As I've Written/Amphoreus' Saga of Heroes.exe/Chapter 3

1-1

▶ ▶ The gates of the Temple of the Three Fates,
Gently open on the day of prayer,
And the crowd crouched, whispering like the
tide.

▶ ▶ The priests of Janus listen to the prophecies,
The unwavering axis of the scales of Talanton
maintains balance,
And only Oronyx remains silent.

▶ ▶ "Mother, Mother, teach me... How to answer
prayers..."
The Titan tasked with "time" is as perplexed
as a child.

▶ ▶ "Don't be scared, please don't be afraid..."
A familiar voice rings out —

▶ ▶ "Listen carefully. The future they want is in the
past."
Like the first light of the morning star.

1-2

▶ ▶ "Really...? In the past..."
The child sank into a peaceful slumber of
recollection,
Whispering revelations in their sleep...

▶ ▶ Until the masses crying out amidst the flames
of war,
Were swept away by the sounds of sharp
swords locking,
The fires of ambition incinerating the "Law."

▶ ▶ "Mother, Mother, usurper... Assassinate the
divine body..."
Memories are tightly entangled by nightmares,
with nowhere to run...

▶ ▶ "Don't be scared, please don't be afraid..."
An unfamiliar voice rings out —

▶ ▶ "Go to sleep. The ending they want is yet to be
born."
Like the warm glow of the setting sun.

1-3

▶ ▶ "Really...? ...Not here yet..."
The child continues to sleep,
Waiting for the next waking dream.

▶ ▶ And when they opened their eyes,
Two of the Three Fates who once received
offerings,
Had already faded from the pages of history.

▶ ▶ "Mother, Mother, I'm... already all alone..."
The child let out a helpless cry.

▶ ▶ "Don't be scared, please don't be afraid..."
A familiar voice rings out in the mirror —

▶ ▶ "Just wait. The stars that illuminate the night
will visit in the end."
Like gentle moonlight.

1-4

▶ ▶ The gates of the Temple of the Three Fates
now closed tight.
People no longer pray to a Titan who cannot
touch the world.

▶ ▶ Within the inescapable dreamscape,
The flower stems nourished by the black tide
serve as a swaddling embrace,
Drowning the young child's soul.

▶ "Mother, Mother, help me... leave this place..."

▶ ▶ But this time, they didn't receive a response,
Only long years of yearning and pain...

▶ ▶ Like the silence of the Evernight.

1-5

▶ ▶ Days and nights passed, the years turned,
Dust covers the glory of the past,
The priests have forgotten this Titan —

▶ "Waiting... Hate, waiting..."

▶ ▶ They watched over the slumbering sprite,
Gazing at the dull mirror.

▶ ▶ But a fleeting mirage flickers in the mirror,
The shining stars and the lights of the home,
And a strange yet familiar voice —

▶ ▶ "Wake up. Our familiar old friends have
already arrived."
Like the newborn dawn.

2-1

▶ ▶ My friend,
Have you heard of the Rosy Celestial Maiden?

▶ ▶ Whether in a corner of the archives,
Or in the depths of a cave,
You can always find legends about her.

▶ ▶ She had hair like a rosy pink dawn,
And a smile that could thaw the most glacial ice.

▶ ▶ Some say she was Nikador's nemesis,
While others say Mnestia was infatuated with her.

▶ ▶ Oh, mysterious and beautiful celestial maiden,
How I wish to turn into a slate,
Forever etched with your tale.

2-2

▶ ▶ Many claim to have seen that celestial maiden,
Either in the half-remembered dreams of early morning,
Or in the gossip and whispers after supper.

▶ "She once whispered in my ear."
"She once saved my life."
"She gifted me an ice crystal!"

▶ ▶ Her worshipers recite her deeds,
Even writing some into family teachings.

▶ ▶ Curious poets ask up and down the land,
Only to find that the details of these encounters
Are difficult to recount even for the witnesses themselves.

▶ ▶ In the entire holy city,
There are none who can provide proof of her existence.

2-3

▶ ▶ It is not known since when
The celestial maiden was always mentioned together with Time.

▶ ▶ People recite her name during prayer
To beg for miracles to appear faster.
It is said that even in the selection of priests of Time
Girls with pink hair are preferred.

▶ ▶ "They still didn't pick me. Maybe I need to go dye my hair."
The brunette candidate was upset,
But the examiner responded with a smile:

▶ "Don't forget. That healer of twilight,"
"Has a head of pink hair,"
"But she is a descendant of the Sky."

2-4

▶ ▶ Scholars and poets discuss at length
The origins of the Rosy Celestial Maiden,
But all mothers tell the same tale...

▶ ▶ That princess came from beyond the sky.
Her shooting star,
like crystal ice, pierced the fog of the Veil of Evernight.

She made friends with the Titan,
And whenever the Month of Evernight descended,
They would meet again.

▶ ▶ The children love that tale.
Therefore, as the moon turned and shifted phases,
The story became true.

▶ ▶ But someone always questions, unable to read the air:

▶ "There are no worlds beyond the sky,
So how can the Rosy Celestial Maiden come from there?"

2-5

▶ "Rosy Celestial Maiden! A world beyond the sky!"

▶ ▶ The reckless adventurer takes out the photostone,
Claiming it is the true work of the Rosy Celestial Maiden.

▶ ▶ The citizens laugh at this tale
With few accepting it as true.

▶ ▶ After all, long before the "guests beyond the sky" arrived,
The legend of the Rosy Celestial Maiden had already covered the world.

▶ ▶ So, my friend,
Have you really heard of the Rosy Celestial Maiden?

3-1

▶ Before arriving at Amphoreus,
Our last stop was Dan Heng's homeland, a place called Xianzhou.

▶ "Xianzhou is just a general term. This starship is called 'the Luofu.'"
— Dan Heng

▶ I had some wonderful times there practicing swordplay.
By the way, which is stronger — the bow or the sword?

▶ ▶ "I'd say the sword. It can cleave a mountain in half!"
— (Trailblazer)

"You've been watching too many immersia."
— Dan Heng

"I've been working my butt off just to avoid using a bow."
— March 7th

"Come on. Let's become weapon masters together."
— (Trailblazer)

3-2

▶ To master a skill, one must first find a mentor,
And I ended up with two of them.
So sometimes I run laps, sometimes I lift weights,
And sometimes I do both at the same time.

▶ ▶ "Looking back now, those days were really fulfilling."
— March 7th

"No pain, no gain, am I right?"
— (Trailblazer)

▶ Between sword practice sessions, I occasionally hit up the food stalls in Aurum Alley
To recharge with some delicious eats.

▶ "Master Yunli was right.
These berrypheasant skewers are absolutely delicious!"
— March 7th

3-3

▶ Hard work pays off!
This girl's been up at the crack of dawn every day,
And finally defeated countless formidable foes!

▶ ▶ "I can testify. March really did defeat countless training dummies."
— (Trailblazer)

"Those wooden dummies aren't exactly easy to break... It takes real skill!"
— March 7th

3-4

▶ Every hero's story needs a villain,
And when it comes to
the great Heroine March 7th's nemesis,
It's definitely got to be Skott.

▶ ▶ "Rather than a freight skiff, maybe an IPC eco-ship would suit him better."
— (Trailblazer)

"Why?"
— Dan Heng

"After all, he's got a knack for talking like animals."
— (Trailblazer)

▶ During the decisive battle, I defeated Skott
With my epic move "Starshatter: Shard Supreme"!

▶ ▶ "Did you actually master that move?"
— (Trailblazer)

"Well, naming moves doesn't cost anything."
— March 7th

3-5

▶ There's still some space left,
And I just happened to find a nice photo.

▶ ▶ "The floor is yours, Master Dan Heng."
— (Trailblazer)

"Don't be ridiculous. It's clearly Dan Heng's brother here."
— March 7th

"As I thought, March has some hidden powers there, too."
— Dan Heng

4-1

▶ In memory of our first Trailblaze together, the three of us.

▶ "On average, we got a wanted poster
For every three planets we visited."
— Dan Heng

"If I could've used my hidden powers back then,
They wouldn't have dared to draw me this ugly~"
— March 7th

4-2

▶ Playing hide-and-seek with Hook was fun.
Those kids under her command have quite the hidden talent.

▶ ▶ "When both players in Hide-and-Seek are experts,
It will turn into a contest of who can last longer without food."
— (Trailblazer)

▶ On the day the Overworld and Underworld were connected,
I, too, took a seat on the first cable car.

▶ ▶ "The chairs were so hard that day. My butt was killing me!"
— March 7th

"Let me teach you a trick — just keep standing instead."
— (Trailblazer)

"Then how can you even call that 'sitting' in a cable car!"
— March 7th

4-3

▶ For the sake of walking smoothly towards tomorrow,
We sealed away the truth of the decisive battle,
Along with our memories, in a box.

▶ The juice that day was delicious. I want to drink it again.

▶ ▶ "That's Jim Roger Bread Soda."
— Dan Heng

"And what's with that March 7th-themed blue and pink color in there?"
— (Trailblazer)

"That's just food coloring."
— Dan Heng

"Hey, you two! Don't ruin the nostalgic mood!"
— March 7th

4-4

▶ Visiting Jarilo again for the Solwarm Festival,
I put on some pretty clothes specially for the occasion.

▶ ▶ "Look! Don't I look like a princess?"
— March 7th

"So that's how you've seen yourself all this time..."
— Dan Heng

"I want to change my clothes and become a devil, too."
— (Trailblazer)

▶ Little ice bear, sweet little snow-white ice bear,
I wonder if it's found any friends yet?

▶ ▶ "I think I saw it in Penacony."
— (Trailblazer)

"Hey, why don't we turn it into a universal social media star?"
— (Trailblazer)

"That niche is already dominated by Trotters."
— Dan Heng

4-5

▶ That big guy who once raised his fists against us
Is now the hope for Belobog's revival.

▶ ▶ "Mr. Yang was practically drooling watching that."
— (Trailblazer)

"Too bad he wasn't there that time."
— March 7th

"Not necessarily."
— Dan Heng

▶ By next time we visit Jarilo,
Will it have turned into an ocean planet?

▶ ▶ "Then wouldn't those polar bears have to be renamed water bears?"
— (Trailblazer)

"The data shows that Jarilo's environment is slowly recovering.
But the ice shouldn't melt too quickly."
— Dan Heng

"Time to remove those floaties from the shopping cart."
— (Trailblazer)

5-1

▶ I heard I was once frozen in this ice block,
Drifting all over the universe?

▶ ▶ "That's one way to go on a 'Cosmic Hitchhike.'"
— (Trailblazer)

"If the conductor hadn't hit the brakes back then,
I probably would've punched a hole right through the car, huh?"
— March 7th

"Stop being dramatic. The Express was the one that actively scooped you up."
— Dan Heng

5-2

▶ I remember there was some Six-Phased Ice left after it melted,
I used it to make a little figurine.

▶ ▶ "Mr. Yang explained that it's called a 'figure,'
and then made me watch anime with him all night."
— March 7th

"That's the highest honor he can bestow."
— Dan Heng

"I want a figurine too!"
— (Trailblazer)

▶ Every morning, the Express Crew has breakfast together,
but... they're not always on time.

▶ ▶ "I can't help it. I'm still sleepy~"
— March 7th

"Next time, get up earlier and set an alarm."
— Dan Heng

"People who can get up right as soon as their alarm goes off are terrifying!"
— (Trailblazer)

"This kind of person is capable of anything."
— March 7th

5-3

▶ My camera's full of Pom-Pom's photos,
It's so much fun dressing up the conductor!

▶ "Pom-Pom used to have a turtleneck uniform,
but they've rarely worn since March arrived."
— Dan Heng

▶ I love my room so much.
I tidy it up every single day.

▶ ▶ "Looking at it now, that photo wall must be the power of memories."
— Dan Heng

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask — where's the wardrobe?"
— (Trailblazer)

"Take a guess."
— March 7th

5-4

▶ I remember Taikiyan, my most "Trailblaze-y" of trailblazes.
That... That "grand debut" cost me quite a few credits.

▶ ▶ "So, what exactly happened?"
— (Trailblazer)

"I saw a ball by the road, so I just casually kicked it."
— March 7th

"And then — bam! It flew right into the ceiling, through the venue."
— Dan Heng

"And scored a hundred points too!"
— March 7th

5-5

▶ ▶ "We'll travel together forever and ever."
— March 7th

"That line sounds familiar..."
— (Trailblazer)

▶ Memories weave the past, bit by bit.
They stretch long behind me,
Like shadows on the path I've walked.
I wonder... what stories will the future me create?