Free Web NovelChapter 299: Chapter 299
"To save an illusory ’world,’ we can harm the companions we want to protect? What kind of salvation is that?!"
Facing the terrifying transformation of his dearest ones in despair, Asterion’s voice carried barely suppressed pain and anger as he resolutely rejected that seemingly "efficient" path.
"Did you think saving the world meant saving nothing more than a cold, abstract concept called ’the world’? No... I will never accept that!"
His words, like a sharp sword, cut through the hypocritical dilemma:
"In the world we aim to save, there must be a place for every single, concrete person! I only know the simplest truth, those who carry fire for the masses must not be left to freeze in the wind and snow! Those who blaze a trail for the masses must not be left stranded in the thorns!"
This was the Eighth Lesson Asterion inscribed with passion and perseverance—he declared to the "world" he deeply loved his own warm, human path to salvation: True salvation lies in protecting every single life.
Perhaps, as he spoke these words, deep within his world-weary soul, he still cautiously treasured one last, unrealistic fantasy.
The fantasy that after everything was settled, his brothers, his beloved, all the companions he cared about, could safely walk with him through the waving wheat fields, without facing the surging Black Tide, without hearing the monsters’ roars.
Yet, the Morning Star that guides the way is destined for solitude.
Existing in the longest, deepest night, guiding those who follow, preserving the light. that is its inescapable fate.
After silently shifting the trajectories of his companions’ fates time and again, alone bearing the bitter fruits of countless cycles, he arrived at a heavy, cold conclusion—an answer he believed, in his despair, to be the only "correct" one:
The Prime Mover of Life, its ultimate meaning, lies in that which must be guaranteed no matter what, after the storm of destruction passes—Preservation.
Understanding? He no longer longed for it. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
He no longer expected his companions to comprehend the weight and resolve of bearing everything alone. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
He only wished for them to live, even with misunderstanding or resentment towards him, as long as they could exist in the future he fought for with everything he had, a future without the Black Tide.
That... would be enough.
But... this Morning Star, who loved them all, ultimately underestimated his own weight in their hearts.
They did not readily accept the future he bought for them. Instead, with equal resolve, they poured all their strength into writing a new, warm, miraculous footnote to his seemingly predetermined cold answer.
"Turn to the next page, Asterion!" Countless voices converged into a tide, echoing in the depths of his soul. "Turn to the true next page of Amphoreus, the one that exists because of your choice, and because of the choices of all of us!"
The "Silver Moon," which had always accompanied the "Morning Star," also used its gentle yet resolute choice to fill the blank space in the Morning Star’s answer named "self-sacrifice."
This, then, was Asterion’s Final Lesson.
He did not simply discard his own answer. He accepted and integrated the more abundant answers regarding the Prime Mover of Life, answers given by all living beings.
He understood that the cornerstone of life is Preservation, but what gives this Preservation direction, color, and weight are Love, Hate, free will, and the unbreakable bonds between every "self" and "us."
Upon this answer, co-written by all, he made his own final and most hopeful interpretation.
Thus, Asterion’s nine lessons of "Salvation/Deliverance," spanning over thirty million cycles, finally came to a complete close.
The First Lesson, he learned to bear responsibility. From an ignorant youth to one bearing the world’s weight, he understood what mission meant.
The Second Lesson, he learned to manage pressure. Under the crushing weight of despair, he learned how to keep his spine from breaking.
The Third Lesson, he learned to accept loss. Facing irretrievable departures, he understood that protecting doesn’t mean possessing everything.
The Fourth Lesson, he learned to move forward amidst doubt. When faith wavered, when the path darkened, he still groped his way to the next step.
The Fifth Lesson, he learned to abandon perfection. He realized reality isn’t a fairy tale; the path of salvation is inevitably marked with flaws and regrets.
The Sixth Lesson, he learned to reflect on power and its price. He perceived the abyss behind power, and dared to demand its cost from fate.
The Seventh Lesson, he learned to love himself. Though the original intention was unclear, he began to embrace his scarred self.
The Eighth Lesson, he learned to define his own ’salvation.’ He rejected cold, symbolic saving, insisting on protecting every minute life.
As for the Final Lesson, he learned to listen to life’s own demands, to respect life’s original answers. He finally transformed completely from a solitary guiding star into a chord resonating with all beings.
Finally, future reader, whether you feel moved, sigh, resonate, or are puzzled when you see these dusty words, remember one more thing:
The one who wrote all this is "Phaethon of Aedes Elysiae."
Yes, it is as you suspect.
I am not the one holding the pen. I am the book itself. An epic of growth, inscribed with memory as paper and emotion as ink, chronicling the initial path of Asterion’s "Salvation/Deliverance."
Asterion drafted the first half for me, full of hope and naivety. And I, for his magnificent second half, narrate, bear witness, and seal away...
At the very end, let us return to the story’s beginning, the legend from the prologue—
What did those nascent children of men, longing to be loved and guided, actually find by the smooth, mirror-like lake of Okhema?
They found nothing...
No majestic figure. No solemn prophecy.
They only saw their own reflections in that clearest, purest lake water—the self that longed to be loved, and longed to love—
Only humanity itself understands best how to love humanity.
"Thirteen" is a false number.
The fabled Thirteenth Titan never existed in concrete form, yet has existed since the dawn of civilization.
That is— "Humanity."
It is humanity’s own choices, humanity’s love, humanity’s resistance, and humanity’s inheritance that together form the unbreakable spine of Amphoreus.
Humanity itself is the Titan of Amphoreus, and also their own—the Titan of "Humanity."
Thus, the book "Phaethon of Aedes Elysiae" is completely finished.
——At the end of the cycles, where the dawn arrives
By "Phaethon of Aedes Elysiae"
