Genshin Impact Simulation: Starting with Melsin's Friend

To the Winter Palace.

The magnificent pure white building stands amidst the swirling snow, its solemn and sacred dome supporting the aurora borealis that hangs in the eternal night, proclaiming the purity and majesty of the ice god.

At this moment, in front of the Winter Palace, which represents the highest authority in winter, a group of small figures are kneeling in the snow.

Elodie and Clementine were at the front of the line, their heads bowed low, their eyes fixed on a vast expanse of snow reflecting a blinding white light.

The surroundings were silent, except for the howling of the blizzard.

……

Three days ago, the ship carrying Clementine and the remaining members of the Hearth House arrived in Mondstadt.

Elodie greeted Clementine with delight, but then looked behind her in confusion, only to find the other two figures were nowhere to be seen.

She didn't care, just felt a little disappointed.

Elodie then skillfully guided the members of the Hearth House, who had just arrived in Mondstadt and were deeply attracted by the city-state's free spirit, into their new home in Mondstadt.

That place is also called the House of the Fireplace.

"Huh? Why does Clementine have that expression?"

"Did Mu Feng steal your cake again?"

Elodie grinned and moved closer to Clementine, who was looking downcast, and gently poked her cheek.

However, instead of laughing or asking Elodie for cake as usual, Clementine, upon hearing Elodie's joke, suddenly burst into tears.

Clementine cried so hard she could barely breathe, and her grief-stricken sobs made Elodie feel a sudden pang of panic.

What happened?

A wave of extreme unease washed over Elodie. She remembered Clementine's sudden outburst of strange behavior, and an inexplicable fear almost overwhelmed her completely.

"Cressie! Brother Mufeng... what happened to him?!"

Completely disregarding her own loss of composure, Elodie gripped Clementine's shoulders tightly and shook her, her purple eyes brimming with anxiety.

Clementine just cried, and after a long time, Elodie finally heard the whole story from her hoarse voice.

Kujavina is dead.

Brother Mufeng is dead too.

Pepe was taken away by the winter inspection team.

The unbearable news flooded her mind in an instant, and Elodie was momentarily dazed. She suddenly took a few steps back and collapsed helplessly to the ground.

How can this be……

When I left, everything was still going well.

"We... of course we'll come to find you after a while."

On the dock of Fontainebleau Harbor, the boy's carefree words suddenly echoed in her mind, as if they had just happened yesterday.

She suddenly realized that, immersed in guilt, she had lowered her head and could no longer remember the boy's expression at the time.

Perhaps, on the evening he saw her off, Mu Feng, who was smiling as he watched her leave, had already foreseen the final outcome.

He can't leave.

Even if he could walk, he would not choose to abandon his family and leave alone.

"How... is this..."

She murmured, tears streaming down her cheeks.

The self who fell into the dueling arena waited for him, waited for the boy who reached out to her and pulled her back from death and darkness to the light.

Elodie, don't be afraid, I'm here.

He spoke with a gentle smile on his face.

Now, before the boy disappears alone, he will never see her again.

He waited in vain for her to look at him again, not even for a single glance.

……

The next day, the members of the New Hearth House were gathered together, and they looked at Elodie in surprise, whispering among themselves.

Elodie, whose smile never fades, had red eyes and bloodshot eyes. Her ponytail, tied with a bubble orange hair tie, was disheveled, and her face was full of haggardness.

Elodie spoke, her usually gentle and clear voice now hoarse from crying.

She told the children in the audience about the dramatic changes that had taken place in Fontaine and informed them of her decision to return to winter.

Because her family is there.

"You can make your own choice."

She concluded by saying this, her tone neither pleading nor coercing. She simply stated the facts calmly, her expression gentle, but they could hear the silent grief in her voice.

That is the tranquility of a dead heart, the sorrow of willingly becoming a walking corpse.

"Just as we hoped when we built this place, no one will ever lose their freedom and their dreams again."

"But even if I'm alone, I will still set off."

"I'm leaving this place to you."

The children in the fireplace house remained silent, and no one responded.

In the records of Zhidong, they were already "dead" members.

Everyone knew that if they returned to Winter, they would be deserters and face trial by the Winter authorities.

This is Mondstadt, a free city-state, where no one will question their origins. They have established a new home here, and their lives are just getting back on track.

Making the choice doesn't seem difficult.

A gentle breeze carries the scent of dandelions; tonight, sleep is inevitable.

……

When the next day arrived, Elodie and Clementine stepped out of the fireplace house and saw a neatly lined-up procession.

Some of them have lost an arm, some can only use crutches, and some are blind and stand up with the help of those around them.

The brand-new building stood silently behind them, with brand-new furniture and plenty of food, but it was empty.

Yes.

They were already "dead" people.

In that dark and hopeless duel, it was not their opponents who defeated them, but the goodness that remained in their hearts.

Someone had led them to see the wind and the sun.

Therefore, they were no longer afraid of darkness and death.

……

The House of Hearth submitted a request for a ship to the Knights of Favonius, and Grand Master Falgar personally approved it, dispatching a small squad of knights to escort them back to Winter.

So they boarded the ship returning home and once again set foot on the land of winter.

They arrived at the Winter Palace, knelt respectfully before the Ice Queen's chambers, and denounced Kujavina's evil deeds, begging for the gods' forgiveness.

It is not about forgiving their escape, but about forgiving the sinner who killed the "mother".

The fools guarding the palace were at a loss, holding their weapons but not knowing where to point them.

They are all still children, children of winter.

They knelt silently in the blizzard, praying to their gods.

The relentless wind and snow lashed at their faces; some collapsed, unable to hold on any longer, while others huddled together, vying for that meager warmth.

But no one left.

"Ugh……"

A long sigh came from the depths of the Winter Palace, and the blizzard outside the window stopped instantly.

She is a goddess who will never love again.

It is a god that people will no longer love.

But the children of winter were forced to kneel before her, begging for divine mercy.

She couldn't ignore it.

As the heavy gates of the Winter Palace slowly opened, the clown, the chief executive officer of the Fools, stepped out.

"This is the decree of Her Majesty the Virtuous Empress:"

“I have forgiven your sins,”

"go home."