On screen, Aglaea spoke calmly,
"Surrendering the Coreflame is a Chrysos Heir's duty. Your selfless assistance is deeply appreciated."
At this point, she did not urge Stelle to make a quick decision.
Instead, she gently reminded her, "However, I urge you to carefully consider the risks of accepting the trial: Becoming a demigod means forsaking your humanity. You will inherit Oronyx's divinity and bear the Time of Amphoreus, all on your own."
"From that point onward, your fate will be forever intertwined with ours, never to be separated again, until the end of Genesis."
Behind the glory of becoming a Titan, there also lay an immense responsibility.
Stelle's expression gradually turned serious, clearly entering a more focused state.
Aglaea's persistent journey of chasing the flame and the plan for a new creation required the Titan's Coreflame as an essential step.
If Stelle accepted the Coreflame and completed the ritual, then before Amphoreus reached Genesis, she would have to carry the lives and future of the entire world on her back.
If she ever chose to withdraw, it would mean the destruction of Amphoreus.
As a visitor from beyond the skies, Stelle naturally had a way out.
But Amphoreus did not. And once she made that decision, it would mean Stelle herself would become deeply bound to Amphoreus.
Even more tightly bound than Mikhail was to Penacony. Right now, they couldn't contact the Astral Express.
With such a major decision, Stelle could only think it through with complete focus.
She pondered silently.
After a long while, she raised her head and asked, "Are you trying to talk me out of it?"
Aglaea's expression remained unchanged as she replied, "It's exceedingly rare to find a capable Chrysos Heir. If this path proves unattainable, I am willing to lower my expectations."
"There are still many priests of Janusopolis and their descendants in the city. If I'm left with no other option, I'll try to find someone worthy among them."
Hearing this answer, Stelle shook her head.
Even she could tell that the success rate of such a plan was extremely slim. Her face twisted with conflicted emotion as her heart struggled fiercely.
"Alright, that's it… I think I'll withdraw!"
At the crucial moment, under the gaze of the audience and Aglaea's expectations, Stelle actually turned her down.
But this time it wasn't out of some abstract impulse, rather, it was the result of careful reflection.
If you told her to fight someone, Stelle would grab her bat and rush right in.
But asking her to take care of the people of an entire world and carry their hopes… just thinking about it made her scalp tingle.
...
: Huh? Stelle actually refused.
: She was clearly excited earlier!
: But thinking about it carefully, this actually makes her seem more mature.
: After all, it's the fate of an entire world. If she agreed too easily, it would feel irresponsible.
: It's a bit disappointing, but it's surprising how calm Stelle is at a moment like this.
: But if she refuses, then no one in this world can bear the Coreflame.
: Sigh… at a time like this, it would be nice if the elders were still here.
...
The comments scrolled past.
Meanwhile on the screen, after Stelle refused, Mem beside her anxiously stomped her feet.
"Don't back out now, Mem!"
"We've come so far, and everyone is counting on you to be the hero!"
Mem tugged on Stelle's arm, looking at her with pitiful wide eyes.
"But..." Stelle scratched her head awkwardly as she started.
"As for the trial, you have nothing to fear... The Time Titan may be willful at times, but they never caused us any harm."
Mem's voice dragged out into a long, cute tone as she anxiously said, "Myth has it that Oronyx opposes mortals, but to me, they just seem a bit timid... like a child."
"And I get the feeling that if we don't meet Oronyx, we'll be missing out on something huge!"
Ever since arriving in Amphoreus, this little creature had become deeply entangled with her.
Stelle had already formed a bond with Mem. At this moment, for some reason, Stelle could sense that Mem's anxious emotions weren't fake.
If the responsibility of carrying Amphoreus' future still felt distant, then the bad event Mem was talking about felt much closer.
This kind of spiritual resonance was mysterious, but after struggling with a frown for a while, Stelle suddenly smacked her forehead.
" I trust you to make the right call."
Although the process had been complicated, the result was that she ultimately accepted Oronyx's trial.
The audience, after a brief moment of disappointment, became excited again.
Sure enough! The Coreflame truly belonged to Stelle.
And when Aglaea heard that Stelle had finally agreed, the relief on her face was visible to the naked eye.
"Since you've made your decision, go back to the bath chamber and get some rest. Trinnon will call for you when the ceremony is ready."
At this point, Aglaea knew it was time to move things forward.
She said sincerely, "It is difficult for me as the guide to absolve myself from blame for things to have progressed to this point. Time and again, you have risen to the occasion for Okhema. Merely rewarding you with some Honeydew is no longer able to express the extent of our gratitude."
"When the dust settles, I hope that we'll have the chance to have a long chat regarding your return journey and the curse of the sky... It's about time that we lift the taboo and discuss things openly."
After Stelle agreed to shoulder the Coreflame, she had already become a Demigod, a figure of great significance among the Chrysos Heirs.
Combined with her status as someone from outside Amphoreus and her alliance with the Chrysos Heirs, in Aglaea's eyes, Stelle had finally become unquestionably one of their own.
But she herself, felt an inexplicable pressure.
"Don't be nervous, Miss Stelle…" Castorice said gently from the side.
"May everything go well for you and Mem."
Stelle nodded with a bright smile.
Afterward, amid everyone's expectations, Stelle took Mem with her, bid farewell to Aglaea and Castorice, and returned to her room.
Over the next few days, nothing major happened, and time passed peacefully.
But after Dan Heng learned that Stelle had decided to take on the Coreflame, he began taking further action.
Together with Phainon, he carried out activities in private. Their main objective was to investigate the Council of Elders.
As for the reason, Stelle didn't ask much. After all, it certainly wouldn't harm her.
....
A few days later.
Inside the Vortex of Genesis.
The Chrysos Heirs of Okhema gathered together.
Aglaea, Phainon, Castorice, Tribbie, Trinnon were all present.
Stelle, with Mem in tow, walked nervously to stand before the chalice.
"I believe that you'll be able to pull it off." Phainon smiled from the side, offering encouragement.
He knew there was no need to say too much at this moment. A simple sentence was enough.
With the other party's character and abilities, Phainon firmly believed that Stelle would succeed.
Meanwhile, Castorice seemed somewhat nervous.
She stood obediently not far from Stelle, her hands neatly folded in front of the hem of her skirt.
As one who often accompanies death, she truly didn't know what words she could say to comfort Stelle.
She could only mumble awkwardly as she tried, "Miss Stelle… I'm sorry but I'm not sure what I should say to help calm your nerves."
"Right, perhaps something like: As long as you can successfully complete this trial, the rest of the Flame-Chase Journey will be smooth-sailing?"
But after saying that, Castorice suddenly felt something was off and hurriedly tried to fix it. "No, that sounds a little strange... Don't worry, it won't take up too much of your time? Um... Don't worry, you'll definitely make it back alive?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Castorice awkwardly shut her mouth and lowered her head.
Stelle, who had been somewhat nervous, burst out laughing the moment she heard Castorice's words.
She clearly wasn't worried about any kind of "flag," and laughed heartily. "Hahaha, Castorice, a blessing from a Priestess of Death is definitely going to work!"
"Th-that's good." Castorice let out a sigh of relief.
After laughing, Stelle also completely relaxed.
She looked at Aglaea and asked, "What should I do next?"
"Get ready to assume Oronyx's divinity, Stelle." Tribbie picked up the conversation and replied.
Stelle nodded and reached out toward the Coreflame.
A strange feeling began to ripple through her heart.
At that moment, Trinnon also spoke quietly from the side.
"The divine position of Oronyx has already been vacant for some time..."
"We can feel the space of the trial closing. As there isn't much of their soul left, we'll have to complete the ceremony before their soul completely dissipates."
Following Trinnon' instructions, Stelle closed her eyes.
On screen. The camera gradually pulled back into a wide shot.
Stelle and Mem standing at the center, along with the nearby Chrysos Heirs, all appeared together in the frame.
The chants of Tribbie and Trinnon began to sound one after another.
"The eighth Coreflame coveted by the miracle, that once belonged to the great Veil of Evernight, Oronyx."
"It shall now be returned by the two elected heroes of the Chrysos Heirs: a traveler who is upright and courageous and a sacred beast that invokes miracles."
"O majesty of the Twelve Titans, pillars of the world, "
"We seek your divinity, to mend the rifts of the world , "
Led by the two of them, the other Chrysos Heirs also began chanting the solemn prayer together.
As each line of prayer ended, Stelle's hearing became more and more hollow, until gradually she could only hear a single sentence.
"Fill our bodies with blood of gold, till we wither in willing service to the prophecy..."
While everyone was focusing on chanting, Stelle spoke up, having a doubt.
"I don't think I have gold blood?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Leaving the others who were still stunned, Trinnon spoke to Stelle, "...These are just words meant to make the prayer seem more solemn. Please focus..."
"...and surrender the Coreflame."
Subconsciously following the voice, she pushed the Coreflame slightly.
The next second, a boundless dizziness slammed into her brain.
Time seemed to rush past her body in an instant. Oronyx's incomprehensible murmurs also began echoing wildly.
"Oronyx... Their soul has been waiting for a long time."
Within the chaos, Stelle's consciousness struggled frantically, trying to open her eyes. But she couldn't do it!
Instead, the drowning sensation only became stronger and stronger.
At that critical moment, a tiny pink light appeared in the darkness. Like a spark of hope, the light suddenly pulled Stelle out of the chaos!
The pitch-black screen abruptly lit up.
Stelle opened her eyes, gasping for breath like someone who had just crawled ashore after nearly drowning.
"Wake up... Stelle." Mem floated right in front of her, repeatedly patting Stelle's cheeks with her soft paw pads.
"Has the trial begun?" Still shaken, Stelle shook her head, rubbed Mem's little head, and climbed up from the ground.
Only then did she clearly see where they were. It was the place where Oronyx resided.
She and Mem were now on that empty floating platform.
Within the mist, a faint light flickered as it watched them.
It was Oronyx. She was still murmuring endlessly.
But the Titan language that Stelle had been unable to understand before, she now realized with surprise that she could understand it.
"Mother... Mother..."
"It hurts... Have I finally reached the end? Are the years of isolation... coming to an end?"
Oronyx's voice carried deep exhaustion. Stelle froze for a moment.
She clearly hadn't expected that the first time she sensed a Titan's emotions, it would be like this.
"Oronyx... How heartbreaking"
Mem flew to Stelle's side and gazed into the distant mist, speaking softly. "Ever since the figure draped in the black cloak robbed them of their Coreflame, they have been relegated to waiting in isolation in such a confined space..."
"That really does sound miserable." Stelle sighed.
"Memories... Broken..."
"Mother... Where..."
Oronyx seemed not to notice the two of them at all, simply lamenting to herself.
"Mother... Who are they calling out for?" Mem scratched her little head.
"No idea. Let's just ask. I still don't even know what kind of trial this is supposed to be." Stelle shook her head.
Then she walked straight toward the center of the platform.
When the two of them reached the middle of the platform, a feeling of being watched suddenly rose in their hearts.
Oronyx looked over.
The Titan seemed confused for a moment, then said, "You... It's you... I remember you."
"Sky father... has gazed upon you... Mother... is calling for you..."
Sky father. Mother.
As soon as those two words appeared, the audience outside the screen instinctively began to grow excited.
When Mem was first born, Fuli had appeared.
At that time, almost everyone could tell that the so-called Sky father was probably Fuli.
And in that context, Mother and Sky father were clearly terms of equal weight.
The mysterious riddles Oronyx had once spoken suddenly became much clearer when viewed again now.
Stelle had been gazed upon by the Aeon of Remembrance.
And at the very least, another existence of roughly the same level, the one called Mother, was also calling out to Stelle.
Now that Oronyx had confirmed it again with her own words, the audience could finally say with excitement:
The connection between Stelle and the Aeons, was probably far deeper than what the story had shown so far.
Beneath that visible tip of the iceberg, there must be far greater secrets hidden underneath.
Just as the audience's excitement was building, on screen, Stelle and Mem spoke at the same time, asking two different questions.
"Does sky father... refer to Fuli?"
"And... Who is... your mother?"
Faced with the two questions, Oronyx fell silent for a moment. The scent of cold ice began spreading through the air.
That was the response to Stelle's question.
The Titan spoke again sadly.
"Mother... is no longer responding..."
Although they didn't learn Mother's identity, Mem still gently comforted her.
"Oronyx, listen to me..."
"Aren't you tired? Throughout the long years, you have always been protecting the fate of Amphoreus. Each time people draw strength from within their memories, every single ripple falls onto your shoulders."
"There's no need for you to bear this any longer, Oronyx. From today onwards, someone else will bear Time on your behalf. This is why we have come."
"...Freedom... Freedom?" Oronyx's voice came, carrying a trace of doubt.
"Oh, poor child, everything will be fine. Let us help you... You can have a good rest now."
"Leave it to us, Titan." Stelle also stepped forward at that moment and spoke firmly.
Oronyx's gaze locked onto Stelle.
After a moment of silence, she spoke in broken fragments, with a hint of regret.
"You have... potential... strength..."
"Willpower... powerful... and tenacious..."
"But... you lack... something..."
Stelle had been feeling rather pleased hearing all that recognition. But when Oronyx said she lacked something, she frowned.
"Lacking something... What is it?" Mem asked from the side.
This time Oronyx didn't keep them in suspense.
She spoke directly.
"What you lack... Is... a future..."
"A future?" Stelle felt confused.
"Traveler from the sky... You should have... dissipated already..."
"The gaze from sky father... stabilized... your form..."
"Because... from the moment you crossed the sky... your life was cast away..."