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Under bright, sunny skies,
within a grand and luxurious manor—
"…You're doing pointless things again."
"Did you take your medicine? Your health is already so poor, yet you spend all day holed up in that workshop dirtier than a basement…"
"Hey, don't pretend you can't hear me. Did you forget what the doctor told you?"
"Glue, wood shavings, dust—those all make your condition worse."
"Stop wasting your time, will you? With a body as weak as yours, it's already good enough just to stay alive!"
"Hey! What are you doing?! Can you even climb that wall? You're going to fall!"
A young man's voice rang out continuously.
His words were filled with impatience as he scolded a small boy climbing a stone wall.
Yet although every sentence sounded like a warning,
he made no move whatsoever to stop him.
It was obvious—he wasn't truly concerned at all.
And just as the young man barked at him—
the little boy slipped, fell from the wall, and sat on the lawn crying.
Golden hair tied with a ribbon fell over his left shoulder.
Delicate, adorable features.
Emerald-green eyes rimmed with tears.
Even though he was very young,
the audience watching could recognize him at a glance!
If that wasn't young Otto, who else could it be?!
Seeing Otto fall to the ground,
the young man immediately said with disgust,
"Tsk. How did I end up with such a useless little brother?"
[Hu Tao]: Th-this… is that Otto as a kid?!
[March 7th]: Even though it's Otto… he's way too cute…
[Star Rail · Himeko]: March, your stance is wavering.
[March 7th]: Cough! But little Otto hasn't done anything bad yet!
[Keqing]: Otto's brother… he's so harsh. And he doesn't seem to care about Otto at all.
[Furina]: So this is what the profile meant by "not valued by his family"… there's no warmth at all.
[Raiden Mei]: Growing up in an environment like this would definitely affect someone's personality.
[Ruan Mei]: So he was already interested in inventing from a young age? He likes woodworking?
Watching little Otto cry pitifully on the ground,
many in the chat couldn't help but soften.
After all, who could bring themselves to hate
a sobbing, golden-haired little Otto?
And besides—
this was still young Otto,
long before he ever committed any evil.
"Th-the plane… my plane…"
Otto looked up toward the wall, sniffling.
And then, in the very next moment—
"Wow! It flew so high just now!"
As she spoke, a girl climbed onto the wall.
Her clear voice was like a spring breeze.
Bathed in sunlight,
her features appeared hazy and sacred, like a saint.
For an instant,
young Otto froze, completely spellbound.
And not just young Otto—
even Otto in the present world
found himself momentarily dazed,
lost in Kallen's smile.
That smile.
That encounter five hundred years ago.
In the end, it imprisoned Otto's entire life.
The girl climbed over the wall,
holding a finely crafted model airplane—though it was slightly damaged.
"Is this yours?"
"…I made it."
Otto replied timidly, yet with a hint of expectation,
as if hoping for praise or recognition of his work.
Fortunately—
the girl standing before him
was perhaps the gentlest person Otto would ever meet in his entire life.
"Wow… you're amazing! You'll definitely become a great inventor someday!"
Kallen's voice was utterly sincere,
her eyes sparkling brightly.
Young Otto stood rooted to the spot.
Even a child could tell—
she truly meant it.
"But… it's broken…"
"I can… make another one for you!"
"Really? Thank you!"
Kallen smiled sweetly, her expression full of anticipation.
And just a few exchanges—
simple conversation between children of the same age—
gave Otto an experience he had never known before.
He had no friends.
He had never been valued or affirmed.
This was the first time he felt kindness and recognition from another person.
"My name is Kallen! Kallen Kaslana! What's your name?"
"…Otto… Otto Apocalypse."
"Then, Otto—"
Kallen looked straight into his eyes.
"Can we be friends?"
"O-of course we can!"
Little Otto stammered.
"But… don't you need to do training every day?"
"I already finished training at ten this morning! After all, I always perform so well!"
Kallen lifted her chin proudly.
Then she looked toward Otto's brother in the distance.
"Oh, right! Big brother over there—can I take Otto out to play with me? In the name of the Kaslana family, I promise I'll protect him!"
"Th-that… even if you say that, he's still a sick child…"
"My dad said that getting more sunlight and playing more is how you grow healthy and tall!"
Kallen beamed, then turned back toward Otto.
"And haven't you noticed? He's different from the other kids around here. He's definitely going to become a great inventor someday!"
"Ah… th-that kind of thing…"
Otto hurriedly waved his hands.
"You mustn't lose confidence in yourself! Great inventor, I have a request—would you agree to it?"
"Huh? A… request?"
"Yes! When we grow up!"
As she spoke,
Kallen lightly jumped down from the wall.
Standing gracefully in front of Otto,
their eyes met.
Her smile was bright and gentle.
"Come save the world with me."
On that sunlit afternoon,
young Otto stared blankly at the girl who had descended into his world like an angel—
and nodded heavily.
And in that moment,
no one—
not even those watching from beyond the screen—
could have imagined that a single sentence, "great inventor,"
would cause Otto to burn through more than five hundred years of his life.
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