The moment Klee bounced away down the forest path, Kael Arclight exhaled, long and unsteady.
He hadn't expected the system to respond. And he definitely hadn't expected it to respond like this.
A pale-blue panel unfurled in front of him—silent, crystalline, and impossibly present.
[ Condition Achieved ]
Through sustained companionship and care, Clara now sees you as family.
She calls you "Father."
Emotion detected: mixed, unclassifiable.
Reward issued: Path of Preservation — Branch Skill: "Family."
Effect: 35% chance to cleanse one negative status when struck.
Kael stared at the glowing words for several seconds.
"…that's ridiculous."
Ridiculous because Klee had just jokingly called him her dad.
Ridiculous because Clara—from another world, another life—had offered something deeper.
Ridiculous because hearing "father" attached to him stirred something far more complicated than he wanted to unpack.
Thirty years old, and the universe had just handed him a daughter he'd never asked for and a responsibility he wasn't sure he was ready for.
But a corner of him—the part that had been alone too long—felt something warm touch the bone beneath his ribs.
"…Clara."
His murmur vanished into the breeze.
And then the power hit.
It wasn't like the cold crackle of Destruction.
It wasn't the ravenous surge that wanted to tear the world open.
This was warm. Quiet. A soft breath slipping into him, winding through joints, muscles, tendons—washing away knots of exhaustion he hadn't noticed until they were gone.
Kael inhaled sharply.
The warmth wrapped around him like an unseen cloak. Not heavy. Not binding. Protective.
A bastion.
He flexed his fingers—no glow, no change in appearance. But inside, he felt different.
Lighter. Balanced. As if something had reset him to the version of himself that still believed the world could be survived.
"Preservation…" he murmured. "Great. Just what I needed. Two temperaments fighting in my bloodstream."
He reached inward, trying to rouse the new energy.
Nothing.
It wasn't a weapon he could swing. It wasn't raw power to funnel into a bomb.
It sat quietly—patient, waiting.
A shield that would rise only when he stumbled.
"…passive, huh. Guess that tracks."
Footsteps pattered closer.
"Kael?"
Klee peeked up at him, big red eyes shimmering with worry. "You got super quiet again… Klee thought you froze…"
Kael shook his head, trying to mask the storm in his chest. "Just thinking."
Klee puffed her cheeks. "Kael-thinking is too long! (｀へ´*)"
Despite himself, he laughed.
"It's fine. I'm not going anywhere."
Klee's entire mood flipped like a switch.
"Really?! Then Klee's gonna go confess now! And then Klee will come find you and—and—and—"
Her face beamed like a sunrise.
"Kael can meet Klee's Mama! Then Kael can be Klee's Papa! Then Klee will have bombs forever!"
Kael nearly tripped.
"…That's not how families work, Klee."
"It is if Klee says so!" she declared.
He rubbed his forehead. "Go. Before Jean sends Amber to drag you back by your collar."
"Ah—right!"
Klee saluted, backpack bouncing dangerously. "Kael, wait for me! You have to!"
Her voice trailed behind her as she sprinted toward Mondstadt, tiny boots pattering against the stone path.
Kael watched her vanish into the distance.
She had no idea what she'd done.
No idea that her joke had echoed across worlds.
No idea that somewhere, Clara had smiled at the same moment.
He stood still, letting the breeze settle his breath.
"Family, huh…"
He wasn't sure if he deserved it.
But the world—this strange, stitched-together world—had offered it anyway.
The Return to Mondstadt
The city gates rose ahead. Kael adjusted his cloak, stepping through the archway.
A knight waved him down. "You're back! Thank Barb—thank the winds. Don't wander around the outskirts tonight. Something massive stirred near Cider Lake."
Kael: "…yeah. I heard."
He kept his face straight. Mostly.
"Thanks for the warning."
He headed into the city, threading through the bustle toward the Adventurers' Guild. Catherine greeted him with her usual unchanging smile.
"Welcome back, Traveler Kael. How may I assist you today?"
"Turn-in."
He placed the pouch of small lamp grass onto the counter. Catherine processed it gracefully, handing him a pouch of Mora.
Kael slid it into his coat, stomach rumbling with perfect betrayal.
"…food first," he muttered, turning toward the Good Hunter.
As he walked, he flicked open his status panel again.
[ Kael Arclight ]
Age: 30
Origin: Star Rail — Xianzhou fallback timeline
Innate Talent: —
Assigned Path: Physical
Inherited Skills:
• I Want to Help (Clara)
• Family (Clara)
Evaluation:
Thirty years of stumbling have not been wasted. The gears of fate have begun to turn. You now stand at the threshold of change.
Kael frowned at the panel.
"No talent. Physical attribute. And half my abilities belong to a girl from another world."
He rubbed his jaw.
"Is this because of Clara's bond… or something else?"
He didn't get to finish the thought.
Because somewhere deep in the Knights of Favonius Headquarters—
A new alarm bell began to ring.
And Jean's voice echoed down the corridors:
"Prepare for immediate deployment."
The storm wasn't over.
Not even close.