[The vision begins, a boundless expanse of azure]
"If... one traces the marks of time back to the beginning. My starting point must be the magnificent realm of Phagousa, the Titan of the Sea."
"In those days, I was still Helektra, the most beloved princess of the sirens. My song could soothe the fury of the storm; my form was more graceful than the crest of a wave under moonlight. Power and beauty were the crown I was born with."
"Endless feasts in the palace, rivers flowing with mead and ambrosia... I once believed those days would last for eternity."
"But... how wonderful it would be, if the world truly had a revelry that never ended?"
[The sea's azure is mercilessly tainted by profound ink-black]
"Why? That Black Tide surging up from the deepest abyss, devouring light, extinguishing song? Why? Everything I loved, my homeland, my people... all fell to silence under that soundless encroachment."
"I survived. But a surviving soul weighs a thousand times heavier than a fallen kingdom. I wandered through the ruins and the deep sea, bearing the ghosts of my entire race."
"Emptiness gnawed at me day and night. I clenched the sword in my hand, not knowing for what it should dance... Glory? Revenge? Or... merely to exist for existence's sake?"
[Until a beam of searing light splits the darkness of the deep sea]
"The day I met Cerydra—the ambitious ruler later known as 'Imperator'—was my rebirth.
She reached out her hand to me, her eyes ablaze with a fire bright enough to illuminate the entire gloomy world. Her ideals, her ambition, the new order she sought to build... they were like the sturdiest anchor, saving my ship that had lost its way."
"And so... I willingly entered the fray, becoming the sharpest blade and the steadiest banner in her hand. I waged war for her in all directions, cleansing the seas. My sword once again had direction—for her hegemony, for the future we painted together."
"Yet... fate seems to love playing cruel jokes on me. It ultimately staged the play of 'a loyal minister slaying her sovereign.' I failed to protect her to the end... My liege has fallen."
"The throne crumbled, the grand ambition turned to dust. My liege is dead, but... my heart? Where should it go? I had already given it to her without reserve."
"My liege... She only knew I loved grand, noisy feasts. She never realized that what I truly yearned for was never the fine wine and delicacies, but those brief moments of sharing victory and laughter, of reveling together with her and everyone."
"All clamor, in the end, returns to silence."
"Now, everything... is merely a bubble, transient under the sun, beautiful yet hollow."
"I returned to the ruins of my long-dead homeland, where only shattered pearls and bleached coral bones remained. I drank the last cup of wine of my life, bitter as memory."
"The harp string wailed, like the most loyal servant, executing its master's final command, slicing through my heart. My blood gushed out, merging with the sea water... So, the blood of the supposedly supreme and mighty siren race... is it really this cold?"
"This is the life of Helektra. Confusion and self-denial, leading me ultimately to... destruction."
[The phantom light of memory slowly fades, leaving endless silence]
The purple fragments vanished completely, as if they had never existed. Only that life, filled with splendor and despair, weighed heavily on everyone's heart.
...
"Individual life signs detected..."
(Meanwhile, in a certain place, a conversation quietly unfolds.
System: Author, tell me... after witnessing so clearly the tragic end Helektra met due to doubt and self-denial. Our little Phaethon... can he find his way out? Isn't this memory a bit too heavy for him?
Author: Let's respect his choice. Didn't we agree? Freedom—that's the best 'newcomer's package' we can give him.
We have cleared the obstacles to the cliff for him, allowing him to reach this point, to feel the breeze of fate blowing from the abyss.
So... whether his ultimate choice is to leap from here, or to continue climbing to higher peaks. That too... will be a decision he makes himself.)
...
Mydei was the first to break the heavy silence. His golden spirit form trembled slightly, his voice bearing the rough, direct quality of the battlefield:
"So... Phaethon. You've seen it all. Blind self-denial and wallowing in confusion only drag a person into the abyss, all the way to destruction. Helektra's story has spelled out the end of that road with perfect clarity."
Feeling the gazes of his companions focused on him, Phaethon finally pulled himself away from that sorrowful memory. He shook his head with a bitter smile, the expression tinged with both helplessness and the relief of being understood.
"I mean, am I really that much of a cause for concern? It's just... I got a bit stuck in my own head, overthinking things..."
Phaethon's gaze swept over his companions before him, his eyes growing complex yet warm:
"Castorice, because of my earlier words, you chose to hesitate no longer, resolved to embrace your own fate, to face that Coreflame of Death.
Cyrene, you deliberately chose this most critical moment to show me Helektra's memory."
He paused, his tone taking on a note of exasperated amusement:
"Isn't this just like placing a 'correct case' and a 'mistaken case' side by side right in front of me?
Using Castorice's experience to urge me forward, then using Helektra's end to warn me not to follow in her footsteps. Really... sigh... You've all gone to such trouble worrying about me. I appreciate it."
"Hah... Deliverer, it's good that you understand." Mydei crossed his arms. Even in spirit form, his posture radiated undeniable strength and conviction.
"Since you can't yet see how to completely shatter the so-called constraints of fate... then stop wasting time pondering useless questions that have no answers for now."
His voice was ironclad, like a warhammer striking an anvil. "Master what you can master. And when that unavoidable fate truly descends, then use your powerful arms... to resist its manipulation! That is the warrior's way!"
Castorice softly picked up the thread. Her voice was still ethereal, yet now carried a warmth and strength previously absent:
"Lord Phaethon, perhaps... as an incarnation of 'Death,' my purpose is not solely to deprive and end. But also... to leave something behind.
To clear the inner haze from a world-leading Deliverer, allowing him to walk forward with greater resolve... perhaps that is the most meaningful thing I can achieve now."
"But don't put too much pressure on yourself, okay?" Cyrene finally smiled. Her smile was like sunlight piercing the underworld's gloom, warm and bright.