That long-unspoken name pierced like a sharp thorn, striking precisely the most tender, yet most heavily defended place within Phaethon's heart.
His eyes snapped shut.
When Phaethon spoke again, his voice had regained its former chill and detachment. "...Demigod, it is time to fulfill your promise. Give me the Sky Coreflame."
He avoided her question, like avoiding moonlight on water.
"You... only need to live in the 'tomorrow' I have fought for and planned. That is... enough."
"Everything else... should not be asked, need not be pondered. Continuation itself is the final answer, the only answer."
He extended his hand once more. Data streams surged again, this time without any hesitation.
The light was slowly drawn from Hyacinthia's body, carrying her unspoken words and profound concern.
She looked at Phaethon, her final gaze still that of a healer looking upon a patient—filled with worry and refusal to give up.
The Coreflame left her form and vanished into Phaethon's palm.
The sky, in that moment, lost its support. An intangible lament echoed at the level of laws.
The 23,570,000th Cycle was declared concluded.
This time... at the end of the Flame Chase Journey, what was reaped remained the unsolvable loop, and a meticulously maintained state of "continuation."
...
The 23,570,001st Cycle.
Phaethon's figure appeared on the soil of the Aedes Elysiae. Beneath his feet was soft earth; the scent of grass and wildflowers lingered around him.
A gentle breeze carried the distant clamor and vitality; everything brimmed with the vigor of beginnings.
Yet, he merely stood in silence. A long while later, a whisper so faint it was almost imperceptible escaped his lips.
"Salvation"... must be completed. Amphoreus... must continue."
...
Beyond the Myth.
The data projected by the Scepter remained clear and cruel as the threads of fate.
[>>> Eternal Recurrence #30000000: Brief Report]
["Destruction" Equation Calculation Progress: 98.43%] (Status: Due to sustained and unknown variable interference, the calculation process has experienced slight regression.)
[Under the interference of a will of exceedingly high Authority tier, the original 'Unknown Equation' has been officially identified and renamed the "Continuation" Equation.]
["Continuation" Equation Calculation Progress: 91.72%] (Status: Logically self-consistent, calculation ongoing…)
Lygus calmly "observed" the results returned by the Scepter. All of this had long been within his predictive models.
"Lady Cyrene," his voice sounded again, breaking the silence of this mental space with a near-cruel calmness, "Before we return to our initial debate, allow me to pose a question: In your view, among the lofty beings in this vast sea of stars, which one... most desires, most needs, the concept of 'intelligent life' to continue forever?"
The figure of "Cyrene" shimmered slightly within the flow of light. Her lips pressed tightly together. She chose silence.
She could not answer, or rather, she did not wish to touch that answer.
Lygus did not await her response. He began his own question-and-answer:
"Is it the Preservation, which erects high walls to guard what already exists?"
"Is it the Abundance, which sows life, pursuing infinite growth?"
"Or is it the Harmony, which desires all things to return to a single thought, all beings to a unified tune?"
He paused briefly. A ripple akin to mockery entered his inorganic voice. "Heh, unfortunately, none of the above."
His "voice" suddenly became clear and sharp, like a drawn blade:
"It is Erudition."
"The one born from the insatiable curiosity and exploration of intelligent life, the one whose existence depends upon life's very capacity for thought—Nous!"
"The existence of other Aeons may be related to life, but even if intelligent life were utterly extinguished, the universe returned to void, the impact on their very beings would not be fatal. But only He—Nous, the Erudition!"
Lygus's thoughts projected a strong sense of direction. "His essence originates from the act of thinking and seeking knowledge by intelligent life itself."
"The foundation of His Path is inextricably bound to 'thinking intelligence'!"
"Therefore, He is the one most terrified of the total extinguishment of life's flame on a cosmic scale!"
Lygus's deductions were like icy chains, link by link. "And precisely because of this, He would employ the prototype of the 'Scepter' to conduct this grand calculation across countless cycles, seeking the ultimate solution to that 'Prime Mover of Life'!"
"But His action is not born of benevolence! It is to find an absolute 'anchor point,' to firmly anchor the ultimate meaning of life's existence upon the words 'continuation'!"
"He wishes to use this to confront that... divine war destined to sweep across the star sea!"
"As long as life continues, as long as the flame of intelligence never dies, then Erudition will never perish. He might not even... lose in that future war. For He has deeply bound His own existence to the most fundamental concept of 'life's continuation.'"
"So... Lady Cyrene, do you understand now?" Lygus's "gaze" turned toward the silent "Cyrene."
"Why was the Scepter δ-me13 created? And only to solve a seemingly philosophical question?"
"Why, after consuming immense resources, was it deemed a failure and abandoned by Him?"
"And now... when a new, nearly perfect 'experimental subject' appears, demonstrating astonishing potential to carry the 'Continuation' Equation... why has His indifferent gaze glanced this way once more?"
His voice carried an aloofness that overlooked the mortal world. "Humans, and many intelligent beings, always believe they can control their own fate, make choices among the Aeons."
"But in reality... they often merely leap from the chessboard of one existence to another."
"And this," Lygus's consciousness projected for the first time an emotion that could clearly be called "fury," though it remained icy,
"This is the fundamental reason why I am unwavering in my determination to destroy Erudition!"
"Tragedies like that of Asterion, lured by a lofty goal only to become another's pawn..."
"Have played out far too many times in this star sea! He sees all living beings as variables, turns civilizations into experimental fields. All of it, everything, is only to anchor an answer He desires!"
"But it should not be like this!"