"..."
Cael slowly opened his eyes.
"…I'm awake."
He sat up and glanced out the window—and immediately felt the urge to curse.
"Damn it! At least let me wake up in the morning! It's still the middle of the night!"
Yes. It was deep into the night.
And somehow, he felt completely awake.
Thud.
A book hit the floor.
Cael snapped his head toward the sound.
In the darkness stood a small figure—far too small to be Hu Tao.
The moment the figure realized she had been spotted, she froze.
"…Crap."
In the next instant, she bolted toward the window, clearly trying to escape.
But just before she reached it—
Black matter surged instantly, sealing the window shut.
Bang!
She slammed into it headfirst.
"Ow!!"
With a dull thump, the small intruder collapsed onto the floor, completely knocked out.
Cael stared at his own hand in mild disbelief.
"…I'm controlling Dark element a lot more smoothly now."
Looks like his past self really did leave something behind.
He lit a candle and approached cautiously.
As the light illuminated her face, he finally saw her clearly.
Short black hair.
Elegant, dress-like clothing.
Lace leggings covering part of her calves.
Bare, pale back exposed.
"…Yep. Definitely a loli."
But then his eyes narrowed.
Hanging at her waist was something unmistakable.
"A Delusion?"
The moment the word left his mouth—
The girl's eyes flew open.
She spun and launched a lightning-fast kick straight at his face.
But in the same instant—
Cael had already grabbed her leg midair.
Both of them froze.
The girl was shocked he could catch her kick.
Cael was shocked because—
Five-Five activated.
He could fight peak Dvalin barehanded now, yet this seemingly fragile girl was stronger than him.
If that kick had landed on an ordinary person, it would've been an instant decapitation.
"…She's not Fatui," he concluded.
The girl's strength suddenly vanished.
She slumped to the ground.
Grrrrr—
Her stomach growled loudly.
Cael sighed.
"…Starvation. She passed out from hunger."
That saved him a fight.
When the girl woke up again, she found herself lying on a bed.
"…I'm not dead?"
"You almost were," a man's voice replied calmly.
She jolted upright.
The same man from before tossed her a bag of snacks.
"You nearly starved to death. These are leftovers from yesterday—make do."
Cael pulled up a chair and sat casually, completely ignoring her wary stare.
She wasn't stupid.
She knew he'd saved her.
"…Thank you," she muttered.
Then she devoured the food.
In under two minutes, she wiped out two people's worth of snacks.
Cael broke out in cold sweat.
How many days was she starving…?
Then she looked toward the window.
The dark substance was still blocking it.
Her paper bag slipped from her hand.
Her pupils trembled violently.
"Th-that's… Dark element?!"
Cael blinked, then casually retracted it.
"You know about that?"
Dark element hadn't appeared for five hundred years.
The girl stared at him in shock.
"Why… why can you use Dark element?!"
He answered without thinking.
"It's my origin power."
Her expression exploded with emotion.
"Only one being in history could wield Dark element—
The Dark Demon God, Agarest!"
"…Are you Lord Agarest?!"
Cael paused.
"I am… but I only just awakened. My power and memories—"
"It really is you!!"
She practically vibrated with excitement.
"I knew you had awakened recently! I never thought I'd actually meet you!"
Cael rubbed his temples.
"…I've been gone for five hundred years. People still worship me?"
"Yes!" she shook her head vigorously.
"Our entire village are your believers! If not for you back then, we would've gone extinct!"
"…Okay," he sighed. "Don't tell anyone. Now explain—why were you here?"
She nodded quickly and told her story.
Her name was Xier, from Penghuai Village.
Years ago, she got lost in the wilds and was taken in by a man calling himself Il Dottore.
He looked kind. Handsome, even.
She was wrong.
She didn't know where he took her.
Every day—tubes, blood extraction, experiments.
Her darkest nightmare.
Eventually, she was forced into the Fatui, restrained by a collar that made rebellion impossible.
She committed countless acts against her will.
During a recent Liyue mission, she accidentally fell into an Underground Library of the Old Era.
It had once been forbidden ground—but its owner had died, and it was abandoned.
Inside the library, she learned vast knowledge.
Enough to remove the collar.
She was free.
And there, she learned the truth.
The library's original owner was Agarest.
Her faith deepened.
The books were meant to be released to the world one day—but with the owner dead, no one dared touch them.
When asked what she learned from the books, Xier answered simply:
"Math. Physics. Chemistry."
Cael instantly understood.
…Yeah. That was my fault.
No wonder it was a forbidden zone.
That knowledge was way too advanced.
Deep within the library, she found one last book.
"My Diary."
Agarest' personal record.
The final page stated—
Agarest will soon awaken.
Everything clicked.
The Fatui incident.
The pursuit.
They weren't after him.
They were after her.
Xier looked at him with pure devotion.
Cael sighed softly.
"I've lost most of my power and memories. In a way, I'm not the Agarest you worship."
"If you want answers…"
He pointed next door.
"Go there.
Morax lives next door."
Xier: ⊙▽⊙!!!
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