I Want You to Be Happy

It was the fourth day after Ellin woke up.

"Mom, I'm heading out!" Ellin waved to her mother and rushed out the door.

"Be careful!"

Ellin's mother watched her daughter leave, her face brimming with affection.

For some reason, she felt that her daughter had changed.

She had become more considerate and more devoted to her parents.

Of course, that wasn't to say Ellin had been a bad daughter before. She had simply been a teenage girl, still in the bewildering days of adolescence.

Children that age inevitably had a rebellious streak. They were always eager to prove themselves and become independent, like fledglings impatient to fly on their own.

But those who rushed too eagerly into flight often missed the scenery around them.

When you were too eager to prove yourself, you often overlooked the care others showed you, as well as the beauty around you.

People often needed to weather hardships before they could settle down and patiently appreciate the ordinary beauty around them.

Yet she had noticed that ever since her daughter obtained her Vision, she seemed to have become an entirely different person.

Every day, she wore a smile and brimmed with energy and vitality.

From time to time, she bought gifts for her mother, and occasionally she bought fine liquor for her father, Hermann. He was so delighted that he often boasted to his drinking buddies, leaving them green with envy.

The old Ellin had been single-mindedly focused on joining the Knights of Favonius, never noticing how hard her parents worked.

But now, Ellin had learned to take commissions and earn money to help with the household expenses.

Sometimes, she even came home in the evening carrying groceries.

Hermann often paid out of his own pocket to post commissions, asking adventurers to seize wooden stakes from Hilichurls in the wilderness for Ellin to practice with.

The old Ellin probably would have said, "Hmph, that dad of mine is always meddling! I'm not a little kid anymore!"

Now, however, Ellin happily thanked Hermann and even gave him a back massage to show her appreciation, leaving him grinning from ear to ear all evening.

The old Ellin would run straight to the Training Ground after dinner.

Now, Ellin helped clear the table and wash the dishes after eating.

Sometimes, when the mood struck her, Ellin even cooked a few dishes herself, though most of them were Liyue dishes.

When asked when she had learned to cook, and Liyue dishes at that, she hemmed and hawed before saying she had learned from cookbooks while visiting the library with Fischl.

Hermann and his wife noticed all these ordinary little details.

These subtle changes filled Hermann and his wife with relief and pride.

Did Hermann and his wife like the way Ellin was now?

Of course they did. They couldn't have loved it more!

Ellin had become mature, thoughtful, and considerate. She was like a little sun, and being around her always put people at ease.

Ellin had simply changed so quickly that Hermann and his wife were still adjusting. But... what parents didn't want to see their child grow?

At the southeastern corner of the Mondstadt region stood a vast, high rock formation with a flat top.

People called this place Cape Oath.

It was said to be a sacred spot for countless couples in Mondstadt. Lovers kept apart by their families would secretly come here at night to share their longing and affection, making vows together.

Today, Ellin and Fischl had accepted a commission from the alchemist Timaeus to gather some electro crystals at Cape Oath.

Electro crystals contained the power of lightning, and harvesting them required flames to trigger an Overloaded reaction.

Gathering electro crystals wasn't difficult in itself. The challenge was that they contained large amounts of Electro Power, which attracted many Electro Slimes.

Drawing on memories from her previous life, Ellin led Fischl to the foot of Cape Oath and soon found a large number of electro crystals. Of course... there were plenty of Electro Slimes too.

But these Electro Slimes were no match for Ellin and her Cryo power. Concealed on high ground, she dispatched them with a few charged Frostflake Arrows. Even as they died, they were still shuffling their round bodies around, searching for her.

Once the Electro Slimes were gone, everything became much simpler.

The electro crystals held large amounts of Electro Power, so harvesting them required fire to trigger an Overloaded reaction.

However, Overloaded reactions also caused explosions, which was precisely why few people accepted commissions involving electro crystals.

Ellin and Fischl had a solution, though. They wrapped their arrowheads in cloth, soaked it in oil, and lit it before firing the flaming arrows at the electro crystals.

This allowed them to harvest the electro crystals while keeping safely clear of the explosions caused by the Overloaded reactions.

Using this method, Ellin and Fischl soon gathered enough electro crystals.

But after spending so many days recovering at home, Ellin didn't want to head back so soon. Besides, Cape Oath was so beautiful, and this was her first visit. She wanted to have some fun here with Fischl.

After sending Oz and Feng'er home to let their families know so they wouldn't worry, Ellin took Fischl's hand, and they began playing happily across the vast open fields.

The two girls frolicked across the green grassland. When they grew tired, they brought out the blanket, desserts, and afternoon tea they had prepared earlier and enjoyed them together.

Then they lay down side by side, basking in the afternoon sunlight, breathing in the fragrance of the grass, and listening to the sounds of birds, insects, and other wildlife as they drifted into sweet dreams.

Night fell, the moon hanging high amid a sky full of stars.

The two girls sat shoulder to shoulder atop Cape Oath's high cliff, gazing at the endless starry sky.

Silvery moonlight washed over the land, bathing the vast grassland in silver.

"Ellin... I'm sorry."

After a moment of silence, Fischl suddenly spoke.

"Hm? What are you apologizing for?" Ellin turned toward Fischl in confusion.

"I heard that because of me, you were overwhelmed with rage and fought the Hilichurls and the Abyss Mage like you'd lost your mind."

"I'm sorry... it was all because of me that you were hurt so badly, and even nearly died."

Fischl lowered her head, hiding her expression from Ellin, but her faintly trembling body made the weight on her heart plain to see.

The shame of nearly getting her friend killed was threatening to swallow the girl named Fischl whole.

Ellin knew that if she didn't do something, her dear friend Fischl might spend the rest of her life burdened by the guilt of nearly causing her death.

So she sprang to her feet, struck a theatrically grandiose pose, and cried out to the moon.

"I am the Immortal Venerable Who Hears Cries and Subdues Evil! Mine is the authority to vanquish evil, deliver all from calamity, and save all living beings! Should anyone face peril, let them recite my name, and I shall heed their call and come to their aid!"

"O my friend, Prinzessin der Verurteilung, that day, I heard your call!"

"Mine is the authority to save all living beings. When a call reaches me, I go to their aid. Such is the duty of an Immortal Venerable! How much more so when the one calling upon me is my dearest friend, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung?"

"Pfft!"

Seeing Ellin repeat the pose and manner of speech from their first meeting, Fischl laughed through her tears.

When she saw Fischl smile, Ellin's expression softened too.

She looked down at Fischl tenderly. "Fischl, you and I are good friends, aren't we?"

"I told you before that whenever you're in danger, I'll protect you, no matter what! And I can't forgive anyone who hurts you."

"If I were the one in danger, you'd do everything you could to protect me too, wouldn't you?"

"So... don't be sad. Fighting for you was what I wanted to do. You don't need to feel burdened by it."

"I don't want you to live with guilt because of me. As your dear friend, I want you to spend every day happy."