The truth about the golden threads and the location of Arcadia, would gradually surface through the bond between man and stone.
------------------
After the farce at the banquet ended, the relationship between Paris and the Titankin naturally developed into a romance.
A love between a man and a stone. So astonishing, so unconventional. But Paris seemed to revel in it.
No matter how much gossip surrounded him, Paris didn't care.
Instead, he even felt proud of it. He strolled through the marketplace with the Titankin and met an old man.
The old man asked him, since Seris, as a senate, was also deeply in love with him, why didn't he love the senate instead, and chose Nikador's creation, the Titankin?
"Compared to a revered senate loved by all, a more fitting companion would be someone else… someone who has never bathed in love, who has never understood what romance means."
That was how Paris replied. He felt that a romance with Seris would be too worldly.
But love with the Titankin, only that could prove his identity as a believer in romance.
Romance knows no race, nor form. That is true romance.
This answer, in the eyes of the audience, seemed quite reasonable. After all, he was a devotee of the Titan of romance; such thinking was no surprise.
And as their relationship deepened, Paris would praise the Titankin's armor as a splendid gown, and use words only humans understood to describe her austere beauty.
Even if none of it were true, the Titankin gradually became intoxicated with this life so different from before.
She also began to see more sides of Paris. Paris had not always been a believer in romance.
His actual job was as a soldier guarding the city walls.
However, when the first war came, Paris turned to his belief in romance and refused to fulfill his soldier's duty.
He fled the war, seeking his own freedom. The Titankin had no objections. When she had lost her sense of worth, it was Paris who tirelessly reshaped her.
If Paris wanted to seek Arcadia, to find romance, then she would accompany him.
"What a beautiful love, a bond between savior and saved, connected by the purest of feelings."
"Though Paris may seem irresponsible at times, his determination to pursue romance is truly admirable."
"Together, surely they will reach Arcadia."
The audience sincerely felt happy for their love.
A forbidden romance born from society's misunderstanding, could that not be a sign of beauty in itself?
At this moment, on stage, the light shone on Paris and the Titankin standing in front of the marketplace, and then slowly faded away.
The last beam of light returned once more to the gray-haired traveler.
"Paris and the Titankin's love is truly blissful."
"But those golden threads… and Arcadia…"
"When will their true nature be revealed?"
The gray-haired traveler fell into deep thought.
After his monologue ended, the final light went out.
The curtain closed.
Before long, under a new set design, the final act began.
The once bustling market was now deserted.
Blood stained the ground, and smoke of war rose all around.
With the help of sound effects, the stage was filled with the clamor of battle and clashing blades.
It seemed that Okhema had fallen into a brutal war.
"Oronyx has brought me to another time again."
"My intuition tells me… the truth I seek lies here."
The gray-haired traveler set out on his final journey.
He had walked only a few steps when, beneath a statue, he saw the Titankin standing there.
She looked lost, struggling against the voice within her heart.
Though she had lived in Okhema for a long time, the sounds of battle outside the city stirred her instincts once more.
"You are Nikador's creation, you should drink the goblet of blood!"
A grand, booming chant filled the theater.
"No, I have laid down my bow. I am now but an ordinary woman in the city of Okhema."
"These years, Paris has shown me how joyful human life can be."
"I can forge jewelry for myself and temper swords for Paris."
The Titankin refused.
But the voice returned, louder, like judgment itself: "Yet what you most wish to forge are weapons of slaughter! What you most enjoy is the ecstasy of killing! You were born for conflict!"
"You want to fight!"
"You want to kill!"
The overwhelming voice shattered the Titankin's will and ancient memories of bloodshed flooded back.
"I… I want to…" The Titankin wavered, then suddenly came to herself and cried out loudly, "No! I don't want to!"
The illusion vanished.
Her moving monologue and inner struggle, even within the confines of theater, were portrayed vividly.
The audience realized that her tragic fate as a mere creation had been completely overturned.
The Titankin had awakened her own will, she could even defy the temptations born from the depths of her own being, from the will of her creator.
What was this? It was the power of love!
The power of pure love! Truly moving!
But just then, Phinoc, drenched in blood, found the Titankin, seeking her aid.
"The enemy army is at the city gates."
"You, a creation born for battle, will you not defend the city that shelters you?"
"Paris, your lover, has been conscripted into the army."
Standing beneath the statue, the Titankin fell silent upon hearing this. Beneath her stony expression, after a few seconds, a faint smile appeared.
"To go to the battlefield… if it's together with Paris… perhaps…"
She no longer wished for conflict.
But if conflict was inevitable, and it involved Paris, then that would be different. The Titankin seemed to have found her own form of romance.
...
The gray-haired traveler witnessed it all.
But he did not approach the Titankin. Instead, following his sense, he found Paris hiding in the marketplace.
Paris was trembling in fear.
When he saw the gray-haired traveler, his eyes lit up: "My benefactor! I finally see you again, it must be Mnestia's will that sent you to save me!"
Before the traveler could speak, Paris began talking rapidly. "You know how dire the situation in Okhema is now, right? The soldiers are being slaughtered!"
"The enemy carries Nikador's divine relics, the soldiers on our side won't stand a chance! I don't want to die!"
As if fearing the traveler would misunderstand him, Paris continued, agitated: "My benefactor, it's not that I don't love the holy city that raised me, but I still have dreams unfulfilled, I haven't yet seen Arcadia!"
"So let them call me what they want, traitor, coward, deserter, I don't care."
"Duty, responsibility, mission, I can abandon them all, but I must reach that place!"
"I've packed my bags, but before I go, I want someone to come with me, you know who I mean, don't you?"
Once again, Paris abandoned his duty without hesitation.
Even though the audience had already seen his daily life with the Titankin and understood his character, in the face of such a grave situation, his words still made some uncomfortable.
And yet, since he was so determined to seek Arcadia, perhaps that too could be justified at least, in a way.
That was what the audience thought. And on the stage, Paris had already invited the traveler to join him in seeking out the Titankin.
After the two of them met.
The Titankin was the first to ask: "I heard you're going to the battlefield, is that true?"
Paris was stunned: "So you knew all along."
The Titankin solemnly nodded and said: "Yes, and I have also made my decision."
Paris: "That's great… then let us, "
Both of them, at the same time, spoke out their choices.
"Let's run away together!"
"Let's fight side by side together!"
Paris and the Titankin were both dumbfounded.
"Fight side by side?"
Paris hurriedly said: "No, no, no, what kind of joke is that! I'll die on the battlefield!"
The Titankin asked in confusion: "But I will protect you, I am willing to betray Cestrum Kremnos and Nikador, to use all of my power for Okhema, and for you!"
"I will become your best comrade, to share with you this great duty and mission, to guard everything, "
This line, in the play, was supposed to be the hottest and most passionate moment.
But before she could finish her words, Paris rudely interrupted.
"What duty, what mission? I don't care at all! Let Cestrum Kremnos and Okhema go to hell together!"
"Girl, in this city, you are the only one I care about, everyone else doesn't matter. Will you come away with me?"
The Titankin was utterly stunned, unable to respond with the answer she had thought she would.
She hesitated, then spoke: "I…"
Glory, gratitude, love, and other things unclear and indescribable mixed together making it impossible for her to decide.
"Don't hesitate any longer."
"Let's find Arcadia, escape from conflict and death, and live forever in romance."
"And we should not be mere comrades, but something far more important, far more romantic."
Paris' words completely shattered the Titankin' heart.
After a moment of silence, she spoke, stammering with all the courage of her life: "Alright, alright then… let's… let's go together."
For Paris, the man she loved, she chose for the first time… to run away.
For romance, for the romance that Paris spoke of.
All of this was worth it.
In the traveler's witness, Paris took out the spindle and wound one end of the golden thread around his ring.
After a moment of hesitation, he handed this bundle of his most treasured golden thread to the Titankin before him.
"Our moving together would draw too much attention. You slip out with the attack first, then after half a cycle, I'll follow the direction of the thread to find you…"
"Heh, following the golden thread to the destined one's location, just like the parable of Mnestia, isn't it truly elegant?"
The Titankin lowered her head, looking at the golden thread in her hand, and softly said: "Yes… it is."
Once everything was arranged, Paris was overjoyed. He didn't notice that the Titankin stood there, somewhat dazed.
This development was nothing like the romance she had imagined.
"Romance… really is hard to understand."
Saying this in her heart, she gripped the spindle in her hand, and without looking back, walked toward the city's edge to carry out Paris' plan.
After the Titankin left, Paris then secretly departed with the traveler.
"This time, surely we're going to Arcadia."
The traveler thought in his heart.
On the stage, all the beams of light went dark, leaving only one, following the two of them.
Behind them, under the cover of darkness, the scenery was quietly changed.
The sounds of battle grew louder, as if right beside them.
And when the lights lit up again, Paris and the traveler encountered two old acquaintances.
Seris and Phinoc.
Phinoc was gravely wounded, and before them stood three Titankin's no different from Aglaea.
Especially the leader holding the bow, who looked almost identical.
"No way? You're the one who beat Phinoc like this? Weren't you already outside the city?" Paris still hadn't understood the situation.
At the side, Seris was already panicked: "Paris, what are you saying? This Titankin is an invader!"
The words woke him like a dream. At once, the Titankin rushed forward.
But before the gray-haired traveler, the powerful Titankin's were effortlessly destroyed.
"Why would Titankin break into here?!"
Paris asked, still shaken.
"Because of you, you fool! You brought that cursed one into the city, lulled us into lowering our guard, and now she is outside the city, attacking Okhema's forces! You traitor!"
"Your so-called romance… love… we bought with sacrifice and blood! And I must still throw away my life to protect blind fools like you!"
Phinoc gasped, letting out a beastlike roar.
And in grief, he died. Phinoc's words struck Paris like thunder, his face no longer relaxed as before.
With tears in her eyes, Seris asked uneasily: "Is this our fault? Because we let in a follower of conflict, did things turn out this way?"
Paris swallowed, then suddenly shook his head and shouted: "No! This is fate's fault! It was fate that made us give kindness and compassion to the wrong person!"
Hearing this, Seris felt a little comfort, then looked at Paris: "Are you going to run too? To flee together with the Titankin who betrayed us?"
Paris lowered his head, silent.
Seris shook her head sadly: "Paris, don't be deceived by that cursed one any longer. I cannot let you keep making mistakes."
Paris swallowed: "But… but other than her, who else would throw away everything, believe in my story, and seek Arcadia with me?"
Seris took a breath, then said: "I would."
"Paris, my hero, you still have me. Why give the golden thread to a hideous monster, instead of returning it to its rightful owner?"
"My authority can take you far from the battlefield. We will hide together under dawn's light, and live in peace under Kephale's knees."
"And when the Black Tide recedes, we will ride a flower-filled carriage with noble status, to seek the land of romance."
The turn of events deeply shocked the gray-haired traveler.
He could not help but ask: "What is going on here?"
Seris glanced at the traveler, seriously: "I'm only giving the man I love another chance. Is that wrong?"
The traveler looked at Phinoc lying on the ground, just about to speak again,
But Paris stopped him: "Benefactor… I… I think she's right. I… I can't take that risk. I can't die… I can't die."
"That's right, Phinoc wouldn't lie to me. That girl… the cursed Titankin… she must have betrayed us!"
"To fall in love with the enemy, to abandon everything and elope, this was romantic in the books I read, so I was bewitched."
"But the one at fault is not me, it's her, it's the trap of that cursed thing!" Paris desperately tried to justify himself.
Seris came closer, the two of them drawn to each other.
In front of the Titankin and Phinoc's corpses, they embraced.
The smiles on their faces were forced, their eyes held more fear than joy. Even on their handsome faces, the unease was evident.
Meanwhile, outside the city, the lonely Titankin was still waiting for her lover to come find her.
The theater was silent.
What began as mere amusement for the audience, they themselves hadn't realized, but now they were gripping the armrests, leaning forward, staring at the stage, at that man and woman crushed under the weight of fate.