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Two figures look on as the nation of Hydro drowns, a woman looks at the god next to her and starts speaking. His eyes were on the Oatrice, not letting go.
"What do you think of this ending?" Nicole Reeyn, a mage of the Hexenzirkel asks the Anemo Archon, Barbatos. He looks back at her and sighs.
"I can't say I like this very much." He stands up, putting his hand on the Oatrice, Nicole looks back on the vision holders frozen in time and sighs. "...You're idiotic." There's nothing else she says, she knows what Barbatos will do. She has known him for a millennium of years. He is the only all-knowing god, that is what she thinks, and that is what she believes.
"I know." He smiles, and a circle of sorts arises between him and the Oatrice, he looks at Nicole, "She'll die. She's destined to fool the heavens. It's etched inside the Irminsul."
"Then why attempt to stop her?" Nicole scoffs, "'If my people do not die by a mistake I have made then that is all that matters to me. While selfish, I hope they stay happy till the day of the prophecy' That was Egeria's one wish. What kind of friend would I be had I let her most trusted aid die?" He smiles and vanishes. She knows where he is -in the Oatrice-, does she know how he'll get out? Not really.
He stares at the ruined Opera House as well as the god in front of him.
"Barbatos? Surely was not expecting you." She smiles at him, but he doesn't say anything, his face morphing into a tense expression.
"I was not expecting myself to come here either." He states, she hums in deep thought and looks at the guillotine above her.
"You're here to judge the Heavenly Principals no?" She asks, he almost scoffs, "I'm here because of Egeria's wishes." The smile doesn't leave her face, after the guillotine falls on her, she will cease to exist. The first and last archon to visit her in these five hundred years was the Anemo Archon. They've not once interacted but he came to visit her...that was so very humane of him.
"Focalors, why do you cause pain to Furina?" He asks and she chuckles. "Pain? Why say so? Her humanity makes her so beautiful. How is it wrong?" She asks and he sighs. She won't understand. Focalors was always too...too much for a genius to understand the feelings of others.
"...Aren't you afraid?" He moves closer to her, and all she does is smile. "I am afraid of death. That is something both humans and gods have in common." She chuckles.
"This is my last day in Teyvat. I do not know if I will find myself in the leylines...I must admit, I am deathly afraid." He goes on to embrace her, her head on his shoulder. The warmth of a human never felt more comforting. She has to go...everything to save Teyvat. This is her only duty, the sole reason she exists. The only reason she'll part with her precious Furina.
"...Thank you." Her words are unheard by the archon for he was whisked away by something else.
"Who keeps a whale so darn big as their pet?! Even Rhine wouldn't do such a thing!" Nicole clicks her tongue, dragging Venti to safety the second he comes out. The impact of the whale coming from the Primordial Sea drove Venti away from the Oatrice, he clicks his tongue in annoyance and snaps his fingers, teleporting himself and Nicole outside the Opera House.
Nicole looks at the surprised Barbatos and sighs, the last time she saw him like this was not long ago. When he had mentioned that a god had been lost forever, she couldn't make sense of it. Nicole does not understand why Barbatos would confide in her of all people. Rhinedottir and he get along as well as he would with any of his drinking buddies. Regardless, if that god who's the most human in her eyes is suffering, then all she can do is stay by his side.
They gaze upon the drowning nation; Venti looks up at the Dragon Sovereign who has received all his power. Focalors no longer exists, he should accept that sooner rather than later.
"...Returning the gnosis to the sovereigns. That's not what Tsaritsa wants to do." A quiver is heard in his voice, "I do not who the Third Descender is or if they live. She either plans on bringing them back to life or to bring back their original power."
"Does she not want the power of a descender? Or...maybe, she's there to cleanse the abyssal energy in her nation." Nicole shrugs her shoulders. While waiting for Venti to say something, she looks at the now drowning nation.
"Not going to help them?" She asks and Venti nods in confirmation. "Right now, everything is playing out as it is needed to. The ark will arrive soon and because there will not be another archon before the Heavenly Principals awakes, they'll be safe...for now." He explains and Nicole hums in thought.
"...Do you really think everything will go according to how she has planned?" She asks causing Venti to freeze up, he only has a few memories of Istaroth -The god of time- and her plans. She passed on her power to him but disappeared soon after. Venti won't ever know what will happen if the Traveler does not play their part.
"Who knows?" Venti smiles, looking upon the nation. The curse had ended, and the people did not die as they did in the past. The city would only need to be rebuilt. The Dragon Sovereign gained his power back and Furina...she'll be alright.
"Well, I don't mind how this story went by." He chuckles, Nicole looks at him from the corner of her eye and sighs. "You need to stop keeping an eye on the Traveler. Using Cater- the Anemo hilichurl- as well as the hilichurls in the ruins of theorized Remuria where the slates were kept." She states. He doesn't know anything for a while, then turns to look at her.
"What fun is a story when the entirety isn't shown to the audience?" Barbatos chuckles causing her to sigh, "You're a devious fellow, Barbatos. Almost as devious as Focalors." She lets out another sigh, then brings forth a portal. "...You don't have to follow your mother's footsteps in saving a world destined to be destroyed."
"...It is-" He's interrupted by Nicole, "It is what you must do. I know. But, as a friend, I'm asking you to stop before you lose yourself. You may think it's beautiful to bring back Khaneriah's beauty but Barbatos," This time, she's interrupted by Venti.
"'Khaneriah was never beautiful, it was simply abyssal.'" Those words were said to him many times by all of the Hexenzirkel. He was the fool they were trying to stop.
"If you're staying for longer, visit Rhine's grandchildren." She finally says, before jumping into the portal. That conversation repeated itself multiple times yet the stupid bard never took it seriously. She grits her teeth, then looks at the sky, the wind blowing in her face. Look at this...that stupid bard trying to comfort her when he should be doing that to himself.
She smiles to herself and whispers into the wind, "Live on Barbatos. Don't let yourself be consumed."
He lets out a little smile, "They will only truly benefit if Albedo or Rhinedottir visits them." Venti looks upon Furina coming out of the Opera House, she seems glad everything was alright. He cannot leave without saying goodbye; he strums a tune familiar to the Oceanids...a tune Egeria had sung when she was alive. He remembers Egeria and him singing like it was just yesterday. He remembers going to Rhodeia to inform her of the death of Egeria...the Oceanid had sung the same tune whilst mourning. He should let go of those who have died...he should hold them in his heart and not his head.
"May the Dragon Sovereign protect you, Furina." He's whisked away by the wind, the tune plays in Furina's mind. She looks around, but there is no one. Egeria was no longer here...who could play that tune? "...The wind will forever be with you, young child."
"So! I was just thinking-" Zhongli shuts down Venti immediately, "If this is about a reunion of sorts then I must admit, I do not want Murata fighting me for days again." He sips on his tea and Venti sighs, dropping his head on the table.
"Do you understand that she's no longer an archon? She might be uncomfortable. If you wish to meet her then I'd suggest doing it by yourself." He states and Venti hums in thought, smiles at Zhongli, and disappears into the wind.
Some time passes as Venti walks around the city of Fontaine, the city is still being rebuilt after the flooding. He sees her from the corner of his eye, she seems happier than she did in the Opera House that day.
"Freedom is...both delightful and devastating." He lets out a smile, "Live on as a human Furina."
She turns around to look at the man dressed in green clothes, a strange look of relief on his face. He smiles at her and walks away from her. There's an odd sense of familiarity in him, he's someone so close yet so far away.
She wants to run after him so she does, she grabs him by his cape and when he turns around, she's met a surprised expression mirroring one of hers.
She quickly lets go and stares at him without saying anything, he only smiles at her. He might as well ask her what he had planned to do.
"When the time comes, a Sovereign will bring you to Mondstadt, for your own enjoyment." He chuckles at her slightly worried expression, "Mondstadt's doors are always open for you, my dear friend. There is no play, you can be free." He takes a step back.
"You've suffered for so long my child. Suffering is only suffering. It does not bring strength nor character; it only hurts." He smiles at her, "You've done well, Furina. It's time to rest." He's whisked away into the wind and not a single word comes out of Furina. She only looks at the sky, smiles, and walks back home. She is now free.
In the end of time, when the Heavenly Principal awakens, there's no saying what she will do. Fontaine will drown, Natlan will burn, and the cold snow in Snezhnaya will never end. When the end will come, he does not know, he only knows that when it does, disaster will strike ending the home of Phanes.
...For now, he shall bask in his idiotic fantasies and rest in solitude.