On screen, the red-haired Saintess held the little Tribios in her arms, her eyes filled with warmth.
"Mama... are you going to that ritual tomorrow?" Tribios asked innocently.
The Saintess' expression didn't change. She replied softly, "That's right, my sweet girl. What's the matter?"
Tribios snuggled in her mother's arms and pouted sweetly. " I wish I could go too... I have something to ask Janus."
Tribios' mother smiled. "Oh? What do you want to ask?"
Tribios wrinkled her nose cutely. "I want to know how to chase the black tide away!"
The Saintess' gaze grew even gentler as she explained to her daughter, "Ah, I see. Unfortunately, it's a secret ritual, and only I can preside over it."
"If you want me to consult the Titan on your behalf... you'll have to promise me something."
"Be a good girl and go to sleep now, and whatever you dream of, don't be afraid."
The two figures in the scene looked like nothing more than an ordinary mother and daughter.
A mother coaxing her beloved child to sleep. A daughter, innocent and adorable.
But the audience knew that behind this tender moment lay a suffocating truth.
This was the Saintess' final day. Once the ritual began, she would die.
And Tribios would officially begin her own journey through life.
On one side, the final moments of the Saintess' life. On the other, the moment Tribios' fate began.
Yet it was all shown through such a simple interaction.
The audience's hearts felt tightly clenched. They could hardly imagine how Tribios, like this, endured the days after losing her mother.
Just as the viewers were overwhelmed with sorrow, the scene moved to an even more tearful moment.
To keep Tribios from worrying too much, the Saintess deliberately used a gentle bit of reverse psychology. "Just sleep through the night, until morning comes, until the next time Aquila their eyes. Can you do that for me, sweetie?"
In her mother's arms, Tribios nodded vigorously and said loudly, "That's it? Of course I can! Tribios is the most amazing Holy Maiden of Janus... Well, little Holy Maiden!"
After saying that, she hesitated slightly.
"But... why, Mama?"
The Saintess explained gently, "Because... this ritual might take a long time."
Tribios asked innocently, "How long?"
The Saintess paused for a moment, then smiled as if nothing was wrong, patiently explaining to her daughter, "Tomorrow, my sweet child. I'll be back tomorrow."
"If not tomorrow, then the next tomorrow. If not the tomorrow after that. But if I still haven't returned for a very long time..."
"That means the ritual has succeeded. It means I've found a way to chase away the black tide and reached the new world on the other side. But for various reasons, I can't return to bring my sweet girl with me."
"But I'll be waiting for you there. As long as you stay brave and kind, we'll meet again in that new world."
"It's the end of the west wind, the black tide's other shore, a radiant sea of flowers blessed and protected by the gods."
"In the rosy horizon, you'll see a silver-white shoal. It marks the end of your voyage, a haven free from storms, cold, and heavy rains. No sorrow can linger there... That is where I'll be waiting for you."
Tribios listened quietly, without interrupting.
Like an ordinary child, she nodded earnestly, trying to show her mother that she understood, that she was a good girl.
At that moment, countless viewers broke down in tears.
The Saintess' gentle and restrained lie. Tribios' innocent response. It wasn't hard for the audience to imagine how a young Tribios must have endured those difficult years.
When she was still small, she must have truly believed her mother's words.
Day after day, thinking that perhaps her mother was still performing that ritual, waiting for one tomorrow after another.
Counting the days in torment and anticipation, hoping to see her mother again. What kind of agony must that have been?
And perhaps it was precisely because of that well-intentioned lie, that as Tribios grew older, she gradually realized what her mother's words truly meant.
And then learned the truth.
Likewise, the audience didn't dare to put themselves even slightly in her shoes, to imagine what Tribios felt when she began to suspect that her mother might already be dead.
They truly didn't dare. It was too painful.
...
: So bitter…"
: This is straight-up abuse, isn't it!
: I can't take it anymore. She's so small, and she has to bear so much.
: Not just bear it, I don't even dare imagine how hard her days were afterward. I'm almost afraid to keep watching.
: Don't stab me with the family knife!!!
: Wuwuwu, why is there even a finishing blow?
: Sigh, MiHoYo is too cruel, using such innocent, tender scenes to cover up such truly cruel stories.
: And that just makes it hit even harder.
: This has to be deliberate!
: Wuwuwu, this part hurts so much.
...
The blade of familial love was simply too effective.
The more innocent and tender it was, the more it made the audience's hearts ache.
In the scene, Tribios finally fell asleep under her mother's soothing voice.
Just as she had promised. She would sleep well, rest properly every day, until Aquila opened its eyes again.
That "opening of the eyes" did not refer to a simple cycle of day and night. For the Sky Titan, whether it opened its eyes or not depended entirely on fate.
And when Tribios waited for Aquila to open its eyes once more, ten years had already passed.
Here, the story made a slight transition. It did not show how Tribios grew over those ten years.
Otherwise, it surely would have included many heart-wrenching scenes.
After that, as usual, Mem's power, Trinnon' memories showed a few more memories.
At this moment, they formed new power of Oronyx, revealing that part of the past before everyone's eyes.
Now grown graceful and poised, Tribios stood alone in a study.
By then she had already understood the true meaning behind her mother's words.
But in her heart, a trace of hope still remained.
"If the final murmurs of the Titan are true..."
"If such a place really exists on the shore beyond the black tide and at the end of "Genesis"..."
"Then our promise still stands."
"...Please wait for me, Mother."
With that said, the crystallized memory of Tribios walked straight through the bookshelf in the corner of the study before everyone's eyes.
Stelle let out a slow breath. Phainon also shook his head heavily.
Anyone normal, after witnessing that scene, would have been deeply shaken.
Trinnon, however, remained very calm. She simply watched as Tribios's figure disappeared and said evenly, "After those ten years of darkness, when Aquila opened their eyes for the last time..."
"We finally set off."
Trinnon led the two of them to the bookshelf.
In her memory, Tribios had left from here. But there was no path in front of the three of them.
"Do we need to use Janus's power?" Phainon asked instinctively.
Trinnon shook her head. "No, we hadn't acquired their power back then."
"The answer is right on the shelf. Go ahead and give it a try."
Under Trinnon' guidance, Phainon stepped forward.
Reaching into the bookshelf, he felt a uniquely shaped book. With a light press, the entire shelf rumbled loudly and slid apart to both sides, revealing a wide secret passage hidden behind it.
"It was a secret passage prepared by the Holy Maiden's supporters for Mother and me as a precaution..."
"It just so happened that the western side didn't make proper use of it …"
"And now, it has turned into our passage to escape, just as anticipated."
Trinnon led the two of them into the passage. In Janusapolis, the Holy Maiden had never truly been isolated and helpless.
The audience also felt that a dignified Holy Maiden could not possibly lack forces of her own.
This scene confirmed that point. Yet at the same time, it also indirectly verified many other things.
Combined with the letter that had appeared earlier, at the very least, it could be confirmed that the situation had long since declined. Otherwise, the Holy Maiden would not have died on the day of the ritual.
Though their influence had gradually waned, protecting the Holy Maiden's child, Tribios, was still not a problem.
With just this information alone, a grand story of power struggles could already be constructed in the audience's minds.
But at this moment, those stories instead added an even stronger sense of epic tragedy.
Because these people and events, like the broken stones of the Temple of Three Fates, had all turned to dust and scattered with the wind.
Soon after, Tribios's memories appeared once more, right on time.
Following the phantoms of the past, everyone was able to learn more details.
During the escape, Tribios's journey had not been smooth.
The moment she stepped out of the secret passage, she encountered heavy resistance.
Some had noticed her intention to flee and reinforced the defenses within the temple.
But others… were willing to clear the way for this new Holy Maiden. The three followed closely behind that figure.
They appeared within the ruined temple.
Through the past's perspective, they could see that the paths were filled with obstacles.
Tribios tried to push aside the massive stones blocking her way, but with her strength, she could hardly move them at all.
But suddenly, the obstacles flickered and vanished into thin air.
Tribios crossed over in great delight. Even she was astonished by such power.
"Time Titan... is that you?" Tribios called out to the air in surprise.
This scene fell into the eyes of the three observers, especially Phainon and Stelle, who found it particularly strange.
"Is this a reconstruction of memory, or a disturbance of space-time?"
Stelle scratched her head as she spoke.
From their perspective, they could see nothing at all, only the obstacles disappearing in an instant.
At this time, Trinnon recalled from the side, "Regardless of our actions, the past will remain unchanged. It was someone else who helped Tribios in the actual events of history."
"We don't remember the details. As for why Memory recreated the past to be like this, it must be because..."
"It's closer to the answer within our heart."
Well, that answer was practically flawless. And yet it did nothing to reveal the truth.
Some of the strange phrasing in Trinnon' words also failed to draw the two's attention.
Even the audience found nothing wrong with her explanation.
Because it felt too natural. They did not think deeply about it.
What was unfolding before them was a reconstruction through Stelle's power of time.
Even the past of Tribios, the Holy Maiden, a demigod, could be reproduced. Yet the "other" who had helped her never revealed their true face.
That in itself was strange enough.
After that, the group continued following Tribios. And they repeatedly witnessed scenes like the one before.
Enemies blocking her path. Barricades obstructing her way. All were mysteriously swept aside.
What lay before Tribios instead was an open road.
"Thank you, nameless god!"
At times, Tribios would suddenly say this to the empty air.
Before long, Tribios passed through all the layers of obstruction.
After reaching the outer perimeter of the temple, she did not immediately leave. Instead, she turned toward the Janus Vault.
There, the Coreflame of Janus was sealed.
For the sake of her journey and her promise to her mother, for the sake of guiding more people, Tribios resolved to obtain the Coreflame.
With the help of the unknown person and with her status as Holy Maiden, she easily entered the treasury.
The moment she stepped inside, the Passage Titan, Janus' voice resounded through the space.
It did not seem surprised by Tribios's appearance.
"Tribios... you've come."
She gazed at the Coreflame before her, her expression resolute.
She wished to gain the Titan's recognition and take the sacred flame. Janus did not resist. On the contrary, They was surprisingly cooperative.
They merely warned her:
"Step forth, and thou shalt bury yourself..."
"Bury the gods, and bury the fate that binds us all."
Hearing the Titan's words, Tribios merely shook her head. "I've come here... to take on your fate."
"By the blood of the lamb and the strength of my blade-wielding right hand..."
"I am Tribios, the Listener, the announcer, and the witness of the prophecy="
"I, the Holy Maiden of Janusopolis, the walker of the infinite paths, have come forth to assume your duty."
The Titan let out an inexplicable laugh.
"Hehe..."
"Thus... it shall be..."
As the words fell, Tribios reached out and touched the Coreflame.
And at that very instant, the scene flashed!
Countless yellow words flickered in the darkness.
Below, the Titan's chants and unsettling subtitles appeared in alternation:
[Overthrow the gods — / Return the Coreflames —]
[Inherit divine authority — / Forge godly miracles —]
[Go kill — / Go mourn —]
[Kill my kin — / Mourn our fate —]
[Ferry the spirits of the gods — / Nourish the land with divine essence —]
[Yet, thou shalt remember — / Yet, thou must remember —]
[All shall bid farewell to one, and that person alone will witness the miracle —]
[Such... is destiny —]