Chapter Text
Phainon woke up with a gasp, this time among the golden sea of wheat field he had missed so much from his childhood that felt so far away. He sit up and tries to get his thought clear, to process all of those 33 million cycles of sacrifices before the miracle he and Cyrene had waited for so long to finally come and help ended The Eternal Recurrence-
Wait, Cyrene!
He immediately stood up, almost falling back down with his woobly feat. His cape flutter in the wind as he took in the sight of the weirdly empty Aedes Elysia before he took off to search for the girl he can't find in the Eternal Recurrence. The thought that she might didn't make it had flashed his mind before and he had grieved -- but denial still held it's claw onto him, creating a sliver of hope to meet her later in the new Amphoreus.
He searched everywhere, with her usual spot in the swing being the place he first visited. His heart so heavy when he found nothing, but hope still flicker in his burned soul. So he keep on looking and looking. Until he found that glimpse of pink standing on the deck facing the horizon.
His breath cut short, a bit surprised. She's in her adult form instead of her smaller form in which she never get to grown out from, an unanswered question during the early Eternal Recurrence -- now answered with her much closser ties to The Rememberance Path. She looks so etheral as her jacket fluttered in the wind. No longer is she in her white dress.
(Is this Cyrene The Demiurge? Is this the Cyrene he had grown up with and come to know of or is she the Hearth of Amphoreus whom learned to love despite originally was nothing more but apart of Irontomb's head?
Phainon doesn't know.
But even if this Cyrene is The Demiurge than it's also fine, because at least he can share her memories together. Both of them had come to love that Ripple of The Past, after all.)
"Cyrene..?" He called out, tentative. As if afraid that he'd scare her away.
Cyrene's ears perked up at his voice, than she slowly turned. That beautiful, sweet smile of her he so dearly missed greeted him immediately.
"Oh Khaslana!" Her blue - blue, not pink - eyes wide, "It's been a while, isn't it?"
Phainon can feel tears falling down, wetting his cheeks. He ran towards her, whom held her arms wide open, and hugged her tightly. Cyrene hugged him back just as tightly, letting her tears fall along with the hiccup from Phainon as he cries his heart out -- burrying his face on her shoulder.
They stayed like that for a while, all of those 33 millions cycle come crashing down on them. The temperature around them flunctuates between heating up and cooling down -- The Coreflames inside Phainon burn with the intensity of his emotion and Cyrene's ice from the grief of this romantic story canceling each other out.
"I thought you were dead..!" Phainon sobbed, "you were not there in the Eternal Page despite the place made out of your love for Amphoreous- I-"
"Hush..." Cyrene rub a circle on his back as he trembled in her arms, missing the coolness of her body whenever he became too hot, "it's all over now. Let it all out."
Phainon cried more and more, so does Cyrene as she tried to be strong for him. The brother she had missed so much, even if she was there for him for the last 33.550.335 cycles before the next one have her replaced by Mem, completing the cycle of her 'growth'.
"You s-should - let it all out t-too, you know?" Phainon says between hicups, "y-you don't have to be strong for me, or f-for anyone elses anymore. You are more than just our narrator now -- always has been more-"
Cyrene smacked him lightly on the head, a giggle escaped her lips, "don't flatter me and ruin this moment now, Snowy~"
Phainon pouted, looking at her as he part away from the hug, "but I'm not joking! You are more than just our narrator!"
Cyrene smiles, "heh, I'm glad than."
Phainon return the smile, oh so bright and blinding, "and so am I.. Thank god you're here now.."
Cyrene let out a hiccup, "yeah.. Took a while to find the loop hole to be here, in the tomorrow beyond my designated 'tomorrow'.."
Phainon smile falls, "..what do you mean by that?"
Cyrene's sweet smile turns bittersweet as she avoids his eyes, "I.. Demiurge and I are technically the same person in an endless cycle of growth.. It just so happen that I also needed another me to.. Teach myself of 'Love' and 'Lament'."
She let out a sigh, "there was two choices; to leave with the Trailblazer, or to stay in the past to close Amphoreus's causality and prevent Irontomb's return -- I choose the later, until I figured a way to get out."
A chuckle, "after all, I don't think Amphoreus need 3 Cyrenes -- that'd be too much, don't you think?-"
She looked to her brother and found him with his big, sad eyes "Ah- Khaslana?-"
"Y-you almost did- dn't make it here..?" He asks, his voice trembling, his lips woobly, "I was almost become an only child?!"
Cyrene laugh nervously, "you are technically an only child.. your parents just kinda adopt me-"
"?!" Phainon pulled her into another bone crushing hug and Cyrene awkwardly petted him on his back. She glanced on the far horizon behind her, watching as the sun rise slowly.
"Well, at least I'm here with you, right?" She told him, "and beside, look! Isn't the dawn beautiful?"
Phainon raise his head from where he buried it on Cyrene's shoulder and hair, looking up just enough to see the dawn -- real dawn -- that they had been striving for. It looks a thousand times better than when they were still mere data, he can see a bit of the stary night sky that now painted white and a bit orange as the sun rises on the horizon.
"Let's sit down now, yeah?" His sister says as he let her go, following her as she sit down. Her feet dangling a bit above the water. Phainon let her rest her head on his shoulder as he side hugged her -- this is nice, he thought.
They can stay here -- it'd be nice. But there are also the others, maybe in Okhema. Aedes Elysia is a place hidden in the Veil of Evernight, after all. He missed them too; Mydei, Aglaea, Cipher, and the rest..
"I miss them." Phainon says suddenly.
Cyrene giggled, "we can leave once the sun settled high in the sky, returning to Okhema."
Phainon bit his lips, "but.. Will they hate me..? For everything that I've done?"
Cyrene look up to him, her face says that she knew exactly about what he talks about and her smile absent. Her eyes look somber, yet he continued on anyway.
"I.. I mean.." His voice raw from the cry, "my hands are not exactly clean either.. I can still see golden bloods on my hand and I-"
A hiccup, "I don't think- I don't think I can face them -- not without seeing them bleed.. A-and the Coreflames still in me-"
Cyrene hold his hand tightly, Phainon lean more towards her, "They still burn, so very hot.. I too still an Emanator of THEM- Will they really want to even see me again..? Someone whom firmly at the road of Destruction-?"
He broke down again, crying as he look at his reflection in the water. His hair now only fading a bit to yellow, a remaining of his destruction form and his eyes visibly flashed that burning gold. It makes him flinch as he remember his other form. Not necessarly a bad thing since he thought of it as a power to protect Amphoreus, but the path he threaded on with this power still is far too dangerous for a world that just ascended to reality.
Cyrene squeezes his hand, "do you think that your power may be too much for this world who no longer need such power anymore?"
Phainon nodd, and Cyrene hummed, "you are not exactly the only one -- because as far as I know, I too has a power too much for Amphoreus, neither of us have need to keep burning on again."
She snorted a bit, "I mean, I am essentially a part of an Aeon - was an Aeon for a bit while to restore everything back-"
She sighed, than look up at him as she caress his face, connecting their forehead together, "and I understand your fear -- I was the one who suggested killing them quickly after all, both to have the pain and the cycles went faster. We both has blood on our hands."
She looks him in the eyes as her eyes flashes that shade of pink, "The guilt is understandable, but we have to face them again eventually. However, don't forget, you are not alone -- you have me too, and we're going to face this, face them, together."
Cyrene let him go, "so don't worry too much, Khaslana."
Phainon wiped his eyes, "are you sure that we'll be alright? That they can still accept us..?"
Cyrene try to smile despite her own doubt, "I'm sure."
Than she pooked him on the cheek, "don't forget to introduce me, yeah? Just in case they forgot. I wasn't there as much as you, after all."
Phainon chuckled, "they definitely will know you too -- you just want to be introduced officially as my sister, don't you?"
Cyrene laugh, raising both her hands, "guilty as charged."
They laugh together and stayed for a bit while after that. Trying to make light of what about to come when they eventually return to Okhema -- there is nothing left of Aedes Elysia, Cyrene says that everyone already on their way to reunite in Okhema, and to celebrate this Era Nova with their loved ones. Cyrene herself was here simply to reminiscence, definitely didn't expect Phainon to wake up here of all place.
It's not an awful thing though - if anything, it's nice to have a chat with him.
And she can't help but feel proud of the brother she came to love.