Above the Opera House, Neuvillette noticed the rising waters of Fontaine. In a moment of carelessness, he was swept into the churning sea by the All-Devouring Narwhal's tail.
With a cold expression, Neuvillette burst from the waves, his colossal dragon claw, capable of shattering space, striking out once more.
Screech!
An ear-splitting grinding sound echoed as a massive gash tore across the Narwhal's hide.
This very spot, assaulted tens of thousands of times by Neuvillette, Venti, and the others, finally gave way under the furious Hydro Dragon's claw.
Roar!
The All-Devouring Narwhal let out a piercing shriek. Seizing the opportunity, Ei swung her blade, widening the gash.
"Now's our chance!"
Barbatos erected a Wind Wall, restraining the gravely wounded Narwhal, while Neuvillette unleashed a torrent of water pillars, further suppressing it.
"Stars Fall Silent!"
Skirk dealt another devastating blow to the Narwhal. Leveraging Neuvillette's water pillars, she froze the beast within a massive block of ice.
By this point, the All-Devouring Narwhal was too weak to fight. Skirk's frozen cage served more as protection than restraint.
Skirk reached out, shrinking both the Narwhal and its icy prison. She retracted them into her domain.
Neuvillette turned to look at Skirk.
He wasn't the only one; Barbatos, Ei, and Lumine all turned their gazes toward her as well.
"An explanation?" Ei demanded.
Ei had always harbored suspicions about Skirk, and now that Skirk had acted in such a way, her doubts only deepened. If Skirk failed to provide a satisfactory reason, Ei would strike again.
Skirk sighed. "This creature... it's my master's pet. Though it's far weaker than him, gluttonous, and requires my constant supervision—wasting my time—it's hardly a proper pet."
"But my duty is to watch over it. If it dies here, I'd have trouble explaining that to my master."
Neuvillette: "Your master?"
He had already witnessed Skirk's power. What kind of master could command such a figure?
Skirk: "His name is Surtalogi."
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Skirk continued, "...Isn't my master famous enough? How else should I put it...? Have you heard of 'The Foul'?"
Venti nodded. He was well aware of the Five Sinners of Khaenri'ah.
Lumine, Neuvillette, and Ei remained unaware.
Skirk: "Still not familiar? How about 'The Visionary' Vedrfolnir? Or 'Gold' Rhinedottir?"
At this, Lumine finally understood. Rhinedottir, a member of the Hexenzirkel, had created Albedo and was essentially Albedo's mother.
Skirk: "My master is like them—someone who pursues extremes. But his pursuit lies in the extreme of martial prowess. Long ago, he became invincible in Teyvat. Now, he likely roams the Star Sea."
Hearing this, Ei sheathed her blade, tacitly accepting the explanation.
Neuvillette, Venti, Lumine, and the others shared a similar sentiment.
Even Skirk might not be easy to defeat, and her master seemed even more formidable. Insisting she retrieve the All-Devouring Narwhal to kill it would be foolish—no high-ranking official would make such a reckless demand.
Lumine: "The All-Devouring Narwhal... it's been corrupted by the Abyss. You..."
Skirk: "I have a way to extract the Abyss Energy from its body. There's no need to worry."
With the war concluded, the inverted sea hanging in the sky vanished, and the dark clouds dissipated, allowing sunlight to once again bathe Fontaine.
-
Inside the Opera House, on the Divine Throne:
The sea level had risen to engulf all of Fontaine, the water rising to lap at Furina's feet.
Fontaine's Prophecy had finally come to pass:
...In the end, all will dissolve into the sea, leaving only Furina weeping alone on the Divine Throne.
The colossal ship built under Wriothesley's direction floated on Fontaine's flooded sea. Countless other vessels, large and small, scoured the waters, rescuing Fontainians.
Chu Xi dived beneath the waves, rescuing trapped individuals. With each rescue, she helped push them upward, sending them back to the surface.
The sea's surge lasted only a few minutes. Soon, Furina noticed the water receding.
Fidelle had told her that as long as she sat on the Divine Throne, weeping until the water rose and then receded, Fontaine's Prophecy would be resolved, and all would be saved!
The water receded even faster than it had risen. Furina stood up from the Divine Throne.
Her small blue leather shoes clicked softly against the waterlogged floor as she stepped down.
"The water... it's receding..."
She descended the steps, her gaze sweeping across the Opera House. Only she remained.
"Fidelle, where are you? It's over. The Prophecy is over..."
Furina sprinted, her pace quickening as she emerged from the Opera House. Sunlight streamed down, illuminating her beautiful face still streaked with tears.
She shielded her eyes with a hand, her wide eyes brimming with the relief and joy of surviving the ordeal.
They had succeeded! They had actually succeeded!
The Prophecy was past. The Fontainians...
Where had all the Fontainians gone?
Furina anxiously scanned her surroundings, finding not a single Fontainian, not even a Melusine.
"No one... How can there be no one? Could they all have been..."
Her self-doubt was short-lived. Lumine descended from the sky, Paimon by her side.
Paimon had been spotted by Lumine during the flooding of Fontaine and had followed her ever since.
The little companion had also entered the pocket dimension and witnessed all 180,000 acts of the play.
Deeply concerned for Furina, Paimon decided that now that the Prophecy was over, they should check on her immediately.
"Furina!"
Paimon called out as soon as she spotted Furina in the distance.
Seeing Furina's current expression, Lumine knew exactly what she wanted to know most. Without waiting for her to ask, she immediately said, "Don't worry, the Prophecy has ended. Fontaine is saved, and everyone is safe!"
Furina's face visibly relaxed.
As long as I wasn't dissolved... that means my 500 years of perseverance wasn't in vain.
"I'm sorry, Furina. I doubted you before, I treated you so badly..." Lumine apologized sincerely. Due to the unequal information, they had suspected Furina and even deliberately lured her to the opera house for a trial. Lumine herself had been the accuser, condemning Furina for her inaction and accusing her of falsely impersonating a God.
Now that the full truth had come to light, Lumine felt that she, along with all the Fontainians, owed Furina an apology.
"Huh?"
Furina tilted her head in confusion, taking a step back and waving her hands in a flustered manner. "What? Why are you apologizing?"
During the execution, everyone had been watching the replay except for Furina, who sat alone on the Divine Throne. She was unaware that her past had been revealed to others and had no idea how beloved she had become.