Neuvillette: "In other words, you too were once an Oceanid transformed into a human with Egeria's help."
Focalors nodded: "Yes. Becoming human had always been my dream. In my eyes, the existence of humans is a magnificent opera."
"After becoming a god, I separated my divinity from my body and spirit, leaving behind only a self that was just like a newly created human."
"The one now appearing before you is my divinity. As for my human self—I named her Furina."
"Furina has joy and sorrow, rage and delight. She is arrogant when the moment calls for arrogance, grieves when the moment calls for grief, is cowardly when the moment calls for cowardice."
"Her strengths are all strengths that only a human could possess. Her weaknesses are all weaknesses that only a human could possess."
"In my eyes, Furina is the perfect human, because she is exactly identical to a real human, and also the ideal version of myself."
"Afterward, in order to complete the plan to deceive the Heavenly Principles, I placed a curse upon her."
[Ningguang: As expected. The secret of Furina's immortality comes from a god's curse.]
[Keqing: No wonder their appearances are so similar. So Furina is the Hydro Archon stripped of her divinity.]
[Paimon: In a sense, Furina is still the Hydro Archon, isn't she?]
[Ningguang: That is indeed true. Furina is a part of the Hydro Archon, and therefore, of course, she is still the Hydro Archon. Besides, Furina's divinity has always been in the Opera House. In a way, the Hydro Archon has also always been in the Opera House. Though, this has been quite hard on Neuvillette.]
[Neuvillette: Mm, that is true. These five hundred years have indeed kept me rather occupied, to the extent that I was unable to save the people of Poisson. However, I have also gained much.]
[Focalors: That is truly wonderful. It was well worth all my careful planning! Both Furina and I were pulled into the broadcast room, and watching all of you piece together my plan bit by bit—it really has been quite entertaining.]
[Ningguang: Is this what they call "you're on the second level, and I'm on the fifth"?]
[Keqing: We're watching Focalors's staged drama through the video, and in turn, Focalors is treating us as a drama to watch. Could it be that we are also someone else's drama?]
[Nahida: That is certainly possible. This broadcast system is a power from beyond this world. Beyond this world, perhaps there are also others watching us.]
[Focalors: Just hearing about it sounds like so much fun! Still, I very much want to know as well—what was the outcome of my five-hundred-year plan? Has Fontaine been saved? I'm truly looking forward to it!]
In the video.
Neuvillette's eyes wavered with emotion.
Focalors continued: "Do you remember? The final scene of the prophecy—the Hydro Archon weeping alone upon her throne."
"In order to make the prophecy appear to have come true, I invited Furina to play the role of the Hydro Archon in the prophecy."
"Under my curse, as long as I, the divinity, am still alive, Furina will never die. But she will also never enjoy the happiness that a human ought to have."
"She was forced to take the Opera House as her stage, to become the true leading lady of the Opera House, to play the role of a god forever so that the prophecy would appear to come to pass."
"Now do you understand why the courtroom is called the Opera Epiclese?"
Neuvillette: "That... that Furina is still only a human in the end, isn't she? Even if she has an extended lifespan, her spirit is still only at the level of a human's."
"For her, these five hundred years... what a painful torment they must have been."
Focalors nodded: "Indeed. Although Furina is the human version of myself, if the chance ever arises, I must properly apologize to her."
"These five hundred years have been, for her, an incredibly long, incredibly lonely, incredibly painful opera."
[Yae Miko: Five hundred years with no one to confide in? Even with novels to help me pass the time, in the quiet of night, I too occasionally feel pain and loneliness. You should understand this feeling as well, shouldn't you, Ei? You, who have not left the Plane of Euthymia in five hundred years.]
[Raiden Ei: No. It is not the same. I possess the will of a god. Sitting silently within the Plane of Euthymia—this I can endure. But Furina possesses only the will of an ordinary human. Her perseverance moves me. My inner heart is as still as water, but Furina has been performing all along. In a sense, everyone was her enemy. She could not allow anyone to know her true identity. These five hundred years of perseverance move me. I acknowledge her. Her will has reached the realm of divinity.]
[Yelan: This reminds me of a certain role among my subordinates, which I call "undercover." They infiltrate enemy forces and help us obtain intelligence. Every moment, they must act and contend with the unknown. Most undercover agents develop severe psychological issues after only around a decade. Yet Lady Furina, with her flawless performance, endured for five hundred years. Were it not for the flaw of having no divine power, I doubt anyone would have ever suspected her identity.]
[Neuvillette: Indeed. I worked alongside Furina day and night for five hundred years and never once doubted any of this.]
[Charlotte: Lady Furina, may I interview you? I would like to write a biography for you.]
[Furina: I refuse all of this. If, after the crisis is over, I am still alive... I do not wish to stand beneath the spotlight, to be watched by people any longer.]
[Charlotte: Very well, then.]
In the video, Lumine awoke and entered Furina's inner world. Upon the throne, Furina sat with her legs crossed, one hand propping up her chin, as if deep in thought.
Text appeared at the bottom of the screen, conveying Lumine's inner thoughts.
"Did I just touch Furina's tears? Based on past experience, tears contain the most intense emotions. Could it be that by means of her tears, I've entered Furina's inner world?"
"In that case, the person before me must be the projection of Furina's inner self."
"This person on the stage should be the reflection of Furina's inner heart. If I can speak directly with this projection, it might be easy to obtain the information I need."
"I was already searching for answers. Now that I have the opportunity, I might as well try and talk to her."
Lumine walked to the front of the stage and attempted to ask Furina.
But Furina acted as if she didn't recognize Lumine at all. She spoke to herself: "Oh? Who permitted you to come up onto the stage? As the god Focalors, I understand your admiration for me, but I must ask you not to violate decorum."
Lumine: "It's me, Furina."
Furina: "All right, I don't mean to punish you. There's no need for you to announce your name. Leave. Don't delay my performance."
Unknown subtitle: "Stop looking at me... Stop watching me..."
Lumine: "But there are no audience members here."
Furina: "Hmph, don't jest. Can you not feel it?"
Unknown subtitle: "Even if just for a moment... let the stage go dark. Let the spotlight stop."
Furina: "I am the god Focalors. Countless pairs of eyes in Fontaine are watching me. I must at all times display the most elegant, the most noble bearing."
Unknown subtitle: "Then I could... go back to being myself."