III. God of the Suffering Abyss
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 bedroom 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 lay 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.”[1]
Dawn… Dawn?
If this puppet of destruction years 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!”[2]
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.”[3]
“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.