Furina, Please Let Me Steal Your Heart! (Genshin Impact)

Luna gazed out the window, her eyelids growing heavy.

Just then, the door creaked open.

She forced herself to turn her head. "'Father'..."

Arlecchino stood in the doorway. The woman who always maintained a stern demeanor before her family now wore a deep frown.

But Arlecchino's dissatisfaction wasn't directed at Luna.

"How's your body?" Arlecchino asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and observing Luna's bloodshot eyes.

"I'm... okay," Luna replied weakly. She tried to sit up, but Arlecchino gently pressed her back down.

"Don't strain yourself. This is the consequence of recklessly using a Delusion."

"If anything, you're lucky. You're only clinging to life by a thread, rather than having your entire life force completely drained by the Delusion."

Arlecchino fell silent for a long moment, the silence undoubtedly fueled by her simmering anger.

"I'm sorry," Luna whispered.

"I'm not blaming you," Arlecchino said. "But you need to tell me—who gave you that special Delusion?"

"...The Doctor."

Arlecchino nodded and stood up. "Rest well. I doubt he'll mind if I play a little game with one of his 'specimens'..."

"Father..."

Arlecchino paused. "Is there something else?"

"I... I think I'd get better faster if you could just pat my head," Luna whispered.

Her bashfulness and heartfelt wish brought a healthier flush to her cheeks.

Arlecchino slowly returned to her bedside, leaned down, and gently stroked her head.

"Rest now, Luna," she murmured. "You're safe here in the House of the Hearth. You have nothing to fear."

A flicker of darkness crossed Luna's eyes, but she nodded nonchalantly. "I know. Everyone's so kind, whether it's 'Father,' Lynette... Lyney... Freminet..."

Everyone except one person. And it would always be that one person.

-

Neuvillette opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by familiar faces.

"Neuvillette, you're finally back! What just happened? Is the execution over? Where's White Cat?" Navia bombarded him with questions.

"Navia, you can't expect him to answer so many questions at once," Clorinde interjected.

"But I'm so worried!" Navia protested.

Lynette whispered, "Where's White Cat?"

Chiori crossed her arms, wanting to ask the same question. Why had only Neuvillette returned, and not Luna?

Neuvillette opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. He could feel Furina's gaze from above, her eyes silently asking the same question.

"She's gone," he finally managed to say.

Chiori raised an eyebrow. "Gone? As in, she ran away?"

"..."

Arlecchino silently turned and slowly walked away.

"Father? Where are you going?" Lyney called out urgently.

Arlecchino glanced back, her face expressionless. "The Phantom Thief White Cat is dead—that is what Mr. Neuvillette means."

Lynette froze, unable to comprehend. "Huh?"

Navia stood rooted to the spot, stunned. The Phantom Thief White Cat was dead?

Chiori grabbed Neuvillette by the collar.

"What do you mean? You were inside the Oratrice, weren't you? How could this happen?" she demanded, her voice low and fierce, like a growl.

Neuvillette remained silent for a moment, then averted his gaze.

"Traveler, I need your help now," he said.

The true crisis was far from resolved.

Unless the All-Devouring Narwhal was defeated, Fontaine would still face devastating destruction, even with its people restored to their true human form.

By harnessing the full power of the Dragon Sovereign and reclaiming his Authority, Neuvillette could now strip the Primordial Sea energy from the whale's body.

Without that immense energy source, the All-Devouring Narwhal would no longer be an invincible foe.

Lumine snapped out of her shock, equally stunned by the news.

But with such a formidable enemy looming...

"So you have a plan? Good, I understand."

Chiori glared at Neuvillette before finally releasing his collar.

It's probably just Luna acting on her own again, she thought. Neuvillette would never sacrifice others.

And that Fat Cat wouldn't go down easily either.

She took a deep breath.

Still, she couldn't shake her irritation.

Without a backward glance, she stormed out of the Opera House.

Lynette remained dazed, almost soulless, standing motionless. A flicker of sorrow crossed Lyney's face, but he forcibly composed himself.

"It seems Mr. Neuvillette has a plan to deal with the Whale. Let's leave for now," Lyney said, feigning composure. "The final part of the Prophecy hasn't come to pass yet. The sea is destined to rise, and there's still something we can do."

Lyney led Freminet and Lynette out of the Opera House.

Navia pressed a hand to her chest, speechless for a long moment.

"I..." she finally murmured, her voice hoarse. "I need to prepare too..."

If I don't, I won't be able to fill this... this inexplicable void in my heart.

Clorinde glanced at Neuvillette, gave a subtle nod, and hurried after the others.

Finally, only Neuvillette, Lumine, and Paimon remained on the vast stage. The silence was broken only by the muffled sound of someone trying to suppress sobs from above.

"Furina..." Paimon whispered worriedly.

"Paimon, now's not the time," Lumine quietly said.

Words would be useless to Furina in her current state.

Paimon sighed and nodded. "Then let's go. We need to give that Whale a proper thrashing."

"I'll use the Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist I learned from those films! Bam! Bam! Two hits ought to do it!"

With that, the trio leaped into the cavern entrance.

Those outside had no way of knowing the truth of the battle. All they knew was that shortly after receiving Phantom Thief White Cat's Announcement Letter, everything in Fontaine began to change.

The water surged.

"The sea... the sea is rising!"

"Help me—glug glug glug glug..."

"Holy mackerel!"

The seawater began to rise, visibly engulfing Fontaine at an alarming rate. Yet, to everyone's astonishment, not a single person dissolved in the water.

Regaining their senses, the survivors frantically swam upward.

When they broke the surface and gasped for air, all that greeted them was an endless expanse of water.

Everything had sunk into the depths.

Even Furina.

-

The Opera Epiclese stood empty, its massive doors and thick walls sealing out the sea. Only the God sat dazedly on her Throne, tears turning into dewdrops that traced paths down her cheeks.

Just as the Prophecy had foretold.

In the end, everyone would dissolve into the sea, leaving only the Hydro Archon weeping on her throne.

Only then would the sins of the Fontainians be cleansed.

The sea had submerged all of Fontaine, but a colossal ship burst forth from the waves, like dawn after the darkest night, its majestic form awakening hope in the hearts of the people.

"Begin the rescue! Haul them all aboard!"

"Yes, Your Grace!"

Gradually, the sea receded.

Blinding sunlight streamed through the glass windows, stinging Furina's eyes and pulling her back to consciousness.

When she instinctively stepped out of the Opera House, all she saw was...

The Fontainians, relieved to have escaped dissolution.

Fish leaping on rooftops.

And the dazzling sun, its warmth prickling her skin.

"Everyone... is still alive..."

So, it was over?

It was over.

She should have felt relieved, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. But even this hopeful scene couldn't fill the vast void within her heart.

"White Cat..."

Just uttering the name sent a sharp pain through Furina.

In that moment, she finally understood the source of her anguish and emptiness:

The hollowness of her own heart.

Shortly after, Neuvillette declared the "truth" to the world.

Just as Luna had spun the tale: Furina had lost all her divine power and become an ordinary human, while the Focalors she created was merely an embodiment of her former divine power.

The Phantom Thief White Cat had stolen a god's power, only to meet her demise.

He said nothing more.

But the moment the "truth" was revealed, countless voices began weaving their own narratives:

"The Phantom Thief White Cat must have lost control of the divine power and self-destructed! Serves her right for meddling with things she couldn't handle!"

"The Primordial Sea's rampage? That was definitely her doing!"

"What a terrifying villain... Good riddance."

An endless stream of "truths" poured from countless mouths, burying the real truth deep beneath a sea of falsehoods.

It was then that Neuvillette finally understood something.

Why had Luna said that simply revealing the truth would suffice?

Because the truth didn't matter.

"People tend to believe only what they see and hear firsthand. It's precisely this blind faith that creates the gaps where lies take root."

"What is truth?"

"What is falsehood?"

"—But for me, such questions hold no meaning."

She had become the most extraordinary Phantom Thief in Fontaine's history.

The most vicious, the most terrifying, the most incomprehensible being imaginable.

No one knew the Phantom Thief White Cat's code of conduct, no one understood her motives, and no one cared anymore.

The only thing people understood was this: the Phantom Thief was an utterly depraved villain who had dared to harm even a god.

And so, the Phantom Thief stole Fontaine's "future," its "fate," and its "truth."

-

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