「His PoV」
I can hear the sound of someone crying.
Just a small, broken sound, soaked in sadness or something worst.
'There is someone... I am not alone...' 「Klee」
I lowered my guard a little.
Pebbles scattered across the plaza in front of Favonius Cathedral crunched softly under my steps as I moved closer. I could clearly see the drops of her tears darkening the pale stone beneath her.
Her face wasn't doing any better. Tears, snot, wet eyes… the whole miserable package.
She looked like a complete snotty brat now. The cute, charming image she might have had before was completely gone. Right now, she just looked like a crying kid who had lost a fight with her own nose.
Still, I guess that's normal.
What's wrong with a kid crying their heart out when things get too much?
'No matter how I look... no one...' 「Klee」
When I got within arm's reach, I crouched down in front of her.
This distance was… risky. If she suddenly turned out to be some clever monster pretending to cry, I'd be in perfect stabbing range. I's going to be hurt surely. Well... if that happened, I'd just tank and counter it.
This idiot could learn another valuable lesson about being naïve.
"...Excuse me."
"H-Huh? Yes...? You're... real?" 「Klee」
"You think so? Indeed, maybe I am just a hallucination."
"...You are?" 「Klee」
The corner of my lips lifted slightly as I opened my palm in front of her.
Her finger poked it once, then again.
And then three more times, as if she still wasn't fully convinced.
Even with tears still clinging to her lashes, she seemed a little calmer now.
"As you can see... and feel, of course. I'm solid."
A smile was probably still too much to ask from her right now, but at least she wasn't choking on her sobs anymore. That was already a good sign. Though I do wonder if she would ever stop rubbing her finger against my palm.
It's starting to tickle.
Maybe because I kept staring at her, her fingers twitched slightly. For a moment, I thought she was about to pull her hand back in embarrassment. But instead, she did something unexpected.
Slowly, she slid her trembling palm against mine, pressing them side by side.
For a moment, she simply stared at our hands like it was something miraculous.
As if she had forgotten what it felt like to hold someone else's hand.
"It's not cold..." 「Klee」
When I squeezed my hand around hers, her eyes shifted toward me.
"Of course not. So? Have you calmed down?"
For a second, she said nothing.
She simply squeezed my hand and gave me a small nod.
Maybe it was because I had crouched down, but she too came to sit beside me, pulling her knees tucked together. I get why she's holding on to my arm, but I didn't know why she chose to sit at my side instead of facing me.
Well, could it be she just didn't want me to see her face? I'm not sure either.
Without thinking much of it I slipped off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders. It was worn too but... still better than her ragged hood which was torn and patched in far too many places.
"Hey, why you... smells salty? Did you travel from overseas?" 「Klee」
"Hmm… I might've taken a swim and just forgot about it. Anyway, did you stitch all of that?"
I pointed at the many patches on her clothes, trying to make some small talk.
However, despite seeming comfortable enough to stay close to me, when spoken to, she only nodded or shook her head. Sometimes just giving a soft "hm" as I kept asking small questions.
Maybe… she just hasn't talked to anyone in a long time, and it's left her this awkward? Well, putting aside her dry responses, I could see those little flickers of life slowly beginning to return to her eyes.
The dullness that used to linger there was fading, replaced by something brighter.
'Yeah, dead fish eyes doesn't suit her.'
Which is okay and alright.
Then, it was time.
I figured this was a good chance to ask about the more important things in this world. Holding hands and chilling is kinda nice for me, but maybe we can do something more crucial than that.
Unfortunately, when her grip loosened. that plan had to wait.
"Don't... go..." 「Klee」
A moment later, she slumped, passing out against my chest.
"She's light... or maybe just thin?"
If I'm not mistaken, this girl should be the cheerful, innocent type. The one who used to shout "Bouken da! Bouken!" all the time back in the game… or was that Bennett again?
Honestly, it's been way too long for me to remember clearly.
Still, if she really is the kind of kid I remember, then it's hard to imagine any responsible adult letting her end up like this. Mondstadt wasn't the kind of place that abandoned its children.
Unless there really IS no one.
'Since she's something like an elf… just how long has she been here?'
A few longer strands fell across her face, something she didn't seem to mind. Her appearance hadn't changed much, but it was enough to tell me… the Klee I knew and the one in my lap weren't quite the same anymore.
"How long it took, hm?"
If time has been flowing normally, tens of years… or maybe even hundreds.
That might be how much time she had to endure to grow into who she is now. Even someone like Nahida, a loli radish, was way older than those teenage-looking elves in some other world. So yeah, who knows.
"Or is it like Frieren? Maybe more like... Kokkoro?"
Once in a while, as far as I can remember, encounters like this aren't all that rare.
There are plenty of worlds where people exist as older versions of themselves, their future selves if I may say so. But of course, not all of them are that straightforward. Some are completely different versions altogether.
Neither older nor younger, just… alternate versions of someone who already exists.
I've even run into other versions of myself more than once…
…In some world, I think.
"World…"
It's a word far broader than it first seems.
At first, it felt simple enough to understand. But now, the meaning of "world" has shifted from what I once knew. What truly defines a world? What even makes something a "world" in the first place?
And then, about the one who made it what it is today…
"What day... is today?"
When that thought crossed my mind, a dull headache started creeping in.
I mean, yeah... I kinda get it. Thinking about some so-called creator and all maybe that's not something I should be messing with. Or maybe it's just not worth finding out. Whatever. Probably just nonsense anyway.
"But if its the original Genshin..."
My gaze fell from the grey sky to the girl resting quietly in my lap.
In that world, the main character could be found almost anywhere.
Depending on their Adventure Rank, either Lumine or Aether might be seen running errands, helping strangers, or solving problems that others couldn't across the different regions.
And Klee was clearly part of their story.
There were times when the Traveller/Tabibito stepped in, trying to help Klee avoid another round of solitary confinement. They'd become someone who could ease the loneliness and fear inside that little girl.
A hero who could smile at her reckless enthusiasm.
A hero who could gently scold her when things exploded a little too much.
The so-called Honorary Knight.
But Aether and Lumine of this world…
Were they still here?
Or did they ever exist in the first place?
'I swept a hundred kilometers with the Feather… and there wasn't a single soul.'
The thought lingered quietly in my mind as I reached down, gently straightening her skirt to her knees. The fabric felt light beneath my fingers, far too small to shield her from the chill brushing against my arms.
"...Is it cold?"
"Zzzz... Zzzz..." 「Klee」
"I see. Alright, just sleep."
Perhaps… I could take that role.
I could hug her and give her a sense of protection. I could gently stroke her head to comfort her. Maybe even hold her hand and calm her when the tears began to fall again.
In a way this might be my first real playthrough as a Traveler.
But…
It's just... something in me keeps trying to maintain a distance from her.
"Tell me… this locked mind of mine. What fear lies beneath my hesitation?"
…
No answer came.
"Heh, of course none."
With no clear answer, my gaze drifted from her face to the land around us. I decided to set everything about me aside for now, as the truth of this place matters more than a passing existential crisis.
"Please excuse me for snooping into your memories."
My hand hovered slightly above her head.
Maybe she is the last survivor in this world, a Solidator. Maybe she is a victim of what happened in this world, a Träumerei. But there is also the possibility that she is the one behind all this destruction, a Trickster.
Those possibilities… I still cannot determine which one is true, but I hope she's not my foe.
"Let me borrow your power to use this feather again..."
Finally, I lowered my hand.
My palm rested against her forehead as I brushed her hair back.
Unconsciously, she curled closer into my lap.
"Ma... mom..." 「Klee」
"Not your mom, but... I'm here."
"...Don't go... don't leave me..." 「Klee」
And then, a feather shimmered in my grasp.
"As long as you need, I'll be here."
...
....
.....
[Klee's inner World]
When I opened my eyes, everything had changed.
There was no destruction. No colorless ruins.
Instead, Mondstadt stood before me exactly as it should be.
The wind carried the city's familiar scent. Fresh and breezy, like the fragrance of flowers I couldn't quite name. Meanwhile, people moved through the plaza as if nothing had ever happened.
Some brushed past me in a hurry, while others moved along at their usual pace.
One even bumped into my shoulder when I glanced to the side.
"Excuse me. My apologies for bumping into you," a female knight said quickly.
"It's fine."
As our shoulders brushed, something felt… different.
Compared to everyone else, her presence felt far more solid. She wasn't nearly as hazy as the others here. It only clicked when I noticed her blonde hair and the Anemo Vision at her hip...
...And then there's her face which looked a lot like Barbara's or older Hyacine— wait, I think my memory got jumbled right now. At least I knew that it was her, Jean Gunnhildr.
The acting Grand Master in Knights of Favonius.
"Thank you, Traveler. But may I take a little of your time? There's someone I've been searching for… have you seen a little girl run past here? Blonde hair, about this tall?" The woman gestured with her hand. "If you know anything, I would appreciate it."
I was a bit surprised she called me that. Pretty sure I wasn't Aether or Lumine in this memory. And when I touch my nose, yeah... I'm not them. Same body I've always seen in the mirror.
"Sorry. I haven't seen her."
"I see… my apologies for troubling you. By the way, are you—" 「Jean Gunnhildr」
She lowered her head slightly, as if wanting to say something more.
But when she came to look again, I was already gone.
Sadly, this wasn't what I came here for. More than that, staying any longer would only make her realize what she is now… just a fragment of memory. It's complicated but I don't want her to know that.
"Klee... where are you right now?" 「Jean Gunnhildr」
With a light step, I climbed to the top of one of Mondstadt's windmills.
From up here, the city stretched out below me.
The wind brushed against my face, signifying its meaning as both the city of freedom and wind. Even the sound of the rotating blades kept a familiar rhythm… like a bird gliding from one rooftop to another.
The colors were surprisingly vivid. Nothing like the dull, lifeless Mondstadt I'd seen before. And with so many buildings still intact, my guess wasn't far off. This place was the Mondstadt she remembered before it all went wrong.
"I'll take pictures later."
A feather shimmered faintly in my hand, the Feather of Fenghuang Down.
In its own world, this glowing plume was known as a Divine Key tied to consciousness itself. An instrument that could shape memories, illusions, dreams… anything born from the mind was within its reach.
Slipping into someone's subconscious like this was just one of its many tricks.
It's one of my most precious treasure, a memento I was given and entrusted with.
"Let's see what happens a few years from now."
I needed to understand of what happened to this place.
Everything I saw here was nothing more than a landscape shaped by Klee's memories, imagination, and experiences… a dream built from her mind. This wasn't exactly a place from any past or present, its just a culmination of the better world she had shaped as Mondstadt.
…it was the Mondstadt she wished for, in a way.
"Daddada!" I spotted Klee running around.
I'll let her enjoy her sweet dreams while I figure out why the world lost its colors.
And since I'd already tweaked things, I wouldn't get lost within the flow of her memories like I had in some of my past attempts. Holding your sense of self while diving into someone else's memories was one of the trickiest parts of all this.
It was like searching for a specific file in a massive folder without a quick search function, or swimming through a dark, silent ocean where nothing could really hurt me, yet everything still felt endless.
Annoying, but manageable.
"Alright… some clue getto! This world wasn't colorless after all."
The scene in front of me shifted, like pages being flipped too quickly to follow.
"Colors did exist here once."
For a brief moment, I caught a sky painted in soft blues, rooftops glowing under warm sunlight, and the faint shimmer of life in every corner. This world was bright and full of colors like how it supposed to be.
Until, it all faded somewhere and somehow.
"…Only to disappear in a single night. And just like that, it became an unknown Teyvat to them. In that moment... Klee was sleeping huh. Then there's barely any I could found here..."
Normally, when a world is created, its foundations are set from the very beginning.
It's not so different from how a game loads a new environment. Everything falls into place as if it already knows what it's supposed to be. Stuffs like models, textures, even the overall style and especially color.
'Kinda like Minecraft I think?'
Even if this world had already reached its END, color wouldn't just disappear like that.
"…No one died at first, but just to be expected, people were thrown into confusion. Even the ones they call 'gods' had no idea what caused it. Until they finally started searching for any trace of color left in this world…"
From what Klee could see, nothing else really changed. The world still moved as it always had. People talked, the wind still blew, and life went on. The only thing missing was color from their surroundings.
Even if it sometimes made it hard for her to tell an apple from a pear at a distance, the loss of color didn't really take away from her enjoyment of life in Mondstadt. Along with her adventure as well.
"So it's Lumine..."
In this world the Traveler is Lumine.
She continues her journey as usual, carrying out her adventure while searching for any trace of her brother. At the same time, she's trying to find a way to deal with this phenomenon, working alongside the Archons and the others.
Just to be sure, I kept a close eye on her actions and behavior.
You know, something like confirming whether she was truly Lumine or not. Because there was always the possibility that the one inside her wasn't actually Lumine… but a soul that had come from another world instead.
"Not a Transmigrator… good."
Fortunately, she wasn't.
"Klee's perspective only reaches Mondstadt and Inazuma, the rest are... not nearly enough."
But then I paused, something finally clicking into place.
As I watched Lumine through Klee's memories, I started to notice that she talks a bit too much. Usually, the one who does most of the talking is that Paimon instead of her.
"Where's that emergency food?"
Worlds based on sources that derive from its origin, are bound to have a few plot holes, lore inconsistencies, and even clashing timelines compared to what people generally understand as common knowledge AKA canon.
"Hmm..."
If Paimon didn't tag along with Lumine, it would've lead into a chain event different from what should've been happen. From that chain event, it'll also lead to a different ending, which is obvious by any means.
However, something still didn't add on.
"Just because of Paimon? It can't be just that..."
From some of Klee's memories, I could also see how the Hilichurls looked far more muscular and larger than they should be. All of them are suspiciously male, with their specific areas around groin depicted with far more... pixels.
Simply put they got big dong, like arsmtrong cannon.
Yeah… this is definitely for some kind of hentai doujin plot, isn't it?
"Speculation for now, a doujin world without Paimon and Traveler pair included," I took some note. "But it still didn't answer why this world turned to become like this... if only I could ask the Creator of this Genshin World..."
When more than one creator has the power to bring something into existence, the universe... the world become less of a reality but a product with wills. It is alive and constantly shifts and evolves according to the desires of the one writing the story.
But in the end, they're becoming more like a grand unity for some quarreling rivalry.
I think, this world is one of those "Product".
"Basic and source of this, maybe?" another note. "Now to find what actually matters."
It doesn't matter if this is some twisted world based from some doujin, I still need to find out why all the colors were taken and also a way to restore everything back to how it was.
I keep browsing through her memories, until I arrived to the beginning when people are gone. Aside from color, this is also a crucial moment if I want to found out the root problem in this world.
But unfortunately, Klee never saw who or what was responsible.
There were only vague fragments, brief moments where she glanced up at something strange above, something metallic piercing through Teyvat's false sky, before the memory abruptly cut off as she ran, eyes squeezed shut.
This, another note.
"But why Color? Why not something more like life, or the soul?"
Now I'm stuck in two questions.
Why?
And how?
Actually, make that three with who.
"Converting all life within a world into energy, experience points, fuel… whatever. That's the usual grand villain plan. So why steal something so trivial instead…? Hmm... hmm? Ah! I-It's him?!"
Still, I did manage to catch one thing.
Surprisingly the last person who stayed with her was… Diluc. Somehow, he held out long enough to remain by her side until she could wield a new weapon of her, a polearm. Though I didn't see it with her when we met.
"Bye Diluc Wayne~"
Back about the culprit.
"Metallic, is it some Pokemon? Nah…"
As I followed the flow of this memory, gathering whatever details I could, the surroundings began to shift into another scene. One by one, people seemed to disappear without Klee ever understanding why.
It was hard to make sense of it.
There was no wound, no sign of anything attacking them, and yet some of them simply crumbled where they stood, as if whatever held them together had quietly given out at the same time that metallic thing appeared.
Strangely enough, in the places where those people disappeared, their blood was left behind. It gathered together and merged into itself, still carrying the same vivid red it normally should have had.
"…So it wasn't collecting Visions… just blood?" I muttered quietly. "What is this thing… some kind of space vampire? Why didn't it take everything at once when it stripped all the colors from the world? Why only blood…? Why only red…? Haaah…"
Watching it through her memories, I could feel tears starting to well up. Confusion and despair clung to her, lingering and growing, slowly shaping the girl she would become.
Because even now, she still doesn't understand why they disappeared so suddenly.
"And here I thought I could help ease some of her confusion…"
The flow changed on.
She looked slightly older this time, and it seemed Klee had started noticing the subtle changes in her own body as she grew.
There were far fewer people around her now. Most of those remaining were little more than extras… background figures wandering around Mondstadt like NPCs filling empty space.
Well, not something I really needed. But memories like this aren't so easy to filter out.
They're like core memories.
The ones that define a person.
The essence of who someone is, same thing.
"But by now... no one is there. Even Qiqi, that 50/50 pity destroyer."
So I let it pass, waiting until something more relevant showed up by its own.
Just then, I felt something… off.
It wasn't as overwhelming as drawing a god's attention, but it was there.
A presence. Watching me.
To be capable of this, even with Fenghuang Down deployed, it had to be that metallic "entity"… or something just as powerful. Or maybe… it simply didn't appreciate me digging around inside this girl's mind.
Then again… perhaps Klee had created some kind of imaginary friend during her lonelier days, and it appeared here after sensing my presence. This was a dream, after all. Anything was possible.
"Yo... are you a friend? Or a foe?"
I turned slowly, glancing down past the windmill right where that gaze was coming from.
At first, all I saw was a ridiculously oversized witch's hat. The brim cast a heavy shadow, hiding almost everything beneath it. So naturally, my eyes drifted lower to the one wearing it.
A woman.
Loose strands of hair slipped across her face, and she brushed it aside without much thought.
That was when I noticed it. Her hair, her features… even the faint warmth in her expression, it all felt eerily close to Klee's. Not identical. But close enough to make the connection between them.
They looked alike, but her presence was far calmer. Nothing like the chaotic little arsonist I'd seen earlier, busy changing her clothes in different memory. Oh... it seems Jean caught up to her.
For a moment, my thoughts stalled on a single guess.
"Excuse me," the woman said warmly, lifting her hat as she stepped closer. "I don't particularly mind how you treat my star… but could you stop peeking through every single one of her memories?"
Her smile widened slightly, she lifted her face and face me casually.
"That's a breach of her privacy… and eventually, a breach of my patience." 「Klee's mother」
If my memory wasn't failing me, she was… Klee's mother. Alice.
"Hello~?" 「Klee's mother」
I raised the feather, directing the Fenghuang Down toward her presence. Normally, that would be enough to unravel any memory construct or illusion, but the woman beneath the windmill didn't even flicker.
She simply stood there… gazing back at me.
That confirmed it, she wasn't just a fragment of memory.
"Are you done checking up? Then let's have a pleasant chat, shall we?" She folded her arms behind her back. "We have time until that girl wakes up. You should make good use of it."
"Are you sure?"
Her smile softened, though something heavy lingered behind it as she watched Klee move through different memories. "Pretty sure. Because lately… Klee hasn't been sleeping very well. Do you mind to come down?"
"...Sure."
I jumped down from the windmill and landed in front of her.
Her clothes were different from Klee's, yet the resemblance was undeniable. From what I knew, the lore described her as someone brilliant, someone powerful enough to treat Venti like a troublesome child in need of supervision.
She did look like that, but there's something off.
She felt like a fading echo, clinging on for just a few more seconds.
Not weak, just… distant.
And her colors were just as faint as the world I'd seen before.
"But... she looked comfortable before passing out in my lap, though."
"That's pleasant to hear." 「Klee's mother」
A faint smile touched her lips, hidden beneath the brim of her ridiculously large hat.
"If she can sleep more peacefully… I would be grateful." 「Klee's mother」
Then she straightened slightly, her eyes turning toward me with renewed curiosity.
"Now then, what is your name, traveler from a distant world?" 「Klee's mother」
"Before that, let me return you to how it supposed to be."
I recalibrated the Fenghuang Down, adjusting it to account for her presence. This way, she could remain a little longer within her child's memories. I didn't tell her that, but… I had a feeling she could tell anyway.
She looked more colorful now after all.
"No offense, but both of you look like an apple split in two."
"Are you… trying to win me over now, hmm? Know that there's no way I'm letting my star fall into someone else's hands..." her voice softened, just slightly. "…Not unless you can promise me something~"
"Hold on… it's not like that." My gaze slipped to the side.
For a moment, I couldn't bring myself to look at her, cringing at my own words. "It's just… you seems to take care of your child to the very end. And I think… that's what being a mother is about."
Indeed, I'm not trying to take Klee away.
I just want to do something for a mother like her.
A bit more time and also a more proper way for farewell.
Unlike… that moment of her death, when she couldn't even see her daughter's face.
"That's something many couldn't do. Even to their own blood."
"Hmm..." 「Klee's mother」
"...My apologizes for being meddlesome."
For a moment, it felt like I was standing on thin ice. If it came to a fight with her… I'd hold back as much as I could. It wouldn't feel right, having her spend what little time she had left here just to drive me away.
But then, she turned away, a faint smile touched her lips.
Gentle… and, I think, a little relieved.
"Alright… I suppose you've passed this one." 「Klee's mother」
"…Like I said," I exhaled softly, "it's not what you think."
"No, no… you didn't just win." 「Klee's mother」
A small pause.
"You passed." 「Klee's mother」
Her gaze lingered on me, thoughtful.
"That kind of understanding doesn't come easily." 「Klee's mother」
Another quiet breath.
"Tell me… have you ever loved someone the way a parent does?" 「Klee's mother」
As I tried to think of an answer, for some reason my chest tightened.
It felt like something had been pulled out from a drawer.
But I pushed it back in, choosing to focus on what was happening now.
"I don't think so, it's just... an empathy."
"…What a troublesome answer," she said softly. "Come with me."
She then led me somewhere quieter, saying there were things she wanted to say.
Along the way, I caught glimpses of her smiling soft and fondly to herself whenever she saw fragments of her child's memories scattered across this place. It's a charming sight, I do think so of it.
And yet…
My thoughts drifted somewhere else entirely.
Names.
Titles.
Labels.
None of them were things I possessed with any certainty.
"So… care to tell me who you are, passerby lone empyrean? As for me, I'm Alice, Klee's mother obviously. But if you're in the mood for something more dramatic… you can call me the fading light of the last star in this castigated world." 「Alice」
"That's way too long... and what with that empyrean thing anyway. And about this castigation,,,"
But if I had to answer…
Then for now, I suppose my name would be—
...
....
.....
「Knights of Favonius HQ, Klee's room」
What is a place called home?
Once, a kid who told me that home is a place where your whole body feels warm and cozy… and bright. Don't know what that really means. Supposedly, you're never hungry or cold there.
She was also pretty sure there wouldn't be any liars or thieves either in there.
It's a pretty idealistic definition.
But I guess, coming from a kid who never had a place to call home, it's not such a bad thing.
People tend to long for what they don't have, and although her name and face have grown hazy in my memory, somehow... this girl reminds me of her. Both of them are still looking for their home.
"Onii-chan, good morning! Up to the hood in the grove~!" 「Klee」
I could hear her right beside me. Bright, restless, and very clearly trying to drag me into whatever mood she was in. I didn't even need to open my eyes to picture what kind of face she's making.
I just know she's already shaking me like I was some kind of DJ turntable.
"Hurry up! Up up up!" 「Klee」
As I opened my eyes, it felt like I was recalling an old memory from when I first came here. But instead of tears and quiet sobs… I was greeted by laughter and the cheerful voice of the same girl.
"Oh! You up now. Let's go~" 「Klee」
More or less from our first meeting a few days had passed, and started to become weeks, and maybe almost half a month, or years has actually passed in this world. To be honest I don't really know.
We were just… having fun, without ever thinking about how much time had passed.
Fixing up the office, practicing with new weapons, even hunting and gathering like some kind of primitive survivalists… I guess things like that make time slip by faster than you realize.
"...Didn't we just traveled to Inazuma few days ago?"
"So today we should go to someplace new!" 「Klee」
Memory of the past slipped within my mind.
After we met… what I remember most was how cramped my legs felt. They were tingling from being used as a pillow while she slept, and still sore when I tried to get up after playing human cushion for so long.
"Do you... really need to hug me that tight?"
"It's so that you get up and don't doze off again. Ahh! You rolled over!" 「Klee」
In that moment, I was truly grateful that Klee wasn't someone I had to fight. But at the same time, a different kind of trouble crept in, the strange feeling that I had just taken on the role of her guardian, whether I liked it or not.
"I can't wait! I really want to go on an adventure somewhere new with you. Hey, is there anything I can do to convince you? Please, please… anything to get you out of bed!" Klee pleaded.
"Why're you so eager right now? Snezhnaya is still not uploaded, you know."
"That place is cold and gloomy anyway. Not interested~" Klee climbed onto my back, sitting on it as she rocked side to side like a boat. "Hey~ come on~ wake up already! Stop sleeping and let's go on an adventure~"
"How am I supposed to get up with you on my back?"
"Liar~ You're strong enough to lift a boar, aren't you? So why can't you stand up with just me?" Klee shot back. So, naturally, I protested against her logic by proving her completely right.
"Uaaah?! Stop spinning meee~" 「Klee」
Done with the stun...
'Hehe... stun... hehe... I mean, she's stunned with that spinning stun...'
Well, getting up with a girl her size wasn't exactly difficult. The real problem now is Klee clinging to my back even while I was washing my face. She stayed stuck there, long after I stopped spinning around.
"You still got soap on that spot." 「Klee」
"...Don't you want to change something other than my jacket? You've been in that ever since I gave it to you."
"I do wash it! And it's special, okay? It's the first thing you ever gave me~" Klee giggled as she pulled the hood of my jacket over both our heads. "See? Still warm, just like back then. Though… it's getting a little cramped now."
"Well, it was only meant for one head."
"Maybe I should make it bigger so I can fit inside too?" 「Klee」
"That would look even weirder. At least get off my back…"
"That's also a no~" 「Klee」
At first, she was cold and cautious around me, like most teenagers would be, and honestly, it was understandable. She tried to keep her distance and act stern toward me because my existence itself was suspicious.
But it didn't take long for her true nature to surface.
Little by little, that cheerful and affectionate side of hers returned, until it became what it is now. Looking back, those cold stares and serious expressions almost felt fabricated.
Even after everything I told her, Klee still acted like a child.
Just like this.
"Hmm... I'm getting sleepy again, it's so comfy up here." 「Klee」
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. People could have different sides to themselves, after all.
Still…
I kind of wished she wouldn't cling to me this much.
"Alright, your turn."
"Do I really have to?" 「Klee」
"If you've been drooling and your back's all damp, then yes."
Now that I was done cleaning myself up, it was Klee's turn for a bath.
I carried her to her room and plopped her down like a freshly delivered package. Washing up anywhere would've worked, honestly. A river, a lake… as long as there was water and soap.
Still, this felt more comfortable.
"Put your clothes in the basket. We'll wash them in the river later."
"Okay! Are you sure you don't want to… bathe together with me?" 「Klee」
"Bathe together? We don't need to do that so often, do we?"
We had taken baths together a few times before, and honestly… it was kind of fun.
It's not like I was worried about dumb FBI jokes or anything, but then again, she could manage just fine on her own. There's no real need for me to go in with her so often. That was what a proper guardian should do… teach independence.
Or at least, that's what I told myself.
Besides, it'd just feel cramped anyway.
"Then… please stay here. Just in front of the door." 「Klee」
"Like always? Alright, don't worry."
The door closed, only to be opened again.
"Hey, onii-chan. There's no need for peeking, alright?" Klee opened the door slightly and peeked out. "If you really want to bathe together, you can just come in. I wouldn't mind."
I sighed, gently closing the door again. "You still remember that?"
There was a time when I had to... well, peek at her.
She'd gone unusually quiet during her bath, so when I opened the door to check on her, I found her sitting there, completely absorbed in playing with the soap and shampoo bottles like they were part of some strange experiment.
Then again…
It had probably been a long time since she'd seen anything like them.
"Hehe, I know. You just want to make sure I'm okay, right? It's fine if you don't want to come in, but just stay there! Don't leave!" Klee called out. "I don't want you to suddenly disappear again like when you go off exploring without me."
"...Just hurry up and finish already."
I glanced at the basket filled with her dirty clothes from the past few days.
"How long has it been..."
Even now, she still dressed the same way she did as child version, only adjusted to fit her growing frame. Wider. Longer. As if she was trying to hold onto something that no longer quite fit.
She's around Mona's size if I have to compare it.
Frills lined her outfit, with small four-leaf clover patterns stitched across the fabric. A cross-shaped design rested over her chest, while that familiar red beret never seemed to leave her head.
Her knee-high socks and boots completed the outfit, and at her waist hung Dodoco, as constant a companion as ever. Unchanged, or maybe… deliberately unchanged.
She also once told me about a bag she used to carry everywhere. Something important to her. But she lost it while running from something she refused to talk about, no matter how many times I asked.
But it's not like I need her to say it out loud.
I already knew.
It's the one thing that keeps me from ever letting my guard down in this world.
'That metallic entity… why haven't I found it yet?'
Even after all the time I've spent in this world, I still haven't been able to find any trace of that entity. I've searched different regions in secret, followed every lead I could find… but nothing ever pointed back to it.
Not even Sumeru, the one place I thought might hold records or fragments of the truth, gave me so much as a breadcrumb. I even went as far as visiting Celestia, the realm where the gods reside, only to find the same nothing.
"If we're counting from the day it all began…"
From what I remember, this world has been monochrome for over ninety years. And Klee… she's spent nearly forty of those years alone in Teyvat. Add the time I've spent with her now…
"…Let's just round it up to a hundred."
"What is it?" 「Klee」
"Just a cockroach."
"Oh... just that." 「Klee」
The sound of water resumed, soft splashes from behind the door.
A hundred years.
For humans, that was already a lifetime. For something like that entity… I couldn't tell if it was long or short. But one thing I still couldn't understand, why? Why would it do something like this… for so long?
"Onii-chan, I'm done. My clothes, please~" Klee called out.
"You shouldn't change in the bathroom. I'll step outside so you can change here."
She had already prepared her change of clothes in her wardrobe, the usual simple design.
"Oh…" 「Klee」
"What 'oh'?"
"I thought you were going to add, 'How many times have I told you that?' at the end," she said with a small giggle. "That's what you usually say. Seems like you're thinking about something else, huh? What is it?"
"Nothing much. I was just thinking about… how old you actually are."
"...Huh?" 「Klee」
Without saying anything else, I stepped out of Klee's room.
"Onii-chan? Onii-chan?! What do you mean by that?!" 「Klee」
And once again, I found myself lost in thought.
How long I had been here didn't matter anymore. And everything I did for her, day after day, was never something I considered a burden. I did all of this so she could live safely in this world… and to protect the world she belonged to.
All of it aligned with the promise I made to her mother, as well as the purpose that brought me here in the first place.
But for a moment, a different thought slipped into my mind.
What would I do after that?
After every promise had been fulfilled… after my purpose was gone.
"Maybe… that portal will open again? I never figured out why it appeared in the first place…"
Someday, all of this will come to an end. Whether it turns out well or not.
And then I'll leave this world behind, along with whatever result awaits me. Good or bad, it won't matter. In time, even those memories will fade too. Maybe that's why, sometimes, I can't help but wonder...
Why am I doing all of this?
Why do I keep trying… only to let things go?
Why do I keep moving forward, even knowing how it ends?
"Surely… it has to mean something, right?"
Well, even if it's for something meaningless, until everything comes to an end, the only thing I can do is stay by her side. Ready for whatever might happen and keep protecting her.
Whether that's years from now… or until one of us dies first.
And if nothing happens at all… then living in this world with just the two of us, that's something I've already prepared myself for. It might end up feeling a little like that Usagi Drop kind of situation though.
But if it's for Klee's happiness, for that girl happiness...
"…That way, I won't break the promise I made."
Reminding myself about promise, my mind drifted back to the dream from earlier that morning.
Even though it was cut off before I could hear the rest of my conversation with Alice, I still remembered the important parts of what she wanted to tell me.
I'm still amazed at how much she loved her. Back then, I had to shift through so many details whenever we spoke, because somehow, everything always circled back to Klee… and never to this world.
What a caring mother.
"I wonder... if she's still there?"
"Onii-chan? Where did you go?" 「Klee」
"I'm down here."
Footsteps echoed from the stairs. Light and uneven, the soft sound of bare feet against wood. I turned, already expecting her to scold me. Her small fists were clenched at her sides.
Fortunately, at least she wasn't holding any bombs.
"Onii-chan! What are you doing spacing out on the terrace? I told you not to go anywhere!" 「Klee」
My thoughts snapped back the moment I saw her. The way she looked now… she still wasn't quite there yet, but she was already starting to resemble the image of her mother I saw in her memories.
"What's the occasion?"
"…Even if you stare at me like that, it won't stop me…" 「Klee」
"Ahaha… I guess not."
"…Still, thank you. But this one is different! Get set!" 「Klee」
While I was still lost in my own thoughts, she already looked ready to start a fight.
Honestly, she was surprisingly good at brawling. Especially after I taught her.
So for now, I decided to set aside all my hesitation and simply spend my time with her.
"Sorry. How do I make it up to you?"
"Then quit dodging already! I want to hit you at least once!" 「Klee」
This peace, this happiness will end someday. I know that better than anyone. The weight of the future, the fragility of this fleeting happiness… those aren't things I can avoid.
Even so… I'll still create that happiness.
...
....
.....
Night had already fallen, the moon high above, its dark light shining over everything.
"This sound… it's from there again."
Not every moment in life is meant to bring something.
Most of them pass by quietly, leaving little behind, easy to forget as if they never mattered at all. But somewhere in those small, unimportant moments, I found myself realizing something about Klee of this world.
She still enjoys blast fishing.
It's her way of remembering her childhood, something she comes back to every now and then.
"Shackles of the past..."
She just stands there, listening. So still it almost feels wrong to disturb her. Even now, she closes her eyes whenever the water bursts upward, as though waiting for something only she can hear.
And then, slowly, a faint smile finds its way onto her face.
It's not the kind she shows to me either, it's softer… like the one I once saw from her mother.
By the time the ripples begin to settle, her eyes open again. Whatever she was holding onto slips away just as quietly, fading into the calm surface of the water until there's nothing left for me to see.
All that remains on the clear spring is a faint, distorted reflection of her smile.
"See you again, everyone..." 「Klee」
That's what she once told me.
"Ah… onii-chan! Were you looking for me? You must've been worried, right?" 「Klee」
It took her a moment to notice me.
The quiet look on her face, as calm as the water around her, changed almost instantly, brightening the moment our eyes met. For a brief second, it reminded me of the moon above, just as bright… and just as wrong.
"Not like I have many place to search for. Don't mind it."
"…I see. Sorry, but there aren't any adventurers today. I was planning to do my usual patrol. Want to come with me?" Klee stepped closer, wiping her face with the sleeve of her outfit. "What's wrong?"
I turned my head away, avoiding her gaze.
"Aren't you supposed to be in bed? It's night time."
"Uhm, I… could you turn a blind eye just this once?" 「Klee」
"At this rate, I'd need a dozen blind eyes just to keep up with you. Well… as long as you get enough rest later. Oh, right. Didn't you say there was something you wanted to talk about this morning? Want to tell me now?"
"It's not really something important, but… I was thinking of giving you a badge. One that shows onii-chan is now officially part of our Knights of Favonius, " she puffed her chest out proudly.
"Though… I'm the only member right now." 「Klee」
A small badge appeared in her hands before she carefully offered it to me. It was small enough to fit in my palm, decorated with handmade patterns and little motifs that could only have come from Klee herself.
"Sorry it took so long to make… I just wanted it to be special." 「Klee」
"...Thank you."
I carefully stored the badge away instead of wearing it.
Because somehow, I felt like if I wore it, I'd eventually lose it.
On the other side of the river, still teeming with fish, stood the ruined outer wall of Mondstadt. Beyond it lay the market district, once filled with merchants and noise, and further back, rows of houses where people used to live.
Our base, the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, sat even deeper within.
I already knew this path. Her usual route.
"So? Are you coming or not?" 「Klee」
"Like I can really say no."
"…You can refuse, though." 「Klee」
"Would that change anything?"
She shook her head, then, as usual, grabbed my arm and pulled me along.
Before I met her, she had already moved between several regions.
From the memories of her mind, Inazuma was the one she visited the most, the place she returned to again and again. She had also been to Fontaine, and even Natlan, though only briefly, never staying long.
But in the end, she chose to stay in Mondstadt.
Not because it was special in any obvious way, but because she didn't know where else to go after everyone disappeared. And maybe because the city still reminded her of the people she once held close.
So, in the end, it felt less like settling down… and more like returning home.
"Onii-chan, over here. Let's go to the tavern first." 「Klee」
"You go ahead. I'll follow."
Since she wasn't dragging me along this time, I figured I'd just watch from behind.
"We are going together!" 「Klee」
"…Alright, stop with the hugging."
In the end, she dragged me along anyway.
This patrol of hers is one of her habits, aside from her usual adventuring.
She usually starts in the morning, heading out to gather fruit while keeping an eye out for anything unusual in the nearby forest. After that, she makes her way back into the city, wandering around to see if there's anything new that catches her interest.
The first time we met was during one of those patrols.
She called it a "miracle patrol," at least back when we first met.
"Same as always… there's no one here," Klee muttered.
"Let's check somewhere else."
"Mm." 「Klee」
When I asked her why she kept doing this, Klee said she did it just in case one of her friends might show up. She seemed a little more excited after finding me during one of those searches.
She would comb through the ruins of Mondstadt, checking every corner for any trace of other human life. And apparently, she picked up that habit from Diluc, who often keeps watch over the city.
That Dark Knight must have left more of an impression on her than he realized.
But…
A thought has been lingering in my mind these past few days, ever since I started seeing her as my little sister. Behind the smile she always shows as we search from place to place, there are moments when I can clearly see it.
That quiet disappointment… when, once again, she finds nothing.
"…As expected, looks like there's no one here today. I wonder when everyone will come back~?" 「Klee」
"..."
"Hey… say something, onii-chan. I was just joking, you know?" 「Klee」
Seeing that strong front she puts on… it twists something inside me.
I know she's trying not to worry me. I know she forces herself to stay positive so she doesn't lose herself. And I know that, deep down, Klee had already given up on finding anyone else… long before I arrived.
So did my appearance just give her false hope?
"...You can hug me, if you want to. It's cold... after all."
"You don't need to give me permission. I'd do it anyway~" 「Klee」
There are so many times I want to tell her the truth.
That all her efforts are in vain. That no one else is coming back.
"Thanks for being here..." 「Klee」
But every time the words reach my throat, they stop.
Because that kind of "truth" is unkind for her.
She wouldn't be able to bear it all at once. And even if she managed to recover from it, it would take time… time I wasn't sure she had the strength to endure alone. Especially in a world like this.
"Don't ever leave me... okay?" 「Klee」
So I let her continue.
I let her chase something that may never be there.
To keep believing in the lie… one I'm a part of.
"As long as I still can."
...
....
.....
Another day, another routine.
We started by crossing the bridge, the same one where countless pigeons had met their unfortunate end by many content creators. But this time, we weren't going around the ruins of Mondstadt again.
We were out on an adventure.
The plains around us, which should have been green, were instead covered in white. A thin layer of grass stretched as far as the eye could see, crunching softly beneath each step. The wind carried a light, refreshing chill, probably since we're still around Mondstadt.
I glanced at Klee.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" 「Klee」
Just like me, she was carrying her own bag.
Not the old one, but a new one she had made herself.
"Onii-chan, you're going to get blown away if you keep staring like that…" 「Klee」
"Please don't."
"Then say something! I can't read your mind like you can mine, hmph!" 「Klee」
There was a time when I relied on Fenghuang Down a little too often while talking to her. Maybe that was when Klee started catching on… and began believing I could read her thoughts.
Which, to be fair…
Was exactly why she sulked so often around me.
"You're still hungry? Sorry… I could only make a simple breakfast and some juice."
"…What? So that's what you've been thinking about?" Klee frowned slightly. "It was good. More than enough! Really. You don't have to worry about whether I want more or not… I'm not a child, you know. I understand how things are…"
She adjusted the strap of her bag and kept walking, her face turned away.
If I remember correctly, it was filled with some of her favorite bombs, the ones she always carried with her. Every now and then, I could hear a faint clink from inside, a reminder that something explosive was always close at hand.
As for me, I didn't bring much.
Just the usual things I had before, along with a few adventuring supplies.
"Ah! Onii-chan, can I borrow that tool again? The one that plays music?" 「Klee」
"Wait... here."
"Thank you! Uh… where was that song again…?" Klee muttered, fumbling with it
Sometimes, during our travels, I used the headphones I kept in my bag to pass the time. The journeys to Inazuma and the other regions were long, and music helped keep my thoughts from drifting somewhere unpleasant.
After seeing me use them so often, Klee eventually grew curious too.
Now she happily wore them herself, listening to whatever songs I still had stored inside. Honestly, those headphones had become one of the quickest ways to get her to forgive me whenever she was upset.
If I remembered correctly, her favorite was that one song from Honda Mio in Idolm@ster.
"First blast for today, eiiyaa!" Klee cheered.
The headphones also do a great job of blocking out the sound of her explosions. Sometimes a little too well. She ends up tossing bombs to the rhythm of the music, completely unaware of anything else around her.
"…Hmm."
"Ah?! O-Onii-chan, you're still there?!" 「Klee」
Just like now, as a massive splash of water surged into the air.
Let's just hope it doesn't—
Splash.
...
....
.....
With that minor inconvenience out of the way, we were ready to move again.
"I'm sorry! Are you sure you don't want to change your clothes? What if you catch a cold?" 「Klee」
"…It'll dry somehow. We should go. I've already kept you waiting long enough."
"Okay… but if you start sneezing later, we're going straight home, alright?!" 「Klee」
Catching a cold is something that would only happen if I allowed it. I almost said that out loud… but I held back, since he way she looked when she was worried was… kind of cute.
For now, we continued on, with Klee leading the way.
As for where we were heading… I didn't really know. But as long as she was happy, that was enough for me. Besides, she already knew the terrain around Mondstadt better than most.
'She's grown... again.'
Watching her ponytail sway as she marched ahead like a cadet, I found myself thinking back to the first time we met. It had been years, probably… though to me, it still felt like yesterday.
'Haaahh... more than a little sister, I treated her like a daughter now.'
Besides that, I find myself thinking of the promise I made to her mother every time I start seeing Klee that way. It was an oath I made to Alice, right before she entrusted her daughter to me.
A promise I intended to keep, no matter what happened to me.
'And once again, I don't know if I'll truly be able to keep it.'
"What are you thinking? I knew it… you're not feeling well, are you?" she said, placing her palm on my forehead. "It's fine if we turn back, you know. We can go adventuring another day. You don't have to worry so much about me, onii-chan."
I just patted her shoulder in return, brushing it off with a light tone.
"You're important to me, so how could you say that?"
"…That makes me happy to hear, but you're… important to me too." 「Klee」
I kept walking, leaving her a step behind.
"Onii-chan! Don't walk away right when I'm saying something important!" 「Klee」
Not long after, we made our way through the woods near Mondstadt.
Sunlight slipped between the leaves above us while the branches swayed gently in the wind. A few monochrome creatures either fled at the sight of us or tried to attack, but Klee handled them easily with her polearm either way.
At some point, Klee tugged at my sleeve, asking me to lift her so she could reach a flower on one of the higher branches. She stretched out, just barely catching it, a small smile forming as she plucked it free.
And after that, we headed down to the beach.
The wind carried the same scent as waves rolled along the shore. We spent some time chasing crabs and trying to catch fish in the shallows, though they proved harder to grab than expected.
"This is your ORDER! WIND BLAAADE! WRRRROOOAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!"
"Onii-chan... you're loud." 「Klee」
Seeing me act like a madman, Klee shot me a sideways glance while casually catching crabs and fish with ease… using a bomb, of course. These were a bit harder to deal with using her polearm.
Having a little too much fun wiping out those unfortunate aquatic peasants, I almost forgot.
It was rare for Klee to explore the beach on her own. There were a number of reasons for that, but the most important one was how terrifying the ocean felt in this monochrome world.
That was also why she never dared to travel to other regions that required crossing the sea alone. At least… not before I was around. With me by her side, she's been able to travel farther again.
Like she used to with the others.
"N-No... that is?!" 「Klee」
The sound of waves continued below us, Klee's distant muttering somewhere in-between.
Now that she could smile and laugh over even the smallest things again, I found myself wishing moments like this would last just a little longer… maybe into tomorrow, and the day after that too.
'Heh... what a creep I am.'
It wasn't just satisfaction I felt, but something closer to gratitude, being able to see her like this in a world that had already lost so much… almost as if it made this world feel like it still had some meaning left.
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Why is he so far?! Here! Turn around!" 「Klee」
A series of hurried footsteps scraped across the damp sand.
'Is she running around again? Maybe she found something buried in the sand… Right, I almost forgot about that sparkly stone.'
If I found it, she'd probably like it.
Somewhere along the way, I had already started thinking about her next birthday.
"I'm not gonna make it! That thing—onii-cha! Watch out!" 「Klee」
"...Ouchy, hey Klee! You don't have to push me that hard while running… around..."
And just like that, everything shifted.
As if a trap had already been set long before we stepped into it… I realized too late.
This might be our last day.
...
....
.....
As I turned, about to hand her the clam shell she could use as decoration for one of her bombs, something slammed into my back. For a second, I thought she was just messing around, trying to push me down onto the wet sand.
But I was wrong.
"Klee!"
"Onii... chan... you're save..." 「Klee」
The color was too bright, too thick.
In this world, where everything had long since faded into black and white… the first color I saw again was her blood. Red spread across the sand beneath my feet, slowly encroaching like a flower in bloom.
< w e i r d, I... K i l l... I a l m o s g o t h y m? I o u ? >
She leaned weakly against my shoulder, her expression wavering between confusion and disbelief at what was happening to her. But the moment her eyes met mine, it softened into another small smile.
"Thankfully... you're still fine..." 「Klee」
"You brat!"
I pressed my hand against the wound trying to close it with everything I had, but it was like sealing a hole in a sinking ship with my bare hands, useless. Each attempt only made her flinch, whenever I pushed against her wound.
This is absurd. She had been hurt before. I've seen her bleed.
And yet back then, the color was always the same as everything else in this world, dark almost black. Like ink spilled across a page. Like blood in a manga panel. So why… is it like this now?
< y o u... u n e x p e c t e d f o u n d t o b e h e r e >
"Just what are you doing?! You don't have to protect me!"
"…Onii-chan, sorry… your jacket… I tore it. I'm… really sorry…" 「Klee」
"Stop it! We need to heal this first!"
"…I'm really sorry… but… don't get mad at me… okay?" 「Klee」
< g l o w i n g b r i g h t s a m e a s l i g h t ? n o t s t a r >
Everything happened too fast.
My thoughts and instincts tangled together, trying to make sense of something that refused to make sense. Just moments ago, we were laughing at the beach, chasing crabs like nothing in this world could touch us.
And now why... did it have to turn out like this?
Why now?
My rage twisted, spilling toward everything except what mattered.
"...Onii-chan... don't get angry... yeah?" 「Klee」
So I pushed it down and buried it.
I need to calm down.
"...It's fine. It's really fine, Klee. We can fix it later, okay?"
"…Yep… onii-chan, don't… get angry… okay? Otherwise… I might run away from you again… out of fear… just like before… because even when you're not angry… your face still looks… really scary… hehe…" 「Klee」
A faint laugh escaped her trembling lips.
"…I was really scared… back then… but I'm glad… I still reached out to you… and you… didn't abandon me either… all those days... all those years..." 「Klee」
Her voice grew fainter and fainter.
"You can tell me everything when we're home, just shhs."
"…We have... become this close... here I thought... it'll be.. forever and... ever..." 「Klee」
I took her trembling hand in mine.
My mind was starting to go awry, I tried everything I could to cover up the wound on Klee's body with whatever spell, miracle, magic, I could remember, but why isn't it working either?!
'Regeneration, recovery, instant reparation, healing hand, regrowth, cellular activation, holy healing, energy transfer, purification...'
The bleeding from her back wouldn't stop.
Her breathing grew fainter, slipping further and further away as her body weakened in my arms.
"Onii... chan, can you... hug me?" 「Klee」
It was then...
Something warm touched my arm.
"It's stuffy... but I really like it. Am I… going to die, onii-chan? Somehow… I'm not as scared… as I thought I'd be… all those things... Uncle Diluc told me before he go... have become easier to understand." 「Klee」
Another drop followed. Then another, soaking slowly into the sand.
"…What I'm afraid of… feels… different now… it's about... someone before me..." 「Klee」
More drops fell, one after another.
"With this, will I… be able to see them again? But... I'll leave you... alone..." 「Klee」
Her words reached me, but I couldn't answer. Not now.
I was still trying to conceal what little healing I could manage from the entity that hadn't moved. I'll listen to her scolding later. As much as she wants. As long as she can still speak. We can do all of that later.
But then, she pushed lightly against my shoulder, forcing me to look at her properly.
"Hey… onii-chan… why are you… crying? Jeez..." 「Klee」
For a second, I didn't understand what she meant.
Only then did I realize...
All these warmth soaking into my arm, wasn't her blood.
They were my tears.
"Hm."
"You… only just noticed?" 「Klee」
"...Hm."
She let out a small laugh when she realized I hadn't even noticed my own tears.
"Hehe… this reminds me… of the first time I fell asleep in your lap. Onii-chan… you're the one crying now… ah… it really has been a long time… somehow… I'm starting to remember those days again…" 「Klee」
"Yeah… save those stories for when we get home, okay?"
I let her wipe away my tears as she laughed.
"…Don't cry, onii-chan… you're going to make me cry too…" Klee slowly closed her eyes, and the simple motion sent a wave of fear through me. "But... if you want to cry... then cry... you've held me so many times before... so let me do the same... just this once..."
I felt her hand brush weakly against the back of my hair.
"You cheeky. Be quiet now."
"That's... a no~ I don't want... to..." 「Klee」
Her blood formed a dark red pool beneath us, mixing with the tears slowly falling from her eyes into the sand. When I saw her face, it is, indeed looked just like the day we first met.
Back then, her face had been a complete mess, covered in tears and not cute at all.
"Ah... looks likes... I can't hold it after all... now I'm crying too..." 「Klee」
But now... all that remained was a painful smile.
I searched through every technique I could remember.
Healing. Restoration. Regeneration.
None of them worked.
Nothing reached her wound. Nothing made it close.
All the healing slipped through her like water through cracked glass. I pushed harder, trying to increase the output, forcing more into it. Since if the methods wasn't enough, then I would break through its limits with pure energy.
"Onii… chan... be careful..." 「Klee」
However, a deep tremor suddenly echoed through the world.
The rupture looming over Teyvat convulsed. Then, a steel-like beam surged forward with fluid yet overwhelming momentum, tearing through the air toward us.
Something beyond reality had awakened in response to my defiance.
< s o m e t h i n g? n o y o u n o ? >
It answered with the same kind of attack it had used before.
But this time I saw it coming.
I raised my arm and blocked it before it could reach us, keeping Klee shielded behind my other arm. The world around us was thrown apart by the collision, but only the two of us remained unmoved.
Something crawled beneath my skin the moment I blocked it, as though the attack was trying to reach inside me. I chose to ignore it. But then Klee whispered beside me, "...Don't... block it..."
I reacted immediately.
I hurled the writhing mass away and leapt back with Klee in my arms, immediately putting distance between us. Even then, the sensation it left crawling across my skin refused to disappear.
"...It can... pass through... anything to take..." 「Klee」
"So that's why even those from Celestia couldn't stop it..." I muttered while staring at my palm.
Landing back on the ruined shore, I quickly surveyed the aftermath of the collision.
The beach had been torn apart, nearly half of it gone. Sand and scattered leaves still swept wildly through the air as I adjusted Klee carefully in my arms and rose back to my feet.
Then I looked toward where that thing should have been.
Because if my suspicions were right... it was staring back at us as well.
"Onii-chan... don't look... you will..." 「Klee」
Something that should never have been called a living being.
Something that brought fear simply by existing.
"...How did you even enter this world?"
No answer came.
The world shook again as a metallic appendage slowly emerged from the rupture above. Its shape resembled neither flesh nor machinery, yet it moved like a living thing, twisting against the fractured sky and prying the opening wider.
"Onii-chan! No... run... you have to... run... at least you..." 「Klee」
I gently stroked Klee's head, trying to calm her down.
But it wasn't enough.
Even with the little strength she had recovered, she still tried to convince me.
"...You don't... understand... that is... not... a god... or else... it won't... listen to you..." 「Klee」
I already knew that.
The thing above us was not what people would call a God.
It was merely a creature.
And creatures could never become Gods.
Yet precisely because of that... they could be defeated.
They could be killed.
< m i n e . n o t y o u r t o t a k e . l e a v e >
"...What do the blind idiot call you?"
In response, more metallic appendages began emerging from the rupture, each one larger than the last.
The sky trembled around them.
The world itself seemed to tilt beneath their weight, as though Teyvat could no longer withstand something so enormous forcing its way through the fracture in reality.
Then, perhaps because of my words... or perhaps because Klee was still in my arms... the hostility pouring from it deepened instantly. More metallic shapes loomed across the fractured sky above us.
"Not really interested with talking, that thing."
< l e a v e >
"No."
At this point, I already understood most of what the entity was capable of and what it was trying to achieve. I still didn't know why it had chosen to attack me first instead of Klee. But in the end... she was the true target all along.
That alone is all I need to know.
"...What you're trying to do, what if I try to stop that?"
< . . . >
"Ughh... onii-chan... it hurts..." 「Klee」
< y o u a r e n o t e r r o r >
Instantly, the bastard began using one of its abilities. The blood that had spilled from Klee's body and soaked into the sand suddenly started moving on its own.
Klee's expression twisted in pain.
And even as I prepared to attack, another steel-like mass descended from above like a collapsing skyscraper, forcing me to pull back and widen the distance between us again.
I had focused too much on what I understood and forgotten to imagine what I didn't.
The pool of blood that had formed earlier suddenly began to rise.
It peeled away from the sand like dried paint being torn from a wall, twisting unnaturally through the air before gathering into a floating mass in front of the entity waiting within the fracture above.
I retaliated immediately.
Everything around me, large or small, shot toward the creature at blinding speed.
Compared to that monstrous existence, every object in this world was insignificant.
But size stopped mattering once velocity reached a certain point.
"Ahh... over there... onii-chan... everyone..." 「Klee」
"Klee?"
Klee weakly reached toward the floating red mass while calling out to me. So I immediately stopped my attack and looked back toward the entity, its massive form slowly emerging from the dust and smoke.
Compared to the enormous metallic appendages surrounding it, the color taken from Klee looked no larger than a tiny red fruit. Something so small should have meant nothing to a creature that vast.
And yet... the entity carefully drew that crimson fragment into its body.
For a brief moment, I thought I could feel Klee's presence, or something similar from within it.
"...So that's what you're gathering!"
< o u r f i n a l d r o p . c o m p l e t e d .>
The essence of a person left alone at the end of a world.
The substance of a Wedge... being that served as the foundation of an entire reality.
"How many worlds have you destroyed to gain that many?!"
It was trying to avoid confrontation.
The rupture above was already beginning to close, and the entity's presence felt farther away with every passing second. It was preparing to abandon this world the moment it obtained what it wanted.
My existence meant nothing to it.
"Don't you dare!"
There's no way I'm letting it escape that easily.
Madness and rage surged inside me, demanding release. I gathered all of it into my fist, forcing every fragment of energy I had left into a single strike. The ultimate technique of Fenghuang Down, the Blade of Eminence.
Even at this distance, if I could grasp even a fragment of that thing... I could drag part of it into this world. Once I did I would tear it apart here myself, then somehow, I would find a way to return this world to what it once was.
And yet... why...
"...Klee? What... are you...?"
"Don't move, please let me be for a while. I... I'm getting cold." 「Klee」
Just when I was about to release it, Klee held onto me even tighter.
Because of that, because I couldn't bring myself to unleash all that rage while she was clinging to me like this, the rupture above began closing before I even realized it, taking my only chance away with it.
Why... why is she being like this, even I don't understand.
"But then... what comes after that, onii-chan?" 「Klee」
What came after that should have been obvious.
I would restore this world to what it once was.
I would save her.
Save this world.
Everything I was doing now was for her sake and for the world she still belonged to.
That was the answer I wanted to give her.
Until the moment I looked at her face.
"I... don't want onii-chan to be... get hurt..." 「Klee」
"No, you don't get it, Klee. I can fight that thing... I can win. I can kill it!" My voice grew harsher the more I spoke, as though forcing the words out would somehow make them real. "I can bring this world back to how it was before."
Klee looked at me quietly for a moment, then she smiled again.
"That's... what you wanted too, right? For us to stay together... forever..."
A small laugh escaped her lips.
"Me and onii-chan... together... yeah... that sounds... really wonderful..." 「Klee」
Her voice had become faint compared to before, so I lowered my ear closer to her lips just to hear those weak whispers. Her body trembled slightly in my arms, yet even now, Klee still refused to let go of me.
"Hey, onii-chan." 「Klee」
"...Yes?"
"...Thank you... for being with me... but... it's fine..." 「Klee」
Again and again, I was always too late to notice.
Just like the people I had seen within her memories, those whose colors had been taken slowly crumbled away until nothing remained, and Klee, was beginning to fall apart too.
I immediately turned toward the rupture that had already vanished from the sky, intending to trace it and force it open again. I could have pulled away from her embrace so easily, and yet I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"Don't... go... I don't want to be... alone..." 「Klee」
So instead, I stayed there and listened to her.
Because the look in her eyes no longer carried fear or pain.
Only a quiet acceptance of everything that was happening to her.
"...Onii-chan... just listen... you see... when that thing took my color... I became a little connected to it too... my vision started filling with... things... worlds... I saw so many worlds..." 「Klee」
"W-What... do you mean?"
And then I saw it, what was resounding in her mind.
"No! No! It's you! You! You have to live your own life!"
"Jeez... onii-chan... you peeked again..." Klee let out a weak laugh before continuing softly. "But... it's okay... if possible... can you find another version of me someday? There should be... other Klees... in other worlds too... right?"
"That wouldn't be you..."
"Yeah... but a Klee who got to grow up beside onii-chan from the very beginning... she would probably be much happier... than the Klee who only got to meet you like this..." 「Klee」
Her trembling fingers weakly tightened around my clothes.
"...So protect her... don't let her... become me..." 「Klee」
Her body had become as fragile as paper.
Even the slightest grip caused parts of her to crumble away into drifting dust.
Still, I desperately searched for some way to save her.
And once again... I found nothing.
"...Ahh... now I'm starting to feel jealous... imagining that other version of me..." Klee let out a weak laugh. "But... if onii-chan can't find her someday... then... don't blame yourself, okay? You're not a god... so... you don't have to act... like one..."
"No... Klee, I can... I can give you that future. So just..."
"...I'm really happy... that I could stay together with the person I love until the very end... so promise me... you won't force yourself too hard, okay? You... were the one who told me that... live your own life... and your own wish..." 「Klee」
Hearing my own words used against me like that brought a stiff smile to my face.
"I... I haven't even fulfilled my promise to your mother yet... so don't give up, Klee."
At those words, Klee's eyes widened slightly as she looked up at me.
Even though her body had already begun turning pale like drifting ash, stripped of nearly all warmth and life, she still tried to raise her hand toward my face.
However, the moment her fingers brushed against my skin, her arm crumbled apart into dust alongside the rest of her fading body.
"How could you... keep something... that important from me all this time... onii-chan..." 「Klee」
"...I'm sorry... I couldn't even give you the happy life you deserved... Klee..."
"...Huh? Jeez... onii-chan... crying again..." Klee let out a weak laugh. "But if we're talking about... not saying things... then I also... kept a lot from you... like... that creature... sorry, onii-chan... but you need to know... too..."
She no longer had any arms left to hold onto me with.
As though realizing that herself, Klee slowly pressed her forehead against mine instead. And just like the rest of her body, everything beneath her face began crumbling away into drifting dust.
Leaving behind nothing except her smile.
"~~~" 「Klee」
...
"~~~" 「Klee」
And together with the rest of her body flowing apart like sand slipping through my hands...
"...So don't cry... onii-chan... you've definitely... fulfilled that promise... to ma... mother... and also to me... see...? See this smile...? It's very... bright..." 「Klee」
Those became Klee's final words.
And now...
The girl's existence was gone from this world.
Being left alone on this shore, I could only sit in silence while the sound of distant waves echoed around me. I stared blankly at the jacket draped over my arms, still damp from the person who had worn it only moments ago.
All I could think about were the countless foolish things I had done.
There were no screams, no tears. no desperate shouting.
Only...
"...Idiot."
A fool who wished he could save everything.
If only I hadn't listened to Klee and kept running with her instead, even if it meant going against her wishes, maybe I could have bought more time... enough to find some way to keep her alive a little longer.
'But that is none of her wish.'
If only I had traded my own life for hers, then maybe she could still have survived somehow.
'You will only add her suffer more.'
If only I hadn't wasted time preparing traps and keeping my distance, if I had attacked that entity from the very beginning instead... maybe things would have turned out differently.
'You can't reverse it.'
If only I had given in to my rage earlier and abandoned Klee altogether just to focus on killing that thing...
'Focus on your enemy, leave your precious behind?'
"I know... that's why I called myself an idiot."
As I looked around, I realized the world itself was slowly falling apart.
Everything was gradually crumbling into dust, just like Klee had. Eventually, I forced myself to stand, even though I had no idea where I was supposed to go anymore. Until I suddenly noticed the bag Klee had been carrying earlier.
It had already torn apart, scattering its contents across the sand. I didn't even know why I started picking them up, but before they could disappear along with everything else, I found myself gathering them one by one anyway.
At first, I thought the bag only contained bombs and some random materials she had collected during our trip, but among them, I found the small sewing kit she often used to repair her own clothes.
"...I'll use it to fix my jacket, Klee."
Quietly, I placed the sewing kit into my bag.
Then I continued walking away from the beach.
I kept walking without thinking, until eventually I found myself back at her home... our home.
Everything there was slowly disappearing alongside the world itself. Her dining utensils, her clothes, even the traces of her existence inside her own room were gradually fading away into dust.
I sat quietly on her bed, imagining the way she used to wander around this room so freely.
'...onii-chan... but you need to know... too...' 「Klee」
Her words resurfaced again in my mind, just like they had when she slowly disappeared in front of me.
'...You already did... ever since the first day we met...' 「Klee」
'...From then... until now... you made me... very... happy...' 「Klee」
I slowly closed my eyes and let everything around me disappear.
'...So don't cry... onii-chan... you've definitely... fullfill that promise... to ma... mother... and also to me... see... see this smile? It's very... bright...' 「Klee」
Those were some of the final words I heard before my vision was swallowed by complete darkness, before the end of her days... and before my thoughts themselves finally began to fade into emptiness.
Everything ended in vain.
'...In the end, it's the same again.' 「???」
'Yeah, that's true. But who... are you? You're not like the rest...'
'...Quit your stupid jokes and let me handle the rest. I'll devour that thing myself.' 「???」