The grand hall of the Opera Epiclese stood quiet and still.
Serving as the supreme judicial tribunal of Fontaine, such theatrical grandeur might seem peculiar to outsiders, yet within the context of the seven nations, it made perfect sense.
The Seven Archons invariably found their own peculiar amusements.
Venti indulged in fine vintage, Zhongli delighted in leisurely dining on others' tabs, Ei retreated into self-imposed seclusion, and Nahida was forced to seek solace in dreams.
Lady Furina, however, was in a league of her own.
She was the beloved spectacle of her entire people.
Every Archon found their diversion, yet today, the customary theatrics had vanished from the stage.
No judicial trials were docketed for the afternoon, and Furina showed none of her usual flair. She sat slumped in her elevated gallery box, staring across the vacant auditorium at Neuvillette seated opposite her.
Each held an identical leather portfolio.
Within lay exhaustive reconnaissance regarding the military mobilization of the Five-Nation Alliance, alongside a strategic digest concerning the realm beyond the portal.
Neuvillette maintained his customary stoic composure, yet the faint tremors of shock flickering through his eyes revealed that even the unflappable Chief Justice was unsettled.
"The block world... genuinely terrifying. Resurrection, immortality, boundless abundance..."
Furina rubbed her temples, letting out a frustrated groan.
"How could such an anomaly exist? Teyvat was functioning so peacefully, and now everything is thrown into utter bedlam! Can none of them simply let the world be?"
"Bedlam?"
Neuvillette looked up, his tone measured and flat.
"If overwhelming fervor and soaring aspiration qualify as disorder, perhaps your assessment holds."
"The Five-Nation Alliance has fallen entirely under the sway of that other realm, while every major faction across the continent seeks entry through the gate."
"The Adventurers' Guild is in active negotiations with Snezhnaya, preparing to subordinate their entire global apparatus to the alliance."
"Furthermore, underground intelligence networks have established contact with Master Diluc, arranging complete integration under their banner."
"Anyone with open eyes can see the alliance has grown into an unstoppable colossus, sweeping across Teyvat with absolute momentum."
"Mere martial intimidation cannot bend every knee, yet they now hold the singular treasure that every living soul on this continent desires."
Neuvillette withdrew a glossy photograph from the ledger. Upon the print stood lines of soldiers mounted upon soaring dragons, flanked by combatants brandishing staves that channeled brilliant, concentrated magic.
The uniforms varied widely, yet one striking anomaly unified them all.
None possessed a Vision, yet every single soldier wielded transcendent power.
Looking down at the image with darkened eyes, Neuvillette spoke softly.
"Transcendent power, vast uncharted frontiers, boundless knowledge, eternal life, and endless wealth. Everything mortal humanity has ever chased across history now rests entirely within their palms."
"Inevitably, Teyvat will answer to their word alone."
"You must determine our path soon."
"The murmurs within our own borders are mounting, and you must offer an accounting to our people."
Furina pressed her lips together, averting her eyes with a half-hearted wave.
"What is the rush? I acknowledge their strength is remarkable, but our Fontaine..."
Neuvillette cut her short before she could finish the thought.
"There is no need to complete that sentence. What you and I understand in our hearts requires no empty pretenses."
Furina clicked her tongue, planting her hands on her hips like a petulant girl caught in an argument.
"Whose side are you on anyway? Mine or theirs?!"
"I stand beside you, Lady Furina. Always."
Neuvillette let out a silent, weary breath.
He caught himself wondering whether he had indulged her far too much over the centuries, allowing her to retain the temperament of an unruly child.
They were deliberating on monumental geopolitical forces that held the survival of Fontaine in the balance, yet she remained as ungrounded as ever.
It brought a persistent ache to his brow.
Furina wrinkled her nose.
"What about Celestia and the Heavenly Principles?"
"Celestia?"
A flicker of cold revulsion crossed Neuvillette's gaze.
Pulling another dossier from the stack, he spoke in an even, dispassionate cadence.
"Three days ago, Celestia cast its gaze upon the lands of the alliance. That very afternoon, Rex Lapis took the field, flanked by the Anemo Archon, the Cryo Archon, the Twin Raiden Sovereigns, and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
"They marched alongside Dragon King Azhdaha, the God of Dust, and the Adeptus of Chenyu Vale: nine divine beings in total."
"Among them stood seven entities possessing the combat parameters of premier Archons."
"Beneath their banner stood the Conqueror of Demons, General Bosacius, and the illuminated adepti of Liyue, whose martial strengths range from mid-tier to high-tier gods."
"Supported by the high council of five nations: Ningguang, Keqing, Hu Tao, Jean, Lisa, Yae Miko, Cyno, Tartaglia, and Scaramouche."
"Each commanding strength equivalent to lower and mid-tier deities."
"Their combined divine-tier combatants total over one hundred and fifty individuals."
"Beyond the vanguard, they command wings of Dragon Knights, modern firearm divisions, heavy armored cavalry, light skirmishers, aerial units, and full combat mage corps."
"The average combat parameters of their Dragon Knights and spellcasting detachments rival mid-tier divine familiars."
"Their modernized munitions corps alone holds the proven record of suppressing the ancient sea god Osial."
"Tallying the ledger, the divine might concentrated within the alliance matches the total sum of gods who contested the primordial Archon Wars."
"How many comparable entities remain seated upon Celestia?"
"When Rex Lapis and his peers stood upon the field, Celestia severed its gaze instantly, retreating behind barriers and shrinking from sight."
"Do you still wish to seek excuses?"
Neuvillette's quiet recitation made Furina shrink into her high-backed chair, an involuntary chill creeping down her spine.
At the very best, her sovereign standing placed her on the level of a mid-tier deity. How many such beings were gathered in that camp?
Even factoring in Neuvillette's full might, two vanguard officers sent by Zhongli would be enough to level the playing field.
Standing silently behind Furina's chair, Clorinde kept her head lowered, her breath caught in her throat as she absorbed the staggering roster.
Furina swallowed hard, yet her stubborn nature refused to yield completely.
"Then what about the Heavenly Principles herself?"
"The Heavenly Principles?"
A glint of razor-sharp frost coated Neuvillette's pupils.
"Had she retained the ability to walk the mortal world, she would have struck the moment the five nations raised their banners."
"One can deduce that the cataclysm five centuries ago left her gravely wounded."
"Furthermore, even if the Sustainer stirs, do you imagine the alliance holds no hidden cards?"
"Setting all else aside, do not forget that boundless, miraculous universe remains firmly under the authority of that mysterious gentleman, Ryen."
"Do you genuinely believe the absolute master of an entire cosmos would fall short against the Heavenly Principles?"
Furina fell dead silent.
After several agonizing seconds, she threw her arms up in exasperation.
"Fine! Fine! I understand! You are driving me mad! Fontaine is already drowning in an endless swamp of unresolved crises, and now the alliance drops this impossible mess upon my head!"
"What more do you expect of me?! Problems must be resolved one by one!"
Neuvillette sighed softly, his expression softening.
"I am not attempting to corner you. Yet you must step forward and establish an official posture on behalf of Fontaine."
"In this trial, I cannot shield you. You are the Archon of this realm."
"Lady Furina, I urge you to deliberate with care. According to reliable intelligence, the Traveler intends to make a journey to Fontaine in the near future."
"This may provide your finest opportunity."
Furina blinked, tilting her head with sudden apprehension.
"The Traveler? That terrifyingly connected harbinger of doom who sparks a catastrophe everywhere her boots touch the dirt?"
Neuvillette nodded slowly.
"The companion to the Lord of the block world, peer to the Archons, honored guest of five nations, and blood twin to the Prince of the Abyss."
"The Traveler: Lumine."
Furina felt a cold sweat prickle her brow.
Setting aside Lumine's terrifying pedigree, where crossing her meant inviting the wrath of half the cosmos, one only had to review her prior journey.
When she arrived in Mondstadt, the city was besieged by Stormterror. In Liyue, Rex Lapis suffered mortal wounds and stepped down while Osial burst from the ocean depths.
In Inazuma, the Shogunate fractured and the high commissions were thoroughly purged.
When she reached Sumeru, the spectacle was even more devastating.
The entire Akademiya was toppled, three Sages met their demise, and Grand Sage Azar was stripped of his robes, bound at the city gate to receive daily blows from angry citizens.
Had those disasters occurred independently, one might chalk it up to foul luck.
Yet in every single cataclysm, Lumine had stood dead center in the eye of the hurricane.
In Furina's eyes, the girl was a walking star of absolute calamity. The gods alone knew what ruin Fontaine would suffer once she crossed the border.
Furina clawed nervously at her cheek.
"Why must she come here?! Fontaine is already teetering on the edge! If something happens to her on our watch, I cannot withstand the fury of the armies standing behind her!"
She paused, narrowing her eyes with sudden suspicion.
"Wait... how did you learn of her itinerary?"
Neuvillette met her gaze, answering after a brief hesitation.
"Envoys from the Abyss Order approached me recently, requesting that I grant the Traveler certain conveniences during her stay."
"Hmph..."
Furina puffed her cheeks in an annoyed pout.
"Must be wonderful having boundless backing. Armies shielding her wherever she roams."
Neuvillette brushed aside her complaint, pressing his point with absolute earnestness.
"This is an exceptional opening. Given the Traveler's established nature, her intervention may well bring resolution to the dilemmas currently haunting your thoughts."
Furina wrinkled her nose, muttering under her breath.
"I only pray she refrains from detonating our streets. If she leaves without triggering a regional collapse, I will count it as a miracle."
Seeing that Furina had reluctantly accepted the reality, Neuvillette offered an approving nod.
"I offer this counsel merely to remind you that her arrival is a golden opportunity. Not only might it resolve Fontaine's existential trial once and for all, but it opens a direct conduit to the Five-Nation Alliance."
A complicated, weary expression washed over Furina's face. Letting out a soft, defeated sigh, she pushed back her chair.
"I will consider it. Is there anything else? If not, I am taking my leave."
Recognizing the turbulence in her heart, Neuvillette refrained from pressing further, watching quietly as Furina swept toward the double doors with Clorinde trailing close behind.
As the doors swung shut, a heavy, resonant thud echoed through the hollow opera house.
Neuvillette knew the gesture was Furina's method of venting her inner helplessness.
He held no grievance against her outburst. The weight of today's briefing was an unavoidable pressure he had been forced to drop onto her shoulders.
Her position was agonizingly precarious, and statecraft had never been her strength.
The dread of Celestia had crushed her spirit for centuries, and now the Five-Nation Alliance had drawn its blade.
Neither power could be crossed, yet neither could be avoided.
Cruelly and simply, neutrality was dead; Fontaine was being forced to choose a side.
Anyone with foresight could see that the alliance was uniting the continent to mount an open rebellion against the heavens.
Fontaine could no longer play the blind bystander.
Neuvillette had to consider whether Lumine's upcoming journey was designed in part to gauge their allegiance.
Across the whole of Teyvat, only Fontaine and Natlan remained outside the pact.
Natlan was consumed entirely by its own domestic inferno, leaving them incapable of looking beyond their borders.
Left alone in the cavernous hall, Neuvillette continued studying the photographs and documents spread before him.
After a long silence, he let out a low, mournful breath, casting his gaze toward the vaulted dome above.
A soft, rippling whisper of displaced water echoed through the shadows, and his form vanished from the gallery.
Outside, the skies above the Court of Fontaine hung dark and overcast, yet no rain fell.
Dense, violet clouds lingered unbroken against the atmosphere, punctuated by deep, rolling rumbles of thunder that left the citizens glancing skyward in mild bewilderment.
Such weather was rare for the capital; when storms gathered over the lake, the downpour was typically swift and decisive.
If one gave credence to the ancient nursery rhymes whispered across the city alleys...
It meant the Sovereign Dragon of Water was weeping in sorrow.