Chapter 1: My Name Is… Liu Yuan
So tired.
So bored.
"Verdict: Stuville— guilty."
On the raised judgment platform, Chief Justice Neuvillette, robed in blue, delivered the final word.
The Oratrice, the great mechanical judge of Fontaine, chimed in with its echoing verdict: guilty.
The sentence was life in the Fortress of Meropide.
The crowd at the Opera Epiclese shifted, unimpressed. The trial had been straightforward— dull, even.
Stuville, a minor noble, had invited a higher-ranking noble to a banquet out of nothing more than envy.
The guest, unsuspecting, accepted the invitation. He drank poisoned wine, slow to act, believing there was no reason to guard himself.
But jealousy alone had sealed his fate.
The noble died at home later that evening.
Stuville thought himself clever— since the man hadn't died in his manor, how could suspicion land on him?
But the Gardes were not so easily fooled. Backed by the dead man's influence, their elite team arrested Stuville within half a day. The evidence in his estate was damning.
Cornered, he broke down and confessed.
And so the case ended swiftly: evidence, confession, judgment.
Simple. And unbearably boring.
From the highest seat, reserved for Fontaine's Hydro Archon, a white-haired damselette leaned lazily, her expression flat with disinterest.
Sinner… pathetic.
Furina rose, drifting to the platform's edge.
The Opera fell into silence, every gaze fixed on her.
"…What a boring trial."
With that, she turned and left.
The audience erupted at once.
"Exactly! Lady Furina is right—so boring!"
"Not even a twist! He just confessed right away!"
"I skipped work for this? What a waste!"
Their voices swelled in agreement. After all, even the Archon herself had dismissed it.
On the judgment platform, Neuvillette watched the noisy chamber without asking for silence. The trial was over. Let them chatter.
His gaze drifted to the high seat, now empty. Something flickered in his eyes before he turned and walked away.
And life in Fontaine carried on, day after day, as though nothing ever changed.
---
That night, in Palais Mermonia, Furina returned to her chamber.
She dismissed her maid with an absent gesture, shut the door herself, and finally let her shoulders relax.
But only briefly.
She moved quickly— locking the windows, drawing curtains, checking the corners. Only when she was sure no eyes were watching did she turn.
"…Why shut the door? Why close the curtains? Why do you look so uneasy?"
The girl's voice was soft, her deep-blue eyes filled with confusion.
"Before I answer… can you tell me what you are?" Furina asked, her tone sharp.
"Me? My name is Liu Yuan."
"Just that? Nothing else?"
"…Mm."
"Where do you live? Who are your parents? Why are you here?"
"…I don't know."
Liu Yuan lowered her head, trying to recall— but every attempt brought searing pain, like needles stabbing her skull.
She didn't show it. Perhaps she was used to it.
Furina hesitated. This strange girl had appeared out of nowhere only days ago.
That day, after a trial— just as Furina finished her closing words—
The girl appeared before her.
"What is a trial?" she asked softly, her voice clear and sharp in Furina's ears.
Furina froze, glanced to Clorinde at her side. But the champion duelist only looked at her in puzzlement.
Clorinde couldn't see the girl.
Years of performance had honed Furina's composure. She turned, only briefly stealing a glance at the stranger.
White hair. Deep blue eyes. Even her attire faintly mirrored Furina's own— like a reflection, or a shadow given form.
Furina brushed past her as though by accident. Her hand met nothing.
A hallucination. Again. The stress must be catching up to me.
She ignored the vision, finished her schedule, and returned home.
But the girl followed. Always. More faithfully than Clorinde.
Days passed. The figure never vanished.
At night, she lingered. Watching. Waiting. Furina nearly screamed the morning she woke to find that face so close to hers.
Finally, she cracked.
"Why is my hallucination so strange…" she muttered.
The girl blinked, startled.
"…You can see me?"
"Of course! You're my hallucination! Who else would see you?"
That was their first exchange— Hydro Archon and phantom. The beginning of an unasked-for bond.
Furina thought her silly, useless… save for being pleasing on the eyes.
But the girl shook her head.
"I've forgotten so much… but one thing remains. I have a name."
"…A name?"
"Yes. My name is Liu Yuan. And… I think I'm a person."