She seemed a bit off, her complexion not quite right. Upon seeing Phaethon, she was first pleasantly surprised, then couldn't help covering her mouth to cough a few times. "Ahem... cough, cough... It's you, 'Fortune Duke'! Please, come in! And who is this beside you...?"
Cyrene raised her hand, which was naturally holding Phaethon's, and gave it a cheerful little shake.
"Oh—!" Anaxa's sister instantly understood, her eyes erupting with an extremely bright, gossipy light. Her mind was already calculating how to release this earth-shattering news in the "Castorice Enthusiasts Circle" later.
She quickly stepped aside to make way. "I understand! Please, both of you, come in! Such distinguished guests gracing our home!"
However, the moment they stepped inside, Phaethon immediately understood the source of those earlier coughs and the faint charred smell in the air.
Inside, a scent Phaethon was all too familiar with—a mix of scorched earth and some indescribable, bizarre odor—permeated the air.
In terms of familiarity with this smell, aside from Phainon and Mydei, he, Phaethon, was probably the authority.
A flicker of embarrassment and helplessness crossed Anaxa's sister's face. "Sorry... Anaxa has been... well, upstairs lately, using alchemy to try and develop a... um, 'Red Clay Nutrient Paste' that's safe for both humans and Droma to eat."
As if to confirm her words—
BOOM—!!!
A dull explosion suddenly erupted from upstairs, followed immediately by a fanatical and excited, trembling cry:
"Ah ha ha ha ha! Witness my magical technique!"
"The truth of this world, I have unveiled it!!!"
"Aglaea! Do you see it?! I will prove to you! The Droma red clay smeared on clothes is not some un-washable mud stain!"
"It shall be a mineral-rich, life-energy-packed, epoch-making great food! It is the hope for the harmonious coexistence of Droma and humanity! Ah ha ha ha ha!"
Anaxa's near-maniacal proclamation came from upstairs.
"Sigh..." Anaxa's sister and Phaethon synchronously raised their hands to their foreheads in helpless resignation, letting out a heavy sigh.
***
After leaving the Anaxa household and walking on Okhema's gradually darkening streets, a wry smile couldn't help but appear on Phaethon's face.
"Have I... perhaps 'spoiled' them a bit too much?" He began to wonder if his method of changing their fates had gone somewhat awry. How had the Chrysos Heirs of this cycle all developed such... eccentric dispositions?
Cyrene, however, seemed delighted. She linked her arm with Phaethon's, her eyes shining warmly.
"Phaethon, perhaps it's not your 'fault' at all. On the contrary, precisely because you successfully changed their originally tragic fates and lifted the burdens that would have crushed them..."
"They finally have the chance to reveal the... most genuine, brightest, even slightly eccentric sides of their personalities. Isn't that the best proof?"
Just then, a voice, clear and cold with a hint of ethereality, came through. "Inky..."
Hysilens had appeared not far away without them noticing. Only then did she notice Cyrene beside Phaethon.
She immediately and very naturally switched her form of address, her tone becoming more formal. "'Duke of Fortune,' I heard from the 'Duke of Fate' that you and the 'Duke of Dawn' have returned to Okhema."
"Her Majesty is holding a celebratory banquet at the palace tonight. I just went to invite the 'Duke of Dawn.' Unfortunately, he seems otherwise occupied. How about you? Will you bring this... pink little sea hare to the banquet?"
The confusion and emptiness that once seemed to envelop Hysilens was nowhere to be seen on her face now.
Or perhaps, she hadn't lost that sense of nihilism. Instead, she had finally found her own warm flame, something she was willing to pause for, within the endless abyssal sea.
Phaethon looked at her and Cyrene, hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Alright, I will be there on time."
Hysilens softly hummed a ethereal yet cheerful deep-sea melody, her figure melting into the evening breeze as she quietly departed.
"Is that... what the historically recorded Demigod of Ocean was truly like?" Cyrene asked softly after Hysilens left, her eyes holding a bit of curiosity and reflection.
"What she yearns for has never been that cold, deep sea."
Phaethon gazed in the direction Hysilens had vanished, answering quietly. "Her heart itself is an ocean deeper and more lonely than any great sea."
"What she loves isn't the bustling banquet itself, but the people willing to banquet with her, who briefly awaken her from eternal solitude."
"The ocean is indeed dangerous. But as long as someone can truly traverse that storm and reach her heart... loneliness is no longer her eternal destiny."
***
However, on the other end of Okhema, deep within the training grounds...
Phainon seemed to sense something, looking distantly in Phaethon's direction. A flicker of complex, barely perceptible emotion passed through his blue eyes.
Immediately, he collected his thoughts, turning his gaze back to the young version of himself standing ramrod straight before him—Phainon-1, whose eyes were filled with longing.
"Tell me..." Phainon's voice was low, hoarse as if scorched by flame, yet containing undeniable power. "Do you yearn to become strong? Do you yearn to possess the power to become that 'Deliverer' who saves the world?"
"Yes!" Phainon-1's reply held no hesitation, his voice loud and firm, filled with the untempered edge unique to youth.
"Good." Phainon gave a slight nod, the heat radiating from him causing the air to warp slightly. "Then, start with the most basic. Follow me. To the high-temperature bath. Train your heat resistance. This is the first step in bearing power, and also... the most painful one."
***
Meanwhile, on a level beyond mortal comprehension, a icy, mechanical prompt echoed in the endless void:
[＞＞＞ Eternal Recurrence #1: Subjects Asterion and Khaslana successfully persuaded the Twelve Chrysos Heirs to recover the Twelve Coreflames via non-violent methods. Task Evaluation: ACHIEVED.]
[＞＞＞ WARNING! Detected new variable equation loaded into core calculation process!]
[＞＞＞ WARNING! Detected the consumed timeline length of the current experiment process far exceeds all previous experimental records. Judgment: MAJOR EXPERIMENTAL ANOMALY. Relevant anomaly data packet has been packaged and sent to the Administrator.]
[＞＞＞ Administrator Port Status: SILENT. No response.]
[＞＞＞ Follow-up directive received from ▆▆▆ (Permission Authentication: PASSED): Ignore anomalies. Continue calculation process.]
***
Nearly a thousand years passed in a flash.
"Khaslana!"
A cry filled with anger and disappointment echoed across the empty city walls.
Phainon-1 strode towards the figure standing alone at the edge of the wall, gazing into the endless darkness. His voice trembled slightly with agitation:
"The people kept their promise, trusted you, let you take on all the Titan Coreflames! In this lifetime, since Tribios, not a single new Demigod has been born in Amphoreus!"
He stopped a few steps behind Phainon, his fists clenched, pointing at the dead, silent giant city beneath their feet:
"But is that still not enough? Tell me, why has not a single newborn child come into this world on the soil of Amphoreus for the past five hundred years?"