Genshin Impact: Following the Winds

"You. Interfere?"

Many people from the crowd winced as they heard the Oratrice speak. To them, the voice it'd made sounded more like a sudden burst of static, penetrating deep into their minds. Some even had to press their hands onto their ears, too burdened by the headache the sound brought.

Not me though. I could hear Focalors' voice clearly, and my great connection to Hydro even allowed me to immediately build a Resonance with her.

I smiled back. "Surely you don't expect I to remain idle in the face of what could come, would you?" I returned simply as I began placing the papers back into the suitcase, having no need for them any longer. "To let Fontaine dissolve back to the Primordial Seas—that is something I cannot let happen."

"Fontaine, shall rise. Authority returned. Waters recede." The Oratrice hummed, and through the Resonance I suddenly gained insight into how exactly Focalors planned to make use of the Oratrice's power to truly divert Fontaine's prophecy and allow the nation to live past it.

…And I had to admit that my initial assumption was wrong. I thought Focalors didn't know about the Oratrice's truth, but it seemed she did. More than that, it seemed she'd planned a way to divert it entirely, using the Oratrice's Abyssal powers as fuel to then bring Neuvillette above his supposed Destiny, giving him the power to reverse the prophecy entirely.

But,

I pursed my lips. "Once again, you have forgotten one more person in this all." I whispered, more than displeased. "Perhaps Fontaine shall rise again, and perhaps Fontaine shall break past the Destiny Celestia had placed upon it, but in doing so you shall irreversibly harm the one person who had given all her life for this."

Focalors remained silent, and I smiled coldly. "Then again, it was said that you formed her from your Humanity, so perhaps it isn't surprising that you remain so cold-hearted, incapable of understanding her suffering."

The Oratrice hummed loudly. The people cried out in pain. "Her Destiny, our Strength. Power to Shatter the Gaze of Heaven."

My eyes narrowed. "One life for thousands more. The suffering of a single person as the price for a nation." I whispered, before I scoffed. Fury burnt in my chest at the idea alone. It was a concept as old as time, yet this was no heroic tale, but a martyrdom forced onto a child who knew nothing better.

You dare undermine her FreedOM?

My control slipped for a moment, and the few windows in the hall shattered as powerful winds swept inside. Panic quickly followed, and people began running towards the exit, fearing that something terrible was about to happen.

All the while, Aether and Paimon turned to one another, clearly recognizing that the sudden burst of wind had been caused by me. "I-Is she…?" Paimon whispered, incapable of stopping herself from making comparisons between the strange journalist and a certain bard.

Aether pursed his lips as he turned back to me. "I don't know." He whispered, though he was ready to call for his Dull Blade at any moment.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, before I turned my gaze towards Furina. She was staring at the Oratrice, eyes wide and face pale. There was no doubt that she could hear Focalors' words as clearly as I could, and she was now privy to the entire plan Focalors had concocted from the very first moment of Furina's creation.

A plan that hinged on Furina's Destiny. A Destiny that promised suffering and isolation.

My fists clenched, and then they loosened.

A thought cropped into my head. A plan. A devious plan even. One that caused my lips to lift into a confident smile.

If Focalors' plan hinged entirely on using Furina's Destiny as the engine to both fulfil and divert Fontaine's prophecy,

What would happen if that very Destiny was, say, shattered?

…hmm, no. Maybe that was a tad too hasty. For how much I detested the method Focalors used to divert Fontaine's ending, I understood that it was an ingenious one. To save thousands at the cost of one was a great trade, even if the method left a sour note in my mouth.

But what would happen after? Once the waters had receded and Fontaine could live past the prophecy that'd hung over it like a guillotine's blade? If Furina's Destiny would force her to remain isolated and hated, then there was no doubt that the same trend would continue even once the prophecy ended.

I narrowed my eyes. 

That would be the moment to strike.

I took a breath, and whistled softly. So softly that hardly anyone could ever hear it. But that whistle contained the plan I'd thought up at the spot, and I used my control over Anemo to ferry the winds over to Furina's ears. 

Furina shook slightly as she stared right at the Oratrice-, no, at Focalors. She could hardly think of anything right now. To know that this whole thing—the deconstruction of her persona, the shattering of her Self—it had been foreplanned from the very moment she was created. She was quite literally born to be hated, and how was she supposed to feel about something like that-?

She yelped suddenly when a passing wind brushed past her ear, and her eyes went wide as she heard everything I'd spoken in that whisper. She turned to me, and I smiled back.

It-, that was impossible. She knew that Destiny was something every person was born with, and it wasn't something that could be destroyed so easily. There was no way the plan I had concocted would ever work! 

And yet, as she stared at me, a seed of doubt grew in her heart. What if I really was able to break her away from her Destiny? What if she really could become something more than a puppet, destined to be thrown away and forgotten once her casting role was over?

In that moment of internal conflict, all sounds died away. The Oratrice's humming temporarily ceased, waiting for the fake Archon to gather her thoughts. And the panicking crowd was finally calmed by the Garde officers, allowing them to return their focus back to the unfinished trial. The Ludex watched it all from his podium, confused and yet incapable of turning away.

I closed my eyes. It wasn't hard to see the conflict that Furina faced after she heard my plan. I didn't doubt that she never even thought about what would come after her 'role' came to an end. 

And so, with a waiting audience beneath me, I took a step forward to begin my own play.

"Lady Furina," I began, speaking with utter solemnity. My voice broke her away from her thoughts, and she blinked as she turned to me. She waited for me to continue, somewhat fearing what I would say. 

Only for me to say, "Do you know that there exists a dish in Sumeru called the 'Potato Boat'?"

"...eh?" Furina's jaw fell. 

Her confusion was mirrored by the rest of the audience. They turned to one another, subtly asking what was going on. Even the Oratrice remained silent, completely surprised by the sudden turn this whole talk had taken.

I nodded, entirely nonplussed. "Indeed. I was quite surprised when I first heard of it, and its name is no misnomer. They indeed carved out an entire giant potato and used it as a bowl for a wonderfully tasty soup." I smiled slightly, remembering it through the memories this version of 'me' had. 

"Also, Inazuma is famed for it's dango—said to be the Archon's favorite food." I knew for a fact that it was, actually. Ei still went crazy whenever she found them. "Soft, chewy, and sweet. I'm sure Lady Furina would truly enjoy them if you ever went to visit."

"Vivianne, what are you-?"

"And Liyue!" I continued, my excitement rising. I had to actively stop myself from talking too much about my own home. "Their chefs are truly amazing! Their dishes are bold and flavorful, and I find myself craving them even now." I chuckled shyly. "Though I admit I am incapable of finishing them outright, for my stomach is far too small."

"Last but not least, Mondstadt." I smiled fondly as I remembered my first Adventure. "I admit I have tasted little of their regional delicacies, but I can attest to the fact that they brew the best wine Teyvat has ever seen. Their Dandelion Wine costs an entire mortgage, but many would say it is worth it."

Once I finished my tirade, safe to say, everyone was confused. They were all prepared to hear some speech when I took a step forward, only to then hear me talk about food for minutes on end. And no one was more confused than Furina herself, who stared at me as if I'd accidentally read the wrong script.

But I hadn't. 

I opened my eyes. "Lady Furina," I smiled. "Do you not want to taste these dishes at least once in your life?"

Her eyes widened. "Eh?" She said, and then smiled shakily. "O-Of course I do! Those sound rather wonderful, but I-" She stopped for a moment. "But I…"

I shook my head. "Lady Furina." I repeated. Her eyes turned to mine, and I smiled. "At this moment, consider not the ifs or buts or whys," I took another step forward, before I extended my hand towards her. "Lady Furina, do you not want to taste these dishes at least once in your life?"

Her breath shook once she realized what it was I was trying to say. And of course she did! Of course she wanted to taste all those wonderful foods I had described! Of course she wanted to go and explore the other nations of Teyvat, to see how different they were compared to Fontaine!

But she was-!

"Furina." I called, smiling gently. "Don't you want to explore this world?"

Don't you want to live?

"I-!"

Tears gathered in her eyes. She knew full well what would happen once she spoke. The chains that bound her, once as unshakable as bedrock, were now trembling before the subtle winds that spun around me. Destiny itself shook in terror when it stood before the seemingly normal Storyteller.

From the very beginning, Furina de Fontaine was a coward. She was always afraid. Afraid of every and all things. At least when she had her role, she took comfort in it, knowing that her life at least had a road she could follow. And even after learning that she was destined to be hated and alone, she was at least comforted by the fact that she knew beforehand.

But if she spoke, that comfort would disappear. The future would become unknown.

But,

But!

"I-!" Furina choked out, as her tears finally fell. "I WANT TO LIVE!"

[Detected a significant shift in Destiny of the character -Furina-. Achievement -Fate Defiance- has taken effect. Rewards have been moved to the Inventory]

The Oratrice suddenly glowed a dark purple, and Focalors' voice shot out. "Furina-!"

Suddenly, the scales broke open. A massive portal of water formed where the Oratrice once stood, and out from it came a giant whale, formed entirely from swirling Primordial Waters. Its giant maw opened, and the walls of the hall cracked as its song echoed out across the world.

The All-Devouring Narwhal had returned to Teyvat.

It turned to Furina, to the one who had shattered the chains of Destiny. And as the arbiter of Fontaine's prophecy, it could not let such an aberration remain in this world.

So it opened its mouth, and a powerful jet of Primordial Water shot out towards her. Many saw this and tried to intervene. Clorinde, Neuvillete, Aether, and even Childe moved, having transformed into his Foul Legacy to try and fight the whale himself.

None of them were fast enough. The jet would reach Furina first. And Furina closed her eyes, terrified but accepting.

But suddenly a gentle gust of wind brushed her, and she gasped as she opened her eyes.

I stood next to her, a blade formed from Anemo and Hydro held in my hands as I faced the supposed impending doom. "Lady Furina." I began, smiling slightly as I reared my arm back. "I am a Storyteller, and I love Happy Endings the most." A bright halo formed above my head, great white wings expanded behind me, and a swirling mass of Anemo and Hydro gathered around my sword. "So let me help you reach yours."

I thrust my sword forward. My blade smashed into the incoming jet of Primordial Water, and the two colliding forces caused a massive explosion that shattered the judgement hall apart. The people screamed as rubble began falling, but they were saved when my Anemo bellowed out and blew those rubble away.

When the cloud of smoke finally faded, they could see me standing tall in front of Furina, having not taken any damage. The whale was similarly uninjured, though it now stared at me with caution, having seen me match its strength.

The crowd watched, entranced. They were all swept up into this new Story that now played. Of a journalist who despised the injustice Furina de Fontaine faced, and would now willingly fight even the Heavens if it meant saving her.

The one who was most surprised was Neuvillete however, who gripped his cane so harshly that it snapped entirely. He knew full well that that whale was—the perpetrator of the prophecy, and a creation that held the Gnosis that contained the strength Celestia stole from the Sovereign of Water.

And yet that journalist had stopped its advance. 

"Who are you?" He whispered, barely containing his growl.

But I cared for none of that. Because right now I had a giant whale to kill, and a girl to save.

I brandished my sword, and my eyes glowed bright blue as I stared fearlessly at the All-Devouring Narwhal.

Time for Round Three.