Chapter Text
The grand chambers of the Palais Mermonia were eerily silent, save for the sound of rushing water. Lady Furina, the God of Justice, sat alone on her throne, surrounded by the ever-rising floodwaters that had engulfed her once-glorious nation. The once lively and vibrant Fontaine was now a somber, desolate place, a reflection of the despair that had taken hold in her heart.
Tears streamed down Furina's pale cheeks as she hugged her knees to her chest. Her once bright, confident eyes were now dull and swollen from the ceaseless crying. The prophecy, the one she had dismissed as a mere tale, had come true. Her beloved nation was submerged, and she was left all alone, the weight of her failure pressing heavily on her slender shoulders.
The room was filled with the gentle lapping of water against the marble floors, but to Furina, it felt like the cacophony of her broken heart. She cried, the sound of her sobs echoing off the high, gilded ceilings. The floods had taken everything from her—her people, her pride, her sense of justice. All that remained was the unbearable sorrow.
But then, cutting through the sorrow and the despair, came a voice. A voice as steady and reassuring as the tides. "Don’t cry, Lady Furina."
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked up, her vision blurred by tears. Through the mist of her sorrow, she saw him—Monsieur Neuvillette, the Chief Justice of Fontaine. He stood before her, calm and composed as always, his long, silver hair cascading over his shoulders, his piercing blue eyes gazing down at her with a mixture of warmth and concern.
“Neuvillette…” she whispered, her voice trembling. She had thought him gone, just like everything else. But here he was, standing before her, a beacon of hope in the sea of despair.
“Don’t cry, Lady Furina,” he repeated, his voice soft yet firm. He knelt beside her, his gloved hand reaching out to gently wipe away her tears. The touch was warm, and it brought a sense of comfort that she hadn’t felt in what seemed like an eternity.
Furina’s breath hitched, and without thinking, she stood and threw herself into his arms, clutching onto him as if he were the only thing keeping her from drowning in the floodwaters. “Don’t ever leave my side again,” she pleaded, her voice muffled against his chest. She was trembling, the fear of losing him too much to bear.
Neuvillette’s arms wrapped around her, holding her close in a protective embrace. “I won’t,” he promised, his voice calm and steady. He pulled back slightly, just enough to look into her tear-streaked face, offering her a gentle smile that was rare for the usually stoic Chief Justice. “I’ll never leave you, Lady Furina.”
For a moment, the weight of the world seemed to lift from her shoulders. In Neuvillette’s embrace, she felt safe, reassured that not everything was lost. The floodwaters may have claimed her nation, but they could not take away the bond she shared with Neuvillette.
Together, they stood in the flooded chambers of the Palais Mermonia, the world around them in ruins. But in each other’s arms, they found solace, a flicker of hope in the darkness. And as long as Neuvillette was by her side, Furina knew she could face whatever fate had in store for them.