Inside the Hall of Chaos, Furina's emotions grew more and more chaotic. She even began to wonder if she was trapped in some kind of nightmare.
After all, if this wasn't a dream, how could she possibly be seeing Hyūga Hinata—the Hyūga clan's princess from the Naruto anime of her previous life—and even Lint, her former self?
Wait a minute...
Could it be that the pressure of impersonating Fontaine's Hydro Archon had gotten so intense that she started hallucinating?
This thought flashed through Furina's mind. She immediately pinched her soft, flawless, hairless little thigh with all her strength—so hard that tears nearly sprang from her eyes.It hurt!
This wasn't a dream.
After confirming that in her mind, Furina struggled to lift her head, blinking back the tears threatening to spill. Then, drawing upon the full extent of her talent as Fontaine's greatest celebrity and most skilled stage actress, she straightened up and assumed a high-and-mighty posture.
"I am the queen of all waters, all courts, all peoples, and all laws. I am Furina, the Hydro Archon of Fontaine. You brought me here without my permission. Be warned—I may invoke the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale and sentence you to death!"
Both Hinata and Lint possessed the Byakugan and could clearly see the glittering tears that had welled up in Furina's eyes after she pinched her own thigh.
This confirmed it for them beyond a doubt.
This wasn't the true Hydro Archon, Furina (Focalors).
She was Furina—the human aspect created by the divine being Focalors, a fragment representing her humanity.
Lint shrugged and spoke up:
"Drop the act, Furina. You're not Focalors—not the one in the mirror, not the one who sits upon the judgment seat of the Oratrice."
"You're just a human."
!!
Furina kept her expression composed, but inwardly her emotions surged in panic.
She nearly blurted out:
W-Wait, what?!
They saw through me?! If they know I'm not really Fontaine's Archon, then the 'me' in the mirror won't be able to change the fate of Fontaine—won't be able to stop everyone from dissolving into water!
No… I can't let that happen!
I have to stay calm!
Step, step.
Furina took a step forward, raised her hand solemnly over the miniature bolt of lightning before her, and tilted her chin high, continuing her performance:
"I don't know what you're talking about. I am the God of Justice of Fontaine, the divine being who judges all things—not a mere human."
Off to the side, Hinata gave her a thumbs-up and said admiringly in her soft, girlish voice,
"Impressive. Even after being exposed, you're still holding the line."
"I don't understand what you mean. I am the one true Focalors," Furina insisted, even as her thoughts frayed, her scalp tingling, and the muscles in her legs trembling slightly. The tears in her eyes threatened to overflow, yet she stubbornly held her ground.
"Alright, alright," Lint waved dismissively. "You can keep declaring your godhood when you're back in Teyvat and standing before your people in Fontaine."
"…This isn't Teyvat?"
Furina blinked, her delicate features frozen in confusion.
"Nope."
Both Lint and Hinata shook their heads in unison.
"Then where is this place? And who exactly are you two?"
Finally unable to suppress her curiosity, Furina asked.
"I'm Lint."
"I'm Hyūga Hinata."
The two introduced themselves, and that was the breaking point for Furina's mental composure.Lint!
Hyūga Hinata!
She knew it! These two were definitely suspicious!
One had stolen the face—and even the name—of her past self, Lint.
The other had literally stepped out of the Naruto anime!
Furina was about to demand an explanation when Lint continued:
"As for where this is—just sit in that chair beside us, and you'll understand everything."
"And don't worry, Furina," he added. "We won't harm you. In fact, the three of us share the closest bond imaginable… the kind that could last a lifetime."
Three people… for a lifetime?
What an ominous, perverted thing to say!
Furina's guard shot up. She glared suspiciously at Lint, convinced he must be some impersonator using the face of her past self to seduce her, hoping to get close to the Hydro Archon for some unspeakable purpose.
Still, in the end, she obeyed his suggestion and sat in the chair beside them—the Chair of Fate in the Hall of Chaos.
Then, as if something clicked deep within her soul, understanding flooded her.
This truly wasn't Fontaine, nor even Teyvat.
It was the Hall of Chaos, and the round table before her was the Circle of Fate, built to receive the soul fragments of Lint as they reincarnated into different worlds.
The two beside her—Lint and Hinata—were reincarnations of Lint's shattered soul, scattered across the multiverse after being hit by a runaway truck.
Her eyes opened wide. This time, when Furina looked at Lint and Hinata, the suspicion was gone. So was the wariness. The distrust.
After a moment of silence, Furina spoke:
"So… we're all Lint? This is that '99 Parallel Transmigration' genre from the stories he read in his past life?"
Lint nodded. "Pretty much."
Hinata agreed. "Seems like it."
Hearing this, Furina perked up and enthusiastically suggested, "Then, based on those stories, if we bump fists, we should be able to share strength and knowledge. Want to try it?"
"No need," Lint replied. "Eye contact alone will do."
"Relax, Furina. Look up."
The three made eye contact.
In that moment, their memories and knowledge resonated. The exchange began.
Lint and Hinata immediately came to understand: the Furina who had entered the Hall of Chaos was in the tenth year of her existence, created by Focalors herself. It had also been ten years since she had assumed the role of Hydro Archon.
According to the prophecy set by Celestia, Fontaine would be destroyed in 490 years.
Originally, she had planned to continue the lonely deception for those 490 years—playing the part of the god, using the Oratrice to gather enough energy for the real Hydro Archon to destroy the false god's throne and return the authority of the ancient dragons to Neuvillette, the Water Dragon King.
Once Neuvillette reclaimed divine authority, the people of Fontaine—currently illusions born from primordial seawater—could become true humans. Then, even if the original primordial sea returned and engulfed Fontaine, it would no longer be able to dissolve them.
After reading all this, Lint looked up and said to Furina:
"Isn't that what the original Furina was meant to do?
"But you've reincarnated now—and you have 490 years to prepare. That should be more than enough time to find a better way to save Fontaine and its people from their prophesied doom."
"I want to believe that too," Furina sighed, spreading her hands helplessly. "But you know the truth. Right now, I'm just an ordinary human. I don't even have a Vision.
\And more importantly… the 'me' in the mirror—Focalors—doesn't seem to have any memories from before her reincarnation. She genuinely believes that only by returning the divine authority to Neuvillette can we overturn the prophecy of destruction.
"That's why I have no choice but to keep up the act… and spend the next five centuries playing the role of a god, all alone."