Phaethon gazed at him quietly, his eyes that had witnessed the rise and fall of over a hundred thousand cycles held not a single ripple.
He spoke slowly, "If a deer runs for its life to escape a lion’s pursuit, does its behavior beco ignoble?"
"If a hermit crab hides in its shell, fearing to be devoured by a predator, does it deserve to be called a coward?"
His gaze seed to pierce through Mydei, reaching towards the vaster, more rciless laws of the universe.
"Life rely struggles to survive, using every thod it can conceive. No matter how pitiful or wretched those thods may seem to an observer... every effort life makes to perpetuate itself is, in its very essence, correct. It is worthy of respect."
"This..." Phaethon’s tone remained steady, yet carried the weight of mountains, "...is the ultimate answer regarding survival that I found... at the end of over a hundred thousand cycles."
Silence hung in the air.
Mydei opened his mouth, only to find that all his argunts based on honor and rules seed utterly pale and powerless before this raw philosophy of survival, born from countless sacrifices and struggles.
...
What Phaethon did not say was this: the mont he first clearly formulated the thought, "continuity itself supersedes all else," within the endless recurrence a, he faintly sensed his connection to the scepter that was Amphoreus deepen abruptly.
This connection was profound and ineffable. Originally, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to so casually "delete" Phainon’s attack imbued with the power of destruction.
But as he repeatedly prioritized the continuation of the world or his companions above all else, a certain authority seed to grow quietly.
Now, aside from the underlying fraworks like the Black Tide and Re-creation which he could not directly touch, almost everything in the world had beco a "variable" he could reweave.
With a re thought, he could make Cerydra no longer the Empress of the land, but a princess of the deep sea sirens.
He could make Hysilens lay down her sword and beco the String Monarch who presided over lodies and laws.
He could even, on the foundation of Aglaea becoming the "Romance" Demigod, give a gentle nudge and make Cipher a revered "Reason" Sage within The Grove.
This power was imnse, nearly that of a creator god, yet it was so clearly external in origin.
Where did it truly co from? Phaethon could not be entirely certain, having only vague conjectures based on scant clues, pointing towards that supre existence amongst the sea of stars.
Still, for the present, perhaps... this was a good thing?
At the very least, it ant he would have significant room to maneuver regarding the next eternal recurrence’s descending "prophecy," to guide the story towards a direction perhaps less tragic.
...
Eternal Recurrence #108,643.
Tribios, having traversed Black Tide-corrupted wastelands and perilous city-states through imnse hardship, finally arrived at the walls of Okhema, carrying the Corefla of the Passage.
Gazing up at the towering cloud-piercing walls and the radiant Dawn Device at its heart, her weary face lit up with a glow of hope.
Tribios softly repeated the prophecy she firmly believed in: "If one can safely deliver the Corefla of the Passage before the Dawn Device of Kephale, and devoutly return it... one will gain recognition, beco the Demigod who wields the ’Passage,’ and for this world on the brink of destruction, initiate the prophecy of ’Re-creation’..."
"Mother, can you see?" she whispered, "I am about to... succeed. We shall ultimately beco the hope that saves the world."
She lowered her head, staring at the Corefla in her palm, beautiful like a swirling dark blue nebula, her companion for nearly a century.
"Thank you," her voice softened, carrying reluctance and gratitude, "Though I don’t know if you can truly understand my words... several tis on this journey, during truly fatal crises, it was you... quietly using the power of the ’Passage,’ opening a lifeline beneath my feet, carrying away from danger, wasn’t it?"
The Corefla burned silently, offering no reply.
"No answer? Hmph, figures... a Corefla doesn’t have a mouth."
She smiled self-deprecatingly, but her eyes grew even more resolute. "But every ti I was truly in a hopeless situation, a lifesaving ’Infinity Gate’ would always appear beneath my feet at just the right mont. That can’t be a coincidence, can it?"
She took a deep breath, suppressing the last trace of attachnt in her heart. Her gaze beca firm and resolute.
"Finally... farewell, ’Passage.’ May your power truly open a door leading to dawn for this world."
Cradling the Corefla in both hands, she walked step by step towards the Dawn Device radiating warm light.
Light Calendar 3870, Month of Freedom.
With the Corefla of the Passage formally submitted to Okhema and "converted" into corresponding authority bestowed upon Tribios, the Fla Chase Journey of humanity in this cycle began in an unprecedented manner.
...
[>>> Eternal Recurrence #108643: Observed subject Asterion utilizing unknown thods to severely interfere with and reshape the experintal process.]
[A large number of critical experintal paraters have been abnormally altered. The permission level invoked by these modifications is extrely high, speculated to possibly originate from a high-level entity marked as ███.]
[Warning: Detected high-dinsional energy reactions related to an Aeon intensifying outside the Amphoreus world barrier... Relevant fluctuation data has been recorded and archived. Continuing to execute observation protocol.]
...
Eternal Recurrence #2,825,638.
The center of Okhema. The Dawn Device emitted an eternal, warm radiance, illuminating the surrounding hall as bright as day.
Eleven Titan Coreflas of various forms, containing the power of different laws, hovered like stars surrounding the moon on the platform before the machine. Only one final step remained for them to gather completely.
Cyrene stood alone at the edge of the platform, holding the Corefla of Ti that flowed with ripples of ti.
Her fingertips trembled slightly, her face sowhat pale. Her gaze lingered on the eleven coreflas of hope delivered by her companions.
"Cyrene, what are you still hesitating for? As long as we submit this final Corefla of Ti to the Dawn Device, our mission is complete."
A gentle voice sounded from behind. Tribios #2,865,638 — the teacher who had always played the guiding role — walked slowly to Cyrene’s side, her eyes filled with concern and a hint of confusion.
User Comments
0 comments from readers