Feeling weary, Rola settled down at the perfect spot to watch the sunrise.
Everyone gathered around her, taking their seats beside her.
Diluc, Lumine, and Noelle sat closest to Rola, while Paimon continued to float in the air.
Rola pulled the little Paimon into her arms and gazed at the horizon.
By the time Diluc and the others had summoned reinforcements and Rola had reminisced with her companions, considerable time had passed.
Any minute now, the sun would rise.
"Lumine, will you and Paimon travel all over Teyvat together?"
"Yes."
Lumine's response was immediate and unwavering. Until she reached the final destination, uncovered the truth, and avenged Rola, she would keep moving forward!
"May I see that sword?"
Lumine drew the Unrelenting Will, the sword Rola had gifted her.
Rola grasped the sword in her hands, turning to Venti:
"Venti, can you help me?"
With so many people present, Rola refrained from addressing him as "Lord Barbatos."
After all, judging by Barbara's expression, Venti's true identity hadn't yet been revealed.
With just a glance, Venti understood Rola's intentions. But... he hesitated.
He could do it, but...
Was this really the right thing to do?
"Venti, can you help me? This is my final wish!"
The keyword "final" triggered something in Venti, and he finally agreed.
In an instant, Rola felt even more exhausted.
She handed the longsword to Lumine:
"Good luck, Lumine! You must carry this sword and travel through the Seven Nations. See the beauty of Teyvat for me!"
Rola had Venti transfer a tiny fragment of her soul into the sword. This sliver of soul energy had negligible impact on her; in truth, it was merely a faint imprint.
The purpose was to leave players with a memento, so they would think of her whenever they saw the sword.
In this way, Rola's avatar could continue gathering Emotional Feedback.
Even a mosquito's leg is still meat, and this was far more than just a mosquito's leg.
Lumine had no idea what cryptic conversation Rola and Venti had shared, nor what Venti had done to the sword.
But when the sword returned to her hand, Lumine suddenly felt a strange, unfamiliar sensation as she gripped the hilt.
-
Outside the Game
When the sword was returned, a screen popped up in the game interface, displaying the weapon along with its description:
Unrelenting Will: Before departing this world, your friend Rola beseeched the Anemo Archon to transfer a small portion of her remaining soul into this blade. She hoped to accompany you on your journey across the Seven Nations through this means.
Special Effect: When the Traveler uses Pyro Elemental Power, gains an additional 200 Attack.
Chen Xiyao: "Even as she's about to leave, she's still giving us gifts..."
[No wonder it's a 5-star weapon. I was wondering why there wasn't any lore about this blade.]
[Unrelenting Will? I think "Unrelenting Hatred" would be more fitting. Then we can use this sword to chop that bastard to pieces!]
[Let's try to look on the bright side. At least Rola had everyone by her side when she left.]
[But Rola's soul was devoured by 90%! Venti even said it must have been excruciatingly painful...]
[Damn it, you upstairs! Get out of here! You made me tear up again!]
-
Starsnatch Cliff.
The sun slowly rose above the horizon, tranquil and beautiful.
"So this is what it feels like to watch the sunrise with everyone... I'm so happy!"
Paimon remained nestled in Rola's arms, quiet and content.
Suddenly, Paimon felt a coolness on her forehead. Looking up, she saw Rola's face streaked with tears.
"Rola, why are you crying?"
"No, these are tears of joy."
Rola turned to look at the crowd. Her legs were now completely immobile, and the time was drawing near.
There should have been a little more time left, but after merging a sliver of her soul into the Unrelenting Will, the end had come sooner than expected.
The people of Mondstadt, seeing Rola's tear-streaked face, felt as if their hearts had been struck a heavy blow.
Rola's gaze finally settled on Diluc, her only blood relative in this world. Instinctively, she sought comfort from her brother.
"Brother..."
Diluc wiped away his own tears and reached out to pat Rola's head, just like he always had.
Rola's laughter was always carefree and infectious; she was a natural optimist. Diluc had rarely seen her cry—at most, she'd pout her little lips in frustration.
So, Rola's tears weren't tears of joy, were they?
Rola gripped Diluc's large hand. "Brother, I... I really... don't want to leave. I don't want to... leave everyone... I don't want to die!"
Large tears streamed down Rola's face as Diluc sorrowfully wiped them away.
Seeing her brother so distraught, Rola suddenly switched from tears to laughter. "Brother, you're crying! A real man shouldn't cry!"
Rola turned back and saw that everyone was grieving, many wiping away their own tears.
Forcing a brave face, she said, "Actually, I don't mind leaving so much. You all stayed with me to watch this final sunrise. That's... that's enough for me."
Paimon flung herself at Rola, wrapping her arms around her neck and sobbing hysterically.
With her last bit of strength in her right hand, Rola wiped away Paimon's tears. "Paimon, don't be sad. I'm just... going to see my dad now."
Diluc's tears flowed even more freely at these words.
"Brother..."
Rola's voice grew very weak, and everyone realized what was happening. They all moved closer to her.
"Brother... I... have no regrets—"
As she finished speaking, Rola's entire body turned into particles and dispersed.
Diluc stood frozen, his hand still hovering where Rola's head had been.
No regrets? Perhaps regret had already existed from the moment she shielded him from that punch and had continued to exist ever since.
Starsnatch Cliff fell silent, no one speaking.
Venti:
"Born at birth, dying at death—that's a Liyue saying. Rola's time had come. Before leaving, she didn't want us to be sad, forcing herself to smile. We should understand that."
Venti's words hung in the air for a while before anyone responded.
Jean stepped forward:
"Upon our return, the Knights of Favonius will posthumously award Rola the title of Honored Knight. Everything she did was evident to all. Her knightly name..."
"Let's call her the Hero Knight. Rola always liked that title."
Diluc added the final sentence. Rola had always dreamed of becoming a hero.
-
Player World
[Farewell, Rola! May you rest in peace!]
[May you find as much happiness there as you did in Mondstadt!]
[She definitely will! Rola's so lovable, everyone there will adore her too!]
[Goodbye, Rola, we'll miss you so much! sob sob sob~]
[Mihoyo, you've done it now!]
On streamer Chen Xiyao's computer screen appeared: [ The Last Day (End). ]
With a heavy heart, Chen Xiyao ended her stream early.
After going offline, she sat motionless for over ten minutes before pulling out her phone and navigating to Mihoyo's official account.
[Mihoyo, you're gonna die!!!]