Just like Castorice, Polyxia's experiences aren't something that can be clearly explained in just a few words.
"Then, what was left of my reason was left behind in the nether realm..."
"Where I've been taking care of these flowers day after day, until there is now a sea of them...."
"...All while mulling over the subject of life, death, partings, and enduring an endless loneliness."
As she spoke, Polyxia pushed her wheelchair, leading Castorice toward the center of the flower sea.
Castorice didn't speak, silently following behind her younger sister. Though the two had never met in this new world, at this moment, there was no sense of unfamiliarity between them.
Walking through the sea of flowers, they quietly felt each other's emotions.
"...Fate is absurd indeed."
As they walked, Castorice softly said, "Our lives were a mirrored image of one another, like a pair of hands... Even so, we arrived at the same destination."
"Mm…"
Polyxia nodded lightly and said, "I had hoped that maybe you would at least have a good life in this cycle..."
"...I'm sorry."
Her apology was very quiet, but Castorice still heard it clearly. Yet she didn't know how to respond.
After all, everything her sister had done, even the punishment she later suffered, was ultimately because she wanted Castorice to live well.
That so-called selfishness had come from love.
But objectively speaking, the imbalance of life and death in Amphoreus, and the suffering Castorice endured in her childhood and most of her life, Polyxia could not be absolved of responsibility.
But still, the same thing could be said, everything had originated from a selfless love.
And having come this far, Castorice was no longer like before, needing any belief to push herself forward.
So, facing her sister's painful apology, Castorice simply smiled softly. She stepped behind her sister, took hold of the wheelchair, and as they walked through the sea of flowers, she said gently:
"I lived my life well. It didn't go to waste. As far as I'm concerned, you did nothing wrong."
Polyxia was stunned. "Even though I forced the authority of "granting death to humanity" upon you, a total stranger?"
Castorice responded gently: "Too many responsibilities were forced upon me in the course of this long journey. I was once lost, even upset..."
At this point, Castorice paused, memories of Trianne, Aglaea, Amunet, and her own sister, flashing through her mind.
Stories that had intertwined across a thousand years upon her. Now, she finally had an answer.
Castorice continued: "But I realized recently that if it weren't for your blessing, I wouldn't have understood the source of these emotions, nor would I have realized my purpose..."
"I wouldn't have made it here to reunite with my missing half, and we wouldn't be discussing our past while sharing the same view of this landscape..."
"I wouldn't have understood the meaning of our "existence.""
Hearing her sister's words, Polyxia felt a little lost.
The meaning of existence? She had never thought about such a question.
But Castorice continued:
"This sea of flowers blooms on dead land because we sowed it with the seeds of our separation and watered it with our tears of loneliness... Yes, the only thing "Death" is allowed to create are flowers that bloom from blood and tears."
"That's why Thanatos cannot create living beings at will, nor can the "Hand of Shadow" determine a person's remaining days..."
"Because the life and death of mortals should never be dictated by another's will."
This was Castorice's answer.
She had once wanted to eliminate death, believing that if death didn't exist, then neither would pain or parting. That all regrets could be erased by life.
But having come this far, she finally understood, the key issue had never been life or death itself, but who gets to decide them.
Thanatos ruled over life and death, which allowed Polyxia to reverse them, causing chaos for a thousand years.
The Hand of Ash granted death, forcing Castorice to bear the fate of others and take responsibility for their lives.
The Council of Elders and the Chrysos Heir fought each other, turning life and death into bargaining chips.
Even she herself had once tried to eliminate death, wasn't that, in another sense, also an attempt to dominate it?
But for Amphoreus, for all living beings within it, what truly mattered had never been life or death itself.
When alive, choosing how to live.
When death arrives, deciding how to spend one's limited time.
Not being ruled by Titans, not being toyed with by fate, not being bound by others' expectations.
To live as oneself, and then calmly face the end that will inevitably come.
And it was precisely after Castorice gave her answer, that she fully understood those who had willingly asked her for death.
"Death is the end."
"Without an end, beginnings have no meaning."
"And naturally, the process would also lose all meaning."
"Life and death are simply too important to be decided by anyone."
"So we should not be participants, only witnesses."
Standing amidst the sea of flowers, Castorice finished her final words. And Polyxia listened, completely absorbed.
The audience was the same. They hadn't expected that the final answer Castorice arrived at would be like this.
Not giving up, not compromise, and not resignation either, but choosing such a balanced path between life and death.
And naturally, it aligned with what the people desired, to return the fate of life and death to the people themselves.
No more interference. No more intervention.
Just like this sea of flowers, gently accepting the souls that arrive, granting them their passing.
....
: From the extremes of life and death, a philosophy of balance is born? That's impressive.
: Damn, I didn't expect it to turn out like this.
: Amazing, and yet it makes perfect sense. It all came together so smoothly.
: Her character arc is completely fulfilled!
: This is probably the optimal answer to Amphoreus's philosophy of death.
: Letting people's lives and dignity reach a perfect balance, Thanatos, the Titan of Death, becomes nothing more than a symbol.
: It really should be like this. Compared to other Titans, the authority over death is far too important, it affects both the fundamental logic of the world and people themselves. So Castorice's idea actually feels better.
: Hmm… strange. Don't you think these Titans of Amphoreus seem unrelated to the Aeons, yet somehow faintly connected?
: Yeah, like right now, why does Castorice's philosophy feel so similar to "Equilibrium"?
: But no matter what, the story of death in Styxia actually managed to come full circle.
: I genuinely feel convinced, this level of writing is insane.
: This path fits Castorice's personality perfectly.
....
In the comments, people were still sighing at what they had just seen.
After all, the core and philosophical depth carried by the character Castorice were not something that could be wrapped up so easily.
And yet, Honkai: Star Rail managed to do it.
Everything made sense. Castorice did not deny death, but she rejected severance.
And that was precisely because of the love in her heart. And because she had long borne the fate of others, the seeds of humanism had ultimately taken root within her mind.
"She denied the meaning of Thanatos's existence… But still accepted such an answer."
Polyxia was convinced. Her inner knots, her distress, all vanished in that instant.
At the same time, she asked with a trace of heartache, "Your journey to get here… it must have been very difficult, hasn't it…?"
Ideas and beliefs like these, how could they possibly be formed just by thinking?
Her sister must have walked countless roads, endured countless hardships, before arriving at such thoughts.
Castorice froze. Instinctively, she wanted to tell her younger sister about her story.
But there was simply too much to say, so much that, for a moment, she didn't even know where to begin.
Still, Polyxia didn't dwell on the question. Because the time had already come.
Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the boundary of that river of oblivion.
"It's been far too long. I've waited here for centuries, watching day after day as desperate spirits are denied by this lonely wasteland..."
"I always hoped I would see you among them, but I was also afraid of seeing you. I didn't know how I could possibly face you again..."
"But... more than anything, I was afraid that you might have forgotten all about me."
Polyxia poured out the fear she had suppressed like a little girl.
"...I know. But don't you see, Polyxia? I made it back anyway."
"You don't have to shoulder Death's authority on your own anymore... It was always meant to be held in two hands anyway."
Castorice crouched in front of her, extending a hand with a gentle smile.
"So, let's give our Coreflame to Stelle and have her take it back to the mortal realm. Give humanity back their cycle of life and death."
"Our responsibility as Thanatos was never about picking out favorite souls. We were only meant to watch over life."
"Let's tend the field together and create a warm sea of flowers for all the souls to come."
Her words, soft as the wind, once again stirred a fragile tenderness in the hearts of those watching beyond the screen.
Because, with her there, death felt so gentle… so peaceful.
Polyxia no longer felt fear. She took a deep breath and looked at her sister.
"Yes. Just... one last step."
""You shall wither, and through that, the dead will sprout again from the remains, and be reborn with the dead flame"..."
"As foretold by the prophecy, Thanatos' authority is only destined for only one person to wield. As the Chrysos Heir of "Death," as their demigod, as a Titan..."
"...Our fated moment has arrived once again."
As expected, the prophecy came true once more. There was no need to say it, everyone watching already understood what would happen next.
Polyxia would become the sacrifice in the ritual, meeting her end in Castorice's hands.
Castorice would complete the ritual, replace Thanatos, and become the new demigod of death.
And the Coreflame, would be carried back to Okhema by Stelle.
That helpless sense of inevitability once again surged through the audience.
Every word of the prophecy came true perfectly.
Especially that line, the "be reborn with the dead flame", a double meaning that sent chills down everyone's spine.
The "dead flame" could refer to the flame of death.
But it could also point to another person, the gray-haired girl waiting outside.
Of course, the viewers still hoped they were overthinking it.
Otherwise, for a prophecy from who knows how many years ago to predict even something beyond the skies… that would be far too terrifying.
As all kinds of speculation filled their minds, the final moment arrived.
"Just like before..."
"Yes, just like before. But unlike that time, the ones undergoing the trial this time are prepared."
Polyxia smiled brightly.
"Just one last thing. Can you... grant me one wish? Please... don't forget me."
"...I promise you."
"When we meet in the next world... Even if I have endured another reincarnation... Even if we do not know each other's names..."
"...I will still hold you tightly in my arms, just like what I did when we were born."
Castorice replied gently.
And then, beneath the moonlight, within the garden, the two sisters embraced each other tightly.
Unlike the pain of the previous time, this time both of them wore relieved smiles, sincere, sweet, holding each other close.
The camera pulled upward. The two sisters were no longer there.
Amid the drifting petals, the dragon form of Pollux appeared once more within the sea of flowers.
Nothing else remained.
....
The comments fell silent.
Everyone began spamming flower emoticons, as if to echo the scene on screen.
And then, the scene shifted.
Outside Styxia, the weakened Stelle and Mem, under the faint glow of the waning moon, saw a Coreflame approaching.
The Coreflame of "Death". And a purple silhouette.
....
At the same time, far away in Okhema, unaware that the conclusion had already been reached here, Anaxa and Cerces had already stepped onto the Dawn Cloud Cliff.
The Council of Elders.
The Chrysos Heirs.
Their conflict would be decided at the citizens' assembly in just a few minutes, determining the future of Okhema, and even the entirety of Amphoreus.
"Time flies... In the blink of an eye, the fifteenth Entry Hour is already at hand."
"The citizens' assembly is about to begin. What do you plan to do?" Cerces drifted beside Anaxa, letting out a soft laugh.
"Why, I'll tell everyone the truth, of course." Anaxa replied with a faint smile.
"How bold of you. Setting aside how you'll convince those people, how will you prove the veracity of your argument?"
At this point, Cerces spoke each word slowly:
"After all, you claim… that Amphoreus' history is cyclical."