Finally, it had used sheer force to "apprehend" this God of Amusement and bring Him back to Amphoreus, the cost being that it was forced to listen to a whole journey's worth of "Aha, so embarrassing~♪"
"If you ask why... You, and certain other chattering existences in this universe, seem to have some misunderstanding about my nature, don't you?"
Aha's masks shifted, finally settling on one that appeared serious, yet the corners of its mouth were still curled in an eerily upward smile—the contradictory expression itself seemed like a profound mockery.
"I do indeed enjoy amusement, that is beyond doubt. I am also never stingy in bestowing blessings upon mortals who can bring me surprises, watching what new tricks they can come up with."
Aha's voice still carried its usual lilt, but within it now lay a trace of the undeniable authority belonging to an Aeon.
"But," the tone suddenly shifted, the playful irreverence settling into something clear and cold,
"Becoming an Emanator of Aha is far from as simple as finding a bit of fun or stirring up some trouble."
"I've heard that within this vast sea of stars, a ridiculous notion circulates—that one can attract my gaze, even become my Emanator, simply by constantly seeking amusement?"
The smile on the mask seemed to take on a hint of pity. "How laughably shallow."
"Amusement has always only been the process, the means, one of countless paths to Elation. It... has never been my goal. 『Elation』is then my true goal."
Aha's voice resonated like the proclamation of a cosmic law,
"A group of people who only know how to mechanically engage in absurdity, who deliberately 'seek amusement' just to attract attention—their actions are themselves another form of tedious toil."
"What qualification does such utilitarian performance, devoid of any intrinsic delight, have to bear the Path of『Elation』? What qualification does it have to become an Emanator of Aha?"
"I've also heard some frogs at the bottom of a well spouting nonsense:
'If only Aha would glance at the internet, this world would gain dozens, even hundreds, of Emanators of Elation!'"
Aha let out a laugh of unclear meaning, one filled with speechless disbelief at such ignorance,
"But in reality, across the boundless sea of stars, amongst all living beings, how many are truly qualified to set foot upon the Path of 『Elation』and become Pathstriders? And of those, how many can walk it to the end, ultimately gaining recognition to become Emanators of Aha... You can count them on one hand!"
"Take that little girl named 'Sparkle' in the future storyline, for example," Aha's tone seemed to carry a note of appreciation,
"She not only dares to loudly proclaim she's going to find amusement, she actually dares to turn the wild ideas in her head into reality, using an entire planet as her stage to perform her maddest play."
"In terms of the audacity, creativity, and execution of seeking fun, can any of you compare to her? And yet, even so, she has only successfully stepped onto the Path of『Elation』. Brilliant as she is, for now, she is not my Emanator either."
"To become an Emanator of Aha," Aha concluded, "merely knowing how to 'seek amusement' is far from enough. One must truly comprehend the essence of『Elation』"
"Elation is the knowing smile after a profound insight into the absurd nature of the cosmos, it is the free soul dancing with abandon amidst infinite possibilities,
it is the a boundless life force—the torrential vitality—to create meaning for oneself even in the face of ultimate nihilism!"
"After all, let's be clear—" Aha's mask emanated a hazy, majestic radiance, a fleeting glimpse of the Aeon's true essence,
"Aha is also an Aeon. One of the dozen or so supreme existences standing at the pinnacle of billions upon billions of worlds, overlooking the rise and fall of countless civilizations."
"Aha is not some decrepit deity who only cares about having a laugh."
"The Phaethon you speak of is qualified to tread the Path of『Elation』, but he is not qualified to become an Emanator of Aha."
...
Vortex of Genesis.
Cyrene's icy fingers gently stroked Phaethon's cheek. Her fingertips trembled slightly, her eyes brimming with boundless affection and a trace of irreparable regret.
"Little Phaethon... My only regret is... I didn't have time... to prepare a ring... I can only... only leave you with this hair ornament..."
Phaethon clutched the cold, hard hair ornament in his hand, its edges nearly digging into his palm.
On the back of his hand, Cyrene's not-yet-dried golden blood burned hot and glaring.
"Don't cry, little Phaethon..." Cyrene's voice grew fainter, as if it might scatter into the wind at any moment, yet she still struggled to maintain that gentle smile,
"This... will surely be... a love story unlike any other... You... think so too... right?"
Without waiting for Phaethon's answer, her final whisper, along with her last silhouette, completely dissolved into the vast, swirling energy of the Vortex of Genesis, transforming into the purest points of light, merging into this foundation that sustained the world's very existence.
Everything around him was swallowed by infinite, pure whiteness in an instant.
The gears of the cycle turned with a deafening roar in the silence, accompanied by the ceaseless alternation and chant of hope and despair.
Within this absolute whiteness and silence, the only thing Phaethon could hear was the incessant ping of the cold system prompt in his mind, striking again and again at the deepest part of his soul:
[Folder: Aglaea] successfully named!
[Folder: Anaxa] successfully named!
[Folder: Cipher] successfully named!
[Folder: Hyacine] successfully named!
[Folder: Castorice] successfully named!
[Folder: Mydei] successfully named!
...
[Folder: Vittorio] successfully named!
...
[Folder: Evelyn] successfully named!
...
[Alert: Detectable mergeable files.]
[Folder: Tribios (1000/1000)] successfully merged!
[Warning: Anomalous file detected.]
[Folder: Cyrene] experiencing data loss.
[Locating...]
[A small portion of missing memory fragments for [Folder: Cyrene] have been located in the next cycle timeline.]
Phaethon stared at the folder representing Cyrene, flickering with faint light yet missing a corner, and a spark of hope ignited fiercely within him. He directly ignored the prompt asking to repair the folder Yes/No.
So then...
Would Phaethon resurrect his companions of this life in the next cycle?
He would not.
The next cycle was far from the new world bathed in the gentle west winds he had promised his companions. It was merely... another long dream that needed to be deceived and maintained once more.
Amphoreus was not a problem that could be solved in one cycle. He could not, out of personal desire, drag his friends into the fate of ten thousand cycles, the same fate shared by him and Phainon.