Phainon

Aedes Elysiae, a remote frontier village isolated from the world, now lives on only in cryptic legends. Nameless hero, Khaslana, Chrysos Heir carrying the Coreflame of "Worldbearing," memorizes the ideals of all worlds, carries the fate of multitudes, and brings the first light of dawn to the new world —"But should dawn have never existed, let the fires of rage burn this body to ashes and transform into the blazing sun of tomorrow!"

Aedes Elysiae, the boy's hometown. The village lived by the rhythm of the sun: working at daybreak, resting at sundown, just like his own life, simple and unadorned. In a tiny schoolhouse that could barely fit a handful of students, the boy drifted off during a droning history lesson, his thoughts floating away with the wood shavings dancing from his hands. Stroke by stroke, the figure of a warrior slowly emerged from the block of wood hidden in his desk drawer. "A mighty greatsword... only a blade like that could match this strength..." He sharpened the edges of the wood chip in the sunlight. "Armor scarred by honor, a cloak like wings soaring through the storm." "And then..." "Phainon! If you want to be the strongest warrior... you'd better start paying attention." Miss Pythias never gets tired of dragging him back to reality. The boy preferred the training yard stacked with hay bales far more than school. It was his battlefield — where scarecrows turned into charging soldiers, or wild beasts on the rampage. When he was not at school, he often spent entire days there with his carved wooden comrades, until the smell of cooking wafted from every household. Beneath the cool shade of the trees, the exhausted boy could fall asleep right on the grass. In his broken dreams, he gazed at city-states he had never seen and witnessed grand tales unfold. "Go... become a hero." That voice, like the endless waves of wheat in Aedes Elysiae, guided the boy onto the road of adventure. ->->->->->->->->->->->->-> >>> First Computation ... >>> Assign definition to object "Neikos496" >>> Loading Scene [Aedes Elysiae] >>> Execute Simulation Object "Neikos496" moved along trajectory defined by coordinate set A-F. Object "Neikos496" initialized new variable [The Hero Within]. >>> Variable [Black Tide] begins displacement update, executing overwrite command on [Aedes Elysiae]

Facing the young drifter from afar, the weaver and the childlike seer would sometimes speak of the Flame-Chase and Chrysos Heirs. The weaver's sightless eyes seemed to see through his inner turmoil, while the seer's bright innocence gave him a warm sense of home. "So... the Chrysos Heirs were destined by the heavens?" The young man asked, gathering his courage. The weaver shook her head. "No. It's more like a long, grueling pilgrimage." The young man tucked away the wheat-scented memories of his past and joined the holy city's legion, training day and night until difficult swordplay became as natural as breathing. In a death match that stunned the world, he battled the crown prince of Kremnos for ten days and nights. In each sweeping strike, he wielded his blade as if he'd already offered up his life without hesitation. Of course, more often than not, the young man greeted the world with humor and ease. "I just want people to feel comfortable around me," he would say. Though his friends often scoffed at that, they knew it was that very spirit that earned the silver-haired youth the trust and respect of commoners and nobles alike in the holy city. During his years of study at the Grove, even though he had little interest in logic, the young man often triumphed in debates with his sharp wit after poring over books until the pages wore thin. Though he could not outcompete his teacher's wisdom, deep down he knew — it was the courage to stay true to himself that he still lacked. Yet when the young man returned from the battlefield and after the physician had bandaged his wounds, there was still a long silence. "Lord Phainon... do you often wake in the night, or find yourself unable to sleep?" He didn't mind. To walk the path that would strike down the gods themselves, he had to carve himself into the shape the world needed him to be. ->->->->->->->->->->->->-> >>> 49th Computation ... >>> Loading Scene [Okhema] >>> Loading Scene [Grove of Epiphany] ... >>> Load Computational Factors "HapLotes405" "SkeMma720" "EpieiKeia216" "PoleMos600" "EleOs252" ... >>> Initiating Computation ... >>> Object "Neikos496" self-iteration progress: 0.43%

The god who wielded the Lightning Spear fell into madness. In the battle named Strife, the man and his comrade gave the mad god the final release. In the debate where the Coreflame of Reason was contested, the man faced down his old mentor and witnessed a brutal execution. On the battlefield of the Sky, he crossed the rainbow bridge, piercing the gloom with the burning light of the sun, lighting the perilous road ahead. "Deliverer, lead us forward." Hearing those words of relief from the weaver, he felt only a bitter ache, a worry he refused to show in front of the crowd. The crown prince of Kremnos, scarred by a thousand deaths, entrusted his people to him. "Don't worry. I'll look after them for you." The seer, her body split into countless pieces, faded away, and he took up the oath she had sworn before her journey. "Miss Tribbie, I will live to see that morrow filled with the radiance of stars..." The scholar raced toward death in search of truth. The Holy Maiden embraced her lonely fate. "In the next life, truth will be revealed, and life and death will find their rightful place." The weaver found eternal rest in a golden bath. The fleet-footed rogue stopped in regret. The healer who once roamed the skies would never again return to the earth. "With my body as kindling, I will become the blaze that lights the new world." The man could not shed tears, but used these searing pains to carve such memories into his mind. Bearing the hopes of all people, he staggered toward the mountain peak where the morning sun rises. He believed that, one day, the dawn would break through the endless night of Amphoreus. "But should dawn have never existed..." He had asked himself that question thousands of times. Now, heading toward the blazing, merciless end, he carved the final mark of "Phainon"— "Then let my fury consume me and turn myself into tomorrow's burning sun!" ->->->->->->->->->->->->-> >>> Call Log [597th Computation] ... Request: "Become the one who answers the world's hopes, carrying the wishes of all." Response: "A solitary soul." Progress: 0.096% ... [8128th Computation] ... Request: "Even if all you have is the roughest iron, use it to defend our home!" Response: "An insignificant scar." Progress: 1.34% ... [16256th Computation] ... Request: "Chrysos Heirs are all in place. The Flame-Chase Journey begins." Response: "An endless cycle." Progress: 2.89% ... [496000th Computation] ... Request: "Begin Era Nova and greet Amphoreus's new dawn." Response: "A ▇▇▇▇ futile ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇." Progress: 32.47% ... [33550337th Computation] ... Request: "▇▇▇▇Remember▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇Carry▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇New World▇▇▇▇" Response: "▇▇▇▇Burn▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ to ashes▇▇▇▇▇▇" Progress: 99.81% ... >>> Warning: Progress cannot be updated

As he had countless times before, he once again saw it through the blaze — Morning light pouring over the wheat fields of Aedes Elysiae, bathing the village in a golden glow. "Feels like... I've had this dream a thousand times before..." The boy rubbed his sleepy eyes as he woke beneath the tree. In the dream, the sun fell from the sky, the statue of a hero crumbling, melting, shattering, consuming the world in flames. In the dead silence, a familiar figure, charred and broken, trudged alone into the endless darkness. "That figure burned itself away... and everything else around it too..." The boy stared blankly at the unfinished wooden carving. The searing anger and deep self-loathing from the dream still echoed through his heart. "Maybe that broken world... is calling out for a hero..." "What will the future look like?" Lying back on the soft, golden straw, the boy pictured an epic tale unfolding before his eyes. "Maybe the hero will roam the world, righting wrongs, solving impossible problems, yet leaving no name behind..." "Carrying a mysterious past, defying a cruel fate, and vanquishing fearsome enemies." "When the world teeters on the brink, they'll honor their vow with a heart pure and true — wherever they go, peace and prosperity will follow..." "Even if they fall a hundred times, a thousand times, a million times... A hero can be destroyed, but never defeated..." ... If nothing had changed... The days at Aedes Elysiae would have continued to drift by quietly, just as they always had. That tiny ember had already been planted deep in his heart at the start of his journey. When the boy grew into a young man, when he once again stood at the ferry, setting out toward distant lands... He would rush toward the future, forgetting the broken dreams he left behind. He wouldn't realize how long and arduous the road ahead would be — not until he had used himself as the kindling to feed a futile flame. Only when he reached the end would he learn how far he had come. One last time, he would remember that morning when the sun first rose and who he was when he carved the first shape of his ideals. In the years to come, he would give that person a new name: "Deliverer." And as for his own name, it would slowly scatter and fade from memory. ->->->->->->->->->->->->-> >>> WARNING! >>> WARNING! >>> WARNING! Error 7: Undefined object "Trailblazer" called ... Error 12: Unhandled type conversion ... Error 99: Invalid conditional statement ... >>> 33,550,337th Calculation terminated >>> Irontomb progress: 99.81%

I left for the holy city to seek the dawn after the black-robed swordmaster laid waste to my homeland. My wish as a Chrysos Heir has never changed: I just want to shoulder the hopes of others, chase the Coreflames, and build a new tomorrow...

I left for the holy city to seek the dawn after the black-robed swordmaster laid waste to my homeland. My wish as a Chrysos Heir has never changed — I just want to shoulder the hopes of others, chase the Coreflames, and build a new tomorrow... But now... I realize Amphoreus has no tomorrow... not until you arrived.

When I was a child, I often imagined myself learning swordplay from an outland hero, cutting through monsters, and then embarking on a journey to save the world... I guess that dream came true.

There's a hero within everyone's heart. With the chisel of time, we carve ourselves stroke by stroke, until the hero becomes real. Until they become our greatest creation.

Spotting fakes isn't the hard part. The real trick is knowing how to talk people into accepting that their beloved treasure is a fake. If you can do that, you can succeed at anything.

The hunger for vengeance has carried me through this journey, but despite my uncertainty, I still believe there's light at the end of the deepest dark.

The hunger for vengeance has carried me through this journey. Despite my uncertainty, I still believe there's light at the end of the deepest dark. But that light is not the blazing sun that will bring a new dawn. It's a blazing anger that will set my very being aflame!

The wheat fields of Aedes Elysiae were like endless seas. Like plants that bud, bloom, then wilt... Children were born there, played there, and grew up there... No matter where I went, I could always smell that sweet, wheat-scented breeze. Looking back now, I think that's what stopped me from straying off the path.

For some reason, I keep having this dream... I dreamed that I carried a huge rock up to the top of a mountain at dusk, but whenever the sun was about to come up, the rock would fall, and I'd carry it on my back to climb the mountain again...

I carried a huge rock up to the top of a mountain at dusk, but whenever the sun was about to come up, the rock would fall, and I'd carry it on my back to climb the mountain again... A road of agony and despair, yet it is the only moment I feel happiness! Millions of Coreflames are searing my soul to embers, yet they also cradle me in warmth.

I've learned much from you about the essence of "Trailblazing." Exploring the Cosmos, bridging worlds... If it weren't for my duties, I'd gladly try my hand at being a Nameless!

...The composition of our existences may be fundamentally different, but the "heart" that beats within us both burns with the same heat.

She always said that she hoped for the world to no longer need a Deliverer. She must've known deep down that, as long as there are still people who love this world, a Deliverer is destined to appear.

Many said that her heart is a void, filled with nothing. Yet, this seeming emptiness was needed to encompass the wishes of an entire world.

They created history, recounted history, and became a part of history... But they have never let the passage of time erode their resolve. I should do the same.

He never says what he thinks, but his simple and heavy feelings are always evident — so simple that they contain nothing except his home, and so heavy that they are reduced to nothing except sighs... Maybe that's why we became kindred spirits.

She taught us that death can be warm, graceful, and kind... Shouldn't life, then, be even more so?

"The man cursed by Mnestia" — The professor often referred to me this way, and I took it in stride. After all, the courage to be unique is a virtue I learned from him.

Every time I visit that sunlit courtyard, the gentle light through the latticed windows evokes the image of my homeland's sprawling wheat fields. In these end times, the hope she gives is far more precious than any medicine or healing.

She teased Death, toyed with Strife, and single-handedly upheld her Trickery. Her endurance and unrestrained spirit are truly admirable.

Fate is enough to surpass prophecies.

Golden blood will not flow in vain.

We will eventually become the flames that light up the new world.

Every step upon the ashes once kindled sparks.

We can always fight side by side, no matter the time.

Everything is ready. It's time to march out.

Even in the face of death, people can still make a choice.

Lady Tribbie, it's fine if you just direct us from a distance.

What should our contest be this time? Speed? Or strength?

The battlefield is like a classroom. I look forward to your valuable insight.

If an emergency unfolds, please focus on healing the others first.

Miss Cipher, if you've got a scheme in mind, a little early notice wouldn't hurt.

I'm Phainon of Aedes Elysiae. Greetings. As fellow outlanders in Okhema, our meeting is surely fate's design. Come. Maybe we'll even have a chance to fight alongside each other in the future.

Perfect timing! I was just heading out to find you. How about we spar a bit?

Goodbye, my friend. When we meet again, may we both become the heroes we aspire to be!

Don't stop. Finish them off.

It's time to temper myself.

The scorching hatred... Do you feel it now?

There's no other choice but to move forward.

My existence is of little consequence.

I will never yield to such a fate.

The flames in this body are not strong enough.

I won't give up, no matter how long I must wait.

Don't let time burn away in vain.

Let's get started!

The new world will arrive!

For the next tomorrow!

Merely an empty shell.

A soul without substance.

Quench the flames, with blood!

Remember this agony!

Branded with Strife's name!

Melt the eternal night!

Shatter this cage!

With this newborn sun, tear open the sky!

With the old sun's embers, hail the new world's dawn!

I'm fine.

Is that all?

I can't... let them down...

The fury of innumerable Coreflames, consume me!

I grant you a dawn where all stars burn to ash.

I won't... forget...

No matter. I'll once more give everything.

Thank you. I can still keep going.

Light up the dawn!

Amphoreus will welcome a true dawn.

I've appraised it all. No fakes.

Is this also a blessing of the Trailblaze?

Mmm, pretty good luck.

Reminds me of when I was studying at the Grove...

No worries. Anything's possible if you take it step by step.

That looks like a tough one... Let me test the waters first.

Peaceful days are like breezes carrying the scent of wheat fields.