The witch's voice echoed in Lumine's mind.
"The prophecy... it will come to pass. You can regard it as future history."
"But the prophecy is only the future as seen from the gods' perspective. Yet in the blind spots of the gods' vision... could something also be happening?"
"No matter what Teyvat's future holds, what guides you is only your destiny. You need only do what you must do."
Lumine attained sudden enlightenment. Even if the prophecy really would come to pass, there should still be a way to save everyone.
She had overlooked a certain detail. Inside the magic box, Furina had something she wanted to tell her.
[Nahida: It seems those secrets are the key to saving the people of Fontaine.]
[Furina: As expected of the God of Wisdom. I acknowledge your conjecture. The truth is exactly what you think!]
[Lyney: Then can you tell us now? The magic trick is about to be revealed!]
[Furina: No. I refuse. I have no desire to explain anything more, especially to you, Lyney.]
[Lyney: ...]
[Ningguang: It appears that your scheme of trapping and transporting Furina has upset her.]
[Lyney: That is indeed the case. Those who watch a magic show may derive joy from it, but those forced to participate in the trick may not feel the same way.]
Lumine's contemplation continued. What were those words?
Could Furina's secret be the answer?
At that moment, the Oratrice began to spin wildly. Hydro elemental energy flooded the entire chamber.
Clorinde: "What's happening? What's going on here?"
Neuvillette: "The death sentence... is it about to be carried out?"
Lumine looked up: "Furina!"
In the defendant's stand, Furina sat collapsed upon the chair. All light had faded from her eyes.
Sensing the Hydro elemental power growing ever stronger, Lumine sprinted forward, reaching out to grasp Furina's hand. But the moment she touched a single droplet of water, she entered an unfamiliar world.
[Yae Miko: The Plane of Euthymia!]
[Neuvillette: You know of that world? What is it?]
[Yae Miko: The Plane of Euthymia is, in essence, a person's inner world. It is simply that Ei calls it her inner world. I have entered it before, so I understand what this scene signifies.]
[Paimon: So that means Lumine has entered Furina's inner world?]
[Yae Miko: That's correct.]
[Raiden Ei: It does indeed bear great resemblance to my own inner world.]
[Yae Miko: Ei, when will you come out and take a look? Inazuma has undergone many terrible changes. The Vision Hunt Decree has caused countless tragedies. Those who cling to their dreams have banded together—Inazuma is in the midst of a civil war.]
[Raiden Ei: You may discuss the affairs of Inazuma with the Shogun. I must remain within the Plane of Euthymia and defend eternity.]
Inside the Opera House.
Of the original gathering, only Neuvillette remained. Within the chamber, a colossal sword hovered in the air. Beneath the sword stood a barefoot girl. Her features were exactly identical to Furina's, but her attire was less formal, adorned with specks of a starry night sky—deep and mesmerizing.
Neuvillette's face was filled with astonishment.
"Well, hahahahaha..." A clear, bell-like laugh rang out. "Forgive me. I simply found your expression of surprise so delightful that I couldn't help but laugh." The girl in the starry dress, barefoot, spoke.
Neuvillette stated with certainty: "You are not Furina. Who exactly are you?"
The girl who looked exactly like Furina answered: "Judging by your astonishment, I've successfully fooled all of you. Clearly, I am the god, Focalors!"
[Lyney: The real Hydro Archon looks exactly like Furina. In other words, Furina and the Hydro Archon must share some kind of connection—that's why she was never exposed over those five hundred years.]
[Lynette: That's right, isn't it, Brother?]
[Paimon: But the earlier test confirmed that Furina is a human. She isn't a part of the god.]
[Sigewinne: The real Hydro Archon seems happier than Furina, and far less flamboyant.]
[Wriothesley: That is true. Sigewinne's observational abilities are incredibly sharp.]
[Nahida: So these five hundred years... were all part of the Hydro Archon's design?]
[The Knave: As expected of the Hydro Archon. She deceived everyone with ease.]
Neuvillette asked with great severity, "Focalors, why did you deceive us?"
Focalors turned, her posture exceedingly graceful: "But of course. Deceiving you was never my true aim. The one I truly deceived..."
"...was the Heavenly Principles!"
Neuvillette was deeply puzzled: "Deceiving the Heavenly Principles?"
Focalors: "That prophecy—such a troublesome thing, isn't it? Everyone dissolves into the water, and Fontaine is submerged."
"When my predecessor, the former Hydro Archon Egeria, entrusted this prophecy to me, I too felt it was simply far too difficult."
"She knew full well that the scene foretold in the prophecy would inevitably come to pass."
"As one of The Seven Archons, she also understood that the Heavenly Principles cannot be opposed."
"It's a completely unsolvable dilemma, wouldn't you say?"
"I went down into the sea alone and pondered in silence for a very, very long time, until even the clamshells beside me started bubbling. Only then did I arrive at the one and only answer."
"Only by deceiving the Heavenly Principles could I save everyone while still allowing the prophecy to unfold."
"I truly am a genius. And it was precisely because of this that Egeria chose me as her successor, wasn't it?"
"Looking at it that way, she saddled me all at once with the duty of saving Fontaine, the responsibilities of the Hydro Archon, and the original sin of creating humans."
"Sigh... it really couldn't be helped. After all, I was once one of her many Oceanid familiars."
[Ningguang: The Hydro Archon... was also an Oceanid!]
[Nahida: That description isn't entirely accurate. Once Focalors inherited Egeria's divine throne, she became a god. The divine throne itself carries the authority of a god—the authority of The Seven Archons.]
[Zhongli: Yes. Gods have the authority of gods, and the Geo Archon has the authority of the Geo Archon. After I obtained the divine throne, I did indeed gain certain powers. However, I was a god to begin with. Even if I were to lose the power of my throne, I would still remain a god.]
[Keqing: It seems we've just learned some world-shaking secrets.]
[Yae Miko: Among the original Seven, I wonder which one was the strongest? (curious)]
[Nahida: During the Archon War, the Seven did not directly battle one another. However, in the cataclysm of Khaenri'ah, six of the Seven went. Only the Anemo Archon, Barbatos, and the Geo Archon, Morax, walked out of Khaenri'ah alive. The other four gods all fell in the battle against the Abyss.]
[Zhongli: The power of the Abyss was far too immense. The brutality of that battle is something I am still unwilling to recall. The monsters of the Abyss not only ravaged Khaenri'ah—many of them broke through the gods' defensive lines and spilled into Teyvat. In that war alone, no fewer than ten gods perished.]
[Furina: Are there not only seven gods?]
[Nahida: The Seven Archons are merely the seven victors of the Archon War. The number of gods far exceeds seven. After the Archon War ended, not all of the defeated gods perished.]
[Arataki Itto: This broadcast room is really amazing! So many secrets!]