Shi Tian thought long and hard.
'I shouldn't have flirted with her… no?'
In terms of flirting, he definitely overdid it with Hysilens. Worse, it wasn't him who always took the initiative, but her.
The Imperator's romantic heart is dead from the start. He is quite certain she never held that kind of affection towards him. Tribios is more of a daughter, while Aglaea is simply a platonic friend who asks his advice every now and then.
He looked at the cat and saw her playful look.
He had been played with.
'...Well played.'
A knowing smile appeared on Cipher's face. It was the same look of seeing the same kind.
Simply put, the two hit it off with a few words.
"If I happened to be the scumbag who left Miss Aglaea, where would that put you?"
"..."
A single question countered the playful cat.
Daughter? Niece? Sister-in-law?
For a moment, she could not find any words to counter him. Shi Tian saw her being silenced and laughed.
"I am not Miss Aglaea's lover. You got the wrong person."
"So you are with the Imperator? I didn't know you prefer those kinds…"
"..."
Shi Tian was speechless. It was as if her silence earlier was but a performance.
It was he who opened up with the notion of playing around; he only got what he asked for.
He instantly went back to his serious self.
'This level of seriousness surpasses even the Imperator…'
Cipher never let out her thoughts. She knew full well when to mess around and when to not.
"I already spoke with the Earth, Reason, Sky, and Death Demigods. My arrival here involves a plan…"
He explained the plan to her. The cat's eyes lit up as soon as she heard the 'memory stripping' part.
That was practically the Trickery Titan's feats magnified to an unimaginable degree!
"Your role is that of an anchor. You have to experience loss, parting, and self-sacrifice millions of times."
"Let's skip the theatrics. This is a performance of a lifetime. Of course I won't miss out on it!"
"...And here I thought only the Imperator liked performances."
Cipher scoffed at his words.
"I am the Trickery Demigod. She won't be able to steal that from me."
Shi Tian saw through the insecurity in her words. He could not prevent himself from laughing again.
"Alright, alright. I won't take advantage of your chagrin. You'll know when the time comes, Miss Cat."
Seeing him disappear unannounced, Cipher finally knew where Cerydra picked up her habits from.
*****
Kiana's words made the duo pause. They prepared themselves for the inevitable outcome. Cyrene must die for Amphoreus' Eternal Recurrence to continue.
Her subsequent explanation threw them off the topic completely. Phainon and Cyrene weren't that affected. It was Trianne who looked at her differently.
'Merlin… is Merlin…'
She knew about his vague relationship with Hysilens. There was also the 'unclear' relationship between him and Cerydra. Trianne did not expect that Shi Tian already has wives—plural.
Her confusion is destined to be answered… right now.
"I hope I didn't make you wait."
Kiana turned around and saw the familiar figure. She did not say anything and dove straight to his chest. Her nose sniffed hard on his familiar scent, refilling her 'Tianium' that was depleted a hundred years ago.
She looked up and said:
"You have to make it up for later."
Shi Tian sensed something ominous from her words.
That was when everything clicked.
His partners reached the pinnacle of Divine Transformation Realm.
It would be fine if it was one or two, but if all six 'attacks' at the same time, he does not know whether his double high-grade Tao Bodies and ultimate-grade spirit root can withstand it.
Everything compressed into a wry smile.
Kiana felt victorious upon seeing it. She let go of her hug.
"Cyrene does not necessarily have to die. The cycle can continue until the most opportune time comes."
The memory stripping plan came from his insufficient strength. Contending against Aeons at his current state is unstable. He could only rely on the temporary power-up brought by the Nine LivesBurning Samsara Art. Shi Tian naturally thought it would be better if he reached the pinnacle of Void Refinement Realm.
By then, he could start the breakthrough process, interacting with Amphoreus as a bonafide half-step Dao Integration Realm who only lacked a feat to complete his ascension.
"I have two roles for both of you." He spoke as he looked at Trianne. "I also have one for you."
"Mhm…"
Trianne felt bad for not doing anything when she heard his words.
'Merlin is still the best!'
"You met with your other self. Are you willing to step onto the path he had once chosen?"
Phainon did not even hesitate.
"If it means saving everyone, I will."
Shi Tian nodded at his words.
From the beginning, he expected Flame Reaver's choice. He also did not stop it, letting him consume the millions of Coreflames and the raging 'flames' he accumulated over Amphoreus' Eternal Recurrences. As a result, it rid 'this cycle' of the Black Tide. Shi Tian is now able to fully control the entirety of this cycle; Zandar and the Destruction won't be able to intervene with his plans.
"As for Cyrene…" He recalled his meeting with Demiurge before he resolutely said, "Hold onto those wishes. You will be the corrector, ensuring no anomalies could affect Amphoreus' salvation. That power will be able to save everyone at crucial times."
She listened to his words, feeling there was something deeper to it. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to find out about Shi Tian's meeting with Demiurge.
His self-sacrificial tendency could not compare to Demiurge's. She is one of Fuli's Anasrava, forgetting the weight of her own life and choosing to draw the others' path towards the future in exchange for herself.
Cyrene, though not grown up, sported a similar feeling as her. After all, the two are the same person. One exists in the present; the other in the future.
"I understand."
Her complex feelings were compressed into two words. Shi Tian saw through it and decided to resolve it.
"Bearing the Author card, I believe you learned a lot of things. The King of Knights, the Emperor of Britannia, the Lion King… all of them met with less satisfactory ends…"
It is in life's nature to have ups and downs; to have good and bad endings. Tragedies and joy co-exist at the opposite side of the same coin.
However…
Shi Tian aspires to be an immortal.
He wants to have the power to turn both sides of the same coin into good endings, rather than a bad one.
"You will see in the future. The ending I will write. I hope to have a review by then."