"????"
Kairo stared at the suddenly appearing panel, question marks practically floating above his head.
What the hell was this?
Belobog?
The blue virtual panel's text kept scrolling before his eyes.
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 25 Years Before]
The Silvermane Guards originally sent you to an orphanage, but because you were precocious and showed genius-level ideas — with solid knowledge and an endearing charm — you still managed to stay with them.
Even when supplies ran short, most of the Silvermane Guards shared their rations with you.
You peacefully absorbed the nutrition you needed; your physical ability far exceeded kids your age.
Knowing your fate gave you the courage to resist it — you asked the Silvermane Guards to train you early.
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 20 Years Before]
As the Silvermane's situation worsened, they could no longer afford idlers. Since you chose to stay, ten-year-old you had to join the patrols.
Luckily, your route ran along Belobog's outer wall. There, you met a Vanguard officer named Jerrad and asked him about the mysterious Paths.
Jerrad told you the Paths were not to be walked casually — only those with true conviction could step onto them.
He asked you: Do you truly wish to protect the people of Belobog?
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 17 Years Before]
To better step onto the Path of Preservation, you chose to lead from the front.
In every battle, you charged the line, making the protection of your comrades your purpose.
Even after years of effort, you returned battered and still hadn't touched the Path.
Confused, you sought out Jerrad.
He only told you to persist — that you still didn't understand what "preservation" truly meant.
Jerrad introduced you to his sister, Sylvie, who had just completed her doctorate and needed an assistant.
She bluntly told you that you weren't suited for the Path of Preservation, nor for being a Silvermane — but she could teach you mechanical skills so you'd never starve.
"There will be greater chances to touch a Path through craftsmanship than through combat," she said.
You stayed, hoping to find your own way forward.
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 14 Years Before]
Under Sylvie's guidance, you spent three years in her workshop, repairing and modifying countless instruments.
Your skill improved rapidly — even Sylvie often praised your talent — yet the Path still eluded you.
When you asked her why, she only returned the question:
Have you thought about what you truly want?
You didn't answer.
Without that understanding, she said, you'd never step onto a Path.
You sank into confusion.
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 12 Years Before]
Engineer-Commander Serval proposed recalling all troops from the lower district for a massive offensive.
Korina and Sylvie were completely at odds.
Sylvie told you the lower district would soon be sealed, while the upper would become chaotic.
Retired Silvermane soldiers were being recalled, and new conscription orders loomed over the city.
The lower district would be safer but poor; the upper district, dangerous but full of opportunity.
If you chose to go down, Sylvie would introduce you to a Pathwalker named Nadja, a doctor who could guide you toward the Path of Abundance — one far more meaningful than hers.
You didn't hesitate.
Before you left, Sylvie asked the same question once more:
Have you thought about what you truly want?
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 10 Years Before]
After meeting Nadja, she used the Path of Abundance's power to heal you.
Unfortunately, your body had already suffered too much; many of your potentials were depleted.
Nadja could only repair what was healable.
Still, she taught you medicine diligently, occasionally showing you glimpses of her Path's power.
You studied hard — but after four years, you still hadn't touched the Path.
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 6 Years Before]
When Rivet Town fell and refugees flooded in, the Wildfire emerged.
To better help others — and perhaps to find your own Path — you assisted Nadja in treating refugees, working closely with Wildfire.
Years passed, yet you still hadn't touched any Path.
Your health began to crumble.
Even when Nadja used Abundance energy to cleanse your body, your vitality was nowhere near what it once was.
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 1 Year Before]
After nine years without results, you finally asked Nadja whether there was still hope for you to enter a Path in this life.
She said yes — but as a short-lived mortal, half your life was already gone.
Even if you succeeded, you would only be an ordinary Pathwalker, forever confined to the lower district.
Then she asked you the same question Sylvie once had:
Have you thought about what you truly want?
Hearing her words, thirty-year-old you staggered out of the clinic, your mind filled with everything since you'd transmigrated —
from Belobog's upper to lower district, from struggling to survive to failing again and again to reach a Path.
Your body was exhausted.
You wondered: if you'd stayed in the upper district, would things have turned out differently?
[Host: Kairo — Counterattack System Loading]
[Do you… have the courage… to begin a comeback in this unconfirmed age of life?]
Kairo: "????"
He froze. These weren't his memories — at least, not from this world.
Another life, another universe — yet the Counterattack System had imprinted them into him.
I'm in Teyvat, not in that other universe!"
He almost wanted to shake the panel like a broken gadget. How could a system even have the wrong universe setting?
The panel blinked again:
[Do you… have the courage… to begin a comeback in this unconfirmed age of life?]
Kairo blinked between Yes and No.
"...Is this thing sentient?"
After a moment, he said slowly, "I'm in Teyvat, not in the—uh—Honkai universe."
The words barely left his mouth when glowing letters appeared again:
[Thirty]
Kairo sighed. "Great. So you really think I'm thirty."
He rubbed his temples. This idiotic system was unbelievable.
"Whatever — I've come this far. Let's see how you plan to help me 'make a comeback' in Teyvat."
He selected Yes.
In an instant, the panel vanished — replaced by a flood of memories.
Knowledge of medicine, the combat techniques of the Silvermane Guards, and years of training merged into his mind.
His muscles remembered drills — movements that didn't belong to this body.
"Not without benefits, after all."
Kairo flexed his palm — smooth skin, yet strength coiled underneath.
No calluses, but his body recalled countless battles — grapples, strikes, killing motions.
"With this change, these wolves were nothing to him now."
Ahead, the pack of wolves and a few Hilichurls still hadn't left.
Now, they didn't seem threatening at all.
Compared to the monsters beyond Belobog, these were child's play.
He stepped forward.
"Roar!"
As soon as he moved, the wolves and Hilichurls turned toward him, snarling, eyes gleaming with hunger.
Kairo rested his hand on his sword hilt.
Then—
"Clack, clack, clack."
From the trees came light footsteps, followed by a cheerful, childish voice.
"Eh?"
A small girl appeared, wearing a red outfit and carrying a heavy backpack covered in bells that jingled as she ran.
She stopped, panting, cheeks flushed from exertion.
Kairo's eyelid twitched.
That was... Klee.
The wolves and Hilichurls suddenly shifted their attention.
Sensing a new target, they snarled, abandoning Kairo to encircle the red-clad girl.
Some wolves bared white fangs, creeping low.
The Hilichurls raised their crude weapons with guttural cries.
But Klee's bright eyes showed no fear — only mild annoyance.
"Not enough bombs…" she muttered, glancing into her backpack.
Then she spotted him.
"Eh? Big brother, you should run away! Don't worry about Klee!"
Kairo believed her — she did have a Pyro Vision, after all.
Still, her tone sounded less than confident.
"Before he could move, the system's blue glow intensified again —
The panel's text no longer matched the world around him. It was showing… another memory?"
[Having left Rivet Town, you spot a barefoot white-haired girl in a red dress standing in a snowy field. You recognize her as Claira, the wandering girl from the Mechanical Settlement — a forgotten workshop district deep under Belobog. She's surrounded by scavengers while collecting parts. You choose...]
[Option 1: Turn a blind eye.
Claira likely has self-defense automatons that will protect her.
Interfering could endanger you.
(Reward: Claira's Red Coat — tainted with Path aura; wearing it might grant a chance to touch a Path.)]
[Option 2: Draw your sword to help.
Vagabonds daring to bully a barefoot girl? You, who once helped found the Wildfire and despise bullies, won't stand for it.
(Reward: Automech Unit 1.0 — a relic automaton resembling an ancient war vehicle, loyal until self-destruction.)]
[Option 3: Clean them up on the way.
You've been under too much stress lately. These scavengers are the perfect outlet — and helping Claira earns the Mechanical Settlement's favor.
(Reward: Claira's Path Resonance Branch Skill — "I Want to Help Too!" Temporarily imbue any item with destructive Path energy, amplifying its power.)]