Within a gloomy drawing room in the House of the Hearth, Arlecchino leaned against a wall, arms folded. Lyney sat on a couch nearby, fiddling with a pack of cards that he turned this way and that, restlessly practising his sleight of hand.
"My Lady-" a Pyro Agent entered the drawing room with a report in hand.
Arlecchino snatched up the report, scanning through the document quickly.
"Neuvillette is heading for the Opera Epiclese?" she asked.
"Yes, my Lady," he bowed, hesitantly he added, "There are Abyssal monsters approaching from the Opera Epiclese."
She heard his unspoken question. What shall we do?
"Gather our people," she ordered, "The Fatui shall support the Gardes in protecting the people of Fontaine."
Arlecchino walked out onto the nearby balcony and stepped onto the railing.
The Pyro Agent cleared his throat, hastily following after her, "W-Where are you going, Lady Arlecchino?"
Abyssal monsters were attacking, Lady Furina had apparently gone mad and Neuvillette had left for the Oratrice. Arlecchino could almost smile. Was there ever any doubt what she would do?
Lyney hurried after her as well, "I'll come with you-"
"No," Arlecchino said, without turning to look at him.
The magician balled his hands into fists, "Fontaine is my home too. When I joined the House of the Hearth, didn't you promise that I'd be able to help save Fontaine?"
Arlecchino slowly looked over to him. Lyney paled at the look on her face but held his ground, refusing to drop his gaze.
Inwardly, Arlecchino sighed. It had been a number of years now since the three children, Lyney, Lynette and Freminet, had entered her service. Over the years, they had slowly become her most trusted subordinates in Fontaine…and as they journeyed by her side, perhaps even more.
Out of the trio, Lyney reminded her of herself the most. His determination to act in the face of danger, his calm and focused approach in battle, and perhaps most of all…the love he held for the people of Fontaine.
"You will stay right here to manage matters in the city," Arlecchino said, "This is an order, Lyney."
It would be best if he did not head into unknown danger with her…because she needed him to hold down the fort here. Yes, there was no other reason.
Lyney hesitated. She could see the struggle behind his eyes before he finally agreed in a frustrated tone, "Yes, Father."
The magician was still conflicted, it appeared. That wouldn't do. He might do something foolish like try to follow secretly behind her.
"You must look after your siblings and the House of the Hearth," Arlecchino told him coldly, "You will not waste the time and effort I have spent to raise you all."
Lyney nodded, his gaze firming up, "Yes, Father!" he hesitated and then added more quietly, "Please come back to us."
Arlecchino gave him a nod. There was no more time to waste. She leapt off the balcony and shot through the sky towards the Opera Epiclese in a blaze of scarlet flames.
The grounds of the Opera Epiclese seeped with black mud. Rifthounds and their whelps crawled up from shadowy pools and stalked after anything that moved, sapping the vitality of all living things as they went. Arlecchino pushed herself on, cutting her way through the monsters in a flash. There were no humans around, already evacuated by the Gardes at the first sign of danger. There was nothing here but an endless wave of monsters bursting forth from a slowly blackening land as the rain fell heavily from the sky.
But Neuvillette had to be around here somewhere. There was no way that the Chief Justice would ever abandon Lady Furina. Where was he…?
A violent beam of Hydro swept through the air, obliterating a group of Rifthounds. Ah yes, there he was. Arlecchino ducked below a swiping claw, kicking off the head of a Rifthound with an explosive burst of flame.
Arlecchino landed next to Neuvillette, who stood by the Fountain of Lucine.
"Injured by such trifling beasts? How careless of you, Monsieur Neuvillette," she smirked as she punched off the head of a passing Rifthound whelp.
"Lady Arlecchino," Neuvillette intoned. Serpentine eyes turned on her, glowing brightly with pure Hydro.
"There's no need to be so wary of me, Monsieur Neuvillette," Arlecchino purred, "I'm here to offer my assistance."
"I do not believe you. You despise Furina," he replied, "Yet I am here to rescue her."
With a wave of his cane, a Rifthound whelp that was lunging at him exploded into orbs of glowing water.
Another monster took its place almost immediately. The black mud in the ground around them bubbled constantly, spewing forth monster after monster.
"You still wish to chase after her, even after she has become like this?" Arlecchino dodged around a Rifthound, setting its head on fire as she landed beside Neuvillette once more, "Hmph, nonetheless, I will not see Fontaine invaded by the Abyss!"
Their gazes locked. There were many things that they would never agree on, yet in this moment there was a common understanding that passed between them.
"I will save Lady Furina," Neuvillette said, narrowing his eyes.
Arlecchino scoffed, "Very well then."
The beast inside her was hungry. Arlecchino's eyes glowed. A mad smile grew on her face as scarlet flames burst into existence around her, turning the world into a fiery hell.
"BURN WITH ME!" the Knave commanded, and the world obeyed.
Rifthounds flailed, spontaneously combusting as the temperature rose sharply. A beam of red flames glassed the ground and spread out, burning a straight corridor to the entrance of the Opera Epiclese.
Arlecchino barely noticed Neuvillette's departing figure as overwhelming euphoria coursed through her veins. Here she was, surrounded by monsters of the Abyss, battling alongside the Hydro Dragon of legend with all of Fontaine at stake! Her eyes glowed amidst the flames and even the Rifthounds hovered back a step as she turned her attention towards them.
It was almost like a childhood dream come true…
The interior of the opera house was oddly pristine. There were no signs that monsters had entered at all. A lone spotlight illuminated the grand stage below, highlighting an open trapdoor below the scales of the Oratrice- an invitation.
Neuvillette dropped down the trapdoor into a dark tunnel far below the earth. As he walked on, the harsh yellow glow of the Oratrice brightened the tunnel. Golden particles sparkled and drifted in the air as the concentration of Indemnitium sharply increased.
"You're here at last~"
Furina's bell-like laughter tinkled in his ears. The tunnel gave way to a vast circular chamber. A huge, glowing orb hung suspended in the centre of the chamber, encircled by revolving rings of seal-etched metal and a vast network of pipes reaching up to the ceiling and the opera house above. The sea of golden Indeminitium within the core bubbled and sparked, threatening to erupt at any moment.
Furina stood below, silhouetted by the glowing core of the Oratrice. She smiled at him, reaching a hand towards him but frowned when he didn't respond.
"I've been waiting to meet you for so long," she sighed, walking slowly towards him, "Don't you have anything to say to me, Neuvillette?"
Neuvillette had had time to think as he made his way to the Opera Epiclese. Many thoughts had stirred inside him. Regret, for not speaking to Furina when he should have. A deep desire to reverse the current situation and find a way to help her, but more important than all of that…
Determination, and a faith that would not be shaken.
"The God of Justice, Focalor, is fickle and hysterical. She is prone to drama and sensationalism," Neuvillette said slowly, "Yet Lady Furina has never failed to try her best. She has always loved the people of Fontaine from the very beginning. I have no doubts that she would never willingly do anything to harm Fontaine."
Even in this moment when it seemed that everything had gone wrong, even if he could not understand what she had done, Neuvillette smiled as he said this. The image of Furina in his heart would never be tarnished no matter what happened because for four hundred years, he had been by her side.
"As I stand witness before the Oratrice," he continued, "I believe in you, Lady Furina, and that is why I will save you."
"Even now…even now you still think I must think of those worms first! Why can't you look at me? Why can't you just accept me like this?!" An ominous aura flaring up around Furina, corruptive purple energy sparked in her eyes.
Neuvillette slammed his cane against the ground. Orbs of Hydro condensed around him, ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.
Black mud bubbled around Furina, seeping up from the ground. She raised her sword, the mud flowing upwards against gravity to form a gigantic wave.
Neuvillette answered with a sea. Pure Hydro swirled around him, materialising out of thin air in larger quantities than he had ever summoned to date. The waves of water roared around him, blasting away the black mud. Amidst the waters, Furina's form struggled.
She was not even attempting to wrest control of the waters from him. It was as if she couldn't for some reason- and now that he was nearby, he could sense…there was no Hydro in her.
What was it he felt in that moment? Overwhelming relief? Concern? Fear?
"You are not Furina," Neuvillette stared down the Furina-shaped creature, keeping it locked in a swirl of Hydro, "Where is she?"
The mimic gurgled out a maddened laugh, black mud bubbling from its mouth. It was disintegrating amidst the powerful elemental energy swirling around it. Its eyes tilted up towards the Oratrice. Neuvillette dropped the mimic to the ground, dismissing the excess waters with a wave of his cane.
"Furina…"
It felt like he could finally breathe again. It hadn't been wrong to believe in her after all.
There was no need to hesitate. Neuvillette floated up to the core of the Oratrice, up to the roiling mass of Indemnitium that was threatening to go critical at any moment…and stepped inside.
The mimic crawled after that tall, distant figure. The black mud that constituted its form was slowly being washed away by pools of pure Hydro. Black tears dripped from its dissolving eyes.
"It's not fair," it sobbed in Furina's voice, "It's not fair…why won't you look at me…like you look at her…?"
Her name was Focalor, and she was dreaming.
His corruption was more than she could bear, but *** was in pain. She could not leave him to suffer any longer. There was no choice but to take drastic measures. She grasped the ****** tightly, yes she could do this again.
Let the waters be split, let the foul mud be sealed away…
She would be diminished beyond belief- Even now she was already incapable of fully purifying herself, but that was enough. He would be there- that would be more than enough…
Take the bitter corruption and trap it into a vessel carved from her own flesh…
I am Focalor, the God of Justice, my ideals have no stain. I must correct you, so let her/me sit at the core of judgement. Let the years purify the foul corruption and let her/me fade away…
Furina jolted awake, taking a brief second to recall that yes, she was still inside the core of the Oratrice and no, it wasn't just a nightmare. Then she had to focus on trying to manipulate Hydro to quell the raging Indeminitium around her.
She couldn't afford to fall asleep. She couldn't afford to falter, not for a single moment.
How long had it been? Hours? Days? It didn't matter anyway. She had to stay here and concentrate fully on stabilising the Oratrice's core. There was no time to even worry about the strange Abyssal mud that had escaped from the core. If she got distracted for one second, if the flood of Indemnitium exploded out onto Fontaine…
The Indemnitium surged and roiled. It was growing more and more unstable because of the wavering beliefs of the people of Fontaine. She wasn't going to be able to keep the Oratrice's core from going critical for much longer.
An idea came to her, a desperate idea.
Furina bit her lip and then sighed to herself. The Oratrice was powered by Indemnitium, the people's belief in justice. Yes, this could work. Maybe. Hopefully…she had to try anyway, for the sake of Fontaine.
"I confess," the God of Justice stammered, "I invited the Knave for tea because she had nearly taken my life. I wanted to- to prove to her that I wasn't afraid!"
There was no reaction. Or if there was any, it was too insignificant for her to tell. The Indemnitium boiled around her like a storm, threatening to burn everything away.
"I confess," the Hydro Archon continued, "I went alone to check on the Oratrice because I was afraid of admitting that I had no answers. I'm terrified of disappointing Neuvillette and the people of Fontaine."
It was working! She could feel the sea of Indemnitium settling a little, slowing in its movements. The next words that came to her mind weighed inside her, refusing to pass through her lips.
No, she could do this. She had to do this!
"I confess," Furina forced herself to say, "I often act out because…because I couldn't trust him to accept me in my weakness. Even though he promised…I- I still doubted and was afraid…"
The sea of Indemnitium settled further, but it was still churning. Furina gritted her teeth in frustration, wasn't that enough…? That had been so painful to admit already. What else could she even offer?
"Neuvillette…" she murmured.
Then she heard it- a calm, familiar voice echoing from deep within the sea of Indemnitium.
"I confess," came Neuvillette's voice, "I left you to have tea with the Knave to quell the Primordial Sea. I neglected to inform you at the time because I did not wish to worry you about the prophecy."
Neuvillette! A wave of relief swept through her. Yes, as long as Neuvillette was here, she could do this. As long as he was here by her side…
"I confess," he murmured, "I did not inform you of the rumours about the Oratrice because I have always feared to upset you. I have never been able to bear seeing you cry."
She could vaguely sense his form within the sea of Indemnitium, a beacon of Hydro that she would always be able to rely on. Furina reached out towards him.
"I confess," said Neuvillette with a sigh, "I have failed to trust you and I have failed to recognise your true strength."
Neuvillette was there. He was really there with her when she needed him. The sea of Indemnitium finally settled down into a smooth, regular current at his words.
"Lady Furina, may I ask for your forgiveness?" he murmured as he wrapped an arm around her.
Furina leaned against his chest and smiled as she finally, finally allowed herself to rest. She closed her eyes tiredly, focusing on his warmth as she allowed the rest of the world to fall away.
"Only if you forgive me too, Neuvillette…"