[...]
The screen fell silent for a moment.
Then, the system's voice, slowly and mercilessly, rang out.
[Host.]
[Please, first, smooth down that upturned corner of your mouth.]
"Huh?"
Please don't get agitated.
[Let me finish explaining before you decide whether you want to have fun.]
Bai You: Oh...
She obediently pressed down the corners of her mouth, which were already stretched to her ears.
[I'm asking you.]
What do you think means by "invincible"?
"Well..." Bai You thought for a moment, "Exactly, nobody can beat me?"
[Then I can tell you with absolute certainty.]
[You are not invincible at all right now.]
"Huh???"
Bai You You's smile froze.
"But you just said that this is the power of the Dragon King, the original..."
"You've given me all the power, how could I not be invincible?"
The power is yours.
The system's tone was unusually patient.
[But what I gave you was "permissions," and "maximum limits."]
[Not "ready-made, directly usable combat power".]
These two things are completely different.
Bai You blinked.
What does "..." mean?
Let me give you an example.
[When you were controlling the Seven Elements, you were standing downstream of a river, scooping water from it ladle by ladle.]
[Now, I've moved you entirely to the very top of the river, to its source.]
[Looking down from here, you have jurisdiction over all seven tributaries.]
[This is what I meant by standing on the sea where all the tributaries converge.]
"Yes, right?" Bai You said, "Then I'm very powerful, aren't I?"
That's true.
[But host, have you ever thought about something?]
The system paused for a moment.
How much water can you hold right now?
Bai You:"..."
This is your current situation.
[Your power and rank are indeed among the highest in Teyvat.]
[But right now you can't unleash much of your full potential...]
Bai You:"..."
She silently pulled down that smug little head that had been sticking up high.
[So, in terms of "status," you've reached the pinnacle right now.]
[But when it comes to "being able to fight," you're still... not good enough.]
[You simply have a starting point that others can only dream of, the highest possible starting point.]
"I'm not here to be some dragon king or savior."
"Whether I'm invincible or not is none of my business."
Hey, don't be so downcast.
The system's tone shifted back again.
I'm laying this out in advance so you don't get carried away.
[But it didn't mean you should really think of yourself as a useless person.]
[Your current "rank" and "combat power" do not match.]
[But don't forget the most crucial thing--]
[Your power is drawn from the source of the Light Realm.]
What does "..." mean?
[It's all water.]
Is the water in a tributary the same quality as the cleanest, most concentrated water at its source?
[ The Elemental Power of the mortal realm must be channeled through the Vision, while the power of the Seven must be channeled through the Gnosis; in between lie layers upon layers of things.]
[You've skipped all of that and gone straight for that most primal bite before the Seven Elements differentiated.]
[I'll give you a precise figure of the power you can currently unleash.]
With a "ding," a line of text appeared on the screen.
[Currently usable power rating: Archon Level.]
Bai You's eyes suddenly lit up again.
[Most of the troubles you'll encounter in the future--]
[To face it with one's own strength is more than enough to... deliver a devastating blow.]
"... line."
She let out a long, comfortable sigh of relief in bed.
No matter how hard he tried to suppress it, the corners of his mouth kept turning upwards.
" Archon Level."
"Dimensional reduction attack."
She mentally rolled those words over and over again, feeling quite pleased with herself.
"That's enough, that's way too much."
She turned her head and glanced at Varesa was fast asleep beside her.
Compared to the person in his arms, his strength seemed insignificant.
"As long as I can protect the people I want to protect."
"That's enough."
"What use is power when loved ones are gone? Like Rerir, the Moon Hunter in the story, he didn't cherish them when they were alive, and later gained immense power."
"And they couldn't bring that person back through that door."
She still remembers that part of the story.
The man named Rerir had a fiancée named Tholindis.
He kept it a secret from her: his blood-stained hands were the tools he used to hunt down the Crimson Moon Descendants for the Eclipse.
She kept it from him too.
The two lived under the same roof, leaving notes and messages about the most ordinary little things that happened during the day.
But they each kept their most important secret to themselves for a lifetime.
Until that day, he chased after her to save her.
She thought he had come to kill her.
She was right in front of him when she jumped through the Moon Gate.
Later, he gained the power of the Abyss.
Powerful enough to defy the entire world, he risked everything to reopen that door, wanting nothing more than to bring her back.
But behind the door, there was nothing.
Only a lingering shadow remained, vanished inside the doorway, never to be touched again.
"I don't want to be Rerir either."
Bai You pressed her face against Varesa's chest, listening to the steady heartbeat, and whispered in her heart.
"I don't want to wait until you're gone to realize how good I am to you."
"I want to protect you as long as you're still here."
Did she herself also have things she didn't tell Varesa?
Where one comes from.
The systems within the body.
And those secrets she couldn't tell.
No rush today.
But one day, she will whisper those deepest secrets into her ear, one by one, and gently tell them to her.
After I finished speaking, I was still being held by her, just like now.
There is no more concealment.
Love is probably like this: in her arms, you don't even need to hide a single secret.
Varesa, who was beside her, was still half asleep when she pulled her closer to her.
"... Little Bai You?"
Her voice was sleepy and indistinct.
"Still awake?"
"Going to sleep now."
Bai You snuggled closer to her warm embrace and closed her eyes.
She quickly fell asleep in Varesa's arms.
What she didn't know was --
Just as the Light Realm Power returned to its proper place within her body, and at that very instant, her aura uncontrollably leaked out of her.