Ellin could not see Stanley's soul, so naturally, she did not know that it had already ascended to the heavens.
But she did not need to see it. She could guess.
Walking through the streets of Mondstadt City at night, Ellin recalled the Hans in the game, who remained grief-stricken even after Venti's story quest.
Without her, perhaps the Hans here would have ended up just like his counterpart in the game.
She wondered if, in the game, Venti had not actually sent Stanley's soul on to the afterlife either.
Stanley was a great adventurer. He could not possibly have seen his friend living in agony and still departed for the afterlife with peace of mind.
The wind was free, and the Anemo Archon would not force Stanley's soul to move on.
Perhaps Stanley's soul was still watching over Hans in the game, unwilling to leave.
Although Hans had seen his old friend's soul pass on in the game, he still needed time to heal from years of pain and the guilt of having caused his friend's death.
Emerging from that suffering took time.
Perhaps after one, two, or three years, Hans would heal and find his feet again.
Then Stanley's soul would be able to leave in peace.
Perhaps then, the Anemo Archon would pluck his strings and truly send Stanley's soul to High Heaven.
But whatever the case, with Ellin's help, the Hans and Stanley here had already found release.
One less regret remained.
Recalling how Hans's tireless retelling of Stanley's deeds had, through an unexpected turn of events, brought Stanley's soul back home, Ellin reflected on it.
She could not help smiling.
In truth, there were many places the wind could not reach.
And many people had died in those places.
But following the wind's guidance was