Within the Vortex of Genesis, the Coreflame of Strife was already floating atop the basin.
Mydei stood before him, as if hesitating.
"Phainon?" Hearing the movement, he turned to look.
"What, still hesitating?"
Phainon revealed a faint smile. Even with a great enemy before them, he didn't want to put too much pressure on Mydei.
"Of course not. You came here just to comfort me?"
Mydei's tone was calm and relaxed, without the heaviness Phainon had expected.
He seems to be in good shape, Phainon thought to himself.
Before he could speak, Mydei continued, "I heard you're about to set off on an expedition."
Phainon opened his mouth, then chuckled. "That's right. It's going to be a tough battle, and our destination is... turns out to be Castrum Kremnos."
Mydei raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you're here? To pray to the dead Nikador?"
"No, just the opposite. I'm here to tell you..."
Phainon said seriously, "You can entrust the front line to us this time. You can't afford to lose your upcoming battle either."
Compared to defeating the flame reaver, for the current Okhema, the emergence of a new demigod was even more important.
"Hmph..." Mydei let out a slight snort, though his expression softened unconsciously.
Still, he could see that Phainon was actually a bit worried.
Or rather, Aglaea, Tribbie, and the others were all worried, worried about his state of mind.
"Don't worry. Do you remember what I went to do after I left with you?"
With the intention of reassuring him so he could fight without concern, Mydei spoke.
"If I remember correctly, you went to find Chartonus?"
Phainon thought for a moment before replying.
"Mm."
"I went to find Chartonus, and the others… but most importantly, Chartonus."
The scene flashed.
It shifted to Okhema's forge, Chartonus looked down at the new king of Castrum Kremnos and asked in his uniquely slow manner, "Young king… why do you hesitate?"
"Because of my people."
Mydei looked at Chartonus with some confusion and said, "Men, women, elders, children, the Castrum Kremnos people's longing to return home is etched into their bones. They have waited for this day, hoping for the king's return."
After hearing Mydei's words, Chartonus immediately saw the root of the problem. "This is not a good thing… you know why."
"… " Mydei did not hide it and spoke of his true feelings:
"For the past thousand years, the Castrum Kremnos people have lived in a bloody cycle."
"Strife, conquest, prosperity, decline… how much blood flowed into the underworld river during that history."
"If I am to accept this fate, become the demigod of Strife, and lead my people to repeat the same mistakes…"
"Then I truly feel fear! Fear of becoming king!"
This time, Chartonus pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "You are different from the other Kremnoans…"
The memory ended here.
The scene returned to the Vortex of Genesis.
"So, before I left, Chartonus told me a story, about Geocles the Mountainbreaker."
Mydei raised an eyebrow at Phainon. "Have you heard this story?"
"About the legendary Mountain Dweller?"
Phainon had some impression.
Mydei nodded and began recounting the story Chartonus had told him.
In ancient times, the Mountain Dwellers lived in seclusion.
They spent their days quarrying and gathering, living a simple and peaceful life away from strife.
But there was one man named Geocles who was different. He did not accept tradition and longed for the world beyond the mountains.
To him, their slow customs were like a prison.
Hearing this opening, both Phainon and the audience realized, Geocles' situation was somewhat similar to Mydei's now.
Phainon said nothing, continued listening.
Although Geocles rejected tradition, he was also lost as to how to change it.
Until one day, as he crossed the hills as usual, he saw an entire Ladonian camp at the foot of the mountains.
Ladonians were at war with their archenemies, the Campanians, and they used the mountain as a base to carry out guerrilla warfare operations.
When Geocles, who had taught himself the common tongue, approached a soldier, he learned a shocking piece of news:
The Ladonians were planning to plant mines and explosives all over the mountain, and then lure their enemies within. With danger lurking with every step, the Mountain Dwellers' homes were no longer safe. Geocles quickly returned to his village to bring the news to his people, but...
The Mountain Dwellers were fearful of even the smallest change to their lifestyle, let alone leaving their home.
Despite the imminent war, the elders would rather negotiate for peace instead of leaving the mountains. This made Geocles both angry and sad.
Though Geocles was anxious and furious, he had no solution.
At this point, Mydei paused and looked at Phainon. "If you were in his shoes, what would you have done?"
Phainon barely thought before answering, "Lead my people on a resistance, perhaps? I'm not sure. I can't think of a solution that would make everyone happy."
Mydei crossed his arms and gave a self-mocking smile. "A solution that would make everyone happy, huh... That's how naive we are. Well, let me tell you what Geocles did."
"He took the gemstones the Mountain Dwellers had stored and traded them with the Ladon for a large amount of gunpowder."
"He took the Mountain Dwellers' store of gemstones and traded them with the Ladonians for a massive amount of gunpowder, but he didn't do this to fight the Campanians. Under the cover of night, he set ablaze the forests surrounding the settlement, forcing his people to flee the mountain."
"That great fire marked the beginning of Mountain Dweller history. Since then, their people became part of civilization, and giants became a common sight in the holy city. Meanwhile, that mountain they once lived in has turned into little more than foam inside the black tide."
Phainon froze for a moment, then fell into deep thought.
Clearly, he hadn't expected such an ending.
The audience, too, seemed thoughtful.
This method… They were all too familiar with it.
...
: A passerby, an unknown emissary of Nihility, left a like.
: Don't make Sister Acheron laugh.
: This is exactly the same as Acheron, forcing others to save themselves, creating a harsh environment for survival.
: And it's a bit like the current situation. The appearance of the Black Tide is forcing everyone to fend for themselves, but it's still missing someone to ignite the flames.
: Mydei… could he be trying to… imitate that Geocles?
: It does seem like the only way.
: It's impossible to satisfy everyone.
: Looking at it this way, Amphoreus feels like it has a sense of déjà vu with that story. Could the Black Tide be the one lighting the fire, trying to force the people here to migrate to the universe outside?
: Damn, that's quite the theory, maybe it's really true.
: The Black Tide is pressing in from the outside. Under pressure, people have already been forced to unite. When they're truly cornered, they might really choose to break through the sky.
: So… could the Black Tide actually be a good thing?
...
A small story sparked frenzied discussion among the audience.
Those familiar with the usual narrative patterns knew this was definitely no coincidence.
It had to be hinting at something. Among all the theories, the one that sounded most plausible was the idea that the Black Tide might be "the good guy."
After all, Amphoreus' current situation was just too similar to that story.
Just like Geocles. Perhaps someone had already lit a fire in advance, and that someone was the Black Tide.
Of course, this was only speculation. The audience continued watching.
Speculation aside, what choice Mydei would make was the important part.
On screen, after a brief moment of distraction, Phainon finally came back to his senses and shook his head. "But leaving their homeland also brought many Mountain Dwellers misfortune. They-"
At this point, Phainon realized the topic was sensitive and trailed off.
But Mydei didn't mind. Picking up the thread, he said, "They were hunted by Kremnoans or enslaved. Indeed, that is undeniably also part of their history."
"But that is Geocles for you. The merits of his actions — or the lack thereof — have been scrutinized by many, but historians nevertheless hail him as the Mountainbreaker. Why do you think that is?"
"But that is Geocles for you. The merits of his actions, or the lack thereof, have been scrutinized by many, but historians nevertheless hail him as the Mountainbreaker. Why do you think that is?"
" He started a great fire and burned the shackles of tradition to ashes, and then... forced everyone to march toward the coming of a new era."
Just as Mydei said, faced with the future of the Mountain Dwellers after leaving their homeland, even the audience couldn't make a clear judgment.
Some were captured as slaves and suffered the consequences of leaving home, that was true.
But leaving also spared them from being swallowed by the Black Tide, that was also true.
At the same time, no matter how they integrated into Amphoreus' civilization, at least for now, the Mountain Dwellers still existed. They had not vanished like many city-states and peoples.
In the old stories Aglaea mentioned earlier, she briefly touched on Hyacine's past.
Compared to Hyacine and her city-state, the Mountain Dwellers were undoubtedly fortunate.
The audience fell into contemplation because of this story. Not just because of questions of merit and fault, but because these powerful lines evoked thoughts about the era itself.
At the same time, on screen, Phainon lowered his head in silence, clearly taking Mydei's words to heart.
Many of Amphoreus' most brilliant details only reveal themselves upon revisiting.
But for the audience now, they would probably only recall today's conversation when the pain cut deepest.
The conversation was nearing its end.
Phainon lifted his head from contemplation, already understanding Mydei's intention. "...You've made up your mind, haven't you?"
Mydei nodded and said calmly, "I'll be leaving Okhema soon to fight the greatest darkness of this world... and to shoulder Nikador's destiny."
Neither of them mentioned about the Coreflame.
Because there was no need. Once Mydei no longer resisted accepting the Coreflame, there was no one who could take its ownership away from him.
Then Mydei stepped toward the Coreflame, turned his back to Phainon, and said word by word:
"So, listen well: If there comes a day when we meet again on the battlefield, and I stand opposed to the flame-chase..."
"Remember to stab your sword into my back through my tenth thoracic vertebra. That's my weak spot, and the only way to kill me."
He had resolved to become a demigod.
And shoulder the responsibility of resisting the Black Tide.
In another way, one in which the remaining Kremnoans could not oppose, he would drive them out, toward places where they could survive.
And he fulfilled their expectations: the king of Castrum Kremnos would also be the demigod of strife.
Only, Mydei would bear all responsibility himself, without integrating among the remnants of Castrum Kremnos. He would no longer command them, but instead remain within the city as a spiritual symbol, wishing them the courage and strength to live on their own.
They would no longer feel rootless. Because no matter what happened, the people of Castrum Kremnos would know, their king still stood fighting the Black Tide.
They would no longer be refugees, no longer looked down upon, but able to hold their heads high.
More than ten years ago, Mydei's mother, Gorgo, inspired by the great achievements of the first Gorgo who founded Castrum Kremnos, became a brave warrior.
At the moment of her death, her final blessing to her son was that he could freely choose his own life.
Now, Mydei has given that blessing to all the people of Castrum Kremnos.
If Amphoreus still has a tomorrow, then the history books will surely record a line, Mydeimos, the last king of Castrum Kremnos… and also the one who gave it a tomorrow.