Fidelle finally snapped out of her shock, gazing at the two nearly indistinguishable faces before her, both breathtakingly beautiful. An overwhelming surge of joy and warmth flooded her heart.
At that moment, Furina radiated pure, childlike glee, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Even the usually composed Lady Focalors willingly participated in this "childish" game.
Fidelle's eyes darted between the two women, captivated by their uncanny resemblance. The combination of awe and the immense relief of seeing Furina so carefree and happy made her heart feel as soft and sweet as sun-warmed cotton candy.
"You're Lady Furina! And you're Lady Focalors!" Fidelle declared earnestly, making Furina giggle.
Still not satisfied with the game, Furina proposed going to Palais Mermonia to challenge Neuvillette to guess which of them was Furina and which was Focalors.
Just as she was about to leave, Focalors stopped her. Having observed Lumine and the others' expressions, Focalors sensed they had something to say.
The group settled onto Furina's small sofa.
Furina noticed everyone staring at Lumine and turned to look at her with a puzzled expression.
Lumine: "Since my Awakening in Mondstadt, I've traveled through Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, and Fontaine. In every nation I've visited, there's been someone with a Pure Soul."
"In Mondstadt, it's Rola; in Liyue, Mu Qingge; in Inazuma, Kuki Yuna; in Fontaine, Fidelle; in Snezhnaya, Angie; and in Natlan, Ishkab."
"I'm sorry I can't say more. You only need to know that the 'she' in Sumeru, to save her God, was—eradicated, causing all of Teyvat's living beings to forget her. Now, Rukkhadevata has found her within Irminsul. The reason Rukkhadevata sought me out earlier was to help confirm the location of the contingency she left behind."
"Now that the clues are clear and we've confirmed the location of the contingency, Rukkhadevata and I have agreed to explore it tomorrow."
That was all Lumine intended to share. As soon as she finished speaking, everyone except Chu Xi fell into deep thought.
Chu Xi's eyes blazed with golden light, her entire body trembling with excitement. Her gaze locked onto Lumine, as if silently demanding:
You're not lying, are you? Everything you said is true?
After Lumine confirmed it, Chu Xi abruptly stood up, her face flushed crimson and white steam hissing from her joints.
Lumine had anticipated Chu Xi's intense reaction, but the others stared in bewildered astonishment.
During their time in Fontaine, Chu Xi had always seemed quiet and reserved, someone who struggled to communicate and preferred to keep her thoughts hidden.
Now, seeing her so visibly agitated, the group couldn't help but wonder.
Yet, even more than their confusion, they wanted to know: why could Chu Xi still remember?
It seemed she hadn't forgotten the 'her' from Sumeru, contrary to what Lumine had said.
Paimon: "Lumine, are you saying we had a friend in Sumeru? That friend was the Pure Soul of Sumeru, but because she performed a great deed—saving the God—she completely vanished from Teyvat?"
"So, when I told you there was no Pure Soul in Sumeru, your strange reaction wasn't because there was no Pure Soul, but because you could still remember her so clearly, while I'd forgotten..."
Lumine nodded in agreement. Paimon's analysis was spot-on. That was exactly what had happened.
Focalors: "To make someone completely disappear from Teyvat, Rukkhadevata even found her contingency plan within Irminsul. The only thing I can imagine is Irminsul itself. Irminsul records all of Teyvat's Ley Lines... 'She' disappeared within Irminsul..."
Furina: "Does that mean all information about 'her' has been erased from Irminsul?"
Lumine cast Furina an appreciative glance before continuing:
"The Forbidden Knowledge of Sumeru was completely eradicated because of 'her'. Rukkhadevata, the Dendro Archon of Sumeru, was also ***"
Lumine suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head. Knowing she couldn't continue, she immediately clamped her mouth shut.
Lumine couldn't speak, but the others could.
Focalors: "In other words, from the Traveler's arrival in Sumeru until their departure, all existing memories and records of that great calamity in Sumeru are inaccurate, lacking the crucial figure of 'her'."
"It was 'she' who purged the Forbidden Knowledge and saved Rukkhadevata, right?"
Lumine nodded vigorously, recalling Silaya's heroic deeds, which still seemed incredible to her.
The group fell silent, processing the revelation.
Saving all of Sumeru, yet ultimately being forgotten by everyone except the Traveler and Chu Xi... The thought alone filled Lumine with profound regret.
Among the group, Focalors felt the most deeply. If not for Fidelle, she would have perished long ago in Fontaine.
Originally, according to the plan, no one but Neuvillette and the Traveler were supposed to remember her.
Having experienced a similar situation herself, Focalors resonated deeply with Lumine's description of "her" in Sumeru.
In truth, the "her" in Sumeru was a Pure Soul, and Fidelle in Fontaine was also a Pure Soul. The Sumerian Pure Soul saved Rukkhadevata, while Fidelle saved Focalors...
If every nation had such a Pure Soul, it was easy to understand why the gods of the other nations harbored such deep hatred for the Abyss!
These were grudges forged in blood!
"Lumine, please let me come with you!" Chu Xi suddenly declared, her voice ringing with a resolute determination that brooked no argument.
"Alright, we'll go together," Lumine agreed. She knew Chu Xi would follow them regardless, and it was better to have her with them where they could look out for each other.
Fidelle: "I'm coming too."
Furina: "???"
Fidelle: "Don't worry, Lady Furina. With the Traveler and Rukkhadevata present, nothing will happen to me."
Before Furina could even open her mouth, Fidelle already knew what she wanted to say.
So she explained preemptively, "Lady Furina, I am also a Pure Soul. I want to understand more about Pure Souls, and this is a perfect opportunity."
"I'll be back soon. We've already bought all the ingredients, haven't we? I promised to make you those little cakes."
Furina's beautiful eyes blinked rapidly, her gaze filled with aggrieved reluctance.
She didn't want Fidelle to go, but she couldn't find any argument to refute her, even feeling that what Fidelle said made sense.
Furina turned a pleading look toward Focalors for help.
Focalors shrugged slightly, indicating that she hadn't yet come up with a suitable response either.
Fidelle's unique status made her an easy target for the Abyss to focus their attacks on.