Neuvillette: "So that means… with Egeria's help, you once turned from a pure water sprite into a human."
Focalors nodded.
"Yes. Becoming human had always been my dream. In my eyes, the existence of humans is the most beautiful opera."
"After becoming a god, I separated my divinity from my body and my spirit, leaving behind only a self as pure and new as a freshly born human."
"The one standing before you now is my divine self. As for my human self… I named her Furina."
"Furina laughs, gets angry, feels sorrow, feels joy. She acts arrogant when she should, cries when she must, cowers when she is afraid."
"Her strengths are human strengths, and her flaws are human flaws."
"To me, she is the perfect human—because she is completely the same as humans, the ideal version of who I wished I could be."
"And then, to execute my plan to deceive Celestia, I placed a curse upon her."
[Ningguang: As expected. Furina's immortality really did come from a divine curse.]
[Keqing: No wonder they look identical. Furina is the Water Archon with her godhood removed.]
[Paimon: So in a way… Furina is still the Hydro Archon, right?]
[Ningguang: Correct. Furina is a part of the Archon—therefore she is the Archon. And since her divinity has always remained inside the Opera Epiclese, the Water Archon has technically always been there. Only… it must have been hard on Neuvillette all these years.]
[Neuvillette: Indeed. I was very busy throughout these five hundred years, so much so that I could not save the people of Poisson… but I also learned many things.]
[Focalors: Wonderful! I knew all that effort wouldn't be wasted. Watching all of you slowly piece together my plan in the livestream was delightful!]
[Ningguang: So this is what they mean by "you're on the second layer, I'm on the fifth"?]
[Keqing: We were watching the opera Focalors arranged… and Focalors was watching us as the opera. What if… we're someone else's opera too?!]
[Nahida: Entirely possible. This livestream system is a power from beyond the world. And beyond the world, someone may very well be watching us.]
[Focalors: Ooh! That sounds fun. But anyway, I'm most curious about the ending. After planning for 500 years… was Fontaine saved? I can hardly wait!]
Neuvillette's eyes softened.
Focalors continued, "Remember? The final scene of the prophecy—the Water Archon sitting miserably on the throne, crying alone."
"To make that prophecy appear fulfilled, I invited Furina to play the role of the Water Archon."
"Under my curse, as long as my divine self lived, Furina could never die. But she would also never enjoy any happiness a human deserves."
"She was forced to remain on that stage—the Opera Epiclese—becoming its true leading actress. She had to perform eternal divinity, forever, so the prophecy would seem real."
"Now you understand why the Court of Fontaine is called the Opera Epiclese, right?"
Neuvillette said quietly, "So Furina… is merely human. Even if she has an endless lifespan, her mind is still that of a human."
"These five hundred years must have been unimaginable torment for her."
Focalors nodded.
"Yes. Even though Furina is my human self, if I ever get the chance… I must apologize to her properly."
"To her, these five hundred years have been an unbearably long, unbearably lonely, unbearably painful opera."
[Yae Miko: Five hundred years with no one to confide in? Even I feel lonely sometimes, and I have my novels to distract me. Ei, you understand this, don't you? You stayed in the Plane of Euthymia for five centuries.]
[Ei: It is not the same. I have the will of a god. Sitting in the Plane of Euthymia is… different. But Furina has only a human will. Her endurance moves me. My heart is unshaken, but Furina's has endured constant performance. In a sense, everyone was her enemy—she could let no one know the truth. To uphold that for 500 years… her resolve has reached the realm of a god.]
[Yelan: This reminds me of undercover agents. They hide inside enemy factions, acting every moment to gather intel. Even after ten or twenty years, many develop severe psychological issues. Furina maintained a perfect performance for five hundred years. If not for the flaw of missing divine power, none of us would've suspected her.]
[Neuvillette: Indeed. I lived beside her for 500 years and never doubted a thing.]
[Charlotte: Miss Furina, may I interview you? I'd like to write your biography.]
[Furina: I refuse. If I survive this crisis… I don't want to stand under flashing lights again. I don't want anyone staring at me.]
[Charlotte: Ah… all right then.]
In the video, Lumine awoke inside Furina's inner world.
On the throne sat Furina, one knee raised, head resting on her hand, lost in thought.
Subtitles showed Lumine's inner thoughts:
"I touched Furina's tear just now…? Tears carry strong emotions. Does that mean her tear pulled me into her inner world?"
"Then what I see now is her heart made manifest."
"The person on the stage must be her heart's projection. If I can speak to her directly, I might find the answers I'm looking for."
"I came here seeking the truth anyway. This is the perfect chance. I should try talking to her."
Lumine stepped forward and asked Furina a question.
But Furina acted as though she didn't know Lumine at all. She spoke to herself:
"Oh? Who allowed you onto the stage? As the Hydro Archon, I understand your admiration—but please do not break the rules."
Lumine: "It's me, Furina."
Furina dismissed it, "I'm not punishing you. No need to report your name. Just leave—don't delay my performance."
A mysterious caption appeared:
"Stop looking at me… please stop looking at me…"
Lumine frowned.
"There's no audience here!"
Furina scoffed, "Hmph. Don't joke around. Can't you feel them?"
More captions:
"Just for a moment… let the stage go dark. Let the spotlight stop shining."
Furina: "I am the Hydro Archon, Focalors. The countless eyes of Fontaine are always upon me. I must always remain elegant… always appear noble."
Final caption:
"Then… I can finally become myself again."