"You must have guessed why I left Oronyx's Coreflame to you."
The Entry Hour arrived in full bloom, illuminating the entirety of Amphoreus with the bright sun.
Right after waking up, Hysilens told me Cerydra wanted a private meeting. I did not change from Merlin's robe. It is thick, yes, but it is stylish. It is also different from the Daoist Robes I used to wear.
"Two things. One, you are wary of someone. Two, you are wary of the Titans."
A smirk appeared on the Imperator's face.
"Correct. There is someone who appears not as someone he introduces himself with."
"The Theologos?"
"...You know about it."
She suppressed her surprise and composed herself.
"He does not make any obvious moves, but his attitude towards the Flame-Chase Journey is unusual."
"Let me guess. He's looking forward to it?"
"You got it right."
There are no surprises in this one. Cerydra managed to outplay Lygus in the story I can recall. Relying on Amphoreus' core mechanism of him not being able to directly harm all twelve core variables, the Chrysos Heirs staged a thousand-year-long relay for the Trailblazer to reach the Era Nova and foil Lygus' plans.
It was there I saw Hysilens' in-depth character, which admittedly resonated with me.
"I ask you a question."
Cerydra's solemn tone made me reconsider my thoughts.
"Will the Knight King, the Dux Bellorum, step up to her position despite knowing its imminent failure?"
…
I knew it.
She has already encountered Talanton's divine trial. That is where that strange feeling came from since this meeting began. A Titan is spying on her.
A quick inference tells that the Titan's attention only appeared now. He wouldn't know about the stories I told about Cerydra.
I glanced at her bright cyan eyes. I caught onto her intent to talk with 'encrypted' messages.
"Yes, she will."
Not an ounce of hesitation could be found in my answer. I know Artoria well enough to answer on her behalf.
"While she did not know of her end, Artoria knew the responsibilities she would carry. She had doubts and confusions, yet she chose not to back down."
To get my point across Cerydra, I have to act differently.
"The unfortunate thing about her was Merlin's absence and inaction. His all-seeing eyes can see a glimpse of the future, yet he lets history flow as it is."
I met her stern gaze.
"I am not like Merlin."
A Merlin who is not a Merlin.
I don't care about changing the future.
Fate, destiny, canon events…
I hate them the most.
"So I will help you cheat this time, my dearest Imperator." I stated. "Remember the story about the Hydro Archon?"
Cerydra's eyes narrowed. She understood what I meant even if I did not tell the rest.
Furina's five-hundred-year farce...
We are recreating it.
"I, Merlin, will help you to the best of my abilities."
*****
While Cyrene… Demiurge's will to pen Amphoreus' tragic story is not something I accepted, she got one thing right.
Stories serve as a seed of the future. As long as it inspires even one person, it could be considered to have done its purpose.
In my head are countless stories. It is not hard to gain inspiration on what to do next.
The next major events are Seliose's attempt to kill the Sky Titan, followed by Cerydra's divine trial and the reclamation of the Ocean Titan's Coreflame. We can control when the former happens. It is the latter that is a huge problem.
Phagousa, the Ocean Titan, resisted the Black Tide for long. Hysilens' long journey is a testament of that. The recent mess in Amphoreus' oceans, coupled with the Black Tide's annexation of the North, meant that the clash for the Era Nova draws nearer.
Moreover, Cerydra's army gathered even the Earth Titan's trusted droma, Terravox, and the Skyfolks' Daythunder Hero, Seliose.
Two years passed since Cerydra claimed Okhema. The past year, the Coreflames heist at Janusopolis took place. The highest-ranking priests of Talanton were shocked to discover of the Titan Coreflame's disappearance. They decided not to keep Talanton's unresponsiveness further, announcing them to the entire world.
The city-state was thoroughly shaken, with fingers pointed everywhere. Nobody can imagine how a 'heist' took place. Some blamed the Passage Demigod, Tribios. Others blamed the hundred thieves of Dolos.
While these rumors differed, one thing was the same:
The Chrysos Heirs took the full blame.
Everybody at this point knew of the Flame-Chase prophecy. It was these Chrysos Heirs that were destined to gain power through the Titans' Coreflames. Who else can covet it but them?
This led to another Chrysos War breaking out. The Chrysos Heirs living in hiding are forcibly dragged out like rats in the street. They could not tolerate this kind of disgraceful life, which led to the formation of a Chrysos Heir coalition.
Their leader?
Cerydra.
This resulted in seventy percent of the surrounding states to be hostile towards the Holy City of Amphoreus, Okhema.
As a competent leader, Cerydra did not passively take beatings. She struck back with great force, letting everyone in the world who truly was the crowned Imperator of this Holy City.
The events above are something that should not have broken out early on. It is my interference that caused it all.
Did I regret it?
No.
Neither did Cerydra nor anyone else at my side. This Chrysos War is a matter of time. To light up the first page of the Flame-Chase Journey, this war has to happen. It is the trigger for Seliose's failed fight against the Sky Titan... which then led to Cerydra cementing the Flame-Chase Journey as a "requirement", inspiring future generations to continue the Flame-Chase journey.
If this does not occur, Amphoreus is doomed to destruction. This important node in history showcased Cerydra's importance.
She will end up doing this no matter what.
As someone who plays the part of a loyal follower, I am not exempt to partaking in this fight.
I stared at the huge city beneath me. It is none other than Janusopolis, the magnificent city-state with three similarly majestic temples worshiping their Titans.
"The people below…"
"I will try to reduce the casualties, Lady Tribbie."
Tribbie nodded on the front seat. She is not as naive as to expect a 'bloodless' war. Having the notion of 'innocent people' during war-time is enough to get one's comrades killed, more so when they see how bad human nature can be.
It took a hundred years for Tribios' number to dwindle by 300. She was merely someone who brought the Flame-Chase prophecy, yet people killed her avatars time and time.
Fortunately, there is only Tribbie here. If Trianne was here, she might not be as decisive as her.
"How do you plan to take them down? The King of Knight's strike was… destructive."
Six months ago, my [Memoria Charge] filled up. Cerydra wanted to see the King of Knights' prowess, and so I fulfilled her wish.
An entire city-state was cleaved into two by her Noble Phantasm, Excalibur. The descent of the Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm scared the opposition. They found themselves fortunate that the second attack did not happen.
One thing could not be changed, however. Artoria is a human nuke… no, a draconic nuke.
Amongst the collection of [Memoria] I had, there are a few who held just as much lethality but can control their destructiveness.
Unfastening the seatbelt, I jumped off the ship.
*****
A/N: No bonus chapter for last week. We only managed to reach 491 PS, unfortunately.