Liberation

After so many years without a single glimpse of freedom, despair had settled into their hearts.

Then one day, Peruere proposed that they assassinate the former Knave, pulling her down from the throne. But Clervie refused.

Clervie's reasons for refusal were twofold: first, the former Knave was a long-established Harbinger, powerful enough that an assassination attempt would likely fail. And the second reason—well, Clervie never spoke of it.

But Peruere understood. Clervie couldn't deny the bond of blood that ran through her; she could not bring herself to raise a blade against her own mother.

That night, they were sixteen.

"I've tried to fight for freedom, but I've failed," Clervie had said. "Maybe my mother only gave birth to me for her own gain. She needed a daughter to join the House of the Hearth, so she could show her 'fairness' to the others. That's why she chose to bear and raise me."

"So even my birth was never my own choice. I've struggled for so long, but looking back now, the only true freedom I've ever had... is death."

And that night, Clervie chose death.

At last, the brutal struggle for the title of "King" reached its final stage. The last two children standing were Clervie and Peruere.

After a grueling battle, Clervie chose to let herself be killed by Peruere. She met her only possible freedom—death—by Peruere's hand.

Peruere became the "King," the child her "Mother" deemed the best.

But she felt no joy. Though cold-hearted by nature, she was surprised to feel a rush of emotion she could barely name. Agitation? Sorrow? Fury? She wasn't sure.

To release this unidentifiable storm within her, she made a choice—to assassinate the former Knave.

All her skills had been taught by the former Knave herself; her abilities were not yet enough to kill her. So, she trained rigorously, honing her skills until one day, perhaps by divine recognition of her resolve, a Vision appeared before her.

Through sheer grit and newfound power, she finally dealt her "Mother" a deadly blow. It came at a great cost, but she succeeded in killing the former Knave and was thrown into prison.

Eventually, the Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya absolved her of her crime, granting her a Delusion and the title of "the Knave," allowing her to take on the mantle of Harbinger and giving her a new name: Arlecchino.

And so, Arlecchino cast off the title of "Mother" and instead took up "Father," assuming leadership over the House of the Hearth.

Under her watch, there would be no more battles, no more bloodshed. Arlecchino would do her best to be a worthy parent.

At that moment, Arlecchino still sat at the highest point of the House of the Hearth.

She didn't know exactly why she chose to take charge of the House or why she cared so much for these children. Was it to fulfill her friend's dream? Or was it that she herself wanted a family-like atmosphere?

She wasn't sure.

Years had passed, and she had searched all the while for the meaning of family, striving to build a real home.

But deep down, she understood that such a home could only ever exist in dreams.

The House of the Hearth was, after all, a part of Snezhnaya. As long as it remained steeped in secrets and rivalries, the House could never be a place of true happiness.

Looking down at the sprawling building and courtyard below, she thought about her fire—a unique flame. For some it claimed, it left behind a strange remnant.

Such was the case with Clervie, whose memories partially burned before her death, leaving a remnant with independent awareness.

Due to the partial memory loss, this remnant held only the memories of Clervie's seven- or eight-year-old self, with a matching appearance to match.

Clervie's remnant had been hiding within the House of the Hearth for years, a ghost bound to that place, trapped in her own world.

She still believed she was in the old House of the Hearth, still saw it as an inescapable prison and so avoided the sunlight. She even mistook Arlecchino for the former Knave and avoided her. Yet, as before, she was kindhearted and often helped the children.

On the rooftop, Arlecchino sighed. She had tried countless times over the years to free Clervie's spirit, but each attempt had failed.

Just now, she had sensed the grounds but found no trace of Clervie.

"Perhaps, now that the House of the Hearth has been shut down, you feel as though the police have finally come to rescue you from the criminal's den. Maybe you believe justice has finally arrived, and you're free now." She murmured to the night. "If so… that would be wonderful."

"I've tried to build a home like the one you dreamed of, a place of freedom and happiness. But sadly, too many secrets and interests are entwined in the House of the Hearth. It was never destined to be a real home."

"Now, with its disbandment, with memories burned away, these children are no longer bound to the Fatui. They've been given new identities, and they're free. They've gained the right to pursue happiness without shackles."

"If you knew, would it make you happy?"

She sighed once more, her gaze contemplative. "Speaking of which, Furina mentioned a gift for me before I left the Palace. I wonder what that could be."

Arlecchino fell silent. Her life had become entangled with the House of the Hearth in countless ways. She had poured so much of herself into these children.

But now, with the House of the Hearth disbanded, her only ties to the world had been severed in an instant.

The Flame of the Phial had burned away not only the children's memories but also her last attachment to this world.

From now on, she would be alone. After a busy day, she would return to nothing—no home waiting for her.

Staring into the empty courtyard, she felt a deep void in her heart.

Arlecchino leaned against the wall and sighed heavily.

She lifted her head to gaze at the full moon, much like the times she'd looked at the moon alongside Clervie in the past.

Yet now, as she gazed up, her figure appeared lonely.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed there, lost in solitude, until she suddenly heard a voice call out from behind her.

"It's been a while, Peruere!"

"Peruere"—her old name. And there was only one person who ever called her "Peruere"—her friend long departed, Clervie.

She turned around, astonished.

Floating behind her was a beautiful Oceanid.

——

"I hold no ill will toward Lyney or Lynette. They are good children," said Felina, seated in her office at the Palais Mermonia, addressing the Knave calmly.

"I also have great admiration for you, Miss Arlecchino. If we were able to set aside our respective positions, I think we might have made fine friends. But unfortunately, positions like ours are often determined from the day we're born, and they're not easily discarded. Because of this, we are fated to stand on opposite sides."

Felina smiled, meeting Arlecchino's gaze directly.

"Still, outside of these roles, I'd like to offer you a gift of a personal nature—a special one, just as a gesture upon our meeting."

"A gift?"

"Yes. If we meet again by chance, perhaps you'll see it for yourself soon enough."

"I see!" Arlecchino chuckled softly. "Then I'll thank you in advance, Miss Furina."

This conversation took place just after Arlecchino had apologized to Furina. She assumed that this "gift" was simply a polite gesture and didn't think much of it.

Until now.

Hearing her name called—"Peruere"—she finally understood that Furina's promised gift was a literal "meeting."

She turned around and saw not the familiar face of her friend from years ago but a beautiful, shimmering Oceanid.

There on the rooftop, the two of them gazed at each other in silence for a long time.

Reunited with an old friend, Arlecchino only allowed herself a brief moment of surprise before quickly regaining her composure. This wasn't coldness but simply her nature.

"It's been a while, Clervie."

She smiled faintly.

"Hmph! Well, I thought you'd be a little more excited, maybe even happier to see me," the spirit replied, her voice carrying a hint of mock exasperation before she broke into a soft laugh.

"Never mind. You've always been like this, after all."

The spirit floated to Arlecchino's side, quietly looking up at the moon with her.

As old friends reunited, countless things they wanted to say welled up in their hearts. Yet perhaps there was so much to say that, for a moment, neither knew where to start.

"This might be the first time we're looking at the moon together outside of a room, isn't it?"

After a while, Clervie broke the silence.

"Yes, the first time."

"I never thought we'd get a chance to meet again."

"When we used to look at the moon together, we were just girls of about the same height. Now, meeting again, we're so different in form. But still, I'm very glad to see you again."

"What about you?" Clervie looked intently at Arlecchino. "Are you happy to see me again?"

"If you call yourself my friend, you should already know how I feel."

"That's not the same. I want to hear it from you!"

Though Clervie's face as a Oceanid was hard to read, Arlecchino could still hear the playful insistence in her voice.

She chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I'm very happy."

"Hehe!" Clervie's smile was clear in her voice as she heard Arlecchino's reply.

"So, how did you end up like this?" Arlecchino asked. "I always thought you were just a remnant left in the House of the Hearth, but that version of you only had memories from when you were about seven or eight."

"But the way you speak now—it's less innocent than it was then, and there's a note of reflection in your tone. It seems you're the complete Clervie, not just a fragment."

"Hehe, it's all thanks to Lady Furina."

"Don't you remember? I have Fontainian blood, and I also died in Fontaine."

Clervie went on to explain.

In Mondstadt, it's said that when a Mondstadter dies in the land of wind, the wind of Barbatos will guide their soul back home, allowing them to rest in peace.

Fontaine's people, being incomplete humans, have their own cycle of reincarnation.

Since Fontaine's people were originally Oceanids, when a couple in Fontaine wishes to have a child, they make a pilgrimage to the Fountain of Lucine by the opera house.

The Fountain of Lucine is the convergence of all of Fontaine's waters. Here, if a Oceanid hears their wish, it may become their child.

And when a Fontainian dies, their consciousness returns to the flow of water, transforming back into a Oceanid. If they wish to be human again, they find a suitable couple and reincarnate as their child.

Years ago, Clervie had died at Peruere's hands. As she possessed Fontainian blood, her consciousness had returned to Fontaine's waters.

Although her physical form had long since perished, her consciousness lingered in the waters, waiting for the right moment to reincarnate.

A few days ago, when the Garde had been searching the House of the Hearth, they stumbled upon the fragment of Clervie's consciousness.

Confronted with such a unique phenomenon, they were unsure of how to proceed and ultimately reported her existence to Furina.

Felina held the power of Pure Water Creation, but with Fontaine's vast population, there were countless souls mixed into the waters. Finding Clervie's spirit amid all those scattered consciousnesses was as difficult as locating a single person in the world.

Upon learning of Clervie's fragment, Felina came straight to the House of the Hearth.

The fragment theoretically shared a similarity with Clervie's true consciousness, and using it as a guide, Felina successfully pinpointed Clervie's actual consciousness in the flowing waters.

After gaining Clervie's consent, Felina used the power of Pure Water Creation to enclose Clervie's spirit within pure water, granting her a new body and allowing her to return to the world as a Oceanid.

"I see."

"Then I owe her a debt of gratitude once again," Arlecchino replied. When she had first observed Furina, she had thought her just a naive girl.

Then, as events unfolded, Furina struck her as shrewd, calculating, and perhaps even somewhat hypocritical—someone who schemed in pursuit of her interests, just as Arlecchino did.

When Furina had demanded an apology, Arlecchino had seen a hint of childishness in her demeanor.

And now, as she reunited with Clervie, she witnessed a god's compassion.

Naïve, shrewd, yet filled with divine gentleness.

Each of these traits combined to form a complete Hydro Archon in Arlecchino's mind.

At last, Arlecchino was convinced that the children of the House of the Hearth would be well cared for. Fontaine's Archon who watched over them was not only kind-hearted but strong enough to protect them.

"What became of that fragment in the House of the Hearth?" Arlecchino asked.

"Her?"

"When I returned, I went to her. I told her that I was her, grown up, and that I had finally found freedom. I told her that she no longer needed to stay trapped in the past."

"When she learned that she had already passed away and that her future self was now free with Lady Furina's help, she was overjoyed."

"That very day, she stepped into the sunlight and found her liberation."

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