It was identical to the bedroom he'd seen in his two previous dreams about Furina.
He saw Furina standing alone in front of the mirror.
She hadn't noticed the sudden presence of a stranger behind her.
Nor did the mirror reflect his image.
"So I'm just an observer… viewing Furina's entire fate from a third-person perspective..."
Xia Zhi mused.
But if it was her entire fate, why didn't it start from her birth? Why this particular moment?
Was it because this moment was special?
Or… was this moment actually when Furina was born?
As Xia Zhi pondered, a mysterious voice suddenly echoed from the mirror in front of Furina.
"Furina... Furina...?"
Furina visibly startled, glancing around in alarm. "Eh? Who? Who's calling me? Where are you?"
"Don't be afraid. I'm right in front of you."
Furina looked into the mirror. "No... no, that's not right. Wait... you... you're me in the mirror?"
The Furina in the mirror smiled faintly.
"Mhm. That's a good name. I suppose I'm your Reflection."
Furina stared into the mirror and asked timidly, "Reflection... what do you want from me?"
"The Prophecy... have you heard of it?"
"The prophecy? Ah, wait, I think I know it. I'm not sure how, but it's like it's just… in my head. 'Everyone will dissolve into the sea, leaving only the Hydro Archon to weep alone upon the throne. Only then will the sins of Fontaine be cleansed.'?"
The reflection nodded. "Yes. You know it well."
Furina clutched her head, visibly distressed. "What is this? My memories are all fuzzy, but that prophecy—it's crystal clear... Will it really come true?"
"Yes. That's why I came to find you. The calamity of Fontaine will come sooner or later. Everything will unfold just as the prophecy foretells. There's no escape."
Furina froze, panicked. "That's terrible! Everyone will die? Even me, as a citizen of Fontaine?"
"Hehehe, don't worry. The rest of the world exists to bring turning points to mankind. Just like how you've met me today. I'll tell you how everyone can be saved. But… you might have to endure some pain."
Furina let out a breath of relief. "So there's still hope. You scared me with all that doom talk... As for pain... hmm... My first thought, honestly, was 'why me?' But if the prophecy is real, I'd die anyway, right? And besides, the Unexpected Encounter has already found me. If there's a scale, with the lives of all Fontainians on one side and my own pain on the other… there's no question which way it would tip."
"Heh... You really are the most perfect human. My ideal. Perhaps this is your version of Justice."
Her voice was too quiet—Furina didn't catch it. "Hm?"
"Nothing. Listen closely. Fontaine has just lost its Hydro Archon. I need you to play the role of the new one."
Furina's eyes widened. "Play... a god?"
"Yes. You must keep playing the part. No one can suspect your true identity. If you succeed, I will have a way to counter the prophecy. But if your identity is ever exposed... all hope will be lost."
Furina looked uneasy. "But... how can I do that? A human pretending to be a god, and without being discovered..."
"Don't worry. You don't need to become what a god truly is. Just play the role of what humans imagine a god to be. You're human—you know what that looks like. Remember, your greatest challenge won't be grasping divinity... it will be resisting humanity."
Furina was silent for a moment. "I don't fully understand... but I'll try. So, how long do I have to keep playing the Hydro Archon?"
"You may endure long years. Until the end, you won't age. I promise, it will all conclude in a grand, theatrical Judgment, and everyone will be saved."
Furina's eyes lit up. "A judgment... how thrilling. I can't wait."
The voice from the mirror vanished.
Furina lay on the bed, both excited and scared, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Xia Zhi stood at her bedside, thoughtful.
Who was the voice in the mirror?
Why had it chosen Furina?
How did it know about the prophecy, and why did it believe it would come true?
Why would a mortal impersonating a god be the key to averting the prophecy?
Too many clues were missing—Xia Zhi couldn't piece together a solid answer.
He glanced at the desk.
A calendar sat on it.
The date read five hundred years ago.
Xia Zhi recalled what the voice had said: "Fontaine has just lost its Hydro Archon."
That meant this was shortly after the Khaenri'ah Cataclysm, when the previous Hydro Archon, Egeria, had just fallen.
Her familiar—the pure water spirit Focalors—had succeeded her as Archon.
Xia Zhi looked at Furina's young, sleeping face.
But he couldn't sense even a trace of Hydro divine power from Furina.
Not just divine power—there wasn't even a hint of Hydro elemental energy.
She was just an ordinary mortal girl.
So… where had the real Focalors gone?
Xia Zhi turned to the mirror, a suspicion already forming in his mind.