Genshin Impact Simulation: Starting with Melsin's Friend

"I……"

Elodie lowered her head, her hands twisting helplessly in front of her chest, her long, loose golden hair obscuring her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

Holding Elodie tighter in his arms, Mu Feng spoke softly, almost pleadingly:

“Elodie…though it’s selfish,”

"Just do it for me, for Clementine and Pepe."

"Promise me, okay?"

Elodie stopped talking and buried her face in Mu Feng's arms. After a long while, she let out a soft "hmm" that was almost inaudible.

"Brother Mufeng...why...why does Mother insist that we do this..."

Elodie's voice was tinged with sobs. She couldn't understand why her once gentle and loving mother had suddenly become an executioner who forced them to kill each other.

Mu Feng remained silent, trying his best to hold Elodie's slender shoulders, attempting to make the thinly dressed little girl feel some warmth in this fireplace-less house.

She wanted a "king".

"Like her... even more powerful, even more ruthless 'kings'."

Sensing Mu Feng's heartache, Elodie forcefully wiped away her tears, forcing out a bitter smile, her misty purple eyes gazing out the window.

"But... I don't want to be a 'king' at all..."

“Brother Mufeng, do you know... before Mom left Elodie, she told me the meaning of the name Elodie.”

"I want to be a singer..."

The wind blew open the window, and the rustling of leaves, accompanied by a few sparse chirps of insects, was particularly clear in the quiet night.

"If... I mean, if."

"If Elodie really becomes a singer, will Brother Mufeng come to listen to my performance?"

"Will do."

"Most definitely."

Mu Feng's hands, which were holding Elodie, trembled slightly, and blood seeped from his tightly bitten lips.

"Okay."

Elodie flashed a sweet smile, her beautiful purple eyes crinkling as she gazed out the window with sparkling pupils, as if she could already see that hopeful future.

"Brother Mufeng, Clementine and Pepe are coming too."

"Let's pinky swear."

The girl extended her slender little finger, her eyebrows curved, and she looked as solemn as a child making an important vow.

"it is good."

With their two fingers tightly clasped together, Elodie nestled gently in Mu Feng's arms, her expression revealing exhaustion, yet a rare, relaxed smile appeared on her face.

Aren't you going home tonight?

"Okay, Brother Mufeng will stay with me."

Mu Feng lifted the light-as-a-feather Elodie onto the soft bed, carefully tucking the blankets around her, while he moved a small chair to sit on the edge of the bed.

Elodie's soft little hand emerged from under the blanket and tightly grasped Mu Feng's hand. Her bright eyes shone like dazzling gems in the dim room.

"Go to sleep."

Mu Feng gently squeezed Elodie's soft, boneless hand, then rubbed her forehead with his free left hand. His gaze was lowered, and his expression was lost in the shadows of the room.

"I can not sleep……"

“Then I’ll sing a song for Elodie, a song from my hometown.”

"I wish I had feathers and wings."

……

"Da da, da da..."

The carriage traveled along the dirt road outside Fontainebleau, raising dust that filled the air. Jasmine grass was everywhere around, but the atmosphere inside the carriage was heavy and oppressive.

Kujavina sat in the front of the carriage, a formulaic smile on her face, gazing ahead as the dueling arena in the distance gradually expanded from a tiny dot.

Behind her, Elodie and another girl remained silent, watching the bubble orange tree outside the carriage rush backward and disappear rapidly.

Suddenly, the carriage shook slightly, gradually slowed down, and slowly came to a stop in front of the tall dueling arena.

The dueling arena, built of massive marble blocks, stands silently on a small plain near the water, its towering dome blocking out the sunlight, like the gaping maw of a giant beast.

With a relaxed smile, Kujavina, wearing high heels, was the first to walk through the massive archway of the dueling arena.

The accompanying Fools led the duelists into the opposite room, and the huge dueling arena immediately fell silent, with only the sound of high heels clicking on the bluestone steps.

"Ding Dong."

The wine glasses and bottle tapped softly as the crimson liquid was poured into a clear glass, which was then placed before Kujavina by the respectful Fools.

"let's start."

Kujavina crossed her legs and casually gave the order. She picked up the swaying wine in her hand and took a sip. The blood-red wine added an eerie touch to the corners of her lips.

Elodie, holding the one-handed sword she was issued, took a deep breath and walked into the dueling arena with slightly trembling steps.

The ground in the center of the dueling arena was dark red, exuding a strong smell of blood, as if hinting at countless lives lost there.

Suppressing the nausea surging within her, Elodie raised her one-handed sword and looked up at her opponent.

The girl in front of her seemed even more frightened than she was; the sword she held in her hand trembled slightly, and her lowered gaze dared not even meet her eyes.

"Greet each other, children."

"Then, take up your swords and strike down your opponents."

Kujavina stood up, her smile unchanged, and announced the start of the duel in a seductive tone.

Elodie gripped her one-handed sword tightly, staring at the girl in a tense silence. For a moment, neither of them moved an inch.

Kujavina didn't seem to be in a hurry. She sat back down, picked up her wine glass, and watched the confrontation between the two children with great interest.

However, the tightly closed fence suggests that only the victor has the right to leave the dueling arena.

"sorry."

Finally, the girl in front of Elodie could no longer bear the oppressive silence. After whispering an apology, she chose to launch an attack.

The sword light came from the left, but Elodie breathed a sigh of relief. She raised her one-handed sword and easily caught the opponent's blade.

Seeing that her attack had missed, the girl panicked even more. Her swordplay became increasingly chaotic, making it even harder for her to launch an effective attack.

The crisp sound of swords clashing echoed continuously in the dueling arena. Elodie noticed the girl's weaknesses several times, but she hesitated and ultimately maintained a defensive stance.

The blade in her hand grazed the girl's skin; with just a little more force, she could easily leave a gruesome wound on her body.

But Elodie was unwilling to do so. The girl's fearful gaze before the battle began made it impossible for her to bring herself to hurt her.

She still harbored a sliver of hope that her mother would stop when she had defeated her opponent normally.

"when!"

With a clang of swords clashing, the girl, nearly exhausted, lost her one-handed sword, which clattered weakly onto the ground of the dueling arena.

At the same time, Elodie's blade touched the girl's neck.

The outcome has been decided.

"No...please..."

Tears streamed down the girl's face. The fear of death gripped her heart like a demon's hand, making it hard for her to breathe.

"Whoever it is, kill him."

Elodie hesitated, Mu Feng's words from last night echoing in her mind once again, but her hands were still trembling, and she had completely lost the courage to exert even an inch more force.

She is innocent too.

I still can't bring myself to do it...

I'm sorry, Brother Mufeng.

Elodie withdrew her sword slightly and turned to look at Kujavina, who was sitting high on the second floor, her purple eyes filled with pleading.

Stop, Mother.

However, Kujavina merely stared coldly at the situation, showing no intention of announcing the end of the battle, and the closed iron gate showed no sign of opening.

Elodie's eyes dimmed, and the one-handed sword in her hand unconsciously drooped a little.

Just then, an unbearable pain shot through Elodie's chest as a blade suddenly pierced through her chest.

Elodie turned around in astonishment. The girl behind her released the one-handed sword that had been embedded in Elodie's body, collapsed to the ground, covered her face, and dared not look Elodie in the eye, only crying incessantly.

"Sorry……"

"sorry Sorry……"

"I just want... I want to live..."

Blood dripped and flowed, and Elodie could feel her life rapidly slipping away, while the figures in front of her gradually became blurred.

Regret?

maybe.

But in the end, she still couldn't bring herself to do it.

Perhaps, this is for the best.

The sweet, metallic taste of blood surged into her throat, Elodie's consciousness gradually blurred, and the pain in her chest slowly faded into the distance.

Dying?

In the final moments before her consciousness faded into darkness, Elodie mustered her last ounce of strength and uttered a few barely audible words.

"I'm...sorry...Mu..."

Then, she could no longer see any light.