As I've Written/Amphoreus' Saga of Heroes.exe/Chapter 12

1-1

▶ ▶ A thief tells a few stories —

▶ "The first story is titled:"
"The Golden Apple? It doesn't have to go to the fairest."

▶ ▶ That city is named Paphas,
Where the golden light of Mnestia shines.

The Golden Apple Tree sits in the city's middle,
Only the fairest can pluck its apples.

▶ ▶ The beauty pageant begins on time,
As the fair ones stretch their supple arms,
Trying to pluck the fruits above their heads.

Yet every time the apples come within reach,
A breeze blows the fruit away without a trace.

▶ ▶ The audience in displeasure disbands,
With only one girl left standing there, her features bland —

Yet to her surprise she finds,
Her arms full of golden fruits, a harvest grand.

1-2

▶ "The second story is titled:"
"Trying to argue? Don't trick yourself, please."

▶ ▶ That city is named Idilia,
Where Cerces' roots bury deep and wide.

The sophist scholar holds a tortoise aloft,
But his theories? Common sense bereft —

▶ ▶ "Even the best athlete
could never catch up to this turtle."

None can overturn him in arguments,
And he obtains the champion's crown in merriment.

▶ ▶ Yet as he is about to leave,
A wind blows the tortoise in front of him.

And behold, his paradox becomes truth —
To catch up to the turtle, an entire day and night he spends.

1-3

▶ "The third story I will tell is titled:"
"A competition in trickery? Who do you think is the grandmaster?"

▶ ▶ That city is named Dolos,
Where even Zagreus was once tricked.

The king promises to reward the perfect lie,
Wishing to recreate the deceit of the Titan, his grand feat.

▶ ▶ "I think the world is a gourd!"
"In truth, we are all already dead!"

The liars take their turns in the challenge,
But no one pleases the king.

▶ ▶ With a gust of wind, the girl emerges before the king's face.
And when she leaves, she already has the king's promised gold in a pouch.

The others are curious as to what lie she raised.
"Zagreus can only tell lies,
And I am Zagreus."

1-4

▶ "The fourth story is called:"
"You like money? Good. But you must pay the price."

▶ ▶ That city is called Mythemis,
Where the sea breeze intoxicates the people with delight.

A wealthy penny-pincher prays to the Titan:
"Please, give me the power to turn anything into gold!"

▶ ▶ With a breeze, the rock in his hand turns to gold.
But his joy is fleeting to behold —
For with one embrace, his wife turns into coins, scattered on the soil.

▶ ▶ He howls at Phagousa to retract the blessing
But sees a girl in a hood in passing.

The girl laughs hilariously, holding his hand in hers.
"Go back and check your vault.
Some gold may be missing."
"But your beloved is right there, waiting."

1-5

▶ "Cifera, you took another long journey."
"And we want to hear... Your fun stories!"

▶ ▶ The girl with the hood dangles her feet in the bath,
As two coins dance and fly between her fingers.

"Basically, I visited four places."
"Tricked them to my heart's content... And came back fully rewarded."

▶ ▶ The girl pauses her words and looks out the window,
As the light above the Titan's shoulder casts her right cheek aglow.

▶ "The dawn will never cease, and the Thief Star wanders in foreign lands."
"How would you know that I am not lying right now?"

2-1

▶ ▶ In Dolos' suburbs,
In a tiny weaving workshop.

▶ ▶ The silk-weaving old woman busies herself within,
As her smart child wanders outside on a whim.

▶ ▶ The silk pours from the loom,
Some bright as the dawn, some dark as the night.

▶ ▶ The woman had lived her whole life in poverty,
Yet through her business, she never deceives.

▶ "Good child, listen to me..."
"Never lie and speak deceit, for people like you only due to honesty."

▶ ▶ The girl smiles and nods,
But her heart is drawn to the boundless desires of the bustling streets.

▶ ▶ And the grandmother is unaware,
That her hand-made white dress has been stained by the mud of conceit.

2-2

▶ ▶ "Madam, what is a bundle of white silk's price?"
"Sir, only 2,000 Balance Coins."
An honest price tag,
Can only meager profit obtain.

▶ ▶ "If we keep selling cloth like this, we'll stay poor for the rest of our lives!"
The girl complains to her grandmother,
While sprouting countless plots and petty tricks.

▶ ▶ The woman smiles and does not reply,
Only weaving with night-shaded silk,
A suave hooded robe for her little spark.

▶ "Why don't you take some of our goods
And go into the city tomorrow to try out those pranks?"

2-3

▶ ▶ The mesmerizing moneyed charm of Dolos city
Turns minds and tongues into a whirlwind of confusion.

▶ ▶ Even the girl who prided herself on sharp ears and a clever tongue
Could not contend with the myriad shifting face before her.

▶ ▶ She returns penniless and furiously seethes —
"I vow to the god of thieves that I will eventually empty those people's pockets!"

▶ ▶ Smiling, her grandmother stops her silk work,
And offers some dinner with humble dish.
"Silly child, don't let Titans hear such vows and promises."

▶ ▶ Yet when the moon rises,
A magnificent pin graces the old lady's pale locks.

▶ ▶ The girl smiles at the old woman, now stunned in shock —
"I actually did return with some catch."

2-4

▶ ▶ The brilliance adorning her white hair drew all eyes,
And its proud original owner arrived to stake their claim.

▶ ▶ The bet that the girl won with a brilliant trick
Is described as a thief's loot through lying schemes.

▶ ▶ The old woman, in her panic, shouldered the blame,
Confirming a sin that was but a fabrication.
"By Dolos's laws, we must also execute all her family!"

▶ ▶ To protect the girl, the old woman reveals the final secret unseen:
"She's not my family, but just an orphan picked from the street on a whim."

▶ ▶ People thought this to be a lie,
But the girl knows her grandmother cannot deceive.
Just like how she always glossed over questions about parents and kin —

▶ ▶ "Your parents... went to a city-state far away."
The girl never bothered to unravel the threadbare lie.

2-5

▶ "Stop! Stop right there, you thief!"
"Run. Run as fast as you can... Cifera."

▶ ▶ The lies overthrow the shop,
And tear apart the good woman's good name,
Leaving the girl with guilt and grief.

▶ ▶ The hearth of her home was a lie,
Doused by another conceit.
But if her sleight of hand had better skill,
Would it have made that fire burn forever?

▶ ▶ The girl pulls down the hood and sinks into the starless dark.
"I vow to the god of thieves..."
And from that day, she never left empty-handed, her words woven with deceit.

▶ ▶ However, back then the girl did not realize
That the people did not covet one simple pin,
But the golden blood flowing beneath her skin.

3-1

▶ ▶ If every single scar
Equals a coin,
Then the girl, always pursued,
Would be worth her weight in gold.

▶ ▶ Deception, theft, and night heists—
But her nerves failed her when it mattered most.

▶ ▶ The girl clutches meager loot to her chest,
And escapes, muttering curses, bearing her pain.

▶ ▶ "If it were head-on, I'd definitely win next time!"
She always longs for the Coin of Whimsy's blessing and creed.

▶ ▶ Yet the coin in the air always suddenly disappears,
As if in reply from the Trickery Titan.

3-2

▶ ▶ Day and night flow,
And the Thief Star makes circles across the sky,
While time molds the girl into an adult.

▶ ▶ The cloak once used to conceal her entire body
Now only suffices as a hood that barely covers her fringe.

▶ ▶ "No matter — these days, I have no need to hide!"
With a confident stride and a silver tongue.
Her perfected fraud thieving every opportunity as a result.

▶ ▶ And at Curtain-Fall Hour,
Those treasure-seeking steps fade into the moonlight.
When she appears again,
Her arms are laden with money's weight.

3-3

▶ ▶ What is the art of thieving?
"Stealing from the poor? Not enough loot."
"Stealing from the rich? That's a boring task to boot."

▶ ▶ The girl narrows her eyes of greed,
Towards those called the Chrysos Heirs.

▶ ▶ The golden vines of the sages' homes,
The sacred carcass of the deathward realm.
The divine lyre of the seashore's pearl
And the crystal chalice of the thousand gates...

▶ ▶ The girl knows not the treasure's origins.
Only that they are all valuable beyond measure.

▶ "To have something priceless is the true art of thieving!"

3-4

▶ ▶ A pity that deceits are all eventually revealed,
And the thief meets a rare defeat.

▶ ▶ A golden thread discerns her meticulous disguise,
And the heroes hold down her third hand,
To imprison in this Thief Star made of human feat.

▶ ▶ "I take defeat with my head held high. Spare me your sympathy."
She frankly faces the accusations,
Knowing that escaping would be nothing more than child's play.

▶ ▶ So the Chrysos Heir outside the cage smiles sweet:
"Would you like to see my most precious, a treasure bright?"

3-5

▶ ▶ It is a dress,
Like the beauty god Mnestia's divine body.

▶ ▶ More blinding than the sun,
Rivaling the moon in its glory.

▶ "It is woven by divine threads, it captivates even the gods.
But all the lies and deceit are revealed under the golden thread's query."

▶ ▶ The world-famous thief
Is stirred by such grand words into a flurry.

▶ "Then, just you watch..."
This wondrous dress will forever remain in my own gallery.

4-1

▶ ▶ This is an age of ruin—
The Chrysos War ignites once more,
While Zagreus's taunts ripple through the city streets.

▶ ▶ This is also an age of splendor—
Three hundred thieves spring forth from Dolos,
Each scheming to conceal the truth from prying eyes,
Robbing the rich to give succor to the poor.

▶ ▶ "Every one of them deceives gods and men alike, righteous and valiant."
The Flame-Chase journey has been cut short midway,
Yet the girl pounds her chest at the Goldweaver, not afraid.

▶ "The Coreflame of 'Trickery' is near!
If now isn't the time to risk it all, then when?"

4-2

▶ ▶ The prophecy reveals the Titan's trail,
Golden threads bind the fleeing god of thieves.

▶ "Nice trick, but why not release me...
I can show you where all buried treasures lie!"

▶ ▶ The young girl flashed a grin,
And walked towards the god who was pretending to smile.

▶ "I once vowed to the god of thieves..."
"That I would force 'Trickery' to reap what they have sown!"

4-3

▶ ▶ The Titan whispered from the vortex,
The god of Trickery's earnest plea.

▶ ▶ They made a promise to the girl who entered the trial,
That the whole world would be bathed in light, no more lies and deceit.

▶ "If my divine authority is not inherited,
Shadowed lies shall never again be born.
And I, even having lost the Coreflame,
May yet scrape out survival here, in secret."

▶ ▶ The young girl recalled the hearth fire of her childhood.
"Cifera, only honesty is well-liked."

▶ ▶ She pursed her lips,
"That does sound like..."
"Quite the ideal society."

4-4

▶ "Of course I didn't accept.
How boring would a world without deception be?"

▶ ▶ The young girl demonstrated her newly acquired divine power,
Molding lies into reality.

▶ "The defeated Titan is now naught but a wandering soul..."

▶ ▶ But somewhere far away,
A purple Spirithief opened bleary eyes.

▶ ▶ They had forgotten their previous life as a Titan,
And remembered only the girl's crafty message:

▶ "Go, collect treasure, you greedy little grape.
Once you regain the memories of 'Trickery' from chests,
Then I will claim the reward for saving your life."

4-5

▶ ▶ In the days spent away from Okhema,
The girl grew accustomed to traveling alone.

▶ ▶ In a certain city,
She heard of a Spirithief, rumors aplenty.

▶ "Hehe! I, Bartholos, master thief,
Shall take all you've labored to gain!"

▶ ▶ So saying,
The Spirithief steals the girl's coin pouch and fled without a trace.

▶ ▶ But a gust of wind brushed past,
And the girl had already caught them.
"Running for it? Your life was saved by my 'trickery,' you know."

▶ ▶ The old god and the new finally reunite,
The two rivals who, from that moment on, became thieves and companions both.

▶ ▶ It's just that the Spirithief's "companion" was always scaring them—
"Hey, the fish in the River of Souls are starving, y'know!"

5-1

▶ ▶ A thief reveals a few lies —

▶ "The first lie is called..."

▶ "Fellow thieves, come on and deceive gods with me!"

▶ ▶ The world has already forgotten that feast —

Lies unnumbered that drowned the day of souls,
Schemes uncounted,
Burning for a night of revelry.

▶ ▶ Three hundred thieves shackled in imprisonment,
In exchange for a Titan's resigned confinement.

▶ "To have managed to trick the grandmaster of all tricks..."
"I can die happy now!"

▶ ▶ This was Dolos's great achievement, the deception of the gods,
Where even Zagreus was fooled.

5-2

▶ "The second lie is called..."

▶ "The God of Trickery is now naught but a wandering soul..."

▶ ▶ Why did she spare the Titan's life?
The young girl knew not, even after asking herself.

▶ ▶ Was it greed for the treasure they promised,
Or had she vaguely perceived their lonely fate?

▶ "It's because you're every bit as despicable as I am."
"It's such a relief not having to deal with the noble."

▶ ▶ The girl dismissed
And made light of herself,
Only forgetting,
Trickery was once a god that supported the world.

5-3

▶ "The third lie is called..."

▶ "O Eternal Day, endlessly illuminate the holy city!"

▶ ▶ At Dawncloud,
The chaplain's secrets,
Foretold the coming of that endless night.

▶ "But if my lies are more sophisticated,"
"Can the dawn last forever, no end in sight?"

▶ ▶ Bearing the fate of the Thief Star,
The girl was long used to walking in shadow.

▶ ▶ But as she gazed towards the holy city's dawn,
Her duty became fixed in her heart, stalwart in might.

5-4

▶ "The fourth lie is called..."

▶ "There's no reason. I just don't want to see you again."

▶ ▶ The girl tried to mask her nonchalance,
But could never fool the golden thread's questions.

▶ ▶ But it is the false-hearted malice
That most powerfully forces belief.

▶ ▶ A true Flame-Chase hero willingly faded from attention,
While the wayfaring traveler grasps tight onto fleeting light.

▶ ▶ She used divine power to forge a mask,
And conceal the last of her true heart.

5-5

▶ "The fifth lie is called..."

"No. There are no more lies left."

▶ ▶ The whimsical coin fell to the ground,
Telling the tale of fate fulfilled.

▶ ▶ Travels unwitnessed,
ruses unknown,
To whom may these now be told?

▶ "Lies are always but lies..."
"But you can make them more beautiful than the truth."

▶ ▶ Under the somber sky,
Golden blood soaked the thief's cloak —

▶ ▶ Like a golden thread, tailored just for her,
An exquisite robe, that she never stole.