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On the Elements, Chapter 6
🕑 Added 2025-11-06 04:51:13 +0000 UTCOn the Elements, Chapter 6
"I must correct you. People here bear no sins in the eyes of the gods... Only laws and the Tribunal can judge someone. They can judge even me.”
-Focalors, Hydro Archon
Out of all the Archons, the Hydro Archon was for many years the most enigmatic. Indeed, we knew almost nothing about Focalors for years, from her arrival until the destruction of the Blasphemies. Her only real appearance was when she very publicly judged the Raiden Shogun in Hong Kong, where many believed she had even emerged.
This was, of course, entirely false and a ruse. The revelation that none other than the actress Furina de Fontaine was the Hydro Archon rocked the entire world, as she had been publicly received a Hydro Vision, and was categorized as a normal, even weak, Vision Holder.
Furina has been destitute, living in a run-down flat with her lover, sister-in-law, and pet-turned-daughter, barely scraping by. She was very publicly arrested and imprisoned, even assaulted by three mid-level capes, defending herself with nothing more than ordinary pepper spray. She is the only known Archon to get sick, and it has been confirmed that she suffers from menstrual cramps, unlike all the other female presenting Archons. She is, from all outward appearances, human. Even more so than Mavuika.
And yet, it is now undeniable that Furina is the God of Justice. This then tells us a great deal about who shall receive Hydro Visions, and why.
1. Masked Paragons
Hydro Visions holders near universally have some sort of public-facing persona that is in sharp, sharp contrast to who they are privately. Publicly, Emperor Yukuaki is a stern and commanding figure, loyally assisting the Raiden Shogun in carrying out her will, and functioning as her High Priest and Prime Minister.
Privately, he is Shousou_Kiei, author of the popular webnovel Train to the Stars, a supreme otaku just like his Lord who would rather stay in and cosplay as magical girls (yes, girls, not boys), and indeed, has even been photographed incognito doing so alongside Beezelbul and his wife.
The same is true for Furina/Focalors, and indeed, there are many layers. Publicly, Furina has the persona of a somewhat arrogant and vain airhead who revels in her fame and fortune and longs to take center stage no matter where she is. Privately, she’s a thoughtful advocate for social justice, who enjoys nothing more than baking cookies with her daughter or watching soap operas with her lover in the privacy of her own home.
Then, a layer deeper, there is Focalors: Imperious, commanding, serene. In complete and utter control of herself and those around her at all times, making even other Archons dance upon her strings. And yet a layer deeper: An inhuman god with supreme power, who humbles herself so utterly that it is little wonder an entire religion has been born of calling her the Second Coming of Christ. This is also why Furina/Focalors is the only Archon I will refer to by their mortal name, as they are nearly two completely separate people and personas.
No matter the persona, though, Hydro Vision holders are paragons at whatever they apply themselves to. That does not mean they are always good: Hydro Vision holders are capable of monstrous evil, but they devote themselves utterly to that Evil. No, in this case, paragon simply means they are the ideal expression of what they seek, and do so in a second persona.
2. Above all, Justice
What Justice means exactly to a Hydro Vision holder varies greatly. For Barbara d’Orleans, Justice is Social Justice. She uses her fame as an actress and influence as the daughter of the French President and close personal confidant of the Hydro Archon to create songs that are anthems for the poor and downtrodden working class that she was not born a part of, but is now a champion of. The films, commercials, and shows she appears in universally have powerful messages of social reform, unionism, and eating the very rich upper class Barbara was born into.
Notably, Barbara’s personal net worth is less than one million mora, as she consistently donates everything else to charity. She has also stated her entire inheritance from her mother will go to charity, and all the properties she has inherent had been converted into schools, hospitals, and other charitable causes. She and her partner live in a ramshackle apartment in Paris, despite Barbara having connections to the wealthiest individuals in the world.
For Furina, her Justice is the Justice for the Small against the Great. This was most clearly seen when she humbled even the Endslayer in court against the people of China, judging even a god not to be above the dictates of Justice. Rumor has it that she will judge even the Tsaritsa when she finally awakens fully, but that has yet to be seen. My personal opinion is that Beezelbul allowed herself to be judged before Morax’s arrival to reconcile herself to him, but that is only a theory.
3. Life is Art, and Art is Life
Without exception, Hydro Vision holders devote a great deal to their Art, whatever that may be. For my daughter, Fortuna, that art is the reading of Fate and Prophecy. It is now a fundamental fact that the scientific community is still grappling with that the universe is now largely deterministic, and that Fate is a very real and present concept that is nigh on inescapable. Fortuna was one of the first mortals to be trained under Buer, and then later under Focalors. She has brought the art form of Fate Reading and Hydromancy to the world, even going so far as to blind herself and remove her own Shard so that her parahuman powers wouldn’t interfere with her pure art.
As for Furina, to her, Justice is high drama. No longer in France are courts solemn and scantamonious places of dry legal proceedings, with dour judges and straight-laced lawyers quibbling over minor details. Instead, they are passion plays, where dramatic reveals and counter-reveals are not only expected, but nearly required. The letter of the law is not what is at question, but the soul of the thing. The emotion, the passion, the human element, is what takes center stage.
Indeed, the entire courtroom is a stage, where the audience and their reactions to something as mundane as a parking ticket is considered a key part of the proceedings, and when high crimes such as murder take place, the courtroom antics make what would previously have been considered near-farcical legal dramas to seem tame by comparison.
But, in the end, Justice is administered. The Oratrice Mécanique d'Analyse Cardinale, powered by the Spirit of Focalors, will render its verdict, and that verdict is final. Some claim that verdict is determined by who has most entertained Focalors, but I have not found this to be the case. Over and over again, I have found that the Oratrice has the supernatural power to see through to the heart of matters, no matter how much of a circus preceded it. The Truth, stated quietly and with feeling, will win out over bellicose lies every time in Focalor’s courts. Perhaps that is why so many other nations are accepting Oratrice devices to be built within them, to allow those who call upon the God of Justice to administer her verdicts. Perhaps when the one in New Moscow is complete, the Tsaritsa will have her day in court.
Now, on to the element of Hydro itself. It is now universally recognized as the most powerful element, thanks not to its own strength, but the strength of the reactions with other elements it enables. Some draw parallels to Furina herself, who [...].
Comments
Bebere
I think that something to remember about the whole mess in mainland China is that a big reason Furina has the attitude she currently has in e.g. Animula Choragi 16 is that, given she arrived after the fact, right now her only info on the situation is from the Maos who understandably — both because they understandably aren't going to say "we deserved to get nuked" and because I'm pretty sure the CUI had enough control on Chinese media that everyday people didn't know their government decided to wildly escalate the Japanese war† with an assassination in broad daylight of the head of government *and* the head of state — are *very* biased towards everything being Japan's fault: otherwise they would have to admit that China's travails are almost exclusively the CUI's fault which mean the culprits are 1/ dead or 2/ Scion. But once the trial is ongoing, then Furina would get to see Japan's side — and, hell, Taiwan's, Korea's, and Hong Kong's too — and could well end up ruling that the interests of justice are served by a golden man taking an Oratrice blade to the face and that's it. Frankly the one thing I see one could fault Ei for is not helping out Jian over in Shanghai. Hardly a reason to punish her or her regime when she can easily point out that, owing to *also* taking an EMP to the face, Japan was stretched thin enough as it was helping out Taiwan, Korea, and the SARs so if anyone wants to complain they should have done it themselves. †: Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the CUI's media control was such that everyday Chinese didn't know that the reason the ports got battered by the kamikaze's aftereffects is their government opening the Japanese war by sending the whole navy at Japan.
Garreon LeFay
It is kind of Ironic DM is writting like this when she was among the people who thought Fortuna had gone mad and became a drug addict while destroying POV for no reason, listening to a shard of Eden who had gained sentience, Rubedo, something no one should ever do. Forget the fact Buer was the one that taught Fortuna how to peer into the future by using constellations and she proved herself before, she was just a crazy person without her shard
兔 KZS
In addition to the tragedy that has already occurred, the reversal that the victim was actually the perpetrator also needs to be addressed. Although it was done by the higher-ups, it would not be justice if it were not handled properly. If the people have no problem with their own country invading others, I would not want these people.
Bebere
Doctor Mother calling Fortuna her daughter and, more importantly, not presenting her removing Path to Victory from the equation negatively *way* after the current story time has some serious implications…first, that she probably bailed — with or without the rest of Cauldron — from Alexandria's USA: given how she's going, I don't see her not turn in time against *any* Vision holder not called Rebecca Costa-Brown. Second, that she ate some crow and learned to live with being a second string player: I don't see the current Doctor Mother ever be so chill towards Fortuna's "treason" in forsaking Path to Victory. Also, none of the other first-string countries would take Doctor Mother's crew in as lofty a position they enjoyed in the USA once Alexandria turfs them out. Lastly, good point that Ei — and Bronya, were Kollei to ever convince her — getting judged by Focalors and her Oratrices don't mean they get *condemned*: "I got cleared by the Archons' resident arbitrator, I'll help you with the rebuild and golden man" works just as well as "I got declared responsible by the Archons' resident arbiter and paid restitution" for Ei's purposes of clearing the slate with Zhongli. Besides, if it was a foregone conclusion I'm absolutely sure a fiend for drama — and the attenant symbolisms — like Focalors would have put the court judging Ei in either the old War Ministry building in Ichigaya or in the Tenryou Commission's HQ, not in Hong Kong.
