"Alright, no need to guess anymore. I accepted a request from my friend's disciple."
Lumine immediately caught on—Mona had mentioned that one of her teacher's friends was a great prophet.
So Lumine asked directly, "Will Fontaine's prophecy really come true?"
Witch N: "It will. The scenes shown in the prophecy will come true. You may as well regard it as future history."
Paimon panicked. "How could that be… Then do we still have any chance of stopping it?"
Witch N: "You should have already witnessed a failed example. The fate of Teyvat isn't so easily changed."
"But remember—prophecy only shows the future from a god's perspective. And in the blind spots where even a god's vision does not reach… might something else be occurring?"
"And when you finally witness that future... will it truly be the same one the gods claim is fate"
Paimon was completely stunned by her words.
Witch N continued, "I think you already understand what I mean. Some things are irrelevant. Others require your action. Whatever fate Teyvat holds, the only guide you must follow… is your own destiny. Just do what you need to do."
"Well then, the tea was lovely. Thank you for the hospitality. That will be all for today's tea party."
And with that, the voice vanished.
[Charlotte: So mysterious… I really want to interview her…]
[Mona: Let me stop you right there—you absolutely do not want to get involved with them.]
[Jean: With the help of Witch Alice, the Stormterror's Lair successfully became the Ruins of Stormterror…]
[Klee: Mama, is my mom also a member of the Hexenzirkel?]
[Jean: Yes. Your mother is extremely powerful. She left Mondstadt when you were very young to work on something very important.]
[Klee: So cool!]
Later, Lumine met with Mona again, confirming the witch's identity and verifying that everything she said was true.
Over the next two days, Lumine also met Melus and Charlotte, both of whom gave her heartfelt encouragement.
Melus said that even if the world were to end tomorrow, today one should still enjoy delicious cake—that is life.
Charlotte said that instead of exhausting herself over something unclear, she should just follow her heart. Even at the final moment before the water rises, she herself would be busy creating her world news.
[Ganyu: They faced the prophecy without fear…]
[Zhongli: Life does not change simply because one fears it. Optimism is preferable to despair.]
[Hu Tao: Hehe~ Of course you would know, Consultant Zhongli.]
[Zhongli: I simply enjoy reading.]
During this time, Lyney and the others also completed the trap.
When Lumine returned to Poisson, she met Neuvillette's messenger, Isadora.
Isadora said, "I'm here to deliver a message from Lord Neuvillette. Something happened this morning at the Opera House. The Maison Gardiennage has classified it as a minor riot. Originally, Lady Furina was there watching a performance, but during the intermission, several audience members suddenly confronted her—loudly accusing her of negligence. Before Lady Furina could respond, more people joined in, their emotions escalating…"
"Before long, a full-blown denunciation of the Hydro Archon erupted inside the Opera House."
[Ningguang: The timing doesn't align. The crisis at Poisson was resolved several days ago—so why wasn't there a backlash earlier? The trap must not have been ready yet. The public outcry on stage… the mastermind must be the House of the Hearth.]
[Lyney: As expected of the Tianquan of Liyue. Though what we see in the video is from the future, it is indeed something I intended to do. The one orchestrating this… should be me.]
[Lynette: Yes. Motivating that many people would require my help.]
[Furina: Insolent! Instigating the people to question their god—I, Focalors, declare you guilty!]
[Lyney: But… we haven't done anything yet!]
[Furina: …]
[Ningguang: After watching the video, it's clear everything is building toward revealing the truth about the Hydro Archon. The true sinner… is you, isn't it? Lady Furina.]
[Furina: Impossible! How could I be guilty? All Fontaine's laws were created by me!]
In the video
Paimon: "So people turned their anger toward Furina? After being scared for so long because of the prophecy, they finally found a target to vent on, huh?"
Isadora nodded. "Yes. People always rely on their gods as a matter of course. When they lose their sense of security, their first instinct is to blame the deity."
Paimon anxiously asked, "But Furina's okay, right?!"
[Furina: I didn't expect the ones worrying about me in Fontaine… would be Lumine and Paimon.]
Isadora continued, "Don't worry. Lady Furina is fine. When she saw the situation spiraling out of control, she said she'd lost interest and left the Opera House."
"But unexpectedly, she disappeared after that. The Gardiennage sent many people searching for her, but there's still no trace."
"Still, there's no need to panic. She's a god. Even if she fell into the hands of angry citizens, what could mortals possibly do to a deity?"
[The Knave: And what if Lady Furina… isn't actually a god?]
[Furina: How could I not be a god?]
[The Knave: Whether you are or not… we'll know soon enough.]
In the video, Paimon began to analyze:
"Even though Furina appeared flamboyant, dramatic, and chaotic, she had never been cold-hearted. Being publicly denounced like that—there was no way she wasn't deeply affected."
"Thus, the most likely scenario was that Furina went to Poisson to ease her guilt."
Lumine agreed, and the two headed there together.
At the broken bridge, Lumine spotted Furina. She did not make a sound, choosing instead to listen quietly.
Furina stood alone by the water, talking to herself, tears welling in her eyes.
"Give up. There's no point."
"See? It all happened anyway. Everyone still died."
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
"Give up, Furina... just stop pretending you can do anything.."
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
"But aside from this… what else am I capable of doing?"
[Ganyu: Even gods cry… Somehow, this scene makes me really sad.]
[Neuvillette: What secret are you hiding… that would drive you to speak to yourself like this?]
[Furina: Let's leave the livestream. Please. We have to stop watching. If we keep going… Fontaine will be destroyed. Please—let's stop.]
[Mona: Prophecy is the history of the future. The livestream shows the events of the future. That means… the future is already determined. No matter what we do, it will still unfold.]