The Aedes Elysiae, the starting point of the " Savior "
The world is collapsing, and people are crying out.
"It's time for us to say goodbye here..."
Khaslana turned to the side, looking at the golden phantom:
"... partner."
"Ah... Aedes Elysiae, the little village of my childhood, the breeze and the sound of the waves are still there."
Everything is as usual. I'm glad I could take one last look back at it.
"You know, this is just a corner of Remembrance, the real Aedes Elysiae..." the phantom said.
"I know. I've come to say goodbye. Perhaps we'll never see each other again."
You can stay here forever; time will stand still for you.
"Let it flow. I should get going."
The illusory figure asked, "Even if it's a path of no return?"
When have we ever had the option to turn back?
"... Are you afraid? After understanding your true nature..."
Will you perceive the motivation I give you as seductive whispers of " Destruction " and " Eternity "?
Khaslana a moment, "Those convictions and choices that stem from one's own heart, I don't believe they are the design of some so-called ' Path '..."
"If we are born merely a string of numbers simulating life, then you are the image I aspire to be, the person I want to become."
"A real, living person. A true 'hero.'"
"Then why say goodbye here? You can take me with you on your journey. I will stay by your side, guiding you, as always."
The phantom figure spread its hands, Khaslana firmly refused.
"... No. I'm afraid I'll have to travel alone." Khaslana shook his head.
"Because there's no such thing as having it all in this world. Cyrene has already embraced her destiny..."
"And I, too, will throw myself into my origin— Destruction —to rebel against its creator and bring the Eternity fury to the darkness that sweeps across the world."
"If you were by my side, I would hesitate... but this world can no longer accommodate a hesitant soldier."
"Remember when we were kids? If we drew ' Sovereign ' or 'Warrior,' we'd cheer and jump for joy. If we drew 'Demon' or 'Drunkard,' we'd yell, 'That doesn't count! Let's do it again!'"
"If you want to back out, you can. Children are always lucky..."
But the fate of adults never allows for turning back.
"Then go, Khaslana. As you promised: deceive the world, seize the Core Flame, and reverse fate..."
The phantom of " the Hero in the Heart " turned around. "Burning yourself with all your might, using futility as your sword, rebel against the gods!"
"... In the name of ' Worldbearing,' I promise you..."
" Kephale will never forget."
Under the watchful gaze of " Eternity," the first Eternal Recurrence.
"Through an old friend's introduction, I met Cerydra, the leader of the Journey of Flame-Chase. After a difficult and lengthy negotiation, we reached an agreement—"
" Caesar's allies need to be ' Destruction,' and I am willing to give my all. And the spoils of the Flame-Chase — the Core Flame —will all be sealed away for me."
"The premise is: in the upcoming battle, the conquest of 'the land'..."
"I can prove that my strength is enough to transcend fate."
In the original history, it was a brutal war. In the end, the " Wilderness Flute," a servant of Georia, killed the maddened Titan and took over the Core Flame that sustained the earth.
But this time, Amphoreus faced a turning point in his fate.
Neither side suffered casualties. When Khaslana severed the giant's head and raised the Core Flame high, the crowd cheered thunderously around the divine remains, now consumed by golden blood.
"--Hail the hero of ' Destruction,' who first ignites the glimmer of life."
"Yes, in the flickering light, the once dark path ahead seemed to become traceable."
Khaslana proved himself, and in the long years that followed, brought about the downfall of the other Titan.
"All I can do is wait. When time returns to its starting point, the opportunity to change the world will emerge from the lines of history..."
"Until, the brutal future revealed by ' Re-Creation ' is reversed."
"But tell me..."
A sudden sound entered Khaslana's mind, and when he came to his senses, time had already reached the end of the first " Eternal Recurrence ".
Phainon looked at Khaslana seemed lost in thought, his expression revealing his barely concealed anger:
"People kept their promise and allowed you to receive all the Core Flame. In this generation, after Tribios Amphoreus."
"Now that things have come to this, I only want to know, when they, in their mortal bodies, dissipated into the Black Tide..."
Why didn't you shed a single tear?
Upon hearing this, Khaslana gritted his teeth, hesitant to speak, his tears already evaporated before they could fall.
"Your indifference chills me to the bone. To you, are they nothing more than a bunch of insignificant footnotes?"
"My sorrow has never faded. On the contrary, the twelve Core Flame bestowed upon me have made the fire within me burn more fiercely than ever before..."
"I remember this world with 'anger.' As long as I burn, they will never leave."
"Perhaps it's too late." Phainon slowly drew the " Dawn's Advance " longsword. "But you're right. Anger, at this moment, is the only weapon I can rely on. So..."
"--Draw your sword, executioner! I'll show you that your biggest mistake was sparing my life!"
After that, the white-haired youth attacked with his sword...
Then, Khaslana killed himself.
"On that day, who fell by the sword, remaining in the past; and who went to the future, I can no longer remember."
"I only remember a nymph, hidden in the shadows beyond my peripheral vision, futilely pushing the stone ball..."
"Climb up, fall down; climb up, fall down; climb up, fall down..."
Khaslana repeated, "The nymph's freedom lies only in deciding how to push the boulder: sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes stopping on a less steep slope to rest against it..."
"But its choice cannot change the 'futile' nature: the pebble will always roll down the slope, and the nymph will always return to the starting point of the slope and begin again."
"After that, in every cycle of reincarnation, when I arrive at this place, the burning sky always casts a shadow over my path."
"It will reach the vicinity of the apex in the fourth moment of veil concealment, and fall back to the starting point in the first fifteen seconds of the next door."
"And then, all my efforts in this cycle of reincarnation will vanish in an instant."