Navia clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her body trembling slightly.
"...So that's it. All the 'drama,' all the 'performances,' were the desperate fortress she built... for five hundred years..."
Having witnessed the tragedy of Poisson firsthand, she could better grasp the torment of such prolonged suffering.
"She alone... bore the fate of all Fontaine... and we... we might even have criticized her 'inaction' during her most vulnerable moments..."
A powerful mix of profound admiration and gut-wrenching guilt surged through her.
-
It wasn't just the Fontainians who were suffering; the players were equally tormented.
Especially those who had previously criticized Furina for her inaction, deeming her unworthy of being a God, and resenting her for constantly concealing secrets... they were now wracked with guilt.
[She's just a human! She's not a God, so how could she possibly take action?!]
[She kept her secrets hidden not because she didn't want to reveal them, but because she genuinely couldn't!]
[If she had spoken, five centuries of effort would have been for naught, and the consequences would have been irreparable. She dared not gamble!]
The players remembered Furina's stubborn, tearful defense in the opera house, when she insisted she was truly a God. Those who had witnessed it firsthand, unaware of the truth, had felt deep sympathy. Now, reflecting on it...
[I'm such a monster!]
Furina must have been utterly devastated and terrified. She must have feared that her five-hundred-year plan was about to fail, which explained her desperate plea for everyone to believe her.
But no one believed her, except Fidelle...
Yet Fidelle, too, was defeated in the Duel.
If the players felt such empathy, one could only imagine how the Fontainians, who had lived in Fontaine their entire lives, were affected.
Especially Furina's fans. The voices vilifying her had been overwhelming, and they had been powerless to defend her. Now, filled with righteous indignation, they longed to confront those who had doubted her.
All of Fontaine felt a sudden darkness engulf them. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in the Opera House, seated in the front row.
Did they think this was the end with Focalors?
How could it be? If they couldn't bear this, how would they endure what came next?
Now, witness a drama that has unfolded for five centuries...
This time, the Fontainians didn't see Neuvillette and Focalors' conversation, but rather Lumine and... Furina?
-
When Lumine opened her eyes, she found herself standing on a stage. After carefully recalling the events, she concluded that she must have touched Furina's tears. The intense emotions contained within those tears had likely brought her to this place.
So, this must be Furina's inner world.
Furina was sitting on a chair on the stage, seemingly deep in thought. Lumine decided to approach her and ask what was wrong.
But just as Lumine stepped onto the stage, Furina spoke:
"Oh? Who authorized you to be on this stage? As the God Focalors, I understand your admiration for me, but please don't break the rules."
Her voice lacked its usual affectation, instead carrying a forced sense of authority.
"It's me, Furina?"
"Enough. I have no intention of punishing you, so there's no need to state your name. Now leave—don't delay my performance."
As Furina spoke, a line of text hovered above her head:
Don't look at me anymore, don't look at me anymore...
Lumine: "But... there doesn't seem to be any audience here."
Furina: "Hmph, don't be ridiculous! Can't you feel it? Everyone's watching me. I have to maintain my most elegant and noble demeanor at all times."
Lumine scanned the surroundings again, confirming that indeed, there was not a single person present.
A new message appeared above Furina's head:
If only for a moment, let the stage darken, let the spotlight cease...
Lumine moved around the stage, turning off the spotlights.
With the lights extinguished, Lumine returned to the audience seats, eager to delve into Furina's inner world.
Some Fontainians from a different timeline than Lumine's saw her approaching their seats and hastily stood up, scurrying aside.
Navia was among them. She called out several times, but Lumine remained unresponsive, acting as if she couldn't hear anything. Navia immediately understood: Lumine was in the same state as Neuvillette.
They were merely spectators, while Lumine was experiencing it firsthand.
On stage, the curtain drew closed, and the large title for Act One appeared.
The curtain parted to reveal Furina walking toward a mirror.
"Furina... Furina...?"
A voice echoed from within the mirror, startling Furina.
"Eh? Who's there? Who's calling me? Where are you?"
"Don't be nervous, don't be afraid. I'm right here in front of you."
Standing in the mirror was none other than Focalors.
"N-no, no, no! That's not right! What's going on? You... you're me in the mirror?"
Furina leaned closer to examine the reflection. The Focalors in the mirror looked exactly like her, even their two distinctive ahoges were positioned on opposite sides.
Focalors told Furina about the Prophecy, deeply moving her. Furina asked if there was any way to save Fontaine, and Focalors revealed her Plan.
"Furina, listen carefully. Fontaine has just lost its Hydro Archon. I need you to take on the role of the new Hydro Archon."
Furina: "Play... a God?"
Focalors: "Yes. You must act the part... act it without faltering, without letting anyone suspect your true identity. If you can do that, I'll have a way to defy the Prophecy... But if your disguise is exposed, our last hope will vanish."
Furina: "But... how am I supposed to pull that off? To play a God as a human and never be exposed..."
Focalors: "Don't worry. You don't need to become a true God. Just act like the God humans imagine. You're human yourself, so you should know what that entails."
"Remember this: the challenge before you isn't figuring out how to embody 'divinity,' but how to resist your own 'humanity.'"
Furina: "Um... I still don't fully understand, but I'll try my best."
Before Focalors, Furina solemnly made this promise.
-
Clorinde began to understand why Fidelle revered Furina so deeply. She was not only a respectable person, but also a deity worthy of profound reverence.
During their conversations, Fidelle had once mentioned that Furina wasn't as strong as everyone believed. At the time, Clorinde hadn't quite grasped the meaning, but now she wondered if Fidelle had long suspected something was amiss with Furina.
Yet Fidelle had never revealed her suspicions, guarding the secret and always standing behind Furina.
In the Duel Arena earlier, the intensity in Fidelle's eyes as she fought for Furina had even frightened Clorinde.
Clorinde's hand tightened slightly into a fist.
-
Afterward, the people of Fontaine watched Furina's inaugural address. It began politely, but the audience refused to accept it, forcing Furina to change her approach.
As the Fontainians watched this scene, gazing at their ancestors on screen, their faces burned with shame.
Shut up, you fools!
I really want to go up there and slap those ancestors!
But then they remembered their own past actions toward Furina. The slaps they had intended for their ancestors ended up landing on their own cheeks instead.