As I've Written/Amphoreus' Saga of Heroes.exe/Chapter 1

1-1

▶ ▶ In a corner of Okhema,
the newly arrived traveler stops for a moment.

▶ ▶ He rubs his eyes.
"One, two, three... There's three identical children?"

▶ ▶ The three children have differing smiles.
One is beaming, one has a shrewd grin, and one is smiling serenely,
yet each of them looks just as mysterious as the other two.

▶ "Stranger, welcome to the holy city!
We will show you the way forward."

1-2

▶ ▶ Tribios...
This name has not been mentioned for some time.

▶ ▶ Only the elderly priests of Janusopolis know
the true significance of this name.

▶ "High priest, please guide us once again as we spread our wings on this long journey."

▶ ▶ As music from his hometown plays,
the smiling children gather around the old man.

▶ ▶ They wish that the twilight breeze
will carry away all tales of sadness.

1-3

▶ ▶ The end times looms like a dark cloud,
hanging over the holy city's residents and shrouding them with worry.

▶ ▶ "Hello! Do you need our help?"
Like torches dancing in the wind,
The children illuminate the alley.

▶ ▶ They wipe away the women's tears,
babies sleep amidst whispers,

on the windowsill of those in prayer,
their light footprints remain.

▶ ▶ The citizens call them,
"The Three Pillars of Okhema."

Yet they simply shake their heads.
"There's no need to be so somber! How about we play a game together?"

1-4

▶ ▶ "Guess who we are?"
The three soared and landed in front of the townsfolk.

▶ ▶ "You're Trianne."
an old man says.

"No, we're Trinnon."
Trinnon is the quietest of the trio.

▶ ▶ "Are you Trinnon?"
a young girl asks.

"Wrong! We're actually Trianne!"
Trianne is the most spirited of the trio.

▶ ▶ "Then you must be Tribbie!"
a child shouts.

"You're right! Good job!"
Tribbie is as enthusiastic as she is adorable.

▶ ▶ It matters not whether they can tell the trio apart,
of most importance is their sincere smiles.

1-5

▶ ▶ "We will show you the path to take!"
The children fly ahead,
guiding the lost back to the main road.

▶ ▶ "So, you literally show people the right path to take?"

▶ "You're lucky,
you merely took a wrong turn."

▶ ▶ The children flew before me,
It was rare to see them so quiet.

▶ "However, there are many more unfortunate souls...
who have lost their direction in life."

2-1

▶ ▶ There was once a dying soldier on the battlefield,
who wished to bid farewell to his lover in a distant city, far away.

▶ ▶ The child leaned toward the soldier
and said nary a word
as she listened to his final words of comfort.

▶ ▶ As for the other two children, they were in the city,
beside a bed upon which a woman was lying in eternal rest,
wailing uncontrollably.

▶ ▶ Not only do the three children share each other's senses, their souls are also interconnected.
When one is filled with grief,
the other two will burst into tears as well.

2-2

▶ ▶ "Perhaps we should tell you some happy tales instead!"
The child wipes away her tears of reminiscence,

"Our greatest talent is performing Amphoreus' nursery rhymes"

▶ ▶ But those nursery rhymes,
have been told over and over...
that any literate child could recite them by heart.

▶ ▶ "How rude!"
The child gently flicks my forehead.

"You should be reflecting on the nursery rhyme author's heartfelt intentions instead!"

▶ ▶ In this lush land by gods chosen...
Giants raise their glasses in a toast...

2-3

▶ ▶ People commonly see the children
riding on enormous flaming torches,
looking like shooting stars blazing through the holy city.

▶ ▶ "How dangerous..."
An old man worriedly wishes the children to stop.

▶ ▶ "Not Trinnon."
The quiet child shakes her head.

▶ ▶ "That's Trianne!"
The exuberant child raises her hands.

▶ ▶ "Ahh! Stop nagging!"
The mischievous child pouts.

▶ "Can't I just play with something that I've created?"

2-4

▶ ▶ Every child in the world loves to play,
and Tribios is no exception.

▶ ▶ Every child in the world is afraid of pain,
yet Tribios tries to act tough.

▶ "Initially, there were many more of us."
"The others have merely... gone one step ahead."

▶ ▶ The children swore they were already adults,
yet when they carelessly hit the city gate,
they cried out in pain together.

2-5

▶ ▶ The tripartite prophecy
is but a distant ritual,

and the Chrysos War
a painful dream.

▶ ▶ Echoes from the Gate of Infinity
occasionally jolt her awake,

and the distant travels of her identical sisters
sometimes inspire uncertainty within her.

▶ ▶ A new journey only begins when the previous one comes to an end.
Despite time marching forward endlessly,
the children always manage to stay true to their hearts.

▶ ▶ They are all that remains of one another.
Their senses intertwined, their souls in communion.

3-1

▶ ▶ You shall part with your friends,
With your enemies,
With others,
And with yourself.

▶ "Tribios, you have already swallowed the fruit of fate."
"From now on you shall be as a school of birds without feet,"
"Flying toward tomorrow without a moment of repose."

▶ ▶ The Chrysos War's clamor rises and falls,
And when the children re-unite,
Only three of them remain.

3-2

▶ ▶ "We have heard of a Chrysos Heir."
The lively child says.

▶ ▶ That person tears open the barricade of the black tide,
Aims at the sky,
Wanting to contain the Coreflame in a sheath.

▶ "There will always be warriors like me,"
"Who believe in and are willing to protect the tomorrow they prophesy."

▶ ▶ But the crusading Chrysos Heir never returns.
The greedy ones then lift the crown with sharp blades,
And by power's lethality, they are one by one slain.

3-3

▶ ▶ "We remember a group of bards."
The taciturn child says.

▶ ▶ The bards compose songs for the children's prophecy,
And along the corpus of the Pillar of Stone,
Lay their footprints upon which ballads are carved.

▶ "Though we lack the might of swords and shields,"
"We can take you to walk every part of this world."

▶ ▶ Till many years later,
When the bards all return to their subterranean eternal rest,
The children sing the long, long songs,
And alone they bear memories of humanity.

3-4

▶ ▶ "We... Miss us."
The exuberant child says.

▶ ▶ When they left their home,
The passages blew the girl apart into countless turbulent bubbles,
Carried to all corners of the world on the winds of destiny.

▶ ▶ "We will run towards the world's agony."
The children cheer each other up.

▶ ▶ As the years pass and the sun and moon rise and fall,
The children often hear sounds of their friends shattering.

▶ ▶ Farewell. Farewell. Farewell —
The children who still walk the earth,
Silently hide their wrenching sobs.

3-5

▶ ▶ Upon the hills of Okhema once grew,
Golden figs as far as the eye could see.

▶ ▶ The remaining children link their hands
And decide to make this beautiful city,
The beginning of yet another journey.

▶ ▶ The children pull on the hem of the maiden's dress.
"Please. Listen to the prophecy we bring..."

▶ ▶ The maiden pulls on her silken threads,
Weaving in her heart,
The children's past into strings.

▶ "Chase the Coreflames with me."
"I promise that — "

▶ ▶ The libations poured are guaranteed to bear fruit.
The hot blood of the sacrificial lamb will not be spilled in vain.

4-1

▶ ▶ The gentle mother silently dreams,
And brings to her child a scent from the west wind's shore.

▶ ▶ Then she quietly departs,
And the only words her child hears,
Is a prophecy of forlorn melancholy.

▶ ▶ The slumber of Titans, the fragmented lullaby, the roar of the guards,
All merge into a torrential black tide,
That carries the first demigod,
From the past to the future —

▶ ▶ And that was,
The beginning of this long dream.

4-2

▶ ▶ In this tiny room,
She forged twenty years of her memories with time.

▶ ▶ Sometimes, the child does not understand —
The gates of worlds outside the window are so numerous,
Yet why can we not step within?

And if one cannot leave the tower,
What need is there to gaze into the distance via tomes?

▶ ▶ The mother smiles and does not answer,
Only using bedtime stories,
To once again gild another golden sheen of destiny,
To the Amphoreus of the child's dreams.

4-3

▶ ▶ Alas, the golden light of destiny,
Cannot illuminate the shadows of power and greed.

All it takes to rob the child of her only kin,
Is a letter of dark conspiracy.

▶ ▶ The culprit thought the murder had no flaws,
But was unaware that the lamb willingly stepped into the passage's dead end.

Before the priest met her demise,
The only thing her eyes contained was spite.

▶ ▶ Yet she leaves her final warmth and hope,
Embroidered into those dolls,
Leaving them behind for her innocent love.

4-4

▶ ▶ Loneliness stakes nightmares into the child's sleep,
And the child hugs those dolls tight.
"At the very least, we will never leave each other, right?"

▶ ▶ Oronyx softly signs,
And carefully lifts the curtain of time,
Presenting a crystal given in libation to the brave,
Before the doll holding a blade.

▶ ▶ The Titan loves this child born into sorrow,
But has no power to erase impeding tragedy in the morrow.

Only can they dispel the evening wind of the palace,
Giving the child solace in sweet dreams.

4-5

▶ ▶ "Turn back, chosen one."
The Titan's fading proclamation,
Cannot pull back the string of the girl's destiny.

▶ "All shall bid farewell to one, and that person alone will witness the miracle — "

▶ ▶ In the holy city adorned with falling flowers,
The children recall that prophecy,
Beside their friend that has passed away.

▶ ▶ But the girl had already passed through thousands of crossroads,
And continues to sail toward tomorrow —

▶ ▶ O, for that bright spot beyond,
Is the end of the west wind, where flowers bloom in spring.

5-1

▶ ▶ TThe solemn council is still filled with clamor.
Future's destiny still whirls in discussions of candor.
To discard the city and save oneself, or to chase the
flames that waver?
None knows the choice that would lead them to a place
better.

▶ "I fear... How can mere mortals defy the gods..."

"I worry... How can mortal bodies reforge the world
anew..."

"I suspect... That the prophecy is simply a rumor..."

▶ ▶ In the distant past,
The Holy Maiden brought the first prophecy to all city-states.

"Harken to the sounds that the doors whisper —"

▶ ▶ In the name of gods proper,
Hope, she will give to humanity.
Thought she falls into confusion,
She will bring guidance to this world in vigor.

▶ "Overthrow the gods, it declared."

5-2

▶ ▶ Of the previous journey she will always remain aware.
The queen of laws lifted the flag to chase the flames'
flare.
The tripartite prophecy guided all the world's heroes, all
who dared.
And building a new world was their oath of yesteryear.

▶ ▶ The hear roared for them.
The tides surged for them.
The scales of destiny shivered violently,
Then slowly calmed —

▶ ▶ The Coreflames of the Titans rested here.
While the blood of companions congealed over there.
The child led one hero after another to their end,
But no end awaits here. No rest to prepare.

▶ ▶ "Teacher, do not hesitate."
The Weaver of Gold brushes aside the child's tears.
"The world still walks on the path you indicate."
The prophecy still stands, even if the actors now
different faces wear:

▶ "Restore the Coreflames, it declared."

5-3

▶ ▶ The solemn council is still filled with clamor.
Future's destiny still whirls in discussions of candor.
To stop right there and seek peace, or to continue a work
still unfinished?
None knows the choice that would lead them to a place
better.

▶ "Stop! We only wish to live life as it is, no more."

"Cease! Our achievements already stand tall!"

"Rest up! We only wish to live in peace and prosperity!"

▶ ▶ The discussions today
Are the same as those in times past.
Retreating now
Will forever deny us the future.

▶ ▶ The child has already conquered her confusion and fear,
No longer before the mists of fate will she cower.
"Harken to the sounds that the doors whisper —"

▶ ▶ She travels through myriad passages,
Burning with determination, to once again bring light to
humans through her endeavor.

5-4

▶ ▶ The children fly into the streets,
Wishing to encourage the resident's faith.
"Please be not afraid..."
"We will definitely bring you to a new home!"

▶ "Lady Tribbie, Lady Trinnon, please don't cry."
"Do not worry. We trust you always."

▶ ▶ The matron wipes away the tears on the children's faces.
The praying ones piously bless them in faith.
The lost ones take the children's hands,
Just as the prophecy guides their path:

▶ "Bear the divine authority, it declared."

5-5

▶ "Quiet Trinnon has little to say,"

"Lively Trianne loves to play,"

"And well-behaved Tribbie roams around all day!"

▶ ▶ The people's encouragement rings sincere
The Chrysos Heirs' companionship lasts through the
years,
And Mother's embrace warms up every dream.

▶ ▶ Thus, the child understands —
Thus, the child accepts —
Thought countless farewells on her shoulder weigh,
Though destiny's blood dries like clay.

▶ ▶ There will always be passageways,
Filled with warm sun rays,
That silently open to them in future and past days,
And from them, a voice says:

▶ "Forge miracles, it declared."