Her Choice

Felina's consciousness bathed in the vast ocean of faith.

"No! Felina!"

Neuvillette and Focalors shouted in unison.

However, Felina merely smiled.

"What's wrong, Neuvillette? Didn't you always long to reclaim the full power of the Hydro Dragon Sovereign?"

"I remember asking you before if you wanted your power back. Your answer was, 'It was mine to begin with.'"

"Now that the moment has finally come, are you hesitating?"

Her words were filled with playful teasing, entirely unlike someone about to face death.

But to Neuvillette, those teasing words only made his heart feel even heavier.

"Lady Felina, this is not the time for jokes."

"If reclaiming my full power comes at the cost of your sacrifice, then I would rather not have it!"

"Besides, haven't you already mastered the Law of Water? Even without me, you can transform the people of Fontaine into true humans, can't you? There's no need to sacrifice yourself just to complete me!"

"What? Sacrifice?"

"Lady Felina is going to sacrifice herself?!"

"No way…!"

Hearing Neuvillette's words, the gathered crowd fell into turmoil.

Felina, however, simply laughed.

"Hearing you say that makes me happy."

"Thank you, Neuvillette, for caring about me."

"It's true that, as the master of the Law of Water, I could transform the people of Fontaine into true humans."

"But… I'm sorry. I have no choice but to die."

"Because… I have no other option."

...

A year ago, on Celestia, Felina was engaged in a conversation with the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.

"What exactly is happening to this world?" Felina asked.

Asmoday replied:

"If you compare this world to an apple, the Abyss to a swarm of pests, and the protective shell of this world—the 'False Sky'—to the apple's skin keeping the pests out…"

"Then right now, the apple's skin has already been gnawed away by the pests. The inside is also being devoured, while countless more pests swarm around it, seeking to consume it entirely."

"Soon, the False Sky will shatter. When that happens, countless monsters will flood into Teyvat."

Upon hearing this, Felina furrowed her brows.

"Is there no way to repair the False Sky?"

"There is. My authority can mend the False Sky. But the problem is, with the pests still surrounding the fruit, even if the skin is restored, it will be devoured again in no time."

"So, if we exterminate all the monsters and then restore the False Sky, will the world be safe?"

Yet, Asmoday still shook their head.

"Even then, this world cannot be saved."

"Because when the Abyss invaded, its corrupting power—along with the corpses of the monsters—already seeped into this world."

"This corruption has tainted the land, the rivers, the air, and even the ley lines."

"Even if all the pests were eradicated… Even if the skin was restored… The world itself has already been poisoned."

"The corruption will drain all life from this world. In the end, humanity will either starve to death or succumb to the contamination, facing inevitable extinction. This world will become a barren wasteland."

At those words, Asmoday turned to Felina and spoke once more:

"You should already know all of this."

"…"

On Celestia, Felina remained silent for a moment before letting out a bitter smile.

"Yes... of course, I know..."

She turned to look at Asmoday.

"Then, if this world can survive the disaster, if I can purify all the corruption after the war, will this world be saved?"

"Naturally. If that were the case, I would personally mend the protection of the False Sky, and this world would finally attain true peace."

"Then I have no objections."

Receiving this definitive answer, Felina seemed to make up her mind. Without hesitation, she departed from Celestia.

Asmoday stood still, watching the direction in which Felina had left.

The Abyss invasion had left behind countless monstrous corpses, sinking into the land of this world.

Even the corruption from the disaster five hundred years ago had yet to be fully cleansed from Inazuma.

Now, the scale of the Abyss' full-scale invasion had produced ten times the pollution of that catastrophe.

Though Felina possessed the Law of Purification, the price she would have to pay to cleanse the entire world of Abyss corruption…

At this moment, Asmoday understood why Felina had asked that seemingly redundant question.

Even though she had already known that the abyssal corruption was beyond what this world could endure, she had still wanted to hear the answer once more from Asmoday's own mouth.

Even though she had already resolved herself to die before she arrived, she had still clung to a sliver of hope—hoping that perhaps Asmoday had some other way to cleanse the corruption, so that she wouldn't have to die.

...

Fontaine

"Even if we have eradicated all the Abyssal monsters, the corruption they left behind is enough to destroy the entire world. Only by purifying all this filth can this world—and all its people—survive."

Felina's voice carried sorrow, yet it also held unwavering determination.

"And in this world, only I possess the power to purify it all—even if the price is my death!"

By now, everyone fully understood what Felina intended to do.

"Felina..."

"You..."

Both Focalors and Neuvillette trembled slightly, their pupils quivering.

Did they want Felina to die?

Of course not.

But they had no right to stop her.

And they understood why she made this choice.

Just like in the past, Neuvillette had not wanted Focalors to sacrifice herself, but for the sake of Fontaine's people, he had no choice but to watch her die.

And now, for the entire world, he could only watch Felina die as well.

The same was true for Focalors.

She had once destroyed her own divine throne and chosen death for the sake of Fontaine's citizens.

So she understood Felina's choice.

Because if she had been in Felina's place, she would have made the same decision.

As kindred souls, neither of them had the right to persuade Felina to stay.

And they both knew—even if they tried, Felina would not listen.

"No!"

"Felina! Don't die! You can't leave me!"

Furina cried out in desperation.

Among everyone in Fontaine, she had spent the most time with Felina and shared the deepest bond with her.

Felina's existence meant everything to her.

And only she had the right to ignore the bigger picture, to selfishly try and stop Felina from walking toward death.

At this moment, as she gazed at Felina's glowing consciousness, floating midair, her eyes were red and swollen.

Large tears rolled down her cheeks, falling without pause.

Seeing Furina's choked sobs, Felina's voice became incredibly gentle.

A gentleness that belonged to Furina alone.

"Furina... you always complain that only I can read your memories, while you can't see mine. You said it was unfair."

"You told me you wanted to understand me better, but I always had reasons to refuse."

"The truth is, I never wanted to hide anything from you. But back then, you were too tense. If I had told you, it would have only added to your burden."

"But now… I no longer have any reason to keep these secrets."

As she spoke, a stream of memories flowed through the connection between them, pouring into Furina's mind.

"My cousin just won an award. My uncle is in a good mood—this is my chance to ask for my living expenses. It's the only way I might get them."

"My older cousins are eating so well… I really want that piece of meat… No, I can't eat it. If I do, my uncle will definitely scold me."

"Aunt lost a lot of money playing mahjong today. I have to lock my room tight and make sure she doesn't see me, or else I'll definitely get beaten!"

A girl, orphaned, forced to live under the roofs of others, treading carefully under the gaze of those around her, fearing that a single misstep could bring her irreversible consequences.

"There's no one in this world I can rely on. I can only trust myself! I have to become stronger so I won't have to live under others, so I won't have to bow my head and endure their stares!"

After being sent to an orphanage, the girl grew up, throwing herself into her studies. After school, she spent every day in the library, reading relentlessly.

She studied psychology, studied manipulation, studied strategy...

She believed that human nature was dark—that only by becoming strong enough could she protect herself from being hurt.

Until one day, as the top student in the orphanage, she was taken by four older girls to an internet café as a reward for her academic excellence.

That was the day she encountered a certain game.

In that game, she met a character named Furina.

She realized that Furina was just like her.

Alone, defenseless, living under the watchful eyes of countless people, fearing every single day.

She felt a deep connection with Furina.

She saw herself in Furina—but Furina was different from her.

After everything she had endured, her own heart had long gone cold.

But Furina was different.

Furina had endured five hundred years, yet she had never lost her innocence or her optimism.

And Furina was saving the world—undertaking a great mission.

This girl called Furina was similar to her, yet at the same time, she was greater than her.

So while she admired Furina, she also wanted to protect Furina's innocence and dreams.

She wanted to stay by Furina's side—to ensure that she would never be unhappy.

"If I could travel to Teyvat, I would definitely protect Furina, make her happy, and prevent Focalors from dying!"

With intense empathy, she shouted these words at the screen.

"Hm? This place... is Palais Mermonia? I've really arrived in Teyvat? I've become Furina's second personality?"

"Hah... how wonderful. I want to use my own hands to secure the best possible ending for you."

In just a few seconds, she accepted the reality of her transmigration and immediately began planning.

She eliminated the assassins attempting to kidnap Furina, removed the spies lurking by her side, and orchestrated a trap to deceive the House of the Hearth, using the opportunity to eradicate the Fatui from Fontaine's borders.

She revealed the truth behind the prophecy, calmed the citizens' fears, and stabilized Fontaine's internal affairs.

"A new body? Forget it. If I separate from Furina, all the system rewards granted to me will transfer to the new body. That means if I die in place of Focalors in the future, these abilities won't remain with Furina."

"Furina has suffered for five hundred years. I just want her to live longer and enjoy more happiness."

Even after acquiring the Pure Water Creation ability, she willed the body she had just formed with Hydro to dissipate, choosing not to separate but instead to remain within Furina's body.

"Seizing the Hydro Archon's throne from Focalors won't be easy. I'll need an immense amount of faith energy... But how do I obtain it?"

So, she traveled to Sumeru, analyzing the political landscape, studying psychology and strategy, engaging in negotiations and power struggles with the sages of the Akademiya, laying the groundwork for merging the desert region into Fontaine.

It turned out that from that moment, she had already begun plotting to seize the Hydro Archon's position and die in Focalors' place.

"Even if Furina abdicates in the future, as long as she carries the power of a god, she will inevitably be caught in endless turmoil. No matter what, I must ensure she has enough trump cards!"

"Having power but not using it and having no power at all are two entirely different things. Only with strength can Furina truly live without worry."

Thus, she set her sights on God-level offensive machines.

She negotiated with the Geo Archon, slew Azhdaha, then devised a plan to subjugate Osial and Beisht, ultimately acquiring the Geo Gnosis.

She bargained with the Anemo Archon, resolved the dragon crisis and defeated the Abyss Order, obtaining the Anemo Gnosis.

She leveraged Yae Miko, orchestrating conflicts within Inazuma, igniting a civil war, and successfully securing the Electro Gnosis.

Step by step, she maneuvered Fontaine into war with Snezhnaya, ultimately challenging the Tsaritsa herself and claiming the Cryo Gnosis.

Each time a God-level offensive machine was built, she would personally leave behind a hidden control mechanism within it.

This hidden override could only be activated by herself and Furina.

If necessary, they could forcefully seize control of the machines, or disable them entirely.

Power struggles are ever-changing.

Perhaps Furina would never need to use these safeguards, but she hoped that even after she was gone, Furina would still have weapons to wield.

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