Chapter Text
“Listen closely. Fontaine has just lost its Hydro Archon. I need you to ”play” a role — that of the new Archon.” The soothing voice of the person in the mirror instructed.
“Play as… A god?” Furina repeated, confused.
“That’s right. You must begin a never-ending masquerade. You must never let anyone suspect your identity… If you keep it up, then I shall have my way of defying this prophecy… But should your identity be revealed, then all hope will be lost.” In those moments Furina had questioned everything. Her purpose, her magical meeting, her soon-to-be mission with a whole nation weighing in the balance.
How was a mere human meant to pose as the divine without truly becoming part of the divine? How was she meant to contend against humanity, the very beings that she was going to set out to save? How was she meant to behave? She wasn’t entirely sure what a “god” would look like, how they would walk, talk, if they even eat. And yet…
“All will eventually end in a magnificent and dramatic trial, and everyone will be saved.” Was what Mirror-Furina had promised.
When Mirror-Her had gone, leaving only the contemplative face of her reflection, Furina was still thinking. Just how should she do this?
Were gods arrogant, simply knowing they were above such lowly mortals? Did they laugh in the face of mortality, knowing that Death would not touch them, not for millennia? Did they not eat or drink like humans, instead feasting on the food of the heavens? Did they only see natural disasters as something they might lower themselves to deal with for entertainment?
Or did they weep and laugh just as people did? Did they also fear Death, watching it take away the many mortal souls that worship at their feet? Did they feast on the bounty of humans, enjoying the flavors created by hardworking mortal hands? Did they fear for their believers, guiding them on every step so that they would prosper and thrive in their lands?
Did they show themselves openly amongst their people, walking the same ground and blessing them with their divine visage? Or did they disguise themselves, mingle with their people in human forms and view the world from a mortal’s perspective?
Furina was not sure what a god looked like, but seeing her own naive gaze in the mirror she knew that whatever a god was like, they were nothing like her. She meant it in no arrogant way, do not misunderstand. But a god has power and knowledge, that much Furina knows. So a god would never look so naive and young, so lost and confused, so frail and weak.
Furina is not the face of a god.
In the eyes of the people, she was just as human as they were; weak and powerless to the whims of the world.
And perhaps that was what struck a chord of inspiration in her, melodious as a sweet tune.
Furina did not have to be the “face”, she only had to be the god.
Gods were like directors, weren’t they? Telling their people what and what not to do. Guiding them through life, like a playwright and producer guides the actors and actresses through the script laid out for them. Furina could be the “face” of the Hydro Archon known to the heavens, and she could have her own “face” of the Hydro Archons viewed by the people.
She would be the Archon “behind-the-scenes”, carefully constructing a script, a role, for someone much better suited to play. And it wasn’t Furina trying to escape her own suffering, no. Still, she would have to pretend to be a god, convincing enough to fool a person she’d be letting into her personal space up close. It was a failsafe more than anything, just in case they see through the ploy quickly. If that were to happen, she trusts that her chosen “Archon” would reveal her existence, and from there she could reign in the chaos and start the charade all over again.
Looking down at a slip of paper Mirror-Her seemed to have left, Furina had the thought she already had a candidate. And reading through the contents, she knew she had found the perfect face to the Hydro Archon, one that would be around for however long she was needed, one with the power and presence of a god.
Sitting herself down at a small desk in that same room as the mirror, Furina began to pen a letter, one of invitation.
You,
The Hydro Archon formally welcomes you to the Court of Fontaine.
Come and witness the people and city for yourself, Hydro Dragon Sovereign. There is something I am certain you are interested in here at the Opera Epiclese. I cannot give it to you yet, but I can promise you power over it should you gratefully accept the position offered to you.
I shall leave you a seat with the best view in the greatest theater. Once you have seen what the opera house has to offer, come find me afterwards west of the Opera on the path to the Foggy Forest.
Signed by Her Divine Grace,
The Hydro Archon, God of Justice, Focalors