Morning light pierced through the clouds, bathing the battlefield of Mondstadt in its golden glow. Fragments of ice shimmered under the sun, reflecting countless tiny glimmers, but no longer mirrored the snow-haired girl with waist-length hair.
Lumine knelt in the snow, her knees sinking into the unmelted drifts. With trembling hands, she scooped up a pile of the still-chilling shattered ice. The jagged edges of the ice dug painfully into her palms, yet she felt nothing, as if holding these shards could somehow keep Lydia from fading into the wind.
Tears dripped onto the shattered ice, melting tiny hollows that quickly refroze into new ice crystals in the frigid air.
She opened her mouth, wanting to call out the name she had spoken countless times during their adventures, but the sound caught in her throat, leaving only broken, choked sobs: "Lydia..."
In the distance, Jean, Diluc, Kaeya, and others slowly approached.
With the complete annihilation of the Poison Dragon Knight, the entwined Cryo energy and Abyssal Toxin within their bodies were visibly dissipating at an alarming rate.
None of them spoke, standing frozen in place, their gazes fixed on Lumine.
Jean's lips moved, as if she wanted to offer words of comfort, but her throat felt choked, unable to produce a sound. All she could do was let the grief well up in her eyes and stream down her cheeks.
Diluc turned away, unable to bear the sight of the melting ice shards. His eyes were filled with complex emotions—regret, admiration, and a hint of helplessness in the face of fate's cruel whims.
ROAR—!
A mournful dragon's roar tore through the sky, its piercing cry shaking even the clouds.
Dvalin, the Dragon of the East, descended from the heavens, his massive form landing at the edge of the battlefield. Bloodstains from his battle with Durin still clung to his wings.
He lowered his head to gaze at the shattered ice crystals, his pupils brimming with sorrow.
Then, Dvalin threw his head back and unleashed a long, resonant roar that seemed to make the very winds weep. The cry stirred up shards of ice and snowflakes from the ground, forming a swirling vortex in the air—as if bidding farewell to Lydia.
A pristine white figure drifted gently downward.
Venti unfurled his feathered wings behind him, a few strands of hair falling across his forehead, yet they couldn't conceal the panic in his eyes.
He approached Lumine step by step, each footfall heavier than ever before.
When he saw the extinguished Vision in Lumine's hand, the surrounding wind seemed to freeze instantly, the very air becoming thick and still.
Venti bent down, gently touching the Vision. The icy cold sensation pierced his heart like a needle, instantly reddening his eyes.
"That idiot..."
His voice trembled almost imperceptibly, yet he still instinctively scolded.
"Didn't we agree to settle things on her birthday? Didn't we promise to stay together forever? How could you just run off first..."
Before he could finish, his grief overwhelmed him.
Venti turned away, pressing his hand against the brim of his hat to hide the tears in his eyes, but the trembling of his shoulders betrayed him.
The Anemo elements swirled gently around him, as if offering comfort, or perhaps mourning the departed girl.
-
Inside Mondstadt Cathedral, sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows.
Amber's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she lay unconscious, her once-paper-white cheeks gradually regaining color.
She slowly opened her eyes and called out weakly, "Lydia... where are you?"
The Cathedral was deserted except for Barbara, who stood transfixed at the entrance, her hands clenched tightly around the hem of her skirt, gazing at the rising sun on the horizon as if frozen in place.
Amber struggled to sit up and staggered over to Barbara's side.
Just as she was about to ask about Lydia's whereabouts, she noticed a single tear streak down Barbara's cheek. The glistening drop landed on the lyrics sheet in her hand, leaving a small, damp stain on the song title.
"Barbara? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Amber asked urgently.
But the next moment, a warm tear trickled down her own face—her own.
Though she didn't yet know what had happened, her heart felt like it was being violently clenched. A wave of grief surged through her, making her eyes brim with tears.
Amber touched her tear-stained cheek, her voice a mixture of confusion and choking sobs. "How strange... Why does it feel like... someone important is gone... and I'll never see them again?"
-
In a parallel world's Earth, countless players stared at the frozen sunrise on their screens, their emotions finally breaking through.
The game screen remained fixed on the Mondstadt skyline, the rising sun casting golden rays across every corner of the city.
What should have been a scene of hope instead brought tears to the eyes of countless players.
"This is fucking bullshit! Mihoyo, you son of a bitch, I'll get you for this!"
"Lydia just got her Vision!"
"We were all looking forward to Lydia's birthday, planning to celebrate together, and you make her sacrifice herself on her birthday?"
"She didn't even get her birthday cake, her presents, or to hear Barbara sing her birthday song! How could you just take her away like this?"
"..."
Mihoyo's official website was instantly "overrun" by players.
The comments section overflowed with demands for Lydia's revival.
The server briefly crashed under the overwhelming traffic.
Across Earth, every trending topic was dominated by "Lydia's Sacrifice," "Mihoyo's Cruel Writing," and "Genshin Impact Lydia."
Half of the top fifty trending searches were related to Lydia!
Even overseas gaming forums were flooded with posts, as countless foreign players expressed their grief in different languages.
Several prominent international streamers sat before their screens, gazing at the sun in the game, unable to contain their emotions any longer.
Flamboyant Bro removed his headphones, his trembling shoulders clearly visible in the frame. "Why did they do this to her? She was just a girl who wanted to find her parents and protect her home!"
"Lydia was such a lovable character. I just can't understand why Mihoyo had to take her off the board," Bird-Slayer Bro said, shaking his head with a wry smile, though the rims of his eyes were red.
They had journeyed alongside Lydia through countless storylines, witnessing her transformation from a naive young girl into a capable guardian who could stand on her own.
No one could accept such an ending.
Lu Nanqing sat at her computer, staring at the sun on the screen. The mouse cursor trembled along with her shaking hands.
She recalled her first meeting with Lydia.
She remembered the fleeting scene from the game when Lydia received her Vision and rushed toward the Demon Dragon Knight: Lydia sprinting toward her beloved parents, who embraced her with joy.
Finally, Lu Nanqing could no longer hold back. She collapsed onto the desk and sobbed loudly.
Reaching out, she touched the sun on the screen, as if she could somehow reach the snow-haired girl. Her voice choked with sobs as she whispered, "Happy birthday, Lydia..."
"I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you until the end..."
The wind swept through every corner of Mondstadt, carrying Lydia's unfinished words and unfulfilled promises.
The melody of "Poem of the Wind" slowly began to play, the gentle breeze carrying the melody through every street and into every home in Mondstadt:
The wind will remember your name,The snow will cherish your promise,When the Cecilia flowers bloom,Will you return to us?
-
A new day dawned.
The winds of Mondstadt still blew, whistling past the graffiti on the Statue of the Anemo Archon, past the Anemo Archon's brew stored in the tavern and the dusty coin pouch in the drawer, and over the Cecilia flowers planted before the Cathedral.
The wind carried a girl's name, and an unfinished promise lingered in the sea of flowers.
The girl who had sacrificed her life to protect Mondstadt on her birthday became the most tender and profound memory in everyone's heart.
Lydia's story had come to an end.
Her name would forever be remembered by the wind,
forever remembered by every citizen of Mondstadt.