Chapter Text
INT. ASTRAL EXPRESS DATA BANK - AFTER DEPARTING AMPHOREUS
Caelus sits in the Data Bank, hands on his keyboard, staring at the blank screen in front of him. The cursor blinks at him, waiting patiently, but he can’t seem to find the words. It’s just one final entry to the epic that was their Trailblazing mission to Amphoreus. With Dan Heng, he has written pages upon pages of field notes. But now it is time to compile it all into one final report, and that’s when his mind oh-so-helpfully decides to come up blank.
So much has happened…how can Caelus possibly put it all into words?
He glances at Dan Heng, who stands at the computer screen built in to one of the walls of the Data Bank. His brow is furrowed as he peruses his own field notes, focused on categorizing them properly within the Data Bank. At Dan Heng’s insistence, the other crew members have also written their own notes about their experiences on Amphoreus, though March’s are practically an entire incomprehensible novel. All Dan Heng needs to begin his own final report are Caelus’s last notes…except Caelus has none.
Sighing, Caelus slouches back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling.
Dan Heng hears him and glances at him. The corner of his mouth quirks up. “Writer’s block?”
“Yeah.” Caelus pouts, then groans and rubs his eyes. “There’s just so much. So much to process.”
“There is.” Dan Heng moves away from the screen to stand next to Caelus’s armchair. He snorts at the sight of the blank screen. “Sometimes it helps me to just start writing randomly, without fear of it being comprehensible or not. Usually, along the way, the pieces come together, and I’m able to think more clearly.”
“I can’t even seem to do that,” Caelus says. He rolls his head to the side to grin up at Dan Heng. “Write it for me?”
Dan Heng snorts. “How could I? There’s so much that you experienced that I didn’t. And vice versa.”
“Heh, worth a shot.” Caelus lifts his head and looks back at the blank screen.
“Where did you leave off on your last report?”
Caelus pulls up that report, replacing the dreaded blank document. “Right after Phainon…” There’s a sudden lump in his throat. “Right after Phainon became Kephale. Right after he fixed everything.”
At the cost of all memory of him…
Dan Heng hums, then reaches past Caelus to pull up Caelus’s other reports. Caelus leans his cheek against Dan Heng’s extended arm, making Dan Heng snort. He ruffles Caelus’s hair with his free hand, and Caelus grins.
“Well, perhaps just explain what happened when Phainon became Kephale,” Dan Heng says. “And then go from there. I think that should be your starting point, because even I don’t fully understand what happened. But I wasn’t there—you were.”
“Yeah.” Caelus sighs. He opens his blank document again. The cursor blinks at him. Caelus chews on his lip. His fingers twitch at the keyboard.
“You’ve got this,” Dan Heng murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of Caelus’s head.
The kiss sends a jolt of energy from the top of Caelus’s head down to his toes. He looks up at Dan Heng, who smirks at him, already knowing what Caelus is going to ask.
“Nope, no more kisses until you’ve written something,” Dan Heng says.
Caelus quickly types: something. Literally, just that single word.
Dan Heng huffs in amusement. “Something substantial. And don’t just add the word ‘substantial’ to that document.”
Caelus backspaces sheepishly. But, admittedly, he now feels a bit more inspired.
“I’ll get something down,” Caelus says. “And then…kisses and cuddles?”
“Sure,” Dan Heng says. “Just get a few paragraphs at least first.”
“Okay, okay.”
As Dan Heng goes back to his own task, Caelus turns back to his screen with renewed vigor.
Right after Phainon became Kephale…
What happened?
Caelus takes a deep breath and begins to write.
All must pass a trial to successfully bear a Titan’s Coreflame. In this instance, Kephale’s trial appeared simple, but bore a greater weight, as was expected to become the Worldbearer.
To pass Kephale’s trial, one must erase all memory of oneself from the world.
Phainon of Aedes Elysiae did so without hesitation.
*
In the end, only the Astral Express remembered Phainon of Aedes Elysiae, and all he sacrificed to save the world and the cosmos themselves…
*
EXT. MARMOREAL MARKET - DAY - BEFORE FINAL DEPARTURE
Marmoreal Market was as lively as ever—as it should be, since the Era Nova had finally arrived. Irontomb had been defeated, the black tide was gone, the Chrysos Heirs had been revived, and the balance of day and night had been restored. No longer was Amphoreus on the brink of destruction. The apocalypse was over. Now people could finally, finally live.
Of course, this called for celebration. People from all over Amphoreus, reunited in their salvation, came together in Okhema to string flower garlands across streets, to fill everyone’s cup with delicious wine, and to sing and dance and laugh to the music that the bards played, all under the golden sunlight of a true sky. It was a beautiful sight.
Caelus and Dan Heng walked through the revelries, holding the hands of a small boy between them. The other members of the Astral Express were around here somewhere, but Caelus and Dan Heng had split off, since they had one last task to do.
The boy suddenly tugged on Caelus’s hand, making Caelus say, “Hmm?” He looked down at the little boy, who wasn’t any older than three, with pale, golden hair and bright blue eyes.
The little boy pointed at something, his blue eyes widening. Both Caelus and Dan Heng turned to look, noticing a stand that was selling delicious fruit-filled pastries, made fresh for the happy occasion.
“I want one,” the little boy said. He tugged on Caelus’s arm again. “Can we? Please? Pretty please?”
“Of course, Machus,” Caelus said with a smile. “Anything you want!”
Machus—short for Telemachus. That was his name. A big name for a little boy, but he would grow into it soon enough.
Caelus paid for several pastries for the three of them and handed one to Telemachus. Telemachus’s eyes went wide as he held it in his small hands, like he’d never seen something so delicious before. Carefully, he took a bite. His face lit up, and then he was stuffing the rest into his mouth.
Caelus laughed. “Slow down, buddy. Don’t choke.”
“He probably shouldn’t fill up on pastries,” Dan Heng said with a frown. “Is there anything else you would like to eat, Telemachus? Our treat.”
Telemachus blinked and looked around. There were so many stalls lining the streets of the market, each boasting delicious food whose aromas filled the area. His mouth watered.
“One of everything, perhaps?” Dan Heng said.
Telemachus looked back up at him with wide eyes. “Can we? Really?”
“Really.”
Telemachus nodded so hard that it looked like his head was going to fall off. Caelus couldn’t help laughing, while Dan Heng smiled and bent down to scoop Telemachus up into his arms.
“Which one first?” Dan Heng asked, holding Telemachus close.
From his new vantage point, Telemachus pointed without hesitation. “That one!”
“Very well.”
And so they went from stall to stall, buying anything and everything. Telemachus was a growing boy—he had a big appetite. But he tended to enjoy more of the sweets than anything, leaving Caelus and Dan Heng to eat the more savory treats. Caelus didn’t mind—he was also hungry and could eat anything, and Dan Heng was paying, so it was fun for him, too!
Halfway through a delicious drumstick, though, a thought occurred to him, and he turned to tell Phainon.
Caelus slammed to a stop when he remembered that Phainon wasn’t there. And then his stomach churned with nausea.
“I don’t think I can eat anymore,” Caelus said to Dan Heng, who was watching Telemachus pick out a piece of colorful candy, cut into elaborate and delightful shapes.
Dan Heng looked at him, noticing Caelus’s expression immediately. “What’s wrong?”
Caelus just shook his head, not wanting to bring the mood down.
Dan Heng frowned, but at that moment, Telemachus bolted.
“Whoa!” Caelus jumped to his feet. “What the—Machus!”
Dan Heng reacted faster, darting right after Telemachus. Caelus followed, but his and Dan Heng’s progress was impeded by the dense crowd. Being a small child, Telemachus could dart in between people with no problem, making it hard to keep up with him.
“Telemachus! Stop right there!” Dan Heng shouted at him, but Telemachus ignored him.
“Where is he going? What did he see?!” Caelus exclaimed.
“I don’t know—we’ll find out when we catch him!”
They charged through the crowd, both apologizing profusely when they bumped into people, only to make it to the small plaza in front of Chartonus’s armory. There, it was a bit less crowded, and they spotted Telemachus easily. It was hard not to, especially as Telemachus shouted something in Kremnoan and practically threw himself at someone’s leg, were he wrapped his arms around it and refused to let go.
Caelus and Dan Heng skidded to a halt, and Caelus was already opening his mouth to apologize. But then the person whom Telemachus had latched onto reached down and picked him up.
Mydei picked Telemachus up like he weighed nothing, frowning slightly. “Hmm? And who might you be, little one?”
Telemachus repeated the same word in Kremnoan, then hugged Mydei around the neck and dropped his head into the crook of Mydei’s neck. Mydei blinked, surprised.
“I think you have me confused with someone else,” Mydei said, trying to pry Telemachus off of him. But Telemachus was stubborn and wouldn’t budge. Mydei snorted and stopped, deciding to just hold him.
Caelus and Dan Heng darted up at that moment.
“Mydei!” Caelus said. “I’m so sorry, he’s with us—”
He reached for Telemachus and tried to pull him away, but Telemachus made an unhappy noise and hugged Mydei even tighter. At this rate, he was going to strangle Mydei to death.
Mydei let out a huff of laughter. “It’s alright, he can stay for a bit.” He smiled, rubbing Telemachus’s back. “I believe he’s looking for his father?”
“Er—” Caelus and Dan Heng exchanged glances.
“Should be easy to find,” Mydei said. “After all, he called me ‘Dad’ in Kremnoan. Clearly, his father must also be Kremnoan. I’ll ask around.”
“That—won’t be necessary,” Dan Heng said quickly.
Mydei stopped. “Oh. Good. Who is his father, then? I’ll help you find him.”
“Um, well, you see—” Dan Heng started to say.
“It’s you,” Caelus blurted.
Dan Heng winced.
Mydei arched an eyebrow at Caelus. “Um. No, I can assure you that it isn’t. I think I would know if I had a son, Trailblazer.”
“Of course, of course,” Dan Heng said. “But…it’s a bit more complicated than that. You are, without a doubt, his father. His name is Telemachus, by the way.”
“An Okheman name,” Mydei said. “I wouldn’t give my hypothetical son an Okheman son.”
Oh, Aeons. This wasn’t going well at all. Caelus glanced at Dan Heng, eyes practically screaming, What do we do?! Dan Heng’s eyes flashed with panic before he suddenly looked at Mydei and blurted, “Er—he’s a blessing from Kephale!”
“What?” Caelus said. “Dan Heng!”
Dan Heng elbowed him, while Mydei just frowned at him.
“I’m not sure I follow,” Mydei said.
“Well,” Dan Heng cleared his throat, “Kephale sometimes gives blessings. They’re very rare blessings, but very special. As the Worldbearer, Kephale has the ability to know the heart of every person of Amphoreus. In this instance, Kephale saw how much you wanted a child of your own, so…they granted that wish.”
Mydei blinked, while Caelus breathed a small sigh of relief. Dan Heng and his quick thinking…That was a good explanation, more or less closer to the truth. Mydei wouldn’t be able to handle the truth, so Dan Heng had to quickly pivot and come up with a plausible story instead.
Mydei then looked at Telemachus, who lifted his head to blink back at him. Caelus and Dan Heng watched as Mydei looked—truly looked at Telemachus. They watched him take in the wavy golden hair, tinged with some strawberry-blond strands, and the dark brown eyebrows and the curve of his nose and the shape of his jaw. They watched as Mydei looked and realized that this child did look like him, just with big, round, bright blue eyes.
“But…how…?” Mydei frowned and looked at the two of them. “I’ve never seen him before, how am I just meeting him now?”
Caelus took this one.“At the time, it wasn’t safe in Amphoreus, and you had already taken on the Strife Coreflame and had gone to Castrum Kremnos to defend against the black tide. Kephale gave Telemachus to me and Dan Heng and the Astral Express, to keep safe for the time being. But when Amphoreus was saved, Kephale asked us to send Telemachus back to you. And…yeah, here we are.”
A memory flashed through Caelus’s mind. Phainon, standing in the Vortex of Genesis with Caelus, his bright blue eyes pleading.
“Take care of him for me. Please. He’s all I have left.”
Mydei was quiet as he studied Telemachus. “Kephale knows our deepest desires, huh?” He snorted, eyes growing distant. “At that time, when I fought alone in Castrum Kremnos…”
Telemachus noticed his somber expression and said in Kremnoan, “Dad.”
Mydei’s eyes widened as he looked up at Telemachus again, who reached out and touched the side of his face.
And Caelus and Dan Heng both saw how Mydei melted in that moment.
Mydei sighed but gave a small smile and pressed his forehead to Telemachus’s. “And you know Kremnoan…who taught you that, huh?”
You did, Caelus wanted to say, but of course Mydei didn’t remember. Because everything that had to do with Telemachus was also inherently intertwined with Phainon, and Amphoreus didn’t remember Phainon anymore.
Mydei studied Telemachus a few moments more, reaching out to gently wipe away some crumbs stuck to his chubby cheeks. Telemachus grinned at him and started chattering away, half in Kremnoan, telling Mydei all about the festival and all the food he had eaten. Mydei just gazed at him, humming along, looking at Telemachus like he was the world.
Dan Heng’s shoulder bumped against Caelus’s. Caelus didn’t want to tear his eyes away from the sight. But his hand found Dan Heng’s, and he linked their pinkies together.
“Is that so?” Mydei was saying to Telemachus. “Interesting. Well, we’ll have to go pick one out, then. What kind of shapes were there again?”
Telemachus’s face lit up as he switched to the common tongue. “There were horsies and doggies and kitties and dromases—”
“Any lions?”
“Yeah, but I want the flying horsie. With the horn.”
“Ah, a unicorn pegasus. Interesting choice.”
“Yeah! A unicorn pegasus.” Telemachus grinned.
Mydei smiled back, his golden eyes glowing with warmth. He was already in love. Caelus always knew he would be, but it was a relief to see it regardless.
Mydei seemed to remember that Dan Heng and Caelus were standing there and looked at them. “I’ve been informed that there is a stall selling special candy in the shape of animals. Telemachus is particularly interested in the one shaped as a unicorn pegasus.”
“Yeah!” Telemachus chimed in.
“You go ahead,” Dan Heng said. “We should be catching up with our Express crew anyways. Almost time to depart.”
Mydei blinked at that, his face falling just slightly. “Ah, of course. Well, if this is where we must bid farewell for now, then…” He looked at Telemachus, smiled, and then looked back at the other two. “I accept Kephale’s blessing. Thank you for keeping him safe for me, and raising him in these past few years. I am in your debt.”
Caelus quickly waved the thought aside. “No, no, it was nothing. We were happy to help. He’s a great kid.”
Dan Heng nodded, smiling warmly at Telemachus. “He is. He’s very intelligent. Very curious. I was already planning on trying to teach him to read, but for the time being, he enjoyed being read to.”
“I see.” Mydei smirked. “Is that why he has such an extensive vocabulary for someone so young?”
“Dad,” Telemachus said in Kremnoan, tugging lightly on Mydei’s braid. Then in the common tongue, “Candy.”
“Eh, it comes and goes,” Caelus said with a snort.
“We’re going, don’t worry,” Mydei said to Telemachus. “Here, say goodbye to Dan Heng and Caelus. They have to go now.” He set Telemachus down on the ground so Telemachus could walk to them himself.
Telemachus blinked, but then ran forward and hugged Dan Heng’s leg. “Bye, Dan Heng.”
Dan Heng snorted and ruffled his golden hair. “Goodbye, young Telemachus. Be good, alright? We’ll visit you soon.”
Telemachus nodded, pulled away, and trotted over to Caelus. He hugged Caelus’s leg. “Bye, Caelus.”
“Aw, come here!” Caelus crouched down to his level and wrapped Telemachus into a big hug. “I’m gonna miss you, little guy! But hey, we’ll be in touch! And we’ll be back before you know it!”
“Uh huh.” Telemachus was clearly more interested in going to get his candy than saying goodbye to two people who had taken care of him for some time. Caelus couldn’t help snorting. Children would be children.
“Hey, before you go.” Caelus stopped Telemachus before he could get away. “Remember those cards I gave you?”
“Yeah!” Telemachus said. He had insisted upon bringing the entire tarot card deck with him, shoved in a pocket.
Caelus pulled them out of the pocket, thumbing through them one last time.
“Keep them safe, yeah?” Caelus said. “These are very special.”
Telemachus nodded, then suddenly grabbed one of the cards and turned around to look up at Mydei. “Daddy, look! It’s you!” He waved one of the tarot cards in the air.
Mydei snorted and crouched down. “What do you have there, a tarot card?”
“Yeah! They’re Caelus’s,” Telemachus said. “But he gave them to me, so now they’re mine! Look, this one is the Ruler. It’s my favorite. Well, second favorite.”
“What? Only second?” Mydei huffed in fake hurt. “What’s your first favorite, then?”
“Ummm…” Telemachus grabbed the rest of the cards from Caelus, making Caelus laugh. Telemachus’s brow furrowed in concentration as he shuffled through the deck. When he found what he was looking for, he grinned and held it up to Mydei. “This one! The Deliverer!”
Caelus’s heart wrenched, and he glanced up at Dan Heng, who grimaced.
“Ah, the Deliverer.” Mydei nodded as Telemachus showed him the card. “Very nice.”
“Yeah! Each card has a story about them,” Telemachus said. “I can’t read it, but I made Caelus and March and Dan Heng read them to me so many times that I have it mesmerized.”
“Memorized,” Mydei corrected gently.
“Right! Memorized.” Telemachus shuffled through the deck again. “The Deliverer is supposed to be the hero who saves the world. But he can’t do it by himself, so he gets a group of friends and they help him!”
“Does he succeed in the end?”
Telemachus shrugged. “I dunno. I also like this one—the Healer! She has a unicorn pegasus!”
“Huh,” Mydei said. “That looks like Hyacine.”
“Who’s Hyacine?”
“Ah, that’s what we have to do next, then.” Mydei smiled. “Let’s introduce you to my other friends, shall we? As well as the other Kremnoans. You’re a child of Castrum Kremnos, now, and it’s time for you to meet the rest of your people.”
“But…I wanted candy.” Telemachus pouted.
Mydei gave a soft laugh and stood. “After we get your candy. Come on.”
“Yay!” Telemachus quickly shoved the cards back in his pocket, then reached up to take Mydei’s hand. To Caelus and Dan Heng, he waved, saying, “Bye!”
“Bye, Machus! Be good!” Caelus said. “But don’t be afraid to break a few rules now and then!”
Dan Heng elbowed him. “Don’t listen to him,” he told Telemachus. “Be good, listen to your father.”
Mydei smiled. “We’ll meet again soon, I’m sure of it. Safe travels, my friends.”
“Don’t forget to send as many photos of Telemachus to my teleslate as you can!” Caelus said. “I’m sad we won’t be here to see him grow up, but pictures will help!”
Mydei nodded. “Of course. That’s the least I can do. Don’t worry, I will take good care of him.”
“We know you will.” Dan Heng smiled.
With that, Telemachus waved one last time at them before looking up at Mydei and grinning. Mydei smiled down at him. Then, hand in hand, they walked back towards the festival, with Telemachus practically skipping with happiness.
Caelus and Dan Heng watched them go. Caelus’s eyes burned, and he swallowed a lump in his throat. Dan Heng’s hand found his, and he squeezed it tightly.
“You kept your promise,” Dan Heng murmured. “He’ll grow up happy and healthy. Mydeimos is a great father, after all.”
“Yeah,” Caelus said. “Yeah, he’s a great father.”
He lifted his eyes to Kephale’s statue in the distance, bearing the world, watching over Okhema and Amphoreus in a silent vigil.
Can you see this, Phainon? Caelus thought. We reunited your son with Mydei. I wish you were here.
Dan Heng squeezed Caelus’s hand again. “Come on. Let’s go find the rest of the Chrysos Heirs and tell them goodbye before we leave.”
“Yeah.” Caelus tore his eyes away from Kephale’s statue. “Let’s…let’s do that.”
Dan Heng smiled and started to lead Caelus away by the hand. Caelus shot one last glance at Mydei and Telemachus, standing at the candy stall, before turning and following Dan Heng through the crowd once more.
*
Following the battle for Amphoreus, during which Phainon of Aedes Elysiae defeated Irontomb by merging with it and overpowering its will with his own, Phainon harnessed the power of the scepter and turned Amphoreus into a true planet. However, doing so took an unbelievable amount of energy, and after protecting Amphoreus and the rest of the cosmos from Irontomb for over 33 million cycles, his body could no longer handle it. Exhausted, he fell into a deep slumber, but not before entrusting the safety of Amphoreus to the crew of the Astral Express.
The crew honored Phainon’s wishes and stayed on Amphoreus until the situation stabilized. Very few were told the truth of Amphoreus, and none were told of Phainon of Aedes Elysiae, as all memory and records of him had been completely erased.
Therefore, when the day finally came when Phainon would reawaken, no one would be there to remember him and all that he had done to save Amphoreus.