Furina instinctively whipped around to look behind her, but all she saw was a mirror—and her own reflection staring back at her.
"There's nothing there," she said, confused.
Xia Zhi's tone grew playful.
"Is there really nothing?"
He reached out and tapped gently on the mirror's surface.
"Focalors, you don't think I'm bluffing, do you? Or are you waiting for me to smash this mirror?"
Furina stared intently at the mirror.
After a moment, she saw the other Furina in the mirror suddenly wear a resigned expression.
"How did you find me?"
Xia Zhi answered casually, "Simple enough. I've already given you the answer—I saw Furina's fate."
The figure in the mirror shook her head slowly.
"Peering into fate... how could such a thing be so easily achieved?"
Xia Zhi didn't bother to elaborate.
"Whether or not you believe it is your business. So, you haven't seen my fate, have you?"
The person in the mirror smiled faintly.
"Since you're so clever, why don't you take a guess?"
Xia Zhi didn't fall for it. "There's nothing to guess. It's not important."
"You're no fun," the figure in the mirror clicked her tongue lightly.
"Fine, allow me to introduce myself properly. I am the Archon Focalors, the current Hydro Archon."
Xia Zhi asked calmly, "Is Egeria already dead?"
Focalors' expression shifted slightly, eyes narrowing at him. "You know her?"
"I don't know her yet," Xia Zhi replied, "Currently, I only know Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. But I suppose I'll meet her eventually."
Focalors furrowed her brow.
"What do you mean by that? She has already fallen, transformed into the sea of Amrita—how could you possibly meet her?"
Xia Zhi said simply, "Just revive her, and then I can meet her."
Focalors' expression turned strange. "Revive? What nonsense are you saying?"
Xia Zhi didn't pursue the topic further.
"That matter is too distant for you two right now. It'll only happen around five hundred years later. You don't need to know the details at this moment."
Focalors fell silent.
She seemed to be assessing the credibility of Xia Zhi's claims.
After all, a strange man had suddenly appeared in her room, claiming to have glimpsed her fate, disrupting her original plans, and even casually mentioning reviving a god...
Xia Zhi broke the silence first.
His time was precious.
"I know exactly what your plan is. You intend for Furina to roleplay the Hydro Archon, to keep up the act indefinitely, never allowing anyone to doubt her identity. If she manages that, you'll have a chance to resist the so-called prophecy."
Focalors stared at him silently.
Xia Zhi continued, repeating precisely the words Focalors would have said in the original timeline, "You would even promise her eternal youth, telling her that everything would conclude in a grand, theatrical trial, and that everyone would ultimately be saved."
Focalors' gaze flickered slightly.
"That's right. I've never told a single soul about this plan, yet you know it so clearly... I'm beginning to believe what you said earlier."
Xia Zhi sighed softly.
"You don't actually think your plan is brilliant, do you?"
Focalors looked directly at him. "Isn't it?"
Furina had completely lost track of their conversation.
All she knew was that Xia Zhi seemed to be confronting the Hydro Archon in the mirror on her behalf.
She looked at Xia Zhi, feeling that he was becoming increasingly attractive in her eyes.
Xia Zhi asked calmly, "Why would you assume Furina, who knows nothing about your plan, could keep playing the role of the [Hydro Archon] indefinitely? Just because of your own wishful trust?"
Focalors answered, "She's different. She's—"
Xia Zhi interrupted, "The perfect human being? Your ideal?"
Focalors fell silent again.
After a long pause, she finally looked up at him and asked, "Did you truly see Furina's fate?"
Xia Zhi nodded calmly. "Yes."
Focalors asked, "Did Furina ultimately succeed?"
Xia Zhi retorted, "Is the success of your plan all you care about?"
Focalors stared straight at him and answered honestly, "Yes. Otherwise, all the sacrifices she and I made would lose their meaning."
Xia Zhi shook his head. "Sorry, I don't know."
Focalors didn't believe him. "How could you not know?"
Xia Zhi replied lightly, "Because fate hasn't yet progressed to that point. Of course, you wouldn't understand if I explained further. All I can tell you is that in the future from which I come, Fontaine still exists safely, and Furina continues to serve as the Hydro Archon."
Focalors considered thoughtfully, "I see..."
Xia Zhi glanced again at the countdown timer on his system panel.
Fifteen minutes had already passed.
"Let me repeat myself one last time. I'm here specifically to help you both. Now, tell me your plan in full detail."
Focalors asked, "And if I refuse?"
"That would be unfortunate," Xia Zhi sighed regretfully.
"I'd have no choice but to use force."
Focalors smiled mockingly. "You don't really think I'm afraid of you smashing this mirror, do you? It's nothing but an ordinary mirror."
"Of course I know it's just an ordinary mirror," Xia Zhi raised his hand, and suddenly, a black chain emerged from his shadow, coiling around him like a sinister serpent.
"But I never said smashing the mirror was my only method."
He pointed his finger at Focalors' reflection in the mirror.
[Enemy Binding] activated.
Instantly, the black chain vanished.
In the next second, it bizarrely appeared within the mirror itself, tightly binding the figure who existed only inside the mirror.
"You! What did you do? What is this?!" Focalors' panicked and furious voice echoed from the mirror.
Naturally, this was a divine artifact specially designed to restrain gods.
Without responding, Xia Zhi beckoned toward the mirror.
Immediately, the black chain dragged Focalors out of the mirror world and into reality.
Furina stared blankly at the figure standing before her—someone identical to herself.
She wasn't staring for any reason other than the fact that the chains tightly bound Focalors, causing her clothes to shift and expose a considerable amount of skin, even squeezing out certain enviable parts of her figure.
"W-wait, Xia Zhi... Isn't this kind of inappropriate?"
"What's wrong?"
"Tying up a girl like this... it's embarrassing, isn't it?"
"It's fine. There aren't any outsiders here. You're the only girl who can see this."
"But you're here too."
"Me? I'm just a blind man. I can't see anything."
"Huh?"
Furina was taken aback.
Even Focalors, currently bound by the chains, couldn't help but show a surprised expression.
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