Qiu Nian shook his head slightly.
"…But, senior—you mentioned an acquaintance?"
"Could it be… my master?"
Skirk asked, puzzled.
"Unlikely."
"The acquaintance I referred to is a Fatui Harbinger from Snezhnaya."
"Childe—Tartaglia."
Qiu Nian spoke calmly, naming someone she had never expected.
"…Tartaglia."
She froze.
Then instinctively pressed a hand to her forehead, searching her memory.
Ah… Ajax.
"I remember now."
"The one you met… should be my disciple."
Skirk explained with a small wave of her hand.
She hadn't expected that her rather troublesome student would know someone like this—
And seemingly be on good terms with him.
"So Childe is your disciple."
"No wonder."
Qiu Nian nodded, feigning mild surprise, though inwardly amused.
When he mentioned Tartaglia earlier—
She actually had to think about who that was.
—
"…May I ask you something, senior?"
Skirk looked at him seriously.
"Go ahead."
He nodded.
"That power you used earlier…"
"The white aura… with traces of red…"
"What exactly is it?"
She placed a hand over her chest as she asked.
—
"…Hmm."
Qiu Nian turned away.
Gazing into the distant, mist-covered mountains.
As if recalling something long past.
Then—
Power emerged.
White light—
Faintly tinged with red—
Spread from his body.
The sky itself seemed to respond.
Clouds parted.
White radiance poured down—
Interwoven with drifting strands of crimson.
The red—
Like translucent ribbons—
Speckled with starlight—
Floating across heaven and earth.
Below—
The sea of clouds rolled endlessly.
Above—
Light and color intertwined.
And at the center—
Qiu Nian stood.
His robes and hair stirred gently.
A presence beyond words—
Sacred.
Unfathomable.
—
"Are you curious about the white power…"
"Or the traces of red within it?"
"You may ask about only one."
He turned back, hands behind his back, smiling faintly.
—
Skirk stared.
Her perception sharpened.
"…The white and red…"
"They're not the same power…?"
"And yet…"
"They coexist…?"
Her mind trembled.
This—
Was no less shocking—
Than elemental power and Abyssal power coexisting without conflict.
She still could not understand it.
But she was certain of one thing—
This was neither elemental power…
Nor Abyssal power.
It surpassed both.
—
Only the red…
Felt… familiar.
—
"I want to know…"
"That red energy within the white—what is it?"
She made her choice.
—
Qiu Nian smiled.
And answered.
—
He did not reveal his identity.
Only the origin of that red.
Once—
Three thousand five hundred years ago—
His power had been purely white.
Until—
Something happened.
After that—
The red appeared.
—
As she listened—
Skirk's pupils widened.
Her entire expression—
Frozen in shock.
—
Now she understood.
What kind of being stood before her.
—
That power…
Could actually be controlled.
Not only controlled—
But harmonized—
Within him.
—
And that was only the red.
What about the white?
Greater.
Opposite.
Yet coexisting.
—
And he had said—
He was injured.
Not even at his peak.
—
If this was him now…
What had he been before?
—
If the red was that…
Then the white…
What was it?
Did such power truly exist—
Within the cosmos itself?
—
"…Since I've answered your question."
"Tell me about your origins."
Qiu Nian said.
—
Skirk complied.
She spoke of her past.
As he listened—
His expression shifted ever so slightly.
Unexpected.
There were… similarities between them.
—
"…Hmm."
She fell into thought.
He appeared to be from Liyue.
Perhaps…
Her master might know something.
—
Qiu Nian chuckled softly.
With a wave of his hand—
The world shifted again.
—
They stood once more—
On Ritou's streets.
Exactly as before.
Same distance.
Same sky.
No time had passed.
—
"…So much time…"
"And yet the sky hasn't changed at all…"
"Where… were we just now?"
Skirk looked up, confused.
But—
Considering who he was—
She let it go.
—
She glanced once more at his back.
Then turned—
And left.
—
"…Hmm."
"What next…"
"Perhaps I'll take in Inazuma's scenery."
Qiu Nian said lightly.
His figure shimmered—
And vanished.
—
When he reappeared—
He was already within a quiet alley—
In Inazuma City.
Enjoyed these chapters? Access advanced chapters and exclusive content by visiting my Patreon. https://patreon.com/WillOFD129?