"Continue... your 'Trailblaze' journey."
When she opened her eyes again, Stelle had returned to Styxia.
But compared to the players' feelings about this, Welt was most concerned about the voice from just now.
Because of some 'off-screen' information, he seemed to have realized a serious problem.
The voice with the question mark just now, the Hesitation that appeared after the voice, and Ms. Elysia, who claimed to be Hesitation's voice actress.
The signal this sent seemed to be telling him—
Elysia is Hesitation?!
Or rather, the owner of the question mark is actually Hesitation!
Could it really be like that?
Then how did Hesitation become like that, or rather, what does she rely on to grow?!
...
At the same time, Guinaifen's expression had become completely dejected.
The end of the story.
Stelle did return, but Castorice remained in the Underworld forever.
She softly spoke her final words to Stelle:
"Remember that prophecy? 'At the end of the sea of flowers, the soul of the living shall warm thy fingertips; after the embrace, comes eternal parting.'"
"I promised you that I would do my best to write another interpretation for it. Now that I have become a demigod, fate has reached its end—"
In the blink of an eye.
The CG began.
The returned Stelle strolled through the corridor, stepping forward.
At this moment, a gust of wind swept across the distant sky, and Castorice, riding Polykrus, seemed to have returned to the mortal world.
Purple twilight drifted, lifting Castorice as she slowly descended.
"The other shore is very cold."
"Finally, can I borrow... your body heat one more time?"
She walked forward and opened her arms, her tone carrying a hint of uncertainty and longing.
Stelle paused for two seconds and gave a soft 'mm,' and so Castorice lightly embraced her.
One second.
Two seconds.
The embrace lasted only a brief moment.
"Thank you for fulfilling this wish for me."
After that, having seemingly fulfilled all her wishes, her tone became peaceful and quiet again:
"The place I am going to is what people call the land of sorrow."
"But with this heartbeat and the warmth of this embrace, I will turn the Underworld into a warm place to return to."
In the scene, starting from the first life underwater, to lightning, rainstorms, candlelight, until the newborn butterfly emerged from its cocoon, and the blooming of flowers!
At this moment, everyone was completely mesmerized.
Until the moment Castorice dissipated while riding the Butterfly Dragon in the real world, Stelle seemed to have caught something, yet also seemed to have caught nothing at all.
She looked toward the distant sky, where only a fleeting message remained—
"This brief moment of embrace is the proof that I lived."
"Farewell, Your Excellency. May we... meet again in the new world."
[...]
[...]
Quiet silence and appreciation.
It was less than a dozen seconds, yet it felt like ten years.
In the upper left corner of the live stream, Guinaifen already looked numb, her eyes vacant as she continuously shed 'little pearls.'
She wanted to cry, but she didn't want to miss the cutscene, so her face was contorted as if she were about to become Mara-Struck.
"Guinaifen, are you okay? You're not about to awaken a split personality too, are you?!" Sushang poked her from the side, looking terrified.
Guinaifen didn't reply, only muttering to herself: "Mydei guarded Kremnos City alone through life and death, and Trianne exhausted her power to go to the Underworld first."
"Now... even Castorice is trapped in the Underworld forever."
[Waaaah~ I'm about to cast no-chant water magic. Is Castorice really leaving just like that?]
[She's all alone; won't she be lonely staying there by herself? At least Mydei has a chance to come back.]
[She clearly endured a thousand-year bitter journey alone, just obtained Thanatos's authority to eliminate the curse, and before she could even have a few more hugs, she's trapped in the Underworld again?]
[I get it now. I know why Castorice agreed to Cipher's rude request before coming here, even saying she could give all her belongings to the other party. It turns out she never intended to come back from the start...]
[Little Butterfly changed the prophecy through her own efforts. We should be happy for her, shouldn't we?]
[Originally, at the end of the sea of flowers, everyone she touched would vanish. But this time, at the cost of herself, she ensured the one she embraced didn't pass away while also fulfilling the oracle.]
[Castorice must be happy right now, too, right?]
[Waaaah, may we meet again in the new world, Castorice—!]
Guinaifen understood it completely now.
The original oracle was likely meant to be as usual: after embracing the Trailblazer, the Trailblazer would vanish, thus corresponding to the line 'after the embrace, comes eternal parting.'
But Castorice, through her own efforts and at the cost of being eternally trapped in the Underworld, gave the Trailblazer new life.
She saved a life.
And she fulfilled this oracle.
Just like—
"After the embrace, comes eternal parting."
...
Castorice's departure was certainly saddening.
However, the closing part wasn't over yet.
When the perspective shifted back to Anaxa's side, Guinaifen suddenly realized that it seemed more than just Castorice was leaving?!
The reversal the players expected didn't come; what truly arrived was the death sentence pronounced for Anaxa not long ago.
"Ah? No way, it's Anaxa's turn?!"
Guinaifen, who hadn't yet recovered, only felt a sense of shock.
She stared intently as Anaxa had his final conversation with Aglaea.
Now almost all the sparks had returned to their places, leaving only the last Titan, Aegle—the Sky Titan.
The two had a rare honest conversation, but both realized that one's days were numbered and the other's soul was nearly depleted.
Both felt quite emotional about this.
The only consensus they could reach was to entrust the final hope to Phainon, the leader and hero destined in the prophecy.
Before long.
Stelle was brought back by Dan Heng and Phainon.
Resurrected by Castorice, she would hand over the spark of 'death,' or more accurately, the sparks of 'death' and 'Life.'
Then, only Anaxa's spark of 'Reason' remained.
Surrounded by everyone, Phainon was still a bit hesitant.
In contrast, Anaxa just spoke nonchalantly: "Alright, carry out the execution as soon as possible—lest the sacred law of Okhema be shamed, and my creation of the new world be delayed."
"..."
Phainon was still reluctant and said directly:
"Teacher, you are always like this."
What he didn't understand was, if according to Anaxa's deduction, one would lose all memories after becoming a Titan, then what was the point of becoming a god?
As for Anaxa's answer.
He chose to believe in himself and in Phainon without the slightest Hesitation.
Because the appearance of the soul exists within 'Remembrance'; as long as one person can live on with those memories, then the soul is immortal.
Therefore, Phainon, the son of Kephale, naturally became everyone's last hope.
He would shoulder everything.
This was also the final lesson Anaxa gave.
That was all there was to say.
"Farewell, everyone. Until we meet in the next life," Anaxa said frankly.
"Farewell, 'great performer.' May Cerces defend your thoughts."
"May Cerces defend your thoughts."
Everyone bid their farewells one by one, including Cerces, of course; she finally pronounced that Anaxa had passed the trial of 'Reason.'
Then, the first and the last.
"Then, I shall also bestow a proverb upon you—"
"You shall transcend to the ultimate purity and return to the decayed, bitter darkness."
The appearance and conclusion of an oracle.
Anaxa didn't find anything peculiar about it and was still mocking even at this moment.
Immediately after.
The cutscene unfolded; Aglaea watched, while Phainon turned his head away, unable to bear the sight.
Anaxa reached into his chest as a bloom of emerald-green flame ignited.
He suddenly slumped to his knees before Cerces's tall figure and held the spark in his hand high!
"Be happy, Cerces."
"I will use your soul to sow the seeds of 'Doubt' for the new world—"
As far as the eye could see.
Anaxa's body gradually dissipated, but his unrestrained and unruly laughter echoed endlessly in every corner.
Just like his brilliant life.
"—And so, the work is done. That is all."