Fontaine
Some time after the Cataclysm of Khaenri'ah.
A young girl, dressed in a sea-of-stars colored dress, barefoot with an ankle chain, was frowning, eyes closed, deep in thought, pondering some problem.
Time passed, she didn't know for how long, until she heard a "gurgle," and even the sleeping clam next to her blew bubbles. The girl finally opened her beautiful eyes and happily exclaimed:
"Ah! I've got it! I'm truly a genius!"
"Only by deceiving the Heavenly Principles can Fontaine be saved when that prophecy comes to pass..."
This girl's name was Focalors, the second Hydro Archon of Fontaine.
Focalors thought it through carefully again, reconfirming the feasibility of each step in her plan, and a mature plan finally materialized in her mind.
"Well then, let's proceed with the first step."
She chose her location and made all the necessary preparations.
"Hmm... let's begin..." Focalors murmured to herself, then closed her eyes and began to command her Hydro elemental authority.
As a dazzling Hydro elemental light flashed, Focalors' divine essence was stripped from her original body, leaving behind only a sleeping girl.
The girl was dressed in a dark blue noble morning gown, with a modified train in the style of a formal dress. Her hair was uniformly light blue curls, and a blue-dominated crown rested on her head.
She was slightly bowing her head, eyes closed, as if asleep.
"Hmm... let's adjust her memories, leaving only those related to the prophecy." Focalors waved a hand, and as the Hydro elemental power surged, the girl's memories were quickly modified.
"Now my personality is separated. Hmm, as expected of me, truly a genius! I've decided, her name will be Furina, and as the Hydro Archon, her full name will be Furina de Fontaine." Focalors said joyfully.
She surveyed Furina's beautiful sleeping face from head to toe, unable to help but exclaim in admiration: "She's truly beautiful, just as I was when I was first born, a perfect human!"
Focalors looked at Furina, growing more and more satisfied, but suddenly, she seemed to discover something amiss.
"Hmm... wait... no, why is there a wisp of my divine essence here?" Seeing something was wrong, Focalors immediately frowned, her expression turning serious. "This could affect my plan!" She immediately manipulated the Hydro element, and blue energy slowly flowed through Furina's body, giving her a physical examination.
After a thorough examination, Focalors found that there had been a slight error when she separated her divine essence and personality. "This much residue will completely dissipate in a few days, thankfully it's not a big problem." Focalors thought with lingering fear. The survival of the nation of Fontaine was at stake, so she had to consider everything carefully.
Focalors extended her hand again, and an energy different from pure Hydro elemental power was injected into Furina's body.
This was a curse, the curse of eternal life.
Until the prophecy ended, until she perished, the curse would never disappear.
Focalors patted the sleeping Furina, sighing, "This is already the plan with the highest success rate among my many options. I hope you can endure, my Furina."
Fontaine's future is in your hands... Focalors felt a pang of sadness; she hadn't wanted her ideal self to endure such prolonged suffering.
Yet, facing the Heavenly Principles, she had no other choice... Furina remained asleep.
Focalors was not in a hurry to wake her.
"This might be your most peaceful sleep for the next few hundred years."
"Rest now, Furina."
Focalors left first; she still had more preparations to make.
Not long after she left, under the influence of a mysterious and powerful imaginary energy, two unknown forces gradually approached Furina and slowly flowed into her body.
One was a pure blue Hydro element, which seemed to possess a few more layers of weight and ancientness compared to the Hydro element Focalors controlled, and it also seemed to carry the scent of dew and a sea of flowers.
The other was a golden-yellow energy, seemingly composed of countless sparse energies gathered together, originating from distant cosmic space.
The two energies and the remnants of divine essence left by Focalors slowly merged together. In Furina's consciousness space, a wisp of soul, different from Furina yet strikingly similar, was slowly being born.
That wisp of soul was gradually taking on a human form, vaguely resembling Furina, yet beneath this appearance lay a different inner world.
Hope? Responsibility? Care? Confusion?
No one knew.
The full extent of this newborn soul was unclear, chaotic and disordered.
The two energies and the divine essence were slowly merging, and the girl's complete form was about to emerge.
Her consciousness, too, seemed to be gradually appearing... "Furina..." The newborn wisp of soul, not yet fully born, uttered Furina's name in its murmurs.
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Meanwhile, Focalors was holding a pen, writing a letter to the second Hydro Dragon Sovereign.
A plan had long been laid in her heart.
"Monsieur Neuvillette: (The author doesn't know when Neuvillette's name was given; in this book, it's assumed he was born with it)
Greetings, I am the current Hydro Archon of Fontaine: Focalors. I write this letter today to invite you to serve as the Chief Justice in Poisson.
Having just experienced the Khaenri'ah Cataclysm, Fontaine is in ruins and needs an excellent leader to guide it forward. The powerful Hydro Dragon Sovereign, which is you, is the best choice.
As a newborn Hydro Archon, I have no experience in governing a nation and need the help of the powerful Hydro Dragon Sovereign! Furthermore, you can use this opportunity to observe, understand, and learn about humans, gradually integrating into human society.
Focalors"
At the end of the letter, Focalors even playfully flattered Neuvillette; it was unclear if this was her mischievous nature.
(In the original plot, Neuvillette initially didn't know who invited him. This book's self-setting clearly states the sender's identity.)
Focalors put down her pen, and with a slight thought, a small amount of Hydro elemental power attached itself to the letter. Then, the letter, as if sprouted wings, flew towards the nascent Hydro Dragon Sovereign.
She watched the letter disappear into the distance, her head slightly bowed, murmuring a few words. Then she flew into the sky, gazing far towards Poisson, and seeing that the construction of the Opera Epiclese was nearing completion, she immediately transformed herself into Furina's likeness and went to the Palais Mermonia in Poisson to inform them to pick her up in a few days for her official inauguration and public appearance, as well as her detailed arrangements for the Chief Justice.
After doing all this, she let out a long sigh of relief as if a burden had been lifted: "Now, I just need to wait for Furina to awaken."
...