Endless seas of stars drifted and churned within the chaos. Amidst this sea, two exceptionally striking ancient stars shone with different radiances.
Within the chaos, time did not flow.
Or rather, the concept of time had not yet formed.
One of these two stars represented the Primal, while the other represented the Terminal.
They continuously gathered their respective concepts unto themselves.
......
The next second, the scene shifted.
An imaginary tree spanning the entire starry sky twitched its branches constantly, as if welcoming something.
Following that,
a stream of light flashed past, plunging straight into a world bubble located at the roots of the Imaginary Tree.
Sensing this external rule, the Imaginary Tree emitted a benevolent thought, and then split off a sliver of power that closely followed the stream of light into the world bubble.
......
"Phew, my injuries are finally healed. That nap sure took long enough."
Leaving Little Garden and losing the constraints of supreme status was certainly much more comfortable.
As expected, the decision to combine the powers of Xiao Ye and the Halloween Queen to break open the world barrier was the right one.
Awakening from slumber, Guixu opened his eyes and first let out a sigh of admiration.
Then, glancing around at the unchanging starry space, he nodded.
"Still the same familiar scenery. I just wonder how much time has passed outside. The last time I recalled my final sliver of consciousness was during that fight."
Although that woman had used the laws of the world against him, his sliver of Terminal essence was no pushover.
Before his consciousness finally returned, he had given that woman a thorough thrashing.
Recalling the white-haired woman he had fought last time, Guixu wore a faint smile.
Presumably, that fellow's injuries had not healed yet either.
"Mmh~~"
Guixu stretched lazily, materialized a water mirror, and looked himself up and down.
His familiar choppy black hair, along with a Liyue-style windbreaker in gold, black, and red with a black inner lining and matching trousers.
This was the outfit Xiao Ye had designed for him back then, and he loved it dearly, wearing it ever since.
"Ah, good, my appearance hasn't fallen apart."
With that, Guixu's figure vanished from the space, and the realm he had carved out for his recovery quietly began to collapse and dissipate.
Outside,
Klee, holding her breath in anticipation, watched as the pillar of light gradually faded, and boldly walked toward the lake.
She wanted to see if anyone was responsible for the commotion.
"Eh? Is there nothing at all?"
Klee lowered her head in disappointment, looking all around without spotting a single soul.
Not even Papa...
"Little girl, what's your name?"
A young voice, carrying an inexplicable magnetism, came from behind her.
"Yikes!"
Startled by the sudden voice, Klee tried to turn her little body around, but spun too quickly and lost her balance.
Oh no, falling hurts so much.
Recalling how her mother used to comfort her when she fell as a toddler, Klee's heart tightened.
One second...
Two seconds...
Closing her eyes to brace for the pain of the fall, Klee felt no cold ground.
Instead, she tumbled into a warm and inexplicably familiar embrace.
"Eh?"
Klee opened her large, gold-and-red eyes, blinking repeatedly as she stared up at the young man holding her who was looking down at her with a gentle smile.
Mm.
So warm...
Little Klee instinctively rubbed her little head against his chest, burrowing even deeper into the young man's arms.
For some reason, the person before her carried a familiar warmth, making her feel closer to him than anyone she had ever met.
"Little one, you haven't answered my question yet. Judging by your outfit, what relation are you to Alice?"
Guixu watched the little one burrowing into his arms and asked with an amused smile.
The little girl's iconic red dress and the familiar pyro elemental energy radiating around her instantly brought Alice to Guixu's mind.
When he used to travel with that woman, he had witnessed plenty of her outrageous antics.
Especially the place near that little wind dragon's home—that could easily be considered her masterpiece.
Lost in Guixu's embrace, Little Klee heard her mother's name, raised her head, and stared up at Guixu with an adorable look.
"Big brother, my name is Klee! Do you know my mommy?"
"Mommy?!"
Guixu received a shock of a magnitude he hadn't felt in ages!
That woman actually managed to find a boyfriend?
And she even had a daughter?
Really?
"You're... Alice's daughter?"
"Yeah!"
"Say, big brother, are you my papa?"
Klee looked up expectantly at the young man's handsome face, her small hands tightly clutching Guixu's lapels.
"Huh?"
What did that mean?
Had Alice somehow lost her husband or blown him up?
How could a child end up without a father?
"Uh... I..."
Just as he wanted to ask, Guixu paused, his gaze accidentally catching sight of a familiar object.
"Hmm?"
Guixu reached out, picked up the blue-and-white little ball beside the schoolbag, and suddenly felt a message transmit directly into his mind.
An expression of sudden understanding dawned on Guixu's face.
He then let go of the ball.
Meeting the little one's expectant gaze, he reached under Klee's arms and hoisted her up high.
A rare look of affection and tenderness surfaced on Guixu's face as he spoke.
"That's right, I am your papa!"
"Really?!"
"Does Klee finally have a papa too?!"
Little Klee's large, excited eyes welled up with tears. Though her mother had always told her how great and powerful her papa was, she had never laid eyes on him. Every time she saw other children acting spoiled in their parents' arms, she felt a deep pang of envy.
Could she finally meet her papa now?
Naturally, Guixu did not wish to disappoint her expectations. He channeled a sliver of his power to resonate with the little ball and nodded gently.
"That's right, I'm your papa."
"I'm sorry, Papa is late."
"Papa!"
Seeing that her blue-and-white ball had truly reacted, Little Klee cast aside all doubt and flung herself into Guixu's arms.
Guixu pulled Klee tight, gently stroking her little head as he thought to himself with a sigh.
"To think I'd instantly gain a daughter the moment I woke up. Alice, oh Alice, you really know how to surprise someone."
Because he had just recovered from his injuries, he hadn't used his power for a long time, leaving his body somewhat sluggish.
As a result, he hadn't sensed his own power immediately, right up until he saw the miniature Terminal star he had once given to Alice, which prompted him to rouse his energy and detect the familiar primordial fluctuation on Klee.
Even he had to marvel at Alice's wild imagination. Back then, out of sheer boredom while his true body was healing, he had split off three strands of his essence to carry his conscious projections out into the world to walk across this continent.
One of those strands had accompanied Alice and traveled with her for a time.
Eventually, to suppress the Dark Sea, that incarnation of his essence had forcibly mobilized a sliver of the Terminal laws, rendering it incapable of continuing to bear his conscious projection.
After his consciousness returned to his true body, that strand of essence had been left with Alice for self-defense.
Yet Guixu never expected that woman Alice to use that very strand of essence as a foundation, combined with her elven bloodline, to give birth to a daughter!
In terms of strength on the continent of Teyvat, you could count the individuals capable of shaking even a sliver of his elemental essence on one hand.
Alice certainly possessed that capability, but using that strand of essence to have a child was something Guixu truly hadn't foreseen.
"Wow, Papa's embrace is so warm!"
Klee happily sniffed at her father's scent, a look of utter joy plastered across her little face, as if she wanted to make up for all the years she had missed.
"Papa, Papa! Let Klee take you to the City of Mondstadt."
"Klee wants to introduce Papa to Acting Grand Master Jean and the others!"
"Papa, let me tell you, ever since I was little, Acting Grand Master Jean has taken care of me just like Mommy..."
While dragging Guixu along and pointing toward the path to the City of Mondstadt, Little Klee excitedly chattered about her stories and life over the years.
Guixu could easily sense the City of Mondstadt in the distance and could have arrived there in an instant.
Yet, looking at his well-behaved and enthusiastic daughter in his arms, Guixu wore a doting smile, taking slow, leisurely steps toward the City of Mondstadt.
Along the way, through Little Klee's enthusiastic introductions, Guixu gained some understanding of present-day Mondstadt.
The environment really was much better now that Barbatos had blown the place clean.
Back when the snow and ice of Mondstadt had just been blown away, the ground was completely bare, devoid of a shred of green.
Unlike now, where vitality met the eye in every direction.
Though the two were walking on foot, given Guixu's prowess, his walking speed was far beyond what ordinary people could achieve.
Before long, they walked all the way to Whispering Woods.
"Rustle, rustle~"
The leaves quivered, and a red figure resembling a small rabbit leaped down from a tree.
The red bunny-ear headband on her head swayed along with her movement.
"Halt, traveler..."
"Eh? Little Klee?"
Amber, who was patrolling with her Favonius Bow, hurried out to intercept the sudden stranger.
To her surprise, she spotted the well-behaved Klee nestled in the young man's arms, and couldn't help crying out in astonishment.
"Yay, it's Amber!"
Little Klee excitedly waved at Amber. Aside from Acting Grand Master Jean, the person she was closest to in the Knights of Favonius was the lively and cheerful Amber!
"Amber, are you on patrol?"
"Amber, let me tell you, Klee found her papa!"
"Amber..."
Amber, who had stepped forward intending to converse with Guixu, was instantly intercepted by Little Klee and dragged into an excited chat.
Amber offered an apologetic look toward Guixu while patiently listening to Klee's excited words.
Guixu simply looked on at the heartwarming scene with complete indifference, a hint of gratification in his eyes.
It seemed Klee hadn't lied; she really was living a good life in Mondstadt.
Still, for that woman Alice to ditch her daughter and run off on her own—it seemed she deserved a proper punishment next time they met!
What an irresponsible mother!
After a moment, Klee, eager to share her happiness with Amber, suddenly remembered her father standing right beside her.
She quickly pulled Amber over in front of her papa.
"Papa, this is Amber! She's a knight of the Knights of Favonius, just like Klee!"
Guixu offered a friendly smile and extended his right hand.
"Hello, my name is Guixu. I'm Klee's papa."
"Oh, oh, hello!"
"Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius! Pleased to meet you!"
Amber, who had originally intended to introduce herself first, saw Guixu extend his hand and quickly offered her own petite hand in return.
She then flashed a vibrant, cheerful smile and chimed happily.
With that, the two shook hands and let go.
Amber asked with a touch of curiosity.
"Mr. Guixu, are you from Liyue?"
Hearing this, Guixu shook his head.
"Though I did spend a period of time in Liyue, I am not from there."
"Is that so? Judging by your attire and name, I thought for sure you were a Liyue native."
Amber rubbed her headband somewhat sheepishly and let out a chuckle.
"No need to be so formal. My name and attire do indeed lean toward the Liyue style, but I'm not actually from Liyue. Strictly speaking, I suppose I'm a traveler from another world."
"This outfit was designed for me by a friend of mine from Sumeru, styled after Liyue fashions."
Guixu replied with as gentle a smile as he could manage.