"Really!?"
Furina's emotions surged as she slammed the table and stood up.
"Then... what about my matters? Do you... know about them too?"
Her voice trembled slightly as she nervously awaited Lucian's answer.
Her heart raced, and even her hands shook, fearing she might hear a denial.
Under Furina's gaze, Lucian nodded, his tone steady and firm.
"I know them well too."
"So, in front of me, you don't have to keep up your act."
Lucian only said she didn't have to pretend but didn't explicitly mention her role as the Hydro Archon.
Some things were better left unspoken—everyone understood implicitly. It wasn't the right time to lay it all out yet.
Furina's heart eased slightly, and she pressed on urgently.
"You know I'm not..." She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
The vigilance ingrained from centuries of playing the role of a god made her bite her tongue before she could fully confess.
She still couldn't bring herself to reveal this secret to anyone.
She was afraid—afraid it would destroy Fontaine.
Even if Lucian truly knew her secret, she still didn't dare to say it aloud.
With all of Fontaine at stake, Furina couldn't afford to gamble.
Coincidentally, this was also what Lucian wanted. It was better left unsaid.
What he aimed for was simply to ensure Furina wouldn't be alone.
To achieve that, he didn't need to expose her secret of playing the Hydro Archon.
"I know. These five hundred years must have felt incredibly long for you, haven't they? You've worked hard, Furina."
Lucian's words left Furina frozen in place.
Her heart stirred—yes, it had been five hundred years.
She opened her mouth to speak but found herself momentarily unable to form words.
What was happening? Her lips seemed to tremble, and her eyes felt moist...
Her nose tingled, and her heart ached... She thought she had long since stopped feeling these emotions...
Was it long? It truly was agonizingly long...
Every single day, every moment, she had to play the role of a god—a god who could reassure the people of Fontaine.
She bore the loneliness and solitude alone, unable to share her inner suffering and struggles with anyone.
Even those she knew gradually departed, one after another.
Sometimes, she wished she could leave too... but she absolutely could not die.
Was it lonely? It was unbearably lonely...
She was just an ordinary person. She didn't possess the power of a god—she couldn't even wield elemental energy.
She couldn't truly reassure them! She couldn't live up to their expectations!
She couldn't even confide in anyone...
She smiled and assured them they had nothing to worry about.
But she couldn't resolve the prophecy. She couldn't solve the mysteries.
She could only place her hopes on "the other me in the mirror."
She could only abide by the promise they made to each other.
Even after a hundred years, two hundred years, five hundred years...
Even when she was no longer sure whether those memories were real or not...
As long as it meant saving the people of Fontaine, she endured.
No matter how long... no matter how lonely... she... she...
Furina's lips trembled unconsciously.
Tears silently streamed down her delicate face.
She quickly wiped them away, the warmth of her tears seeping through her gloves.
No, I mustn't cry. A god does not weep!
After drying her tears, Furina opened her eyes—and froze.
Before her appeared a rainbow, the same rainbow as back then.
Written upon it in Hydro script were the words: "You've done well, Furina. You saved Fontaine."
"So it really was you..." At this moment, Furina could no longer hold back her emotions.
She realized that Lucian was the only one who truly understood her.
In front of him... maybe she didn't have to keep pretending to be a god?
She could finally drop the act and be an ordinary person.
And if she was just an ordinary person... then it was okay to cry, right?
"Wah... wahhh—!"
"I... I did it, didn't I?"
"I kept my promise... Fontaine will be saved, right?"
Furina choked out between sobs.
Lucian stepped closer and gazed at her, his eyes filled with understanding and tenderness.
Gently stroking her head, he said softly, "Yes, you did it."
"Your existence was Fontaine's hope."
"Your perseverance and efforts became the miracle that saved Fontaine."
Hearing Lucian's affirmation, Furina felt as if all the strength had drained from her body.
She slumped into her chair, tears still streaming uncontrollably.
Covering her eyes with her hands, she lowered her head, as if unwilling to let Lucian see her reddened, tear-stained face.
"That's great... I did it... Fontaine is saved!"
[Emotional Value Obtained: 100]
[Source: Furina]
[Content: That's great, Fontaine is saved!]
Lucian's heart ached. Even now, Furina's greatest concern wasn't herself—it was still Fontaine.
She didn't ask when she would be freed—only whether Fontaine could be saved.
She didn't rejoice in her own liberation—only in Fontaine's salvation.
How could anyone not feel for someone like her?
"Not just Fontaine... 'you all' will be saved too," Lucian murmured quietly.
Perhaps today, Furina wouldn't be the only one crying. Lucian's new book, Love and Teyvat, had just released its latest chapter.
"Ballad of the Windblume: If You're Trapped in a Windless Land" had already gone on sale—this was the third move in Lucian's plan.
But none of that mattered to him right now. His priority was comforting Furina.
After a while, her tears finally subsided.
But instead of uncovering her face, she buried it even deeper in her hands.
This is so embarrassing! How could I cry like this in front of him?!
What do I do? He was just comforting me... It'd be rude to kick him out now, right?
But if I don't, I can't even face him like this!
Just as Furina was struggling with what to do, Lucian took the initiative.
With a smile, he brought a small cake in front of her.
"If you keep covering your face, you won't have a mouth to eat. If you don't eat it, it'd be such a waste. Should I have it instead?"
"..." Furina grew even more conflicted.
A battle raged in her mind—dignity or dessert?
In the end, she lowered her hands but kept her head down, her wavy bangs obscuring her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed—whether from embarrassment or crying was unclear.
Taking the cake from the smirking Lucian, she couldn't shake the feeling of being completely played.
Pouting slightly in dissatisfaction, she thought, I've lived for five hundred years! How can you outmaneuver me?!
But when she looked up and saw the gentle warmth in Lucian's eyes, her defiance melted away. Fine, I'll let it slide.
Come to think of it... I've been eating this whole time while he just watches. Isn't that unfair?
"Here, you have some too." Furina picked up a piece of Fishy Toast and held it to Lucian's lips.
Honestly, this batch of Fishy Toast tasted pretty good—it was just that the last experience had left too deep an impression.
At this rate, she might actually get used to the taste...
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice - Furina: About Lucian - I
"Before I broke free from my chains, he was the only one I could confide in."
"At that time, I felt like I had fallen into the depths of the ocean—no light, not even a sense of my own existence."
"It was he who reached out his hand to me, curled up at the bottom of the sea."