The ticket in Kairo's hand had a strange, almost otherworldly, metallic sheen.
It glimmered with a cold silver-white light, and along the edges ran smooth, mysterious patterns — like someone had carved the very rhythm of the cosmos into it. At the center was a delicate emblem: a stylized star rail, lines crossing and stretching forward as if charting a route straight across the galaxy, every stroke faintly glowing like starlight.
In one corner sat a tiny metal nameplate, etched with fine runic script. The runes pulsed with a soft astral gleam, carrying the weight of fate.
And right in the middle of the ticket, a pale light flowed — like time itself ran through it.
It didn't feel like a token from Teyvat.
It felt like a key.
A key to the other side of the stars.
When Kairo's fingertip brushed the ticket, a gentle energy rippled out of it, like the pass was responding to its holder's will.
This wasn't just a ticket.
This was permission.
Permission to cross worlds.
Permission to go where even most gods couldn't casually go.
Kairo studied it once, and to his surprise — this thing wasn't bound to him alone.
Whoever held it… could use it.
Fischl's violet eyes trembled as she stared at the glowing ticket in his palm, completely lost for a moment.
Just now, it had appeared out of thin air.
No elemental fluctuation.
No alchemy mechanism opening.
No teleport waypoint activation.
It was like Kairo had simply pulled a piece of the starry sky into reality.
Fischl frowned slightly, still trying to believe it. "What… is that?"
Kairo spun the pass between his fingers and answered casually, "Astral Rail Pass. If you lock onto someone, you can jump to within a kilometer of them."
He added, smiling, "If your luck's good, you pop out right next to them."
Then he glanced at her, mouth quirking. "As long as the target is still in this world, you can visit them anytime."
Fischl's brain stalled.
Her eyes widened.
"Y-you mean… even if you go to Liyue, or Inazuma, or Sumeru…"
She swallowed.
"…I can still chase after you?"
Kairo shrugged. "In theory — yes."
This time Fischl couldn't hide it. Pure excitement flashed across her face.
"So that means…" Her eyes lit up. "No matter where you try to run, this princess can follow?"
Kairo laughed. "Seems so."
Fischl stared at the pass like she was looking at the crown of a fallen kingdom. Her heart was hammering. This was beyond her usual chūni fantasies. Not poetry, not role-play — real space-crossing.
Kairo saw her expression and said, "Don't believe it? Try it."
He didn't even make a big show of it.
He just moved his will.
A soft twist ran through the air.
And—
Whoom—
Kairo vanished.
Right in front of her.
Fischl froze.
He was just… gone.
She dropped her gaze to the pass in her own hand.
"…I can really use this?"
Her heart pounded.
She gripped the pass, focused, and activated it.
The world blurred.
The air folded with a low, humming distortion — like space itself was being reversed.
Flash.
When she opened her eyes again…
She was standing on Mondstadt's main street.
Beneath her boots was the familiar blue-grey stone.
To her left — the plaza.
Not far away — the signboard of Good Hunter.
Even the smell of grilled meat and dandelion wine drifted over.
Fischl stared.
"I… I really made it back?"
In just one instant, she'd gone from the valley where the Cryo Regisvine had been… straight back to Mondstadt.
No roads.
No Gliding.
No horses.
Just — gone there.
She looked at the pass again, and this time her eyes were shining like stars.
This wasn't just "rare."
This was broken.
"With this… I can go to you no matter where you are…"
She clenched the ticket like she was holding onto Kairo himself.
"Hehehe… a divine artifact like this… naturally it belongs in the hands of this princess!"
She didn't waste time.
She ran straight toward Kairo's place.
Sure enough, when she reached his door, he was already there, waiting — clearly having jumped back with his Trailblaze Path first.
"How was it?" Kairo asked, amused. "Looked pretty smooth."
Fischl planted her hands on her hips, chin high, completely proud of herself. "Hmph! From today on, no matter where you flee — I'll find you!"
Kairo: "…"
…He might have just created a permanent, mobile, star-rail stalker.
But the next second, he noticed something.
The pass in Fischl's hand… had dimmed.
The starlight had gone out.
Like a spent device.
"Try again," Kairo said.
As he spoke, he triggered his Trailblaze Path again and blinked back to the frozen valley where the Cryo Regisvine had been.
Fischl immediately tried to jump after him.
She focused. Willed. Activated—
…Nothing.
The world didn't move.
She blinked.
"Huh?"
A while later, Kairo appeared again.
He saw her frowning at the pass and chuckled. "Right now the pass doesn't have enough energy to send you again. If you want to keep using it, you have to charge it."
"Charge… it?"
Fischl's violet eyes shook again.
"It needs charging?!"
Without even thinking, she lifted her hand and activated her Electro Vision.
Lightning crackled.
Purple arcs poured continuously into the Astral Rail Pass.
"Zzzp—"
For a moment, the pass lit up with a faint violet halo. It trembled, like it was trying to wake up…
Then the light died.
"Huh?!"
Fischl stared at it.
No change.
Still inert.
She tried again. This time she poured in more Electro, to the point her eyelashes were trembling.
Same result.
The pass glowed weakly…
…and went dark.
Fischl actually panicked a little. "Why won't it charge?!"
She looked up at Kairo, slightly out of breath, a bit of sweat on her temple.
Kairo watched her try twice and nodded slowly. "Yeah. As I thought."
He rubbed his chin. "This thing eats way more energy than I expected."
Teleporting across regions wasn't supposed to be easy.
Even with a star-rail medium.
Fischl took a deep breath. Her face paled a little — not from fear, but because she'd just dumped a lot of Electro.
"How much… does it need?" she asked through her teeth. "To restore one jump?"
Kairo thought about the output she'd just shown, compared it, and said honestly:
"With the rate you're channeling Electro right now… you'd need one to two full days of steady charging to restore a single use."
"And that's assuming you don't get distracted."
Fischl: "…"
"One… or two… days…"
She almost slumped.
So even with the pass, she couldn't just instantly chase him every time?
Kairo saw her expression and laughed, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "Hey. Be satisfied. Even Archons can't casually do long-distance back-and-forth jumps like this."
Fischl blinked.
Then she slowly came back to herself.
…Right.
Even the gods of Teyvat didn't spam long-range instant movement.
And she actually had a way to do it — even if it needed charging.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized how crazy this thing was.
As long as she charged it up…
Liyue.
Sumeru.
Inazuma.
Even some hidden place he found with his Trailblaze anchors…
She could go.
Immediately, all her frustration melted, replaced by smug happiness.
"Hmph~"
Fischl threw herself onto his arm again and hugged it, cheeks pink and eyes bright. "As expected — I am the most special one to you."
Kairo couldn't help laughing. "You change moods really fast."
"Hmph. I, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, am well-versed in the great laws of the universe. One must look at problems dialectically," she said, very seriously — while still clinging to his arm like a cat that had finally gotten its fish.
Kairo shook his head.
Anyway, the most important point was settled:
He could go anywhere with the Trailblaze Path.
She could follow with the Astral Rail Pass — as long as she charged it.
Even if he left Mondstadt, Mondstadt wouldn't lose him.
Kairo pinched her cheek. "Alright. It's late. Rest."
Fischl's face reddened, but she still tugged him inside and shut the door herself.
That night — no one disturbed them.
…
The next day.
Morning sunlight spilled over Mondstadt's terracotta roofs, turning the city gold.
Merchants were already shouting in the streets. The smell of freshly baked bread, grilled meat, and dandelion wine drifted lazily through the wind.
On the terrace of Good Hunter, Lumine and Paimon were already waiting.
"Grrr—"
Paimon lay across the table, little belly protesting. She pouted, eyes wandering over every face in the square.
"Why isn't Kairo here yet?"
Lumine checked the sun. It was already noon.
"Did he… oversleep?"
Paimon shook her head. "We never said we'd meet super early today, remember?"
Lumine froze.
…Right.
Yesterday they'd only agreed: "We leave tomorrow."
Today was a free day in Mondstadt.
Kairo not showing up at dawn like usual… was actually normal.
"Maybe he's busy," Paimon said, propping her chin. "He's leaving Mondstadt just like us, but he's been here longer. He probably has way more stuff to clear up."
"That… makes sense."
Lumine nodded, finally convinced.
If Kairo was really about to head to Liyue, of course he had to settle things here — gear, refunds, alchemy commissions, maybe even tell people he was leaving.
Just then, a familiar voice rang out below.
"Paimon? Lumine?"
"Barbara!"
Paimon waved wildly.
Barbara walked up the stairs in her white-blue priestess outfit, smile gentle as always — but if you looked closely, there was a tiny restlessness in her eyes.
"Good morning, Paimon, Lumine."
"Barbara, what brings you here?" Paimon asked, curious.
Barbara tugged at her sleeve, smile a little forced. "I heard… you're leaving for Liyue tomorrow, so I wanted to… spend a little more time with you today."
"Ahaha…" Paimon scratched her head. "That's right — we're leaving tomorrow. We were gonna stroll around today. Kairo didn't show up this morning, so he's probably busy."
"Yeah," Lumine added, "he has more to do than us."
For a moment, Barbara's lashes trembled.
"...Kairo didn't come today?"
Her voice lowered a little.
Lumine nodded. "Probably sorting things before leaving."
Barbara bit her lip lightly.
These past half a month, she'd gotten used to waiting every evening at the city gate, watching them come back carrying huge sacks, listening to Kairo casually talk about "oh, we cleared the Whispering Forest again" or "we found another batch of rare ice herbs."
It had become… daily life.
And now that daily life was about to end.
"Maybe… he's resting," Barbara said softly. "He has been busy these days…"
Paimon nodded hard. "Makes sense!"
None of them knew.
Right now, somewhere not far away…
Kairo was testing a power that even the Seven would look at twice.
Because what he had just pulled off —
to freely set world anchors,
to call on another world's track,
to hand someone else a follow-me-anywhere ticket,
to make separation not matter —
was something
not even an Archon could casually do.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/ZeusOp