When death finally comes, what do you remember?
Does your entire life flash before your eyes?
Do you remember only the moments you could never forget?
Or do you think about the things you never managed to do, and all the regrets you never had the chance to resolve?
Caelus's answer was simple.
At the final moment before death, he remembered the first time he saw Mem inside his train car after leaving Teyvat.
That was where their story began.
It was the beginning of the story of the companion who would remain beside him for the rest of his life.
It was also the moment when the individual point of existence belonging to this being born from Nihility finally became anchored.
Within the emptiness that followed death, a pair of hands tore open the pitch-black curtain.
A figure dressed in white slowly stepped out from Nihility.
Yes.
Not long ago, Caelus had genuinely died.
He had fallen into nothingness.
But Nihility was where he had come from in the first place.
So he simply walked out of it again.
"Partner."
At some point, Cyrene had appeared beside him.
She smiled as she looked at him.
Their lives were shared.
Even though Cyrene could now separate herself from Caelus and manifest within this universe as a complete existence equivalent to Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance, she still chose not to do so.
She remained deeply bound to Caelus.
So the death they had just experienced had been something they faced together.
Caelus looked at Cyrene beside him.
Under her shocked and disbelieving gaze, the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
It was a faint smile.
"Cyrene."
"Let's keep walking together."
Their fingers intertwined.
Within their eyes was affection too deep to express and love too vast to put into words.
At that moment, as the corruption of the Path of Erudition caused logic and common sense throughout the universe to collapse, pushing countless lives toward death, everyone heard a clear echo beside their ears.
The power of Remembrance spread across the entire cosmos.
The dead returned to life.
Everything that had been destroyed was restored.
It was as though time itself had reversed, returning everything to how it had been before.
"Holy crap!"
Stelle frantically checked her own body.
"Did I seriously just die?!"
After confirming that nothing was missing and that she was still completely intact, she spoke with lingering fear.
Before she could make another strange comment about the situation, pink light suddenly illuminated the entire universe.
Then a train emerged from the void.
"Is that... the Astral Express?"
Stelle stared at it.
Although the train radiated pink light, it looked almost identical to the Astral Express.
At the front of the train stood Caelus and Cyrene.
Their hands were still intertwined.
But their gazes were fixed upon Irontomb.
"Partner."
Cyrene smiled.
"Let's write the final chapter of Amphoreus."
Countless books suddenly flew from Caelus's free hand.
Each had its own cover.
And every cover bore a different title.
Phainon.
Mydei.
Aglaea.
Trisidios.
And countless others.
Each book represented a person.
Not only the Chrysos Heirs.
Ordinary people were among them as well.
The books scattered across the universe.
Then, one after another, they transformed into figures so vivid that they appeared completely real.
"Caelus. Cyrene."
Phainon, having recovered all of his memories, wore the same bright smile as always.
"You've both worked hard."
"Heh."
Mydei looked toward Caelus.
"So even the Savior finally got to meet a Savior of his own."
"Say..."
Cerydra seemed to still care deeply about one particular issue.
"If memories represent everything, could you maybe adjust my height a little?"
Apparently, even after all this time, she still had not gotten over it.
For a monarch, anything that affected one's dignity was naturally difficult to ignore.
"Thank you for your stories, Lord Caelus."
Hysilens spoke sincerely.
"Even after all these countless cycles, they still give me a great deal to think about."
"It really is wonderful to have everyone together again!"
Castorice smiled.
"Aglaea!"
"Cipher."
"I suppose this counts as saying, 'See you tomorrow,' doesn't it?"
"Hahahaha!"
"Letting all living beings create a story that belongs to them?"
"Now that's interesting!"
"The path to life has finally appeared."
Countless people spoke countless words.
At this moment, every living being of Amphoreus had gathered beneath the stars.
Caelus thought for a moment.
Then, as though accepting someone's suggestion, a flag suddenly appeared in his hand.
Upon it was the symbol of a Möbius strip.
He raised the flag high and addressed the people of Amphoreus.
"People of Amphoreus."
"Gather beneath this banner."
"Create the world that belongs to you with your own hands."
Among the countless figures gathered like stars were ordinary people.
Chrysos Heirs.
Earth beasts.
Chimeras.
Every form of life now looked toward the figure standing before them.
"Everyone!"
Cyrene raised her voice.
"Run toward the future!"
"You don't need to do anything complicated."
"Just run!"
"Trailblaze toward tomorrow!"
"Go and welcome the true dawn that belongs to us!"
Trisidios carried that will to everyone.
At this moment, this was no longer a stage belonging only to so-called heroes.
Nor was it an epic reserved for Chrysos Heirs and demigods.
This was the story of every living being.
A story about people rejecting a tragic ending and using their own hands to Trailblaze a future for their world.
The Path of Trailblaze manifested alongside them.
Phainon was the first to run forward.
His body transformed into brilliant white light and merged into the train.
The demigods of this cycle followed immediately behind him.
Then came the Chrysos Heirs.
"Someone like me can really become part of a story this legendary?"
A man spoke bitterly.
But a hand immediately landed on his shoulder.
"What are you talking about?"
"In your own story, you're the protagonist too, aren't you?"
"Come on."
"If you're the protagonist, you can't fall behind!"
"Hahaha!"
"Gods, witness this!"
"Behold the courage of Castrum Kremnos!"
"My love!"
"Come with me!"
"Hero is the name given to anyone brave enough to step forward."
"So every one of us can be a hero!"
"This is the chapter that belongs to all living beings!"
Trailblaze.
For a new future.
Trailblaze.
For a brand-new dawn.
Trailblaze.
For an eternal chapter.
The wills of countless living beings gathered into one.
Caelus raised the flag high.
Then the train beneath his feet erupted with pink light bright enough to eclipse a star.
Carrying the desire of all living beings to Trailblaze their own future, it charged directly toward Irontomb.
Irontomb tried to stop it.
But its movements suddenly froze.
Demiurge.
The mind that had once belonged to this headless giant was interfering with its current body.
She could not hold it for long.
But a moment was enough.
The train crashed into Irontomb.
Beneath the pitch-black sludge, the evil Caelus had created and recorded finally revealed the final piece he had hidden within it.
A pure white flower blooming from evil.
And within that flower were all the beauty and happiness accumulated across more than thirty million cycles.
Question:
What is the First Cause of Life, of the self?
Answer:
Nothingness.
That question has countless answers.
Every star.
Every speck of dust.
Every living being.
All of them possess their own answer.
But if one absolutely had to give a single answer...
Perhaps it would be this.
Life exists because people long for tomorrow.
[Loading Amphoreus data...]
[Variable recorded: Trailblaze.]
[Output value: Hello World!]
Irontomb's enormous body dissolved.
In the place where it had once stood, only two figures remained within the universe.
Even Amphoreus itself had disappeared.
Caelus turned his head slightly.
His gaze pierced through space and time.
It passed through the barriers between Paths.
And he saw the Lords Ravagers staring at him.
Behind them stood Nanook.
Then the reward for completing the mission to sever destiny and causality appeared in Caelus's hand.
The Command Block.
[Input: /gamemode 1]
The story of people Trailblazing their own future had ended.
What came next was a chapter belonging to gods.
[Creative Mode activated.]
At this moment.
At this time.
In this place...
Caelus ascended to the Seventh Tier.
(To be continued.)