As I've Written/Amphoreus' Saga of Heroes.exe/Chapter 4

1-1

▶ ▶ The ancient chaos was shrouded in silence and shadow,
The giant dragon's offspring was born from the earth.

▶ ▶ Sweet dreams had smothered the giant dragon's eyes and ears,
And as they slept,
The hundred eyes of Aquila had already opened,
And Phagousa had begun to stir the playful waves.

▶ ▶ Yet Georios remained weighty and silent.
Layer upon layer of peaks enveloped the dragon,
Cradling them in a bed more grand than any in existence.

1-2

▶ ▶ The giant dragon spent their childhood in darkness.

▶ ▶ From the moment their bleary eyes blinked open from haze of slumber,
they hungered to feast on crude iron, and drink deep of molten lava.

▶ ▶ Until one day, they raised their head,
And with a low, guttural voice,
Pleaded to glimpse light.

▶ ▶ The Titan lifted them up by their ribs, slowly raising them,
The dragon's spine sliced through the strata of rock, cutting open the soil.

▶ ▶ When they reached the surface,
They summoned mist woven of the fire of the stars,

▶ ▶ As though seeing themself clearly and in full,
Through the eyes of a giant bird.

1-3

▶ ▶ The giant dragon walked the earth alone.
The Titan knew they were lonely and terrified too,
And so sculpted new beasts from flesh and bone.

▶ ▶ In that wild, barren world,
The giant dragon led the beasts of the earth.
Excessively long life,
Gifted the giant dragon with eyes that could pierce the veil of years.

▶ ▶ They witnessed the separation of day and night,
As well as the entanglement of reason and romance.

▶ ▶ And even Kephale,
Did not neglect to share with them a chalice of golden blood.

▶ ▶ The ocean teased, saying,
Even should the earth sink utterly,
They would not rot.

1-4

▶ ▶ Ever since they opened their eyes,
The giant dragon rarely returned to slumber.

▶ ▶ And thusly, that mesmerizing dream that occasionally burst forth at night,
Etched a trace on their memory.

▶ ▶ The gods they were familiar with were in this dream,
And they were as immense and imposing as ever,
Yet had lost their freedom.

▶ ▶ Just what manner of magnificent pathstrider,
Could imprison the Titans as mere reflections?

1-5

▶ ▶ The giant dragon dreamed also of their own path,
That great breath from the heavens,
Or perhaps from beyond even the heavens.

▶ ▶ They dreamed of silver shards amongst the stars,
Reflecting the form of another giant dragon.

▶ ▶ That great cerulean dragon,
Approached Amphoreus,
The distant whispers roiling,
Becoming a roar engraved in the earth.

▶ ▶ They recognized the meaning in that low roar —
Its name, "Permanence."

2-1

▶ "You are the oldest of countless beings"
"And must protect these brothers and sisters..."

▶ ▶ In the years spent wandering the earth,
The Giant Dragon always remembered the Titan's words for their worth.

▶ ▶ The beasts of the land surrounded it in protection,
While twisted (beings/being) shuffled and roared,
And delicate chimeras climbed up its shoulders.

▶ ▶ After, the tiny humans came into being.
They dashed alongside the Giant Dragon,
Then in the blink of an eye, disappeared across the land.

▶ "What a beautiful era of peace..."

▶ ▶ Yet the deep irises of the Giant Dragon saddened in gloom.
The ancient creature saw, earlier than the Titan did,
Hidden in the deep ocean, the incoming doom.

2-2

▶ ▶ The Giant Dragon recalled,
At the moment that Strife was born,
The Chalice of Plenty sighed,
And the heretical tide spread from the seabed.

▶ ▶ Bearing their bone-gnawing pain and agony,
Georios tightened every fiber in their body,
No longer hearing the call of their creations clearly.

▶ ▶ "Your pain cannot save the lives in this world."
The Giant Dragon once swore an oath at the Titan's breast.

▶ ▶ And now, the dragon silently turned and departed,
Leaving the plateaus and mountains of a secluded world,
And entering the bustling cities humankind crowded.

2-3

▶ ▶ Thousands of years later, the Giant Dragon realized,
Those tiny creations of Kephale,
Had rooted their civilization in time.

▶ ▶ "H—How can there be such a huge dromas!?"
"Dromas? No. That's a walking mountain of gold!"

Curious residents were amazed at its appearance,
While greedy brokers calculated its value.

▶ ▶ Yet the Giant Dragon simply walked in leisure,
Not harming a single building of any stature,
Nor paying heed to anyone.

▶ ▶ It quietly listened to the people's language,
And its form dissolved in the flames of war.

2-4

▶ ▶ Many years later, Aquila closed their eyes,
And the Giant Dragon's steps were finally halted.

▶ ▶ A swordmaster who broke the waves stopped its way,
And a ruler, commander of the chess board, looked up with inquiry.

▶ ▶ "Are you the dromas that has been attacking all states?"
The commander invited the Giant Dragon to hunt the divine flames together.

▶ ▶ The Giant Dragon nodded,
But it did not look at the commander,
And never mentioned where it came from.

▶ ▶ Its timeless sight,
Had already seen past the Flame-Chase's final plight...

2-5

▶ "Georios shall be executed here!"

▶ ▶ The Titan, in a painful daze, closed their eyes with a sigh...
"I do not blame you... wild ancestor of all souls."

▶ ▶ Suddenly, the mountains shook and the land cracked.
The wounds dealt by the black tide, once mended by the Titan,
Now tore the land apart again.

▶ ▶ The calamity of lands asunder...
Who should shoulder such a duty?
The Giant Dragon sunk into the earth in answer.

▶ ▶ For the earth was the breast of Georios,
And the dragon's birthplace.

▶ ▶ And from that day forth, Amphoreus had a new legend...
Of how a giant dragon collected the broken lands,
And once again made the earth whole.

3-1

▶ ▶ Another century of the Chrysos War.
Rust, wails, and the blood of living souls,
Seep into the Earth, into the Giant Dragon's decaying bones and flesh.

▶ ▶ The trembling bedrock is the Giant Dragon's eyes —
They see dromases reduced to laborers and food,
Mythical beasts turned into weapons of war.

▶ ▶ War and flames extinguish all their siblings,
Yet the Giant Dragon is powerless.
Left only with bitter silence,
And memories filled with guilt.

▶ ▶ For Earth's trial
Is to bear the anguish of every living being that walks its surface.

3-2

▶ ▶ Upon the edge of doomsday,
The Giant Dragon's will lies shattered, its scales broken.

▶ ▶ What greeted them,
Is not a flower-covered Era Nova...
But a long-fallen black sword.

▶ "Though we... are strangers..."
"Please... surrender the Coreflame... for the Dawn."

▶ ▶ Dawn... Dawn?
If this puppet of destruction yearns for Dawn,
Then what awaits...
At the end of the Flame-Chase?

▶ ▶ The torment of the black tide,
The sacrifice of their kin...
Is it an undeserved destiny,
Or merely futile lament?

3-3

▶ ▶ "I... won't... accept this!"
The twisted rocks rise like a roaring tide.
Yet the swordmaster shows no fear, merely sighs,
As if long accustomed to such sights.

▶ ▶ The rusted joints are shattered one by one.
The cracked husk peels away,
Spilling golden blood...

▶ ▶ The earthquake that engulfs Amphoreus
Lasts for three days and nights.

▶ ▶ In its final moments of defiance,
The Giant Dragon suddenly realizes —

▶ ▶ This Flame-Chase...
Is nothing but the kindling of self-pity,
The breeding ground for calamity.

3-4

▶ ▶ Yet, Earth's end,
Is not dimmed by the shadow of the dark blade.

▶ ▶ In that special recurrence,
The blazing sun extinguishes itself to set "the Destruction" aflame.

▶ ▶ At that time, as the Giant Dragon sinks into the earth,
Still chewing on the pain of betrayal,
It hears the footsteps of "Evernight."

▶ "I need a helper..."
"To watch over Time until the very end."

▶ ▶ "Evernight" waves her sleeve,
Bathing the Giant Dragon in a memoria tide —

▶ ▶ And so, the Giant Dragon sees the past and present of Earth,
And understands that the starry sky is forever out of reach.

3-5

▶ ▶ The 33,550,337th Eternal Recurrence,
The Demigod Terravox feigns their fall,
Using the tides of memories to dilute their existence,
Forging an ark with Earth's Coreflame.

▶ ▶ In that thousand years of defiance,
Heroes of golden blood meet their tragic end,
While the Giant Dragon remains deaf to their plight,
Only silently gathering their exiled kin.

▶ ▶ The pact with Evernight is simple —
Time would erase the pain of Earth,
And cradle it in peaceful slumber among its own.

▶ ▶ And Earth shall become Time's ally,
For it alone can keep watch...
Until the end of the world.

4-1

▶ ▶ The Flame-Chasing heroes once scorned the Giant Dragon,
For they refused to crush any foe beneath their feet.

▶ "A foolish earth-beast..."
"A heretic who refuses to serve the Flame-Chase!"

▶ ▶ After staying for several days,
The Giant Dragon bids farewell to the Imperator,
"The Flame-Chase... is a glory that belongs only to the children of humanity."

▶ "You are a benevolent beast,"
"I had no intention of keeping you captive."

▶ "A decree to protect innocent lives is about to be issued..."
"All I ask is that you lend a hand to the Flame-Chase in the future."

4-2

▶ ▶ Losses are a constant on the Flame-Chase journey,
Yet the Giant Dragon remembers their creator's command.

▶ ▶ After leaving the Imperator's capital,
The Giant Dragon shelters small beasts upon its back,
Only to be hunted by city-states hungry for meat.

▶ ▶ Arrows pour down like rain, unable to pierce the Giant Dragon's skin,
Yet cause the creatures on their back to wail and fall.

▶ ▶ Until a mighty force of reinforcements
Brings this tragedy to an end —

▶ ▶ They raised a shield wall for the Giant Dragon,
Then marched forth and crushed that city-state.

▶ "The Mountain Dwellers... are not a warlike people. Who are you?"

▶ ▶ The leading knight answered loudly:
"I am Mountainbreaker, Geocles."

4-3

▶ ▶ All the world knows,
That protecting all of Earth's creations
Is the creed of the Dromas Legion.

▶ ▶ The world also knows,
The Dromas Legion is ever-victorious —
The Giant Dragon under the "Mountainbreaker,"
Is silent... yet unstoppable.

▶ ▶ "Endurance does not help with survival."
Mountainbreaker always speaks of his friend this way,
While the Giant Dragon only responds with a low growl.

▶ ▶ Soon after, when word came that the Flame-Chasing Army targeted Earth,
The Dromas Riders set forth in full force,
All to protect their creator.

▶ ▶ On the eve of the march, the Giant Dragon receives a secret message.

▶ "Your one and only Flame-Chase..."
"Must be to slay your creator, and then fight to survive."

4-4

▶ ▶ Records state: In the battle of the abyss,
The Dromas Riders were broken after Terravox's betrayal,
The Mountainbreaker shed his armor and fell from the cliffs to his end.

▶ ▶ Earth carved the memories of the betrayal into its strata,
Until "Evernight" would leaf through them.

▶ "O Earth, Time is willing to wash away that pain of betrayal."

▶ ▶ As a memosprite,
The mighty Mountainbreaker reunites with the Giant Dragon.
His voice trembles in a whisper:
"...That couldn't have been your choice."

▶ ▶ The Giant Dragon only responds with a low growl.

4-5

▶ ▶ The Giant Dragon and their comrade dwell in the Abyss for a thousand years.
Until the Azure Dragon returns from among the stars,
Stirring up the dust of destiny.

▶ ▶ "He is one of our kind..."
The Giant Dragon lifts their eyelids, gazing at the azure-colored Long's Scion,
Knowing that dragon's body bears the sworn duty of protection.

▶ ▶ But in Mountainbreaker's eyes, there is only resolute determination.
"That is the Permanence!"

▶ ▶ The Permanence can heal the divine form of the Giant Dragon,
The Permanence can guide life past its end.

▶ ▶ At the edge of the world,
Watching their comrade's silhouette fade away,
The dying Giant Dragon shakes its head and sighs.

▶ "The Permanence is not a panacea..."
"But rather a bridge."

5-1

▶ Years later, gazing up at the vast starry night sky,
I often ponder.
What does the Permanence truly mean?

▶ The countless souls entrusted by Terravox
Still surge within my chest,
Like an eternally burning furnace.

▶ I once thought about finding them a home,
And tried to communicate with them in my heart.

▶ And yet, the living beings of this world,
they are now inseparable from me.
As if from the very beginning,
they were a branch of my own bloodline.

5-2

▶ "Inseparable?"
After I told everyone,
A heated discussion broke out in the Express car.

▶ "Will you turn into a Little Chimera,"
"And snuggle up in our arms...?"
March 7th lets her imagination run wild.

▶ "Maybe he'll become a baby seal."
"A magical beast would be fine too... I've always wanted to see that species."
These are the reassuring words from Himeko and Mr. Yang.

▶ ▶ "No matter what he becomes, Dan Heng will always be Dan Heng."
Hmm. (His/Her) words are unusually poetic.

▶ ▶ "But if you become a dromas,"
"You absolutely must let me feed you redsoil!"

▶ "...Don't you even think about it."

5-3

▶ Sometimes I have dreams like this —
Countless beings flee alongside me,
Behind us,
Black floods blot out the sky,
As if to devour all signs of life.

▶ In our darkest hour,
The living beings form a bridge of dragons,
And I lead them limping towards the starry sky.

▶ At the end of the vast procession,
A lone giant dragon comes to a halt,
Watching us depart into the distance.

▶ "The children of Earth will always find their own path..."
"Thank you for being their bridge."

▶ Something stirs within me
At the moment of awakening.
Perhaps the legacy of the Permanence
Lies not in recreating flesh,
Nor in the merging of bloodlines.

5-4

▶ One day, while browsing through the data bank,
I noticed an update on the universe's animal species —

▶ In an ocean-covered planet,
A new species of seals evolved, with a penchant for bumping into things.

▶ On a barren desert wasteland,
Evolved a herd of redsoil-craving beasts...

▶ Many familiar silhouettes,
Are now active in the cosmic ecosystem,
Yet they are not my old Amphorean friends.

▶ This is their rebirth,
This is life's way forward.

5-5

▶ Perhaps, just as Terravox wished,
I've become a bridge bearing the weight of their life?

▶ They once shattered the battle formation of the Mountain Dwellers,
Tore open Georios's chest,
Swallowed the Coreflame, only to resolutely pass it on.

▶ Creation will always betray its creator.
Just as witnessed at the dawn of civilization —

▶ Frail beings betrayed the dark tides,
Climbing onto land, ascending the branches high,
Finally betraying their home and gazing upon the stars.

▶ The furnace in my chest still pulses.
In the gaps between the heated torrents,
I sometimes find myself in a daze,
Catching glimpses of that colossal figure in the cosmos's cracks —

▶ It was a giant dragon,
named the Permanence.