"I shall grant you my power!" Egeria said to Lora, but she quickly shook her head.
"No—our power."
"Our?" Lora immediately grew wary at the latter half of her words.
"What does that mean?"
Egeria continued, "Your soul is too fragile. If you were to descend upon Teyvat in your current state, you would soon collapse under the strain. But if my divine consciousness merges with yours, you will be able to walk freely across the land of Teyvat. At the same time, you will become the new Hydro Archon—Egeria."
"Then will I still be myself?" Lora asked in return.
"Of course. You will still be you," Egeria reassured her.
"You will possess Egeria's memories and the power of the Hydro Archon, but you will not become 'me.' What do you say? Are you willing to accept this?"
In other words, the one who would disappear was not Lora, but Egeria.
What would continue to "exist" was a new Egeria—Lora after becoming the Hydro Archon.
Lora lowered her head and fell silent for a moment before lifting her gaze to meet Egeria's.
"...If that's the case, I accept."
She, too, wished to save Focalors and Furina, and grant both of them a happy ending.
"Thank you," Egeria said softly.
She stepped forward and gently embraced Lora. Warm currents enveloped her body as Egeria's form gradually turned transparent, then slowly merged into her.
"Egeria" vanished, and a new Hydro Archon was born.
She was Lora—the Goddess of Justice and the Hydro Archon, Egeria.
...
Mondstadt, Crown of the North.
City of Wind and Song.
The Free City.
The wind brings thoughts—and carries them away.
This was the land of the Anemo Archon, Barbatos.
Beneath an apple tree stood three figures—two adults and one child. A white-haired girl in a blue-and-white gauze dress lay unconscious on the ground, the ends of her pale hair tinged with ocean-blue hues.
Beside her stood a golden-haired girl and a small companion floating in midair.
"Hey, Lumine, when do you think she'll wake up?" the floating little one asked in a soft, adorable voice.
As she flew about, faint points of starlight trailed behind her.
Lumine thought for a moment before replying, "Probably a bit earlier than you, Paimon. After all, not everyone is as fond of sleeping as you are..."
"Lumine! Who says I love sleeping!" Paimon protested, kicking her legs in midair.
"I fainted because I swallowed water!"
"Alright, alright..."
The noise stirred Lora awake. She slowly opened her eyes, staring blankly at her surroundings.
When her gaze landed on Lumine and Paimon, her clear, water-drop-like pupils shrank slightly.
"You two..."
Weren't these the Traveler and Paimon? Why had she run into them the moment she woke up? And just where in the storyline was she now?
"Hey, Lumine, she's awake!" Paimon cried out excitedly.
Lumine immediately crouched down beside her and asked with concern, "Miss, are you feeling all right?"
Paimon floated over as well, chattering nonstop.
"Are you okay? We were just walking along when—bam!—you suddenly fell straight out of the sky! You gave both Lumine and Lumine a huge scare!"
"I fell from the sky?" Lora froze, then instinctively looked upward.
Was her luck really that bad? She'd actually fallen from the sky. She'd thought she might appear beside the "Harvisptokhm" instead.
Seeing the strange look on Lora's face as she stared upward, Paimon leaned closer to Lumine and whispered,
"Um... Lumine, don't you think she might've been knocked silly by the fall?"
"Paimon, that's very rude," Lumine whispered back.
Lora gradually regained her composure. She didn't dwell on Paimon's remark and instead greeted them.
"Hello. My name is Lora Chaya."
"I'm Lumine, and this is Paimon—my best partner," Lumine said, introducing them both.
She then smiled gently at Lora.
"It's nice to meet you, Lora. But are you really all right? You fell from such a height and were unconscious for so long."
Lora shook her head. Bracing herself against the tree, she stood up and said,
"Don't worry. I'm truly fine now."
Lumine studied her for a moment. Lora didn't seem to be lying, but she still couldn't help worrying.
Even a bird would struggle after falling from that height, let alone a human.
Still, seeing Lora's insistence, she could only nod.
"That's good, then."
After a brief pause, Lora looked at Lumine and asked,
"Lumine, what are you doing here?"
Paimon cleared her throat and replied with a serious expression,
"Lumine is a Traveler. Of course we're traveling right now! Don't you really know anything at all?"
"Traveling?" Lora asked.
"Then... can I come with you?"
She had already thought it through.
To overturn the final outcome, she needed overwhelming power—power strong enough to stand against the Heavenly Principles.
Only then could she save Focalors while sparing the people of Fontaine from their fate of "dissolution."
For now, the power of the Elemental Dragon Sovereigns was not an option.
That left only the Seven of the Mortal Realm.
More precisely, the Gnosis held by the Archons—the symbols that maintained their connection to Celestia.
The seven divine seats were forged by the Heavenly Principles from portions of the Elemental Dragon Sovereigns' authority.
The Gnosis represented the authority of those seats, as well as Celestia's restraint upon the Seven Gods.
To the other Archons, it might be of little use—but for what she intended to do, it was invaluable.
Only by borrowing the authority of the divine seats embodied by the Gnosis could she save everyone when the prophecy's end arrived.
In a sense, Lora had chosen the same path as the Ice Empress of Snezhnaya.
The only question was how far Lumine's journey had progressed.
If she was already close to Fontaine, then even Lora would be powerless to change anything.
Meeting Lora's earnest gaze, Lumine nodded.
"Of course you can. As it happens, we're about to head to the land of the Anemo Archon, Barbatos."
The land of the Anemo Archon, Barbatos?
Lora let out a quiet sigh of relief.
If that was the case, then everything was still in time.
"Hey, Lumine..."
Paimon cautiously tugged at Lumine's sleeve and whispered,
"Are you sure this is okay? She fell straight out of the sky. What if she's some demon that escaped from a seal, or a terrifying bad guy? Neither you nor I really look that strong. If something happens..."