Although the audience had already made guesses and mentally prepared themselves, when the two Castorice appeared on the screen, they still widened their eyes.
This was… Castorice from a previous life?
Had Castorice lived through two eras? Or perhaps… was it reincarnation?
Shock, confusion, disbelief. Everyone was desperate to know the answer.
Castorice felt the same.
She recalled the many scenes she had personally witnessed before, and in the end, arrived at a conclusion.
"Polyxia's sister...? Is it... me?" That was what she said.
But her mind was still blank, with no related memories at all.
Beside her, Cerces had countless thoughts flash through her mind, but in the end only said, "Heh, this is... quite interesting indeed."
Inside the Vortex of Genesis.
The Castorice from the memories walked up to Polyxia. Her gaze was gentle, even carrying a faint smile.
"Now... it's time for us to fulfill our promises."
But Polyxia only lowered her head, saying nothing.
"...Are you afraid?" Castorice paused slightly before asking.
"…Mm." Polyxia nodded lightly.
"What are you afraid of?"
"That I... won't be able to do it." Polyxia's voice trembled, not daring to meet Castorice's eyes.
"You shall wither, and through that, the dead will sprout again from the remains, and be reborn with the dead flame"
Castorice sighed and recited the prophecy. Her tone carried neither joy nor anger as she said, "As foretold in the prophecy, and according to our vows, once it all ends, we must face our fated moment head on."
Polyxia raised her head, unwilling to accept it. "Even if it was prophesied, do we have no say in the matter? It's so unfair... Why are we the only ones who are forced into mutual destruction..."
Castorice looked into her sister's eyes, saying nothing.
But Polyxia could no longer hold back. She revealed the plan she had buried in her heart for so long.
"Let me do it, sister! Let me be Death's sacrifice. I was never long for this world anyway... but you're different..."
"I was the one who wasted your life after all..."
The audience didn't know the full story behind the two of them. But some clues could still be seen.
That cursed prophecy. Or perhaps the ritual to become the Death Titan.
It required sisters to kill each other?! If one had to choose the hardest emotion to accept among many, this was it.
The audience's minds had already been overwhelmed after processing that there was another Castorice from a previous era, along with the secrets of the Death Titan.
Now, upon hearing this, everyone fell into stunned shock.
And on the screen, Castorice looked at her sister's pleading expression, yet remained far calmer.
"You're wrong, Polyxia."
"I don't think that my life was wasted — just the opposite. When I finally arrived at this destination and looked back at the journey I took, I discovered that flowers had long since bloomed along the path I walked..."
Castorice smiled gently, stepped in front of her sister, and said with utmost sincerity: "It was you who sowed the seeds for this sea of flowers, one that is more beautiful than the promised land at the end of the world."
"Besides, I have lived a fulfilling life. Even though I was fated for sacrifice, none of the things that I've experienced will dissipate. Instead, they'll forever live on as memories inside your head, will they not?"
Castorice's calmness only made Polyxia feel even more pain. Her voice came out almost as a breath: "How could my memories of you... ever compare to the actual you?"
Life is life. Death is death. She still held onto that belief. Once dead, one is gone. Body turns to bones, bones to dust.
Everything loses meaning.
Castorice naturally understood her sister's resistance. Sensing that trace of "emptiness," she crouched down, meeting her sister's downcast eyes, and gently smiled.
"Well then, tell me… What exactly... are we?"
" I-I don't know..."
Castorice spoke seriously, "I don't know either. But, regardless of what the answer is, regardless of how we're shaped by others, or even by this world..."
"Ever since we were born, the fact that we existed was predestined, and nothing could erase it. This is why I will always, always be by your side..."
"We're twins after all."
At the end, Castorice revealed a breathtaking smile. At that moment, she looked like a beauty beyond this world.
And she gave Polyxia no more chance to speak. She stepped closer to her sister.
"Alright, my dear Polyxia..."
"It's time to extract my heart and light the flame of Death..."
"After that, use it to plant the first bud in the prophesied new world."
The scene froze on Castorice's face.
That delicate, peerlessly beautiful face was filled with a gentle smile so tender it stirred pity.
Anyone who saw such beauty would feel the urge to protect her.
Yet at the same time, a more bewildering, twisted emotion echoed in the audience's hearts.
This beautiful, moving girl, wearing such a gentle smile, was asking her own sister to take out her heart…
Death shouldn't look like this. It shouldn't wear a face like this.
A face that makes one want to reach through the screen and protect her.
At this moment, the audience's minds completely shut down.
Beauty. Ultimate, suffocating beauty.
Death. A death willingly sought, embraced with a smile.
Cruelty. The ritual of taking out a heart.
The most extreme contrast possible.
Outside the screen, countless viewers stared at that frozen image, at the smiling face.
They didn't even know what emotion to use to face this scene.
Until the camera zoomed in again. Finally, they saw what was hidden in Castorice's eyes.
Not emptiness. Not despair. Nor indifference.
It was… Love.
So much love. Love for her sister, so deep that even death became insignificant.
Love for this world, so profound that she was willing to use her own heart to ignite the new world promised by the prophecy.
She did not go to her death because of fate or prophecy. She chose death because of love.
And that was the most maddening contrast of all.
Love and death.
The warmest thing in the world, and the coldest thing, blooming together in the same moment, within the same person.
And it completely broke the audience.
...
: Ahhhhhh!!!!
: Why did they have to use this scene, damn it… I'm seriously going crazy, do you even know that?!
: The tension in this shot is about to explode.
: Is this a knife? This is a knife! Even though we know Castorice is still alive, I still can't face this scene!
: I'm about to lose it.
: My heart keeps clenching, yet I can understand Castorice's choice at this moment.
: Everything is said without words.
: This kind of "wanting to speak but stopping" feeling, who even understands this? My heart is breaking.
: Damn, I'm pretty sure when I sleep tonight, all I'll dream about is Castorice's face.
: Regret, pity, shock, emotion… how does MiHoYo manage to treat me like a trash can and just dump all these feelings into me at once?!
: I can't take it anymore, guys.
: My heart hurts, but at the same time my eyes want to cry from being moved, what is this?!
...
The comments exploded in an instant.
And the flood of comments from the audience couldn't even fully express their true feelings.
This scene, Castorice's face and expression at this moment were destined to become one of the classics of this episode, lingering and replaying in countless viewers' minds.
A week later, two weeks later, or even much longer,
People would still recall this scene again and again, reliving it over and over.
But thankfully, faced with this tragic, beautiful death, MiHoYo didn't awkwardly insist on showing realism by depicting Castorice's actual death.
Instead, everything simply sank into darkness. Imagination… is sometimes even more devastating.
From a narrative perspective, perhaps this was MiHoYo's way of preserving the tragic beauty.
From a more nuanced angle, it could be seen as adopting Kephale's viewpoint, was the man named Khaos also closing his eyes as he witnessed all this?
Of course, these are just the audience's speculations.
...
On screen, as everything fell into darkness, the ritual was complete.
But after becoming the Death Titan, Polyxia's first thought wasn't about what to do as a Titan,
It was what Calypso had once said to her.
"If I imparted my knowledge of the art of alchemy to you..."
"Would you use it to resurrect someone you loved?"
At that time, Polyxia's answer was, yes, she would.
And that answer had never changed.
In the darkness, Polyxia, no, it should be said, the Death Titan at this moment, her inner voice echoed:
"Sister, I promise you..."
"In the prophesized new world, I shall plant the first bud on your behalf..."
"Go now, return to the Ocean God's treasured pearl - our hometown."
"I shall open wide the entrance to the nether realm and grant you a second life. The living beings on this earth shall respond to my call and lead you to the sacred daylight."
"Remember, do not look back on the land of the dead and do not stop moving. In the new world promised by the prophecy, march toward your new life..."
"As for the price of our "equivalent exchange," let me be the one to pay it.
Amid Polyxia, gentle inner voice, the truth was finally revealed.
...
: So this is how the story goes…
: Castorice is Polyxia's sister, who became the price of that wish.
: But after becoming a god, Polyxia immediately revived Castorice without hesitation, letting her begin a new life in a new era.
:That's why… Castorice has had the power to grant death since childhood.
: Because she is the most beloved sister of the Death Titan! That's even more insane than being chosen by a god!
: The price of equivalent exchange is probably her sisters' own life.
: Did the Death Titan already die a long time ago?
: I can't take this anymore, MiHoYo, what kind of emotional damage are you writing?! One knife after another! After stabbing that, you stab this!
: Castorice used her life to give her sister a new life, and then her sister used her own death to bring Castorice back! What kind of mutual devotion is this?! I can't handle it!!
: The Death Titan… is already gone.
: Great, after the heartbreak, bad news just keeps coming.
: Then Stelle and Anaxagoras are probably doomed too.
...
The comments kept flooding in wildly.
Each piece of truth about the Titans dug deeper and deeper, surpassing the audience's expectations.
After the shock, came a sense of emptiness.
Because they remembered a crucial line from the prophecy:
"You shall wither, and through that, the dead will sprout again from the remains, and be reborn with the dead flame"
It had come true. What was chilling was that this prophecy came from the previous cycle.
Yet it still dictated the twins' fate, driving them along a predetermined path.
Even more terrifying, this prophecy might only be halfway fulfilled.
It was still taking effect.
The stories of Tribios and Mydei echoed in the viewers' minds, combined with Castorice's current situation, an invisible shadow seemed to loom over everyone.
At this point, no matter what the Chrysos Heir in the scene thought, the audience were certain:
Cycles, demigods, Titans, all had long been set onto fixed tracks by prophecy.
Just as the audience sank into conspiracy theories, the darkness on the screen faded.
Light burst forth. Anaxagoras, Castorice, and Cerces once again appeared beneath Kephale's divine body.
They had returned.
"Everybody, we've come to the end. Unfortunately, I am not compatible with the supreme being, so I was unable to completely fuse their soul into my own body. However, being able to glean all this from them is exciting enough..."
----
T/N: Guys, I'm back. Sorry for the inconsistent updates.
Had some issues IRL & work.
Get ready for a bulk release :)