"So he has returned?"
The messenger affirmed and bowed his head low in reverence to the legendary figure of the Fatui Harbingers. The very first member and director of the Fatui remained silent in thought and eventually waved his hand at the messenger who caught the hint and quickly vacated the room, leaving Pierro alone to mull over his options.
Lucine Fontinas, the Grand Duelist of Fontaine… There's nobody in this world who could ignore the presence of such a legendary figure, someone so powerful that could easily rival some of the strongest archons to have ever graced Teyvat. He had heard many things about Lucine Fontinas from his archon and all of them were praises about his strength and character. If the Fatui could get someone like him to be on their side…
The Jester grinned. He had made many preparations for many different possibilities that might arise and thankfully, the possibility of the return of the Grand Duelist was something which they had prepared for. In fact, they should be thanking the previous Hydro Archon for them to have such an ace up their sleeves. They had a hand in Lucine's recent resurrection, even if back then nobody could say for certain if whatever they did would bore fruit.
Fortunately, their efforts paid off. The Grand Duelist had returned and with that, another path had opened up for the Fatui to enact their grand plan.
The Jester stood up and left, mysteriously disappearing into thin air.
It's time to rewrite the rules of destiny.
"Confident?"
Lucian subtly gestured with a slight jerk of his chin towards the depths of the ruin, which they finally reached after a long journey. Clorinde took a careful peek from where they were hidden behind a wall overgrown with algae and thick tree roots.
A large group of bandits had made this their secret getaway. She even spotted a rogue meka that the bandits had definitely gotten their hands upon through some unlawful means. This ruin very likely holds some sort of ancient relic or treasure that might shed some light on the truth of the prophecy that threatened to swallow their nation but to get to those relics, they would first have to deal with that large group of bandits.
This is not going to be an easy fight even for a vision holder such as herself. There's also no guarantee that the bandits had not yet desecrated or unknowingly destroyed what they were here for, this might just be a fruitless trip for all she knew.
She understood that Lucian intended this trip to be a learning experience, which was why he asked if she was confident. He's asking her if she's confident enough to take them all on.
Can she take all of them on, alone?
She even spotted one of the bandits, probably the leader, possessing a firearm. It's a pistol. Even with the aid of her vision, will her sword be faster than the bullet fired by a gun?
She really has no idea, but she will never know until she tries. To be a Champion Duelist is to never falter and to keep forging ahead even in the face of uncertainty and great adversary. Such is the person that she wanted to become, she will not allow herself to be daunted by the challenge.
She will have to do this, but she must be smart in her methods.
Clorinde carefully made her way closer, taking great care to not be noticed while her teacher stood at where they previously were and watched her work. A plan started to formulate in her mind as her eyes locked onto the target that she intended to first neutralise.
The hissing spark of electro was the only warning for the bandits before a flash of violet filled their vision. The sound of metal slicing through metal finally made them understand that they were under attack but it was too late, Clorinde had already cut down the rogue meka that was undoubtedly the biggest threat to her.
"Shit, we've been found!"
"It's only one girl, get her!"
The bandit possessing the pistol quickly took it out of its holster and took aim but Clorinde had already foreseen that this would happen, which was why she decided to take out the meka first and the bandits second. She quickly grabbed onto the shield that the meka once wielded and placed it in front of her before sprinting at the pistol wielding bandit in an electro infused charge. The bandit panicked at the sight, firing several shots in quick succession but it all bounced harmlessly off the shield. He made his retreat as he fired his pistol but it did little to delay the inevitable.
A swing of Clorinde's sword knocked him out. She had flicked her wrist at the last second to hit the bandit with the flat side of her blade to inflict a non-lethal blow. None of the bandits thereafter posed much of a threat to her, not when she now possessed a vision.
"Not bad, very quick thinking to use the meka's shield in that manner," Clorinde turned around and spotted her teacher fiddling with the bandit's pistol in curiosity. Firearms were probably not yet invented in his time, or at least that was Clorinde's guess judging from how he was fiddling with the weapon.
"If you are intending to use a single-handed sword, having a pistol as a secondary weapon might not be a bad idea," he tossed the pistol at her which she easily caught once his curiosity was sated. "Let's go, we don't have much time to waste."
She followed after Lucian and the journey towards the depths of the ruins was thankfully smooth. They eventually reached the innermost depths where mysterious root-like structures sprouted out from the ground. These roots constantly emitted a power that felt dormant yet possibly powerful when revitalised.
"This is a petrified tree," Lucian spoke as he placed a hand on the thickest branch. "It's not something that you get to see everyday. According to Egeria, these trees hold a great deal of the world's information and in fact, what we are seeing are the roots of the tree. They can be revitalised with resin to grant us what we desire."
The part of the root which Lucian was touching started to glow and several objects were spit out from the root. Lucian gently caught them with a globule of water that encased the objects within, already sensing that it might be unsafe to touch them with his bare hands. He had sensed traces of the Primordial Water in these objects.
Very likely, these are what they came here for, the artefacts that descended from the age of Remuria. He will have to take them back to the Court of Fontaine for further study.
"If these are the roots, then… the tree grows downwards?" Clorinde asked hesitantly after observing the roots in front of her. Her queries were answered with a nod of Lucian's head.
"That was the question I asked Egeria too. Egeria was friends with the Dendro Archon, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, and it was also through this layer of connection that I learnt of this. To my knowledge, all of such petrified trees are the roots of the world tree, Irminsul, and are connected to the Ley Lines of the world. Irminsul is the repository for all of the information and memories of Teyvat, which are collected via the Ley Lines. That is the extent of my knowledge regarding the world tree."
"All information and memories? Is that possible?"
"I don't know for certain, but I had not yet come across any evidence that suggested otherwise," Lucian levitated the globule of water containing the artefacts that they had extracted from the petrified tree in front of her, reminding her of what they had just accomplished with the help of the world tree, before allowing them to disappear into a separate space that all wielders of the elements are able to similarly achieve. He then turned around to where they first came from before speaking to nobody in particular.
"I know you have been tailing us for a while now. Show yourself."
Clorinde immediately drew her sword, inwardly berating herself for not realising sooner that they were being followed for so long. There's so much that she will have to learn and improve upon in order to be a Champion Duelist like her teacher was.
A mysterious aged man with white hair shimmered into view from thin air, the right half of his face covered by a strange mask. His attire suggested that he hails from Snezhnaya. However, she couldn't recognise who he was and neither did she have any recollections of ever meeting such a person.
"Lucine Fontinas, it's an honour to finally meet you," the mysterious man spoke in a calm and deep voice that portrayed his confidence. Despite looking seemingly harmless Clorinde could instinctively sense extreme danger exuded from this man. The fact that he knew her teacher's true identity on sight spoke volumes too. Her sword sparked with electro, intending to cut him down the moment the man displayed the slightest hint of hostility, until Lucian raised his arm to block her way.
"This is not an enemy you can go up against," he said, the look in his eyes equally calm as the unknown stranger in front of them as he observed him in greater detail before making his reply.
"You know me, yet I don't recall ever meeting you."
"Because this is our first official meeting," the man answered. "May I have the honour of speaking to you privately?"
Lucian frowned. The mysterious man wasn't giving them much of a choice despite framing his request as a question. While he doesn't know how powerful this man may be, he could also sense that this man is no pushover and is confident in his strength. It wouldn't be too much trouble if he was alone, but his student is with him and he had to ensure her safety first and foremost.
"I am not an enemy. Far from it," the man elaborated as if sensing their distrust. "My name is Pierro, The Jester of the Fatui Harbingers, and I simply wish to speak to the Grand Duelist of Fontaine."
"I've heard a little of the Fatui from Neuvillette, can't say I agree with some of your methods," Lucian replied. Their somewhat hard handed diplomatic approaches in the other nations had created some friction between them and Snezhnaya. However, the Fatui in Fontaine were still acting within the boundaries of the laws that govern the nation and hence, Fontaine currently adopts a neutral stance towards Snezhnaya. That would quickly change if Snezhnaya ever decided to act out of line.
"You might change your mind after hearing what I have to say," Pierro replied and Lucian had to agree with Pierro's words. This is definitely not something that Clorinde should involve herself in, at least not at her current level.
He looked at Clorinde and a wordless exchange was quickly conducted the moment their gaze met. Clorinde reluctantly sheathed her sword and carefully made her way out, her gaze never tearing off Pierro in clear distrust until she eventually disappeared.
"You were surprisingly cooperative. I had expected to have to face you in combat to get you to listen to what I have to say."
"We can do that if you so wish," Lucian stated in reply, his gaze boring into the lone eye that Pierro showed. There's only one race he knew of that was born with such a unique iris in their eyes and it was one reason why he decided to humour Pierro and hear what he had to say.
"You are from Khaenri'ah."
"Indeed," Pierro affirmed. "I am from the nation that was responsible for the Cataclysm and also indirectly responsible for the death of Lady Egeria."
The look in Lucian's eyes turned sharp at the mention of the death of Egeria, but he held his rage in. Seeing that the Grand Duelist will not be turning hostile anytime soon, Pierro continued.
"I can help you save Fontaine from the prophecy. In return, I will need you to assist me. You don't need to give me an immediate reply, I just need you to hear what I have to say."
Seeing that Lucine did not stop him, Pierro continued speaking.
"Your archon was friends with Her Majesty, Lady Tsaritsa, and also with the previous Cryo Archon. As you would have known, Lady Egeria was unable to determine the cause of your birth and your unique power to continuously undergo rebirth and for that end, she had seeked advice from the other archons several times before, during the gathering of archons that you used to accompany Lady Egeria to. It was how the Fatui learnt of your power when I first set up the organisation."
"Get to the point."
"You were teaching your protege about the world tree," Pierro seemingly ignored Lucine's request and walked past the Grand Duelist towards where the roots of the world tree were jutting out from, reaching out a hand to touch the roots. "Yet, Her Majesty had told me that even Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was unable to retrieve any information about you from Irminsul until you had perished and reborn for the sixth time. Don't you find it odd?"
Pierro turned around and took out something from his coat. It's a small accessory in the shape of a blue flower and Pierro knew that Lucine recognised it from the minute changes in his body language.
"The Flower of Life," Lucine whispered before the look in his eyes turned frosty and he directed his gaze back at Pierro. "Where did you get it from?"
"From your archon, Lady Egeria," Pierro's answer was unexpected yet Lucine could not sense any deceit from his words. "Before the cataclysm happened Lady Egeria approached Her Majesty to ask her for a favour, to investigate this object that was found on you at the moment of your birth. Her Majesty then entrusted this object to me. She said that it might harbour a clue to the origins of your power."
Lucine's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He had nearly forgotten all about the Flower of Life, an accessory that he used to wear as a brooch on his suit in official events when he was still the Grand Duelist. Like Pierro mentioned, it was an object that was found at the site where he was first born which Egeria found him. Egeria subsequently named it as the Flower of Life due to the object resembling a flower and harbouring a great quantity of life energy similar to his.
Lucine had never paid much mind to the Flower of Life. To him, that object was obviously too important to be discarded as it clearly held an unknown connection to him, yet not important enough to take an active interest in. Its existence and significance was in an awkward position and which was why he used it as a brooch and also why he simply gave it to his archon when she asked if she could take it for further inspection. His archon had once hypothesised that his birth may be intricately tied to this object but like many hypotheses surrounding the mystery of his birth, it was one of the many hypotheses that remained a hypothesis to date.
He wasn't aware that she had entrusted the Flower of Life to the person who would eventually become the Cryo Archon.
"We did not manage to understand everything, but we had concluded that the materials used in creating the Flower of Life could not be found in Teyvat. Which means to say, this object originates from a higher plane of existence," Pierro continued speaking and with a slight jolt of his power, levitated the object lying in his palm and allowed it to float towards the Grand Duelist who took the object which was rightfully his. "There was an old piece of history of this world about the world's creator, named the Primordial One, who created four beings to assist the Primordial One in creating this world. These four beings are collectively known as The Four Shades, beings that are even more powerful than the seven archons. While the world had largely forgotten about them and trying to recover that period of lost history is a herculean challenge even for the Fatui, we did manage to learn a few things."
Lucine gave Pierro a look, prompting him to carry on with his story.
"One of the shades was the God of Time and Wind and who was once a God worshipped by Mondstadt of old. One of the other shades is referred to as the Shade of Life, who helped create "the birds of the air, the beasts of the earth, and the fish of the sea." After the Primordial One won the war it waged against the Seven Sovereigns, the Dragon of Water, the original beating heart that controlled the Primordial Sea, was removed from its position. The Shade of Life then created a second heart for the Primordial Sea."
Pierro took a short pause before continuing.
"That second heart was your archon, Lady Egeria."
"Egeria, she had the power to control the Primordial Sea?"
"It was a former power of hers. She had lost that power before you met her, because she had committed a sin in the eyes of the Heavenly Principles."
"Does that sin relate to the Kingdom of Remuria?"
"Yes, and no," Pierro answered after some careful thinking. "She was a good friend of the God King Remus and the fall of Remuria coincided with the start of the Archon War. God King Remus had heavily sinned and it was from that sin that oceanids were born. Your archon then gathered the oceanids, the survivors of Remuria, and it was through their efforts that she became the victor of the Archon War and the Court of Fontaine was established."
"You are not answering the question. What exactly is this sin that Egeria committed in the context of the prophecy? Why do Fontainians have to bear this sin?"
"Because they are all equally guilty in the eyes of Celestia," Pierro replied. "You asked if the sin relates to the Kingdom of Remuria, I said yes, because the sin first came about as a consequence of Remus' actions. I also said that the sin did not relate to Remuria, because she lost her authority over the Primordial Sea as a consequence of her own action and that particular action was her own choice and decision, it had nothing to do with Remuria. Lady Egeria had chosen to defy Celestia and was thus punished, losing her authority over the Primordial Sea was one such consequence. The sin that Fontaine bears is also one such consequence."
"But you also mentioned that Lady Egeria and Fontainians are all equally guilty."
"The world tree had given you those artefacts in accordance with what you wished from it. If you want to know about Fontaine's original sin, the answers you seeked should be in there," Pierro deflected the question once again and directed the conversation back to the original topic. "What I am more concerned about is the Flower of Life and its unknown connection to you. Based on our many experimentations we realised that the Flower of Life reacts only to two things; the Primordial Sea, and your power. The Flower of Life is not an object from this plane of existence so we made a deduction, that your origins might also not be from this world."
"You mean my birth is connected to the Shade of Life?" Lucine inquired, knowing that there must be a reason why Pierro brought up the Shade of Life in their conversation earlier. Pierro nodded.
"We theorised that you might have been born from a fragment of the Shade of Life. The circumstances of Lady Furina's birth seemed to support this argument as well, having been born from the remnants of the power that gave birth to you at the exact same spot that you were found by Lady Egeria thousands of years ago. That would explain many things; your overwhelming vitality, your ability to continuously undergo rebirth, your power that could easily rival or even surpass certain archons, and your affinity with the hydro element, because you were originally derived from a fragment of the Shade of Life who had the power to create a heart for the Primordial Sea. Your power of life is so powerful that it could even suppress the colossal abyssal energy that is now trapped in your body, something which should have killed even an archon and subject you to madness but here you are, suffering nothing more than a sharp decline of your power and a delay of your rebirth by 500 years. That is not normal, but it can be explained if you were an emanation of the Shade of Life, just like how the Shade of Life was an emanation of the Primordial One."
"Even assuming that this hypothesis is true, that I am an emanation of the Shade of Life, is that going to be of any use in stopping that prophecy?"
"That prophecy is just one small cog in the larger scheme of things. Since you were Lady Egeria's champion, I assumed you had learnt of the concept of "erosion"?" Pierro asked and Lucine nodded in answer. "Lady Egeria once told Her Majesty one thing that caught our attention, that you had never once been a victim of erosion, which was why we soon came to the conclusion that you originated from somewhere outside Teyvat."
Lucine remained silent. He knew he was a Descender because he had vague memories about a world outside of Teyvat before he was found by Egeria, but he couldn't quite remember anything useful. He's still not entirely sure if he really is an emanation of the Shade of Life. His archon was also not being entirely truthful to the Tsaritsa from what he could piece out from Pierro's words, because if she had been forthcoming to the Tsaritsa about his Descender status they would not have needed to take an extra step to verify his origins through the Flower of Life.
Egeria had created a ploy that involved the Cryo Archon even before the cataclysm struck, a ploy that even he was unaware of until now and also a ploy in which he had no idea what Egeria was trying to play at.
"Here is our theory: the continuous cycle of death and rebirth which you undergo has the intended effect of removing all accumulated impurities from your body with every death, thereby protecting you from the effects of erosion," Pierro continued, unaware of the thoughts swirling in Lucine's mind. "The only drawback of this would be that the greater the impurity cleansed, the more power you will lose and with that, occasionally bits and pieces of your memories. I cannot say for sure if your lost memories will return, but I theorise that you would still recover any power you lost given time. Am I right?"
"That's correct," Lucine confirmed. His power would diminish at the start of every rebirth, more specifically at the very beginning of every cycle of his rebirth when he first resurrected, but he would always regain his full power eventually until death claimed him once again. Sometimes, he would lose some pieces of his memories after undergoing rebirth, but that wasn't an issue because he had not lost any important memories before. He also had Egeria and several other trusted oceanid friends who, like him, are long living species that could easily live for over hundreds and thousands of years. If there's anything that he had forgotten they would simply fill him in on what he had forgotten or missed.
But this time, the circumstances that surrounded his previous death were nothing like the ones he had already experienced before. Abyssal power, power that originates from somewhere beyond this world, had corrupted him. Even his previous death could not completely purify this impurity that's now stuck and sealed in his body and which was why that same corruption had now been carried over with him in this rebirth.
"You want me to die again?"
That was the conclusion that Lucine arrived at after trying to understand what Pierro was trying to drive at after speaking in such a roundabout manner for so long. If he were to die again he wouldn't know if he would be able to thoroughly cleanse himself of the abyss corruption, but there would definitely be lesser impurities in his body, which would mean he would be reborn with an even greater power in his next rebirth. For hydro elemental beings like him, the purity of their power is essential for their survival. The greater the purity, the greater their power. Conversely, contamination can prove to be fatal to them, which was why the oceanids had left when the waters of Fontaine were no longer pure enough for them to inhabit.
He could understand why Pierro suggested that he should try undergoing another resurrection to cleanse himself of the corruption, but what do the Fatui get out of this? How would this benefit them?
"Very astute of you," Pierro complimented. "The Fatui's goal is to rewrite destiny and your help would be very invaluable to our cause. Only the divine could punish another divine. For that end, it is also to our benefit if you could return to your former power and glory as the Grand Duelist. I'm sure Fontaine would also be happy to have their Grand Duelist back."
"I wield my sword only for my archon and for Fontaine. If you are trying to recruit me into your ranks, I'm afraid you found the wrong person," Lucine reminded the Jester.
"I understand, but there's no harm trying to get on your good side now, is there?" Pierro questioned in return. "You are powerful and I have no doubt that you will eventually return to your full strength. You are Egeria's Sword of Justice who had served Fontaine for over two thousand years, I would not be foolish enough to ask you to swing your sword for any other cause but that. My only hope is that after you regain your full power, you would remember Egeria's expectation for you when she made you her Grand Duelist, to enact justice upon the world for her. Just do not forget that you will need power to do that, a lot of power."
Pierro silently raised a finger that discreetly pointed upwards as he said that. There's only one thing that he could have been referring to with that gesture, the floating island in the sky.
Lucine frowned. There's obviously a lot that Pierro knew then he just let him in on, but Pierro had chosen to refuse to elaborate. Lady Egeria also seemed to have come to some sort of understanding and agreement with the current Cryo Archon behind his back before the Cataclysm struck. He's just not too certain if she originally made this agreement with the previous Cryo Archon and the current Cryo Archon simply took over where her predecessor left off, or if Egeria struck an agreement with the current Cyro Archon behind her predecessor's back for whatever reasons.
Lucine was vaguely aware of the existence of the Primordial One. It's a forgotten history of this world that he eventually stumbled upon due to his long life, but he knew nothing much about the creator of this world besides understanding that it created the world. His conversation with Pierro today answered many queries that he once had but ceased searching an answer for a long time ago
Maybe Egeria had known all along that he might have ties to the Primordial One. If Pierro's words are to be believed, if his words held some semblance of truth, maybe this was why she elected him to be her Grand Duelist to "enact justice upon the world" for her, because only someone who had divine origins could possibly hope to hurt the divine that imposed the laws that govern this world, the celestial beings who had enough power to strip Egeria's authority over the Primordial Sea and cursed Fontainians with a prophecy for their "sins".
If Egeria's true wish was for him to one day point his sword towards Celestia when she asked him to "enact justice upon the world" for her when he first became her champion, he would do it without hesitation as her Grand Duelist. However, she's dead, so his question would forever remain unanswered. What he could do now is to use his sword and power to protect what she died trying to protect and if turning his sword against Celestia can help to save Fontaine from the prophecy that threatened to destroy the nation and its people, he will do so in a heartbeat.
He's unable to bring himself to fully trust the Fatui, but even he would admit that they would be reliable allies if they are standing on the same side. To rewrite destiny; it's something that Pierro had mentioned and something that Lucine wished he had the power to do so because if he could rewrite destiny, Fontaine would no longer need to fear the prophecy.
So what does he need to do to obtain power to "rewrite destiny"? He's not foolish, it's not going to be as easy as purposely dying again to initiate a new cycle of resurrection to cleanse himself of the abyssal corruption that's currently trapped in his body. Like Pierro had hinted, he will need power, power great enough to challenge the heavenly authority that governs the laws of this world. It's not going to be an easy task, power that great would take many years to gather and accumulate but he does not have the time. Where on earth is he going to get that much power–
Lucine's eyes widened at the sudden realisation. Everything suddenly seemed so clear and obvious. The missing Sword of Mercy, Focalors' reluctance to meet him despite knowing that he's back, the enormous power accumulated in the Oratrice, everything is suddenly falling into place like pieces of a puzzle.
"Judging from your reaction, I assume you finally understood what I had been trying to hint at," Pierro took a step forward and started to take his leave, walking past the former Grand Duelist and towards the exit. "Farewell, Lucine Fontinas. I look forward to the return of Fontaine's Grand Duelist. We shall meet again."
Pierro vanished and the space turned silent and empty just like how it was before he came. A myriad of thoughts messily came and go in Lucine's mind as he stood there contemplating over what he just learnt from Pierro and how it would tie in to the prophecy and everything that he found odd about Focalors. She was planning to use her death to save the nation, he knew that, but he never quite questioned her how her death would save the nation.
"Devious brat," he couldn't help but click his tongue in mild frustration after he came to his own conclusion. Only the divine could punish the divine. After his conversation with Pierro today, he could confidently state that there are only two people in the whole of Fontaine who possessed the potential to possibly have power that can overrule the "sin" that Egeria had supposedly committed in the eyes of Celestia, a sin that she and the people of Fontaine had to collectively bear that ultimately gave birth to that prophecy.
The first person would be Neuvillette, the current Hydro Sovereign. He still does not have full access to his powers and he had stated that he's missing a few crucial memories to do so, something which had to be Celestia's handiwork. The second person would be himself, if he was indeed an emanation of the Shade of Life like Pierro had theorised, who supposedly was an emanation of the Primordial One itself. If only a divine could punish another divine, it would make sense that only a divine could undo or overrule what another divine had done. So therein lies the question.
What gave Focalors the confidence to be able to save Fontaine from their own sins if only a divine could overrule the decision made by another divine? He's not referring to any ordinary divine being, he's referring to beings of a higher order and authority than the seven archons, Celestia. They are beings that could judge even Egeria for being guilty of committing a sin and subsequently punish her for it.
If Fontaine's "sins" were a punishment from Celestia, divine beings of a much higher authority than the archons, what gave Focalors the confidence that she could save her people with her death? She does not have the power to do so even if she were to sacrifice herself right now.
Unless, she had the time and means to gather the power to do it, and also the perfect tool to execute her plan. Lucine knew for a fact that she had already gathered enough power to put whatever plan she had in mind into motion, he sensed that power in the Oratrice a long time ago. She just needed the perfect opportunity and the perfect tool, but she most likely had already obtained the tool she needed if his guess was right.
The Sword of Mercy. It's the last sword among the series that had gone missing after his death, its whereabouts currently still unknown. The Sword of Mercy is a very unique sword among the three and when used well, could unleash power that far outstrips the Spiritual Sword and the Temporal Sword. That sword was originally created as a deterrence to protect Fontaine from their enemies. It is a weapon that would only be used in a do-or-die situation, where Fontaine already had nothing else to lose and is willing to risk everything in one final gambit, or is willing to sacrifice the entire nation to take down their enemies together with them in their last act of vengeance. It is a weapon that's kept sealed and could only be used under the joint approval of the Hydro Archon, the Iudex, and the Grand Duelist during Egeria's reign. If one party out of the three decided that the sword shouldn't be used, the sword would remain sealed. That's the significance of the Sword of Mercy.
This was why the sword never had a wielder; it was never meant to be wielded. Rather than a sword, it would be more accurate to say that the Sword of Mercy is a tactical weapon that happened to take on the shape of a sword, a weapon that is potentially capable of slaying even gods themselves.
"Sacrifice, huh," Lucine whispered to himself. He had always been the brawns while Egeria played the role of the brain but he had confidence that his guess wouldn't be too far off from the mark this time. In fact, delving into the history of Remuria to uncover the truth behind the "original sin" could take a backseat for now. Whatever was the cause behind the original sin is not as important anymore, what's important is how the prophecy could be averted. Focalors already had a plan and he would admit, that plan she came up with could almost be considered perfect if it didn't require a sacrifice.
A prophecy could not possibly come true if a component of it no longer exists. That's the game that Focalors is playing at if his guess was accurate.
Lucine turned on his heels and left.
He needs to meet Focalors.