After landing beside Cyrene, the golden light dissipated. Accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps, a tall and straight figure strode forth from the embers of the radiance.
It was a youth.
His white robes were as pure as snow, and his golden armor outshone the sun; the solar patterns on his shoulder guards flowed with a lava-like luster under the starry radiance.
The two diametrically opposed auras of holiness and destruction merged perfectly within him, surging with a suffocating pressure.
He raised his eyes slightly, and the intricate, magnificent "Kephale" patterns within his pupils rotated slowly.
His right hand hung loosely at his side, grasping a greatsword nearly as tall as a man—Qinchen. The tip of the blade hovered just above the nonexistent ground, emitting a heart-palpitating cold light.
Cyrene's breath hitched for a moment.
This image, this face, had long been etched into her retinas through countless days and nights on the screen.
"Phainon?!"
An exclamation escaped her throat uncontrollably.
Hearing this name, the youth in front of her paused slightly.
The aura of destruction in his eyes quickly receded, his originally cold and hard facial lines softened, and he gave Cyrene a gentle nod.
[Reminiscence successful. Character name: Phainon.]
The cold mechanical voice inserted itself at the right time, breaking Cyrene's daze.
[Reminisced characters are reconstructed based on your memory. Their birth originates from you; they are your sharpest sword in this world, your sturdiest shield, and your most trustworthy partners.]
"Cyrene, long time no see."
Just as the system's explanatory voice faded, Phainon's warm, mellow voice rang out.
He raised a hand toward Cyrene and offered a warm smile, his movements as natural as an old friend who had only parted ways yesterday.
But Cyrene felt as though she had been scalded by this warmth and instinctively shrank her neck.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally before pressing the gacha button, and even though she knew this was a "reminisced" character...
When the character who shared the deepest bond with "Cyrene" in the plot actually stood before her, the impact of the breaking dimensional wall made her brain stall.
This was Phainon! The Phainon who, in order to save Omphalos, had undergone over thirty million cycles of samsara before finally facing the deity!
"I..."
Cyrene opened her mouth, but her tongue felt tied, leaving her unable to speak for a moment.
She lowered her head in a bit of a panic, staring at her bare toes, her fingers restlessly twisting the hem of her skirt.
She wasn't the Cyrene from Omphalos, so how was she supposed to face him?
Nervous thoughts flickered frantically through her mind.
Phainon seemed to perceive the girl's embarrassment.
With a light flick of his wrist, the greatsword "Qinchen"—which radiated a terrifying pressure—dissipated into countless golden points of light.
Then, Phainon walked slowly toward Cyrene.
When he reached her, Phainon stopped.
A broad, warm palm gently came to rest on Cyrene's slight shoulder.
Feeling Phainon's palm, Cyrene's body stiffened before she slowly looked up.
What met her eyes were Phainon's eyes, reflecting the galaxy. There was no scrutiny, no distance—only acceptance.
"Cyrene, don't be nervous."
Phainon's voice was very soft, as if afraid of startling something. "I originate from your memory, so I know everything."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Cyrene's signature rhombus-shaped pupils.
"No matter how the interior changes, you are Cyrene. Just treat me as a newly met companion, all right?"
After speaking, he took a half-step back of his own accord, creating a social distance that made Cyrene feel safe, then solemnly extended his right hand.
"Hello, my name is Phainon. From now on, please lend me your guidance."
[He is correct.]
The system's voice was flat and direct in her mind.
[The Phainon before you is an independent individual generated based on data flows. He understands the current situation and knows your mission. You do not need to be bound by the original plot relationships.]
Listening to Phainon's gentle words and the system's explanation, Cyrene's taut nerves gradually relaxed.
She took a deep breath, calming the violent heartbeat in her chest.
True, the system had said that the characters she reminisced would be her most trustworthy partners. If they started suspecting each other during the initial introduction phase, there would be no trust to speak of.
At this thought, Cyrene also reached out her hand and grasped Phainon's large, lightly calloused hand.
The moment their palms touched, an inexplicable sense of stability traveled through her arm and spread across her body.
She forced the corners of her mouth up, offering a reasonably natural smile:
"Hello, my name is Cyrene. In the future... please lend me your guidance as well."
The simple handshaking ceremony over, Cyrene quickly entered the proper state of mind and began to briefly ask about Phainon's condition.
Once the inquiry was finished, Cyrene rubbed her chin, thought for a moment, and said:
"You said your current strength has suffered severe losses? That you can only exert a small fraction of your power?"
"Yes." Phainon nodded. "Currently, I am only left with the basic application of my original abilities."
As he spoke, he made a grasping motion with his fingers.
Buzz—
The air vibrated, and golden particle streams instantly converged. The greatsword "Qinchen" solidified in his palm once more.
Though the aura was still impressive, Cyrene keenly noticed that the flowing light on the blade was much dimmer than when he first appeared.
"But don't worry."
Phainon executed a sword flourish with one hand; the heavy greatsword was as light as a twig in his grasp.
"My physical fitness is still there. Combined with Qinchen, dealing with a few ordinary black tide creations is more than enough."
Seeing this, Cyrene looked up and asked the system:
"System, what's going on?"
[Because your current energy level is too low, you cannot sustain the descent of a character's complete form.]
The system's answer was still foolproof.
[However, this is not irreversible. Once you obtain 'memory vestiges', you can inject them into the character's body. As memory vestiges accumulate, the character's strength will be gradually unsealed.]
"Got it."
Cyrene nodded, a look of contemplation in her eyes.
"So I just treat 'memory vestiges' as experience books to feed them. A classic growth mechanic."
Having figured out the core gameplay, Cyrene's mood lightened considerably.
She looked around at the eternal, unchanging starry sky. Though magnificent, that bone-deep sense of loneliness was truly uncomfortable.
"System, I've accepted the world-saving mission, and I'll go gather those memory vestiges. For now, can you let me out first?"
She rubbed her slightly chilled arms.
"Staying in this place too long makes it easy to get depressed."
[Correction: I have not locked you here. You have always held the highest authority over this space.]
[You only need to silently recite 'Exit entity data space' in your heart to return to reality at any time.]
Cyrene rubbed her chin, turning her gaze toward Phainon standing nearby:
"What about him? Can he come out with me?"
[Phainon is a character you reminisced; he counts as a part of your soul.]
[Therefore, he can also freely enter and exit this space, as can any other characters you reminisce later.]
"I see."
Seeing this, Cyrene nodded with satisfaction and then closed her eyes.
"Exit entity data space."
The moment the silent recitation fell in her heart...
That familiar sensation of weightlessness struck again.
The galaxy before her retreated rapidly, and her vision was swallowed by thick darkness, as if she had fallen into the deep sea.
But this feeling lasted for only a brief instant.
The next second, the sensation of standing on solid ground returned.
What lingered at the tip of her nose was no longer the cold smell of a vacuum, but that faint, sweet scent belonging to her bedroom.
Cyrene opened her eyes.
Pinkish-blue curtains, a messy large bed, and that ceiling lamp that had already been extinguished.
She was back.
"Phew... it's still more comfortable looking here."
Cyrene let out a long sigh, muttering in a low voice.
Just then, the air beside her suddenly rippled like water.
Space distorted, and a tall figure stepped out from the ripples.
Phainon stood in this bedroom. His magnificent clothing and the greatsword in his hand were completely out of place in this pink room filled with girlish charm.
Before Cyrene could comment on the jarring visual contrast, the system's voice abruptly exploded in the depths of her mind.
[Initial guidance finished.]
[Anomaly detector activated.]
Zzz—
A faint sound of electric current flashed past.
The semi-transparent blue panel surfaced before Cyrene's eyes once more.
The originally empty interface changed at this moment, transforming into a circular radar map.
At the very center of the radar was a green light point representing herself.
And not far to the southeast of the green point, there was a glaring red point flashing frantically.