The branches of the Sacred Sakura were covered in soft pink blossoms, so dense that they nearly blanketed the entire sky above the vast courtyard.
As the wind blew through the branches and petals, it produced a gentle rustling sound that was strangely soothing.
"So this is the Sacred Sakura Tree…" Qiuqian looked toward the trunk, and a faint pattern flashed through his dark brown eyes.
His gaze seemed to transcend both past and future.
During the Cataclysm of Khaenri'ah, the former Electro Archon, Raiden Makoto, sacrificed herself and transformed a fragment of her consciousness into the seed of the Sacred Sakura.
It was a gift she left behind for Ei, meant to help Inazuma withstand future disasters.
After Makoto's death, Ei brought the seed back into her Plane of Euthymia.
Yet at that moment, the Sacred Sakura suddenly appeared within Inazuma itself. Ei found it strange, while the people believed it had always existed.
In the future, after Ei defeated her other self—the Raiden Shogun—and fully unleashed the power left behind within Musou Isshin by Makoto…
Makoto's final consciousness was released, sending forth the Sacred Sakura seed she had intentionally left behind.
Ei planted the Sacred Sakura within Makoto's consciousness realm.
That very moment was carried into the past by the power of Time.
And so, the Sacred Sakura sprouted in Inazuma's distant past.
Its existence became woven into Inazuma's history as though it had always been there, resolving the contradiction between Ei's memories and the people's perception.
"The Ruler of Time…" Qiuqian murmured with a faint smile.
He actually held quite a favorable impression of her.
By altering time itself, she ensured the Sacred Sakura already existed during the Cataclysm five hundred years ago.
Turning it into an established fact that had always been present.
It avoided temporal collapse while resolving the paradox.
At the same time, it preserved the stability of Teyvat and protected Inazuma during the disaster.
Back in those dark ages, when the civilization of Enkanomiya sank beneath the earth…
The other three shining moons no longer answered their people.
Only she had never abandoned the children of Enkanomiya.
That was also one of the reasons Qiuqian held some goodwill toward her.
"Alright, stop staring at the tree already," Yae Miko said, waving her hand. "Come have some tea. I had some snacks prepared too. There's not much else here to entertain you with anyway."
After speaking, she sat down beside a wooden table in the center of the courtyard.
On the table sat a teapot and two cups, all clearly made in Liyue's style.
Qiuqian smiled and nodded before sitting opposite her.
"These cups, the teapot—even the tea leaves—were gifts from Ganyu back then," Yae Miko said with a smile as she looked at him across the table.
"I don't have much tea left, but since we have an honored guest, I brought it out."
"You mentioned Ganyu before, didn't you?" Qiuqian took a sip of tea and feigned surprise. "Sounds like the two of you are quite close."
"Of course we are," Yae Miko nodded with a smile. "Sister Ganyu mentioned you before. She said you were a very gentle god."
Even now, Yae Miko still couldn't understand why the same Guixu who had once been called the Godslayer in Inazuma was described by Ganyu as a gentle deity.
"Ganyu…" Qiuqian slowly rotated the teacup in his hand as his thoughts drifted back three thousand years.
Then, he began telling Yae Miko about the past.
Under a cloudless blue sky, wind swept through the lush grasslands below.
Guixu sat quietly in the grass, his robes and long hair fluttering gently in the breeze.
His brows were tightly furrowed as he stared at the sky, lost in thought.
Time passed.
The sun rose and the moon fell.
A whole day went by.
Yet Guixu remained seated there, his expression unchanged.
A small fluffy white creature with tiny horns atop its head and a little blue tuft of hair slowly pushed through the tall grass toward him.
Only after it reached him did its true appearance become clear.
A tiny Ganyu stared up at Guixu with wide, adorable eyes.
"…Are… are you unhappy?" little Ganyu asked in a soft childish voice.
Only then did Guixu realize that at some point, a tiny Ganyu had appeared before him.
"Unhappy?" Guixu repeated with a smile as he gently rubbed her head. "I suppose so."
"This… is for you."
"If you get something you like, then you'll feel happy again. Rex Lapis told me that if someone's unhappy, giving them something they like will make them happy…"
Little Ganyu pulled a drawing from behind her back and handed it to him.
"…"
Guixu froze slightly as he looked at the picture.
It was clearly drawn with crayons by a child.
The scenery depicted was Jueyun Karst. Although the drawing itself wasn't very good, it was obvious little Ganyu had worked hard on it.
"I… I heard from Rex Lapis that you really like beautiful scenery."
"I grew up in Jueyun Karst, and I think it's really, really pretty!"
"So… so I wanted to give my favorite scenery to you. S-so please don't be unhappy anymore."
Little Ganyu stammered through the entire speech as though it had exhausted all her energy.
After speaking, she gave Guixu an incredibly healing smile.
"Mm…" Guixu looked at the little Ganyu before him, who had never been very good at talking to others, and felt warmth spread through his heart.
"Alright. I won't be unhappy anymore."
"But how did little Ganyu know I was unhappy?" Guixu asked with a smile, using the tone one might use to coax a child.
"Umm…"
"Two days ago, I was chasing butterflies here, and then I saw you."
"You kept sitting here for a really, really long time… so I thought maybe you were unhappy."
"Because when Ganyu feels unhappy, she also sits around staring blankly…"
Little Ganyu thought seriously for a moment before explaining honestly.
"Thank you, Ganyu."
"I'm feeling much better now."
Guixu rubbed her head before standing up.
"As thanks for cheering me up, little Ganyu can ask for anything she wants."
He rested a hand against his chin and smiled at her.
"I…"
"I want butterflies to stop being scared of me…"
Little Ganyu thought seriously again before smiling brightly at him.
Guixu froze for a moment.
What a childlike wish…
"Alright. Then I'll make colorful butterflies appear and fly around little Ganyu for an entire day."
"How about that?"
Guixu crouched down and smiled at her.
Little Ganyu nodded happily.
Then Guixu raised a finger, white energy gathering at its tip.
The white aura spread outward, transforming into seven differently colored streams of power.
The seven-colored energy then turned into countless crystalflies of different elements.
They began fluttering around little Ganyu.
Little Ganyu widened her eyes in delight, reaching out both hands as she watched the crystalflies circling her.
"Thank you, Big Brother Guixu!"
After saying that, little Ganyu ran off into the distance with a bright smile.
"Haha…" Guixu stood there watching her departing figure, a smile appearing on his face as well.
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