Archive of Our Own ^beta

“I, Furina, welcome you all to my show!”

Furina did a little twirl, before opening her arms wide out in front of her. 

“Prepare for a spectacle that only I, Focalors, the Hydro Archon can show you! Are you all ready for your eyes to be blessed?” 

The spotlight shined upon her, smiling brightly at those beady eyes in the audience. 

It was a full house, as expected for the Archon of Fontaine. Her reputation always did precede her greatly. 

“Lady Furina! Lady Furina! Lady Furina!”

Their lovely voices made her smile wider, putting her hands to her heart. 

“I’ll take that wonderful praise as a yes! Feast your eyes on your Archon!” 

The music started to play, and her body went along with it. No one dared to make a noise, captivated by the fluidity of each step she took. 

…

It’s the same movements again. 

Up, down, left, right. 

The dance is without creativity in any shape or form.

It’s constant yet it always seems to surprise me in some way. It’s the nature of the Opera that she so loved. 

It’s the same dance I’ve been doing for 500 years without fail.  

To fail is to condemn Fontaine. 

I can’t fail. I’m the one who decided to take this role on, and as long as they don’t suspect a thing…

Furina raised both her hands up, akin to a ballerina. 

I will protect the secret, the role Mirror-Me has given me until the very end. 

I am their Archon. 

A spin, turn and small hop. I see that smile over there. 

As long as they believe that I am, they won’t suspect a thing—the farce I’ve been selling so hard to them.

To them, I am the Regina of Waters. The highest authority of Fontaine. I am who they see, their beautiful Archon who will always protect them.

Who I want them to see. No, who they must see. 

I am her. Everyone knows me as her. 

The strong, entertaining person who they can adore without a single thought. 

What if it wasn’t true? What if I wasn’t who they saw? 

I can’t let them see. 

I missed that beat. Someone noticed it. And another. 

I need to raise my leg higher. I need to smile more. I need to be what they want me to be. 

A twirl, pivot and pose. There we go. 

Like a puppet, my movements don’t feel like my own at times. 

I’m dancing along to someone else’s tune and I can’t control it. 

I’ll never be able to be myself. I can’t be myself. 

Myself doesn’t exist.

Mirror-Me…when will this end? Must I continue on forever? 

You said years…I didn’t think you meant this long. It’s been decades. 

This isn’t me. I’m not what they want me to be. 

I am Furina. But I am not Focalors, the role I took. I’m not their Archon. I’m no divine being. 

“Lady Furina! You’re stunning!” 

A little wink was sent their way. 

I’ll still continue on regardless. I won’t give up until my job is done. 

Even if it takes another 500 years of this farce. Even if I lose myself at the end of it all. 

I’ll do anything for Fontaine. 

A little twirl, jump and curtsey. 

They’ll believe me, won’t they? After this, they’ll keep believing? 

The melody picked up, and Furina adapted to it. It was rather sudden, but she could pull it off. Adaptability was survivability after all. 

It wasn’t enough.

It was clear that Furina couldn’t keep up with the growing tempo. 

Why is the music getting faster? I can’t keep up with this! This isn’t the music I know! Who changed it?

Focus. This has to be just a test for me! I will prove I can keep up! Her people were truly something! 

Haha…

They were something. Why are they making me suffer? Don’t they know hard I keep this farce up? 

Up, down, left, right—no, was it down, then right? 

A wobble, misstep and stumble. 

Murmurs broke out at the sight. 

Why is the tempo increasing?! I get you wanting to test me, but even I can’t dance that fast! 

I can’t—

Furina swayed dangerously, legs nearly tumbling together. 

Murmurs became gossip. She could hear them all, echoing through her mind too clearly. 

“She’s faltering…”

“This is our Archon?” 

“I thought Archons were able to dance regardless of what they’re given.”

Furina had to dance on. But there were too many distractions! 

The music, the noises, the total dissonance between it all! It was too much! 

S..stop! I can’t keep up! I can’t dance to this disarray! 

It’s not even real music! Stop it! Whoever you are, stop it already! 

“That’s not our Archon.” A voice broke out loudly, and Furina forced herself to dance in haste. 

No! No no no! I am! Don't say that! Take it back! 

Too wide steps. Too much effort. It was terrible. Furina’s dance was done. 

Only she was the one who didn’t see it.

I am! I am your Archon! Can’t you see?! I can dance on! I can keep this up! 

I’ll be who you want! Just don’t say that! Everything will be lost! Don’t! 

Eyes scanned the audience frantically, but none were looking. 

Please! Don’t look away! Anyone! Someone! 

Please! I beg! You can’t think I’m not Focalors! I have to be! 

What did I do wrong?! Please! Don’t! 

Please! Look at me! 

Was this the end…? After all this time, she failed now? It wasn’t even her fault. 

She lifted her head up. Why did she look up? 

She didn’t know. Her eyes watered upon the sight above, fixated on the figure that was instantly recognizable to her. 

There was Neuvillette above. He came to watch her performance, even if he said he was rather busy that day with paperwork. 

How nice of him to do so. 

It would have made her happy to see him appear at the end of it all. 

Not when he refused to meet her gaze. 

Don’t look away too…not you. If you can’t believe me, then…

There was no point to anything anymore. 

Why was she dancing? It was over. If none would even spare a glance at her…

It was over from the minute she stumbled. From the minute they stopped believing in her. 

I failed you.

I failed everyone. There is no chance for Fontaine anymore. 

There’s nothing left for me to do. I can’t…I can’t dance anymore. Let me take my final step. 

Mirror-Me…forgive me. Forgive me for failing the one thing you asked for me to do. 

I wish I wasn’t such a failure. 

Her final step was the end. The spotlight disappeared from her bright form, leaving everything in sheer darkness. 

It was consuming. 

I’m sorry. Very deeply sorry for my incompetence. 

Can anyone forgive her? Or was that too selfish for her to ask of? 

All you could hear was a singular tear falling. 

Eyes shot open, with a hand wiping away the tears that were filling them. 

Furina found herself dreaming again. She always seemed to dream, even when she didn’t want to.

When was the last time she had a dreamless sleep? One where she didn’t wake up in tears every time? 

It was just a dream. 

Or a nightmare I can’t escape. 

Why must I keep dreaming of scenarios that will never come to be? 

Why must they haunt me? 

Furina raised herself from her bed, forcing herself to walk to the bathroom. 

Each step was heavy, unlike the light steps from the dancing she used to relish.

Sigh…

Her tear stricken face came into view in the mirror, and she slapped her cheeks with her hands. 

Alright! 

Enough of all that! 

You’re okay, Furina. It was just a dream! 

Just a dream…yes. A dream you can’t ever seem to escape from. It haunts you, but it’s no big deal! 

It’s nothing! 

…

It wasn’t nothing. 

Her hand reached out to the smooth surface, reflected back at her. 

Upon touching it, a flicker of another her appeared within the glass, the same yet different at the same time. 

It was her. 

Mirror-Me…no. Focalors. That’s your name. I should call you by your name. 

I did well, didn’t I? 

I played my part well, right? 

I’m free, aren’t I? Why do I still feel like I’m trapped at times? 

Why am I still sad? Why am I so broken? 

We saved Fontaine, right? All my hard work was worth it, right? 

So why? Tell me. 

I…I need to know. Please…I need you.

Of course, the reflection didn’t answer. It would never answer her again. 

How could one that doesn’t exist anymore answer? Why was she pointlessly asking? 

To make herself feel better? 

Enough of that. 

A smile naturally fell on Furina’s face, just as she always had to have when being the Archon she played. 

It looked natural, but that’s only because she had to have it for five hundred long years—it was impeccable. No one could tell the difference. 

Honestly speaking? 

It was the smile she still had to force upon her face or she would return back to her bed and never leave from its warm embrace. 

Usually, she’d fail to do such a simple expression and lay in bed, repeating this process over and over again. 

Let’s start the day! 

Pulling herself away from the mirror, Furina walked out of the bathroom. 

She didn’t bother making her bed, since it would only get messy again when she went to sleep again. Why waste time and energy on such a meaningless act?

At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. 

Furina told herself a lot of things. All she had was herself, after all. 

Her only entertainment was her own thoughts, and they seemed to become dark easily. 

No friends. The Traveler and Paimon were the closest she had to the concept, but even they weren’t truly her friends. 

There was still this disconnect between them, which Furina accepted without a word. 

She wasn’t useful anymore to anyone since she wasn’t the Archon. 

That was something Furina realised rather quickly upon living alone. It was hard to accept at times. 

Why become friends with a plain human who had no real use anymore? The Traveler had better places to be, better things to do than deal with her. 

This brought her to the only other person she could think of.

Neuvillette…she didn’t know if she could classify him as a friend though. Their relationship was never friendship. 

Who knew what he thought of her now, after everything that occurred? 

It was hard to tell if he liked her or disliked her. Always so reserved in nature, yet impenetrable all the same. 

Like a stone wall she could never climb over. She always tried, and sometimes she would manage—only for it to be rebuilt again. 

He always tolerated her. That was obvious from a mile away, if you asked anyone. 

But now…was that tolerance out of commitment? Or was it out of his wanting to truly converse with her? 

It was the first option, clearly. 

Neuvillette only tolerated Furina because she was the Hydro Archon at the time. He couldn’t say much since she was the highest power. 

Without her standing, was she nothing to him now? A human he knew of and would barely think of?

Furina was simply another person in Fontaine he observed from afar. One he supported, like one of those charity cases you hear in the Steambird. 

What could have been friendship between them was now reduced to mere acquaintances? 

Perhaps even less than that since she barely left the house? Whose paths will never meet as they did once before? 

The last time she saw him was because she had to seek him out with the Traveller and Paimon to use the Opera Epiclese for the play. 

Of course, she knew where he was that day. Furina always knew.

He was a creature of habit. 

And yet, even with that information, she never tried to seek him out. Wasn’t that sad? 

That wasn’t the saddest part. Neuvillette never came to see her for anything. 

Once she packed her things and left the Palais Mermonia…he was not seen again. 

Neuvillette knew where she was. He knew where her little house was.

Yet he never came to see how she was. Not once. 

He was busy, was her reasoning. It was what she tried to force herself to believe. A corner of her mind whispered the truth. 

She chose to ignore it. 

The Hydro Sovereign had no business with her. She had no business with him. 

If Neuvillette wished it, he didn’t have to see her ever again. 

Every day, that truth seemed to become more true and harder to ignore. 

After five hundred years…he treated her in such a manner? It made her a hypocrite, such a big one. 

Furina tried to not think about it. Thinking about it would only make her return back to her bed. 

No one else was close enough to even be considered a friend. All she had was herself, as she said.

It was rather saddening—but what was new with her? 

Breakfast…was macaroni. This time, with cheese that she warmed up and spread all over. 

All her sauces were used up, which was a shame. Again.

She’s been eating it for the past…who knows now. It was definitely a long time. 

Macaroni was the only thing she knew how to make without burning it. 

It was nice, although she found herself slowly resenting the pasta. 

It was the easiest food to make, and there were many combinations she could do with such a staple food! 

It truly was amazing! 

She was running out of combinations. 

Cooking wasn’t her specialty, if she had to admit that fact. She never needed to cook before in her life until she had to. 

Anything she wanted, she could ask for and would receive it without any questions. All the cakes of Fontaine were at her disposal, and sometimes she missed having that accessibility. 

At least macaroni was tasty! The best food ever! Why would she taint her taste buds with other types of food?

Again, she kept telling herself that. 

Furina couldn’t be bothered eating anything else. That was the simple truth. Everything else took too much effort to prepare and she had no energy to do so. 

If she ruined it, she wouldn’t bother eating.

And she had to eat. Humans had to eat. 

Each bite was empty, and the plate was finished without her even realizing. The fork dropped from her hand and landed with a clang onto the floor. 

When did food become so…tasteless? 

But at least I ate it all. I’m doing good, aren’t I? 

Her thoughts jumped right in, giving her the words she wanted to hear. No one else would tell her, would they?

That’s something, Furina. Good job. 

Now repeat this again tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that one. 

You can do it. Can you? 

Furina only stared at the plate with an empty stare. She couldn’t be bothered picking up the dropped fork. It would remain there. 

Did she have a choice?

“The prophecy…was wrong?” Furina whispered, not believing what she was seeing in front of her eyes. 

How? It was impossible! They said seeing was believing, but…!

Furina was under the water. She was sitting on her throne high above in the Opera, weeping away just as the prophecy predicted. 

Everyone was washed away. She shouldn’t be seeing Fontaine still standing in front of her, without any water consuming the buildings.

It was meant to be all over. It was over. 

It was over from the minute she was trialed in court for the crime she truly did commit. She was a fraud that was never the Archon to begin with, after all. 

It wasn’t what she expected for them to do. For everyone to go to such lengths to prove she wasn’t the Hydro Archon? 

Ruin everything she was doing for the past five hundred years? 

She should have suspected something when Neuvillette and her entered into that debate. It was unlike him to be so persistent, to take such a prominent stance against her. 

He kept insisting for information that she truly had no clue about. The past Hydro Archon Egeria? The sin she committed? 

Furina had no clue! No one told her a thing about it! Furina couldn’t say a word about anything otherwise. That was how you fail. 

Neuvillette knew of her past investigations into the prophecy but also found it strange that she didn’t know Egeria’s secrets. He knew she wasn’t superficial, but her behavior was inconsistent. 

Not good. 

The Hydro Dragon was getting close to the truth, and so she had to cut him off. They would never discuss this again, and that was final. Her words were always the ones that ended everything between them.

Neuvillette always listened to her, and she knew he would heed her words to him. Sometimes she wished he didn’t. 

Furina ran off before he could continue with his questioning, and that should have been it. It was meant to be it, and it was!

It was her fault for not noticing the Traveler and Paimon there too, who were now her persecutors. 

Furina tried hard to refute everything the Traveler said. It was all out of desperation, every reasoning she made up, but they had evidence to block every one. 

She even stuck her hand in the Primordial Seawater they prepared for her, despite knowing that she would have dissolved. What else was she meant to do at that point? 

It didn’t matter what happened to her, as long as they still believed her. It was surprising when she didn’t dissolve, but she could use that as leverage. 

You see! I am your Archon! 

Even that wasn’t enough. They truly wanted to ruin her, and that’s what happened. To her surprise, they had a nurse ready, the one from the Fortress of Meropide named Sigewinne. 

It only provided the final evidence they needed. Furina was truly human, affected by the Primordial Seawater at its lowest concentration. 

Why were they so against her? Why did they go to such measures? 

Was she truly hated? 

It was all futile at the very end. No one believed she was the Archon. She was certain Fontaine was done when they all looked away from her. Was she that terrible to look at?

Furina’s gaze traveled to everyone, one by one. The audience refused to look, the Traveler and Paimon refused to look and worst of all…

Her heart fell. 

Neuvillette had his eyes closed. 

It was what she deserved for failing, and yet a stupid part of her thought that maybe…he wouldn’t do the same. 

Despite the words he told her, how she could decline the test Navia pushed onto her…she must have mistaken it for him caring for her wellbeing. 

Not you, Neuvillette. 

If he, too, couldn’t believe in her…

It was truly over. 

Her hand was pitifully extended out, but all turned away at the sight. It was painful, her chance of saving everyone was slipping away rapidly. 

Please…don’t look away. 

Neuvillette’s words became garbled as darkness pooled in her vision. What was the point of listening anymore? She already knew what would happen. 

She failed. After all this time? After all her efforts? What a joke. 

It was cruel. Fate truly was the cruelest thing there was. Furina could only hang her head, tears filling her vision as it finally set in. 

She barely had any comprehension of what Neuvillette was saying at this point, but she heard her sentence given by the Oratrice Mecanique D'analyse Cardinale loud and clear.

The Hydro Archon was guilty. To be punished via the Death Sentence. 

If she could laugh, she would laugh at it all. At the very end, she was meant to die? Such a harsh punishment from the Oratrice. 

So be it. Perhaps that’s what she deserved, for failing them all after so long. At least, she wouldn’t be there to witness everyone dead because of her. 

Death sounded nice. No one would have to look at her anymore, the one who brought them all to their demise. 

Furina’s vision blinked in and out like an old video, but she could hear screams at one point. That was alarming, but she found herself not even caring. Wasn’t that sad?

She tried to focus on what she saw.

There was a giant crack within the Opera, that she really should have been more afraid of. It looked dangerous, but she was glued to her chair. There was this large whale that came out of it. 

It was oddly pretty. 

Her vision decided to black out, so she had to rely on her hearing. Fighting noises from various people, and a loud scream from what she assumed to be the whale. 

Did someone call her name? Was someone reaching out to her? She thought she could feel a hand in front of her. 

It was too much for her. A final tear escaped her, and then it was all blank from there. No matter how hard Furina tried to recall, it wouldn’t come to her. 

Furina truly didn’t know what occurred after that. And yet, through some sheer miracle, was the nation in front of her.

I…I did it? It’s all standing! 

Mirror-Me…I…

I…

Furina raised her hand, blocking the incoming sunshine parting through the dark clouds. The wind picked up as she took the beautiful sight in. 

Fontaine was here to stay. Apparently, she was also here to stay too. 

The sun is bright. So warm. 

She took tentative steps forward, slowly going down the stairs. Each step was shaky, as if she was a newborn animal who was learning how to move around. 

You can do it. One step over the other…

It was hard to take her eyes off the sight she saw unfolding in front of her. 

There were people cheering, hugging each other while looking up to the bright sky. It was worth celebrating this momentous occasion.

They danced around the Fountain of Lucine without a care in the world, and Furina found herself drawn to them. 

Around and around they went, with one person even falling into the fountain at how dizzy they were. It was rather amusing to watch, and Furina would have laughed if it was any other time. 

The person who fell into the fountain splashed water all round as if it was the most natural thing to do, wetting all who were near. They didn’t seem to mind, and no one else did either. 

All Furina could hear was laughter, and she felt her heart racing at the sheer emotion they were showing. 

Her hand touched her chest, feeling how fast her heartbeat was. Her heart has never pounded so hard, or felt so warm. It was like a star shining brightly within her, one that finally found its spark. 

It reminded her of an old tale she heard long ago. 

Everyone carries a star inside of their chest. Your chest feeling hot is proof that your star is shining. 

In order to defeat all the darkness in the world…

To realise your dreams, and to protect those precious to you…and to keep on fighting in this harsh world…

You must keep the star inside of your chest burning brightly at all times. It will give you the strength you need to keep going.

Furina clenched her hand. She tried to give a name to this newfound feeling, the one that was burning through her. 

Happiness? Relief? Excitement? Empathy? None of those words fit.

No…it was freedom. She was finally free . 

This was the taste of freedom. The star within her was shining brightly to signify her newly acquired freedom. She took a few steps forward, almost without thinking. 

Her hand clenched tighter with every step, with Furina’s eyes never leaving the people in front of her, observing them keenly. 

Was she allowed to do that? Could she be that carefree and happy? 

Was this her chance to be herself? It felt odd to even consider that possibility after playing the same role for so long.

That is…if she even had herself left. 

Her hand reached out, trying to grasp that freedom she now had. If she could lean closer, it would be hers. 

She would take it and keep it close to her, and never let anyone ever take it away. This freedom was the one thing that was hers. 

A bit closer…

“Lady Furina! Lady Furina!” 

The person who fell into the fountain suddenly climbed out and ran towards her, with the brightest smile on their face. 

Furina dropped her hand immediately to her side, as if she was caught in the middle of doing a horrible crime. 

Why were they coming this way?!

Panic slowly rose over her whole being as they came closer and closer, with one thought crossing her mind. 

She didn’t expect for anyone to notice her! All those people were busy celebrating just a minute ago! 

What made them see her?!

What would they say to her? If they were there at the trial, they would know the truth regarding her. 

They would know of all the lies and deceit. Furina couldn’t handle it if they looked away now, or belittled her. 

“L..Lady Furina…”

They finally reached her, breathing heavily as they caught their breath from how fast they ran to her. 

“The prophecy was wrong! It was all wrong!”

This gained the attention of all the others at how loud they were, and Furina could only stare at this person as they continued. 

“We’re all here! Still here!” 

They looked at her expectantly when she didn’t make a sound nor reaction to their words. She was meant to answer them. 

“That’s right…” She told them, far from enthusiastic as their response was. 

Furina couldn’t bring herself to be anything like them. She wasn’t acting like she usually did as the Hydro Archon, but they didn’t seem to care or mind. 

“Isn’t that right?!” 

They turned their back to the rest of the people, who all stared at her for a few seconds. They weren’t scrutinizing stares, but more surprised. 

They all cheered loudly, some clapping towards her. The person in front of her also joined in, and suddenly all the attention was on her. 

Furina blinked at their cheering, the panic she once felt leaving her body quickly. It was surprising that they weren’t angry at the mere sight of her. 

The person who fell in the fountain’s next words were even more surprising. 

“Thank you! Thank you, Lady Furina! You must have done something to save us! You truly are the best.” 

Huh? I didn’t expect this at all. 

“I..I really didn’t..” Her voice stuttered out, more meekly than she thought it would be. She didn’t know why Fontaine was still here. Furina didn’t do a single thing. 

“Nonsense! Come on, Lady Furina! Join us!” They took her hand, pulling her along with them. If this were hours before, they would have never dared to do a thing to their Archon. 

“Hold..hold on! Wait!” Furina sputtered out, but the person seemed to ignore her as their pull became stronger.

“Dance in the sun with us!” 

Furina found herself spinning around with them all, as her legs tried to keep up with the sudden pulling. 

They never let go of her hand, directing her all around the fountain. 

She could catch everyone’s smiles, under the bright sun. They all were bumping and laughing into one another, smiling at her when their gaze passed her. 

You all look so happy. I’m glad.

Furina was dancing with her people. It was like a party that she was just pushed into without an invitation. 

The person she was dancing with took her other hand as well, giving her a small wink. Furina didn’t know how to react to that.

Or any of this. 

They aren’t your people anymore. They were never your people. 

Should you really be dancing around now? Do you deserve such a thing, Furina? 

Why are you doing this?

There goes her thoughts, dampening her mood considerably. 

Why was she the only one not happy? Why couldn’t she think of happier thoughts like everyone else clearly did? 

As they cheered and celebrated, her face was just…devoid of emotion for the first time. Mouth in a straight line, even as she saw the others.

Her emotions were all jumbled up like when you mix cakes together on a plate. The wrong cakes together would soil the whole experience, and that was what was happening right now.

How was she meant to feel? 

Should she smile? Cry? Pretend that everything was okay? Should she play along with the rest of them? 

Or should she run away while she still could? Hide in a corner? For the first time, Furina was at a loss. She always knew how she was meant to act, but there was no need to act anymore. 

What…should I do? 

I’m lost. For the first time…I’m lost. 

I don’t know. 

She felt a tug on both of her hands, and she snapped out of her darkening thoughts. 

“Don’t look so sad! We’re all here, Lady Furina. A smile is what you should have!” The person holding her hands told her with such confidence in their voice. 

They were certain that they were right. It was a confidence she appreciated. Her eyes widened, and they gave a smile. It felt strangely warm, but she was probably imagining it. 

She decided to focus on their words instead, which were the truth she decided to believe in. 

They were right. The nation standing after such events was not worth her current look. It was a prophecy that didn’t come true! 

She didn’t have to know how to feel. 

For the person in front of me, I’ll play the part of a smile. 

I’ll look less sad for you, since you’ve been so kind to me. 

A smile dawned on her face, attempting to match their energy. 

She couldn’t see her smile, but it must have been good enough for them since they spun her around even more at the sight. 

“A smile always did suit you the best.” The person dancing with her told her, and her cheeks became a bit red at the compliment. 

They were being this kind to her, and for what reason? This was the first time they met! She didn’t even know their name!

Before Furina could respond, they jumped high, and she found herself jumping too. A second jump, and then a third jump. 

This was getting a little too far!

“We’re alive! We’re alive! And it’s all thanks to you, Lady Furina!” 

They spun her around on the spot, seeing the world around her in a blur. She was getting rather dizzy, and her legs stumbled together. 

I’m going to fall…!

That’s when they both stopped suddenly, allowing her to regain her footing. Furina looked at the sheepish smile that crossed their face, as they finally let her hands go. 

“Sorry, Lady Furina. Got a little ahead of myself.” 

A little.

“I just wanted to make you smile. You looked like you wanted to join us.” 

It felt too honest to be fake. 

You’re very kind. 

Another person nearby was aiming to splash water at the person she was dancing with, but it landed on Furina instead. 

She was dripping wet, and the person who splashed her ran up to her, looking utterly mortified at the fact they did such a thing to someone like her.

“Forgive me, Lady Furina! I didn’t mean to!”

Furina remained silent as the others ran up to her, waiting for her to start yelling at them all. It was what she would have done if she was still acting as the Hydro Archon. 

They all watched as she started to laugh loudly, shaking off some of the water. It wasn’t what they were expecting, clearly. 

“It’s alright! It’s just a little bit of water!”

And just like that, Furina found herself spending the rest of her time there with them all. 

She never managed to catch any of their names, but she would remember this time fondly in a way. 

Even if it was only for just this moment, let her be happy for once in her life. Furina too, deserved to celebrate. 

Her time in that everlasting role was over. 

She could finally rest. 

I’m tired. I need to rest.

The five words she told herself often. The five words she told Neuvillette to leave him, no matter how much she didn’t want to. 

The five words that seemed to describe her life. No matter how much she slept, she was always drained. 

Five hundred years would do that to you. 

When Fontaine finally came back into some semblance of order, she remained in the Palais Mermonia, within her room. 

No one seemed to bother her at all during this time, aside from the usual questions and her usual answers from time to time. 

Neuvillette was the one to approach her one fine day, knocking on her door. 

“We must talk. Would you mind coming with me to my office?” 

There it was, what she wasn’t excited to hear. They had to speak of what occurred, yet Furina dreaded it all the same. 

What would he say to her? How would they interact now? Their dynamic wouldn’t be the same, and a part of her was saddened. 

Furina wasn’t the Hydro Archon. She could tell that he didn’t seem to know how to treat her now. 

“Shall we, then?” Furina nodded, and they both headed downstairs. She followed behind him, when it was usually the other way around. 

Her heart hurt at the simple change, but she tried to ignore it. They passed Sedene, who saluted at the two of them. 

“Hello Monsieur Neuvillette! Lady Furina!”

Neuvillette turned his head to look at the Melsuine, giving her a smile. A thought passed Furina’s mind.

You never smiled at me like that. 

“Miss Sedene, please tell anyone who wishes to see me that I am preoccupied and that they should return later.” 

“Understood, Monsieur Neuvillette!” 

With that, it was only the two of them occupying his office. It looked the same as it always did, but it felt more stifling for some reason. 

Maybe because you don’t belong here. 

The doors shut with a bang, and she only could smile tensely at him. No one would bother them during this time, which was both a good and a bad thing in Furina’s eyes. 

There was silence, one that seemed to echo deeply between the two of them. 

The two of them haven’t had a chance to truly interact until this point, with Neuvillette busy taking on what was her role and his own role—dealing with all the duties himself. 

She felt guilty that all that work went to him. No one asked her to do anything, since they all knew she wasn’t the Archon. 

It was Neuvillette who decided to break it, taking a step forward towards her. 

“Lady Furina.” 

A familiar greeting, yet it was not meant for her anymore. Unfortunately, she didn’t deserve to be called Lady Furina by him. 

What kind of Lady was she now? He had the most prestige here, bearing the title of the great Iudex of Fontaine…as well as being the Dragon Hydro Sovereign. 

Much higher than herself. 

“You don’t have to call me Lady anymore. I’m not the Archon, as you remember. Furina will suffice.” 

It was an instant response that she didn’t take the time to think about and filter. It came out more harsher than she intended it to be. 

She still couldn’t fully shake that role of hers away, still acting all high and mighty like she was meant to be—not anymore. 

Neuvillette didn’t deserve that attitude, yet it was what she automatically defaulted to. Furina could see the way his face fell at her words. It was a miniscule difference and barely noticeable, but she could see it. 

She felt something pooling within her, but she pushed it down. There was no need to feel that way. 

Guilt won’t help with anything. 

“My apologies, Miss Furina.” 

That sounded worse to her. It sounded like they were strangers, when they were far more than that. It was unnatural to hear it and Furina found herself already regretting what she said. 

You’re the one who asked for it, so why are you complaining? 

Come on, Furina. Suck it up!

There were her thoughts once again. Already, things weren’t going well in her eyes. 

“There is much to talk about. Please, take a seat.” 

Furina sat down on the couch within his office, and he took a seat next to her. There was a respectable amount of distance between the two of them, and his gaze fell on her. 

At least Neuvillette sat next to her, and not on a chair across from her as he could have. She was thankful for that, otherwise would have only emphasized what distance they currently had. 

“La–Miss Furina. I must tell you what happened after the Oratrice Mecanique D'analyse Cardinale shined brightly.” 

She wasn’t even aware of it doing so. Her memories were rather distorted during that time, as if her mind didn’t want to remember it.

All she remembered was darkness and such fragments that they didn’t make much sense by themselves. 

“Go ahead.” 

Neuvillette nodded, face slightly pained as he seemed to recall those memories he wished to tell her about. 

Furina wondered what he saw to cause such a reaction. 

What happened to make you look like that, Neuvillette? Did something bad happen? 

“The Oratrice shined bright, and I found myself standing in front of a large guillotine. Underneath was…Focalors, the Hydro Archon.” Neuvillette started to say, definitely grabbing her attention. 

Focalors…? The Hydro Archon? 

The real Archon? 

“I did not know it was her. She looked like you, but it was not you. That’s when she introduced herself as such. She was the one deceiving us all these five hundred years to deceive the Heavenly Principles and save all of Fontaine.” 

Ah. 

Mirror-Me…? Was Neuvillette talking about Mirror-Me? 

Is that who Mirror-Me was? 

“Egeria, the previous Hydro Archon was the one who chose Focalors as her successor, leaving everything behind to her. The prophecy, all the duties surrounding being the Archon and then the circumstances surrounding the original sin.”

Furina listened intently, although she must have looked rather confused based on what he asked her next. 

“You...wouldn’t know what the original sin was, correct?”

Furina shook her head. She heard of it, yes. It was what Neuvillette asked her about during their argument. 

But she had no clue as to what it was. She never truly thought about it. 

“I..do not.” 

“Allow me to explain. The original sin was creating humans from Oceanids, without the permission of the Heavenly Principles. This was why the Primordial Seawater could dissolve Fontainians; it returned them back into their Oceanid forms. Egeria was the one who condemned Fontaine to its prophecy.”

So…no one was truly human in Fontaine? They were all Oceanids? Was Furina one too? She had so many questions that swirled within her mind. 

How was she meant to comprehend all this? It wasn’t the end either…Neuvillette had more to say. 

And all Furina could do was listen to him. 

“Focalors was once an Oceanid transformed into a human, yet she truly dreamed of simply being a human. When she became a god, she split her divinity from her body and spirit, leaving behind a self that was truly human.”

Wait…

“Focalors was the divinity, and the human counterpart was named…Furina.”

Furina felt her world shatter at the statement. It…wasn’t what she expected to hear, yet it made sense, complete sense to her. 

No wonder Mirror-Me looked exactly the same. It was because they were the same. One of the same, in every way. 

Focalors was Furina, and Furina was Focalors. 

Only Furina was the human side who had to pretend to be her divine side. Wasn’t that a little sick? 

Why did she have to play herself?

“To her, you were perfect. The person Focalors wanted to be was you. She then cursed you, and invited you to be an actress to play the part of the Hydro Archon for the next 500 years. As long as Focalors lived…her divinity intact, you could not die. I—”

Neuvillette paused, his gaze softening at her. 

“Miss Furina..?” He asked tentatively, and Furina forced a smile upon her face. Did she look sad to him? It was getting hard to conceal her sadness from him. 

“G..go on.”

He looked skeptical, but continued as asked. 

“I was surprised she never told you a single thing about her plan. But I understood why. She had to deceive herself to deceive all. It was rather devious of her to do so.”

Even her own self lied to her. That was painful to accept. 

“The Oratrice Mecanique D'analyse Cardinale…Focalors was one with the machine, and had the Hydro Gnosis with her. The true purpose of the Oratrice was to kill the Hydro Archon and remove her divine seat. It was gathering Indemnitium throughout the centuries and storing it…all for the sentence.”

That explained why the machine was there in the first place, and how it was able to have its own will. It also explained why Lyney the Magician heard a voice when entering the room where the Oratrice stayed. 

It was Focalors the whole time, enacting her own justice. She was the one who gave the guilty sentence to the Harbinger then, who was clearly not guilty of the crime. 

“All this was to return the authority to the Hydro Dragon Sovereign. I was brought upon as the Iudex all those centuries ago to be alongside humanity and learn all about them…so I could pass judgment when the time came. My judgment was not guilty, and I made every Fontainian a true human.”

So she was human then, alongside everyone else. 

Furina did always wonder why such a powerful being was the Iudex of Fontaine. She learnt rather quickly that Neuvillette wasn’t human. His mannerisms were rather cold, as if he didn’t know how to act human in the first place, despite looking like one. 

It was Furina’s goal to help him learn more about humanity. It was what she decided when he first came to her, asking about humans and wanting to know about his past. 

Subtly, she was pushing him to learn more about human emotions, to make him feel like a human would. 

She did well. Neuvillette still had a way to go but…he truly did feel. He understood emotions and acted much better than he did before.  

Was that goal not even her own? Was it what Focalors wanted and since she was Focalors…they shared the same thoughts? On a primitive level? 

Were her thoughts not even her own? 

“Do you remember the large beast that tore through space and time within the Opera? That was the root of the calamities befalling Fontaine, the one who was meant to enact the prophecy–the All-Devouring Narwhal. My goal was to execute it alongside the Traveller, but the beast was contained by a woman called Shirk.”

Too much information…Furina couldn’t keep up. Her head was all fuzzy, but she did remember seeing the giant whale. 

“I…I see.” 

What else could she say to him?

“Focalors…thanks you for everything you have done. She would like for you to live happily as a human from now on. That’s the words she wished to tell you.”

As if her words were meant to make everything better. They didn’t make anything better! 

How was she meant to respond to the sheer amount of information dumped on her? Finding out that Mirror-Me was…actually the Hydro Archon..? 

And she was lying to everyone to save them? Made Furina suffer all this time, never appearing to even say hello during all this time? 

She couldn’t even apologize to her face, and Furina was meant to accept that? Not even say thank you in person? 

It was unfair. It was so unfair. 

“And that should be everything. I understand if you need some time to process all this.” 

Furina couldn’t process a word. It was as if she refused to accept it, even if she couldn’t change what happened. The past will always remain the past. 

She didn’t feel comforted by Neuvillete’s words, nor truly saddened by them. Only…this desolation that spread quickly through her mind. 

All she learnt from all this was that she was now empty and a human. A human who sat alongside the Hydro Dragon Sovereign like they were equal. 

She had to go. She didn’t belong here—not after finding out the truth. It was more obvious than ever before. 

A human didn’t deserve to be by his side. 

“Thank you for telling me all this, Monsieur Neuvillette.” Furina stood up suddenly, and he did too. The words sounded foreign from her mouth, but she forced it out regardless. 

When they were together like this, alone from prying eyes, she never did refer to him with such titles. They were equal, so she called him by his name as he deserved. His real name too. 

Furina was the only one who knew it, who was told in confidence by Neuvillette himself. She would often alternate between Neuvillette and his real name in private, since they were the ones he went by. 

To use Neuvillette and put the Monsieur in front of it…it had to hurt. 

It hurt her to say it. 

“Hold on, Lady—“ Neuvillette started, before she took a step backward, her boots tapping against the floor. She avoided his gaze, her lips in a tight line as she contemplated her next words.

Furina had to be the one to end it. 

This was all too much for her. Her only solution was to leave. Running away like this…was a cowardly move. It truly did fit her, as a powerless and useless human. 

She couldn’t be harsh with her next words to him, it would only make things harder for the both of them. As she said, Neuvillette could feel emotions, and the wrong words would flood Fontaine faster than the prophecy ever would.

The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. Anything but that. It seemed to be their fate at the end. 

She’ll spin the truth. It wasn’t a full lie, her next words. Neuvillette would accept it, even if he didn’t agree with them. 

“I’m tired. I…need to rest.” 

They were the only words she uttered quietly, forcing herself to look up at him. She must have looked rather defeated if he looked at her with a strange look on his face. It was new to her, and she tried to decipher it.

It wasn’t pity, but…something akin to it. Was it sadness? Worry? Furina glanced at the window, but there was no rain. 

She didn’t know what he was feeling. Furina couldn’t tell, but she wished it wasn’t the face they parted on. 

Don’t look that way. I don’t want to remember our final time like this with that face. I’m sorry I made you look like that.

I’m sorry, Neuvillette. I am truly sorry for what I am doing to you. I don’t know if you’ll ever understand why I did it. 

Thank you for everything. 

I hope you enjoyed all the time we had these past five hundred years. 

I truly did cherish it. I hope you did too. 

Furina turned around and stepped forward towards the door, but Neuvillette did not follow her. He remained in the same spot, and she let out a shaky breath.

Was it sad she wanted him to follow her? Stop her from leaving? 

But he would not. Neuvillette always listened to her at the very end, like a loyal dog. It was one of the parts she liked and disliked about him right now. 

“I hope you have a lovely rest…Lady Furina.” His voice called out, rooting in her place. That pain in her heart she tried to ignore only increased in intensity.

Ah…

Even after what she said, he still referred to her as Lady Furina. It only hurt her more to leave him. 

Don’t do that. Don’t say that.

If she turned around, he would see the tears pooling in her eyes. Furina didn’t want to truly leave him. 

She had to. 

They were no more. 

As soon as she crossed those doors, everything would be gone. 

With a silent tear falling, she left the office. 

The doors closed with a thud behind her, and she found herself walking faster. Sedene called out to her, but Furina ignored the Melusine as she rushed upstairs. 

It was rude of her. Furina hoped Sedene would understand. After, she never brought it up, and Furina didn’t bother to. 

That was the last time they parted in their respective roles. Very soon, she packed her things and left the Palais Mermonia. 

She wanted to stay.

She renounced all her duties as the Hydro Archon to Neuvillette, and moved into her new home. 

She wanted to stay. 

Neuvillette was kind enough to help her with all of this, offering her the house she’s staying in and any support she may need. 

She wanted to…wanted to…

Furina wanted a lot of things. But she couldn’t stay. Not by his side. 

The first time she entered her house, she found herself lying on her bed with a blank stare towards the plain ceiling in the plain bedroom that would be her new place to be for the rest of her life. 

This was it. It was all over. 

Why? Why was it all over? Why am I staring at this ceiling?

Right…I decided this. 

A shaky exhale left her, before sobs broke out. She covered her face with her hands, as her thoughts attacked her left and right.

You decided this, didn’t you? Why are you crying about it? 

Neuvillette will never look at you the same again. And guess why? 

It’s your fault.

That day, she drowned in her sadness. Was it really her fault things came out like this? Would it be better if she stayed as she was there?

Was that when she started to be truly broken? Alone without anyone to be with?

And nobody cared that she was. 

That was only for her eyes and ears. Her own little private show away from prying eyes. 

She wouldn’t let anyone know.

Furina needed to go shopping, again. No sauces meant her macaroni would be plain, and plain pasta wasn’t as great to eat. 

It would be harder to eat plain pasta every day. Ever so bland. 

Even if she didn’t fully taste it at times. 

It was a problem she often ran into, being the only source of food for her. She was never sure how much to buy of each ingredient, yet she always seemed to fall short at the end. 

Was it healthy? No. 

Far from healthy. 

Furina knew it wasn’t. If anyone knew of the conditions she was condemning herself with, they would surely be worried about her. 

It wasn’t normal to eat just macaroni every day. A balanced meal had various types of foods, as she knew. Where were her fruits and vegetables? 

Shouldn’t Furina be worried about herself more? She should be worried, as she told herself often. 

She was okay with it, eating the same thing over and over. She felt fine, and her body seemed to accept the pasta without any problems. As long as her body could keep up, she would continue with it.

Just proved how broken she truly was. So broken, she couldn’t even care about her health more.

Okay, Furina. Let’s dress up and head outside. 

In and out. You can do it. 

You don’t have to talk to anyone. Just do it. 

You can’t simply not eat.

She dragged herself to her room, finding her outfit. It was always the same, only in black than in white as everyone knew her in. 

The only difference between herself and Focalors was their length of hair, was her realization one day while laying in bed. Furina had short hair, while Focalors had long hair. It only emphasized the divide between the two of them. 

Or rather, it emphasized how much they were the same in essence. 

Furina purposely made it longer to match her reflection five hundred years ago, since she felt that an Archon would have longer hair. 

It was what Focalors suggested when she was preparing her ascension. More majestic, according to her reflection, and who was Furina to fight Mirror-Me?

It was rather annoying at times. She always managed to sit on her hair and it always hurt on contact, especially when she sat without thinking. 

Furina suffered through it, all for the role. She already sacrificed herself for all, so this didn’t bother her.

As soon as she pulled the outfit toward her, something clattered onto the floor. Her eyes widened, looking around for what it was. 

It was…her vision.  

The deep blue pulsed upon impact, and she found herself drawn to it. Did she not attach it properly? It was the first time it fell from her article of clothing. 

Furina went to grab it, putting down her outfit rather haphazardly over her bed. She held her source of power in her palms carefully, as if it was fragile like glass.

Could a vision break? Furina wouldn’t want to find out, not yet at least. It was precious to her—a gift from above. 

It gave her hope. 

It was surprising to receive it during her performance in The Little Oceanid. It wasn’t meant to be a real vision falling from the sky—Paimon was meant to drop a fake vision.

The way it floated to her was mesmerizing, and she remembered how freeing it felt to have it upon her. It seemed like the gods favored her that day. 

Perhaps they heard of her plight and allowed her to have power too—they were too kind. Just like that person she danced with.

Furina had a purpose now, all thanks to the ones above. She would learn to use her vision and perhaps fix herself in the process.

Once patched up, she could one day return to the stage she told herself she would never step on again. 

Furina always admired her vision, the way it was so intricately designed. Her favorite part of her vision were the four teeth shapes—they reminded her of a dragon bite. It seemed to be only her vision as well that had such distinct shapes, no other one did from her observations. 

It did also remind her as well as a certain dragon–only coincidental as she told herself. It wasn’t like he was the one who gave the vision to her. 

By accident, Furina flooded her house when learning how to wield her new found powers. Water everywhere throughout her living room, items floating along without a care in the world—it was terrible. 

She only wanted to see how it worked! 

Once she managed a small stream of water, she would then cease it. It was meant to be simple! The water just kept coming, no matter how hard she willed it to stop! 

It seemed like panicking only made the flow of water stronger, which was just great. At one point, she was worried she’d drown in her own water.

Her shoes were soggy for weeks after that incident, no matter how long she left them out to dry, Furina would open a drawer and water would spray out at her.

Furina also got an earful from her landlord about it, even though it wasn’t exactly her fault! 

The fact that Sedene and the others in the Marechaussee Phantom had to come over and assist with cleaning up all the mess was also a hassle. She was thankful for their assistance, even if she didn’t ask for them.

They burst into her house, mops and buckets ready. 

Furina was standing on top of her table, her vision in hand and shaking it up and down, as if it would help. She was truly panicked, to the point that she didn’t notice them come in.

Please stop! I’m sorry for trying to use you!

Her vision pulsed slowly, and she stared at it. It felt like…it was talking to her in some way. It was rather absurd to think about, but Furina swore it was.

The water slowed down, and Furina found herself transfixed to the slow ebbing and flowing. 

What is it..? What are you trying to say? 

The water finally stopped, and she sighed in relief. Maybe the gods saw she was about to drown and offered their assistance in a spiritual way? 

Thank you, great gods above. 

The vision stopped its pulsating, and Furina was finally alerted to the presence of Sedene and the others in the Phantom.

Furina had wide eyes, and they were only standing and staring at her upon her table. Her cheeks went bright red, hiding her vision behind her back. 

“W..welcome to my humble abode!” 

It was all okay at the very end! All part of her plan! It was as they say, meant to be! She was meant to flood her house! 

Furina truly did always tell herself things, didn’t she? 

Sedene told her that Neuvillette summoned them all immediately as soon as he felt a sudden increase in Hydro in this general area—they haven’t been called in such a manner for some time. 

One of the Melusines helping added that once he realised it was Lady Furina’s vision going haywire, Monsieur Neuvillette expressed that they wanted them all to use everything at their disposal to resolve the flooding. 

It was impressive that he was able to ascertain it was her powers and not some other body of water, and the fact she was flooding her house in particular. 

He did have his authority now as he told her that day—the Hydro Dragon was more powerful than she anticipated.

Ever anticipated, in fact. Neuvillette has truly come far. 

And yet he couldn’t come over here to help? 

That was the question on the tip of her tongue, yet never spoken. It was too selfish of her to think that way. 

He was busy. 

So busy?

There were her thoughts again. 

Even when your house is flooding? You could have drowned and Neuvillette wouldn’t even bat an eye? 

That’s not true. Neuvillette summoned Sedene and the Marechaussee Phantom to help. 

He could have at least come to check on you? See if you’re okay, Furina? Common decency? Did he really not care enough?

Neuvillette still helped! He cared. If he didn’t, he would have let me drown. 

But he didn’t show up. 

Actions speak louder than words, as you know firsthand with your Mirror-Me. 

Looks like he never truly did care for you. 

Grow up, Furina.

Her thoughts always did get so dark. 

A part of her agreed with those thoughts. Shouldn’t he at least come to see her in such a situation? What was more important than her nearly drowning?

Furina would never know. It wasn’t like they talked in the first place. 

They were quick to clean up all the water, saluting her once done. Sedene assured her that Monsieur Neuvillette would hear about everything that occurred here. 

Furina thanked them all. Without them, her house would still be filled with water and she would possibly spend hours in an attempt to clean it all. 

Or would have bothered her neighbors. Or she would have drowned. 

One or the other, but at least she didn’t drown!

She also asked them to thank Monsieur Neuvillette too, although she wished she could tell him face to face. Furina wished he was here in front of her. 

With a final salute, they headed out. 

The door shut, and she found herself collapsing onto a chair. Furina looked down at her vision, noting how it was now dull, unlike the pulsating it was emitting earlier. 

You were talking to me, weren’t you? Or was I imagining that in my panic? 

Either way!

She hugged it, sighing in relief. Everything was okay again, as it should be. 

The next time she tried to use her vision, she made sure to do it outside. Furina didn’t need to repeat all this and bother anyone again. 

That was when she made her Salon Solitaire friends. They would float all around her, and she found herself happy for a while.

With a sigh at those times, Furina went back to her outfit and reattached the vision more securely. She shook her outfit a few times harshly, but the little vision remained in place as it should. 

This time, it wouldn’t fall off, and it seemed to shine a bit once she put on her outfit and stared at herself in the mirror. Furina laid a hand upon it, smiling at it fondly. 

Was it saying thank you? Furina decided it was. 

You’re very welcome, my vision.

It was time to go out and face the world. Food was needed, and it wouldn’t come by itself, now would it? 

You can do it!

“Lady Furina!”

Furina turned, a familiar person running up to her. The bags of ingredients in her arms felt rather heavy all of a sudden—of course.

So close back to her own home…

She felt cursed. She said she didn’t have to talk to anyone, and yet here she was about to do so. 

There was someone she would have to talk to coming right up to her. 

Great. 

“It’s great to see you again! You remember me, right? The one who sort of went too far?” They told her, and a spark of recognition hit her eyes. 

Oh! 

It was the one who she danced with around the Fountain of Lucine that fateful day. She never did catch their name, but it was clearly them. They looked much less wet this time around. 

Furina never thought she would run into them again, since they had no reason to meet. She was proven wrong. 

Fate worked in strange ways, didn’t it?

It looked like they wanted something, and they took a deep breath, ready to say something to her. But…what did they need from her? 

She couldn’t offer much. And she was rather preoccupied with her bags of food, but they didn’t seem to notice. 

“My name is Fillian, and Lady Furina…I need you.” 

A very bold statement and declaration of their wanting of her. Simple and straight to the point. 

What for? She didn’t know, but at least she learnt their name now. 

Furina waited for the follow up, the explanation to the statement but it never came. It was just silence between the two of them.

Huh. Okay. Not what I expected. 

“...come again?” She asked them, confusion quite clear in her voice. 

“I need you. You’re the only one I want.” They reiterated, and her thoughts went haywire. There was only one conclusion her brain supplied to this. 

What do they mean?! Were they truly just blatantly stating their wanting of her? In that way?

In public? In the middle of the street? The audacity! 

Who does that?!

Surely not? Perhaps she was getting the wrong idea! 

“I saw your beautiful performance as Clio, the Little Oceanid and that’s when I knew it. You’re my number one choice, Lady Furina! Please accept my proposal!” 

Fillian looked serious. Rather serious. 

H…hold on now! 

She didn’t even know their name until now! All they did was dance around a fountain! When did they jump from strangers who danced to that?!

Furina felt her face redden, and Fillian gave a charming smile.

It didn’t help at all. 

“I promise you, I’ll treat you well. You’ll be greatly compensated! I just need you and some of your time.”

It kept getting worse! She didn’t need any of that! She didn’t want that! 

“What do you say, Lady Furina? Tempting, no? I promise it won’t hurt in any way, shape or form! I just need you!” 

Why was Fillian still going?! 

“You’re the perfect body shape! Type! Look! Everything I’ve ever wanted! I knew it was fate when we met back then!”

Her face was utterly red at this point, and a few passerby stopped to stare in interest. 

“If we perform together, under the darkness and the light of the stage, we’ll be unstoppable! Our movements will be as one! I can’t see anyone else who can do it! Please consider, Lady Furina! Without you, my stage is bust!”

Please stop talking. 

Every single word was making everything worse! She didn’t want to do that with them!

It was time to end it!  

“I..I truly am honored you consider me so highly but…I must decline your advances! They’re rather unfitting!” Furina blurted out, finally managing to say something. 

Fillian’s face dropped, clearly disappointed by her response. What did they expect? Blatantly asking for such scandalous things without any warning. 

“I..understand, Lady Furina. I’m sorry for being so pushy. I suppose my show can do without you. I’ll find someone else…I just thought you fit the leading lady role perfectly.” 

…

Pardon?

What did they just say?

“Show...? Leading lady…?” She asked, her voice quiet. 

Did she get the wrong idea?! But the way Fillian said all that clearly meant something else! 

Fillian suddenly flushed red, realizing how they sounded, and what they were implying rather bluntly to her. They shook their hands out towards her, stumbling over their words in an attempt to explain themselves. 

“F…forgive me Lady Furina! I didn’t mean… that! I forgot to mention the most important part! I’m a producer and I’m making a new play called The Teacup of Love! I’m playing as the main male love interest and I need a leading lady! My crush in the play!”

Oh. Okay. 

“I..thought you’d be the perfect fit! Nothing else! Nothing more! I’m sorry for making it sound that way!” They hastily told her, and it finally made sense to Furina. 

They did want her, but not in the way she assumed. Definitely not in the way her mind was envisioning. Why did her mind jump to that conclusion?!

Perhaps she’s watched too many plays in her lifetime. Then again, what else was she meant to think? Their words didn’t leave for much interpretation! 

Fillian looked at her with such sorry in their eyes, and she felt bad for them, 

“I understand completely, please don’t look so embarrassed. A common mistake.” Furina assured them, holding a hand out. 

It wasn’t common. No one ever did this, not to someone who wasn’t their lover. But Furina wanted to appease their embarrassment a bit with her empty words. It seemed to work a bit. 

This gave her time to think about what they asked of her. 

Fillian wanted her to perform after seeing her performance at the Opera Epiclese. She thought this would start to happen, after they announced her name rather loudly to hundreds of people at the end of The Little Oceanid. 

All knew that Furina was back in public view once more. But she didn’t plan on taking the stage again. 

The Little Oceanid was an exception, since Dulphy felt unwell and the show was already at its end. That was another forced role where she had to play someone else, yet she enjoyed it all the same.

Once you love something, and you love it for a long time, it’s hard to stop loving it. Furina, despite her misgivings about it all, loved the stage. 

Furina doesn’t want to play someone else. She spent too long playing as the Hydro Archon. 

That was that boundary she set herself, and one she at least tried to uphold. 

But…this time…

Maybe she could? For once, choose something for herself?

Was this a way she could fix herself? 

Furina looked down at her vision, and it gave her a single pulse. It seemed like a yes from it, so she decided to try.

“About the role…you said I was perfect. How so?” Furina found herself asking, and Fillian cleared their throat. 

“I wrote the script this time around, and I based the main female character on you. At least, from what I saw when we spun around together. Her name is Filia.” 

“Filia…” Furina echoed, and Fillian flushed. It sounded way too close to her name phonetically, which she assumed was on purpose. 

Fillian truly did think of her when creating the character. It was flattering but a bit creepy at the same time. 

“B..but you don’t have to accept! I’m truly sorry for the way I sounded. It was quite rude and inappropriate of me to speak in such a way to you. I cannot apologize enough.”

Furina closed her eyes for a few seconds, contemplating her choices. She could feel Fillian’s gaze, full of anticipation and embarrassment on her. 

Okay. 

How about we try this? 

You don’t have to accept it at the end. But, at least, you could consider it.

Curiosity never killed anyone, now has it? 

Furina opened her eyes, looking at them intently. 

“Could I read the script first? I cannot accept something without knowing all the details. You understand what I mean?” Furina told them, moving her arms a bit since the bags were weighing down on her. 

Fillian looked ecstatic. Clearly, they didn’t expect a positive answer after the embarrassment that occurred just now. 

“O..of course! Please come to the Opera Epiclese tomorrow! I’ll have the script all finalized!”

“Then it is settled. I shall see you tomorrow there.” Furina gave a nod, and Fillian seemed to note all the bags in her hands, finally. 

“Do you require some help with those? It’s the least I could do, Lady Furina.” 

Furina laughed a bit, although she truly was struggling now with the bags. She’s been holding them for too long, and her arms weren’t used to all of this weight. She didn’t have that much strength since all she ate was macaroni. 

“My humble abode is nearby. I’ll manage.” 

“If you insist. Thank you once again for your consideration! I’m truly sorry for my words, again! I shall see you tomorrow, Lady Furina!” 

Fillian ran off, and Furina dropped all her bags on the ground. 

That…was an experience and a half. What a day that was. 

And with that, Furina found herself at the Opera Epiclese the next day. 

For once, she didn’t have a bad dream. She didn’t dream of anything, in fact. Was it because she was anticipating the meeting? 

Was it because she was finally making her own choices? Was it because she had a purpose for today?

She would take it!

Smiling was easier in front of the bathroom mirror, and she managed to taste her macaroni this time around! 

It was warm and light in her mouth, and she took her time to savor the flavor before it became dull again. 

To get to the Opera Epiclese, Furina had to take the Aquabus. 

As the Hydro Archon, she usually took private transport to avoid all the stares she got. It was expected, but it still made her feel uncomfortable at times. Furina also did go with Neuvillette, since they were both headed to the same destination. 

That’ll never happen again, unfortunately. 

Alone it was. 

As plain old Furina, the stares were hard to miss. Alas, there were many others who seemed to need the transport. The wait for the transport felt like hours, and she could have cried when the Aquabus finally arrived. 

The stares she got while on the said transport weren’t so nice to bear either, but she ignored them as best as she could. Furina had only one goal in mind, and she could handle a few simple stares. 

She had to. If Furina wasn’t as strong willed as she was now, she would have turned back around. 

Hopping off the transport, she continued her trek.

There was the Fountain of Lucine, and the Opera Epiclese in her midst. It was nice to come back here again on her own volition. 

Furina was reminded of the time she was spun around the fountain, and how everything felt so freeing. She couldn’t help but make a full circle of the fountain, turning with every step. 

Fillian was ever so kind, offering some desserts as soon as she arrived inside. It was only them today, since they didn’t want Furina to be overwhelmed by the many people in their troupe. 

What a kind person. It felt like Fillian knew her so well, in some strange way. To consider how she would feel about all this, made her feel appreciated.

She wasn’t used to it. 

Fillian passed her the script with a shy smile, hoping she would enjoy the contents of it. Furina took it carefully into her hands, making sure not to crease it in any way. 

“Please enjoy, Lady Furina. Take your time reading. I want you to consider it carefully. Please be honest after! I will accept any criticisms you may have!” 

“I will. Thank you for the opportunity, Fillian.” 

Furina turned the page, and started her journey through the story of The Teacup of Love. The script was really well written. 

She found herself enamored with the story from the very beginning. 

Let’s see…

It was set in Fontaine, with the male lead played by Fillian. Neuron was a scholar who discovered this new cafe while looking for a place to read a book. 

Neuron was rather uptight in personality, almost appearing emotionless at times. It was how he was, and he didn’t plan on changing it for anyone. 

It wasn’t that he couldn’t feel. He just couldn’t understand the emotions that all the other humans felt. Why did someone cry when they saw a sad play? 

It wasn’t them going through it, so there was no need to cry as well. It was easier not to understand in his eyes. 

Filia was the main waitress inside this cafe, who welcomed him in with a bright smile. She was rather boisterous, pouting when he didn’t even smile at her amazing and very dramatic greeting. 

She made quite a scene with him, yelling at him when he tried to choose the plainest food available. Who just orders a plain croissant and a cup of water?

Fillia’s boss had to come out and apologize for her behavior. Neuron received what he wanted with no charge, despite all the arguing from her. 

He decided not to come back. That girl was truly something. At least, that was the plan he told himself. Despite that, Neuron kept coming back to the cafe for some reason. 

She yelled at him every single time. He shouldn’t want to come back. But slowly and surely, a connection quickly formed between the two of them. 

It was surprising to him. He wasn’t one who was able to make connections easily. Not friends either, as Filia declared herself to be. If Neuron had to be honest, she was his first friend. 

The cafe wasn’t busy one day, so she sat down with him after her usual yelling and they talked. Neuron made the accidental slip that she was his only friend, and Filia gasped dramatically. It was absurd to her!

That’s when Filia took it upon herself to teach him the ways of socializing so he could make more friends! Did Neuron want this? No. He did not. 

But he couldn’t stop her from doing so. He only went along with it to appease her. They would meet up after her work, and she would show him around Fontaine.

They would do things that friends would do, and Neuron found himself truly enjoying their time together. He learnt many things about socializing, and found that he started to feel like she did. 

Like all the others did.  

They watched a play together, and he found that he finally understood why people cry when it’s sad. Tears fell down his face for the first time, and Filla squeezed his hand.

One day, they were alone in the library, sitting in their little corner that Filia claimed as theirs. Whenever they were there, Filla would kick out anyone else that was sitting there. 

Filia was reading a book, and suddenly…she started crying. Neuron didn’t know what to do, but she wiped her eyes quickly. Since she trusted him, she told him her secret. 

Filia wasn’t who she said she was. She wasn’t so boisterous, so happy as she made herself to be.

It wasn’t even her real name. 

Filia was playing a role, all to appease her parents. She lost her older twin sister in a terrible accident, and her parents couldn’t accept it. 

And to make them happy, to save them from their own despair…Filia decided to become her twin in every way. 

Her voice, her appearance, her personality…all matched with her dead sister. Very soon, her parents only saw her dead sister. 

She’s been doing this for the past eight years. From a young age, she forced herself to be her twin. 

Neuron, usually quite calm, was visibly distressed by what he was told. For the first time, he was truly upset. It was as if the rain outside started because of his strong emotions that kept welling up and up like a spring.

It wasn’t fair. Why should someone as nice as Filia be forced to do such a thing? It was insane. And her parents supported it without a care in the world? Unforgivable. 

She looked up at him, and asked if he hated her for lying to him. That she wasn’t who she showed herself to be? Would he leave her? 

He didn’t hate her. There was no way he could hate her. And he wouldn’t leave her. The only problem was…he didn’t know how to comfort her. 

Neuron opened his arms, and she ran right into them. That was all she needed, and what he could provide. 

She confided her real name, and Neuron promised to keep it a secret. They became close. Very close. They meant a lot to each other, and Neuron found himself enjoying their time. 

Until it all fell apart. 

One day, Fillia’s parents want her to go to Sumeru to study at the Akademiya. It was her sister's dream, and so…it had to be her dream. 

The day finally came, and she couldn’t say no to their faces. They were so happy to see their little Fillia become what they wanted her to be. 

Filia didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to become a scholar like her sister was meant to be. She didn’t want to leave her life here.

Neuron. She found herself falling in love with him. Did he feel the same way? She didn’t know. She would never have the chance to find out. 

But she couldn’t fail her parents. If she did…everything she had would be gone. Besides Neuron…she had no one else. 

And so, she decided it would be best to leave without telling Neuron. Save him the pain, and make things easier. 

He’d be fine without her. It hurt her to do such a thing.

She left him a note, one that she hoped would make things a bit better. Filia explained everything, but omitted the little fact about her loving him. 

She forced herself to forget about those feelings. With a heavy heart, Filia left. 

Neuron entered the cafe, and found Filia wasn’t there to greet him. The owner of the cafe passed him a piece of paper, noting how Filia had left her job as a waitress. 

He didn’t know how his face looked, but he took the note. Inside, it explained how she had to go to Sumeru for her dream of becoming a scholar. 

She thanked him for all the fun times they had, and apologized for not saying goodbye to him. 

Filia hoped Neuron would be able to make lots of friends without her. 

Without a word, Neuron left the cafe. It was hard to tell what the expression on his face was. 

He found himself finding Filia’s parents, and gave them a piece of his mind. It was unlike him, so unlike him but he couldn’t allow this to pass.

He couldn’t accept Filia leaving. 

Neuron lashed out at them, using Filia’s real name and the fact that she wasn’t her dead sister. He asked them a simple question. 

“Why can’t you love your daughter as she is? Like I do?” 

The last part came out without him truly thinking about it. At that moment, Neuron had realised he loved her. It was an emotion he thought he’d never truly feel. 

Truly understand.

It was stupid of him to take this long to see it, and stupid enough to let her go. 

Without waiting for their response, he left her parents with the shame they should have felt a long time ago. 

Neuron knew what he had to do. 

Filia was in Sumeru, doing some boring research. She missed him so much. She wanted to yell at him again for wanting a plain cup of water. 

She wanted to see him, to hug him and to simply be next to his side. But…it was too late for anything now. She was a nation away. 

Filia looked ahead, and dropped the book she was holding. 

She stood up immediately, making clattering noises in the process as her books and stationary went flying. 

Her heart was beating faster, and she rubbed her eyes just to ensure she wasn’t hallucinating his presence. 

As soon as he saw her, Neuron looked so…relieved. It was as if time stopped between the two of them. 

She couldn’t help herself. She ran to him, bounding into him with all her strength and wrapping her hands around his waist rather so tightly. She cried, begging for forgiveness. He had to hate her now, since she did such an unforgivable act. 

Filia was so happy regardless, her tears wouldn’t stop. 

Neuron grabbed her shoulders gently, and she looked up. Her eyes widened at the sight of a rare smile upon his face. He was not one to smile, not so warmly towards her. 

He confessed her love for her rather blatantly without any warning, and her face went bright red. 

The final scene was a kiss, a kiss that was a long time coming. 

Furina found herself in tears by the end of it. This script felt so personal to her, that she truly couldn’t stop the tears forming in her eyes. 

Filia truly did resonate with her in terms of her character and the rather sad story that she had. 

The fact she had to act as her dead sister for so long, and it was her choice all along…it was too similar to her own circumstances. 

It was sort of scary. Fillian truly…did understand Furina. The character in the play was her . 

Filia may have a different name, and may have a different life to what Furina experienced but in essence, was Furina de Fontaine in a nutshell. 

Somehow, from the short time they were together, the producer was able to get the essence of her out onto these pieces of paper. 

It was her life…but it wasn’t her life at the same time.  

Incredible. What an incredible person this was. They didn’t even know of her past, but they were able to extrapolate this much from just the way she was then?

This was a role she could play. It was a role she would happily play—for it wouldn’t be playing at all! 

This was her chance to fix herself. If Furina could successfully play this part, taking the stage once again under her own will and performing the best she could…

That could be enough. 

“What do you think, Lady Furina?” Fillian asked once they saw her calm down, clearly wondering what Furina would think of their script. 

“It’s wonderful. You truly have a talent for writing, Fillian. I found myself moved by the characters, so much that you managed to elicit tears from me. That is a huge response, as you know from someone as myself.” 

“I’m so glad you think so! Does this mean…?” Fillian trailed off with a hopeful tone, and Furina gave them a big nod. 

“It does. I will perform in your play, Producer Fillian. I hope you’ll welcome me with open arms.” 

Fillian grabbed her hands immediately, their eyes shining brightly at the acceptance. This person was rather touchy, is what Furina realised quickly. 

“Thank you so much, Lady Furina! This is such an honor for you to perform alongside me! I am absolutely grateful! You’re the best!” 

Fillian went on and on, and her face went red at all the compliments they were throwing at her. This person was rather shrewd in what they said and their actions, and she wasn’t used to that. 

“Y..yes. As you say, I am truly all that.” 

Fillian let go of her hands and started mumbling to themselves loudly as they counted things on their fingers. 

“We have much to do. Much to practice. Need to get a costume for Lady Furina. Two actually…then I need one….” 

It seemed like they’ll be rather busy, especially since Fillian will be producing and acting. If they’re overworked, the play will never come to be. 

Furina has seen time and time again what overworking can do to someone. 

Lucky for them, Furina was already quite versed in how a play runs, thanks to her time with the troupe who did the Little Oceanid. 

Furina sighed loudly, catching his attention. Fillian laughed nervously, rubbing the back of their neck.

“Sorry. Got lost in thought there.” 

“May I assist in any way? I do know my way around the play business after all. I can see you have much to do.” She offered, and Fillian nodded, smiling gratefully at her.

“That would be lovely, Lady Furina! Producing is hard work, but with you around, it’ll be just fine!”

A smile dawned on her face. Fillian was a fine character who didn’t seem to have a bad bone in their body. But they seemed to insist on calling her Lady Furina.

She wasn’t a Lady anymore. 

“You don’t have to call me Lady Furina. Furina is fine.” Furina told them, and Fillian shook their head. 

“You’re still a Lady to me.” Fillian told her with a cheeky smile, “You can’t escape my Lady Furina title!” 

Well, she couldn’t force them, now could she?

“Do as you wish.” 

Furina, for a while, found herself with Fillian’s troupe. She assumed that they weren’t big, but she was very wrong. There were at least fifty or so people, all staring at her with wide eyes. 

They were all shocked to see her at first, but welcomed her as one of their own when Fillian gave a very dramatic introduction and set some ground rules surrounding her presence. 

“This is Lady Furina. She’ll be our beautiful main character, Fillia! Now clap or I’ll kick you out of the troupe for not welcoming her! And I will kick you out if you don’t appreciate her!”

Furina snapped her head to Fillian. What were they going on about? 

“That’s my new rule for us, and I expect you to follow it!”

They all clapped immediately when it was clear Fillian wasn’t kidding, and Furina looked at Fillian with a deadpan expression. That was a bit too much, she wasn’t anything special to deserve a whole rule. 

“There’s really no need to go to such lengths—“

“But we must, Lady Furina! You are as they say, our star!” Fillian countered, clapping along with the rest. She felt her cheeks redden a bit at the attention. 

“It’s an honor to play alongside you, Lady Furina.” One of the members told her, clapping loudly. The others sang similar remarks.

Her cheeks only grew more red. 

“And a star only deserves all the praise!” Fillian added on to all that, giving a bright smile. 

She only shrugged at all their praises, but secretly felt happy about all the attention. Fillian was way too kind. In fact, they were all too kind. 

They didn’t have to be like that towards her. 

Thank you. 

“It’s an honor for all of us to work alongside such an esteemed individual. I want you all to treat Lady Furina like one of us.” Fillian told them all, rather seriously once the clapping died down. 

“As long as she's with us, I don’t want any of you to treat her differently because of who she was. Got it?” 

Everyone agreed readily, and her cheeks flushed more red, if that was possible. It wasn’t the attention she was used to, nor seeing people accept her so readily. 

It was nice.

Did she deserve it? She couldn’t answer the question. 

Fillian…was too kind. And kindness wasn’t what she was used to. Being by herself like this was all new to her. 

Was this how humans truly acted?

Furina could only watch as they all got ready. The play was going to happen in three weeks, so they had a lot to prepare and learn. 

The way they all acted was much different to the other troupe, and Furina was rather impressed. A true troupe that clearly had a budget to spare for everything. 

Fillian passed out the scripts to everyone, with Furina’s script having a cute little drawing of herself. An amused smile broke out on her face, and when she turned to look at the clear culprit, they only winked. 

She took the time to read through the script once again, willing herself to not cry like the last time. 

There were too many people, and she would rather not draw any more attention than she already did.

After the final line, she let out a shaky breath. 

Furina was ready to become Lilia fully. Or rather, act as herself upon the stage while embodying Lilia’s character. 

This show will be special. She’ll give her very best to make this show a success for herself, and for Fillian, who has shown nothing but generosity towards her. 

It passed her the first time but…there was something familiar about Neuron. He reminded her of someone. His mannerisms were rather similar to–

“Alright! Let’s work hard, my friends! We’re going to make The Teapot of Love a resounding hit!” Fillian’s voice broke through her thoughts, holding a script in their hands. 

Cheers broke out, and Furina gave a confident nod. Fillian looked around at them all, their smile widening with every cheer. 

What was she thinking about again? 

It wasn’t important, she supposed at the end. If it was, she wouldn’t have forgotten it. 

Three weeks flew by in a flash. 

In between all the rehearsals, studying and dressing, Furina found herself learning all about the members of the troupe, and particularly Fillian themselves. It was rather inevitable, since they always tried to converse with her.

Fillian was the one who decided to make this theater troupe, after seeing a play that broadened his horizons as a child. The emotions they felt that day, they wanted to replicate those same ones and elicit them from others.

It became their dream. 

They were very determined to do so, going to great lengths to achieve their dream. Furina could tell, based on their wonderful interaction near her home. Fillian coughed nervously when she mentioned that little fact to them. 

The others in the troupe were drawn to their determination and before Fillian knew it, they had everything they needed to make a play. 

The troupe was rather famous. Furina actually attended their shows in the past, upon learning what plays they’ve already done and recognizing some of the names. She remembered being rather impressed with every single play, with the quality and how realistic they felt. 

The word spread that a new play would be taking place throughout Fontaine, and rumor had it that Lady Furina was going to be a part of it. It was never confirmed, no matter how much the Steambird tried to investigate. 

Charlotte, the avid reporter, was quite a nosy one. 

Furina wasn’t even sure how rumors of her even came to be. She certainly didn’t tell anyone, for the fact that she didn’t have anyone to tell. 

It was Fillian’s idea not to announce her association with the play. It would provide the surprise factor they needed, and boost sales as well if the rumors stayed as rumors. 

They also didn’t want to make Furina’s life too crazy. Fillian was grateful she was doing this in the first place, and didn’t want to cause any trouble. 

As they told her, a star only truly shines bright upon the stage. The stage wasn’t yet to come, so they didn’t want to dull her shine in any way. 

How poetic. 

Furina appreciated it greatly, others in their position would have tried to capitalize on her presence. Put her as the scapegoat to bring everyone in, force her to advertise for the troupe and turn her life upside down in the process. 

Somehow, Furina felt like she was a part of the troupe. They all conversed with her and she found herself laughing along to their jokes. They didn’t care about who she was. Or who she was now. 

They all knew her as the person who was playing one of the main characters, and they truly did follow Fillian’s rules and words. Furina would find herself smiling as she headed home each day. 

The dynamics between Furina and Fillian were rather natural, especially when they were together upon the stage during rehearsals. Furina trusted them since they showed nothing but amiability to her, and Fillian seemed to trust her completely, way more than she expected.

It seemed like that smile back then was true warmth for her.  

Fillian truly could become Neuron’s character, like a switch in their brain that turned on when they were in his role. It was a bit creepy when the rehearsal was over and they suddenly acted all cheerful. 

It was as if they were truly in love with one another, at least to the outside eye. 

Furina did not like Fillian in that way, nor did Fillian. It was a secret apparently but Fillian had a small crush on another member of the troupe that everyone knew of but they thought no one else did. 

Simply, Fillian was this forward and kind to all. They even managed to keep that aspect while acting as Neuron, and she realised that the others in the troupe were captivated by their acting.

The realism will make the play even more immersive to the audience, and that’s all Fillian wanted. Furina would happily oblige to make this play a resounding success. 

As Neuron and Filia interacted more, Furina had this nagging feeling that Neuron was someone she knew. The mannerisms, the way he spoke and thought…it was akin to somebody. 

Yet it truly did elude her exactly who the person was. It was always on the tip of her tongue. 

It annoyed her greatly. How could she not work out who?! 

Each rehearsal only became more fulfilled until they reached the final one before the opening night. 

All their hard work these past three weeks were about to come into fruition, with Fillian buying them all food and drinks in celebration.

“Eat up, Lady Furina. I heard you liked cake, so I got you some cake.” Fillian told her, passing a plate with a slice already cut up. 

It was the first time she ate a food that wasn’t macaroni in a long time. She truly did miss the dessert, but Furina was worried that she wouldn’t be able to taste it.

But Fillian was staring, so she had to try. She picked up the fork and put a bit into her mouth, preparing herself for the inevitable dullness. 

Instead, sweetness invaded her mouth. 

Her eyes shone brightly, finding herself scarfing the piece down in an instant. Fillian seemed to contain their laughter, pointing to a table behind them. 

“Have as much as you like.” 

And she did. It was the best cake of her life. 

Furina was going to miss the troupe. Throughout these three weeks, she had a reason to wake up in the morning. 

When it ends…will she go back to not being able to taste anything? Laying in her bed forever? Back to those terrible dreams? 

It was a prospect she wasn’t excited for.

“Listen up! Thank you all for your hard work these past three weeks! Tomorrow is the big night. I’ll see you all bright and early here! Try to get some sleep.” Fillian told them all, and everyone cheered in response. 

The night before the play, she found herself staring at her ceiling, attempting to calm her beating heart. 

Furina wasn’t afraid of being on the stage, but there was always this nagging disconcertment. It reminded her of those dreams she had of being upon the stage and failing all those in the audience. 

But those were just dreams. 

It wasn’t like they would manifest into reality as soon as she stepped upon the stage. That was preposterous to even think about. 

I’ll do my best. I’ll give it my all. I’ll give it a shot! That’s all I can do, isn’t it? 

You can do it, Furina! Believe in yourself! 

Before Furina knew it, she was behind the stage once more. It was time for her return, on her own grounds and rules—and the stage would know. 

Fillian was beside her, taking deep breaths in and out as they hyped themselves up for the performance. They were both dressed in their main outfits for the first act, fully tailored for them. 

Furina was wearing a black and white maid outfit, adorned with matching socks and shoes. The dress went up to her knees, and tied with a huge white ribbon at the back of it. 

Fillian, on the other hand, was wearing a black and white suit, almost akin to the one she saw on Navia’s people that were around her.

Furina often felt guilty about their demise when she found out. They seemed like lovely people, and it was obvious Navia cared for them deeply. It would be something that Furina could never forgive herself for. 

Now, Furina wasn’t one to wear a dress, but since Fillian insisted…

Furina had three outfits that she would change into quickly in between acts. Fillian wanted more outfits for her, but she had to decline the prospect. It seemed unfair for her to have more than the others in the play. 

They assured that they had the budget, and the means to do so. 

Even so! Rather unfair, wouldn’t you say?

With the power of negotiating, she managed to settle for three and no more. Any more outfits, and she would leave the production as it was. 

It was only to scare them, simply an empty threat and it worked perfectly. Fillian had only one outfit, since in their eyes, Neuron wouldn’t wear more than a singular outfit. 

Furina agreed without a second thought, despite all her negotiating and thoughts about the amount of outfits a person had. 

She was being a slight hypocrite, but it felt just right for Neuron to only have one outfit. 

There was also one more change about Furina regarding her appearance aside from the new outfits she would adorn. 

She demonstrated that she was able to change her appearance using her vision when she switched between her Pneuma and Ousia energies to Fillian, who was interested in knowing what she was capable of when they realised she had a vision. 

Fillian seemed to have a bright idea upon seeing it, looking at her with such excitement. He asked if she could change her appearance any further than a simple outfit change and extending her hair. 

It wasn’t hard for her to do so, it was akin to the application of water itself. Her very form was rather malleable—perhaps since she was Focalors’s human side. 

Furina soon found out why they asked. 

For Filia, Fillian wondered if she could make two long pigtails, tied up using two large white ribbons that they had lying around. And that’s what she did, with Fillian giving her advice regarding the length and styling. 

It was strange having such a hairstyle, but it looked nice on her. The pigtails bounced behind her, giving her a rather interesting silhouette. 

Furina picked up on the various chattering from the audience, but it was hard to tell what they were saying. It only made her more nervous. 

She wondered who came to watch her performance today.

Would she see the Traveler and Paimon? Or any of the people from the previous troupe she worked with? 

Furina wasn’t sure Navia would come, but perhaps Lyney and his siblings would come to watch? 

Or even Clorinde if she wasn’t busy?

Her brain supplied Neuvillette as a potential person, but she didn’t get her hopes up in that regard. If he wouldn’t show up to her house, why would he show up now?

Furina knew he was too busy.

Her thoughts definitely didn’t let her forget. They could both hear loud claps, and that’s when they looked at each other and gave a nod. 

The play was to start, and Furina steeled herself.

Here we go, Furina.

It was time to perform. 

The spotlight shined brightly. 

Furina found herself face to face with the beady eyes in the audience. Her face was in a smile, holding a tray in one hand like a faithful waitress would. 

The first scene was inside the cafe, where Fillian would walk inside with a book in hand and Furina would go to greet him. In a play, the first scene was one of the most important parts to set the scene, introduce the characters and hook the audience in. 

Speaking of the audience, Furina noted their reaction to her. 

The audience all looked surprised at her presence, with quiet murmurs breaking out. Furina could only assume what they were talking about, and her thoughts weren’t giving any good remarks. 

The rumors were true. Lady Furina was in this play. Who does she think she is, huh? 

What’s up with her hair? Why is it so long and strange? 

If there were people from Poisson, they would be shunning her for even being upon the stage. They disliked her, and for good reason. 

She did nothing while Poisson lost precious people, and it always felt better to blame someone. 

A child pointed at her rather dramatically, and their father put their arm down. In the front, two people were whispering to one another, turning to glance at her from time to time. 

Their voices seemed to fill her mind, and that’s when she felt her skin crawl. A sense of dread filled her at an alarming pace. 

It rose up and up, but she couldn’t show it. Not while upon the stage. There was only one clear thing. It was her dream in reality—manifested without any warning! 

It wasn’t meant to be the same!

It was…wasn’t…meant to be…

The smile on her face dropped a bit without her knowing, her grip on her tray tightening as she attempted to calm herself. 

No one in the audience seemed to notice, nor anyone else behind the scenes. Not even those in the cafe setting she was in. 

Why did it turn out like this? Was she wrong to do this?

Was making her own choices wrong? Is this what she gets for trying? Was trying such a bad thing to do? 

No wonder people give up! It’s easier! 

No. Calm down. 

You’ve been practicing for so long, Furina. This isn’t your dream. It’s not the same! 

Don’t ruin this for everyone. Don’t ruin this for Fillian. 

You won’t fail anyone again. You cannot fail anyone ever again.

There was Neuron, right on time. He walked onto the stage, all straight faced and quite indifferent about it all. 

Furina’s smile became wider, as she awaited her cue. He approached her, eyeing her very form and she held a hand out in greeting.

Trust in yourself. You are Furina! 

And no one else. 

Show the audience your real worth! 

“Welcome to this humble establishment! I, Filia, will be serving you today! From the best sweets to the saltiest savories, we have anything and everything to offer you, my fine sir! Anything you say, we can make!” 

Furina gave a little shake with her hands, but Neuron didn’t even blink. There was no reaction at all, but Furina wasn’t one to back down. 

Perhaps this guy didn’t hear her. Some people were deaf or hard of hearing—this guy was probably one of those people. 

“I said, welcome to our establishment, fine sir!” Furina repeated herself loudly, but the person didn’t even make a noise. 

A pout came to her face, finding herself annoyed at the lack of anything. How dare he! 

Doesn’t he know it’s rude not to answer when someone is talking to them?! 

Without a word, he sat down at an empty table. Neuron opened his book without a sound. The audacity of this person!

She’ll show him. 

Furina forced herself over to his table, slamming her tray on the table. He’ll have to look at her now! She won’t let him have this pleasure! 

“What would you like, fine sir?” She gritted out, and he only turned to look at her. 

“I’d like a croissant.” 

“With toppings? Cream? Chocolate? You look like a cream person. Trust in my judgment and get some cream.” Furina advised, or rather commanded, and Neuron only looked to her tray. 

“Just plain. And a cup of water.” He told her, returning his gaze back to her and she blinked—this guy must truly have no brain! 

Too plain. 

Nope. No way. This was something Furina couldn’t accept, not in any dimension! 

“Out of everything, you order a croissant?! And water?!” Furina cried out, before going into a whole tangent about how ordering such plain things were unacceptable in this place. 

And Neuron didn’t even blink. Again. He simply waited for her to finish talking, almost looking bored at her.

Was he some sort of machine?! 

“Miss…Filia, was it? I would just like a plain croissant and a cup of water.” Neuron once again told her, and she shook her head—once again, unacceptable! 

“And did you not hear me just now?! Order something else, whatever your name is!”

“My name is Neuron. And if I may, Miss Filia, all I want is to read my book in peace with those particular foods and beverages.” 

“And I don’t care! Order something better!” 

She could hear the audience laughing at her stubbornness, and she huffed when Neuron only turned back to his book. 

“Neuron, was it? Do not ignore me!”

The laughter only became louder when her boss came in, clearly appalled in the way Furina was acting towards a customer. 

“Forgive me for Filia’s behavior, I truly hope you aren’t offended. As an apology, you will receive what you wanted free of charge.”

The way Furina’s head turned to look at her boss with such an offended face spoke it all. Neuron here didn’t deserve free of charge! 

If it was her cafe, she would have warded him away! 

“What?! But he doesn’t deserve it!” 

“Enough, Filia.” Her boss looked at her rather intensely, and Furina only looked at Neuron with squinted eyes. 

“That is acceptable.” The response was rather noncommittal that it made her anger fluctuate to higher levels.

The way she had to deliver the ever so plain croissant and cup of water to him as a means of punishment for her behavior only made her anger rise through the roof! 

“Thank you, Miss Filia.” 

“You are very welcome, esteemed customer.” 

Each word was gritted out, and Furina hoped he’d never come back. But to her surprise, he came back the next day. 

And of course, she yelled at him some more for attempting to order the same thing again. That should have deterred anyone from coming back. 

Yet Neuron kept coming back. Each time he did, she learnt more about him. And in turn, he learnt more about her. 

“You’re a scholar? Should have expected that, with those books you read all the time.” Furina remarked one day while delivering his meal to him. 

“And you’re rather interesting yourself, Miss Filia.” 

To anyone’s surprise, they actually became friends. At least, she called herself his friend, while she wasn’t sure what Neuron thought of her as. 

“It is a great honor to be my friend, Neuron. Not everyone can be my friend.” 

There was one thing she realised about him rather quickly. 

He didn’t seem to know how to act like a human. Neuron was always so stiff and cold, despite all her efforts to talk to him. 

She has never seen him even smile or react with any expression other than his blank stare. 

One day, when the cafe wasn’t busy and Furina was done with her usual yelling towards him, she took the seat across from him—this was usual between the two of them. 

“Quiet day.”

“Indeed, Miss Filia.” 

Furina rested her chin in her palm, observing him. He was holding a book in his hand again, which seemed to be his staple item he brought around everywhere—how smart of him. 

“You always come in here. Don’t you have anywhere else to be?” Furina asked rather bluntly, which could be considered rather rude in most societies. 

“No. You are my only friend, so I don’t have anywhere else to go.” 

He seemed to regret telling her that, by the way she gasped dramatically upon learning such a thing. 

“Absurd!”

Although, it wasn’t that absurd. Neuron, with the way he acted, definitely explained why he had no friends aside from her. It was rather saddening, in fact. 

As the higher power in their friendship, she had a wonderful idea. Yes, a wonderful idea! She would help this poor man out! 

“I, Filia, will help you make more friends by making your socializing better!” 

Neuron only looked at her blankly at her wonderful idea, and she elaborated for his sake. 

“We’re going to do what friends do. Hang out and do various activities and such until you learn how to be more…human, I suppose.” 

Furina didn’t know how else to describe him. He acted weirdly, as if he were some strange being from another place. 

“I’m human.” 

She only sighed. Neuron was only proving her point even more. Who needs to confirm that they’re human? 

“You know what I mean! And don’t try to fight me on this!” 

A customer came in, and she stood up abruptly before Neuron could try to disagree with her idea. She had to do her job, after all. 

“Tomorrow, after my shift! We’re hanging out!” 

Without waiting for Neuron’s approval, she scurried off to deal with the new customer. Neuron only sighed at her leaving, and she grinned at it. 

Act One came and went without any problems. The spotlight turned off, engulfing the audience in darkness. 

For the play, to signify the changes in acts and to allow them time to prepare, they turn off the spotlight and keep the audience in the dark until the curtain is closed. 

The spotlight turned back on, and the curtain was closed. 

It was Act Two where Furina could truly shine. 

A quick costume change later, and Furina was back out there with Neuron. 

For her second outfit, it was a spin on Furina’s own clothes. Fillian thought that it would suit her best to wear a similar outfit, for her own comfort.

It was a pure white dress, with remnants of her suit-like outfit in the front. Particularly, the blue ribbon and the cuts near her waist. She had puffy shoulder sleeves that extended down to her wrists and flared cuffs. 

It was a very lovely dress. 

Furina jokingly asked if she could keep the dress after the performance, but it seemed Fillian was planning to do so from the very beginning.

There was no point keeping an outfit that wouldn’t fit anyone else but her, which was their reasoning. Furina knew the real reason though, and it made her truly happy. 

It would be the first outfit she would have that wasn’t the one she always wore. It would be a gift she would cherish. 

For the start of this act, it was set to be a montage of sorts. Picture frames of all the things Filia and Neuron did together, shown in short bursts. 

Fillian thought that they could showcase how closer they become if they did it this way, otherwise the play would become too long—and perhaps bore the audience. 

Everyone always liked drama. Life was never that happy, as everyone knew all too well. 

And they wanted to get to the good parts, being Filia’s quite sad past and present situation. Give the audience a false sense of security before hitting them with the punch! 

Furina had no complaints. 

And that’s how they did it. 

The first “picture” was the two of them walking around Fontaine with Filia being the self proclaimed travel guide. 

Apparently, Neuron has never truly explored what Fontaine has to offer. He had his head stuck in those books all the time, always opting to be in the library. 

Furina couldn’t accept it. 

“And this is the Fountain of Lucine! All waters converge here!” Furina held her hands out towards it, and Neuron only nodded at it. 

“As I’ve heard. The water quality is rather impressive then.” 

She sighed, rolling her eyes. Who thought about water quality?! No one did! 

“That’s not the point! Observe those two over there!” Furina pointed not so discreetly behind her. 

There was a couple who were standing in front of the fountain, giggling to themselves. They held their hands, praying for good fortune. 

“Why are they laughing to themselves?” Neuron asked with such a confused face that it would have been funny otherwise, and Furina only sighed once again. 

“They’re in love, obviously. That’s one emotion you should know. Unless you’re really a robot, Neuron?” 

“As I said, Miss Lilia. I’m human.” 

But Furina could see the way he watched them with curiosity. This was good! 

He was learning firsthand about love. Love was a good emotion to know. Everyone should understand it. Life is useless without love, after all. 

The second one was the two of them going to a cafe together—not the cafe she worked at. Friends get food together! 

“Miss Filia, we always meet in a cafe.” 

Of course Neuron would latch onto that part.

“This is different! I’m not working, now am I?” 

Her goal here was to make him laugh. Not once has Furina ever seen him even crack a smile, and that was one thing she had to remedy. 

Laughter was the spice of life, after all. 

‘So, Neuron. Want to hear what happened that day you didn’t come to the cafe? It was an utter shame you missed it!” 

“Go ahead, Miss Filia.”

“A customer walks in, and they wanted to order the most absurd thing! It was even worse than your orders! I thought no one could beat you!” Furina made such a shocked face, one that clearly was rather exaggerated. 

She could see his mouth morph into a small smile at it. Jackpot. 

“Do tell.” 

“It was…it hurts my heart to even say it, but for you, I will.”

Furina was silent, before leaning in. She motioned him closer, and he leaned in as well. 

“It was cheese. A whole plain block of cheese! Who did they think they were?! I thought they were playing around with me!”  

“Cheese?” 

Even Neuron seemed in disbelief. 

“Yes! The yellow food that’s made out of milk! You know what it is! We’re not a shop, stupid person! I gave them a stern talking to, and they ran out of the shop crying! What a sad being!” 

Furina then leaned back, crossing her arms. 

“I got yelled at by the boss, and I had to scrub the floor for the past week. But it was deserved!” 

Furina’s eyes widened when she heard the sound of laughter from his mouth. He laughed! For the first time, he laughed!

Upon seeing her expression, Neuron coughed, covering his mouth with a fist. He looked rather embarrassed, and she only giggled. 

“Pardon me. It truly is a dire situation.” 

And he was joking with her! This was brand new with Neuron, that it made her cheeks redden a bit. 

The waiter came by, and they went to order their meals. She took the time to calm down with their approach, but her heart wouldn’t stop beating rapidly. 

Furina ordered some cake for herself, since she deserved such a treat for the suffering she’s been through while Neuron ordered a simple sandwich. 

“Something the matter, Miss Filia? You look rather red.” 

Furina only waved towards her face, pretending she was overheating a tad. It was rather sunny outside, so she played on that. 

“It’s a bit warm, isn’t it? I’m okay!” 

Neuron didn’t seem to believe her, but he didn’t comment. 

When they received their respective meals, she took a bite of her lovely cake with her fork and she let out a satisfied sigh.

“The sponge melts in my mouth, while the chocolate cream is not too sweet!”

Furina took another bite, savoring the taste. “I’ll need to come back here just for it!” 

Furina saw Neuron eyeing the cake, seeming intrigued by it. Did he want some too? Furina wasn’t one not to share. 

“Did you want some, Neuron?” Furina asked him, and he immediately took a bite of his sandwich. 

“That is your cake.” He finally told her after some silence, and she only grabbed a large piece with her fork and pushed it towards him.

“Who am I to deprive you of this pleasure? Here.” 

“Truly, I cannot—“

“Eat the cake, Neuron. For me?” Furina’s eyes were wide and shiny, and he found himself at a loss. He ate the piece without a word. 

Furina saw he enjoyed it, and made a mental note. 

The next ones were still frames of them doing various things. For this section, Furina had a camera within her hands. 

Fillian’s idea, once again. 

Since Charlotte kept snooping around with her camera, trying to prove if Lady Furina was in the play or not, they found themselves asking about the little device—and a new idea was born! 

Each snap she took, it would show a new scene. It was rather hard to coordinate it all, but it definitely paid off at the very end. 

The audience watched in awe, clearly invested into the play at this point.

Furina dragged him around to many places, as seen within the frames, smiling the whole time. It was a lot of fun, and she could tell Neuron enjoyed it too underneath the blank face. 

She could see that he was finally feeling some emotions slowly. Good. 

The final one was going to a play. 

She purposely chose a sad play about a boy and his dog, just to elicit a reaction. If Neuron were to cry here, it would signify she did well. 

The dog was about to die, and Furina herself felt tears welling within her eyes. No matter how much she saw it, it always made her cry. 

Furina turned her head to look at Neuron, and she only smiled at the sight. He had tears in his eyes, as she expected. It was truly moving, after all. 

The boy desperately calling out for his best friend…heartbreaking. 

She reached for his hand, and squeezed it tightly. He needed it, and he didn’t try to move away either. 

“I’m proud of you, Neuron.” Her whisper was quiet, so quiet that no one else could hear aside from herself, as well as the audience, of course.

The scene changed to a library, the final scene for this act. This was where the tone of the play would suddenly change, and no one would expect it. 

Furina walked over to these people occupying a specific corner, pointing a book at them rather aggressively. 

“Get out of our spot!”

The audience started laughing, and she only stared at the blank faces the people who were in their spot were giving them. 

Were they deaf?! 

“Miss Filia, you really shouldn’t be yelling at them.” 

Neuron was right behind her, and Furina only looked at him with such contempt. 

“And I don’t care! Out they go!” 

It took various yelling and insults, but the people finally decided that it wasn’t worth sticking around and left rather quickly. Once she got rid of all of them, Furina sat down all smugly. 

Their spot was secured once again, all thanks to her! Neuron took a seat next to her, although he looked rather troubled at what occurred. 

“Must I apologize again for you?” He sighed, and Furina only shrugged at him. It was true, he did often have to apologize for her antics, but she didn’t truly care about it all. 

“This is our spot. Why were they there when it’s clearly ours?” She demanded, and Neuron’s eyes narrowed. 

“Even so.”

“You worry too much. Now read!” 

This was it. The scene Furina was waiting for. 

When she first read it, it felt too close to her own situation for comfort. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it still had the same elements that made her uneasy.

It was why she wanted to do this role in the first place. 

Furina started to read the book she had within her hand, her eyes falling across a passage within the text. 

She chose this book at random, but it was the tale about two twins who both found themselves lost in a mystical land and…the older twin dies. It hit too close to home.

“Miss Filia…?” Neuron’s voice filled her mind, and she looked towards him. He seemed to look rather troubled, more so than usual. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“You’re crying…”

Tears welled in her eyes without her even realizing. She raised her hands up to her face, where indeed tears were flowing. 

As planned. Furina could easily cry when needed. They looked rather realistic, but any true actor could tell that they were fake. 

She wasn’t crying because she was truly upset. 

“I didn’t think this book would be so sad…I chose badly.” 

Here, she was meant to stop her tears and pretend she was okay for Neuron before crying once more. Yet her tears wouldn’t stall. 

Why won’t they stop…?

Neuron only stared at her, and she could only force a smile that probably looked utterly wrong. 

“I..I’m sorry, Neuron, that you have to see me like this.”

She closed her book with a large snap, one that seemed to scare her. Why did everything feel so…suffocating? 

“Like this…” Furina trailed off, and found that she didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t a part of the script. Furina knew she was going off the script. 

She didn’t think that this would hurt as much. 

It hurt more than she expected it to. 

During the rehearsals, they went over this scene multiple times but Fillian didn’t force her to cry in them. 

Fillian wanted her to save all her tears for when she was truly upon the stage, for all to see. If she cried every single time, then it would only take a toll on her. Furina understood what he meant, but…

It was a terrible idea. 

She shouldn’t have ever done this. She shouldn’t have taken this role. 

Why…? Why…?

It reminded Furina of the time she started crying while talking to that one citizen when she learnt that she was playing the Hydro Archon for decades. 

She was talking to the fourth generation of the family, and the realization only hit hard. They weren’t joking either. 

When did that happen? When did decades pass?

When did she find herself like this? 

Furina’s tears soon became real. She was visibly becoming more upset with every passing moment. 

It was too much. 

All too much. I…I can’t! 

Fillian seemed to notice, but they didn’t break character in any way. They knew that they couldn’t stop the play in the middle of it, despite how much it looked like they wanted to. 

A true actor.

Furina was the same—not anymore. 

“Miss Filia…?” He repeated once again, his eyes reflecting the worry he had for her and Furina only looked to the side. 

A sharp breath escaped her. She had to return to the script, to continue what she started. 

You can’t ruin this for Fillian! You can’t. 

Don’t be the one who ruins everything! 

Not again! 

“Neuron…since you’re my friend…perhaps I can tell you.” Furina returned her gaze to them, giving him a small nod that was too subtle for the audience to catch. 

It wouldn’t appease their worry, but it should let them know one thing. 

She can continue. She’ll force herself to continue. 

Don’t worry about me. 

I’ll…I’ll do my best for you. 

Furina went on to explain everything Filia went through, how she was playing a role all to appease her parents. She lost her older twin sister in a terrible accident, and her parents couldn’t accept that it happened. 

And to make them happy, to save them from their own despair…Filia decided to become her twin in every way. Her voice, her appearance, her personality…all matched with her dead sister. 

Very soon, her parents only saw Filia. Her real self was dead like her sister was.

She’s been doing this for the past eight years. From a young age, she forced herself to be her twin to make her parents happy. 

Sometimes at night, Filia would cry herself to sleep, wishing for her role to be over. Wishing she could be herself. If she even had herself left after all this acting.  

Every word Furina let out felt too real to be acting. She was truly that distraught. It only made it all the more painful. 

The audience were all silent, watching with their little beady eyes how their prior Archon was crying her heart out. 

“The absurdity.” 

It was a small mutter, but Furina heard it loud and clear. 

She looked up at Neuron, who for the first time…looked truly upset. Not once did he show such emotion on his face. 

Rain started to pour outside, as if they were reacting to his emotions. It was just water, and managed by other members of the troupe behind the scenes. 

Furina didn’t realize it was also raining outside the Opera Epiclese.

“I cannot believe someone like you, Miss Filia, had to suffer in such a capacity. It must have been horrible.” 

Neuron looked utterly torn. And Furina had to condemn Fillian for their wonderful acting. If anything…they looked like Neuvillette when she left him that day. 

It hurt.

“Do you hate me for lying to you? I’m not Filia, who I kept showing to you…”

She let out a choked sob, shaking in her seat. The book she had fell onto the floor, and a hushed whisper circulated throughout the audience. 

“Will you leave me? Will you leave me because I’m a liar? Because I’m such a failure, not being able to keep up the act my parents want?” 

Neuron’s eyes widened at her, but she didn’t seem to stop where she should have. Furina threw away the script at this point. 

“I’ve been playing a role for too long, it…it’s too much. Even now, I can’t even act right. Isn’t that funny?”

Furina was starting to say things she shouldn’t—and Fillian was painfully aware of it. It fit perfectly.

Of course it did. 

“I’m broken. So broken. Would you still…want to be with someone like me?” 

Even Fillian couldn’t keep their character intact at her face. She could see the emotion break all across their features, more than they should show. 

Furina looked so…defeated. 

I’m sorry. 

But he opened their arms either way, and Furina jumped right into them. 

I’m sorry. 

Fillian’s arms held her tightly, and she felt comforted by them. You could hear thunder, but she wasn’t sure where it was coming from. 

I’m sorry. 

Can you forgive me for nearly ruining it all?

The spotlight shut off, leaving them all in darkness. Furina felt a hand upon her head, and she only closed her eyes. All she felt was guilt. 

I’m sorry.

Upon the act ending, FIllian immediately went to her side.

Furina was sitting in a seat in the back, head hanging towards the floor as if she was deep in thought—utterly gone from this world. 

It was a mirror copy of what happened at her trial, and she hated herself for what she did. Her thoughts definitely didn’t help either. 

You couldn’t even survive two acts? 

Shame on you, Furina. 

You’re terrible. 

Furina knew that she had to address what happened upon the stage. She nearly ruined the play with her own hands. What would Fillian say to her? 

Would they finally show something that wasn’t kindness to her? 

Fillian took a seat next to her, tapping her shoulder to get her attention. 

Her head slowly raised up, almost dreading the look she knew they had to be giving her. To her surprise…there was only a small smile upon Fillian’s face. 

I don’t get it. There’s nothing to smile about. 

“I managed to secure a thirty minute break, Lady Furina. Please take your time. It’s okay. Please don’t be too hard on yourself.” 

“B...but…”

They were too kind. Furina didn’t deserve this kindness from them, not in this situation. 

“Y..you’re not going to ask why?” Furina stumbled out, and Fillian only gave a weaker smile at that. 

“I won’t. But I only have one question…will you be able to finish the play? I understand if you don’t want to. I won’t hold it against you in any way. Say the word and I’ll end it.” 

Too kind. 

Why? Why were they like this towards her? 

First they wouldn’t pry, even if it was in their right to. It touched her greatly, even if her brain couldn’t conjure an explanation for it.

There Fillian was, ready to abandon the whole play just for her? 

No. I can’t let you do that, Fillian. 

Not after all this hard work everyone did in preparation. 

I won’t allow it. 

Furina immediately shook her head, forcing herself to look somewhat normal for them. It was time to play that smile that looked natural. 

Too natural. 

She won’t fail them. You will finish this play! 

“I can finish the play.” 

She sounded too certain that it was clear she was lying. They wouldn’t accept that response, she knew. But it was all she could say. 

“Are you sure, Lady Furina?” Fillian clearly looked worried, but she stood up rather abruptly before they could continue. 

I’m sure. I have to be sure. 

Get over yourself, Furina. 

There is no time to cry right now, not when you have a play to finish. 

Cry after. You can cry as much as you want after. 

Furina gave a nod, and Fillian stood up as well. They didn’t seem very convinced, but only put their hands out in surrender. 

“If you insist. But if you ever change your mind, just tell me. Please.” 

Furina never asked. She wouldn’t let herself to, for if she did…she’d never forgive herself. 

I’d rather die than give up now.

You can’t give up.

Furina always did tell herself things, as she said. 

Act Three was the final act. 

The spotlight returned, greeting the audience with Furina inside her house. Particularly, the living room. 

“My dear Filia, we want you to go to Sumeru.” Her mother, smiling ever so gently at her. 

“It’s been your dream since you were a little child to study at the Akademiya. And now it’s time to make it a reality.” Her father, nodding as if the decision was already made. 

Studying in Sumeru…

Furina couldn’t say no. It wasn’t her dream, but it had to become hers.It’s what her sister wanted to do—and now it was what she wanted to do. 

“Of course.” Furina told them both, and they hugged her with such warmth.

“We’re so proud of you, Filia.” 

There was no way she could say no. 

She didn’t want to go to Sumeru to study. She wanted to stay here in Fontaine, her homeland. Her life was here, working in the cafe. There was one real reason she could point out. 

Neuron.

Thanks to a guy named Neuron she found herself always with, she didn’t want to leave. Her feelings became something of the…romantic nature. 

She slowly realised that she loved him.

Speaking of Neuron, the scene was currently the two of them inside the cafe. It was a quiet day once again, where the duo were seated across from each other.

After what happened within the library, there was this sort of silent divide between the two of them. It was hard to tell what Neuron was thinking or feeling about what she told him. 

“Miss Filia?” 

Furina was rather lost in thought, that she didn’t even hear him call for her. 

How was she meant to tell Neuron of her looming departure from Fontaine? It would surely hurt him deeply, that he might react badly to it. 

She was his only friend, after all. He would lose her presence in his life, as she would lose his. 

“Miss Filia?” Neuron’s voice finally reached her ears, and she only sighed. Her smile was tense, so tense that it wasn’t natural. 

She was sick of hearing Filia. Fillia this, Filia that…it wasn’t her name. She wasn’t her sister. 

“Flora. Call me Flora.” 

It slipped out of her mouth before she could register it. 

That was her real name. It felt foreign to her at this point, but it was what she was born with. Little Flora who was always with her older sister, Filia. 

She missed hearing her own name. But she wasn’t planning on telling him! And now…what would he say? 

“Flora. As you wish.”

It made her smile. He accepted her name as if it was nothing. 

Furina had to set some ground rules though—she didn’t want anyone else to hear her true name. 

“But only when we’re alone, you can call me Flora. Only you get to call me by my real name. It’s a huge honor, so remember it well, Neuron.” 

Neuron gave her a nod. 

“I’ll keep it a secret, Flora.”

Her heart plummeted. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him of her leaving. 

For this segment, Fillian wanted to do the picture frame montage once again. This would be the final time the technique would be used for the play. 

The first one was Furina spending all night baking a cake. Particularly, the same cake she gave Neuron back then. 

Furina asked for the recipe. 

Despite being a waitress, she wasn’t that good at baking. She was better at eating all the food that came her way, which was rather unfortunate. 

“Stupid cake! Why won’t you rise?!” Her voice was shrill, huffing at the very flat cake in front of her. Another failure of a cake. 

She kept messing up, but she was determined to make it. No amount of failures would defeat her! 

“This is for Neuron…so you better work.” She muttered loudly, trying again. 

The second one was feeding Neuron the cake she created. 

There was no one around the cafe, since it was closing time and Furina shooed away everyone that was straggling behind. 

She didn’t even give him a proper explanation, aside from placing a slice of the cake in front of him and taking a small piece from it with a fork. 

“Say ah.” 

Neuron looked rather confused, but he opened his mouth without any questions. 

Furina carefully fed him the piece, watching him close his mouth and chewing. He didn’t make any reactions, and she stared with such anticipation. 

“Is it good?” Furina asked him, awaiting his response. 

She truly hoped he liked it, because it took her so long to make it. It was the final batch that came out correctly. 

“It’s very nice, Flora.” Neuron nodded, and Furina couldn’t help but smile widely at that. “Did you get this from the cafe we went to?” 

“Something like that. There’s more where that came from, so open wide!” 

They spent the time eating the entirety of the cake, while Neuron didn’t know this would be their final time together.

She savored every moment. 

The final one was Furina with bags by her side, looking towards Sumeru with such a sad expression. The desert looked so lifeless to her. 

In the end, Furina couldn’t bring herself to tell him. She didn’t want to go. 

But she had to.

“Goodbye, Neuron.” 

It was a quiet whisper, one that shook with every word. She picked up the bags, and stepped out of the stage. 

It was clear what it meant, and you could hear gasps from the audience. From here, Furina wouldn’t appear until the very end of the play. 

This was where Fillian would truly shine and show how human Neuron truly was. 

Furina watched from behind the scenes, donning her final outfit for her part. It was a copy of Sumeru’s Akademiya uniform, carefully created for Furina in mind.

Her hairstyle also had a major change. 

Instead of the long pigtails, her hair was now a medium bell-shaped bob that reached her shoulders, alongside with a large black ribbon at the back. 

It was to signify her rebellion against the choice in her own way. Instead of being more like Filia, she was being more like Flora. 

The scene changed to show Neuron entering the cafe, finding that Filia wasn’t there to greet him. 

“Ah, Neuron.” 

The owner walked up to him, looking a bit saddened. He looked around, but saw that Filia wasn’t even in the cafe. 

“Where is Miss Filia?” 

The owner of the cafe held out a piece of paper, sighing while doing so. 

“Filia has left her job. It’s rather unfortunate. But she told me to give you this note when you come in.” 

“For me?” Neuron took the note, opening it up to see the contents. 

Furina read out the note from behind the stage, for the audience to hear. 

Dear Neuron,

When you read this, I’ll be in Sumeru! It’s been my dream to become a scholar, and now is my chance to do so! 

It’ll be so boring without you, I don’t want to sit there alone with all those books. Can you come and save me? 

I’m kidding. I want to learn. 

Hey, I’ll be just like you! Isn’t that cool, Neuron? Maybe one day we can talk about the wonders of research. 

Thank you for all the fun times we had together! I’ll never forget them, and you shouldn’t forget them either. I’ll miss seeing you at the cafe. 

I’m sorry for not saying goodbye to you. I had to leave rather suddenly. 

I hope you can make lots of friends without me! I’ve taught you well. You’ll be just fine without me. I better see you have at least five friends by the time I come back! 

No, at least twenty! Promise me you’ll have that many! 

I believe in you.

Your friend, 

Flora

Without a word, Neuron left the cafe. It was hard to tell what the expression on his face was—but he didn’t look happy. 

The rain outside started to fall, and the audience watched with hushed silence. 

The scene changed to Filia’s house. 

There, you could see Neuron knocking on a door. A few seconds later, the door opens to reveal Filia’s mother. 

“Ah, you must be Neuron! Filia mentioned you. Please come in.” Filia’s mother invited Neuron in, and he entered with a nod towards her. 

Neuron’s gaze fell to the walls, noting all the various photo frames. They all showed Filia. She was smiling, doing various things. 

However…it wasn’t the one Neuron knew. It was the same appearance, but it wasn’t her. This must be the real Filia. The one Flora was acting as. 

Her father was also inside, sitting upon the couch. Filia’s mother took a seat next to him, and then beckoned Neuron to sit down as well. 

“What brings you here? Filia isn’t here. She’s currently in Sumeru.” Her father asked him, and her mother instantly latched onto it. 

“She’s going to become a scholar! Isn’t it amazing? Our little Filia!” 

Neuron’s face darkened significantly, that he couldn’t stop himself from saying something. 

“Flora.”

Neuron’s response was sharp, and the way her mother’s face fell spoke it all. 

“…excuse me?” 

“Flora. Her name is Flora.” Neuron reiterated, looking directly at her. “

A tense silence washed over them. 

“I think we’d know what our daughter is called. Her name is Filia.” Her father interjected rather harshly, and Neuron only gave a sharp look at that. 

“Filia is dead.” 

Pain shot across both their faces, but her father stood up with a clatter. 

“Listen here! How dare you say such a thing about my daughter?! She’s—“

“Dead. Flora isn’t her dead sister, Monsieur.” 

Neuron looked calm, but his eyes spoke everything. He didn’t let any of them speak. He told them the truths they chose to ignore. He was the judge. The executioner.

“You are her parents, if I can even call you that. You should love Flora as she is. Don’t force such idiotic tendencies on her.” 

Her mother looked distressed, and latched onto her father’s arm like some leech. 

“How could you let your younger daughter even think of doing such a thing? How could you let her do it? How could you support her in doing so?” His tone only grew darker with each question, and of course, they had no answer. 

They were crazy. 

Neuron truly hated them, it was deafening how much. The tension was high, and Furina behind the scenes felt it so strongly. 

Fillian was a scary actor. Why were they a producer when they could act this well? 

“Your daughter is so strong to keep up this farce for so long. You should be ashamed.”

Filia’s mother burst into tears, and her father could only glare with such hatred. Why were they so upset? It was only the truth.

“Who do you think you are?! Coming in here and insulting us?!” 

Neuron asked them a simple question, ignoring her father. 

“Why can’t you love your daughter as she is? Like I do?” 

The last part came out without him truly thinking about it. It was the one thing he couldn’t understand regarding them. 

At that moment, Neuron had realised he loved her. It was an emotion he thought he’d never truly feel or understand. 

You could never understand until you experience it yourself. 

It was stupid of him to take this long to see it, and stupid enough to let her go. 

“Flora deserves better.”

Without waiting for their response, he left her parents with the shame they should have felt a long time ago. 

Neuron knew what he had to do. The spotlight turned off once again, and the audience all went into quiet whispers. 

Furina stared as Fillian walked towards her with a smile behind the stage. It was always strange to see such a change in personality after such a passionate performance. 

“This is it, Lady Furina. Are you sure—“

Furina cut them off before they could finish that sentence. It was nice of them to ask once again, but she was determined to see it through. 

“I’m very sure, Fillian.” 

The scene changed to Sumeru, and Furina entered the stage for the final time. She had a large pile of books in her hands, dropping them onto the table in front of her with a slam.

“So many books…” 

Furina sat down, flopping onto the table with a sigh. She knew being a scholar would be hard work, but she didn’t think it would be this hard! 

“I miss Fontaine…” Furina muttered loudly, closing her eyes. “And I miss you…”

Neuron.

She missed him so much. She wanted to yell at him again for wanting a plain cup of water and those croissants he always wanted. 

She wanted to see him, to hug him tightly as she did, and to simply be next to his side. But…it was too late for anything now. 

She was a nation away. 

Did he find out? She imagined him entering the cafe, but not seeing her. 

She thought she could just leave without a word, but Neuron deserved at least something. If she couldn’t bring herself to say it…

Before she left, she wrote that note. She hoped it would help a bit. 

Furina opened her eyes, forcing herself up and taking a book into her hands. She then dropped the book she was holding. 

“Neuron…?” 

The audience all gasped, seeing him in the distance. It was as if they didn’t think that Neuron would go all the way to Sumeru to see her. 

Neuron was there?! 

She stood up immediately, making clattering noises in the process as her books fell around. Her heart was beating faster, and she rubbed her eyes just to ensure she wasn’t hallucinating his presence. 

She even pinched herself. It wasn’t a dream! 

Neuron seemed to be looking around for something, and she could only freeze as his eyes fell over her. 

As soon as he saw her, Neuron looked so…relieved at her presence. 

Even with the hairstyle change, he recognized her completely. He started to walk forward, eyes always on her. 

It was as if time stopped between the two of them. She couldn’t help herself. 

Furina ran to him, bounding into him with all her strength and wrapping her hands around his waist rather so tightly. 

Neuron’s own arms wrapped around her body with the same, or even more strength. 

“Neuron…is it really you?” She found herself asking, a quiet murmur. 

“It is, Flora. I’m here.” 

Furina only held on tightly at the confirmation. As soon as he read the note, he ran all the way here? 

A whole different nation to see her? 

“It really is you…I’m glad.” She murmured once again, taking in his warmth. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me for not telling you.” 

He had to hate her now, since she did such an unforgivable act. Furina left without saying a word, and leaving such a note behind…

She was happy regardless. So, so happy. 

Neuron grabbed her shoulders gently, and she looked up at him. Her eyes widened at the sight of a rare smile upon his face. 

He was not one to smile, not so warmly towards her as if…she was something precious. 

“Flora.”

He said her real name with such warmth, that her mouth parted without her even realizing. There was this short silence, as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“I love you.”

He confessed her love for her rather blatantly without any warning. Furina’s face went bright red, flabbergasted.

It wasn’t what she expected. But it was just like him. It was just like Neuron. 

Fillian wanted a kiss in the initial scripting. 

But upon acting with Furina, they found that it would be better to insinuate a kiss than truly doing the act. 

Furina was perfectly fine with this. Despite living for decades, she never had a kiss before. No one dared to even try to kindle a romantic relationship with her as the Hydro Archon.

Sometimes, she would be envious of the couples she would pass by, holding hands and kissing each other without a care in the world. 

It would only become a scandal, as she told herself. Or perhaps the audience would take it the wrong way.

Or…someone particularly might see it and jump to the wrong conclusion. 

Furina’s hands raised up to Neuron’s face, cupping his cheeks gently. The soft look on her face was captivating. 

“I love you too, Neuron.” 

The spotlight suddenly shut off, and any observer could tell that the audience were rather confused. 

It turned back on, focusing on the wall. It showed Furina and Neuron’s shadows against it, still in the same positions. 

The shadows leaned in, and they connected. To the audience, it looked like the two of them kissed—in reality, they simply leaned in close enough to resemble it. 

The spotlight shut off once again, leaving the Opera in darkness for the final time. 

Furina let out a shaky breath. It was over. With some hiccups, she managed to see it all the way through. 

You didn’t ruin it for anyone. 

But you can’t cry yet. Not yet. 

In the darkness, she could feel Fillian letting go with a final squeeze. 

Furina had to keep her tears from falling at such a simple action. She still had to survive for a while longer. 

When the spotlight returned, all the cast members were lined up, smiles on their faces.

The play was complete, and they all were waiting in anticipation for the audience’s reaction. Did they like it? Was all their efforts worth it? 

Furina hoped it was. Even if she nearly ruined the play with her own two hands. They all took a bow, remaining bent. 

There was silence, and Furina closed her eyes. 

Did she truly ruin it…? 

The audience burst into applause, and Furina’s eyes opened in relief. Everyone rose up with such happiness on their faces.

Furina could only hold her plastered smile as they all clapped away. 

I didn’t ruin it. 

Fillian extended their hands out towards the audience, catching their attention—they quieted down. 

“I am Fillian, the producer. Thank you all for watching the Teacup of Love! We have all worked hard to bring this to life!”

As Fillian continued on, Furina kept her gaze to the audience. 

Her eyes scanned them all, in the hopes it would distract her enough from falling apart. She found the Traveler and Paimon right in front. 

How did she miss them the first time? Paimon was floating on their seat, as usual, tears in their eyes. 

A few rows back, there were the siblings—Lyney, Lynette and Freminet. It was hard to miss their unique clothing, nor the way they stared in awe. 

Another row back was Clorinde, the Champion Duelist. She could see her unique hat sticking out among them all. 

To her surprise, Navia was there as well, right next to the Champion Duelist. Did they come together to watch the play? 

She knew that the two of them were close, but were they closer than she expected? 

At the very back, was Dulphy. Despite her condition, she still came all the way here to watch her? It touched her deeply. 

Did everyone she thought would come…truly come? 

They heard the rumors and decided to watch. Aside from one. 

There was one person missing from the list, as her mind kept yelling at her. 

It’s not your dream, Furina.

But…if I looked up…would he be there? Would I see him? 

There was no way. But…

Furina, despite everything…decided to look up. As she said earlier, curiosity never killed anyone. 

At first, she saw no one. A pit of disappointment grew deep within her. 

Of course there was no one up there. A quiet sigh escaped her. 

Hah…good job, Furina. 

You got your hopes up for nothing. It’s not like Neuvillette—

Until she did. 

A figure manifested above, one that was so familiar to her that she couldn’t take her eyes away. 

It truly is my dream. 

You kept me waiting, Neuvillette. 

There was Neuvillette, who was staring at Furina with such intensity that it made her want to crawl back into her bed and never leave. 

It was hard to tell what his true face looked like in between all the darkness and light, but she felt her eyes water regardless. 

You came. You came. You came. 

Did you hear about the rumors? Did you watch my whole performance? 

Her thoughts, once again…only seemed to fall to the dark side. 

Neuvillette came to watch my performance, but couldn’t be bothered to come when I was in trouble?

That…that hurt. 

Why? 

It was better than him looking away from her, she concluded. 

Furina forced herself to look back to the audience, just in time for Fillian to announce her role. 

“Fillia, played by our lovely Lady Furina! Please give her a round of applause.” 

The audience burst into applause once again, but Furina’s gaze returned to above her. She couldn’t help herself. 

Questions swarmed her mind. 

Would he clap too for her? What was Neuvillette thinking about? Did he enjoy her performance? 

She had so many questions for him, yet she knew none of them would be answered. 

At least…she thought he did. 

Where did he go? Wasn’t he…right there? 

Furina forced herself to look away, with a deep rooted pain in her heart. 

Of course…he wasn’t there. Why was she always so hopeful? 

Neuvillette was gone, as if he wasn’t there in the first place. 

A scary thought passed through her mind, and she accepted it without question. 

Did she imagine him…? Did you want to see him so badly you made him appear as a mental image? A weird hallucination? 

That’s sad, Furina. So, so sad.

You’re a sad little person. 

Furina didn’t truly register the rest of what happened, but she found herself behind the stage, where everyone was cheering and hugging each other.

She was back in her usual outfit, although she didn’t quite remember putting it on—all automatic like a machine. 

The play was a resounding success. The troupe was sure to celebrate now, perhaps for the rest of the day and night. It was too bad she couldn’t be that happy. 

It was too bad she had to go before she bawled her eyes out in front of them all. Her smile wavered as time went on. 

“Lady Furina.” 

Furina saw Fillian approaching, holding her second outfit within their hands. They also changed back into their regular clothes in the meantime. 

They had a smile on their face, but their eyes only reflected the clear worry for her. Fillian held the white dress out for her.

“Thank you for everything.” 

It was hard to tell what expression she had, but Furina took the outfit into her hands, holding it to her chest tightly. 

Fillian…you were one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. 

You were always so kind to me, even from the very beginning. 

I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve all this. I never did, yet you still gave it. 

Thank you. Thank you so much. I could say thank you a thousand times and it wouldn’t be enough.

No one has ever been so kind to me.

Furina looked down at the outfit, before looking back up and giving them a genuine smile that expressed her gratitude for everything. 

It was what Fillian deserved. 

There had to be tears forming in her eyes, based on the way Fillian’s eyes softened. 

“Thank you, Fillian.” Furina’s voice shook, as if it would break apart. 

You don’t know how much…this means to me. 

I..I..

I think…you’re my first true friend. I’ve never had a real friend before. 

“Don’t worry about us, Lady Furina. I’ll save you a few slices of cake. Take care of yourself, okay?” Fillian told her, giving her a warm smile. 

A tear fell down her cheek, dampening the dress she held within her hands. 

“I had a fun time with you, Lady Furina. I hope we can perform again someday.” 

A second tear fell down her cheek. Fillian’s smile only warmed in an attempt to soothe her, taking a step forward.

“Don’t look so sad. We’re all here, Lady Furina. We’ll always be here for you. A smile is what you should have. It always did suit you the best.” 

More tears fell. Furina’s smile wobbled dangerously, on the verge of breaking completely. Those words…meant a lot to her. 

“Now…see you soon, Lady Furina. Next time, let’s dance again.” 

Fillian turned around, and she could only watch his fleeting form disappear. 

Ah…this was their way of saying…”go”. 

Thank you, Fillian. Goodbye for now. 

I’ll remember this. I’ll always remember your kindness towards me. 

Until we meet again. I still need that cake, after all. 

Furina turned around and started running, tears blurring her vision as she made her way to the doors of the Opera Epiclese. 

All the emotions she had to push down started spilling out, and she couldn’t stop them. It kept going and going, until she couldn’t feel anything else.

It hurts. 

My chest feels like it’s about to explode.

Make it stop! 

She burst through them, and ran down the stairs. She felt raindrops falling upon her, her movements slowing with every drop that hit her. 

Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon…don’t cry. Please don’t cry. 

If you cry…then I’ll never stop. Please.

Please…

“It’s raining…” Her quiet whisper sounded pathetic to her in every way. 

Just as she was—utterly pathetic. 

Was it raining because she was sad? 

Or was it raining because Neuvillette was sad? She didn’t know. 

Furina found herself standing there, letting the rain fall upon her. Her gaze looked down to her dress, which was only becoming wetter by the second. 

I’m sorry. A beautiful outfit like you doesn’t deserve to be soaked like this, in this horrid rain. 

I’m so sorry. Pardon me. Forgive me. I’m horrible. 

Furina covered her face with the dress, letting out a quiet wail. Her body shook, sobbing deeply into her once beautiful dress. 

I…I’m a failure. I can’t even be happy. I’m crying outside in the rain. 

What am I doing? What…what am I doing? I..I should move. 

I’m getting wet. I’ll get sick. 

She took a step forward, and another. A few more steps, and a few more. Each step was as heavy as the last, and only became more substantial. 

Move, Furina. That’s right, one leg over the other…

Up and over…up and over…

There was the Fountain of Lucine in her midst. Her legs walked in tandem, slowly but surely towards it. 

Eventually, she reached the water’s surface, revealing her. 

Full of tears and sadness…it was not a pretty sight. Her dress was a wet rag that only made her clench her teeth. 

Pathetic. You’re so pathetic, Furina. 

And it revealed her again. And again.

Ripples upon ripples, slowly converging over one another, fragments upon fragments–a cacophony of fragmented pieces.

There she was, damaged beyond repair. It suited her, didn’t it? 

Between all the fragments, was the one she never truly met. It was her after all, appearing within the surface as if she belonged there. 

Mirror-Me…Focalors…

Will this ever end? Will I ever be…whole again? 

Did I make the wrong choices? Should I never have done what I wanted to do? 

Did I fail? Tell me. 

This time…you can. You’re here, right? 

A hand slipped out of the water, open and wide. The fragments all gave her a wide smile, the hand beckoning her closer. 

Furina should have been afraid of the sight. 

You want me to come…? What do you want with me? 

The hand opened and closed at her, and Furina found herself leaning closer and closer to it. 

It only kept doing the same movement, only faster. 

Closer and closer…what do you want? 

My chest only hurts. I can’t make sense of anything. 

This was a bad idea in every sense of the word, everything in her mind was screaming to back away from the hand that clearly wanted her to come closer. 

This was where all waters converged, and who knew how deep the memories went here? 

That was what Neuvillette always told her, anyway. He always told her to be careful around here. 

His words echoed in her mind, but she only came closer and closer.

Neuvillette…am I crazy? 

Was she hallucinating this too? Was she always dreaming about such terrible scenarios? 

Will you take me away, Focalors? Whoever you are?! Is that why you’re here?! 

Whose hand are you? Who are you?! I’ve already suffered enough! 

Tell me! 

One hand became many, and many grabbed at her. 

Her arms first, then her entire body was clasped by them, dragging her closer and closer to the cascade of fragments. 

Each fragment only laughed, looking gleefully at her. She knew who this was.

It’s my hand. You’re my hands. 

You’re me. 

Furina tried to struggle against them, but she found that she had no strength to. Her body reached the water, sending shivers down her spine. 

The water is cold. 

Did the rain increase in strength? I’m drowning myself? Am I that hated? 

Of course…I’d be the one to end it all. 

Once an actor completes their role, they’re not needed anymore.This was just throwing away the waste. 

Furina was forced deep below, letting the water consume her. 

One…two…three. It took three seconds. Then three more. And more. 

Left, right, up and down. 

The fountain was never this deep, was it? I...I don’t remember. 

Was this my final call?

Act 1: Prelude

Around and around Furina went. The waters were not as serene as they seemed above, forcing her in every single direction. 

Did you know that you could go backwards and forwards at the same time? It was amazing what they could do. 

The hands slowly peeled off one by one, letting her drift aimlessly. 

Ah…

Furina couldn’t recognize this feeling. It wasn’t hers to feel. 

…

Is this drowning? I thought I wouldn’t feel anything. 

Shouldn’t my life flash before my eyes? All I see is darkness and bubbles of water passing by me. 

It’s empty. 

I think this is worse. I said I wanted everything to end but…

Not like this. 

Furina closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate. 

Perhaps this was what she deserved, to float endlessly within the waters. It wasn’t that bad. 

“….dy Furina!” 

A voice…? A familiar voice. 

Was she hallucinating the voice too? She had to be—truly had to be! Was she this crazy? 

“…you hear me?” 

It’s not…? Hello? 

Furina’s eyes opened, looking around her. She couldn’t see anyone around her, yet that voice sounded so close, with such clarity. 

“…Furina? Can you hear me?” 

Who..? Who is calling for me? 

I hear you. 

“…the light! Enter the light!” 

A light appeared below her, illuminating the darkness. Is this the light the voice mentioned? 

It was pure white with a blue glow—as if it was someone’s power channeling through. 

It was warm. Familiar. 

She spun towards it, feeling herself push and pull against everything. 

“…Furina! Please enter the light! I can—“ 

The voice cut off, and she felt this sense of dread. It felt too quiet now. 

She waited for the voice to talk again to her, but she was only met with silence. 

Don’t leave me here all alone with my thoughts! I thought you were meant to help me?

But Furina would do as they asked. They seemed truly insistent on her entering it.

Perhaps she would meet the voice again, wherever the light took her. 

Anything was better than staying here. 

Furina spun closer and closer towards it, until she passed directly through the bathing light. 

As if gravity decided to make itself known again, Furina felt herself falling.

Act 2: Rain

Furina found herself in a brand new place that wasn’t even akin to the waters she was in. 

It wasn’t underwater, but somewhere…outside? It seemed familiar to her…it had to be Fontaine. 

Above was a bright blue sky, with the sun shining down on her. It felt so real for whatever this was—a dream? A hallucination? 

She felt the grass between her feet, and she looked down to see that she had no shoes—her feet were utterly bare.

Furina saw white fabric obscure her vision out of nowhere, and looked back up in an instant. 

Her hands reached for her head, carefully touching the veil upon her.

This isn’t me. 

I’m not…this isn’t me. Who am I? 

Wasn’t I just falling through that bright light?

A loud crash could be heard in the distance, and Furina jumped in the air. 

Her gaze settled on a body of water in the distance, noting that there was something large there. 

Curiosity got the better of her, and she started walking forward.

What was that? It looked huge and white…and it was clearly moving. 

As Furina came closer, the water seemed to expand out tremendously. Water covered her feet, and she felt this aura that only conveyed one thing—strength. 

Whatever it was, it was powerful. She should turn around and leave before it noticed her presence. 

Instead, she walked on. She finally came face to face with the one who created the large noise.

It was a large dragon. 

Pure white scales coupled with two large blue horns upon its head that extended back towards it. Its blue eyes bore directly into her, watching her every movement. 

It was beautiful. Such a beautiful dragon. 

What was it doing here? Furina stared at it with such curiosity, and it only stared back. 

“How nice of you to make an appearance, usurper.” The dragon’s voice was deep, very familiar to the voice that guided her.

Usurper? 

The dragon only sighed at her expression, looking away for a second before returning its gaze to her. 

“Forgive me. Hydro Archon, as you call yourself to be. What brings you here, in my resting hours?”  

Furina looked even more confused at their words, and for good reason too. What did this dragon just say? 

She wasn’t the Hydro Archon. Nor did she mean to bother them in their resting hours. Dragons had resting hours?

She didn’t even know why she was here! Or even how she got here! 

“I seem to be lost.”

Furina’s voice sounded strange to her. That wasn’t her voice. 

Who was she…?

“Lost? How strange. You look right at home here, Egeria.”

Furina finally looked down at their words, and her eyes widened. It wasn’t her reflection in the water, as she expected to see. 

That was Egeria staring back at her. The previous Hydro Archon that condemned Fontaine, the one who created everyone. 

She was a rather pretty god, if Furina had to admit it. 

If she was Egeria, then…the one in front of her was the Hydro Dragon. 

Not Neuvillette…but his predecessor. 

How could she not see it earlier? They bore the same resemblance. 

White scales were Neuvillette’s hair, the exact same shade. The horns were Neuvillette’s horn-like strands in his hair, both sticking out rather bluntly. 

Would this be how Neuvillette would look if he had a dragon form? He would be so beautiful that Furina wouldn’t be able to take her eyes away. 

That’s not to say he wasn’t already. 

“You look like you saw a ghost. Perhaps that’s the right reaction towards a being like me, for once with you.”

The Hydro Dragon then sighed again, lifting himself up from the floor. He was also rather tall, so Furina had to look up to see his head. 

“Others often run at the sight of me, except you, Egeria. I may not have my authority, but I can still manipulate water better than you.” He remarked, his tail thumping against the water with every word. 

Was that a friendly jab at her? 

This was a crazy dream. Or hallucination. 

“Why would I run?” Furina asked, the words coming out of her mouth without her really thinking about it. 

Neuvillette was a gentle soul at heart. Not once did Furina feel the urge to run away while with him, despite knowing who he was. He would never hurt her…not intentionally. 

She didn’t feel like running away here either with this dragon—which was strange. He felt too familiar for her to be scared. 

This wasn’t Neuvillette, yet her heart seemed to think otherwise. 

“Must I demonstrate? Have you forgotten what I am? I am not as friendly as I make myself to be. I am only cordial since you’re the Archon. I can’t kill you, which is an utter shame.” 

The Hydro Dragon slithered closer with this dangerous glint in his eyes, clear malicious intent oozing off him. She found herself rooted in place by it, when anyone else in her position would have ran for the hills. 

The waters rose up to her knees, wetting the white dress she had upon her. 

“Why don’t you run? Why do you insist on staying near my side? You already have my power in your little hands. What more do you need?” 

He was right in front of her, teeth bared out aggressively. Those were some very sharp teeth he had, which would bite right through her if they had the chance. 

The horns on his head shone brightly, extending out behind him like it was water itself, and Furina found herself transfixed on them. 

The skies turned dark, with rain pouring down harshly on the two of them. 

The water seemed to fall around her though, never truly hitting her. It must be Egeria’s powers. 

It seemed like both dragons shared the same trait—they both made it rain with strong emotions. 

Did Egeria truly bother him that much? 

It was hard to tell. Another trait they shared. 

“Well? Answer me, Egeria.” The Hydro Dragon demanded, eyes narrowing when she didn’t even react to his questions, and at the rain being repelled. 

Again, this only reminded her of Neuvillette. During their little fight, his eyes narrowed like so towards her. It was anger, but it was controlled.

So curious…he truly wanted to know why?

She couldn’t answer for Egeria. But she could answer for herself. 

If this were Neuvillette in front of her, what would she say to him? 

She only raised a hand up, reaching out towards the dragon in front of her. 

She should have been afraid, but there was this gut feeling that he would not harm her for this action. 

“Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, don’t cry.” Her words were soft, and the dragon in question could only stare at her with such confusion. 

Please don’t cry. 

I’ll stay by your side, since no one else understands you. 

I’ve stuck with you for the past five hundred years after all. Who else would understand you better? 

I miss you. I miss all the times we were together. We were always together. 

You might have only thought of me as some strange eccentric person who was the Archon. You might have gotten sick of me and my acting. 

But I truly do care for you. It was why I left that day. 

A human…will never match with such a being as yourself. I wish I still could. 

Her hand only touched the Hydro Dragon’s head, causing the dragon to flinch. The water levels started rising slowly, and he only leaned into her touch. 

“I understand. You are a strange one, Egeria.” He muttered, clearly reaching some conclusion. 

A smile dawned on her face. 

“I’ve always been strange.” 

She couldn't help it, this dragon’s mannerisms were akin to Neuvillette himself. It was all she could think of and see. 

It was as if he was here in front of her. That was impossible, though. 

He wouldn’t simply manifest in front of her. 

“Lady Furina.”

The Hydro Dragon’s form dissolved in front of her eyes, falling into the waters. Furina’s hand jerked back towards her, as a new form took his place.

No way…

Dark blue-shaded eyes looked back at her. They were much softer, much more familiar to her. 

“Neuvillette…?” 

“I finally found you, Lady Furina.” 

It was truly Neuvillette in front of her, staring at her with such relief. 

What…what was he doing here? Was she hallucinating him too? Where did the large dragon go?

“You followed my instructions. I am glad to see you are unharmed. But we must leave, and quickly.” 

Neuvillette was the voice, as she realised quickly. 

That explained why it knew her name, and why it was so insistent for her to enter the light–it was his power shining through.

Furina was going to answer him. To give him any reaction to the words he told her but hands rose up from the water’s surface, grabbing her own arms and legs with alarming speed. 

It seemed like her fragments weren’t done with her yet. 

Her reflection shattered into multiple versions of her, all laughing away. 

“Lady Furina!” 

His hand reached out to grab her, but she was dragged under before she could even call for him. 

Before he could take her hand that was reaching for him desperately. 

No…! We meet again and this is how we part? 

Why? Why is this our fate? Can we never be by each other? 

Neuvillette…! 

Act 3: Stars 

Furina was falling once again. 

She resisted against the hands, who decided to let her go as she descended deeper and deeper into the darkness. 

This time…she had this sinking feeling that there was no escape. 

Neuvillette! Can you hear me?! You’re the voice, right?! 

Silence. Furina tried again. 

Please help me! I want to see you again! Even if you are just an illusion of my mind, help me! 

Furina begged over and over, hoping to hear his voice once again. 

That’s when a light shot by her. And another. And another. 

Instead of the darkness of the waters, she was met with bright stars shooting past her. How pretty…

Furina span all round, watching each colored star make its way down. 

It was a beautiful sight. Was this Neuvillette’s power? Or was this just another one of her strange hallucinations? 

Furina still couldn’t hear his voice, and she looked up towards the stars with disappointment growing within her. 

Neuvillette…

You were real, weren't you?

You were in front of me, looking at me as you always do.

You were in arms reach, and yet we were forced apart as if it was normal. It shouldn’t be. We used to be together all the time. 

Once again, you seem to show up everywhere but where I want you to be. 

You come when I’m in danger now, but not back then. You don’t show up at my house at all, but you show up to watch me perform based on a rumor? 

What does that mean? I don’t understand. 

Do you think of me like the Hydro Dragon did towards Elegia? What am I to you, Neuvillette?

I can never tell with you, you know? I wonder if I’ll ever find out about your true feelings regarding me. 

That is…if I can ever get out of here. It seems like I’m stuck here.

Furina focused on a star, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together. People often wished on shooting stars, didn’t they? 

I wish I could know your true feelings, Neuvillette. 

When Furina opened her eyes, she sighed. Nothing seemed to happen. 

Perhaps it was too much of a tall order. 

Without warning, a star shot towards her. It stopped in front of her, shining brightly. 

A little star.

It floated towards her, and her hand reached out to touch it. 

Will you grant my wish?

It shone brightly upon a single tap, engulfing her vision in white. 

When her vision came to, there was only a lone boat out in a vast river of water. 

What kind of scenarios was she making up? She would like to wake up now! 

Upon the boat was…a person? 

They had a cloak over them, hiding their face from her, and held a large wooden oar. 

It was a rather creepy sight. 

“Welcome. I am the ferryman to guide you through this river of water. Please climb aboard, Furina.” 

Furina had no choice but to board the boat. There was nothing else in sight, and she didn’t want to stand there by the shore with this stranger staring at her. 

Perhaps she would learn a thing or two from them. 

The ride was quiet. The ferryman only rowed the boat without a sound and Furina took in the endless waters. 

Where was her destination? The river seemed to go on for infinity. 

Perhaps even longer than that. There was no end. 

“Furina. You wished to know what Neuvillette thought of you, correct?” The ferryman asked, and she turned to face them with wide eyes.

How did they know? She hasn’t said a word to them this whole time. It was too specific for them to guess, and there was no explanation for it. 

Something was wrong. 

“He hates you.” 

The boat started to shake, and Furina clutched the sides of it. 

Something was very wrong! 

“Why else does he never come to your house? Why else does he only show up when you’re performing? Oh Furina, you truly are a fool to think otherwise.”  

Furina gritted her teeth. Who were they to say such a thing?! 

Why did they know so much about her?! 

“Who are you?!” Furina demanded, as she held on for dear life. The boat was close to capsizing, but the ferryman was standing in place without even a shake. 

The cloak fell aside, and Furina couldn’t look away. It was obvious why they knew so much about her. 

There she was. A mirror reflection, white against black, short against long hair and a smile against a frown. 

“You.”

Furina felt herself slipping out of the boat with a large rock, hitting the water with a quiet slap. 

Water filled her lungs in an instant, deeply into her body. 

“That’s right, Furina. I would know best, since I’m you. I would never lie to you, would I?” Her other self sneered, watching her with a smile from above. 

Focalors…?! 

Furina coughed, trying to swim up. She needed to breathe. She needed air! 

“Now, now. Why are you trying so hard? There’s nothing for you up there. A broken soul like you doesn’t deserve to leave this river!” Focalors stared at her with such disdain, and Furina only glared. 

Even so! 

Furina scrambled upwards desperately, and Focalors only scoffed. 

Her divine self jumped into the water, grabbing Furina’s wrists and forcing her down. 

“There’s no escape! Why can’t you accept your fate?!” 

You’re a liar! 

“Liar? You don’t believe me. Look closely, Furina. Time for you to learn a bit about the Hydro Dragon you so care for.” 

Focalors put her forehead on Furina’s, and Furina tried to pull away at the familiar touch. 

Her other self only held her tightly, and her mind became filled with memories she wished she could never see. 

They were terrible. That…couldn’t be what Neuvillette thought of her! 

Tears pricked in her eyes, as she finally managed to push Focalors away. 

No! Stop it! He wouldn’t! Neuvillette would never think like that! 

I won’t believe you! 

“Now lying to yourself…that is truly pathetic.” Focalors grabbed her arm harshly, as Furina tried to jerk away. It was a struggle against her own self, and she wasn’t winning. 

“I said he hates you, didn’t I? He was only nice to you because you were the Hydro Archon. Without that…you’re nothing to such a powerful being!” 

Furina’s tears joined the river she was in. Mirror-Me, in some sick way…was right. 

Was she right about everything? Would it be better to stay here? 

If Neuvillette truly didn’t care about her…

A smile only crossed Focalors’s face. 

“That’s right. Listen to me, Furina. If your precious Neuvillette was here, would he have let you suffer like this?”  

He wouldn’t. Neuvillette wasn’t like that. But Furina believed in him. 

She always did without any doubt. 

“Shouldn’t he have come by now?” Focalors asked her, pulling her a bit closer. “I’m surprised he hasn’t. Just goes to show how much he hates you.”

Furina hoped regardless he would come for her, to take her from her other self and from all the sadness she was starting to feel once more. 

That’s what she would believe in. It was all she had left to hope for. 

“Try asking him to come. Go ahead.” Focalors told her, and Furina closed her eyes. 

Neuvillette…! Please! I need you. 

Furina opened her eyes, only to see her own face smiling smugly. There was no Neuvillette in sight, and Furina only closed her eyes again.

And again. And again. 

No matter how much she willed him to appear…there was no sign of him. Her chest ached deeply, more coughs came out of her as the realization kicked in harshly. 

So he wasn’t a hallucination of her mind…? What was he then? 

Furina saw him earlier when she was Egeria. He was talking to her, he tried to reach for her. 

Was Neuvillette truly here?

Or was he just an illusion created by whatever this was? Playing with her feelings like that…they were cruel. 

So, so cruel. 

“You keep asking me why you’re so broken. Well, it’s simple. Let me tell you!”

Focalors grabbed her cheek, looking deeply into her eyes.

“After playing the same act for so long…there’s nothing left of you.” Focalors told her, and Furina froze in place.

“With nothing left, there’s nothing to fix. There you go. That’s why you’re so broken. Are you happy? Is that what you wanted to hear from me?” 

It wasn’t. 

Yet Furina didn’t disagree with any of that. She was broken beyond repair. 

Furina only coughed as it became harder to breathe. She was drowning.

Focalors let go of her with a push. 

Furina fell back like a broken doll, her strength draining away. Why did her head feel so heavy? 

“There we go. Now, remain at the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness, where soon you’ll become a distant memory to all.”

Forgetfulness…? 

“You’ll forget everything too! Isn’t that just great? It’s what you deserve!” 

Focalors tapped Furina’s forehead, and Furina simply sank. 

It was as if she was a rock, and there was nothing below her to stop her from going down. 

“Goodbye, Furina.” Focalors waved at her, and Furina’s vision blurred in an instant. 

No…

She sunk deeper, and deeper…

This was true drowning. Furina knew that there was no escaping this, and so she didn’t resist. 

When your own self hated you…that was a clear enough sign, wasn’t it? 

Her eyes closed, allowing herself to fall into an uneasy slumber. 

…

“Lady Furina! Do not be deceived! Wake up!” 

A voice was calling for her. It sounded familiar, but her head felt too heavy to work out whose it was. 

Who are you? 

My chest feels warm. I feel so warm. Am I in someone’s arms? What a lovely dream this is. 

“Furina! Please wake up!” 

It called again, sounding rather desperate. 

There’s nothing left for me, whoever you are. Don’t worry about me. Let me enjoy this warmth. 

The warmth around her intensified, and she found herself relishing in it. 

Are you hugging me close? Thank you. It feels nice. 

“Furina…I am sorry. I had no idea this would happen to you.” 

No need to be sorry. I deserve it. I feel like I deserve it, at least. My memory is a little fuzzy right now. 

“Can you forgive me? I should have come sooner. I should have caught you.” 

It is what it is. You couldn’t have done much, whoever you are. 

“You cannot forget yourself here. I will not let you. Furina. You must awaken!”

Why are you so insistent? Isn’t it better? Who needs to remember me? 

The voice seemed to disappear, and Furina didn’t feel much. It was nice they were talking to her, even if she couldn’t recognize who it was. 

You there, unknown person? 

The silence was broken. 

“This is all new to me. I have never felt such emotion before. It was only when I watched the play that I reached an understanding.” 

Welcome back. 

What did you learn from the play? Whatever play you watched must have been good then. Tell me.

“When I saw you crying, I felt anger. What made you so sad? Why did I not know? Seeing that other man hug you…I felt hurt. I also felt that anger again. Perhaps a mix of both.”

Go on. This is interesting. 

“I do not understand why I felt that way. Not completely. I was hoping you could tell me.” 

That is called jealousy, my unknown friend. You were jealous. 

Lucky me. You seem to care a lot about me. 

“After the play, I waited for you. I wanted to see if you were okay, Furina. I could not go without knowing.” 

You did? How nice of you. 

“I saw you crying. You ran outside of the Opera Epiclese with such speed, and I did not know what caused it. I felt…sorry. You were standing in the rain, and yet I hesitated to approach you.”

Did I? Yes…I think I remember that. 

“You walked to the Fountain of Lucine, and suddenly…you disappeared into the waters. I felt the Hydro energies shift tremendously, and I ran after you.” 

That’s right…hands took me. But why did they? I..I can’t remember. 

“My own powers ran haywire in my search for you. I could not calm myself enough. I had to find you, Furina. I could not let you be lost in all those waters. You…are human now.”

You are very powerful. Thank you for coming after me. You did find me at the end! Good job. 

“Humans cannot breathe underwater. Humans cannot do a lot of things. I cannot lose you, Lady Furina.”

I’m right here. Don’t worry. 

“I found you within a past memory, and you disappeared once again in front of my eyes.”

I disappear a lot, it seems. I’m sorry. It must be hard for you. 

“I found you now within this dense memory, and you are about to forget everything. It hurts.” 

It does hurt when someone forgets everything. It is a terrible prospect. You clearly care for me so much. 

“The play offered the notion of love. Is this love, Lady Furina? Do I love you? Is that why I am so desperate for you to wake? To open your eyes, and to tell me that you are okay?”

I think so. That sounds like you love me, my unknown but very familiar friend.

“Is love why I want to keep you close? Was love why I could not muster the courage to see you at your house?I wish you would answer me. I truly cannot understand myself.” 

My chest feels like it’ll burn up. Why do I feel so happy to hear that? 

You do love me a lot, don’t you? So much to dive into here? 

It’s just like you. 

“Please, Furina. Wake up. It is all I wish for. Open your eyes for me.”

Who are you? 

My head simply won’t compute you. My heart seems to remember you completely. 

You mean a lot to me. That’s what I know. 

“Perhaps…you don’t recognize my voice. I do not know how long you’ve been engulfed in these waters. Shall I tell you my name again?” 

The next words uttered made her…remember suddenly. 

That was a name she knew! 

Yes. That’s right! I know that name! It’s a special name that I only know.

I am Furina. And you are…

Furina’s eyes fluttered open, meeting with dark blue-shaded eyes. A weak smile crossed her face as she took in the sight of him. 

“Neuvillette.” 

I remember. 

There you are. You came for me like I believed. I knew I wasn’t wrong. 

“Furina…!” 

Neuvillette looked so relieved to see her open her eyes, to the point that it looked like he would cry in front of her. 

Furina has never seen him truly cry before. She has only seen the sky cry for him on multiple occasions, but never actual tears. 

She was within his arms, holding her with such care. His eyes scanned her whole form, but seemed to be satisfied with her current state. 

“You are unharmed.” Neuvillette told her, and Furina either could laugh or cry at this. 

Always the same. It was one of the things she loved about him. 

“You came for me.” Furina’s voice was quiet, but full of hope. 

“Oh, what a touching reunion. Cry me a river.” A familiar voice cracked with oozing sarcasm, and their heads turned to the side immediately. 

There was Focalors floating towards them with a smile, and she instantly felt sharp fear coursing through her. 

It was her other self. Neuvillette only stared, taking in the intruder’s presence. 

“You. You are the one who hurt Furina?” Neuvillette demanded, and Focalors only sneered at that question. 

“Hurt? She was the one who fell into the river.” Focalors swam around them in circles. “It is you who hurt her with your actions. Isn’t that right, dear Furina?” 

Neuvillette looked down at her at those words, and Furina’s face clearly showed that it was true. 

She was hurting. Furina was so happy to see him, but she couldn’t shake the hurt. 

Why did you come now, Neuvillette? 

“But that’s here and there. Let’s go to our current situation. I cannot let you take her out of the river.”

Neuvillette looked back, narrowed eyes sharply piercing her other self. 

“What is your goal?” 

“Our goal…is to condemn Furina for letting us all die!” 

Focalors’s form split into multiple ones, with all her fragments staring back at them. Furina only shivered at the sight, her eyes widening. 

Focalors’s form wavered, going from her to…an Oceanid? 

All her fragments were…Oceanids?! 

They weren’t her? Furina didn’t understand anything anymore. 

“Stay out of our way, Lord Sovereign!” 

Her other self rushed forward, clearly aiming for Furina. Every other fragment only watched, their forms switching in and out like a broken tape. 

“She’s ours!” 

Neuvillette pulled her close to him, her head landing on his chest as he held out a hand. Power gathered from his palm, directed at Focalors—his horn-like strands in his hair glowed brightly.

Just like the Hydro Dragon’s did. He was him, after all. They would have the same power. 

It was the first time Furina saw Neuvillette fight properly. 

He was often in the Palaris Mermonia doing his duties as the Iudex of Fontaine—it did not involve fighting in any capacity.

“I will protect you, Furina.” 

Neuvillette…! 

A shield manifested in front of the two of them, repelling her other self. Focalors banged against the shield, and Furina winced with every bang. 

“Your power isn’t enough!” 

But Furina knew he wouldn’t be able to save her. It was a sinking feeling. 

Whoever this was…was powerful in this memory, as Neuvillette described it as. And they wouldn’t stop until they had her. 

“In these waters, Lord Sovereign…” 

All her fragments suddenly shot forward, multiplying and dividing. So many of her! 

There was no way Neuvillette could stop all of them! 

But he only held her close, looking towards her with such determination etched into his eyes. 

“No matter what happens…I will always be here for you, Furina. Your emotions run deep within me. It is the one thing I will always understand regarding you.” 

The shield disappeared in an instant, as he charged up a large beam of water to shoot at them. 

That was Neuvillette’s mistake, and their chance. Hands grabbed onto her and Neuvillette, pulling harshly in all directions. 

It was enough to distract Neuvillette, which only was the final push they needed to have her. 

Furina was suddenly pulled away from Neuvillette’s arms, no matter how hard she tried to hang on to him. 

“Let me go!” Furina’s cries echoed deeply within the waters, desperately trying to reach for him. 

This can’t happen again! Why was this their fate? All she wanted was to stay by his side. 

To her surprise, they did. Furina took this opportunity to run forward after him. 

But only for her other self to take over. 

Focalors was directly behind her, dragging Furina away with inhuman strength while the other fragments swarmed Neuvillette’s form. 

She could see that Neuvillette was blasting left and right, but there seemed to be an endless stream of herself after him. 

They wanted to get rid of the Hydro Sovereign, which was very evident by their aggression. He kept interfering with their plans. 

Furina could only struggle against Focalors, who had an iron grip.

No! Not again! Get away from him! Don’t hurt him! 

Focalors only held Furina close, her head resting on Furina’s head. Furina could barely see him at this point, which made her cry out his name. 

Neuvillette! 

“…we’re in control.”

Act 4: Cataclysm

Furina was back upon her stage. 

And she wasn’t alone, far from it. 

The seats were filled with her fragments, all cheering for her. It only filled her with fear. 

Where did Focalors go? Where was Neuvillette? How did she get here from the River of Forgetfulness? 

It didn’t matter. All she could think about was Neuvillette, with this hope that he was okay. He was more powerful than she ever imagined, but even he couldn’t fight all of her forever. 

Everyone had a limit. What was Neuvillette’s limit? Would he give up on her? Would he fall? It was wrong to think that way, but her thoughts were often dark as you know. 

But for now…she had to face her dreams once again. 

They truly haunt her. 

Furina suddenly felt a chill, as if someone was right next to her. She turned her head to the side slowly, dreading what would be awaiting her.

There were Filia and Flora, staring at her with inhuman smiles. 

They weren’t even real! 

“Hello Furina! It’s so nice to see you again.” Filia waved, hopping off the stage and landing gracefully on both legs. Her pigtails flew behind her as she did a little spin.

She was wearing the beautiful dress Fillian gave her, and it only made her scowl. It didn’t belong to her. 

“We’ve been awaiting you.” Flora smiled, joining her sister by her side. 

She was wearing the Akademiya outfit Furina wore in the third act, and had a book within her hands. 

Mirror copies of one another, aside from the hairstyle and clothes. It seems like Filia rose from the dead to say hello, and Flora was the secret surprise you never asked for. 

“Where’s Neuvillette?!” Furina demanded, stepping closer to the two of them. She wouldn’t allow herself to be afraid of them. 

“Ah, the Lord Sovereign? He’s…indisposed right now.” Filia told her, and Furina’s heart dropped. She knew what that meant. 

He was still fighting then. 

“Don’t bother hoping for him to save you. He won’t come for you.” Flora then sighed at her, opting to look at her sister. 

The two of them entered a conversation as if Furina wasn’t right in front of them. The audacity of these two. 

“I don’t understand why he cares so much for this human.” 

“I agree, dear sister. Especially since she was the one who killed us all with her inaction. We could be living right about now!” 

“Did you hear what he said? Love? He thinks he loves this human? Truly delusional.” 

“I think he’s just confusing care with love. Human emotions are way too complex after all. They blend pretty easily.” 

Furina couldn’t keep her mouth shut. How dare they talk about Neuvillette and herself in that way? 

“It’s not delusional! Neuvillette can love too!” Furina’s voice cut through their conversation, and the two of them only laughed loudly at her interjection. 

“You’re hilarious. You really think he loves you? Grow up.” Filia shook her head, clearly finding her absurd. 

“I think we should hurry up. The audience is getting restless.” Flora gave her a sharp look, and Filia hopped up on the stage once again. 

“I hear you loud and clear! Let’s do this! Start the music!” Fillia announced, and a familiar melody started to play—too familiar. 

This was where she would dance in her freaks. It was what they expected her to do. Furina only stood there, staring them down. She refused to play along with these farces! 

The music only increased in tempo, but Furina held her ground. The audience all muttered, with small jeers thrown at her. 

Furina had to be strong. 

“Disappointing your fans? I can’t let you do that.” Flora only opened her book towards Furina. “I didn’t want to resort to this but…I guess we’re always so stubborn.” 

Inside was blank…? 

Ribbons shot out from inside the book, wrapping Furina up in a bundle in every way. She struggled against it, but the ribbons only tightened.

She was trapped upon the stage, unable to move in any way.

“That’s fine. I suppose we’ll skip to the main act!” Filia raised her hand up, and the audience cheered. “Come, executioner!” 

A large shadow doomed over her, and Furina looked up, only to let out a small cry. 

“Do you know how your divine self died? Well, it seemed a bit unfair that you didn’t experience the same fate.” Flora commented, staring above her with a crazed look. 

“So we took it upon ourselves to give you the same death! Clearly drowning you didn’t work. You should have stayed there where you belong!” 

“Who knew you were so determined to live? Why must we go to the dramatic option?” Fillia gave her a glare, looking at her if she was scum. 

“Death will come for you anyway. We’re just helping you speed it up!” 

Neuvillette’s words that day only came back to her. 

“The Oratrice shined bright, and I found myself standing in front of a large guillotine. Underneath was…Focalors, the Hydro Archon.”

Furina did always wonder what it looked like. It was large and bright blue, looming over her menacingly. 

This was the guillotine that did the final blow on Focalors? 

Her original dream never tried to kill her! 

If this hit her…she would be dead without any question. Crushed with nothing left of her, as they wanted. Would she wake up from this strange nightmare if she were to die?

No. Furina didn’t want to die yet. She isn’t meant to die! She was meant to live like a human, as Focalors wished her to.

And yet here she was, about to experience the same fate.

Why? Was she that broken? Was all her hard work truly worth nothing? 

“Afraid are we? Don’t worry! It’ll be painless.” Filia laughed, walking up to Furina with a small skip in her step.  

She grabbed Furina’s face with one hand, turning it to the side with what was meant to be a warm smile upon her face. 

It felt cold. Ice cold.

“We could call this your Personified Fear, couldn’t we?” Filia remarked, as this eerie melody started to play. 

It didn’t have a proper start or end, but it kept playing over and over. 

It only made this dread rise up within Furina, as FIlia forced her to look directly into her eyes. 

“The countdown has begun to your death.” 

Furina’s end was approaching. Flora decided to make her appearance as well, putting her hands over her sister’s shoulder. 

“And the melody would be called your Fearful Harmony. It truly strikes fear in your heart, doesn’t it?”

The audience clapped along to the melody, going faster and faster. 

Furina struggled against the ribbons, as the claps increased in volume. 

Filia and Flora stepped back, as the guillotine above shook. It was her end! 

No! 

They connected hands, looking out towards the audience like two magicians about to announce a magic trick. 

“Now, behold! The death of the false god!” They announced at the same time, as the melody reached its peak.

This couldn’t be Furina’s end. There was no way this was her end! 

Neuvillette! 

The guillotine shot down at an alarming speed, and Furina closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see her end! Her vision glowed brightly in her final moments. 

A loud slash could be heard, with loads of commotion. 

Furina refused to open her eyes. It was better if everything stayed dark. 

Act 5: Masquerade 

“Furina.” 

Her eyes opened wide, and she found herself within Neuvillette’s arms. He was carrying her like a princess would be carried. Her cheeks became red, but he didn’t seem to mind. 

She noted that she had long white sleeves on her—did her appearance change once again? 

Nothing made any sense. What was this now? 

Wasn’t she dying? Where did the stage go? Where was her death they so wanted her to have? 

“Neuvillette..?” Furina whispered tentatively, and he had a smile on his face. One that was rather rare to see on him. 

“You are unharmed.” 

He spun her around, and she found herself in a room full of people. 

They all wore masks of various shapes and designs, with rather regal clothing. Chattering away, holding various foods and drinks while others were dancing.

Was this a ball? It seemed familiar to her in some way. 

“You must wake up, Furina.” Neuvillette told her, as he let her stand. 

She noticed she had a large white gown upon her, and her hair was longer than usual. 

Furina only stared up at him, but he looked serious about what he said. 

“Wake up…?” Furina echoed, and the others in the room turned to look at them with strange expressions. There was a hushed silence and he looked around, before coughing a bit.

“Pardon me.” 

Neuvillette extended a hand out, and she stared at it dumbly. 

“Shall we have our final dance, Furina?”

If this was a dream…when else would she ever have this chance to dance with him? Furina took his hand, and they both entered their final dance. 

To her surprise, he could dance well for someone who has never danced before. 

Again…all this was oddly familiar. It was as if she’s done this before—but that had to be impossible. 

“I don’t understand. Wake up?” Furina asked him, as they went around the room. The people around them watched in interest, some whispering about the Chief Justice and their Archon. 

“This is a memory from yourself. It seems like once before, you have dreamt about this scenario. It was all I could access in my haste before it struck you.” 

His explanation didn’t make any sense to her. 

But he was correct, she did once dream of the two of them dancing like so back when she read a romance novel late at night. 

The main characters were at a ball, and they were having a beautiful dance between the two of them. 

Furina got a bit too wrapped up in daydreaming about herself in the same position that it made her dream about it while sleeping. 

It was rather embarrassing for Neuvillette to know of this dream. 

It would be worse if he knew the ending to it—they would do a dip, and their lips would meet. 

It was a silly dream that would never come true, but here it was. 

“I believe once this memory ends, you’ll awake in reality. I am unsure what the end is.” He explained to her, and Furina had an odd sense that the end he was talking about was going to take place. 

The dip was approaching. 

Would this mean that they would be apart again? Was there no way for the two of them to be together otherwise? 

Is this…the last time they would talk like this? 

Furina’s chest hurt at the prospect. If she woke up from whatever this was, she would only return to her painful reality. 

This was better than her current life. Neuvillette was in it, actively seeking her out. 

Her mind went back to the words Neuvillette told her while she was slowly losing her memory in that river. He asked her a question about love. 

He asked if he loved her. She never got a chance to answer him. 

She should, shouldn’t she? If this was the real Neuvillette or not, he deserved to know the answer. 

“Neuvillette. You asked me a question, didn’t you?” Furina asked him, and Neuvillette’s face changed. 

He looked surprised, and it only made her want to laugh. It wasn’t often he was so dumbfounded. 

“You…heard me?” 

“Of course I did. I heard everything you told me.” Furina told him, as the music picked up its tempo. Their steps became faster. 

“Thank you for saving me from there.”

“As I said, I am always here for you.” He told her once again, and for some reason, she couldn’t believe them fully.

He wasn’t there for her. Only here, he was here for her. 

Her smile morphed to something akin to a frown without her realizing, her thoughts dark as always. 

This could be your chance to demand why. Yell and scream at him to make yourself feel better, Furina. He deserved it, and he is right in front of you! 

“Did I…hurt you, Lady Furina?” His question sounded so sincere, cutting through her thoughts and making her stop in place. 

Hurt me? Where is this question coming from?

Their dance was broken, just like how she was. It made her feel guilty at the way he stopped too, clearly disturbed by the sudden action. 

I’m sorry, Neuvillette. 

Again…Furina found herself lying to him. Just a bit. It was becoming a bad habit with him. 

She wanted to spare him from feeling guilty about it all, because once he did hear the truth…she wasn’t sure if it was an emotion he could accept with her. 

“It doesn’t matter if you did or not. The past is the past, is it not?” Furina told him with a wave of her hand, and he was silent. 

It was obvious she was trying to avoid the question. In Neuvillette’s eyes…that meant that she was guilty. Furina knew how he thought well.

It was true. Furina was utterly hurt and broken by his actions. 

“I find that it does matter, Furina. I never meant to hurt you.” 

Furina’s gaze avoided his own. Of course he never meant to. 

She knew that completely, but it couldn’t stop the way it made her heart ache painfully. She couldn’t meet his eyes again, only proving the point. Neuvillette seemed to tighten his grip on her. 

“Was love the reason I hurt you, as unintentional as it was?” 

Her chest warmed up once again, hearing the admission for the second time. If he was asking, then there was the answer. 

It was love.

She could tell by the way he always acted with her in mind and the things he told her while she was barely awake. 

It was her who had to make the Hydro Sovereign see it, to confirm his feelings.

He always did look to her for the answers regarding humanity—love was a human emotion that ran deep. 

Furina looked back at him, taking a deep breath. His grip seemed to relax a bit, but he was awaiting her answer. 

Once she did…how would Neuvillette take it? How much of the emotion of love did he understand? 

She could confirm that it was love he was feeling for her, but it was hard to tell what Neuvillette’s reaction would be.

If she could wish for anything…she would want a kiss from him. 

A warm hug like the one when they were in the river. 

To have him in her house, knocking on the door. Furina only wanted his presence in her life again. 

If she told him, would he do so? Would he finally be able to be with her? 

“The answer is…” 

They couldn’t even get to the dip part. The memory was cut off in an instant. 

When did I get home? 

I don’t remember. I don’t remember. I don’t remember. 

I don’t remember. I don’t…don’t remember…

Furina was home. 

There were her plain walls, her plain ceiling and her utterly plain bedroom in its entirety. 

She was in her bed, clutching her white dress she received from Fillian with an iron grip. Her knuckles were turning whiter than her sheets—not good. 

Furina had to force herself to loosen her grip, to return some blood into her hands. 

They ached with every movement she made. How long was she holding the dress while she was asleep? 

But when did she fall asleep? It didn’t make sense for her to. 

How did she get here? That was the main question she should be able to answer easily. It was obvious! I—

Well…I—

I—

No answer came to her. 

That was worrying. Did she lose her memory in the meantime? That wasn’t good. 

Let’s retrace my steps. There had to be an answer! 

I got home somehow. Okay…

Furina performed in the play while nearly ruining it all in the process. Fillian gave her the dress she wore in the second act while thanking her, which made her cry at their sheer kindness.

She ran all the way to the Fountain of Lucine while it was raining heavily. She looked into the water, and saw her reflection staring back.

And then…

Her head started to pound, almost as if her mind didn’t want her to remember what happened next. 

She pushed through it. Furina would remember. She had to remember! 

Then… hands dragged her in deep. It was her fragments, and Mirror-Me. 

She floated through the waters, heard a voice that guided her to a light and met the Hydro Dragon as Egeria. The dragon became Neuvillette, who wanted them to leave. 

They parted again by force by the same hands who dragged Furina in the first place, and she found herself at a river with a cloaked stranger in a boat after a star flew up to her. 

The stranger revealed herself to be Focalors. Focalors tried to drown her in the river, named the River of Forgetfulness. 

Furina slowly forgot who she was. 

Neuvillette came to save her, asking her a question about love, and uttered his true name—which made her remember everything.

Then they were forced apart again, even with Neuvillette using his powers to protect her. Furina found herself upon her stage that she was always on in her dreams with Filia and Flora. 

They tried to kill her with a guillotine, the same one that killed Focalors.

It fell, and then she was at a ball, where Neuvillette and her danced together. It was a past dream she had before, where apparently it would end when they did a dip and kissed. 

She was about to answer his question, but then…

Nothing. Her memories stopped there, no matter how hard she tried to recall beyond that. 

She slowly rose up from her lying position, her breath quickening.

Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. 

Was that all a dream? A very vivid and insane dream that she found herself having? 

Everything she went through wasn’t real? It felt so real to her, that Furina would bet her left arm it was. 

Or both arms. 

Wasn’t it? 

She truly felt those hands grabbing her, felt the grass between her feet as Egeria, her chest warm as fire while Neuvillette held her and while she danced with him…

It wasn’t. 

Her thoughts went into overdrive to comprehend the current situation—to accept the painful reality of it all. 

None of it was real. All that was fake. 

If it was a dream…I never talked to Neuvillette . We never were together, and we never went through all those tribulations. 

His confession of love wasn’t real. Saving her those both times wasn’t real. Dancing with him at the ball wasn’t real. 

None of their interactions were real, as she wished for it to be. 

N...no! It can’t be. 

Tell me it can’t be! I went through all of that, for it to be not real? 

Please tell me it wasn’t. 

Furina’s breathing only quickened further, and she tried to take deep breaths. She had to calm down, but it was all too overwhelming. 

This was why she didn’t want to return to reality. 

I never got to tell you the answer. 

Furina never was able to tell Neuvillette the answer to his question about love. It all ended earlier than it should have—her dreams wouldn’t let her even have that! 

It was love. And you don’t even know. I should have told you, Neuvillette. 

It’s my only regret. 

The worst part hit her hard. 

It was as she said within the dream. Their fate was to be apart–a never ending paradox between the two of them. 

Every time she tried to get closer, their distance only increased. 

If it’s not real…you never loved me, Neuvillette. 

You never loved me. 

I wanted you to love me. I was so hopeful.

It’s what you told me. It sounded like something you would say. It sounded too real to be a dream. 

I thought those were your true feelings regarding me. 

I’m so pathetic. Pathetic enough to dream up a whole scenario where you did. 

I’m so...so...broken. 

There were her very dark thoughts again, who only belittled her over and over. 

That’s right.

You ruined it all for yourself. Wasn’t Mirror-Me right? That dream was right, wasn’t it? 

There’s nothing to fix since there’s nothing left of you! 

“No…!” 

She clutched the sheets of her bed as tears ran down her face, unable to compose herself. 

“No...no…no…!”

Furina’s voice cracked with every no she uttered. This was the final straw for her. She couldn’t do it anymore. This dream went too far with her feelings.

Wasn’t the play enough? Wasn’t she already broken enough?!

There was no point trying to fix herself since clearly…she wasn’t meant to. 

Her dreams won’t allow it. 

She tried to make her own choices, and yet they all ended in the same way—it was unfair. 

Why? 

Furina looked down towards her vision, carefully touching it with a shaky hand. 

I’m so sorry. I wasn’t able to fix myself. 

This was a wasted gift on me. You should have given it to someone else who deserved it. 

I failed at my only purpose I gave myself. I just wanted to be okay. 

She covered her face with her hands, sobbing profusely into them. Furina was utterly done with it all. 

Neuvillette…

All I do is dream of you. Would you ever come to me for real? I want to see you. 

Please…I need to see you. 

I…I don’t think I can do this anymore. 

She lowered her hands slowly, raising her head up. Her head turned to the left, then it turned to the right. 

It then turned to the door, before it turned back. Furina found herself laughing at it all. Isn’t it absurd? 

A broken laugh escaped her. And another. Over and over, devolving into sobs. 

Of course he wasn’t there. Seriously…what did you expect, Furina? 

He won’t come.

Furina slowly rose up, forcing herself out of the bed. She took a step, then another. She had to move. 

Each step was heavier than the last, but she slowly made her way to her bathroom. 

A smile.

All Furina needed was a smile. She would get through this. 

If she could smile, it’ll all be okay. It had to be all okay. If it wasn’t…then…

She reached the mirror, seeing her reflection looking back at her. It looked terrible—she could see a sad person who couldn’t stop crying. 

The same reflection she saw back at the Fountain of Lucine, utterly pathetic. 

She could never be happy, could she? Everything she did only resulted in her crying. 

Smile. 

She tried to force one upon her face, but it only fell. She tried again. It stayed for a few seconds, before falling again.

Smile.

It fell again, and again—every attempt was a failure. 

Furina didn’t know how many times she tried. It kept falling and falling, no matter how much she forced it to stay upon her. 

Smile! 

Furina’s hands went to the sides of her mouth, pulling them up. 

There! A…a smile…

…

Her hands fell to her sides with a small sway of her body. A small hiccup escaped her, as she stared at herself blankly. 

Why? Why? Why? 

Please…

A hand reached out to the mirror’s surface, touching it. It felt cold, but she leaned closer regardless. 

Please…

Her reflection morphed to her other self, and Furina only clenched her fists at the sight. 

Focalors was smiling at her, and it only reminded her of that long dream—and what she did to her within it. 

Mirror-Me…

I can’t. I can’t. I can’t! 

Furina banged her fists against the cold surface. Then again, and again. Her tears fell, as she let out small sobs that wracked her body.  

It wouldn’t help, she knew it wouldn’t help her. Her hands ached with every slam, but she kept going, and going. 

Go away! I don’t want to see you! 

Everything…everything is because of you! I can’t be happy because of you! 

I lost Neuvillette because of you! 

Her reflection shattered into glass, leaving her pathetic self behind. Focalors was gone as she wished, but it didn’t give her any semblance of happiness. 

Furina breathed heavily as her fists slowed down. Very soon, she was barely connecting with the mirror.

I..I…

I don’t think…I’m okay. 

Her hands slid down the mirror’s surface, looking at herself with such…fear. 

For the first time, she was scared of herself. She was scared of what she was seeing in the mirror. 

I’m not okay. 

Furina stepped back, shaking. This wasn’t normal behavior. No one acted like she did, did they? 

No one saw the Hydro Archon in their reflection. No had crazy dreams like she did. Who only eats macaroni in their lives? 

It was no wonder she couldn’t be fixed, or be like everyone else. There was only one simple answer–she wasn’t. 

You wanted me to live like a human, Focalors. 

I can’t even do that right. I can’t be what you want me to be. 

Furina kept stepping back, watching her reflection become smaller and smaller. Her tears wouldn’t stop falling, blurring her vision. 

She kept blinking to see, but it would only become all blurry again.

Why am I like this? I don’t…I don’t know. 

Again, just like she was at the Fountain…she was at a loss. Everything crumbled down in her life, and now all that was left was…

A smile always did suit you the best. 

Fillian’s words echoed throughout her mind, like a broken record. It was strange that their words came to mind, but even they…couldn’t help her right now. 

Their kindness was wasted on someone like her.

I can’t smile. 

I…I can’t. I can’t do anything right! 

Furina kept stepping back, until her reflection was gone from view. She didn’t want to see herself again, never again. 

Her reflection only hurt her with every look upon it. Wouldn’t it be better if she never saw herself again? 

She looked at her hands, which were shaking uncontrollably. Furina grabbed her right wrist with her left hand, but it still shook.

Stop shaking…

Please…

Her steps quickened, yet she never turned around to look at where she was going. She was back in her room, but it felt rather oppressive to her. 

It felt like the walls were crawling towards her, threatening to drown her. 

No…no…

Furina hit something hard, a wall she surmised. It felt like a wall, and she found herself leaning against it. 

It was as if all her strength drained away, leaving her a mess that was completely lost to her own feelings of despair. 

She buried her face into her hands, not noticing how warm the wall felt. Or how the wall seemed to stiffen in place. 

“Furina…?” 

She froze in place at her name, the voice that she heard ever so clearly. She heard it loud and clear, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. 

It…couldn’t be. 

It had to be a hallucination. Yes…a hallucination! Walls don’t talk! 

They have never talked! Not even in her dreams! 

Unless someone was playing a mean trick on her, then it was impossible! She was all alone.

You’re crazy, Furina! So…so crazy!

You can’t want him to appear that badly! So badly you would imagine his voice?! 

Furina only clenched her eyes, refusing to look. If she didn’t accept it, it would go away. 

If she didn’t give into it, it wouldn’t affect her. 

I can’t imagine you! 

If I opened my eyes and looked up to see you not there…I couldn’t take it. 

So go away! Please…

Let me be…

A hand landed on her shoulder, and she lowered her hands from her face. That…that was a real touch. 

It was firm, with this familiar warmth spreading from her shoulder. It was so familiar to her, that she had the feeling she felt it before. 

She wasn’t imagining the touch. She would bet her whole body that it wasn’t a figment of her imagination. 

“I came in to check if you were awake. Did I startle you? Forgive me if I did.” 

That voice…I know that voice. 

But...but…it can’t be…

“Furina…?”

There it was again. It was calling her name, just like she heard it in her dream. 

Is it really you…?

Furina looked up, and met with dark blue-shaded eyes that stared back at her. She knew them like the back of her hand. 

It was! It was! 

She let out a sob, a shaky smile blooming on her face. It was the first smile that didn’t fall, all directed at the one person she wanted to see the most. 

Neuvillette. 

You’re here. I…I’m not imagining you. I..I…

Before Furina could even react, he wrapped his arms around her. She didn’t find herself surprised by the action, or anything.

They were strong, keeping her right against him. She looked into his eyes, finding a strange emotion within them. 

A hug…

She found herself wrapping her hands around his arms, pulling them tightly against her. It felt right, just right to her.  

Touching him only gave her more confirmation that this wasn’t a hallucination, or a dream she was in. 

You’re here. You’re here. You’re real. 

You came to my house. You finally came to my house. You remembered me. You came to see me. 

You came, Neuvillette..!

“Furina. Did something happen?” Neuvillette asked her with his usual tone, yet laced with worry. “Why are you crying?” 

She bawled her eyes out in response, letting out a wail that sounded like his name. 

Furina was so happy to see him. 

Neuvillette seemed to be at a loss, but he kept her close to him. This was new for him, which she knew completely in between all her crying. 

It wasn’t often one started crying at a simple question like his. But he seemed to have an idea of what to do, and he was trying his best. 

Perhaps he saw this from somewhere, but it didn’t matter to her at this moment. 

All that mattered was that he was here, and that she could feel his touch. 

Furina wasn’t sure how long they remained like this, but he didn’t let go of her. The embrace was everything and more to her, so much so that she didn’t want to lose all this. 

Not when she finally had it in reality. 

Her crying slowly subsided, with her grip on his arms decreasing until eventually they fell to her side. 

Furina closed her eyes as she found herself listening to his heartbeat. She was right against his chest, after all. It was hard to miss how loud it was. 

It was also fast, which she would have joked about if they were as they were in the past. It was comforting to hear, for it was another proof he was real. 

You’re real. 

Eventually, she finally managed to calm herself down enough to stop sobbing like a little baby in his arms. 

She was reduced to small sniffles, wiping the last of her tears. 

“Furina…”

She jumped at her name. She shouldn’t be scared of her own name. 

His hands slowly moved, and she found herself moving as well. Neuvillette took this chance to carefully turn her around to face him, noting how his eyes softened at her. 

There was something he wanted to say to her. Furina could tell, as she always could and she was nervous to hear. 

What would he say to her? What would happen now? He was here within her room, much to her disbelief. How did he get in, actually? 

Anything could happen. She sniffed loudly, waiting for his words. 

“Lie down.” 

…

That’s not what she expected him to say. Not at all. Lie down? 

That’s what you want to tell me? 

“Please. Your legs are shaking.” 

Furina looked down, seeing that indeed, her legs were rather shaking at the moment. She was tired, emotionally spent and her body was finally starting to give up. 

“I...If you insist…” Her voice was rather small and broken, after all she went through. It didn’t sound like herself at all. 

“I insist.” 

“T...then I shall do so.” 

Neuvillette let her go upon her words, and she turned herself around to face her bed slowly. 

As she did, she felt this sudden dread fill her. 

What if he’s gone?! 

She looked back immediately, but he was still there. He looked rather confused at the action, but she only sighed in relief. 

She was being paranoid, but it gave her so much relief to see him standing there still. 

He’s still here. It’s okay. 

Furina turned back around.

She slowly made her way to her bed, with Neuvillette right behind her, making sure that she would lie down like he asked.

She was too emotionally spent to fight him. If it was the past, she wouldn’t have listened to him and tried to continue on. 

At least…until he would insist further and she would do as he asked. Furina could never truly say no to him. 

She noticed her dress all folded up on the bed, but she couldn’t be bothered asking why.

There she was, upon her bed once again. Her legs were thanking her for the rest, and she let out a small sigh. 

Neuvillette was right to tell her to lie down. Speaking of Neuvillette, he was sitting on the edge of the bed. 

By edge, he was actually right at the bottom of the bed for some reason. 

He had his hands on his lap, looking at her like a child who wanted to come closer, but didn’t want to for some reason. 

She had to crane her head to see him, but even then she didn’t get why Neuvillette was sitting there out of all places. 

This would have made her laugh ordinarily, if she wasn’t so spent. He didn’t have to sit so far from her! She wouldn’t bite, nor was she that fragile. 

And there was space for him to come closer. Her bed was wide, so he could have sat next to her. 

There was this awkward silence between the two of them, mirroring the one that occurred back in his office. 

It was warranted though. Furina was crying her head off in front of him, and they hugged for an unspecified amount of time which felt like forever to her. 

What was anyone meant to say to that? Last time, it was Neuvillette who broke the silence. It would be her this time around. 

There were so many questions to ask. So many things Furina didn’t understand, and she needed those answers. 

Once again, Neuvillette would be the one who had to explain everything to her. That seemed to be the case with them now, yet it used to be the other way around. 

“Neuvillette…why are you here?” Her voice was quiet, looking at him with tired eyes. 

She was happy, so happy to see him…but she needed to know why he was here now. This was the first time he came to her house since she moved, without any warning?

“I was the one who returned you home. I could not leave until I saw you were awake and well. Forgive me for intruding.” 

That was one question answered. No wonder she didn’t remember how she came home. 

She must have been asleep during that time. But it still didn’t make sense. 

She was alone at the Fountain of Lucine when the dream occurred. Maybe she was imagining that part as well, to which she wouldn’t be surprised if it was the case. 

It would be best to ask Neuvillette about it. There was her second question. 

“From…where?” Furina asked, noting that he looked rather confused at it, as if he wasn’t expecting her to ask such a simple question.

“The Fountain of Lucine. I saved you from within the various waters. Do you not remember what occurred, Furina?” 

What?

Furina found herself rising at that statement, attempting herself up to a sitting position. Her body protested at it, making her falter at every try. 

That means…

Neuvillette jumped forward, his hand reaching out towards her to help her.

“Please, do not overextend yourself–”

Furina managed to sit up, holding out a hand to stop him from talking or moving. Her breath quickened almost immediately, tears forming in her eyes. 

“That wasn’t a dream?” Furina whispered, a tear falling down her face. She lowered her hand, looking at him with such seriousness despite the tears. 

“Tell me, Neuvillette. Did I or did I not imagine all of that?” 

It sounded like a demand, and she immediately felt bad for saying it like that. Neuvillette’s hand retracted back to his lap, as he sat back down. 

“You did not, Furina.” 

Another tear fell down her face. This wasn’t the right way to treat him after all he did for her. 

But it was what she defaulted to. She always defaulted to this persona of hers. 

“What was all that? It wasn’t a dream, was it?” Another question that sounded like a demand. 

“I believe it was an overflow of the Hydro energies within the Fountain of Lucine. It reacted to your emotions, and caused manifestations within the waters based upon past memories, and your own ones. I fear it is my fault that it occurred.” 

Neuvillette answered her immediately without any questions. 

And another tear. 

“The voice I heard…? Me being Egeria and meeting the Hydro Dragon? Was that real as well?” Furina asked, finding that it sounded less like a demand and more of a normal question.

“Yes. It was not the memory I wanted to put you in, but in my heightened emotional state…you were put in a random memory. I thought it would be the safest for you to be in a past memory, but it took me a while to find you, Furina.” 

“Is that why you became the Hydro Dragon in the memory?” 

Another question. 

“As soon as I entered the memory, I took over my predecessor.” 

It made sense. Furina kept asking questions about everything she experienced.

Neuvillette only confirmed that each one truly happened, explaining everything as best as he could. He wasn’t joking with her, or agreeing to appease her. 

He wasn’t one to do so, never. More and more, she found herself truly believing that it all occurred. 

It didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t okay but it was nice to know that she wasn’t crazy. 

Eventually, she reached the final thing she wished to know. It was something only he could confirm, yet she felt nervous about asking it. 

Was his feelings about her real as well? Everything he told her while she barely remembered herself, and the questions he asked her then, did he truly ask her them?

Did Neuvillette truly love her? 

“At the end, we danced together. You asked me a question about love. Was that real too?” Furina asked, her voice filled with hope. 

“Do you truly want to know the answer to the question, Neuvillette?” 

There was silence as he seemed to contemplate it all, and Furina looked away. All the other questions were answered instantly, aside from these two. 

Perhaps that was too much to ask. Furina was being selfish, clearly. 

“Furina.”

She turned back to her name, and he stood up from the bed. He stood there, staring at her and only one thought crossed her mind.

Are you going to leave me, again?  

To her surprise, he started walking closer. He sat down next to her, mimicking her current sitting position. 

Their shoulders touched, and she turned her head to face him. They were so close to one another. 

It felt strange, yet right at the same time. What made Neuvillette sit next to her now? She could never truly tell with him at times. 

“I wish to know. Was love the reason…that I hurt you, even if I did not mean to?” 

It was real.

“Is love why I want to be this close to you? Was love why I could not muster the courage to see you at your house?”

It was real. It seemed like he truly wanted to know.

“Is this love, Furina?” 

It was. I think it is. 

This was her chance to answer him, and yet…she couldn’t bring herself to. 

Her chest felt so warm, the star within her heart shining brightly at the admission. She ignored it, despite how deeply it burned. 

Why are you like this, huh? 

Weren’t you just crying about the fact that you should have told him? Hypocrite! 

Furina’s thoughts were always so dark, even when she was with him. It was one of the reasons why she couldn’t answer him. 

I’m too broken for someone to love me. Neuvillette didn’t need that in his life. 

A plain human with the Dragon Hydro Sovereign? Wasn’t that the reason she left in the first place? 

It was impossible for both of them to be together. Why did she think they could be? 

Furina looked down, not wanting to see his face when she said her next words. She was throwing everything away for his sake. 

She wasn’t sure if he would understand why she was doing this, but she had to. 

Let her ruin it all. It was what she deserved. 

Did he deserve it? No. 

He never deserved her. 

“Neuvillette. I’m so broken. I truly don’t think I’m worth being with you. Listen.” 

She pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She has never looked so vulnerable before, in front of him. 

It was the first time she ever said anything regarding her own feelings to Neuvillette. Furina never was able to talk about hers. It was always about someone else’s, or his own.

It would have made her fail if she told anyone. The Hydro Archon wasn’t meant to feel like everyone else did. 

“If it was love or not, you shouldn’t bother with me. That’s your answer, Neuvillette.” 

There was only one thing she could say that would make him leave. It worked before, so it would work again. It was painful. So painful to utter. 

“Now…I’m tired. I need to rest.”

Furina told him the words she told him once before, even in the same tone as before. This was the final blow. 

I’m sorry. 

Silence. She felt the touch of his shoulder disappear, and it was obvious what that meant. He took her words to heart, as he always did. 

Did he leave? 

Finally…I’m alone. All…all alone…

A broken laugh left her, before she wept. Once again, she was left all alone, crying in her bed. 

Why would you say such a thing again? Why do you have to hurt yourself again and again? 

Perhaps it would have been better if you stayed in that river. 

Why did you save me, Neuvillette? 

Furina found two hands on her shoulders. 

What…?

She looked up, and there was Neuvillette in front of her, looking so conflicted. They gripped her harshly, and she winced at how firm they were. 

“Just now…it looked like you were about to disappear again. I told you before. I cannot lose you, Furina.” 

Furina’s eyes widened at what she saw. A tear falling down his face, and then another. Did her words hurt him that much?

The skies outside instantly became dark, with heavy downfall hitting the house of her roof. This was the first time his tears corresponded with the skies outside.

“There are many things I do not understand. Many things that I will never understand. It is how it will always be. It is what I have learnt to accept.” 

Neuvillette…

“But there is one thing I will always understand regarding you. Every emotion of yours resonates deeply within me. You told me you need to rest, but I cannot accept that.” 

Furina felt his grip tighten, and strangely…she felt a sense of pride. He has truly come a long way, hasn’t he? 

This was the first time he was disobeying her words, despite how he always listened to them without any question.

There he was…expressing himself like a human would. 

“To me, you are not broken. Let me be with you, Furina. I want to be by your side. Will you let me?” 

You…truly do love me. 

I’m sorry for what I have done to you. All I do is hurt you. 

We hurt each other. If you would accept me as I am now, then I can accept your question. 

Furina’s hands reached for his cheeks, wiping away the tears falling. His eyes flickered to them, then back to her. 

I’m sorry. I could say sorry a thousand times, and it wouldn’t be enough. 

Can you forgive me for what I did? 

“Stay with me forever, Neuvillette.” 

A smile appeared. It was the most beautiful smile she ever saw, all for her. 

“I can accept that, Furina.”

With a smile alongside her tears, her lips connected with his own. It was the only way she could express her love for him. 

Actions always did speak louder than words.

This was her first kiss, and it was his as well. It was a little clumsy, but it was utterly perfect to Furina. 

It was a short yet sweet kiss, and she parted with a blush upon her face. It was a bit embarrassing how she went for the kiss so boldly. 

But all she wanted to do was laugh at the way Neuvillette looked. So dumbfounded, as if he discovered something incredible. 

“A...And about your first question—“  

It was Neuvillette who went back in for another one, cutting her off. His hands landed on her shoulders, Furina found herself hitting the wall, at the sheer strength and intensity of this kiss. 

It seemed like Neuvillette really liked kissing. That was something she would note for the future, the future she had with him. 

When they parted, Furina’s mouth only flapped open and shut. No words would come out, her face utterly red. 

“...How intriguing…”

Neuvillette leaned back a bit, putting a hand to his heart. 

“My chest feels so hot. It is as if a star came into existence inside my chest. It is the only way I can explain it. What is this feeling?” 

Furina put a hand to her own heart, understanding what he meant perfectly. Hers too, was shining brightly. 

She couldn’t help but smile. This was a question she could easily answer. 

“Neuvillette. We all, every one of us, carry a star inside of our chests. And your chest feeling hot, is proof that your star is shining.”

“A star…”

Furina’s other hand touched his hand that was on his chest. His hand felt warm, and it was a lovely feeling. 

“Yes. Your star is shining brightly.” 

Neuvillette moved his hand away, only to gently direct her own hand to his chest. He then pressed upon it, as if he wanted her to feel what he felt. 

“Will it always shine when I am with you?”

Furina gave him a single nod. 

“It always will.”

Their future was set from this moment on. Furina couldn’t imagine a world without him by her side. 

She was still broken. That was one thing that would not change or be fixed straight away. But with Neuvillette and a bit more time…she would be okay.

It was what she had to believe. 

She would, all for the one she loved the most. 

“Fillian!” 

Furina was running, huffing loudly as she stopped in front of the person she was meant to meet. It took her a while to get to the Opera Epiclese, since the Aquabus was filled with people.

There was a trial going on beforehand, and it seemed like people were rather interested in the case this time around. 

This would have been great ordinarily, but she had her friend to meet! 

It took her double the time to get there! She blasted through the doors, entering the main stage area where Fillian was standing around. 

“Ah, Lady Furina! I see you’re wearing the dress.” Fillian greeted her, and Furina crossed her arms at the comment. She was indeed wearing the dress Fillian gave her, with her vision attached by a white ribbon on her side. 

“Of course I am! Such a lovely dress deserves to be worn!” 

Fillian clapped their hands together, begging for forgiveness for such a comment. It nearly made her break the fake frown upon her face. 

“Sorry, sorry. You seem to be in much higher spirits now.” 

Furina gave them a side glance, before sighing and uncrossing her arms. Even after everything that occurred, they still treated her the same. 

“Apology accepted, only because it's you.” 

“Remind me to never make you angry, Lady Furina. Please, sit down.” 

On the stage was a table with four chairs, the ones that were used in the play. Upon the table was a large cake, beautifully decorated with blue and pink frosting. It was as if it was made specifically for her, which she had the sneaking suspicion that it was. 

There were already two plates as well, with two forks. Fillian prepared everything beforehand, all for her. 

She would never be used to it.

She sat down in a chair, looking at Fillian with a raised eyebrow. It was a lovely cake, but she didn’t expect to see such a large one, or a whole one. 

“I thought you said only a few slices.” 

Fillian only shrugged at her words, acting as if it wasn’t such a huge deal. 

“You are our star. You deserve a whole cake.” 

Their kindness never changed either, making her blush. She was still not used to such kindness, even if it has been about a week or so since the play.

“Before we start eating, I want to…apologize about what happened.” Furina started off, looking at them. “I’m sorry for the way I acted. I know you said that it was all okay, but I still need to apologize for my actions.” 

Furina still felt guilty for the way she was during and after the play. It wasn’t what Fillian deserved.

Fillian only gave her a warm smile. 

“I said it was okay, Lady Furina. I don’t hold anything against you. It makes me happy that you’re alright.” 

Their hand reached out to squeeze her own, in a friendly manner. Furina told herself she wouldn’t cry. 

“You should eat this cake before it gets cold.” They told her, and she only stifled a laugh. This must be their way of making her feel better.

“It’s already cold.” Furina pointed out, and Fillian retracted their hand with their own huff. 

“You know what I mean, Lady Furina. Allow me.” 

Fillian cut two large slices, with Furina’s being marginally bigger than their own. Of course, they would make her slice bigger. 

“Bon Appétit!” 

Furina took a bite, and her eyes shone. It still tasted amazing as ever, perhaps even better. She ate the whole slice in an instant, much to Fillian’s amusement.

“Have as much as you want.” 

And that’s what Furina did. She would never say no to the opportunity. She even skipped breakfast for it! 

Time passed, and she found herself completely satisfied. All you needed in life was some good cake. She would always remember the taste. 

“Have I ever told you that this is the best cake ever? Because it is. This is a high honor to receive from me, Fillian.” Furina told them, and Fillain gave a little bow. 

“Why, thank you. I need to keep a count of how many honors you give me.” 

Before Furina could come back with a snarky remark, Fillian’s gaze went behind her. It seemed like something caught their eye and they seemed to smile more widely.

Was there something behind her? 

“I think someone is here to take you away from me.” Fillian remarked with an exaggerated sigh, and Furina looked behind her.

There was the person who would always stay by her side. 

Neuvillette.

Her face slowly became red as the memories of that day flashed before her eyes. Ever since that day, Neuvillette has taken the time to visit her at her house every day.

His dark blue-shaded eyes were looking at her and Fillian, staring them down. It made her shiver a bit at how intense it was. 

Furina did mention that she would be hanging out with the director of the play she was in today, and he seemed okay with it. 

But was this giving him the wrong idea?! 

She did omit the whole cake part by accident, it slipped her mind when telling him. And the fact they were sitting on the same table and chairs as the play…

Neuvillette had the wrong idea.

Why was he here? Did he come to pick her up? It wasn’t certain as to why, but it didn’t change the fact that he was here. 

Furina turned back, looking apologetic. Neuvillette could be scary at times, and she hoped that Fillian wasn’t afraid of the look. 

One thing she learnt rather quickly is that Neuvillette felt emotions more strongly now upon receiving his full strength back. 

Anger, sadness, happiness…he felt such emotions with such depth. The skies didn’t stop raining for a long time after their encounter in her room. 

“I’m sorry.” Furina told FIllian in a whisper, and Fillian shook their head. 

“No need. I’m happy for you, Lady Furina. Monsieur Neuvillette is lucky to have you. I won’t get sent to the Fortress, will I?” Fillian whispered back, and Furina only looked up in thought. 

Neuvillette wouldn’t. But it was an entertaining thought. 

“If you do, I’ll come visit.” 

Fillian looked crestfallen, although Furina knew they weren’t truly upset. Great actors are always able to tell, after all. 

“That sounds like a yes. It was nice knowing you, Lady Furina.” 

Furina had to hold back her laughter. If she laughed, Neuvillette would definitely get an even worse idea about it all. 

Fillian gave her a wink, before letting out another sigh.

“I suppose you should go before Monsieur Neuvillette attempts to actually throw me in there. I hope we can meet again soon.”

“We will. Thank you, Fillian.”

Furina stood up, brushing out her wrinkled dress. 

Fillian stood up too, leaning down and grabbing the box the cake originally came in. It was on the floor the whole time? They put what was left of the cake inside, and held it out to her. 

“Here. Share some with Monsieur Neuvillette. You have to tell me if he likes it or not.” 

Furina took it, giving Fillian a grateful smile. Their kindness…Furina could never repay it, no matter how much she tried.

But she was grateful to them for everything they did. 

“I will. See you later, Fillian.” Furina gave a wave, and Fillian waved as well. 

“Goodbye, Lady Furina.”

Furina turned around and started walking to Neuvillette, who didn’t move an inch from the spot they initially saw him in. 

He looked as impassive as ever, but Furina could tell that he was rather not happy with what he saw. It was time for Furina to fix that. 

“Neuvillette! Look at the wonderful cake that I received from the lovely director! Let’s eat it together!” 

Furina showed the box to him, and there was this moment of silence as he stared at her. 

“Yes…we shall. Did you have a fun time?” 

Neuvillette took the box into his hands without asking, and Furina smiled at it. He always did think about her. 

“I did. Now, let’s get going. The Aquabus doesn’t wait for anyone.” 

She headed out first, opening the doors and turned back to see Neuvillette still looking at Fillian. Fillian looked at her with their hands together, which was basically a cry for help. 

Neuvillette truly had the wrong idea! 

“Could you not scare Fillian off? They are my friend, Neuvillette!” Furina called out, and Neuvillette walked up to her immediately. 

“Apologies, Furina. It seems…I had the wrong idea.” 

Furina only laughed at the way he looked apologetic about it all. It was just like him, and she wouldn’t trade it away for anything else.

“Come on.”

The two of them headed out of the Opera Epiclese, Furina in front. The sun was so bright, just like that fateful day.

She slowly stepped down the stairs, and Neuvillette followed behind her. It was hard not to feel his presence from behind her, he had this sort of aura that was rather oppressive at times. 

Her eyes landed on a very familiar place in the distance. They would have to pass the Fountain of Lucine to reach the Aquabus. 

It held both good and bad memories for her. It was where she first met Fillian, but it was also where she had that emotional rollercoaster of an experience.

She was torn between wanting to be there, and wanting to run away. 

Without her realising, she was already at the water’s surface. It seemed like she had no choice but to be there. Her reflection stared back at her, and Furina felt herself freezing as it slowly changed.

That wasn’t her anymore. It was her other self, waving at her. 

N…no.

It can’t be the same again. 

“Furina.” 

There was that familiar voice she knew all too well. It guided her back then, and it would guide her now.A hand was placed on her shoulder gently, and she felt herself tense at it.

It brought her back, finding that her reflection was still her. She was imagining it. 

“It is okay. I am here. Nothing will happen to you.”

Furina let out a shaky breath. That was right. It wasn’t the same as before. Neuvillette was here by her side now. 

I’m okay. I’ll be okay. 

Thank you, Neuvillette. 

An idea came to her, and she decided to do it. Anything to distract her from her feelings. 

Furina turned around, grabbing the box from his hand and putting it down on the Fountain’s edge. 

She then took his hands, much to his confusion.

She tried to pull him around, but like a stone wall…he wouldn’t move. Furina did describe him as a stone wall she couldn’t climb, but she didn’t mean it literally! 

Curse him and his dragon strength! And he just watched her feebly struggle! 

After a few pulls, she had to accept defeat and ask him to move. She flushed red, looking to the side. 

“Neuvillette. I wish to dance around with you. Please move.” 

“Ah. As you wish.”

She pulled him back towards her, and she was able to easily move him this time around. Furina was now able to direct him around the Fountain as she wanted.

Around and around they went, watching the world go round. 

Slowly, it seemed Neuvillette was enjoying their little dance around the Fountain. It was similar to what they did while they were dancing together in that dream. 

Her vision pulsated, and she noticed it from the corner of her eye. There was a question she wanted to ask him regarding it. 

“Neuvillette, about my vision…why does it look different?” 

As they turned, Neuvillette’s eyes drifted to it. He seemed happy to see it upon her. 

“I was the one who gave it to you.”

Her face went bright red. No wonder it reminded her of him, because it was from him! The four claw-like shapes were to indicate that it was from the Hydro Dragon Sovereign.

“H…how? Why?”

“Ever since I regained my full dragonhood, I decided to take over giving out visions for Hydro, even if I am not forced to do so. ”

They turned again, and his gaze went back to her. 

“I was there when I watched your performance on The Little Oceanid. I wanted to give you power, and that wanting manifested into your vision.”

Once more they turned, and Furina felt his hands tighten around hers. It felt like he was about to tell her an important secret. 

“You were the first person I ever gave a vision to.” 

Furina felt tears forming in her eyes. 

The gift from the gods was actually a gift from Neuvillette himself.

It gave her a purpose, a reason to try to fix herself. 

If it wasn’t for him doing so…she wouldn’t be with him now. A tear fell down her face, and then another.

Thank you, Neuvillette. Thank you so much.

You saved me in more ways than you can imagine. 

“I love you, Neuvillette.”

The words came out in an instant, and the water in the Fountain of Lucine suddenly glowed and shot upwards. 

It splashed the two of them, and Neuvillette for the first time…had red cheeks. 

Did her words catch him off guard that much? It seemed like the skies weren’t the only things that reflected his emotions. 

“I am very sorry–” 

“I love you.”

The water splashed up again, hitting them both. Furina’s hair looked like a soggy mess, but she didn’t care. 

Neuvillette seemed even more embarrassed at it, by the way he held her hands tighter. It seemed like he was that happy to hear her words. It was adorable, so adorable. 

“I love you so much.”

She kept repeating it, watching the water jump up at every way she said it. 

I truly love you. 

Never leave me. I want to stay like this forever, with you.

The star inside Furina’s chest was shining brightly, as she was sure Neuvillette’s star was as well.

Together, they would face the world.