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The final coreflame.
It was hard to picture a world free from the black tide. Comparable to one of Herta’s simulations, the journey felt completely immersive; a journey full of highs and lows, discovery, and final departures. Soon, it would all be over.
What was this grey-haired demigod of time up to on this final night?
A dim light illuminated the Trailblazer’s room, the source of the glow being none other than her ‘teleslate’.
“Ghrh… they made this level too hard.”
She groaned in frustration. Her pink-hued companion was already fast asleep, but a lifelong doctrine of ‘rules being made to be broken’ meant Stelle was prepared to pull an all-nighter the night before facing the Sky Titan.
Thump.
Stelle’s head shot up, breaking her focus on the teleslate.
Did that noise come from the outside? No, it clearly didn’t. It was from the door.
Stelle scrambled out of bed, stumbling blindly across the room in the dark, but eventually made her way to the door. A few more knocks followed, this time carrying a more urgent touch.
She fumbled for the doorknob, forgetting the magic of Amphorean contraptions. As if it read her mind, the door opened by itself, albeit painfully slow.
A mechanical whir resounded, causing Stelle to panic at the possibility of waking Mem. Much to her relief, the pink creature had not yet awakened from her slumber.
The door swung open, revealing a Deliverer standing too close to the entrance. Stelle jumped back in shock.
“W-wait, why — oh… it’s you.”
Phainon opened his mouth to comment, but decided against it and scurried into the room. Behind him, the contraption worked hurriedly to close itself once more.
Why is he here? Could there be urgent matters regarding the Flame-chase? Wait, does he know I was playing games?
Embarrassment began to creep in, and the usually verbose Stelle stood dumbfounded.
Awkward silence ensued. The two stared at each other in anticipation, waiting for the other to begin.
“Partner… well,” Phainon started, “I have a reason for being here.”
“No shit. Care to elaborate?”
The suspense Stelle felt only grew.
Phainon sheepishly smiled, hesitating slightly before continuing.
“I can’t sleep.”
What?
Stelle gave him a nod, paused, and then stared blankly at him, her golden eyes showing the cogs in her brain beginning to register what he just said.
Then, she couldn’t stop a wide grin from spreading across her face any longer.
“You — you can’t sleep? That’s your reason?” Stelle giggled, making no attempt to hide her amusement.
Phainon waved his hands around in a desperate attempt to get her to stop, an obvious flush across his face.
“Please stop, I really couldn’t…” he trailed off, stealing a quick glance at Stelle. His head hung low with embarrassment.
After a moment of silence, he started again.
“Why are you awake?”
Oh. Right. How could I have been laughing at him if I’ve been awake for a worse reason?
Stelle panicked for a brief moment and had to gather the resolve to speak. Then, she decided upon telling the truth.
“I was playing.”
“Playing?”
“With, uh, my teleslate.”
She said this with a straight face, awaiting Phainon’s reaction.
It was his turn to chuckle, making no effort to hide his amusement. Stelle wished he would make such an expression every day.
“So, what do you plan to do? I can’t magically put you to sleep.”
Phainon flashed a grin.
“Perhaps I have to stay here and ensure you aren’t playing any more games.”
Stelle groaned.
“Woah, not cool.”
“What, don’t want me around?”
And Stelle did, really did, but no amount of trash bags could have gotten her to admit it, at least not at that moment.
“…”
“I take your silence as a no.”
Delicately moving past her, Phainon sat on the edge of the bed, causing the mattress to shift under his weight.
“You’re always so gentle…” Stelle quipped. “Castorice compares you to a cinnamon roll.”
“Wait, since when? And also, what does that have to do with a cinnamon roll?”
Stelle took her place beside Phainon.
The night air was crisp, edged with a whisper of wind. It carried the faint scent of damp earth and cooling stone, clean and sharp against the skin.
Things aren’t going to be this peaceful ever again.
Stelle’s train of thought was interrupted as she felt him place his hand, cool to touch, over her’s. Something inside her relaxed; she did not resist.
Phainon mumbled under his breath, so soft it was barely audible.
“Why do you insist on helping this dying world?”
Stelle pondered for a moment, unsure of her answer.
While it was true that saving Amphoreus aligned with the path of Trailblaze, it would be pretence to claim that as the real reason.
Struggling to find an answer, she searched his bright cyan eyes.
They were filled with melancholy.
There, she found her answer.
“Because I don’t want you like this.”
“Huh?”
A look of confusion flashed across Phainon’s face, but it soon morphed into curiosity.
Stelle inched closer, desiring his warmth, his scent.
“When I see you… grief-stricken like this, I can’t sit around idly. I want you to have a home.”
“But I do have a home. My home is not Okhema, but the friends I made on this Flame-chase journey.”
Only then did Stelle realise how close they had been sitting. The Deliverer’s blue, chilling eyes pierced her soul.
Was he always this radiant?
Of course, Stelle had witnessed his accomplishments many times across their adventures — but somehow, none of those glorious moments compared to the comforting smile that he wore now.
To Stelle, Phainon had come to represent all the hope she bore for this unsightly, scarred world.
She gripped his hand tighter, unable to mask her emotions any longer.
“I’m scared.”
Phainon nodded gently, his expression offering all the solace she required.
The world shrank to the space between them.
And then he crossed it. No words. No warning.
He wrapped Stelle in his arms as if he was afraid, afraid that she would vanish at any moment. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, but she didn’t care. Her fingers clawed at the back of his jacket. She buried her face in his shoulder.
The two of them were protagonists of their own story; the two of them were astray and uncertain.
But for one night, both the Trailblazer and the Deliverer surrendered their pursuit of the Flame-chase, falling asleep in each other’s embrace.