In truth, the memories of Castorice seen earlier did not rely on Time.
Instead, they were formed by a wisp of Polykrus's longing.
As Castorice told the story, even Guinaifen, with tears still in the corners of her eyes, began to understand.
["That's a massive info dump! Castorice is the twin of death. In her past life, she fell before the gates of the new world, and Polyxia took the life of her closest kin to become Thanatos."]
["But out of regret, Polyxia sacrificed her own life to resurrect Castorice in Styxia?"]
["And the reason the River Styx was blocked, preventing souls from passing on, is that Polykrus's divine corpse fell and obstructed it!"]
["So the final resort of alchemy is that by merging soul and body, one can awaken Polykrus—the Titan of Death?!"]
"How much must Polykrus have wanted to see with its own eyes how the sister it exhausted every effort to save would live from now on..."
"Yet it fell so early..." Guinaifen shook her head, unable to help sighing with emotion.
After hearing Castorice's analysis of it all,
She didn't dare imagine what kind of resolute choices and sorrowful partings Castorice and Polyxia had experienced in their past lives.
Was the fate of Amphoreus truly this heartless?
To Guinaifen,
at least up to this point,
this was no longer just a simple game. She felt deep worry, regret, and even a yearning for the characters in the story.
She yearned to join them, to shoulder that impossible "Re-creation" alongside them!
"No matter what, we've reached this final step. Let's see it through to the end!"
Thinking this, Guinaifen resolutely chose to activate the alchemy circle.
Immediately!
As Castorice stepped into the circle, symbols representing the Titans lit up one by one.
Appearing at the same Time was a lingering spectral image of Amonet's soul.
Like Trianne, she seemed to have been waiting here for a long Time, just to bring the full story of Styxia—so misunderstood by the world—to Castorice.
Guinaifen stared intently at the conversation preceding the impending boss battle.
In fact, before Aidelia, Styxia was the first city-state to fall to death.
What she wanted to convey to Castorice was not the fear of death, but its grandeur.
"In an era of endless life, no one invented the word 'cherish,' because all the beauty in the world could be beheld an infinite number of Times."
"In the so-called Golden Age, people did not live; they merely existed in the world, walking listlessly while waiting."
"And Styxia chose to embrace death precisely because it fell in love with the impulses and desires that come with a finite life!"
This sudden piece of writing made the players' skin crawl with excitement.
["What kind of top-tier writing is this? It's precisely because of death that things can be lost, and thus we learn to cherish?!"]
["Can death actually be interpreted this way? It feels so sophisticated!"]
["It really sounds like that. I've lived for hundreds of years, and life has started to feel increasingly tasteless. After all, I have plenty of Time; there's nothing I need to rush to do."]
["The Author's understanding of life is actually this advanced? My god! It's comparable to a biologist from the Genius Society!"]
Amonet's words gave Castorice her final bit of confidence and resolve.
To return death to the world.
It was precisely because of death that the Queen of Styxia could deliver Castorice, Amonet could take her into Aidelia, and Aglaea could invite her on the Journey of Chasing the Fire.
"Without death, I naturally would never have truly lived, let alone found happiness."
"Thank you, my mother..."
Castorice embraced Amonet one last Time as she slowly dissipated.
...
Finally.
The philosophers stone, refined from Anaxa's heart, began to glow in Castorice's hand.
Until it was held high by Castorice.
The game transitioned directly into a CG animation. Guinaifen, who was still feeling sentimental a moment ago, opened her eyes to see tides sweeping through every corner of the temple.
And in the depths of that pool, a giant ovary shot up towards the sky!
A giant dragon broke from its shell, spreading its wings and brandishing its claws, though its head remained imprisoned within the ovary.
The boss had appeared!
Is that Thanatos?
"A great masterpiece that governs all death."
"I shall... grant you an embrace!"
Instantly,
The scythe manifested in Castorice's hand sliced through the water curtain, and the screen cracked along with it.
[Battle Start]
"It really is a boss battle, guys! This must be the Titan of Death, right?!"
When she snapped back to reality, the giant dragon immersed in darkness was already before Guinaifen's eyes.
This design, combined with a mass of tentacles deep underwater, was enough to make anyone's SAN value plummet!
But...
It was calling out 'Sister' and crying incessantly.
So, as if Guinaifen understood something, there was nothing to enjoy about it.
She simply guided Castorice to end the battle as quickly as possible.
Then, just as Castorice prepared to head to the Underworld, Stelle's physical condition reached its limit.
["Don't leave any regrets."]
["Take your Time, I can still hold on."]
["I'm heading out too; let's see who gets to the Underworld first."]
"I'm heading out too; let's see who gets to the Underworld first," Stelle said, clutching her head.
The usual jokester option made Guinaifen struggle to keep a straight face for a moment.
"This option is way too dark, isn't it?"
Of course, jokes aside, Stelle no longer had the energy to continue forward.
And so, Castorice prepared to return to the Underworld alone, promising to return the life that Thanatos had taken from Stelle.
Under everyone's gaze, Castorice resolutely turned around:
"Your Excellency..."
"Wait for me!"
...
"It's coming, it's coming!"
Guinaifen stared at the screen with an excited expression.
At this moment, it wasn't just her. Castorice, who had gone for a walk with Polyxia outside as promised, had also brought her back to the Bath Palace.
The three of them sat together, using a single mobile phone as a screen to finish this part of the story.
After all, this was the story and main quest that His Excellency had specifically created for her.
So Castorice felt it was necessary to bring Polyxia along to witness it all with Xu Qiong.
The screen turned pitch black.
Gradually,
A familiar voice rang out.
"Finally..."
"You've returned here after all."
Castorice opened her eyes. Ahead, a shattered moon hung high in the sky.
A winding path stretched out, surrounded by blooming antiling flowers that formed a boundless sea of petals.
"So beautiful..." Castorice murmured softly.
"It's the scene of the Underworld where we used to stay," Polyxia added.
Although both of them recognized this place outside the story, viewing it from the game's perspective was entirely different.
Because it was a god's-eye view, they could overlook almost every part of the land, even every swaying flower.
Meanwhile, Guinaifen and the others, who were anticipating this scene, all gasped.
It did not disappoint!
"The so-called Underworld is actually a sea of flowers?"
"This map is made as well as a PV animation, it doesn't lose out at all. It's simply incredible!" Guinaifen clenched her fists again.
At the same Time,
In the blink of an eye, the person with the three question marks—the owner of the voice—finally appeared in the center of the mobile phone screen.
In the sea of flowers in the Underworld, Polyxia had been waiting here all along.
"Is it you? Polyxia?" Castorice's voice carried a hint of uncertainty.
"Do you still remember me?"
Polyxia sat in a wheelchair, her eyes quietly closed.
Unfortunately, although Castorice now understood everything, that memory from her past life was long gone.
"If you don't remember anything, then just call me Thanatos. It's easier that way," Polyxia said calmly.
And then,
Right here, she filled in the final details of the Re-creation from their past life for Castorice.