[Take this wish with you... Be the one who begins it all...]
[As the prophecy foretold: "You will bear the blazing sun, until the pale dawn breaks"...]
[Continue onward... bearing this world upon your shoulders... until the ashen hero... the nameless Deliverer ushers in the dawn...]
The audience was already familiar with Cyrene's voice.
After she recited this oracle as the narrator, Phainon on the screen also opened his eyes.
Phainon was still bleary-eyed from sleep. There was not a trace of worry in those clear pupils, only carefree innocence.
The audience had never seen Phainon like this before.
"Such an odd dream..."
"Strange... like I've dreamed this before. But it all slips away when I wake."
"Only a voice remains... who was that...?"
Phainon rubbed his eyes. As his somewhat blurry vision finally cleared, he saw a gray-haired woman.
It was actually Stelle!
Yet he showed no surprise whatsoever and instead smiled naturally. "Ah, it's you... Whoops, fell asleep there."
"What a strange dream I had. It's gone now though. But look! Perfect sunshine! The day's still young!"
Phainon stood up, the smile on his face growing even brighter.
This innocence was even more guileless than that of the pure boy the audience had first seen.
Even his tone had become exceptionally lively:
"Let's go find Cyrene, partner. We promised to be there for her oracle card reading today. It's right about time..."
The audience was completely dumbfounded.
What did this mean? Could this... not be a memory?
After the scene transition, they had assumed this was another story from the past.
And this should be Phainon's past, right? How could he possibly know Stelle?
Wait... The audience suddenly realized something. They remembered that deeply meaningful question Lygus had posed.
That performance... It seemed it had not merely been a conversation with the audience that crossed the fourth wall.
Because in that situation, after Phainon began the Recreation of the World, there was still someone left there!
And that was Stelle!
Lygus' words could also be regarded as an opening address before presenting this drama to Stelle!
...
: So that's how it was designed?
: That double meaning was way too smooth.
: Using a single scene, they not only had a conversation with us that transcended dimensions, but also spoke to Stelle within the story at the same time.
: MiHoYo really knows how to play around!
: So this really isn't just a simple memory!
: The answer to what Lygus considers the Prime Mover of Life must be hidden somewhere in this story.
: I want to see exactly what that machine has to say!
...
Sure enough!
After the audience realized this, on screen, after Phainon finished speaking, the camera shifted to Stelle's face.
Her reaction was exactly the same as the audience's, she was filled with confusion!
Clearly, she had no idea what was going on either.
But Phainon acted as though he had known Stelle for a long time. Seeing the shock on her face, he smiled cheerfully and said, "Looking at you, someone's still half asleep. Tell you what, catch some fresh air first. I'll hang around here."
He waved his hand and turned to leave.
Only after Phainon had gone did Stelle recover from her shock.
Where was this? Had the Recreation of the World been completed?
Cyrene... Was it that one again? Stelle thought in complete bewilderment.
But her confusion did not last long. Lygus appeared behind her like a ghost.
"Beautiful, isn't it? This is Aedes Elysiae, home of the nameless hero who carried Kephale's Coreflame."
"When he was young and innocent, he had heroic dreams, imagining his wooden sword was forged of iron..."
Lygus leisurely walked forward and stood beside Stelle. Looking at Phainon's distant figure, he slowly said:
"...pretending the straw dummy propped up by a wooden pole was a giant with a single blood vessel running from spine to heel..."
"...dreaming of slaying the giant and becoming a hero to save the world."
At this point, Lygus chuckled softly and said, "Though to his young mind, the "world" was just this small village.."
Stelle had already recovered from her shock. She glanced at Lygus, then at Phainon, and asked, "Are we seeing Phainon's childhood?"
"Sharp as ever. Indeed, these memories you witness are the first steps of his journey..."
Lygus nodded lightly, then added, "These are his first memories. Rather than watching, why not join in? Think of it as "immersive theater"..."
"What the hell are you doing, Lygus?"
Stelle secretly clenched her fist and frowned. "The Recreation of the World... did it succeed or not? And I don't have a hobby of peeking into my partner's memories!"
"Please don't be impatient."
Lygus said leisurely, "Your position is extremely important."
"You will become his lifelong closest friend, witnessing his hero's journey from the best seat in the house, as the nameless hero whose unwavering guidance shaped Phainon's destiny, yet whose name was never recorded in Amphoreus's history."
Before Stelle could speak, Lygus turned to face her, spread his hands, and said frankly:
"Do you remember what I said when I brought you here?"
"The Prime Mover of Life, the answers are all here."
"You needn't rush to answer me."
"Although I am merely a follower of Erudition, within the limits of my abilities, I can still allow you to remain here for quite some time."
"Since that is the case, why not calm your mind, watch quietly, and comprehend some of the meaning within?"
Stelle recalled Lygus' "opening address." All that mysterious talk about the Prime Mover of Life and the story of the scepter.
However, during that address, there was no mention of what exactly the prime mover of Life was.
Nor had she, like the audience, arrived at her own answer.
So after hearing these words, Stelle finally understood what he meant.
"So, you want me to see the answer you're talking about with my own eyes."
"The answer to that Prime Mover of Life?"
Stelle asked, somewhat baffled.
For the moment, she could not figure out Lygus's reason for doing this. She only wanted to know whether the Recreation of the World had succeeded.
Of course, the truths concerning the scepter, as well as the information that the scepter had once been regarded by Erudition as a divine body, had indeed shocked her greatly.
But that was all. Stelle was not Herta, nor was she Screwllum. She was a Nameless, a free-spirited adventurer.
"That's right. You truly are very perceptive."
Lygus praised her.
Taking advantage of the moment while Lygus was speaking, Stelle quietly tried to break out, but her power of Trailblaze sank into the sea like a stone, producing no response.
Since she couldn't get out, Stelle simply relaxed. Folding her arms across her chest, she said sarcastically, "Hoh, couldn't tell. You're a Riddler too? Are you also this obsessed with making people act out plays?"
"This isn't a play, but the original..."
Lygus couldn't help laughing. He shook his head and said, "In any case, please follow in his footsteps for now. Many mysteries lurk in this village beneath the Veil of Evernight... Your questions will find answers as the story unfolds."
As his words fell, Lygus disappeared.
Stelle sighed.
This was exactly why... She hated these Riddlers the most.
She turned her head and looked at Phainon, who had been waiting for her the entire time.
Perhaps because he had been waiting for quite a while, Phainon secretly glanced inside.
When he saw Stelle looking at him, he gave her a somewhat silly smile and waved.
He looked exactly like a simple, honest boy. Was this really just a play?
Stelle fell into a slight daze.
Stelle jogged over to Phainon.
"All awake now? Great, let's go see Cyrene."
Phainon familiarly led the way for Stelle.
Stelle followed closely behind him. Taking advantage of this time, the comments also began rapidly discussing what had happened.
...
: Although I don't know exactly what Lygus thinks of Stelle, anyway... his patience with her is definitely something I've never seen from him before.
: Why do I feel like Lygus wants to tell Stelle something... but for some reason, he can't say it directly?
: Let's keep watching. This part of the story should be very important.
: And what was that "Nameless Hero" supposed to mean? I'm completely confused.
: But speaking of which, this is also the first time I've seen Phainon like this.
: He looks so refreshing... and so full of youthful spirit. Sunny, cheerful, lively...
: I feel like Phainon would smell really nice at this time.
: Right? I think so too. Probably like that warm scent of clothes that have been dried in the sun.
: Huh? Wait, we've already fast-forwarded to "Bro, you smell so good"?
: Have you considered that the people posting these comments might be girls?
: Hard to say.
: Attention, all girls! You are forbidden from thirsting over Phainon!
: Reporting, sir! That's too difficult!
: Younger Phainon, so tiny, slurp~ So delicious!
: Wait, what are you people trying to do to my bro??
: Was Phainon an adult at this point? Forget it, take all of them away for electrotherapy...
...
Even at a time like this, many viewers couldn't stop themselves from being drawn into a certain feeling.
And that was precisely the feeling this scene had intended to give the audience from the very beginning.
Sunlight, grass, a gentle breeze... And a Phainon brimming with youthful energy.
These beautiful things naturally made people want to immerse themselves in them, allowing their thoughts to wander freely.
They were enough to make anyone feel that sense of youth, innocence, vitality, and hope.
Whether young or old, man or woman, no one could dislike such an environment, or such a Phainon.
But everything came at a price. The innocent beauty they were feeling was precisely what made the coming tragedy all the more painful.
...
On screen.
Phainon led Stelle along the village's dirt road.
Along the way, they encountered quite a few people.
Upon seeing Phainon, they came forward one after another to greet him.
"Phainon, show me how to use a sword like you do!"
"Hey Phainon! Where you headed? No Cyrene today?"
Phainon's responses were equally bright and cheerful, always filled with patience.
The way everyone in this village cared about one another and shared such close relationships... also made the viewers unconsciously smile.
Finally, after walking for neither too long nor too short a distance, Phainon and Stelle arrived at their destination.
It was a pond, with the massive roots of an unknown ancient tree stretching deep into the center of the water.
The giant tree's sprawling pale-pink branches and leaves blotted out the sky, forming an enormous canopy that cast a vast shadow over the pond.
The pond wasn't large, nor was the water deep.
So the villagers had built a wooden platform here where people could play and relax beneath the tree.
And naturally, if it was a place for playing, there had to be something like a swing.
A simple swing hung down from one of the giant tree's thick branches.
A pink-haired girl sat upon it, swinging her fair legs while tugging on the ropes, gently swaying through the air.
The scene was simply too peaceful.
The giant tree. The pond. The swing. The girl.
And that wasn't all. The camera pulled back.
Simple yet sturdy and clean houses overlapped one another in layers before the hillside.
Across the golden hills were trees of that same golden hue. It wasn't a dazzling gold, but rather a color similar to wheat fields at harvest time.
These scenes... Whether in color, composition, or design, everything was incredibly simple.
It looked almost like some ordinary little villages one could find anywhere.
Yet precisely because of that, a single glance was enough to fill people with a sense of contentment and happiness.
Even the background music consisted only of a simple melody played on a Greek-style flute. It sounded as though it were being performed by an elderly Greek woman holding an instrument in her hands.
With just one glance, the viewers found themselves completely captivated by this simple peace and tranquility.
Merely looking at these scenes caused many people's expressions to soften, becoming increasingly gentle.
This was... the homeland Phainon had never been able to forget.
This was Aedes Elysiae.
It was truly beautiful.
Stelle, who had only just arrived here, thought the same.
Unlike the magnificent city-states she had witnessed before, although this place was simple, it possessed a kind of beauty she couldn't quite put into words.
She liked it here as well. But beautiful as the scenery was, Stelle's attention was inevitably drawn toward the girl on the swing.
"♪~~"
"♪~~"
Cyrene's eyes were closed, and she hadn't noticed anyone arriving.
She let her body sway along with the swing while humming a familiar melody.
'That's...?' Stelle wondered inwardly, but she didn't really want to speak and ask, afraid she might disturb this peaceful atmosphere.
Phainon, however, didn't have so many concerns.
With one hand on his waist and an expression that said he'd known it all along, he laughed, "Found you!"
His voice shattered the tranquility and interrupted the song.
Cyrene slowly opened her eyes and looked over.
Upon seeing who had arrived, for some reason, her eyes suddenly widened slightly.
Her body stiffened as though in surprise, but in the very next moment, her eyes curved into crescents, transforming into a gentle and warm smile.