The group arrived at Fountain of Lucine. Richard, along with two staff members from Meropide, escorted Vacher there.
When Navia saw Vacher, she almost couldn't recognize him.
Before her stood a haggard man, hair gone white, his body frail and drained of spirit, completely unlike the sharp, spirited elder she had once seen at the Trial.
As Navia looked at him, Vacher did not return her gaze. Instead, his clouded eyes remained fixed on Richard.
"As agreed, I will let you see Vigneire one last time," Richard said.
"Yes, yes… Lord Richard, what… what must I do?" For the first time since his imprisonment, Vacher's dull face lit with expression, his cloudy eyes flashing with excitement.
No interrogation, no confessions, no bullying from other prisoners had ever moved him. The only thing sustaining his will to live was Richard's promise that he might see Vigneire once more.
"Drink this." Richard produced a clear glass vial and handed it to him.
With trembling hands, Vacher received it and carefully drank every drop of its contents.
"This taste… It's Primordial Seawater?"
He knew it instantly. One sip was enough to identify it.
"Primordial Seawater heightens one's sensitivity to Hydro. Fountain of Lucine, being the confluence of Fontaine's countless waters, carries innumerable memories and emotions. Vigneire, dissolved into Primordial Seawater, naturally resides within."
"…" Vacher never imagined he had always been so close to Vigneire. Ironically, despite passing by the Fountain of Lucine many times, he had never once stopped there.
Why? Because the Fountain was a lovers' place, visited by couples, fiancés, and newlyweds seeking its blessing. Vacher could not bear to watch, for every smiling pair would only remind him of Vigneire, and those memories, once sweet, had long turned into torment.
Thus, of all people, he was the least likely to come here. Yet it was here alone that Vigneire could be found.
"You may try now," Richard said, then fell silent.
Taking a deep breath, Vacher stepped to the water's edge, gazing at its clarity, and closed his eyes.
Faint voices arose in his ears, growing louder with time.
"Vacher…"
The voice made him beam with joy. "Vigneire! It's me! It's Vacher, Vigneire!"
"Vacher… Vacher…"
"I'm here, I'm here! Where are you, Vigneire? I'll come find you!" He staggered forward, nearly falling into the Fountain, but was held back by the Meropide escorts.
Then, closing his eyes, his body froze like a hollow husk, only the rise and fall of his chest proving he still lived.
"It seems his consciousness is connected to the Fountain. Lady Furina, would you like to follow as well?" Richard asked.
Though she was curious, Furina instinctively wanted to refuse; Richard never asked without some hidden motive.
"Navia too," Richard added before Furina could answer.
"…Me?" Navia blinked, surprised.
Yet her curiosity about Vigneire was genuine. She wanted to see how Vigneire would face Vacher knowing his crimes.
"If you're going, place your hand in mine. I'll share my elemental perception with you." Richard extended his hand. Navia hesitated, then placed her gloved hand atop his.
Seeing this, Furina, reassured by numbers, gave in to her own curiosity and took his other hand.
Clorinde, watching, stayed silent. She wanted to join too, but Richard only had two hands.
Then Lynette calmly placed her hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
Clorinde copied her, pressing her hand to his other shoulder.
Soon, all of them connected, their senses linked, and they beheld what lay within the Fountain of Lucine.
Before them floated a being of pure Hydro, a Water Elemental, known as a Pure Water Sprite.
Yet its form was unstable, its waters impure, unlike the perfect clarity of a naturally strong sprite. This one looked cobbled together from many forces, not born whole.
Vacher stood before it, barely reaching its waist. He lifted his head, convinced Vigneire's voice came from within.
"Vigneire… is it you? It's me, Vacher…" His voice trembled. He didn't care about her form, only whether it was truly Vigneire, the lover for whom he had sacrificed everything.
"Vacher? Why are you here… I told you… not to come."
The words stunned him.
"You look… so much older. How many years has it been?"
"Ten… more than ten years," Vacher hurried to reply. "Since the day you left, I've endured over a decade of torment. These years… I lived only to restore you. Nothing else mattered."
"Vigneire… you're everything to me. Without you, I don't know how to live…"
His words and emotions flowed into the waters, absorbed by the sprite.
Even Navia had to admit, his feelings were genuine, deeply moving. But such love could never excuse his crimes, nor the countless lives and families he destroyed.
Navia opened her mouth to speak, but Richard squeezed her hand, silently urging her to wait. Reluctantly, she obeyed, trusting him.
Then, as they all watched, the sprite spoke again:
"…But I think… Vacher… if only you had never existed."
Everyone froze. Vacher's eyes widened in disbelief. "What… what did you say?"
The sprite's form shifted, its head splitting into many young girls' faces. Its voices multiplied, each filled with different memories.
"If not for you, I could have finished law school, become a great Advocate…"
"If not for you, I could have pursued painting… one day my art might hang in the Opera Epiclese…"
"If not for you, I could have stayed by my mother's side… she wouldn't have died alone in tears…"
Voices overlapped, rising sharper, harsher, until they merged into one scream of pure hatred:
"All because of your selfishness, Vacher. All because of you."
Vacher staggered back, horrified. "No… you're not Vigneire… who are you!?"
Even Furina, terrified, hid behind Richard, peeking out from his back. "Th-that… what is that?"
"Sacrifices," Richard answered calmly. "The victims of the serial disappearances, the collective consciousness of every girl Vacher murdered. Their bodies dissolved, but their wills drifted within the Primordial Seawater, merging into one.
"What he faces now is the true judgment for his crimes."
The sprite's voices continued:
"She doesn't want to see you. Every trace of her consciousness avoids you. This is your fate, the fate of your selfishness."
"You claimed to do everything for her… but you never cared whether she wanted it, whether she would be proud, or whether she would despair at what you became. You're no lover, you're a liar, a murderer, a coward. From the first girl you killed, Vigneire's hatred began."
"Vigneire… hates me…? No… no… let me see her, please!" Vacher broke down, begging incoherently. But truth cut deeper than lies.
The sprite's voices echoed: "Vigneire never wanted you to come. That was her only mercy, for she knew, if you came here… we would never let you go."
At last, the judgment fell. The sprite embraced Vacher, dissolving him completely, not into its body, but into nothingness. Not even a trace remained.
The victims refused his essence, unwilling to let even his memory endure.
Thus ended Vacher, erased, though the scars he left on Fontaine would remain.
Afterwards, the sprite turned its gaze toward Richard… and then onto Furina behind him.
The Hydro Archon stiffened, hiding even further behind Richard. But he only spoke softly:
"The grievances are ended. Please, now rest."
"…You are not… the Hydro Archon…"
Before the sprite could finish, its form unraveled, breaking into countless smaller sprites. These then became human shapes, among them the familiar face of the Treasure Hoarder leader dissolved earlier.
Now their faces were calm, free of pain, their emotions settled into the Fountain, leaving only their purest selves.
"May you rest in peace," Richard said, cutting the connection.
When they returned, Furina still trembled. "What… what was that? I could feel such hatred… toward me…"
"Nothing more than misplaced resentment," Richard replied. "Those were fragmented consciousnesses, born of obsession and grudge. They strike out at outsiders instinctively."
"…What did you do?" she asked.
"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. After fulfilling their wish, this was their best release." He sighed softly. "A pity… I didn't hear the voice I wanted."
"You never will!" Furina shot back.
"…Is that so? Then that's for the best, Lady Furina," Richard smiled faintly.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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