Chapter 113: Lu Mingze, I do not want to die.

Furina’s body is no ordinary human vessel; it is the body of the Archon Focalors, a Hydro Archon evolved from the foundation of a Hydro Eidolon. Therefore, she should have inherently possessed the ability to alter her own form.

The renowned five-star critic, Zhongli, once remarked that the Geo Archon has thousands of incarnations, and perhaps one of them might even take the form of a mature woman. By that same logic, it is only natural that Focalors—also an Archon, and belonging to the Hydro Eidolon race capable of countless transformations—would possess the capacity for such change. It was merely that Furina had never mastered this ability until now.

She was simply reclaiming the power that should have been hers all along.

The bodies of Archons possess inherent power; even the weakest, the God of Salt, could cause large-scale petrification upon death. That is a capability innate to Archons, and the Seven are simply Archons upon whom the Authorities of the ancient dragons have been bestowed. The power of the Seven Archons of Teyvat may seem simple—as if they merely hold the authority over a single element—and it is often thought that they lose their power once that authority is stripped away. However, the reality is not so straightforward.

The power of the Seven is composed of three parts: the power they possess inherently, the power of the fragments of the Primordial One, and the power of the Seven Authorities.

The Archons of Teyvat are not a natural-born race; living beings only earn the qualification to become Archons after absorbing fragments of the Primordial One. These fragments also passively imbue the Archon with the fundamental concept of loving humanity, which is why most Archons are benevolent toward people. Zhongli once witnessed the initial great war, at which time he was not yet an Archon; Venti was once but a wisp among the thousand winds, later becoming the Archon of Breezes and Hope; the original Hydro Archon, Egeria, only attained the qualification to become an Archon after receiving a fragment of the Primordial One.

An Archon is not an innate species, but a collective term for beings who have integrated fragments of the Primordial One.

She was like a pitiful, foolish child.

Now, after multiple mental connections and interactions with Lu Mingfei, her psyche has grown to a certain extent, allowing her to master the power of her body—a power that was rightfully hers.

"But these are not your true thoughts."

Lu Mingze looked at the screen before him, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly. His demeanor remained elegant and arrogant, as if he did not take Focalors' reliance on him to heart, his focus still fixed on his brother and Furina.

Focalors hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes, the sensation of liquid rippling at her fingertips. In that moment, she seemed less intoxicated; she sat up straight, looking down at her own hands and the moisture tracing her skin.

The power Focalors wielded was the divine power within the Seven Authorities, combined with the energy accumulated over five hundred years, and the strength gained after her spirit was influenced by the Primordial fragment.

"The prophecy of Fontaine is nearly upon us. Everything points toward the final conclusion—the end that belongs to me. I only hope to spend these last days well, even if it means being numbed by alcohol, just to forget the pain," Focalors whispered softly.

The bewildered girl slowly curled into a ball, and the cinematic imagery formed by her perception gradually faded away. She gripped the wine bottle tightly, stared at the scattered potato chip crumbs on the floor, and buried her head deep between her knees. In the shadows, more Hydro energy began to surge.

"Am I... crying?"

As she spoke, her body went limp, leaning gently against Lu Mingze’s shoulder while she let out a series of foolish, intoxicated laughs.

Thus, the Gnosis is not the sole source of power for the Seven, for the power of the Gnosis is merely the Seven Authorities—one of the three main pillars of their strength. The power inherently possessed by the Archon upon merging with the Primordial fragment, as well as the power of the fragment itself, are also vital sources of strength for the Seven.

The reason Furina could not master the power within her body was that her spirit was too weak. Without a spirit that had advanced through the integration of the Primordial fragment, she naturally could not fully command a body containing such primordial power, and even her original strength as a Hydro Eidolon was overshadowed by the Primordial.

Lu Mingze turned his head, revealing a devilish smile, and asked in a low voice, "If you are truly willing to accept that fated end, why is your body trembling now? Why are there tears in your eyes?"

On the screen, the rain in both worlds had gradually ceased, yet within the cinema, the sound of pitter-patter remained. It was like the sorrowful notes of a piano, permeating the world within the dream.

*I am actually crying without realizing it. How could I do such a thing? If it were me, doing this in secret is actually quite normal, I suppose. After all, Furina is... in the end, I was just too lax, always wanting to indulge myself within the dream.*

"Don't you take precautions when you're out and about?"

"My true thoughts?"

Simply put, her spirit could not carry the weight of her body.

The power Furina mastered was, in fact, the power of her own body—initially the power of a Hydro Eidolon, later supplemented by the influence of the Primordial fragment, and subsequently derived from that.

Dream-Start Cinema.

An intoxicated Focalors lay slumped in her seat, holding half a bottle of unfinished champagne. With slightly flushed cheeks, she looked at Furina on the big screen, hiccuped, and laughed, "Hehehe, it's really good, really good. That's quite a nice ending."

"Yes, your true thoughts."

*'Can't you just pretend you didn't see it?'*

Focalors thought this with a sense of defiance, and the tears spilling over became even more profuse. Sadness engulfed her like the deep sea; she wanted to struggle, but could only sink endlessly, the feeling of helplessness erupting like poison.

Beside her, Lu Mingze watched silently as Focalors wept alone. The other side of the cinema screen went dark. Although he had not developed an affection for this pitiful girl, he did not want to see someone drowned in sorrow and despair while they were sharing a moment of joy.

This was not right.

He had come to share happiness, but the process with Focalors felt like a final, desperate resignation. She was like a patient who had received a terminal diagnosis, pulling him along to spend her final moments.

She hid cuteness within her timidity, sadness within her courage, and despair within her relief. Like a foolish child, she instinctively leaned in during her despair, as if wanting to sail the final voyage of her life.

*'I don't care if you like to sacrifice yourself, but don't die before my eyes, and don't make such gestures of resolve in front of me; it makes me very uncomfortable.'*

Lu Mingze looked at the weeping Focalors and sighed helplessly. In truth, he had always known that she did not want to die. Her desire to survive was strong and intense; she even had to plunge herself into sorrowful despair to find the courage to face death. To her at this moment, all beauty was poison.

Not only that, but Focalors didn't actually like to drink. Unlike the drunken Archon, she drank only because she wanted to numb herself, to experience that sensation.

The "Water of Life" was a harsh spirit, and even with Focalors' unusual tolerance, it was likely not a pleasant experience. This approach was similar to her self-imposed exile and suffering within the Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale; she wanted to feel those beautiful things, yet dared not let herself live too comfortably.

Some people are great precisely because they are weak.

"Do you have nothing to say? If you speak it out, perhaps I could help you." Lu Mingze gently stroked her long hair; the silky, compliant texture felt comfortable to him.

"..."

Focalors turned her head and glanced at him, but quickly lowered it again.

*'Even though I've already reached this point.'*

She sobbed, more tears overflowing. She feared seeing hope, because once there was hope, her resolve to die would be hindered. But this was her only way.

Focalors acted so willful in front of Lu Mingze, like a child desperately showing off her flaws, yet feeling she was doing something wrong, and subsequently acting very well-behaved. Such conflicting images appeared within her.

She didn't want to be cared for.
She didn't want to hurt anyone.

And such a Focalors was naturally discovered by Lu Mingze. He never spoke, just watched the Hydro Archon of another world in silence. This sense of conflict felt interesting to him, but behind the comedic performance lay a tragedy, just like the classic saying:

The core of comedy is tragedy.

"Really nothing to say?" Lu Mingze asked again.

Focalors clenched her fists secretly, looking at Lu Mingze with slightly reddened eyes. Her pale red lips parted slightly but closed again quickly. She was like someone unable to make up her mind, who dared not grasp hope even when she saw it.

Because she loved her nation all the more, and this love was the source of her sense of responsibility. It was precisely because of this responsibility that she was so sorrowful and lost.

"You don't have to rush your answer. How about this? Let's go to the bar for a special drink, like before." Lu Mingze stood up and reached out his hand to Focalors.

"Okay."

Focalors' voice was barely audible. She slowly raised her hand, gathering the courage to touch Lu Mingze's, but pulled back the moment they made contact, as if she had been shocked by electricity.

She slowly looked up, her sad eyes filled with complex emotions, and murmured, "Lu Mingze, why do you still have static electricity on your hands?"

"Hehe?" Lu Mingze smiled.

"Idiot!"

Focalors gave a coquettish shout, then grabbed his hand without hesitation. She didn't know why she was suddenly so brave; perhaps it was because her sorrowful mood had been pricked by the small static shock, creating a tiny opening in her heart.

Just like that, the two walked hand in hand out of the vast Dream-Start Cinema, facing the stormy weather outside.

"The rain is so heavy. Shouldn't you stop?" Focalors looked at the downpour, instinctively flinching and retreating back into the shelter of the cinema, whispering softly.

"Actually, the rain isn't that heavy."

Lu Mingze pulled her hand and walked alone into the storm. The rain engulfed him, while Focalors stayed in the dry area, only the place where their hands were joined allowing her to feel the sensation of being rained upon.

*'Not that heavy? It’s covering even your voice with the sound of the rain! I can't hear you at all!'*

Focalors gritted her teeth, gathered her courage, and rushed into the rain as well. The sound of the downpour beat against her eardrums, and the raindrops hit her body like bullets.

"Run!"

Lu Mingze held her hand, sprinting through the storm, rushing toward the hotel at top speed. A wild, uninhibited smile was faintly visible amidst the rain.

"Ahhh!"

Focalors also screamed into the storm. She didn't know what she was shouting, only that she seemed to be running frantically to vent. She couldn't tell the difference between her tears and the rain; she only knew that this feeling of release was more exhilarating than the pain in her heart.

*Is this actually... not bad?*

The two ran a long, long way, as if walking a path with no end. The rain seemed like sorrow trying to crush Focalors' fragile body. She cried and screamed, her voice drowned by the downpour. She ran with all her might, until she finally couldn't help but shout:

"Lu Mingze, I don't want to die!"

The rain did not stop; instead, it fell even more fiercely. All her sounds were masked; it seemed no one knew what she had said in the rain, and she simply continued to run, holding Lu Mingze's hand.

Some time later, in the tavern.

Drenched in rain, Focalors collapsed weakly on the floor. She didn't understand why the rain could hurt her so much. As the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, she should have had extreme resistance to Hydro-elemental attacks. What kind of rain was this?

Across from her, Lu Mingze leaned against the tavern wall, smiling without a word.

Focalors suddenly remembered what she had said in the rain, and her face flushed. She shouted as if venting, "What are you laughing at? What's so funny? I want to drink something good! I want to eat delicious food! I want to... I want to..."

As she spoke, her tears spilled over again. Like a vent, yet not daring to fully let go, she whispered, "I want to... keep living."

"What a good child."

A smile appeared on Lu Mingze's face, and he felt a genuine sense of joy. *How wonderful.*

"What should I do? What should I do!"

Focalors jumped up and threw herself onto Lu Mingze, crying as she spoke.

"Nothing is fated. The reason you feel it is fated is simply because you haven't found a better solution yet." Lu Mingze recalled his own world, the journeys they had restarted time and time again, and said with a smile, "Even if you fail many times, there will eventually be a success. Failure only happens because the right path hasn't been found."

"Easy for you to say! How do I do it? How can I save the people of Fontaine!" Focalors cried out.

"Use your own power to save them. Make them into true humans," Lu Mingze said.

*Crack!*

The world of the dream cracked. A look of deep weariness could not help but appear on Lu Mingze's face. Focalors sensed this abnormality. She looked up at the world, at the exhausted Lu Mingze, and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? What's wrong with you? What's wrong with this world?"

"Didn't I tell you? When you're out and about, you should take more precautions. Don't drink things from strangers." Lu Mingze gently touched her head.

"Eh?" Focalors was bewildered.

In the next moment, the world of the dream faded into nothingness.