Phainon stared blankly at Anaxa's back, engraving those words firmly into his memory.
The audience, too, was filled with emotion.
This damned man, even at the very end, was still this cool, this dramatic.
In the scene.
Anaxagoras turned back and straightened his waist slightly.
"Farewell, everyone. May we meet again in the next life."
Without the slightest attachment, he walked straight toward the Vortex of Genesis.
Cerces also appeared by his side.
"I still have one question."
The Titan of Reason had watched Anaxagoras walk this path all the way through.
She acknowledged Anaxagoras's theory of Amphoreus' cycle of reincarnation, and had no doubts about any of its details.
There was only one question left.
"I knew it..."
Anaxagoras replied in his mind.
"As you've so boldly stated, we and the world itself live on through the memories of others."
"If that is the case, whose memories did the very first Nouspore sprout from?" Cerces asked.
This was the greatest problem in Anaxa's worldview. Not how it ends, but how it first begins.
If every era was merely the world endlessly repeating itself in cycles... Then where did the very first Kephale come from?
And the memories he remembered, whose were they, and from what era?
Thinking about it carefully... It seemed to fall into a paradox.
Because "the beginning" meant there was no past before it. They were the start.
Which brought things back to Cerces's question: if there was no past before the beginning, then where did the memories come from?
She looked forward to Anaxagoras's answer.
However... Anaxagoras merely laughed in amusement.
"How should I know?"
Cerces froze for a moment, then laughed.
"Oh my..."
Neither of them cared. Because they knew that sparse truth was always accompanied by doubt.
As for the answer in the future... Anaxagoras had already planted the seed of doubt. The future Golden Heirs would find the true answer in their stead.
But the seed of doubt was not left only to the Golden Heirs.
It was also left to the audience. Anaxagoras's words, along with this final unanswered question... directly pointed toward the most fundamental truth of Amphoreus.
If they could understand this, perhaps they could uncover the origin of Amphoreus.
At this point, the audience had completely stopped believing that Amphoreus was merely a simple world.
....
: According to this theory, Amphoreus in the very beginning also started with a single person carrying memories.
: But where did those memories come from? Who exactly was the provider of memories for Amphoreus' original creator god?
: MiHoYo probably won't hide that person too deeply. Going by their usual style, the answer is hidden within the mystery itself.
: MiHoYo's playing clever little tricks again, huh.
: So far, the one most strongly connected to memories is Oronyx, but that Titan currently seems pretty innocent, not like someone hiding something huge.
: Mem? That pink creature is suspicious too.
: Yeah, Mem's origins still aren't clear. Maybe it's tied to memory too.
: What about Lygus? That guy looks insanely powerful, he obviously knows something too, right?
: I have another theory. Maybe it's tied to Emanator's. Black Swan already said there are multiple Emanators here, but we can't see them directly, so maybe they've completely fused with this world already.
: Memory, Emanators, recreation of the world... that actually fits perfectly!
: But the other theories also make a lot of sense!
······
The audience discussed enthusiastically in the comments. For them, one of the greatest joys of watching Honkai: Star Rail was exactly this.
Peeling back the layers of the story to uncover the truth. And MiHoYo were the ones posing the questions, while they were the ones solving them.
As the comments continued scrolling past.
Inside the Vortex of Genesis, Anaxagoras thrust a hand into his own chest.
Golden blood burst forth, yet it did not resemble liquid at all, but flames blazing fiercely in the air.
Anaxagoras's strength was drained away alongside it.
He staggered a few steps, braced himself against the ground with one hand, and collapsed.
Yet this agony did not twist his expression. Instead, his lips still carried that familiar smile.
Beside him, the camera showed the expressions of the others.
Aglaea stood in the center, calmly watching Anaxagoras.
Phainon stood on the right with his arms crossed, silently observing.
Tining remained in the lower left corner. Seeing this, she let out a startled cry and instinctively tried to step toward Anaxagoras, only to force herself to stop.
"Rejoice, Cerces..."
"I will sow the seeds of "Suspicion" in the new world with your soul,"
A vast yet powerful piece of music suddenly exploded forth. Anaxagoras's voice rose alongside it in a thunderous roar.
He forcibly tore the Coreflame out from his chest and sent it into the air. The smile on his face became ever brighter.
And Anaxa's voice echoed once more.
"...And now, the objective is complete. That is all."
After losing the support of the Coreflame. Anaxagoras, who had long since become nothing more than a walking corpse, began turning into golden ash within the wind, scattering away.
This meant that Anaxagoras, along with his soul, had been completely consumed. Even the underworld could no longer find any trace of him.
Yet Anaxagoras seemed unable to feel it at all. He only stared at the Coreflame in his hand and burst into wild laughter.
Even after he completely vanished. That crazed laughter still echoed endlessly within the Vortex Core.
And atop the cliffs behind him, countless meteors began to revolve, while the constellation representing Reason was illuminated once more.
The Coreflame... had been returned.
But at this moment, the audience did not feel sorrow over Anaxagoras's disappearance.
For a scholar like him, sorrow was a meaningless emotion.
...
: The scholar questioned prophecy itself. Absolute peak!
: The greatest respect to this scholar who proved his path with his own life, and congratulations on fulfilling his wish!!
: Anaxagoras, the new world awaits your return!!
: I'm surprisingly not sad about Anaxagoras disappearing. Instead, I can feel his pride and satisfaction!
: He laughed so happily that I stopped feeling sad myself!
: That mad laughter at the very end was absolutely incredible!
....
One after another, people departed. Before they even realized it, the audience had already witnessed far too much!
Perhaps even they themselves hadn't noticed that they had long since become immersed in this story.
Every single character had become vividly alive in their hearts.
These shared memories hidden within everyone's hearts... would soon bloom and bear fruit.
And just as the audience was still immersed in the lingering aftertaste of Anaxagoras's disappearance,
The scene changed.
This time... it was outside Amphoreus and inside the Astral Express!
The audience, still not having reacted, instantly exploded in shock. Everyone subconsciously widened their eyes and sat upright!
Inside the train.
In March 7th's little room.
Himeko and Black Swan stood beside March's bed, looking at her.
At this moment, more than half of March 7th's body was covered in ice crystals, yet there were still no signs of waking up.
"...Thankfully, she's still alive." Black Swan said gracefully and slowly.
"..." Himeko did not reply.
"Was March 7th also in this condition when she was first rescued by the Express?"
Black Swan asked instead.
"Her condition was very similar. It's just that at that time, the Express did not have a Memokeeper who could diagnose her condition."
Himeko sighed and said.
"But she still woke up naturally. Looking on the bright side, that might happen this time as well." Black Swan sounded fairly optimistic.
But Himeko clearly didn't think so.
"When March awakened from the ice, her memories were completely wiped clean. I want to prepare for the worst and prevent something like that from happening again."
"Can you share with us your hypothesis?"
Black Swan rested a hand beneath her chin. Her already elegant and enchanting demeanor seemed even more mysterious now.
"I do not have conclusive evidence, but judging by her current condition..."
"Perhaps March 7th's memories have been hijacked."
Himeko raised her head in shock. And the audience, who had been listening attentively, instantly widened their eyes as well.
"Hijacked? You mean... someone like you? Another Memokeeper?!"
Himeko was greatly shaken. Her mind instinctively began sifting through past memories.
Trying to recall whether the Express had ever provoked hostile Memokeepers during their journeys, yet nothing surfaced.
Black Swan did not answer directly. Instead, she said:
"Think about it, Miss Himeko. What will happen when someone loses their ability to remember?"
Suppressing the doubts in her heart, Himeko patiently replied:
" I'm not a biologist, but I hear that there's of a species of fish on Vonwacq that has the memory span of less than a second. It forgets anything that occurs in the very next instant. Perhaps something similar will happen?"
Black Swan shook her head, her expression gradually turning serious.
"Unfortunately, short-term memory is an entirely different concept from the inability to remember. Perhaps it is difficult for you to imagine..."
"But an individual who has lost their ability to remember turns into nothingness."
"The belief of the Garden is that everything in this universe can be interpreted through memories. This is the driving force behind the continuance of this Path."
"The past is made up of memoria while the future is a possibility that will eventually be converted to memoria. But the present... it doesn't really exist and is only an abstract expression."
"Therefore, when a person is affected by the Path and loses their ability to remember... their physical form will also be affected. These ice crystals are a manifestation of that."
Black Swan's speaking pace was calm and steady, yet she clearly explained the source and cause of March 7th's condition.
But Himeko was not satisfied. March had suffered such a disaster, while Stelle and Dan Heng's lives and deaths in Amphoreus remained unknown.
At this moment, the navigator of the Express was staring directly at Black Swan without concealment, determined to obtain an answer.
"You said March's memories were hijacked by Memokeepers."
"...Miss Black Swan, there is one thing that I haven't looked into deeply until now."
"You've guided us to Amphoreus but refused to tell us your true intentions. "Collecting memories"... is simply not a convincing answer."
Hearing this, Black Swan sighed softly.
"Is Miss Himeko suspicious of me?"
Himeko remained gentle as ever, yet she did not yield in the slightest.
"I mean no offense. I am merely speculating. But I'd appreciate your honesty, if possible."
"In other words, now is the time for me to prove my innocence..."
Black Swan no longer concealed the truth and answered frankly:
"That's not a problem, of course. The true reason behind my intentions is that Amphoreus holds special significance. For some Memokeepers of the Garden with extremist views, it... is a "perfect example.""
"A world that can only be seen through the Garden's mirror means that Memokeepers have the right to keep the world in their private collection. If those pathstriders of Remembrance were to uncover the secrets of Amphoreus first..."
"They might unleash their wild ambitions and remodel more worlds into a similar form."
....
: Damn, internal conflict within the Garden of Recollection?!
: Looks like the Garden of Recollection isn't united after all!
: Black Swan made her move again! March got hit hard this time.
: I knew that mysterious woman's motives weren't that simple.
: Calling the Express here was probably to get their help dealing with those Memokeepers?
: Memory thieves? Or the Cremators?!
....
At this point, the audience instantly erupted into chaos. Because the official lore already contained a lot of Simulated Universe content.
So they weren't unfamiliar with the factions and organizations under the various Aeons.
Instinctively, the audience immediately thought of those memory factions with differing ideologies.
And on screen, Himeko also realized it.
"So, the reason you did everything you could to convince the Express to come to this starzone is just to uncover the secrets and foil the plans of these people?"
Black Swan nodded.
"I chose to remain quiet before because I did not want to involve you in the Garden's internal conflicts."
Himeko said nothing. Because hadn't they already been dragged into it?
She no longer dwelled on Black Swan's role in the matter, that was no longer important.
What mattered now was understanding the strength of those people and finding a way to save little March.
Himeko spoke:
"Remodeling a world is no easy feat. These extremists likely aren't just simple pathstriders. Do they wield the powers of Emanators?"
This was already the worst-case scenario she could imagine.
Yet Black Swan smiled and said:
"You can be even bolder with your guesses. The people that I'm talking about... They aren't just individuals. They are an organization that has already attached itself to the pinky finger of Fuli."
But just as Himeko's heart sank upon hearing those words, an expression of extreme shock suddenly appeared on Black Swan's face.
"...!?"
She turned to look outside the window. Amphoreus still quietly floated across the cosmos.
For the first time, this woman who was always known for her confidence revealed a complicated expression tinged with apology.
"...Let me take back a part of what I said just now, Miss Himeko."
"Although we indeed struck a deal, it seems like I have involved you in some unforeseen danger... Please accept my deepest apologies."