When Eula arrived at Dragonspine Valley, everything was eerily quiet.
The footprints in the snow were scattered and messy. These were the footprints of the monsters. Not long ago, this place should have been swarming with them, but now, there was no sign of any remaining.
In the snow, Eula spotted the person she was most concerned about and staggered over toward him.
Yuxie was lying in the snow. He heard Eula calling his name.
He wanted to get up, but he no longer had the strength.
The entire Wyrmrest Valley had no trace of Durin's presence anymore, and his life was slipping away faster by the moment.
"Yuxie!" Eula finally reached him and kneeled down. She wanted to help him up but was too scared to touch him.
"Eula, you're here," Yuxie said softly, seeing the worried expression on her face.
"I'm here… I'm sorry, I…"
"Help me up," Yuxie smiled faintly.
Eula held back the tears in her eyes, carefully helping him sit up.
Then, Yuxie just looked at her, smiling gently, and slowly reached out to pat her head.
"It's me who should be apologizing. There were so many things I promised you, but I never had the chance to fulfill them."
Yuxie's words left Eula stunned. She didn't dare think about it in a certain way, and she was desperately trying to convince herself inside.
"Eula, it seems my time is running out. I'm sorry, I can't accompany you any longer," Yuxie said.
"Don't say such ominous things. You're still fine, aren't you?" Eula said, holding back her tears.
"Just now, I did something. I protected what I wanted to protect, but the price was my life. Eula, you should be able to tell, right? My time is running out," Yuxie smiled and said. "There are some things I still want to tell you."
"I don't want to hear it!" Eula raised her voice, the tears breaking free from her eyes. "Anything you have to say, we can talk about it when we get back after you rest!"
"It will be too late by then," Yuxie said, looking directly into her eyes. "Listen to me, Eula."
"I…" Eula hesitated, struggling with her emotions.
She still didn't want to accept it. She didn't want to admit this reality.
Even though she could feel Yuxie's life slipping away, even though she saw it happening with her own eyes, she still didn't want to believe it was true.
But some things had nothing to do with whether she accepted them or not.
The world does not revolve around anyone's will. That was a lesson Eula had learned when she was very young.
But… why did Yuxie have to leave? There were so many things she still wanted to do with him, so many things left unsaid…
Eula's reaction caused Yuxie to fall silent for a moment. Her tears made him not want to leave. He wanted to see her become a Knight of the Favonius.
But no matter how much he didn't want to leave, it was futile. This was his own choice.
"Eula, you're going to become a Knight of Mondstadt, follow your heart, live well. No matter what others say, don't worry about it. Be yourself and don't regret it.
"I know, you've suffered so much from others' cold stares, but you've always endured it alone, silently. It's been hard on you.
"From the day I met you, I wanted to help you share that pain, but now, it seems like I won't be able to do that.
"After I'm gone, you need to eat well, sleep well, and train well. Don't let any of it slip. If you do, I'll come to you in your dreams and give you a good talking-to.
"Don't be sad, don't cry. You won't look good when you cry.
"By the way, you've said so many times that you'd remember my grudge. I also said I'd wait for you to come and take revenge. Looks like I won't be around for that. Our 'grudge' seems like it can't be settled."
Eula quietly listened to Yuxie's words. She tried to hold back her tears because he was smiling as he said all of this.
A smile should not be met with tears.
But the tears came like a dam breaking, uncontrollable.
"This grudge... I'll remember it... I'll never forget it in this lifetime," Eula sobbed, speaking in broken phrases.
"Eula..." Yuxie looked at Eula, smiling faintly, as if resigned, yet also fond.
He wanted to reach out and pat Eula's head again, but he realized he no longer had the strength to raise his hand.
His body suddenly wavered and began to tilt forward.
Eula caught him and held him tightly.
Her sobs were right next to his ear, magnified many times over.
He still didn't want to leave. He wanted to walk on with Eula, to do many things together, even if those things were just trivial little matters.
Sunlight poured into the valley, the snow in the air stopped falling, and the surrounding temperature seemed to rise.
The snow on the treetops began to fall, melting at an incredibly slow pace. Yuxie felt as if he could see every single snowflake turning into water.
At the same time, he could also feel the last remnants of life in his body slipping away, leaving only the faintest trace of lingering life.
Every second felt so long, and Yuxie didn't know whether this was a good or bad thing.
"Eula, if there's a next life, what would you want to do?"
"…The 'grudge' between us hasn't been settled. If there's a next life, I'll find you, cling to you, and you'll never be able to leave me like this again," Eula sobbed as she spoke.
"I see..." Yuxie rested his head on Eula's shoulder, his eyes slowly closing. "Eula, your embrace... is so warm."
In that moment, even the cold wind stopped. The entire valley was silent, with only Eula's sobs filling the air.
Eula held Yuxie tightly, unwilling to let go.
She could no longer feel his breath or heartbeat, but she held him even tighter.
Sadness surged towards her like a tidal wave, drowning her completely.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, her cries broke out. She wept uncontrollably.
Her sobs echoed through the Wyrmrest Valley, reverberating throughout the entire Dragonspine Mountain.
At that moment, a green figure appeared at the bottom of the valley. Watching this scene, there was only silence.
A friend was leaving once again, and Venti had arrived too late.
His gaze darkened.
"I didn't expect it to be like this again... No farewell this time either... Yuxie, it's like you always leave us behind, always making me owe you a favor..."
The Knights of the Favonius finally arrived at this moment.
Everyone stood in silence, looking at Eula and Yuxie.
From the girl named Eula, everyone could feel the immense grief that was like a tidal wave.
End of Arc 5
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