Goddess

Felina was dead.

To purify the world's corruption, she sacrificed her soul.

At the time, the scene was being recorded, so countless people witnessed her sacrifice with their own eyes.

When news of her fall spread, Fontaine was consumed by grief.

Felina had been beloved in Fontaine—such a kind and benevolent god, yet she met such a tragic end.

People were moved by her compassion and mourned her passing.

Countless devout followers of Fontaine were devastated upon hearing the news, weeping uncontrollably.

Even people from other nations felt deep sorrow upon learning of her fate.

The rain born from Felina's soul fell for two whole days, and as it did, the heavens, the earth, and the rivers were gradually restored to clarity.

Though filled with grief, people began rebuilding their homes.

Post-disaster reconstruction, calming the terrified populace after the fall of their god—

These responsibilities fell upon Focalors and Neuvillette.

Even though they were drowning in sorrow, they had to suppress their grief and devote themselves to their duties.

At this moment, everyone else could falter, but they could not.

As for Furina—

After the prophecy was fulfilled, she chose to abdicate her position as the Hydro Archon.

Neither Focalors nor Neuvillette were surprised by her decision.

After all, she had played the role of the Hydro Archon for five hundred years.

To her, the title of a god was never about power or status—

It had always been a shackle.

Besides, staying in Palais Mermonia would only remind her of all the memories she shared with Felina, deepening her sorrow.

Of all people, Furina suffered the most from Felina's death.

So, Neuvillette and Focalors fully supported her decision to leave Palais Mermonia.

However, they delayed announcing her abdication—

The world had just endured a great catastrophe, the prophecy's crisis had only just ended, and Felina had just fallen.

If they were to announce Furina's resignation now, it would only plunge Fontaine into even greater chaos.

After leaving Palais Mermonia, Furina found a quiet place to stay.

She locked herself inside her room, refusing to step out for days, letting grief consume her.

Had it been the old her, such a devastating loss would have taken years for her to recover from.

But Felina had changed her in many ways.

Before her death, Felina had told her—

"You can cry, and you can grieve, but don't mourn for too long."

So, just as Felina had instructed, Furina did not let sorrow consume her entirely.

On the seventeenth day, she opened her door and stepped outside.

The grief in her heart remained, but now, with Felina's memories within her, she understood the true reason Felina came to this world.

If only to honor Felina's sacrifice, she had to gather her courage and continue living.

...

Furina walked through the streets of the Court of Fontaine with quiet composure.

Gods from all nations sent their condolences regarding Felina's death.

Even the Cryo Archon, once an enemy, expressed her gratitude and respect for Felina.

It was as if the entire world had been shrouded in a veil of sorrow following Felina's passing—

But to Furina, it did not matter.

No matter how many people grieved, Felina would never return.

When the people of Fontaine saw Furina appear in the city, their faces lit up with emotion, greeting her with deep reverence.

In the past, no matter how exhausted she was, she would force herself to respond to them, doing her best to live up to their expectations.

But now—

Faced with their enthusiasm, she didn't even look their way.

She simply walked forward in silence, her expression calm and indifferent.

The reason was simple—

Responding to them would take too much effort.

And right now, she had no energy left for anyone.

Of course, the most important thing was that she was no longer the Hydro Archon, and Felina had given her confidence, teaching her that she did not need to care about others' opinions.

Now that she had stepped down from her divine position, she only wanted to be herself.

Would her current attitude invite hostility or opposition?

She was not afraid, nor did she care.

Because aside from the Hydro Archon's divine throne, which had been burned away, and the Law of Purification, which vanished along with Felina's soul, Felina had not taken anything else with her.

Pure Water Creation, the Archon's Divine Body, Arkhe Control, the Laws of Stagnation and Acceleration, and the Law of Water—these powerful forces were all left behind for her.

Even the five God-level offensive machines—as long as she willed it, she could control them at any time.

At the same time, possessing Arkhe Control, she had indirect control over the energy supply of all other nations, as well as the manufacturing of high-powered missiles.

In other words, even though she had abdicated, her status remained unshakable.

No one could betray her.

No one could disrespect her.

No one could harm her.

These were the "leverage" Felina had left for her!

During the past few weeks, amidst her grief, she had carefully reviewed all of Felina's memories.

Only after seeing them all did Furina truly understand—

Just how much Felina had valued her.

Felina's past memories, before she arrived in this world, were filled with misfortune, extremes, and chaos.

Yet in the single year she spent in Teyvat, she had sighed countless times in the dead of night, exhausted from her work.

For this entire year, the only thing that kept her going was her obsession with securing a happy ending for Furina.

Just as Felina had once said—

"I am not someone with a heart big enough to love the whole world. My heart is small. I can only care about one person, and that is enough."

She used up every ounce of wisdom and strategy her soul possessed to win you a happy ending.

At the same time, she taught you courage and strength and left you with the power to defend your freedom.

"Sigh... Felina, do you know? Sometimes, I wonder—what have I done to deserve the depth of your love and protection?"

As Furina walked through the streets, she originally wanted to revisit the places she had walked with Felina—

But she soon realized they had made so few memories together.

The cake Felina once wanted to try still sat on display, untouched, because she had been too busy to stop and taste it.

The dress Felina had longed to wear still hung on the display rack, unworn, because she had been too occupied to try it on.

In this one fleeting year, Felina had rushed through life, never even having the time to pause and truly see the world.

The streets of the Court of Fontaine were long—long enough that one could spend a day wandering through them.

Yet the streets of the Court of Fontaine were also short—so short that they could not hold the trace of a single person.

Felina had left behind so much for her and for this world.

Yet before she and this world could do anything in return for Felina, she was already gone.

Sorrow and regret filled Furina's heart.

Even though Felina was no longer here, she still wanted to do something for her.

With this thought in mind, Furina ventured into the sea, searching for Osial and Beisht.

Previously, in order to obtain a god-level combat force, Felina had collaborated with Zhongli to outmaneuver Osial and Beisht.

But from Felina's memories, Furina learned that this had deeply troubled Felina.

To strengthen Fontaine's military and secure Osial's power for the future battle against the calamity, Felina had schemed against Osial.

However, her inherently kind nature had left her feeling guilty about it.

Even until the very end of her life, Felina had carried regret for this act.

Now, Furina had come to Osial, seeking to apologize on Felina's behalf.

The disaster had passed, and Felina was gone—it was finally time to reveal the truth.

Thus, Furina told Osial and Beisht everything, conveying Felina's guilt and offering an apology in her stead.

"Furina, girl, actually… we've known the truth for a long time."

Osial and Beisht's response was completely unexpected.

"What? You already knew?" Furina's eyes widened in shock.

"Of course."

Osial nodded. "Felina's plan was indeed clever. At the time, we didn't see through it."

"But we are ancient beings, thousands of years old. Looking back afterward, certain details stood out, and in half a year, we managed to piece everything together."

"Then..."

Furina hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Do you… resent Felina and me?"

"And what if we do?"

"After all, it was Felina and I who caused this situation. If you hold resentment, I completely understand. I will even remove the soul imprints binding you."

"However..."

Furina's expression grew serious, her brows slightly furrowing.

"You may resent me, but if you attempt anything that threatens Fontaine, I will not hesitate to strike you down."

At these words, Osial and Beisht froze for a moment.

But instead of anger, they suddenly laughed.

"Furina, girl… you really are becoming more and more like Felina."

"As for the soul imprints… forget about removing them."

"Huh? But… why?"

Furina was startled.

"Don't you want freedom?"

"Heh… Freedom?"

Osial and Beisht let out a bitter laugh at the same time.

"Furina, girl, you have never experienced that era—you cannot understand how we feel."

"Back then, countless gods roamed Teyvat, but at Celestia's command, they were forced into endless slaughter until only seven victors remained."

"Yet not all gods wished to fight, nor did all gods desire to claim the Seven's thrones."

"I once had ambition. I once burned with fury. I once longed for revenge."

"But a thousand years of imprisonment have long since eroded my ambitions."

"And in these past six months, sailing the seas with my wife, the quietude has washed away my rage and hatred."

"You cannot imagine the ceaseless agony of wandering in battle, of being pierced by spears of stone, suffering for millennia without end."

"Now, as one of the Hydro Archon's followers, living under the order of the Seven Authorities, with a place to call home—we already feel blessed."

"Besides, though Felina schemed against us, she also freed us from torment and granted us relative freedom, did she not?"

"As a ruler, Felina had no choice but to plot against us. But we could tell—she still treated us with the utmost respect. We could feel it. At the very least, in the bond of friendship, she was sincere."

As he finished speaking, Osial smiled at Furina.

"I imagine she foresaw our change in mindset. That's why she allowed us to remain."

"In this, Furina, girl, you still can't compare to Felina."

...

After this conversation, Furina's bond with Osial and Beisht deepened, and the remainder of their discussion was pleasant.

Since Osial and Beisht firmly believed that the soul imprint helped them maintain their place within the Seven Authorities' order, Furina ultimately did not remove it.

Having apologized on Felina's behalf, Furina felt somewhat relieved of the burden in her heart.

Bidding farewell to Osial and Beisht, she returned to the Court of Fontaine.

Though Fontaine had begun to recover its former prosperity after the disaster, the city had now become a place of sorrow for Furina.

Because—

Neither she nor this world would have had this ending if not for Felina's sacrifice.

Felina had exhausted herself to secure this peace—yet in the end, she never even got to see it.

"It's unfair, isn't it?"

"I'm not willing to accept this, Felina… If only you were still here."

"We never even had the chance to walk these streets hand in hand, did we?"

Furina's heart seethed with unwillingness.

Yet just as she was drowning in her emotions—

For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw a figure.

On the streets of the Court of Fontaine, there was a goddess-like woman dressed in a pink-and-white dress, with short pink-white hair.

Her aura was sacred, her beauty unparalleled, and with every graceful movement, she seemed to wield the power to overturn everything.

She held a chilled, sweet Fonta drink in her hand, her dress fluttering as she walked barefoot through Fontaine.

The moment Furina saw this woman, she froze in place.

Because she recognized her—

She was the "Sister Shiju" from Felina's memories.

In that instant, Furina's pupils trembled—

As if grasping at hope, she abandoned all composure and ran toward the pink-haired woman.

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