In the burning flames, among countless tattered and broken puppets.
Tribbie stared blankly at the scene before her.
Countless puppets just like herself turned into charred remains in the fire.
The choking smell flooded her nose. Yet she showed no intention of running away.
Was this a memory? Or… some kind of warning?
Tribbie could not tell.
Her instincts told her that the dream was conveying something extremely important.
But the strange part was here. At first, her mother, with gentle whispers and guidance, led her to seek companions, asking her to shoulder the responsibility for the future.
Then came the sudden distortion, the twisted images, and finally her mother's clearly pained cry telling her to run.
Two completely different attitudes. Yet Tribbie could not remember at all in what situation those words had been spoken.
Her use of Janus's power had already caused her mind and memories to steadily deteriorate.
But Tribbie was very clever. As a priestess of the Titan, she rarely dreamed, let alone had nightmares like this.
So this scene, no matter what, she had to remember firmly and discern its deeper meaning.
Unlike Tribbie's current feelings, the audience felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
From beginning to end, they had only seen the surface.
And now, they finally understood. But knowing it was worse than not knowing!
The audience had always believed that the Flame chase journey conveyed by the prophecy was a righteous story of gathering the Coreflames to restart the world.
But now, Tribbie's mother told everyone: That was not the case.
The true prophecy pointed to an extremely cruel fact.
The miracle of recreating the world required almost all participants as the price; only one person could make it to the end.
This was completely different from the grand heroic epic they had imagined!
Compared to a hero's path, the Flame chase journey felt more like a sacrificial ritual!
What kind of world would require such sacrifice to restart?
So many Chrysos Heirs- Castorice, Aglaea, Mydei, Phainon.
The audience, who had already formed bonds with these people, could not possibly give up any of them!
In an instant, everyone realized why the second episode had portrayed so many hints about the inevitability of the prophecy.
Like Mydei's story. Tribbie's story. Through these stories, the audience had already glimpsed a corner of the truth.
In Amphoreus, the prophecy was not a vague revelation, but a future that must come to pass.
It could foretell individual destinies and influence the rise and fall of civilizations.
Because they had accepted this authority, when they saw the final line of the prophecy, they were seized with extreme panic and a sense of helplessness.
It felt as if everything in this world had already been predetermined by the prophecy.
Impossible to escape. On screen, the flames burned ever fiercer.
Though Tribbie felt fear and dread, she still instinctively wanted to bring the puppets back from the fire.
They symbolized her companions.
Even in a dream, Tribbie would never abandon them.
So she bit her lip, enduring the intense heat, trying to reach out and grab the puppet closest to her.
But no matter how hard she tried, she could not quite touch it.
Just as Tribbie grew extremely anxious, a burst of light suddenly appeared, wrapping her within it.
The flames and the surrounding room vanished.
In Tribbie's eyes, only that puppet she longed to hold remained.
Her mother's gentle voice sounded within the light. "Since your mind is made up, then traverse the black tide and dispel the fog for Amphoreus..."
The resistance at her fingertips disappeared. Tribbie finally caught the puppet that was smiling softly at her.
And at that moment, her mother's voice sounded gently in her mind.
"I shall see you tomorrow, my dearest Tribios."
An indescribable sourness and grief rose in Tribbie's heart.
She did not even know where this emotion came from.
But she could feel that this time, her mother was truly leaving her.
"Mama...!" Like a child's most instinctive reaction, Tribbie opened her eyes wide and cried out anxiously.
However, the light had already faded.
Like a drowning person, Tribbie suddenly jolted awake on the bed in the Marmoreal Palace.
Before her, Aglaea frowned slightly as she looked at Tribbie.
She had just arrived and saw Tribbie struggling on the bed before waking with a start.
A nightmare? Aglaea guessed silently.
The two looked at each other, yet neither spoke.
Okhema's soft tune played leisurely at that moment, as if nothing had happened.
The audience also finally managed to recover from the scene just now carefully pondering its implications.
...
: Damn… I was seriously startled.
: Is the second half really this explosive?
: Feels like things are about to go off the rails again.
: That prophecy is seriously worrying.
: What do you mean only one person can witness the recreation of the world?
: They're not going to kill everyone else, right?!
: I feel like they're playing word games again.
: If only one person is left, what's even the point of recreating the world?!
: This damn prophecy is insane… are they really going to follow it all the way?
: Feels like everything is being arranged in advance, and I hate that feeling.
: I think there'll definitely be a twist later.
...
The comments passed by.
And no one realized that the question of how to convey to the audience the feeling of heroes struggling against fate already had an answer.
Through what they saw, and through their own hearts, they could naturally feel the suffocating pressure of being shrouded by the prophecy.
At the same time, everyone gained a deeper understanding of Tribbie as a character.
Though it was only a nightmare, her instinctive attempt to grasp the puppets still made many feel heartache.
On the screen, Tribbie finally caught her breath.
"Aglaea… I think I just had a nightmare."
Tribbie said timidly.
"It must be that reckless Kremnoan soldier who startled Trinnon - and you as well. If you want, I can pierce through his chest with the golden thread right now."
Aglaea said with a heavy voice.
Tribbie's little face instantly turned pale, and she waved her hands in panic.
"Agy...! Cut it out with the scary talk..."
But the fear lingering from the nightmare immediately eased quite a bit.
Aglaea's lips curved slightly into a faint smile. Only then did Tribbie realize that the line just now had been said by Aglaea quoting someone else.
If you want Tribbie to forget what she's afraid of, then bring up something even scarier.
"Agy, you're so mean!" Tribbie puffed up her cheeks and said.
Aglaea let out a soft laugh and said gently, "Do you want to talk about the dream? Keeping it bottled up is not good for your health."
Tribbie's gaze darkened slightly. "We... had a dream about Mama."
"The dream itself was nothing... It's just the timing that feels a bit unsettling."
Aglaea shook her head. "You mean... Trianne?"
"Mm."
Tribbie nodded and said quietly, "Even if we refrain from ever using the power of the Century Gate again... her soul continues to slowly drift away from her body."
"There isn't much time left."
That was the truth. Even Aglaea couldn't find any words of comfort.
She could only sigh. "Perhaps... it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let her relinquish her role as the "gatekeeper" and live out her days as a carefree child."
That was already the best solution she could think of. But Tribbie showed a cute smile instead.
She seemed even more accepting than Aglaea.
"You have a point, Agy. But... our decision has already been made on that matter. Souls will be spent until they dissolve into dust, such is our fate."
"Once, we had a whole and connected body. If that body were a tree, then its trunk and branches would share the same fate, decaying at the same pace."
"Now, we are fragmented into numerous selves... Despite the absence of a trunk, we are offered another possibility..."
"...We can choose how our branches will perish in a way that is most beneficial to the Flame-Chase Journey."
Tribbie spoke softly, her eyes filled only with clarity and sincerity.
When a child says something like this, it's hard not to feel a pang in the heart.
After all, Tribbie has been present since the very first episode. And slowly walked all the way to now.
There never seemed to be any especially heavy plot centered on her. But whenever she appears, everyone feels at ease.
That Century Gate has brought immense convenience to Stelle and the Chrysos Heirs. Yet Tribbie and the others never complained, quietly giving from behind the scenes.
That feeling is like suddenly finding yourself fond of someone without realizing it.
At this moment, the audience quietly fell in love with this small yet incredibly capable Tribbie.
Of course, Trianne and Trinnon also.
On screen, Aglaea revealed an almost imperceptible sadness and said softly, "Compared with saying farewell to one person... watching many fade away before me is even more sorrowful."
Tribbie chuckled and instead comforted Aglaea. "But "advancing" is the destined end of Janus' trial. There's no retreat in our path."
"Don't feel sad about saying goodbye to us. We have already agreed on this, right?"
Aglaea sighed, "It won't be long before I forget what sorrow tastes like."
"..." Tribbie froze for a moment.
She lowered her head and said nothing more.
Just like her, Aglaea also has her own kind of "withering."
...
: Sigh… none of this is easy.
: Tribbie is gradually losing her mind and memories, and Aglaea is probably losing emotions.
: There were hints before, but hearing it directly from Aglaea still hits hard.
: So-called sacrifice… will it be another cycle?
: But I'm still optimistic.
: Even with the prophecy and all the flags around Tribbie and Aglaea, at least so far the story hasn't killed anyone off.
: True, maybe there'll be a turnaround.
: On Penacony's side, Firefly was alright.
: I hope everyone gets a good ending.
: I really like all the Chrysos Heirs who've appeared so far, they all feel vivid and full of personality!
...
The comments sighed with emotion.
On screen, Aglaea and Tribbie chatted a bit more about childhood, reminiscing about old times.
Only then did they part ways. But just after Aglaea left, Tribbie lowered her head, her eyes shifting.
Although she acted as if nothing was wrong in front of Aglaea, only she knew that for a priestess of Janus, nightmares are a bad omen.
And her memories were becoming increasingly blurry, she could barely even remember what her mother looked like.
Perhaps… it was time to return once more to the Abyss of Fate.
If she could obtain Oronyx's help, maybe she could hold on a little longer.
At that moment, the scene shifted.
Somewhere in Okhema, a pair of leather boots hurried past the camera. It was clear their owner was in a great rush.
The camera slowly panned upward, revealing the figure.
It was Phainon. He strode quickly into a garden.
By the garden, Anaxagoras was gazing into the distance at the giant statue of Kephale.
"Who are you?" Hearing footsteps behind him, Anaxagoras asked coldly without turning around.
Phainon stopped, smiling politely. "It's been a while. I'm the one who once overthrew the entire classroom in that spiritual physics lecture."
Anaxagoras turned and looked him up and down. "Oh, it's you."
Phainon's smile froze, shocked. "No way... Do you really still remember that, professor?"
Ignoring Phainon's surprise, Anaxagoras said calmly, "I remember that glib tongue of yours. What brings you here? Surely you're not looking to reminisce."
The smile on Phainon's face faded, and his gaze became somewhat frightening.
He stared at Anaxagoras and said word by word, "I'm here to seek enlightenment, as always... Could you please teach me everything you know about the black-robed swordmaster?"
The camera froze on Phainon's eyes. Those eyes were flashing with something the audience had never seen before… anger and hatred.
For the first time on screen, this sunny young man revealed such an expression.
Anaxagoras paid no mind to Phainon's stare.
Narrowing his eyes, he said evenly, "Unfortunately I, too, know nothing about it. I can only tell you that it is clad in a black robe and wields a greatsword... At least, it looks like a greatsword. It's shaped like a twisted half-sun..."
"And a peculiar dagger resembling a crescent moon."
At this point, Anaxagoras paused before continuing, "His incredible power doesn't seem to be granted by any Titan, and it maybe something from beyond Amphoreus."