"You can drop me off here," Eula said.
"Alright, take care," Xiao replied.
"Mm..."
With that, Eula turned and walked toward home.
Xiao stood in place until she disappeared into the wooden house, then finally turned and headed back to Liyue.
Back home, Eula stood in the empty house, feeling a deep chill in the silence.
"An...?" she called softly.
But no one answered.
Eula frowned and hurriedly opened the door—just in time to run into Amber, who was rushing back.
"Eula! Where did you two go? I've been looking all over for you!" Amber said anxiously.
Seeing her like this, Eula felt a lump rise in her throat. She wanted to speak but didn't know how. Her face twisted with pain.
"Eula, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick...?" Amber asked, concerned.
Then, she seemed to sense something was off.
She walked inside, glanced around the room, and her heart sank.
"Eula, where's Grandpa? Isn't he with you?"
"Eula, why are you crying...? Did someone bully you? Tell me—I'll go teach them a lesson!"
"Oh right, did you see Grandpa? I went to the Knights to look for you both, but you weren't there. I only found Grandpa's knight insignia, and the others said they hadn't seen him either."
Each of Amber's questions stabbed into Eula like a knife.
"Teacher..."
"Teacher is gone..." she said, sobbing.
"Grandpa... gone? Gone where...?"
Amber's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened, and her voice trembled.
Eula didn't answer. She just kept crying, tears streaming down her face.
"Eula... you're joking, right?"
"You and Grandpa planned this, didn't you? Trying to trick me?"
"Hehe... Amber's smart, you know. I won't fall for something like this!"
Amber forced a smile and walked into the room, rummaging through drawers and searching every corner.
"Is Grandpa hiding under the bed?" She got down and peeked underneath.
"Mm, maybe he's in the closet." She opened the doors again.
"Did he sneak into the kitchen?" She headed that way too.
She searched every corner of the house.
When she opened a cabinet, she found a cute little doll she'd never seen before.
She picked it up instinctively. It looked just like a chibi version of herself—except with two extra ears.
"What's this?" she asked, puzzled. It was adorable.
Beneath it was a folded note.
[Litter Amber, if you're reading this, you must have found the little doll.]
[Hehe, Grandpa did a good job, right? I sewed it myself, so take good care of it.]
[Grandpa's going to find Litter Amber's parents now. While I'm gone, eat well, don't be too mischievous, go to bed early, and don't stay up late—otherwise you won't grow tall.]
[I'm sorry, Litter Amber. Grandpa didn't get to see you become a scout knight in person. But I believe in you. Even without me around, you'll become an excellent scout knight.]
[Litter Amber is all grown up now, so don't cry—be strong. Grandpa lived a carefree life, after all.]
[Litter Amber and Eula, take care of each other from now on. If you argue, don't bring up old wounds. You're both my pride and joy, and I'd be heartbroken if either of you got hurt.]
[Keep smiling, just like always. Grandpa will be watching you from the sky.]
"Eula..."
"How... how did Grandpa die?"
Amber asked through her tears, tightly hugging the doll.
"Teacher... gave his life to stop the ancient god's resurrection. He unleashed a strike so powerful, even the ancient god was frightened."
"I see... That's just like Grandpa... He must've looked really cool."
"Yeah... he did."
The two of them held each other and cried their hearts out.
...
Months later, Liyue erected a statue of Elliot An at the harbor.
It showed him wielding a blade, facing the sea in mid-swing.
It looked incredibly heroic, and on the day the statue was completed, all of Liyue came to see it.
They brought their finest offerings, placed them at the statue's base, and expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Elliot with words of blessing.
That day, Xiao also arrived in Mondstadt and found Eula and Amber.
Together, they stood beneath the statue of Elliot An, gazing up at the sacred stone figure.
"Grandpa... really was cool."
"Yeah."
As she spoke, Eula gently blew the soft, flowing sound of the sea once more.
The Fifth Life—complete.