she wants, until..."
He trailed off, but everyone understood.
Kaeya watched Rola and Klee gleefully blowing up fish, his heart aching.
I thought a miracle had happened, that Rola had returned for good. But...
She has returned, but only to leave again soon.
"I'll stay with her too," Kaeya vowed, "until the very end."
-
Beside Starfell Lake, Rola and Klee had already blown up plenty of fish, while the others were gathering firewood.
After blowing up the fish, they naturally had to grill them on the spot—otherwise, all that effort would have been wasted!
This time, Rola and Klee had caught so many fish that they couldn't possibly eat them all. But they could take the leftovers home, ensuring nothing went to waste.
Rola stacked the firewood into a neat pile and instinctively tried to conjure a small flame with her hands, but suddenly froze.
She glanced at her waist—there was no vision there.
Rola's expression darkened momentarily, but she quickly masked it with a smile:
"Hey guys, come on over! We're grilling fish!"
Rola called out to Diluc and the others who had been following along but remained out of sight. With everyone working together, they soon had several fish roasting over the fire.
Little Klee stared at the fish with eager anticipation, practically drooling.
Rola gave the first two grilled fish to Klee and Paimon. Watching them devour the fish, she grinned with delight.
She remembered seeing a similar image back when she used to play Genshin Impact. The scene was almost identical to what was happening now.
Watching the two little darlings relish the grilled fish brought Rola immense satisfaction—even more than if she were eating it herself.
Diluc handed Rola a perfectly grilled fish—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and seasoned to perfection.
Rola took the fish and bit off a large mouthful.
A flicker of unease crossed her expression, but only Venti noticed.
"Delicious! Brother's grilled fish is the best!"
Venti saw through her charade but kept his silence. The Old Man's rock-forged body had no sense of taste, so Rola couldn't actually taste anything.
Lumine and Kaeya finished grilling their fish as well, all for Rola. To show her appreciation, she ate three whole fish with obvious enjoyment.
As Rola ate her second fish, Venti opened his mouth to speak, but a sharp glance from her stopped him mid-sentence.
As the grilled fish feast ended, no one was happier than Little Klee.
Not only had Sister Rola returned, but she had also taken Klee to blast fish! They had caught so many fish, and the grilled fish was unbelievably delicious!
Little Klee felt this was the happiest moment of her life!
When Rola took Klee back to the Confinement Room, the little girl insisted on making a pinky promise with Rola to go blast fish again next time.
Rola's little finger hooked around Klee's tiny hand, sealing the promise.
A promise to a child must be kept. Klee, if everything goes smoothly, I'll definitely come back for you. Then we'll go blast fish again...
-
After saying goodbye to Klee, Rola gazed at Kaeya with a complex expression.
"Big Bro Kaeya, Klee is still so young, and she's very close to you. After I'm gone, I'm counting on you to look after her and cheer her up."
"Don't worry, Rola! I promise I will!"
"I've never doubted you, Big Bro Kaeya!"
Diluc glanced at the sky. It was already dusk, and he estimated that darkness would fall completely before long.
"Rola, is there anything else you want to do?"
Rola rested her chin in her hand, thinking for a moment.
"I want to visit Noelle, see Adelinde, and say goodbye to Amber, Barbara, Grand Master Jean, Lisa, Rosaria, Fischl, Bennett, Sucrose..."
She named all her closest friends and elders, then added:
"I want to watch one last sunrise with everyone, at the very spot where Lord Barbatos summoned Dvalin."
With that, Rola blinked her innocent, wide eyes at Venti.
-
In Chen Xiyao's live stream:
The heartwarming scene of catching and grilling fish left viewers torn between laughter and tears.
Though the moment was undeniably tender, the knowledge that Rola would soon be leaving cast a pall of sadness over even the warmest moments.
As the quest reached this point, when Rola voiced her final request, the live stream chat erupted with:
[Just say yes!]
[Oh no, Rola seems to know how adorable she is! This expression is going to be the death of me!]
[Venti has been spoiling Rola all along, granting her every whim. What's one more request?]
[This is Rola's last wish! Even if Venti won't help, we won't abandon her. Traveler, step up!]
-
Mondstadt.
Venti nodded repeatedly.
"Then I'll trouble Diluc, Kaeya, the Traveler, and Paimon. You can handle notifying Jean and the others about the mission."
Paimon: "What about you, Venti?"
Venti turned to Paimon with a smile:
"As for me, I have far more important matters to attend to, of course! After you've informed everyone, just gather at the Statue of the Anemo Archon. I'll take you there when the time comes."
Diluc addressed Lumine and Paimon: "Kaeya and I will handle notifying everyone within Mondstadt. Traveler, since you can teleport, I'll entrust Diona and Adelinde to you and Paimon."
Venti immediately chimed in, "Don't worry! Once you've notified them, I'll bring them over!"
Lumine: "Then let's not delay. Paimon, let's go!"
Paimon: "Rola, Lumine and I are heading out! We'll be back soon~"
Rola seized the opportunity to pat Paimon's small head once more:
"Thank you both so much!"