Exomyth.
The place that oversees the entire Amphoreus. A "divine" realm unreachable by its denizens. One being stands above everyone. An administrator of this world, "Lygus".
His mechanical body creaked.
"THEIR gaze… Fuli. Once did not suffice?"
His voice was filled with bewilderment… of curiosity.
Amphoreus is a simulated world. It is run by a "supercomputer" known as the Scepter. Even though it was abandoned, it carried on its purpose: to seek the prime mover of life.
It was aligned with Erudition until "Lygus" altered it. He "removed" its "head", causing it to spiral into Destruction.
Due to unforeseen events, it caught the attention of Remembrance. Lygus was surprised to sense "Fuli's" gaze again.
He checked the current cycle (i.e., Eternal Recurrence).
15,015,022.
Nothing unusual was found…
Crack-!
Shatter-!
…or so Lygus perceived.
He failed to notice one thing. The current cycle wasn't 15,015,022.
It was 15,015,021.
Fuli's gaze, mixed with a certain cultivator's meticulous tampering, stripped him of his memories, removing the very 'existence' of the 15,015,021st cycle from all of Amphoreus. It turned into a blank strip throughout a continuous movie film—a trimmed part of a video.
Without the intervention of another Aeon, the Forgotten Cycle will ensue…
With its events forgotten by the entire world.
*****
The boy kept something from Cerydra. It wasn't just the tales of emperors that he remembered upon seeing her.
He remembered his name too.
Shi, the character for sword.
Tian, the character for heaven.
These two characters resounded deeply within him. The moment he regained them, his fears of being transported into this unknown world dissipated entirely. All that's left is to follow his heart—his will. Even if he didn't know (couldn't remember) Cerydra, he wanted to follow her. To see what this shorty can do.
Thus, he took on the mantle of a certain half-incubi.
"...Merlin."
"Don't rush. A ruler's trusty disposition is patience. Knowing when to strike is vital."
"We are well aware it is not necessary for storytelling. A jester commits to his performance until the very end."
"...So I am a jester?"
"Temporarily, yes."
The prideful look on Cerydra felt familiar to Shi Tian. It awakened the urge to discipline her.
All of his emotions converged in a sigh.
"King Arthur's disposition as a ruler meant she never understood the position of his knights and denizens. A king is to forfeit one's identity as a human, a point emphasized by the Magus of Flowers, Merlin…"
Shi Tian's story-telling session ended at nighttime. Throughout Cerydra's daily routine, he did nothing but chatter non-stop. She did not mind it as she was engrossed with the story of this Dux Bellorum (lit. King of War).
"A prophecy foretold, ending in tragedy."
"That perfectly sums up King Arthur's… Artoria Pendragon's story."
She closed her eyes and deliberated. Shi Tian did not interrupt her silent session.
"She is remembered."
Cerydra opened her eyes and looked at him.
"For a good reason. The legend of Camelot inspired future rulers. This heritage went for as long as thousands of years."
"...I would rather be forgotten had I suffered the same fate as hers."
Her cold comment interested Shi Tian.
"Why is it so?" He asked.
"Fate pushed her to become the promised king. The incredulous tale of the sword in the stone is but a yoke. Can't humanity… make their own choices?"
"..."
Stunned by her words, he could not respond for a while. A burning flame lit up in his heart. Her words resonated with him.
"They can. Humanity can grasp their destiny." He said with a smile. "Let's view Artoria's story from another angle. Merlin, the Magus of Flowers, has the power of Clairvoyance. In all of the futures he saw, Artoria chose to pull the sword in stone (lit. Caliburn). All of them, without fail."
"..."
"It proved that humans can make their own choices, even if it is one where they willingly wear a yoke. To be forgotten or to be defined by later generations is also a choice."
She fell silent. Her beliefs that she shone through her experiences up until now flashed in her eyes. It contrasted Shi Tian's view.
However, it is this differing view that opened her eyes to another world.
"...What would you choose between the two?"
"Me? I want to be…"
*****
Days turned into months. Months turned into years. Countless entry hours passed by.
Cerydra hasn't grown one bit. Worse…
Shi Tian too.
"Let's move onto a new story, Merlin."
"I have been telling you that ages ago…"
Draped in a pure white robe, he wielded a lengthy black staff. It was twice his current height. Aside from their different faces, Shi Tian perfectly inherited the playfulness and charm of the incubi race.
If Merlin is a half-breed, he is a pure-blood.
Cerydra paid no heed to his complaints. She maintained her paces, walking inside the palace with a dignified look. The pale blue flame burning on her crown always felt so empty atop her head.
Natural development ensued. Once Cerydra finished her training, she was brought forward as the 'Highness' of Hyperborea. On paper, she is the current legitimate monarch, revered by millions of people in the Northern Front.
In reality, she was merely a puppet emperor whose political power got usurped by her Chancellor.
"You really liked Lelouch back then… and hated Caesar for his cluelessness."
"Hmph. One ought to see through their actions until the very end."
Lelouch vi Britannia, a prince born out of a commoner. He was thrown to the sidelines until he gained the opportunity to take revenge—to his father, the Emperor of the Britannian Empire. Ultimately, he killed his father, took on the Emperor's seat, and ended the "cycle of hatred" through his self-orchestrated death.
Julius Caesar, the famous dictator of the Roman Republic. His ruthless means of undermining power threatened the very Senate that controlled the Republic. Nonetheless, it was also his ruthlessness that became his sharpest blade, winning Rome victories over wars. His biggest mistake was his hesitant treatment of the Senate, causing his downfall via assassination.
In Cerydra's words:
'Use their rules against them… or overturn the table. That's the only choice, and he did not choose from both.'
She proved herself to have the talent of a monarch. Her keen eye over interpersonal relationships gave her advantages even as a puppet emperor. Maids and servants served as her eyes and ears. She slowly eroded the aristocracy's military power by poaching soldiers loyal to Hyperborea, not the nobles.
Beyond that, she also supported merchant guilds discreetly. It allowed her to extend her influence not only to Hyperborea, but also to its surroundings.
Cerydra learned a lot of political theories under Merlin's guidance. It allowed her to mature in advance.
"You can't arbitrarily make moves for now."
"That I know. It is a sacrifice I willingly took."
Once, she was assigned to a chess teacher. Unlike others, the old woman taught Cerydra not only chess, but an outlook to life itself. Chess is a way of life belonging to a monarch. It is a game where she can manipulate the pieces to come out on top—to never be at others' mercy again. It greatly resonated with what Cerydra wanted. The old woman's teachings went beyond a normal game of chess.
Hence when Cerydra's backers heard of it, they wanted to execute her for overstepping her bounds. To save her life, Cerydra acted first and sent her to the execution grounds herself. The old teacher's death was faked, thus avoiding a tragedy.
Her greater 'accumulations' over the years were inseparable for this rescue mission.
Cerydra looked at her trusted minister-slash-jester-slash-storyteller. He remained being a goofball, humming the tone of "TruE" which she did not recognize.
Heck, even Shi Tian couldn't fully remember its origins. The song was stuck in his head the moment he remembered it.
"There is a thousand percent certainty they will push you to that 'fire pit'. You already know what to do."
"Hum." She exhaled from her nose. "Isn't it merely a game of chess? I will grant them that."
The next day, the 'legitimate' emperor, Cerydra, set off to lead the expedition to expand Hyperborea's territory southward.
*****
A/N: I am self-aware when it comes to ending up using the amnesia troupe. Admittedly, the last two times I used it, it sucked. A bad decision, I must say. Foreigner's Chat Group and Achievement Hunter suffered from that bad start. It's similar to giving them amnesia for nothing except forced plot.
The amnesia troupe could be good if done well and used at the right times. I opted for it now purely for two things. One is to establish Amphoreus. It is destined to be shorter compared to the dozens of chapters I used up to establish HI3's Earth. I had to find a way to do the same on Amphoreus, but shorter. The other is a character development. All I can say is that Tian ended up being a much more serious person due to Earth's threats.
Finally, it is to make a point about Tian's 'core character'. It is basically proving that no matter what situation he ends up to, he would still make the same choices. These eight chapters solve the three points above.
As for the forgotten part, think of it like this. Flame Reaver Phainon will always think he gained +12 Coreflames from that forgotten cycle. However, when everything goes down, he would be surprised to find the lacking 12 Coreflames. The same happened with Lygus. There is a good reason for its occurrence later on...