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The once-raging battlefield had fallen silent. The remnants of Celestia's judgment still lingered in the air-fractured chains fading into nothingness, golden embers drifting like lost stars. But for now, Fontaine stood.

Yoshika exhaled sharply, lowering her spear as the last traces of battle dissipated. Her body ached, but it wasn't just from the fight. The weight of what had just transpired pressed down on her shoulders.

They had won.

But Celestia was far from finished.

As the dust settled, Furina rushed to Yoshika's side. She looked unharmed, but her usual theatrical energy was missing. Instead, there was something else in her eyes-something rare. Concern.

"Are you alright?" Furina asked, her voice quieter than usual.

Yoshika scoffed, rolling her shoulders. "Tch. I've had worse." She turned to look at the remnants of the battle. Fontaine had survived, but at what cost? The city was damaged, its people shaken. And Celestia... they weren't done.

Furina followed her gaze. "We bought time," she admitted, her hands clenching into fists. "But that's all we did. Celestia won't forget this."

A heavy silence settled between them.

Then, Furina took a deep breath and turned to Yoshika with a determined look. "Come with me. There's something I need to talk to you about."

Yoshika raised an eyebrow but didn't argue.

The two of them walked through the broken streets of Fontaine, past weary soldiers and civilians who had witnessed the sky itself turn against them. Yet despite everything, Fontaine endured.

Eventually, Furina led Yoshika to the grand opera house-one of the few places still standing strong. It was eerily quiet inside, the usual liveliness replaced with a heavy stillness.

Furina sat on the edge of the stage, kicking her legs slightly. She didn't speak right away, as if trying to find the right words.

Yoshika leaned against a pillar, crossing her arms. "You're acting weird. Spit it out."

Furina let out a dramatic sigh but didn't argue. "I... I need to know something." She glanced up at Yoshika, blue eyes searching. "Why do you fight? Really."

Yoshika blinked. "What kind of question is that?"

"The kind I need an answer to." Furina's expression was unusually serious. "I know why I fight-because Fontaine is my home, because my people need me, because I refuse to let Celestia decide our fate." She tilted her head. "But you? You had the choice to walk away. You could've gone back to Snezhnaya, stayed out of all this. But you didn't."

Yoshika hesitated, gripping her spear a little tighter. "Tch. What, are you expecting some grand speech?"

Furina smirked, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Maybe."

A pause. Then, Yoshika exhaled.

"...I don't like being controlled," she admitted. "Celestia made me, but they don't own me. And they sure as hell don't get to decide what happens to the people I care about."

Furina's expression softened.

"You and I..." Yoshika continued, glancing at her. "We're not so different. You played the role of a god you weren't. I'm a creation of Celestia who refuses to be what they want me to be."

Silence settled between them again, but this time, it wasn't heavy. It was... understanding.

Furina suddenly grinned, leaning back on her hands. "Hah. I knew I liked you."

Yoshika rolled her eyes but smiled. "Took you long enough to say it."

For the first time since the battle ended, Furina laughed. It wasn't her usual dramatic, over-the-top laugh-it was genuine.

And in that moment, as the city slowly began to rebuild, as the weight of war loomed over them both, there was something else.

Hope.

Even if it was fleeting, even if Celestia would come again-right now, they had this.

And that was enough.

---
𝖠𝖭 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝖾: 𝖻𝗍𝗐 𝖥𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗇𝖺 𝗆𝖾𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗂𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝖥𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉 𝗐𝖺𝗒