"...Focal...lors? You're..."
Focalors stepped barefoot across the water, approaching Fidelle until they stood barely half a meter apart.
Gazing at that face, identical to Furina's, Fidelle's heart surged with a tempestuous wave of emotion. She didn't doubt the being before her—not with that face, not with that name!
Focalors...
"...Lady Focalors? Where is this... I... I wasn't... dissolved? In Poisson..."
Fragments of memory, like startled fish, churned through her core consciousness.
"Yes, Fidelle," Focalors replied, her voice filled with deep remorse and a heavy tenderness. "Because your consciousness was so remarkably resilient, I was able to sense your existence and guide your last coalesced, most essential will and memories here in the form of pure water essence."
"This is a temporary refuge at the edge of my Domain, capable of protecting your soul from being completely consumed by the primordial sea. In all these years, you are the first to set foot in this place."
Fidelle's mind raced. She wasn't foolish; upon seeing the God claiming to be Focalors before her, she had already begun to suspect the truth.
But speculation aside, Lady Focalors stood right before her. All she needed to do was ask.
"Lady Focalors, what exactly is going on between you and Lady Furina? And what about this Prophecy?"
The Prophecy was something Lady Furina cared deeply about. Now that she had this opportunity, Fidelle wanted to ask for clarification on Lady Furina's behalf.
Focalors extended a finger, its luminous tip gently touching Fidelle's forehead. Her voice carried an unprecedented sincerity:
"Fidelle, before I tell you any of this, please allow me... to express my deepest gratitude. For five centuries, I have watched over Furina. Her long, solitary, agonizing journey through endless darkness... each step like treading on thin, cracking ice."
"Furina... she bore far too heavy a burden alone, one she should never have had to shoulder. Fear, pressure, unspeakable secrets... your arrival brought her a rare moment of respite, a long-lost, genuine smile from the heart."
Fidelle's form fluctuated violently, her blue light radiating warmth and intensity, conveying her overwhelming emotion.
"Serving Lady Furina is my sworn oath, freely given. You... need not thank me."
Focalors: "I will tell you everything you wish to know."
"Let's start with the Prophecy. You're familiar with Fontaine's Prophecy, so I won't repeat it."
The Plan had reached its critical stage. Whether Fidelle knew the truth or what choices she made would no longer affect the final outcome, so Focalors dared to reveal it to her.
Even if unforeseen problems arose later, she could still resolve them.
Focalors: "The 'original sin' that Fontainians are born with is not their fault. The previous Hydro Archon, Egeria, took pity on the Oceanids' yearning for the Land. She stole the power of the Primordial Sea, the 'Primordial Seawater,' and shaped human forms for them. Those were the first Fontainians."
"This violation of the Laws of the Heavenly Principles inevitably triggered the Prophecy: 'The Fontainians will eventually dissolve into the Primordial Seawater, and the Hydro Archon will weep alone on her Throne.'"
"The Prophecy is predetermined 'history,' impossible to escape, only to 'deceive.' To achieve this, I split myself into two: the divine 'me' hid deep within the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, gathering the strength to shatter the Hydro Archon's Divine Throne, while the human 'her,' Furina, became my perfect 'mirror image.'"
"She knew nothing, playing the role of a god for five hundred years in a mortal body. She bore the weight of loneliness, fear, and pretense alone, all to maintain the stability of faith and pave the way for the final 'Trial'."
Fidelle: "Lady Focalors, does this mean that Lady Furina... was unaware of her true identity, of everything you've just told us? She's merely an ordinary mortal with the ability to live forever, who has been impersonating you all this time, correct?"
Focalors' description of her long, solitary, and arduous journey immediately brought Furina's situation to Fidelle's mind.
No wonder... No wonder some of Lady Furina's actions seemed so strange. It turns out, beyond her divine status, she's just an ordinary mortal...
"Lady Focalors, I don't understand. You made Lady Furina impersonate a god alone for five hundred years. Isn't that... terribly unfair to her?"
Fidelle gazed at Focalors, who looked exactly like Lady Furina. Despite the resentment in her heart, she asked the question as gently as possible.
Focalors' voice carried a deep sense of resignation:
"This is the only way I can think of to save Fontaine. The wheel of Fate has turned to its most critical moment. The Prophecy looms, and the final Trial... is imminent. It's the linchpin of my Plan, the sole means to shatter the Prophecy and redeem Fontaine."
"Trial?!" Fidelle exclaimed, bewildered.
Focalors: "My Plan demands the complete annihilation of my Divinity, returning Authority to the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, stripping the Fontainians of their Primordial Sea Imprint, and transforming them into true humans."
Fidelle's voice grew urgent: "The shattering of your Divinity?! Lady Focalors, could it be that your... final fate is..."
Seemingly indifferent to her own fate, Focalors continued:
"When the Prophecy comes to pass in the form of 'The Hydro Archon Cries,' Furina she will shed all her shackles and be reborn as a free human. This is my atonement to Egeria, my redemption of Fontaine, and Furina's... long-overdue liberation."
"Furina... she must ascend that Trial Platform. She must face that storm alone and fulfill her final mission."
Fidelle's heart writhed in anguish. "To let Lady Furina... endure this Trial alone?! When she's so vulnerable, so utterly broken?!"
Her form began to twist restlessly, gradually taking on a more humanlike shape.
Focalors watched Fidelle with astonishment. She knew Fidelle's consciousness was strong—otherwise, she wouldn't have sensed her presence and drawn her into the shallow waters of her mind.
But what Focalors hadn't anticipated was the sheer extent of Fidelle's mental fortitude. Without any external aid, she was actually restoring her physical form on her own!
After recovering from her initial shock, Focalors began to answer Fidelle's question.
"Yes, it must be this way."
Focalors' reply was unwavering, carrying the weight of divine Judgment, though a faint tremor betrayed her inner turmoil.
"This is destiny, and this is the price. For Fontaine, for all Fontainians... and for her own ultimate freedom... she must endure this Trial."
"All I can do is, at the final moment, bear both the 'guilt' and the 'power' together. But I cannot take her place on the Trial platform, cannot shield her from the overwhelming torrent of doubt, the crushing pressure, and the boundless pain and loneliness she now endures within her heart."