"This is..."
A silver-haired, green-eyed girl, as cute as a shuttlecock, stood barefoot on a ruined wasteland. The broken tiles pierced her tender, jade-like feet, and drops of crimson blood flowed from the wounds.
"How could this be... the Akademiya... my Sumeru..."
The Akademiya was now in ruins, its former glory and grandeur completely gone. Even the Sumeru she cherished had been mostly consumed by war, leaving only desolation behind.
The girl stared blankly at the scene before her. The surrounding desolation constantly gnawed at her nerves, and clear tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls, falling onto the barren earth.
"Why are you doing this?!" The girl raised her head in anger, shouting at the towering, god-like figure in the sky. Her delicate, sweet voice trembled with rage.
Following the girl's gaze, a silver-haired, golden-eyed young man floated high in the air without any external support, his eyes filled with indifference and coldness.
Behind him, a thunderous giant thousands of feet tall stood between heaven and earth, holding a massive longsword, exuding an aura of majesty and grandeur.
It was this giant, the one he had summoned! With a single slash, it had destroyed most of her Sumeru. Why? Why would he do such a thing?!
Faced with the girl's questioning, the young man remained silent, simply raising the weapon in his hand. The thunderous giant behind him mimicked his movement, adopting the same stance.
"No, no, stop!!"
The girl suddenly opened her eyes, looking at the green barrier that surrounded her. She let out a sigh of relief, her small chest heaving as she slowly calmed her breathing.
"It's that dream again..." The girl's eyes were filled with confusion. She closed her eyes again, and countless thoughts raced through her mind. But no matter how much she pondered, she couldn't come to a satisfactory conclusion. For days, she had been repeatedly dreaming of this scene. Even using her divine authority as a god hadn't helped. What was going on?
"Could this be an omen from the Irminsul?" the girl murmured to herself. Recalling the scene from her dream, she felt she couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
"Irminsul, in the name of the God of Wisdom, Buer, please guide me." The girl's divine power extended outward, passing through the green barrier and heading straight for the Irminsul, the heart of the world.
"That direction... Liyue..."
——————
"Ha!"
"Heh!"
In the backyard of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Yun Fan and Zhongli were sparring. The clash of spear and blade produced a grating metallic sound, sparks flying in all directions.
"Yun Fan, your progress over the past year has truly surprised me," Zhongli said, blocking Yun Fan's attacks with admiration.
Feeling the strength behind Yun Fan's strikes, Zhongli was genuinely astonished. They were currently engaged in pure physical combat, without using any special powers, yet Yun Fan was able to match him evenly. Over time, Yun Fan even began to gain the upper hand.
As the God of War, even if there were gods stronger than him, few could surpass him in pure martial skill. The fact that Yun Fan was now overpowering him indicated that his overall strength had surpassed Zhongli's by more than a small margin.
"Haha, thank you for the praise," Yun Fan chuckled, his strikes not losing any of their intensity. After unlocking his first seal, his strength had tripled, and the energy within him was now overwhelmingly abundant. He estimated that he could now give Kalpas a good fight... probably?
Just as their battle reached its peak and was about to conclude, a lively voice called out from nearby.
"Hey you two, come and eat something! I personally went to Wanmin Restaurant to get you some delicious food!" Hu Tao cupped her hands around her cherry-like mouth, shouting loudly at the two.
"Alright, coming!" Yun Fan waved at Hu Tao, then sheathed his weapon. Zhongli did the same, storing his Vortex Vanquisher in his inventory.
The two exchanged glances and smiled.
"Let's call this spar a draw."
"Agreed."
'Why do I feel like I've gained another daughter?' Yun Fan thought, watching the lively Hu Tao with a wry smile. This wouldn't do. He had only been in Teyvat for a few years, and already his mindset was aging. Haha.
"Yun Fan, what are you laughing about?" Hu Tao looked at him, puzzled. Why was he suddenly laughing?
"Nothing," Yun Fan shook his head, though the smile on his face refused to fade.
"Tch, fine, don't tell me. I don't even want to know," Hu Tao pouted, then began setting out the food on the table.
"Here, Zhongli," Yun Fan pulled out two bottles of Dandelion Wine, casually handing one to Zhongli.
"No! Just drink tea!" Before the wine could reach Zhongli, Hu Tao intercepted it mid-air, and even the bottle in Yun Fan's hand mysteriously disappeared.
"Alright, alright," Yun Fan could only shrug helplessly.
The meal that followed was a pleasant one. Hu Tao and Yun Fan chatted and laughed, and even the usually stoic Zhongli showed a faint smile. From a distance, the scene looked like a harmonious family of three generations enjoying themselves.
"Director." A Wangsheng Funeral Parlor employee hurried over and whispered something into Hu Tao's ear.
"Ah, really? You two keep eating. I need to go handle something." With that, Hu Tao hurried off, leaving only Yun Fan and Zhongli in the courtyard.
"Since you're here, why not come out and meet us?" Yun Fan twirled a teacup in his hand, a playful smile on his face. He sensed a familiar presence, one he had felt before in Mondstadt. He hadn't expected her to come looking for him in person.
As for Zhongli, he remained calm, gently blowing on the steam rising from his teacup and glancing in a certain direction.
Following Zhongli's gaze, the space in that direction distorted, and in an instant, a woman in gorgeous attire appeared before them. She wore a crown on her head and a white-and-blue gown, her blue eyes fixed intently on Yun Fan.
"Hiss—"
Upon seeing the woman's appearance, Yun Fan sucked in a breath. This was the Tsaritsa. Last time, she had appeared as a projection, somewhat blurry. But now, she was here in person, and her appearance was strikingly similar to the "Big Bronya" from another world, with an equally impressive figure. As the ruler of the land of love, she certainly had the "assets" to back it up.