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She had locked herself in her room for days, weeks even, refusing to come out. She kept the dead vision that had lost its glow the moment its holder lost their life, right beside a photo frame containing a photo of the first time Albedo had met Klee, being introduced by Aunt Alice. His clothing was different, it was that of an unusual style, with cloaks and hoods and pointed stars. That of a nation that died down long ago.
She still wonders who had been the one to stab him so brutally to have tainted the snow beneath him crimson red. She still wonders who could've been so cruel to have taken the life of an innocent person. She still wonders. What did she do to have deserved losing someone so dear to her? Though, with a fuzzy mind and a heart filled with rage and grief, she is determined to make one last promise. One last promise to her deceased loved one. To uncover the truth of this world.
Years later, she is returning from none other than the nation known as Sumeru. The grass rustles gently beneath her boots as she makes her way across the lush grass. It isn't long before she reaches a familiar stone entrance, and she makes her way inside. Children are running around, chasing each other and giggling, and for a brief moment, she thinks she can see herself in a group of children, wearing her signature red hat with two feathers sticking out on the left side. She smiles wistfully as the illusion her own mind made up disappeared just as quickly.
She makes her way up the stairs, and she sees Flora, who was once a little girl who owned a little flower business, now a lady who is still pursuing her dreams, except her flower business is definitely more successful now, as it is bustling with customers. She remembers the time he had brought her to that small little flower shop back then, just a couple of tables and some pots scattered here and there, nothing too impressive, but it was a wonder to her childlike mind back then. She had gotten a single Cecilia and gave it to him, to which he chuckled and accepted.
She makes it further up the stairway, that hasn't exactly changed much since she had left Mondstadt, and sees Good Hunter, still being run by none other than Sara, except she isn't as young as she was back then, but she's sure her food is still as good as always. Then, she recalls a distant memory. 13th of September, she remembers. His birthday. It was so early in the morning that the sun hadn't even rose, and yet there she was, dragging him by the wrist and dashing towards Good Hunter. She could recall the memory so vividly, he had still been half-awake, and she was bouncing with enthusiasm. She had asked Sara to prepare a surprise breakfast for their beloved Chief Alchemist, and her beloved big brother. She remembers the gentle smile he offered her when she had asked if he liked it, saying he loved it, and that he loved her. She could feel the tears burning at her eyes as she remembered the bittersweet memory. Oh, how she would love to return to those moments, where she was so carefree, so naive. She probably didn't know so much about him, and now... she never will. She could feel a twinge in her heart as these thoughts crossed her mind. How could she have been so oblivious? Perhaps, she was childish to have thought that they had more time. Childish to have thought that he would always stay by her side, from beginning to end. Childish to have thought that... she would be there to protect him, no matter what. She remembers the promise she had made to him that night he was laying beside her in her bed, reading her a bedtime story. She had promised to never let him go, to always be by his side, to always protect him, and yet... here she was. He was gone, and she wasn't there when he needed her most.
"Klee..?" A horribly familiar voice is what snaps her out of her thoughts. "Klee... are you... okay...?" Oh. It was then that she realized that tears were streaming down her face. Hot, and uncomfortable.
"I..." She wants to assure them that she's alright, but with all the thoughts swirling inside her fuzzy mind, she can't seem to think of a response, let alone utter a word.
"Hey, hey..." That warm voice mutters, a hand reaching out to wipe her tears, before Klee finally glances up. It's Jean. "It's alright. I'm here now." She comforts, but the words are like a knife to her heart. For a moment, she can hear that saccharine voice again, saying those exact words. The voice that belonged to none other than her big brother. She recalls his gentle smile, his comforting words that she never really understood half of. The way he would pull her in for a warm hug and let her cry on his shoulder if she wanted to. She remembered, she remembered everything clear as day. That one time she had lost Dodoco and had gotten really upset as it was a present from her mother, who was probably travelling to some vast and faraway land at the time, and he had comforted her and promised they'd find it, together. That time she had injured herself when she was out to play, and he had wiped her tears and aided her wounds. That time she had interrupted him mid-experiment to show him her findings of a lizard tail, and how he had listened in to her excitement. She could feel her heart ache as she thought of all these moments she shared with him, her big brother, her one and only big brother. It took quite the while for her to stop sobbing, but surely enough, when she did, she glanced up again to meet Jean's gaze. There was a tired smile on her face as the hug she offered was unwavering. It had been years since she'd last seen her, it had been right before she had embarked on a journey to the nation of wisdom to pursue her goal of discovering the truth of this world, to finish what her brother left behind, and yet, she was still the same old Acting Grand Master she knew, albeit not as young as when she last saw her.
"Sorry, it's just..." She muttered, staring at Jean with her red-rimmed eyes. "I miss him, I miss him so, so much."
"That's alright, you needn't apologize." She smiles subtly. "Mondstadt reminds you of him, doesn't it?" Jean asks, and she responds with a gentle nod, choosing not to say anything else, before pulling apart. She had came back to the nation of freedom to announce the fact that she'd graduated from the Akademiya, and was now on her way to pursue further alchemical studies, and yet, despite her efforts in keeping herself together in another nation, the moment she had stepped through the entrance of Mondstadt, she couldn't help but let everything fall apart yet again. It was painful, so painful. Anything and everything seemed to remind her of him, cecilias, dessert, art and even the element he wielded. No matter how hard she tried to avoid everything that she had associated with him, she just couldn't, especially not here. She sighed as she stared blankly at the floor, eyes still sore from crying. "Well, shall we head to headquarters?" Jean smiled subtly. "I'm sure the knights will be delighted to see that you've returned."
"Right.. R-Right." Her lips purse, but she follows Jean nonetheless. It's alright, she was only staying here for a week, and soon enough she would head back to Sumeru like she never returned.
She just had to get through this.