This was the third time since Lygus appeared that he had emphasized how unusual this play was.
Its significance went beyond its connection to Khaslana.
It concerned the very concept of "recurrence."
"Such as this very moment, as the prophesized demigods gather with Talanton as witness..."
The screen flickered. That familiar mural appeared once more.
Phainon, who had already reached the middle act, was still moving forward with his head lowered.
"This is a moment calculated by the gods. What comes after is no different from that which you already know. Some join, others leave, while Flame-Chasers bear their faint light forward through the long night."
"Come, come, your seat awaits. After thirteen heartbeats-"
"Our heroes will be ferried to the final scene."
As Lygus's voice faded, darkness swallowed the mural. What followed was indeed much like the story the audience knew.
Once again, everyone was wiped out. Okhema was swallowed by the Black Tide.
People fled in all directions, facing the end of the world in despair.
The darkness on the screen lingered. The audience could see nothing, but they could hear.
People screamed and wept, each cry more harrowing than the last. Amid the oppressive atmosphere, Cyrene's dejected voice sounded.
"They say that the heroes of this world should be as countless as the stars..."
"Yet now, we're the only ones left standing."
Dim light tore through the darkness. Amid the ruins of Okhema, Phainon had become the figure the audience knew best.
He wore the clothes Aglaea had made and held his great sword in his hand. Standing at the edge of a cliff, he gazed toward Kephale's distant statue.
The Dawn Machine was broken. Its core, which should have given off a warm glow, had turned an ominous black and red.
What a familiar sight.
Fortunately, this time someone was beside him. Holding a pure white ceremonial sword, Cyrene stood with Phainon and looked toward Kephale.
The audience knew the blade's clear, radiant glow all too well. Khaslana had two weapons.
One was the black greatsword. The other was the sword now in Cyrene's hand.
…
: The sword in Cyrene's hand… So Khaslana's identity is settled after all. There won't be any more surprises.
: Phainon, Khaslana, the Deliverer, the Flame Reaver…
: Phew… My heart skipped a beat when I saw Cyrene's weapon.
: There's no doubt now.
: This is how it looked at the very beginning. The first recurrence…
: Phew… This is so oppressive…
: I'm not as shocked as I thought I'd be. I just feel like I can't breathe…
: We've seen the origin of another Phainon and what happened along his journey. Now we're finally going to see its end, and how he became an executioner like the Flame Reaver…
: My head's a mess. I really can't imagine what happens next.
…
The audience stared fixedly at the screen, unwilling to look away for even a moment.
In the dim yellow light, Cyrene looked crestfallen.
"So, in the end, the black tide still swallowed everything..."
Phainon stared at Kephale, lost in thought. Only after a while did he speak.
"The west stands protected by Mydei's Kremnoans. It will hold for the time being. Professor Anaxa deployed wards in the north and east before... Their effectiveness is untested, but I believe in him. And Okhema..."
"We needn't fear for Aglaea. Even in death, she counts as the greatest among demigods. Her threads of "Romance" weave an impenetrable shield, and the people answer her call, rallying to the city's defense."
Hearing the fates of the Chrysos Heirs from Phainon himself, the audience felt their noses sting. No matter the timeline, they had all made the same choice.
Though the paths differed, each of them had given everything for the Flame-Chase Journey. The difference was that, in this timeline, there was no Khaslana, no Flame Reaver.
"Let's move. Kephale has given their Coreflame. We must complete the Era Nova before the next Entry Hour... for Amphoreus!"
Phainon continued to gaze at Kephale, as though trying to carve that figure deep into his mind.
"That only leaves three hours..." Cyrene sighed wistfully.
"So... this is the last time we'll see her (Okhema)." Phainon gave a slight nod.
Destruction was drawing near. Cyrene, who had always pointed Phainon in the right direction, now seemed somewhat lost.
"…"
"Phainon... We set out on this journey to answer the world's desire, didn't we?"
Phainon answered with certainty, without the slightest hesitation.
"That's what it means to be a Chrysos Heir. So has it always been."
At his answer, Cyrene's voice trembled even more.
"Then why…"
"...Why must Amphoreus's wishes be so... cruel?"
"We made the best choices we could, whenever we could!"
"But in the end... the prophecy that led us... this black tide swallowing everything..."
"Why does it look like this?"
Since Cyrene first appeared, the audience had never heard such despair, confusion, and unwillingness in her voice.
What kind of Black Tide could make the ever-optimistic, ever-positive Cyrene say such a thing?
The audience did not know what Cyrene had seen. The screen had gone dark again.
In the darkness, Phainon, who had never wavered since setting out on the path to save the world, fell silent for a moment too.
"I... I don't know."
"But we haven't had any other choice... except to move forward. Not for a long time now."
"Even if we only see the long, long night ahead, I still believe... that through it, we'll find the dawn on the other side. Beyond these flames, a new sun will someday rise."
"So, to the Temple of the Three Fates! You'll take over Time's authority, and we'll return all the Coreflames to the Vortex, then put this world's fate to its final rest."
"After which, we shall all face oblivion... or embark on one final grand journey."
Phainon's voice grew more resolute, more certain. Hearing him speak like that, the audience instinctively wondered:
Was there really any hope…? The most unusual play Lygus had spoken of.
The very beginning… The origin of Khaslana. Where would fate ultimately lead this story?
...
: Ah, I can't breathe.
: This drama has finally reached this point…
: I don't know why, but the moment I heard "there's no other choice," I started feeling afraid.
: That doesn't sound at all like someone about to begin the re-creation of the world and save it… It sounds too hopeless!
: We're the same… All we can do is keep watching.
: Whether what comes next is a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, we have no choice either.
: I'm starting to tremble with fear.
…
As the comments scrolled by, the third act appeared at just the right moment.
[Act III: Return]
The scene changed in a flash. Phainon and Cyrene had arrived at the Temple of Fate and stood before Oronyx.
Because Khaslana did not exist in this drama, the Time Titan had survived until the end.
"Please forgive us for disturbing your sleep, Oronyx." Cyrene politely awakened the Titan.
This Oronyx was much gentler than the one the audience knew. And because Cyrene was present, Oronyx's words could be understood directly.
"It matters not. I know, fate has run its course."
The Titan's voice was gentle and mature, utterly unlike the childlike Oronyx they knew.
"The black tide has reached Okhema. Amphoreus does not have much time left..."
"It is time for the Era Nova."
Facing the mist that shrouded Oronyx, Phainon placed a hand over his chest and spoke gravely.
"As agreed, I shall present the Coreflame of Time..."
"Ride the river of time. It will guard your passage to the Vortex of Genesis..."
"Step through, and witness."
Oronyx wasted no words, posed no riddles, and even thoughtfully opened a gate of light.
The audience erupted almost instantly. That gate of light was identical to the one March 7th had seen in the Path's interstice!
But that was not all. Just as Phainon and Cyrene were about to step through, everything froze again.
Lygus and Stelle appeared together in that space.
"Light Calendar 4931, the third week of the Month of Evernight. Welcome, my Lady Stelle, to the end of the Flame-Chase..."
"...and the end of all things."
Lygus introduced it slowly.
Stelle had already given up questioning Lygus.
"The Titan has revealed the gateway of fate. Please, accept the invitation to step across the threshold, and behold!"
"Beyond this gate lies the new world that our heroes sought through their trials, as well as the terminus that the owner of these long memories has been hurtling towards their entire life..."
"Perhaps you'll find it... all too familiar."
Lygus stepped aside and made an inviting gesture. With a soft laugh, he said, "Then you'll understand how the mortal called "Phainon" shouldered the world's weight. How that same burden crushed him, proving..."
"...that the so-called "Deliverer" is nothing more than Amphoreus's own delusion, a pitiful fantasy that it could defy fate's decree."
Lygus spoke calmly and lightly, as though recounting an ordinary story he had witnessed.
It did fit his title as a Divine Theoros. But the moment the audience heard those words, anger flared within them.
Since the fourth episode began, they had watched a tragedy unfold before their eyes.
The more beautiful the scenery of Aedes Elysiae had been, the emptier the audience now felt.
The faces of Phainon and Khaslana intertwined in their minds.
The flawless Deliverer. The Flame Reaver who had slain his companions with his own hands.
Two utterly different extremes tore at the audience's minds at once. And there were the Chrysos Heirs, who had made the same choice at different times.
So many tragedies, so many sacrifices… and the change concerning "Phainon" that remained unexplained.
They could already tell that more unimaginable pain awaited them.
What was all of this for? Was it not to recreate the world and save Amphoreus?
Yet Lygus spoke of it all from on high, judging it as casually as if he were watching ants.
Then, with a few words, he dismissed everyone's efforts. What did he mean, "a one-sided illusion"?
…
: Holy shit! Aaaaaah!!!
: That tone is so irritating!
: You're just a damn machine, acting like you can pass judgment on everything!
: This guy must be cold-blooded by nature. I refuse to believe anyone could witness what happened in Amphoreus and feel nothing!
: If he feels nothing, that just proves Lygus is a piece of shit! He has no heart! Just like the miHoYo writers!
: Holy shit, you're right.
: I feel like, to Lygus, these people and everything they've done are just numbers. Holy shit.
: When Rupert launched his anti-organic campaign, why didn't they drag you off to the front lines, you bastard?!
…
The indifference that came so naturally to Lygus's words irritated Stelle as well.
But more than that, she wanted to know the supposed truth, and Lygus's real reason for showing her this drama.
The scene began moving again.
Stelle stepped through the gate of light.
As expected, the other side was the Vortex of Genesis.
Just as Phainon was about to recreate the world, Lygus brought me here. And now, in this drama, I've returned here again.
Stelle thought to herself.
Perhaps she had suddenly become too sensitive. In any case, Stelle, who had always been carefree, felt fate's malice bearing down on her.
At that moment, Lygus spoke from behind her, uttering a riddle no one could understand:
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more."
"It is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
He did not expect Stelle to understand. Stepping into this place alongside a "colleague" simply made him want to recite something.
That was all. After a brief pause, Lygus spoke again,
"As an unattainable existence that has dwelled within his heart, beyond his reach, you have accompanied him through the march of years uncounted, you naturally have the right to view the river of time in its fullness, and to witness what he welcomed upon his arrival here, every absurd and tragic ending."