Tribbie felt a sense of relief at this moment. Phainon had not let anyone down.
"Phainon, come with me."
Tribbie beckoned and walked toward the table by the garden.
Trinnon remained by Aglaea's side.
"The scroll over there was entrusted to us by Agy. She instructed us to hand it over to you when the time was right."
"But at the time, we never imagined that the special moment she meant would actually be..."
Tribbie picked up the scroll and handed it to Phainon. "I think... now's the "right time.""
Phainon accepted the scroll and slowly opened it.
Aglaea's narration appeared on the screen at that very moment.
"Phainon, my humble student, my trusted colleague-"
"As I write this, you are locked in a battle of words with the Council of Elders, fighting for the survival of the Flame-Chase Journey on a battlefield where the smoke of war is invisible."
"I deeply regret and feel guilty for hastily pushing you and Stelle into the debate. But please forgive me, at that moment, I could not afford to show any sign of weakness before you, as it would have crushed your morale."
As Aglaea's voice echoed, the camera slowly pulled back, revealing the entirety of the garden, along with Phainon occupying one corner of it.
On the left side of the screen appeared the blurred figure of Aglaea writing a letter with her head lowered.
Through the artistry of the series, the Aglaea of the past and the Phainon of the present were made to reflect one another.
"I considered the debate a routine affair, assuming I could win merely with the support and experience we'd accumulated over centuries. But I underestimated Caenis and her party's cunning, and also the deterioration of my own senses."
"The trap was likely set by the debater Callictis. He had prepared a severed golden thread in advance, revealing it to the public when Caenis was faltering in the debate."
"He claimed I was reading everyone's thoughts with the golden thread to cheat in the debate. I could have countered that low tactic in a hundred ways, but my words slipped out before I could even think about them..."
"With deceitful scoundrels like you in the crowd, I have no choice but to rely on the golden thread to keep watch over everything in this holy city."
"You can imagine the reaction that comment provoked. At that moment, I felt my time was running short."
Aglaea's voice intertwined with the sound of her writing.
This was an incident from one of her previous debates, something that had happened long before Stelle arrived.
And now, this story had become a perfect reflection of what Aglaea would later experience.
In fact, from the very first time the audience saw Aglaea, there had already been hints of it.
At the time, however, viewers only saw her as a highly capable and cool-headed figure. The moment when her humanity would be exhausted came far earlier than anyone imagined.
Aglaea herself had realized it as well.
The monologue continued.
"The divinity in this body might be eternal, but that is not the essence of "me." I am a daughter of humanity, born of my mother, and I will die as a human."
"Realizing that my humanity was fading, I began to plan my exit. What kind of departure would not waste such a belated death? I have yet to find the ideal answer."
"But I knew I couldn't simply fade away in my sleep like anyone else. The serpents have always lurked in the darkness, terrified of their heads being cut off by the golden thread."
"If my departure were to be calm and uneventful, it would only lead to a swarm of serpents emerging from their nests. Regrettably, a peaceful death is a luxury I cannot afford."
"I must feign weakness deliberately, to make those serpents lose patience and act rashly. Just as they think they've struck and sunk their fangs into my heels, that's when I'll strike back, igniting the final blaze to burn away the threats hidden in the shadows."
Listening to Aglaea's calm voice and watching her figure writing the letter, the audience's eyes grew moist once again.
To kill Aglaea, the Council of Elders would inevitably mobilize everything it had.
By using herself as bait, Aglaea had drawn every dark force into the open.
Not just the assassins. But also their methods and their attitudes.
The same tricks used against Aglaea could no longer be used against anyone else.
...
: Wuwuwu, she really burned everything she had.
: Stop hurting me with Aglaea! She's already been reduced to ashes!
: Even her death had to have value.
: This journey has been far too difficult! Aglaea! Wuwuwu!
: She suffered so much!
: In the end... Aglaea also became a trailblazer...
: Her death was truly for the sake of protecting more people from danger.
...
The comments streamed past.
Aglaea's writing figure paused slightly. She looked up at the sky, seemingly considering what to write next.
A moment later, she lowered her head and resumed writing.
"The blaze soaring into the sky might sow fear and confusion, but I have no worries about people losing their way. After all, Okhema still has you to guide them, Phainon."
"You're not perfect, Phainon. I've witnessed your confusion, recklessness, and deep sensitivity dawn after dawn. The heavy burdens of your past have always weighed you down, inflicting deep pain."
"Yet, in your way, you are perfect. You embrace everyone's imperfections, always ready to find the precious qualities hidden beneath their rough exteriors, unconditionally."
"That might be what sets our sky father Kephale apart from other deities. They recognize the imperfections in their creations yet still choose to shine their light on them, offering protection with unconditional love..."
"Phainon, while you zealously pursued "Strife," believing it to be your destined path, from the very beginning, my thoughts have never changed."
"You are the destined Worldbearer of Amphoreus, the gate to Amphoreus's future."
"Go complete the Flame-Chase Journey of the prophecy. Ignite the stars and inspire hope in the hearts of humanity."
"I will be waiting at the end of the west wind, looking forward to the miracle you will create."
As the final sentence of the letter was spoken, Aglaea's blurred figure disappeared as well.
Phainon gripped the letter tightly, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
The audience also fell silent because of these final words.
"The perfect leader."
Both Castorice and Aglaea had used that title.
At the time, viewers had simply been happy that Phainon received such high praise, without truly considering what made him perfect.
But Aglaea's few words dispelled the fog for everyone. It was not the abilities, personality, or accomplishments people constantly praised.
Those were merely Phainon's surface.
The real reason was that he was a man who could perfectly embrace everyone's ideals and accommodate everyone.
It sounded simple, but upon closer thought, only saints from storybooks could truly achieve something like that.
Aglaea's final wish, and the wishes of everyone else, Phainon could treat them as if they were his own.
As though everyone continued to live in this world through him, and he was carrying on their wills and regrets.
This trait was indeed astonishingly compatible with Kephale and with the World-Bearer.
"Aglaea, how could I possibly be worthy... of the burning torch you've passed into my hands?"
At last, Phainon opened his eyes. Looking at the words in the letter, he quietly asked himself.
To compare him to the Heavenly Father, such praise only made the letter in his hands feel unimaginably heavy.
Yet after revealing a trace of bewilderment, his gaze soon returned to what it had been before.
It was remarkable. Back when he had merely been a young man of Aedes Elysiae, he had been timid and lost, uncertain of how to move forward.
But after being filled with the final wishes of others, no matter how great the pressure or how deep the confusion, he would never stop moving.
Phainon set down the letter and called for Stelle and Cratelus.
"Krateros, can you do me a favor?"
"Please gather the Holy City Guards and the Kremnoans to spread the word from door to door: At the Lucid Hour tomorrow, Phainon will speak at the Marmoreal Palace."
"Urge everyone who has concerns about the holy city's future and the Flame-Chase Journey to attend this gathering. Tell them Aglaea has left Amphoreus the seeds of hope.."
Krateros nodded.
Nearby Stelle frowned and asked, "What if the Council of Elders comes to cause trouble again tomorrow?"
Phainon shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Then they'll pay the price. I don't possess Aglaea's mercy or patience."
With those words everyone felt reassured.
The Council of Elders had better come and cause trouble tomorrow.
Otherwise, many people would probably be left with some regrets.
Afterwards, within the garden.
For reasons unknown, not long after Phainon finished reading the letter, Aglaea's remains transformed into golden threads and dissipated, leaving behind no trace that she had ever been there.
As she vanished, purple butterflies flew in from the horizon and gathered around her in swarms.
Perhaps Castorice had witnessed everything from the Underworld and used the butterflies to convey her sorrow and mourning.
But people would not stop moving forward because of grief. Under Phainon's arrangements, everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
Throughout the streets and alleys of Okhema, Kremnoans and the City Guards knocked on every household's door.
They patiently conveyed Phainon's message, regardless of how the recipients responded.
And deep into the night, Chartonus arrived at the Marmoreal Palace and found Phainon, who had been contemplating alone in the garden.
"Chartonus?" Phainon came back to his senses and looked at the towering Chartonus.
"What brings you to Marmoreal Palace?"
"How you're holding up, I wanted to see." Chartonus spoke slowly.
"Better than I expected, you seem."
Phainon knew Chartonus was referring to the guards spreading the announcement earlier that day.
He shook his head.
"There's no room for doubt anymore. It's time to take action and show everyone that the leadership of the Chrysos Heirs is still strong."
"Right, your assessment is. Now, here, take this."
Chartonus nodded approvingly. He placed the object wrapped in cloth that had been strapped to his back before Phainon and slowly unwrapped it.
The scene zoomed in for a close-up.
A great sword.
A great sword too massive for ordinary people to wield.
Just from its material, one could sense its weight and reliability. The blade was broad, double-edged, and adorned with a blue core pattern running down its center, adding a touch of elegance.
At the guard was a sun-shaped engraving. The right side of the guard extended outward like a golden solar ring, reaching all the way to the hilt and forming a semicircle.
Judging by the guard alone, it looked almost identical to the weapon wielded by the Flame Reaver.
"Is this... You've completed it?" Phainon's gaze was instantly captured by the great sword.
He was astonished. Not much time had passed since he had entrusted Chartonus with the commission.
""Dawnmaker" - the name I've chosen for it." Chartonus was very pleased by Phainon's reaction. This great sword was also one of his proudest creations.
"Before Dawn, prepare for battle. For tomorrow, wield your sword. Befits your stature, it does, Chrysos Heir."
"Dawnmaker..." Phainon pondered the meaning of the name.
It matched both his current situation and what he was about to do perfectly.
He loved the name. And he loved the sword even more.
"Unbelievable. You've never seen that black-clad swordmaster... yet you've recreated this so precisely, just from what I described?"
Phainon sighed in admiration.
To the audience, those words were once again filled with that uniquely Amphoreus-like sense of fate.
"Precise, your description."
"Imbued it with the power of Dawn, I already have. Guided by your will, gleam with golden flames, its blade will."
"Wield it. May triumph always be yours."
Chartonus handed the sword over.
"Thank you, Chartonus. I will use this sword to protect the beings of Amphoreus."
Phainon accepted it and carefully traced the cold surface of the blade with his fingers.
Chartonus nodded, then took out a small bracelet.
After being tempered, the bracelet now radiated an extraordinary golden glow.
"Another thing, there is..."
"Stored here, the remnants of Aglaea's divinity are."
"This was her commission. Her death, she had long foreseen."
Hearing Chartonus' explanation, Phainon froze for a moment, but accepted the bracelet without hesitation.
Whether Aglaea's remaining divinity could hear him or see everything he did, it did not matter.
Because he believed that when he accomplished the goal he had set for himself, Aglaea would surely smile.