Travel: Magic City Arc (Twenty-Five): Bon voyage

As the final notes of "Paper Plane" ended, the stage lights snapped off.

This was exactly the same situation as Cartethyia's performance back then. This time, the audience didn't ask what happened, because once it happened, it would happen again. They knew that this kind of sudden situation was most likely something that had been brewing for a long time.

Sure enough, in just a moment, the scene on stage suddenly changed, and the bubbling sound of bubbles and the swishing sound of water cutting through the water instantly brought the audience back to that heartbreaking day.

February 5th is an unforgettable day for most Wuthering Waves players. On that day, a streak of starlight bid farewell to the Rover and embarked on her destiny.

Now, the iconic scene is being reenacted. I wonder how many people will shed tears again as they witness the Starward's Farewell.

"Don't go!" Following the spotlight, the Female Rover walked onto the stage, her voice a mixture of excitement and weakness as she hissed, "Perhaps there's another way!"

Then, a second beam of light fell, illuminating Aemeath, who was about to go alone into the Exostrider space to complete the closed loop.

Hearing the call, she turned around, the resolute look on her face turning into a bitter, forced smile the instant she saw the Female Rover.

"Only I can travel unaffected by the Exostrider..." She caught the weakened Rover and said gently, "Don't always think of shouldering everything alone. Trust me this time."

Logically, this should be the prelude to the Starward's Farewell, with the drumbeats flashing in as they enter the scene, but Aemeath made some minor changes to it.

"No! If you do that, you'll never be able to return home; you'll be banished forever behind the tunnel."

"Only in this way can all cause and effect connect, can Lahai-Roi continue to exist, and can you and I meet in the snow..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Aemeath resolutely turned around and walked toward her destined fate, while the Rover reached out to try to grab Aemeath.

At this crucial moment, the lights went out at an inopportune time, causing the hearts of the audience to skip a beat.

Then--

"It's snowing?!" the audience in the front row exclaimed in surprise.

"What are you doing? You're even remaking this?! I've given you my tears, you Old Kuro KuqaQ."

Snowflakes, seemingly drifting in from nowhere, fell gently, as if bidding a mournful farewell to the young woman embarking on her long voyage.

Then, the lights came on again, and as the prelude to "Starward's Farewell" began, Tarokiki, standing in the center of the stage, held a snowflake in her hand and began to sing.

"That snowflake once fell on my nose."

"Now flying backwards to last winter~"

Then, on the left side of the stage, the lights came on, Aemeath appeared, continuing the next line of lyrics.

"I realize that hellos are goodbyes."

"The moment I softly let go of your hand."

Immediately afterwards, on the right side of the stage, the Rover walked into the spotlight and sang the next verse in a slightly sorrowful voice.

"Winds hum through the trembling branches."

"A song for a soul bound to soar to The very edge of the starry ocean."

The unexpected appearance of the three on stage together excited the audience, who waved their glow sticks while shedding tears, creating a truly electrifying atmosphere.

When the song reached its climax, all three simultaneously handed their microphones to the audience in front of them.

"Bon voyage!"

Well, the atmosphere's already this high, how can we not let the audience show off their skills? That's one of the highlights of a concert, after all.

Even today, though Aemeath has long since been brought back by the combined efforts of the Rover and the people of Lahai-Roi, they still shed tears at this scene.

At this very moment, Sigrika, behind the scenes, was resonating with the audience.

She has always been someone who can't hide her emotions. She laughs heartily when something happy happens, and she sheds tears when something touching happens.

Just like now, Sigrika had finally managed to pull herself out of the tragic feelings of patriotism that Tale of the Azure Plume had brought her, only to be pulled back into the heartfelt farewell of the distant planet. Her eyes welled up with tears again, and little pearls began to fall one by one.

Dania was somewhat exasperated by her empathetic best friend, but she never stopped handing her tissues. This wasn't surprising, though, as they had always been inseparable best friends and knew each other's personalities inside and out.

As someone who had heard Aemeath tell this story herself, Iuno naturally understood the significance of this song.

Both she and Aemeath sacrificed themselves, but the difference is that Iuno found the only solution that belonged to her, while Aemeath saw herself as that only solution.

"What an admirable girl, isn't she?" Augusta smiled, her tone filled with approval for Aemeath. "No wonder Laureate likes her so much."

"I think Little Ai is someone I should remember," Iuno offered his opinion. "If I have the chance, I'll definitely write down her story and give it to the ladies of the Averardo Vault so they can pass it on from one to the next."

"But you're no longer the genius advisor of the Averardo Vault!"

"Please, Augusta, even without my bias, the sheer scale of this story is enough for those bards to sing its praises throughout the entire Rinascita."

Indeed, a fine warrior, her story truly deserves to be celebrated in the finest poems.

When Xiao Ling heard the Starward's Farewell again, he felt more emotion than sadness.

When he witnessed Aemeath sacrifice herself to complete the closed loop, his reaction wasn't actually that strong; he just felt a little like trying to go downstairs without taking the elevator or stairs.

Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but he did feel it deeply back then.

Now that Aemeath can stand on the stage and personally perform this farewell poem, he feels more gratified and proud.

For her, this is one of the few hobbies she has been able to stick to, besides her grand ambition of becoming a savior; it is a unique emotional refuge for her.

In Xiao Ling's eyes, the fact that she can shine in the field she loves is enough to make him proud.

He watched Aemeath's passionate performance on stage through the screen, wondering if he should give her a little reward as encouragement.

Hmm... how about we give her a kiss after she steps off the stage?

(Actually, you just wanted to take advantage of her, didn't you...?)