Hearing Neuvillette say that, Lora smiled.
"Thank you. It's not too much if I think of you as a younger brother, right?"
"As fellow hearts of the Primordial Sea—and since I was born after you—of course not," Neuvillette replied softly.
Now that he had reclaimed the full authority of the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, he had finally become complete once more.
After the dreamlike space dissipated, Neuvillette soared into the sky. Looking down over Fontaine, he slowly raised one hand.
"Chief Justice Neuvillette hereby declares: I pardon all sins carried by the people of Fontaine."
At that moment, the people of Fontaine truly became human.
Lora brought Furina and Focalors back into the courtroom and returned to the defendant's seat with them. When Neuvillette also reappeared, everyone was still struggling to process what had just happened.
They stared blankly at the two girls beside Lora.
Aside from their clothes, the pair looked completely identical.
Standing atop the stage, Lora gazed at the enormous fissure torn open by the star-devouring whale and said to Neuvillette:
"There's one final thing. No matter what happens, you must kill that whale."
Neuvillette nodded.
"Leave it to me."
Now restored as the complete Hydro Dragon Sovereign, he stood among the strongest beings in Teyvat. With his authority fully returned, he possessed the power to strip the Primordial Sea's energy from the whale and destroy it completely.
After Neuvillette entered the Primordial Sea, Lora turned toward everyone else.
"Fontaine is about to flood. Do everything you can to save every citizen. Understood?"
The crowd, who moments earlier had still been overwhelmed with confusion, immediately nodded.
"Understood, Lady Egeria!"
Everyone quickly rushed out of the Opera Epiclese.
Although countless questions still lingered in their hearts, no one doubted Lora's identity anymore. As Fontaine's original Hydro Archon—the god who created the people of Fontaine—there was no one present willing to disobey her.
Even Arlecchino chose to comply without hesitation.
Idyia and Rhodeia moved first, immediately organizing people to prepare for the coming floodwaters. Xianyun and Xiao also joined them, helping evacuate civilians throughout Fontaine.
Even though Fontainians would no longer dissolve upon touching Water from the Primordial Sea, the flood itself was still deadly.
Looking at the now-empty Opera Epiclese, Lora turned back toward Furina and Focalors.
She gently reached out and rubbed both girls' heads.
"How wonderful. You've both done so well. Just as expected of my children."
"Lady Egeria..." Focalors looked at her excitedly, her face filled with joy.
"You've worked hard too, Furina." Lora looked at her gently. "Thank you for enduring all of this for five hundred years."
"N-No... you don't have to thank me..."
Furina shook her head helplessly, unsure what she was even supposed to say anymore.
Her spirit had already been pushed to the brink of collapse, but after finally learning the truth—and under Lora's gentle care—that overwhelming sense of helplessness had finally begun to fade.
"But..." Lora suddenly continued, her gaze settling on the two girls.
"To complete the prophecy, there's still one final step left."
"The final step?"
Focalors and Furina both froze in confusion.
Lora took out the three Gnoses and handed them to Focalors. Then she gently pushed both girls down by the shoulders, seating them together upon the divine throne.
The seat was large enough for the two frail girls to sit side by side.
"Egeria... what are you going to do?" Focalors immediately noticed the trace of reluctance hidden in Lora's eyes.
"Sorry. I'll have to make you cry one more time." Lora smiled at them softly. "Only then can the prophecy truly come to an end."
As she smiled, her body slowly began turning transparent.
It started from her hands before gradually spreading through the rest of her body. Countless strands of light drifted away from her like flowing water, scattering into the surrounding space.
"Lady Egeria!"
The moment Focalors saw this, she tried to rush toward her, only to discover that Lora's power had firmly restrained both her and Furina in place.
"Even now, I still have enough strength left to keep the two of you pinned down." Lora smiled helplessly.
"So that's it..." Focalors looked at her and instantly understood everything. "You used yourself to anchor the Hydro Archon's divine throne!"
"N-No... you can't do this, Lora...!"
Furina shook her head frantically, panic filling her eyes as she desperately struggled against the restraints.
The waters of Fontaine rapidly began to rise.
Against the backdrop of the flood, Lora changed into her divine attire.
Looking down at the familiar outfit, she smiled softly.
"Mmm... it really is beautiful. Your older sister made this for me."
"She was always so good with her hands." Lora looked at the two girls gently. "Focalors, Furina... after I'm gone, the two of you must live well."
"And remember to give the Hydro Archon's Gnosis to Tartaglia so he can bring it back to Snezhnaya. That child has already been through enough. We can't let him leave empty-handed."
"Then give it to him yourself!" Focalors shouted.
"There won't be time for that anymore." Lora shook her head with a smile.
By now, her body had become almost completely transparent.
She looked at the two girls quietly for a very long time before finally letting out a soft sigh.
"I really don't want to leave you behind..."
"You can't do this!!!"
Focalors and Furina cried out desperately, but neither of them could stop what was happening.
All of Fontaine was swallowed by water.
Upon the divine throne, Furina and Focalors wept as Fontaine's sins were washed away.
The moment Lora's power completely vanished from this world, the restraints binding the two girls disappeared as well.
Now transformed into ordinary humans, the people of Fontaine could no longer breathe underwater without Visions.
Above the flooded nation, Xianyun and Xiao rode the winds through the sky, continuously rescuing drowning civilians.
Then—
A dragon's roar echoed across the heavens.
A massive blue dragon descended from the sky with beating wings, carrying a gentle wind that lifted countless people from the sea and safely placed them upon higher ground.
Between the submerged mountains, gigantic vines burst from the earth, raising those trapped beneath the waters back to the surface.
And standing atop the blue dragon's back was a small figure dressed in green.
Nahida had arrived.
Under Venti's guidance, Dvalin had personally brought her from Sumeru.