Darkness.
That was the only word Furina could describe it. It stretched vast in all directions, with some exception of a stage and seats in front of her.
The seats were empty; some were destroyed, while others were simply levitating in place.
And atop the ominous lightless stage, Furina saw something.
It was a mirror.
"Other me?"
Furina asked herself, recognizing the familiar mirror she had once witnessed hundreds of years ago.
That day, when she was given the task of acting a god by none other than her own self to save the entire nation, her other self had appeared before her.
That was the last time she had seen her other half. Ever since then, she had never once again seen any clues that could lead to her in any shape or form.
But, blindly, she had followed her instructions for hundreds of years. Because she knew that was the right thing to do.
Justice was fair and just, after all.
But now, she was once more seeing the same mirror where she had last seen her other self. Her emotions were all over the place.
She hesitated for a moment before walking over to that lonesome stage. Along the way, she couldn't help but notice that, unlike last time, the area around her was no longer solemnly dark, but rather...
A kind of silence one would only find in cathedrals. It was as though she was walking towards an altar.
Finally, once she had reached the stage and climbed over it, she peered towards the mirror...
...only to find herself staring back.
"Huh?"
She was surprised for a bit before calming down and assessing what was happening.
"It's... just me. Where's the other me?"
Indeed, it was only her. No one else but her. Uniquely her.
She then started waving at her own reflection, and when those didn't illicit any kind of response, she decided on other gestures.
Ultimately, they did naught.
"Other me, why did you summon me here once again?" Feeling as if no one was truly with her, Furina began speaking towards the mirror. "Have I... done anything wrong?"
The moment she said that, a horrifying thought blossomed in her mind. One so frightening that it made her tremble, her eyes constricting.
It was a natural conjecture she had formed after uttering those words. The most logical one, even.
It was the thought that her intimate act with Isaac had caused a catastrophic consequence.
But before she could spiral down her demise, a charming laugh emanates from deep within the mirror.
"Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong."
It was a rather mature voice, yet undoubtedly the voice of Furina herself.
She gazed back at herself in the mirror, and sure enough, a new reflection was present. It was still her... but inverted.
It was the "her" that carried the divine majesty a god should have, her other true self, and the one bearing the true Authority of Hydro, the Hydro Archon Focalors.
"Other me... You're here!" Surprised at seeing her again after centuries, Furina didn't know what to say. "I thought that... I'd never see you again!"
"Hehe, silly Furina." In the mirror, Focalors laughed reservedly. "I haven't left. I had always been with you."
"Thou art I, and I am thou."
Their personalities were like day and night. Yet, even with such a stark contrast, the similarities between them cannot be debated.
Even after centuries of having been separated, they still retained their unique charm that complemented each other.
"Hello again, Furina." After her impromptu introduction, Focalors decided to greet her other half. "It has been a long, long time."
Furina didn't know what to say at first. There were a lot of things she wanted to say to her other self, of the quiet sacrifice she had to endure, of the burdens she had to carry...
But she welled all of it inside, and merely showed a bittersweet smile. "Yes... It has... truly been a long time, other me."
Seeing her reaction, Focalors lingered in silence for a moment before heaving a soft sigh.
"I know you have a lot to say to me, and I know I still owe you a long overdue reconciliation, and believe me, I want to, but..." Focalors looked at her directly in the eye as she spoke, "I must discuss with you an important matter."
"An important matter?" Furina repeated.
Focalors nodded. Afterwards, she showed a knowing smile. "Yes, and it has something to do with your lover."
She pondered for a second before adding, "Or should I say our lover?"
After hearing her words, and as if instinctively, Furina began to ramble on with a flushed face. "My lover, Isaac? Yes, he's mine. And although you are technically me, you've never really met him before, right, other me? So, logically speaking, he's just my lover, not yours, ehe..."
"Haha, relax, Furina." Seeing her other self act this way, Focalors couldn't help but laugh. "I won't steal him away from you, so don't worry. You can have him all for yourself. And besides..."
Focalors then looked up, as if she was peering above the heavens themselves. "A divine being should not love a mortal. It has been proven time and again that it would only bring disaster."
She then looked back at her, this time with an eased look on her face. "On the contrary, since you are my human counterpart, you have all the rights and privileges that I, Focalors, could not have. Such as the ability to love a specific mortal. You are entitled to all of that, and I fully support you. That also includes..."
Her eyes darted lower before chuckling. "Engaging in that act too. Nice performance, by the way. I didn't know our body was that sensitive. I almost thought I gave you the Hydro Authority..."
Furina didn't know what to say. Her face flushed red as she tried to avert her eyes away from her own self in the mirror. But after realizing how ridiculous that notion was, she stopped and faced her other self once more.
After a while, she couldn't help but sigh in the same manner as her man. "Could you... not review it? Thank you..."
Focalors once more gave a shallow chuckle filled with mirth. "Alright, I'll stop."
"So, what really is the reason you've shown yourself to me again, other me?" Furina asked, deciding to shift the conversation.
She felt that, if they continued this conversation, her other self would spout more unnecessary remarks regarding their activity.
"..." Focalors stared at Furina in silence for a few moments, as if she was contemplating whether she should proceed with her words.
But after a moment's notice, she finally made a decision.
"I'll go straight to the point, Furina." She said solemnly. "What I came here, concerns the fate that was originally intended for Fontaine."
"The prophecy... will it still come to pass?" Furina asked in a weak voice. "But... Even after I broke one of your rules, the punishment still didn't come..."
"That's because fate is still being deceived." Focalors clarified. "Nothing in our plan has deviated so far. Fate itself is still being deceived with our lie, but an ominous and subtle change has stirred it to change its course, yet retaining the same ending."
"The great flood shall still come to pass."
She remained silent for a few moments before adding, "But this time, another great tragedy shall accompany it. Not for Fontaine, but..."
"To your lover."
"What..."
After hearing that the great flood shall still come for her people, Furina's pupils trembled. She thought that she had escaped that horrendous fate when she had embraced Isaac, believing that she had broken the rule that deceived fate. But as it turns out, fate was still being deceived due to some reason.
To her, that alone was a major shock.
But to top it all off with a prophecy that Isaac, the man she loved, would also be tangled up in a disaster had caused her to stumble back.
"N, no... That can't be... Why?" She mumbled as she sought for answers. "The prophecy... I'm confident that we can save our people with your plan, but Isaac... Why does he have to be caught up in it?"
Focalors shook her head. "I don't know. That's why I broke my silence and spoke to you, Furina."
She then lifted her arm and touched the surface of the mirror. "I know how much you have longed for this moment, to embrace human life without your duties. And I, being another part of you, knows it too well. That's why..."
Her breath steadied.
"That's why I came to tell you this. I want you to be happy, Furina. And that man... he knows how to give it to you without the consequences of the heavens. But he himself seems to be harboring all sorts of bad fates."
Furina looked back at her other self, and upon hearing her reasons, a bit of her resolve came back. Then, steadily, she approached the mirror and also touched the surface.
"Then... What do I need to do? I don't want to fail my people, and I don't want to lose Isaac... So tell me, other me..."
Focalors smiled bitterly.
"That's the thing. You don't have to do anything. Our original plan still continues."
Furina didn't quite get it. "What...?"
But Focalors reaffirmed. "If our initial plan goes through, and the events we intend are fulfilled, then... There is a possibility that we can save him along with the rest of the people of Fontaine."
"B, but how..."
"Believe in me, Furina." Focalors smiled. "I will do my utmost best to see this through. For you... and for me."
Then, with a low voice, she added, "So, forgive me, but... just like before, will you take on this role once more?"
Furina stared at her other self for a moment, the resolve in her eye flickering in and out for a few moments before they solidified to a pair of convictions.
She knew what she wanted, and knew what she needed to do.
"I will. Just like before, other me. Let us work together... and save all those we love. For you, and for me."
"That's right..."
And so, another pact had been born. But, yet again, Focalors had hidden her true motives from Furina, all for the best.
Furina soon woke up, leaving behind that encounter like how one would leave a mirage.