As the capital of the once-glorious Remurian Empire, the entire city was designed in the shape of a giant harp. Though it had fallen silent for various reasons, its original purpose was to resonate with Phobos's melody of fate.
Thus, after forcefully seizing the 'legacy' of the god Remus through special means, Phobos—merged with Boethius—used the city itself to launch its 'attack.'
Specializing in potent mental assaults—a rarity among gods—and amplified by this 'instrument' meticulously crafted by Remus, Phobos was confident that even the original mistress of the Primordial Sea wouldn't fare well against this attack. Of course, Phobos had no interest in actually killing [Furina].
Aside from the sheer difficulty of slaying a god, the resulting catastrophe was not something it desired.
Therefore, simply making her succumb to the 'melody' would suffice. With its power, it could seal away this meddlesome Hydro Archon, just like it had done with Scylla.
However, things didn't seem to be going according to plan.
"Such a beautiful melody, yet you've mixed in so many 'impurities.' From the perspective of an instrument, you're being naughty~" Words tinged with a hint of resignation reached Phobos's ears.
Looking up, within the resplendent royal hall, the girl with long blue-and-white hair and heterochromatic eyes—[Furina]—stood clad in her ornate dress, a look of slight dissatisfaction and regret on her face.
"How... How did you get in?"
"Is it really that strange?" [Furina] replied. "The only reason I walked slowly was because I thought King Remus's city was quite beautiful, and since I wasn't in a hurry, I wanted to take a better look."
"...Impossible! How could you possibly withstand my full-powered performance!" Phobos (in Boethius) exclaimed in disbelief.
"Oh, you mean that?"
"Honestly, it was quite grating~ Made my ears hurt a little," the girl blinked, casually cleaning out her ear as she complained.
Ear... Ears hurt?! Phobos felt its composure shatter. My ultimate performance, and all you can say is that your ears hurt?! "Hydro Archon of Fontaine, don't be so arrogant!" it roared. "Let me show you the power of the Remurians!"
"Ah... starting already?" Watching Phobos's form suddenly shift, driven by a surge of power as it transformed into a towering stone golem resembling an emperor, [Furina] gave a slight, unimpressed smile.
So direct, huh? Jiang Qiao had considered engaging in some banter... but never mind. It wasn't a big deal anyway, and resolving this lingering historical issue sooner was better. "Well then, let's try this..."
A faint, incandescent orb materialized, radiating like a miniature sun. Terrifying heat billowed forth, causing the swarming stone statues nearby to crack and melt under the intensity. Even the resonating melody seemed to warp and distort in the superheated air, shattering into discordant fragments.
"...The Authority of the Sun!?" Seeing the orb, Phobos's stone visage twisted in a way that seemed almost miraculous, roaring in disbelief, "Impossible! How could you possess such a thing?!" Aside from the Primordial One, Phanes, the only other known entity in Teyvat to wield such power was Sumeru's god, King Deshret, Al-Ahmar.
"And King Deshret is long dead!" As for usurping Authority, Phobos found the notion incomprehensible. Even having usurped Remus's power itself, it knew firsthand the immense difficulty involved.
Even if a god was slain, their lingering will and resentment typically made it impossible for another god to seize their power—let alone the Authority of a mighty god like King Deshret, and the Authority of the Sun no less...
"Logically, Celestia should have reclaimed this the moment King Deshret died!"
'I never thought I'd see the day Al-Ahmar's Authority manifested again,' Greater Lord Rukkhadevata mused internally with emotion. She had witnessed King Deshret wield it before—the Sun's Authority represented more than just heat; it symbolized 'Order' to some extent, and before it, most other divine Authorities simply paled in comparison.
Even King Deshret's ability to withstand the Forbidden Knowledge was crucially linked to this important fragment of Phanes's divine Authority. Having been 'absorbed,' Rukkhadevata could now perceive this power, which she had once only observed, more directly through her sensory connection with Jiang Qiao.
"Let me play! Let me play!" The ever-curious Focalors, seeing Jiang Qiao utilize this newly acquired 'golden coin' (the Authority), immediately wanted to try her hand at it.
And then...
"So hot!" Having received temporary control of the Authority from Jiang Qiao, Focalors instantly dropped the miniature sun, crying out in pain.
"Hey! What's the deal with this Authority?" she complained. "It's impossible to use!" Normally, wielding Authority should be second nature to a god. She figured since it was a divine Authority, if Jiang Qiao could use it, she could too.
But upon trying, Focalors discovered just how difficult it was to master. Not only was it incredibly heavy and difficult to control, but it was also prone to inflicting backlash on its wielder.
"Hmm?"
"Let me try..." Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's interest was piqued. The mere Authority of the Sun is nothing before me, the God of Wisdom!
A moment later, Miss Rukkhadevata gave up with a deflated pout. She fared slightly better, managing to avoid the backlash. But in terms of practical application, she likely wasn't much better off than Focalors. It operated entirely differently from her own Authority of Wisdom or Focalors's Authority of Justice.
'As expected of something belonging to the Primordial One...' she conceded.
"Could you two maybe pay attention to what's happening around you?" Jiang Qiao sighed, feeling a bit helpless. Glancing at Phobos, who had been struck by the carelessly 'tossed' 'sun' and was now effectively GG [Good Game / utterly defeated], he couldn't resist commenting.
"Eh... Why is he down?" Focalors asked, surprised, then looked a bit guilty. "...Did I do that?"
"That doesn't seem right," she mused, deeply doubtful. "He clearly had god-level power. How could he be taken out by just one sun like that?" True, King Deshret's Sun Authority was formidable, and no god faced it without apprehension. But the power gap wasn't usually so vast as to allow for a one-hit KO with a single ability. (Of course, exceptionally weak gods like Havria were another matter.)
'It's because Phobos was fundamentally a product imitating fate,' Egeria explained internally. 'And it seems it employed some desperate measures. Directly confronting the 'Sun' Authority, which represents Phanes—even a fragment of it—is not something a mere creation of a god could possibly withstand.'
'It's just a pity that Remus's power ultimately ended up being usurped by his own creation... sigh...' Egeria felt a pang of regret for this former acquaintance whom she had only met a few times.
"Ah... Right..." Focalors felt a twinge of guilt. Although it didn't seem directly related to her, thinking back, she had used some clever maneuvering to 'acquire Egeria's golden coins' herself (referring to obtaining her Authority). Given her connection with Jiang Qiao, weren't they practically accomplices in this?
"Another god fragment," Jiang Qiao mused internally, raising his hand to recall the fading orb of light that was once Phobos. Sensing the details contained within, he twitched his lips.
Needless to say, this fragment belonged to Remus. Because King Remus had used his power (likely through a seal) to protect the capital, and thanks to Phobos's subsequent machinations involving that power, this piece of divine Authority, which should have normally dissipated upon Remus's demise, had been preserved, much like King Deshret's fragment.
Jiang Qiao found it increasingly strange—If I keep collecting these, could I actually piece Phanes back together someday?
Outside the capital city, Apep and Scylla seemed to have finished their reunion and reminiscing.
"Scylla, what are your plans now?" Apep asked.
"Hoho, me?" Scylla boomed. "Naturally, I shall follow the newborn Hydro Dragon Sovereign!"
Scylla's initial plan, after being sealed for so long, had been to simply enjoy a long, satisfying swim in the vast ocean. However, after his conversation with Apep, the Vishap prince had changed his mind. Where can't I swim later? Better to go see our King first. There will be plenty of opportunities for swimming afterwards.
[Furina] nodded. "Then come back to Fontaine with us. I can help reshape your body." After being betrayed by Boethius, Scylla had lost the powerful form he was once proud of, forced to rely on the 'Immortal Liqueur' developed by Remus to sustain his existence.
Thinking of this as a potential 'souvenir' for Mr. Hydro Dragon, Jiang Qiao decided he might as well complete the good deed properly.
"Hmm? Really? Can you do that?" Scylla asked, excited. Although he had grown somewhat accustomed to his current ethereal form, as a Vishap prince, he naturally preferred his original appearance.
"No problem," [Furina] assured him.
"Then I entrust this matter to you, Hydro Archon of Fontaine... Oh! Please, make sure my body is sculpted appropriately! It must be dignified, so that when I have an audience with our King, I won't appear disrespectful!" Scylla added earnestly.
Meanwhile, Fairy Ely looked a little sad. "Eh, you're giving up this whale body?... Some Vishap forms look really ugly..." Having encountered Vishaps during her travels, she added, "While being alive isn't necessarily being ugly, they look so fierce... compared to this whale gentleman here, they're not cute at all!"
"Hmph! Little one, cease your insults towards us Vishaps!" Scylla retorted, displeased. "How could you mere mortals possibly comprehend the nobility of my draconic lineage?"
"Well said," Apep nodded in deep agreement.
Hearing Scylla's request for an "appropriate" form, [Furina]'s eyes lit up as an idea struck her, and a knowing smile spread across her face.
"Appropriate... Hmm, yes. No problem at all."
And so...
On the steamship returning to the Court of Fontaine, a tiny new figure had joined the group.
"So small and cute~" Fairy Ely happily teased the petite form.
The subject of her teasing, however, was anything but pleased.
"Usurper!" Scylla roared, looking at his reflection. Staring back was not the majestic, imposing form he had envisioned, but an adorable, moe creature. He glared furiously at the culprit, [Furina]. "Are you deliberately humiliating me?!" (The life force drawn from Egeria and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, combined perhaps with Jiang Qiao's own unique powers of creation and transformation, had resulted in this form, instantly recognizable throughout Fontaine—a Melusine.)
"Not at all, not at all! I followed your request exactly," [Furina] replied innocently.
"How is THIS following my request?!" Scylla fumed, although his rage, emanating from the cute form, seemed somewhat disarmed. "If I appear before our King looking like this, what face will I, the dignified Vishap Prince, have left?!"
"Oh dear, that just shows you're behind the times," [Furina] said breezily. "Your current Hydro Dragon Sovereign, our esteemed Iudex, happens to adore Melusines more than anything."
"What? Our King... actually likes such petite creatures? This is truly..." Scylla stammered, momentarily stunned. "Ah, but it makes sense... according to the prophecy, the newborn Hydro Dragon Sovereign is in human form..."
"Hold on! Don't try to change the subject! I won't be fooled so easily!" Scylla quickly caught himself, saying with dissatisfaction, "What does his preference have to do with you turning me into this ridiculous form?!"
"Hey, look over there on the shore," [Furina] pointed. The steamship had already returned from Romaritime Harbor to the main region of Fontaine, docking at the nearby island of Elynas. And there on the shore stood another small figure.
"Hmm? ...Is that the Melusine you were talking about?" Scylla asked, disembarking from the ship and staring intently at the figure—Pahsiv. He looked uncertain and suspicious. "...Wait, this familiar aura..." His eyes widened. "Young one," he addressed Pahsiv in the ancient tongue, "Are you... a Hydro Vishap?!"
"...?!"
"Pahsiv!" The familiar cadence of the Vishap language filled Scylla with nostalgia, but looking at Pahsiv's Melusine form, he felt a surge of indignation. "Don't tell me you were also subjected to that Usurper's meddling?" As he spoke, he shot another glare at [Furina] (Jiang Qiao).
Pahsiv tilted her head, thought for a moment, then replied in her characteristically simple manner, "Melusine! Because that visitor... Visitor [Neuvillette]... likes!" Then, looking Scylla up and down, she asked, half curious, half happy, "Familiar. You also blue thing?"
The peculiar mode of communication left Scylla baffled, but being a Vishap himself, he could just barely grasp her meaning. After processing the reason why this Hydro Vishap had taken on a Melusine form... Scylla fell into a long, profound silence. The proud Vishap Prince seemed to shrink into himself, experiencing a sudden existential crisis.
Just because... Lord Dragon Sovereign likes Melusines... you all deliberately change into their form just to curry favor with him? The image of the once mighty and fearsome Hydro Vishaps, who roamed ancient Teyvat, now reduced to cute, perhaps even whimpering (ying ying ying), Melusine forms... Scylla felt his vision dim.
Apep, who had initially been somewhat disdainful of Scylla's new form, also fell silent upon hearing this revelation.
...Have the Hydro Vishaps truly fallen this low?
Fortunately, fortunately, my own Dendro Vishaps... Hmm? Wait a minute... where are my Dendro Vishaps? Although Apep's primary kin were the various Fungi of Sumeru, as one of Teyvat's most ancient lineages, Dendro Vishaps certainly existed.
But thinking back, throughout her journey, she hadn't encountered a single one. At this realization, Apep, the great Dendro Dragon Sovereign, suddenly felt a wave of unease.
Oh no... Where have my kin gone?!
...
While Jiang Qiao was returning to Fontaine, laden with the spoils of his detour, far away in Sumeru, standing before the Sanctuary of Surasthana, a certain pink-haired Fat woman had finally been 'released from prison.' Elysia gazed towards the distant nation of Fontaine, flames of fury igniting within her beautiful azure eyes.
"Bad Jiang Qiao," she seethed, "Just you wait!!!"