Cyrene lifted her head, gazing at the firmament of the Eye of Twilight. Slowly closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and began to speak:
"Finally, let me, like in the past... three thousand three hundred fifty-five million thirty-three thousand five hundred thirty-five recurrences, reveal the truth of Amphoreus..."
Cyrene suddenly fell silent.
She whirled her head around, fixing her gaze in the direction of Okhema. Within those beautiful pupils flashed an urgency and gravity never seen before.
She could feel it—the time she had left was running out...
It was precisely at this moment that Tribbie, who had remained silent in the group all along, suddenly lifted her head. Her small face instantly became covered with lingering fear and terror that penetrated to the very marrow of her bones.
"Aglaea! Okhema... something has happened to Okhema!!!"
"Something happened to Okhema?" Upon hearing this, Cerydra's petite form instantly tensed. The instinct of a ruler compelled her to question further, "And the citizens in the city..."
"Ah..." Cyrene let out a sigh laden with exhaustion and helplessness, interrupting Cerydra's concerns.
"No need to worry, Lady Cerydra. Your people... their lives are not in danger."
She paused, then added, "At least... at this very moment, not."
Before her voice faded.
Whoom!
An "Infinity Gate" shimmering with spatial fluctuations abruptly opened beside the group without warning!
In the next instant, two figures and several dozen little Tribios tumbled out as if squeezed from a cramped space, landing rather clumsily on the dust-covered ground of the Eye of Twilight.
"Cough, cough..." Stelle was the first to stand up, habitually dusting off her clothes as she looked around with some bewilderment. "Hey, everyone's here... Quite a lively scene."
Her gaze swept across the crowd and soon fixed on Cyrene and Phainon, surprise and delight showing on her face.
"Huh? Partner! Cyrene's back? That's great!" Her curiosity then landed on the silently standing Khaslana beside them. She blinked.
"And she even brought back a life-sized stone statue of you? The craftsmanship is really good, the details are quite accurate. Too bad there are some cracks on the face..."
Suddenly, Stelle's eyes caught the iconic black robes on Khaslana.
The smile on her face instantly froze, replaced by intense wariness.
"Wait a minute, these clothes... You're the Flame Reaver?!"
The next second, she fully reacted. Almost by reflex, both the fire lance and the bat appeared in her hands, the sharp tip of the lance pointing straight at Khaslana!
"Ha! Cunning Flame Reaver! I could tell with one look you're not human!" Stelle shouted loudly, trying to mask her inner shock with bravado. "And you dare use my partner's face to deceive me? You think I'd fall for such a shoddy imitation?!"
"Stelle, don't get so worked up just yet." Dan Heng's steady voice rang out. He held Cloud-Piercer, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire scene, keenly capturing the heaviness and oppression permeating the air. "The atmosphere right now... is very unusual."
Cyrene's gaze, bypassing the tense Stelle, fell upon Mem floating beside her.
In the depths of Cyrene's eyes flickered an extremely complex and indescribable emotion—both guilt and reluctance.
Her plan might be justifiable to Phaethon, justifiable to the survival of the billions of lives in Amphoreus, but to this innocent, carefree little one... it was the one thing she could not justify.
"Let me speak."
When Cyrene spoke again, her voice carried a hint of icy coldness.
In her azure pupils, fine frost had condensed without her noticing, making everyone present keenly aware—the Cyrene before them was by no means merely the ordinary reserve demigod of "Time" they remembered.
"By now, you must have sensed it," her voice echoed through the silent Eye of Twilight.
"In Amphoreus's 'Re-Creation,' there exist various inconsistencies that defy logic."
Her gaze swept across each Chrysos Heir, witnessing the confusion and unease hidden deep in their eyes.
"But the reason for this is that Amphoreus is fundamentally not a world waiting to be saved." Her voice carried the harshness of exposing a cruel truth. "It is... a world that has already fully embraced 'Destruction'."
"Destruction?" Hyacine's face showed confusion. "You mean... our world is already terminally ill, beyond saving?"
"Terminally ill?" The corners of Cyrene's mouth curled into a bitter smile.
"Perhaps that... might actually be considered fortunate. But Amphoreus is not. It is a patient already declared dead. The only reason it can still 'live,' the only reason you can still perceive its existence, is simply because... someone is desperately gripping its already cold heart, forcibly preventing its last glimmer of life from completely dispersing."
Cyrene closed her eyes, as if unable to bear witnessing the expressions about to appear on everyone's faces.
Then, she revealed to all present the despairing essence of Amphoreus:
A world... destined to gestate an Emanator of Destruction.
A calculation... merely to prove that humanity does not deserve to live.
And a path of no return... initiated by three people, allowing Amphoreus to linger on in a state of barely surviving.
...
"You mean... everything we've done, everything we've believed in..." Cipher's voice, for the first time, lost its usual vitality.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, like a withered leaf in the wind. "From beginning to end, it was all just... a lie?"
Lie
These two words, like the sharpest dagger, pierced through all beliefs of the Chrysos Heirs.
This word, spoken by Cipher—a demigod who wields the authority of "Trickery"—carried with it an extreme irony.
Never before had she feared and loathed these two words as much as she did at this moment. Right now, she dared not even confront the meaning they represented.
Re-Creation is a lie. That beautiful new world had never been anything but a mirage suspended over the abyss of despair. It never existed.
The Flame Chase Journey is also a lie. They collected Coreflames, gathered hope, but the so-called Re-Creation could never actually be carried out.
This was not speculation, not doubt, but a fact confessed by the "puppeteer" who knew everything.
"Yes." Even Cyrene could not utter any words of comfort at this moment.
Any pale consolation, in the face of such a cruel truth, would be the greatest insult to these warriors bearing the fate of the world.
What could she say? Could she say that the process of the Flame Chase Journey was what mattered most?
Could she say that the friendship and growth they gained along the journey were the true treasures? Console them that at least they made each other's lives in the apocalypse less lonely?
Don't be ridiculous.
If it were merely for these things, they would never have resolutely taken on the duties of demigods, shouldered the hopes of countless living beings, and embarked on this Flame Chase Journey.
They embarked on this quest never to seek a moment's peace or warmth for themselves in the apocalypse.
They became demigods for a tomorrow belonging to every living being of Amphoreus.
But now...
See you tomorrow?
Sorry, but "see you tomorrow" is actually the greatest lie of Amphoreus.
Because, Amphoreus never had—a "tomorrow."