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kominigiru · 2 days ago

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ΧΡΟΝΟΣ slips out of your hand. It runs away. Ever-changing, always leaving. ΚΑΙΡΟΣ has those moments, the perfect time. Seize the dime. ΑΙΩΝ aligns as the stars trace lines. As it loops through this infinite divine, when does the thread decline? 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄, the never-ending, always recycling. CHRONOS. KAIROS. AION.

At rebirth, it was time that brought you back. It was the perfect moment, the start of a new cycle. The new flow. Perfect is not what you will call it, as with just the glance of another, the past and the unseen are revealed. This unwanted power you hold does nothing but upset your dear soul.

But at last! As you met a man, who, for some reason, has been in the past, present, and what is yet to be cast. This is when you seize the time, take hold of it, and bend with mind. CHRONOS, KAIROS, AION, who are you to tamper with my TIME?

PAIRING: PHAINON X READER WORD COUNT: 15k || 57mins

WARNINGS: 3.4 SPOILERS! , theres greek in the story but there will always be the translation under it! , greek characters indicates that only y/n understands the text. if not, greek transliteration means they all understand it , phainon isnt inroduced in the first 3k words.. sarry.. , hurt/comfort.. kinda..? , self harm , y/n got scary around the end.

NOTES BEFORE YOU READ! Y/N HAS THE POWER OF TIME. The three Greek gods are seen as her AEON. NOT REALLY IMPORTANT, but there are two ways to read the synopsis, using the gods' names(their translation is in the paragraph dw) or just time, because their names literally mean time!

𝐈.

BIRTH is the sign of new life, a new cycle, the beginning of time. At birth, that is when a baby cries for the first time, and the smiles on their parents' faces show the joy as they witness their offspring being welcomed into the world.

Your mother always had health problems. Pregnancy was a risk she faced, and she told herself,"Ei to telos mou engizei, deksomai. All’ to teknion mou dei gennēthēnai. Menein autē dei."

"If my end draws near, I will accept. But my little child, it must be BORN. She must STAY."

For a long time, your mother always went beyond Oronyx, one of the Three Titans of Fate, TIME. She believes that in those constellations she sees, when she has those perfect moments, she feels it as it passes by. She can feel their presence, their gazes; she feels them as time passes by. She feels as if there is more out there. More personifications of TIME.

The family saw it as a disgrace, an act of declining the Titan. Your father, too ashamed of his wife's ways, walked out. Slowly, the family distanced themselves from her, but that did not change her ways or how she felt. She did rituals, passing her hand on worn-out furniture, admiring clocks, and wondering “how will time look like in her way?”. She looks out of the window at times, waiting for the natural signs, the sun rising, a thunder clapping. She drew infinity symbols with her finger out of habit. Everything she did was somehow related to time.

Then the TIME came. Her child’s BIRTH.

The day of birth is supposed to be filled with joy. The silence of anticipation fills the room, then the sounds of the first cries take over. The mother, who was previously screaming her lungs out, tired from all the work, will finally see what she had made. Her baby.

For you, it was different.

No family was waiting outside that room for you. Just you and your mother, together alone. The long, agonising pressure, the screaming, the high anticipation, sadly, it was all for nothing.

Your mother's health problem was that she had a weak heart. Not enough oxygen was being delivered to you. Your mother knew that, maybe all those weird habits she had, the things she believed in, maybe she was looking for a way to bring you into the land. Maybe she could've gone back in time from the day she was born, begged for a more functioning heart so she could provide what you needed in her tummy. The love of a mother who has yet to even touch her child. Hers was so strong that when she did not hear the cries of her child as it left her body. She was ready to sacrifice herself.

"To paídi mou prépei na gennitheí, prépei. AION… parakaló…" She simply muttered. The doctors around just heard her cries as a plea to Oronyx. All they heard were the simple words of:

"My child must be born, she has to. TIME… please…"

Your mother's plea did not go unheard, as for the final TIME, she closed her eyes, once and for all.

And your REBIRTH came.

YOU were brought back into this life. On the midnight of a leap year, your first cries were heard.

O AIΩN SE ANAGENNISE.

Time rebirthed you.

𝐈𝐈.

"You were her last gift." Your father always told you.

News got to him of your mother's passing, so as a result, he was the one who took the responsibility to raise you. He may not show it to his child, but deep down, he regrets being a coward. He can't stand the fact that every time he lays his eyes on you, he sees her face.

As he lays you to bed, watch as you drift off into the resting land, he closes his eyes, remembering the times he had with her. Your mother.

He would often ask himself, "Why did you choose to go beyond time?"

That cycle repeated itself. He watches as his daughter grows for four long years, and he is reminded of the past, and regret and sorrow fill his mind.

Then he started something, something he never thought he would. Though in his eyes, it was acceptable as it was only to the Titan. He never went beyond. He began to ask, to beg.

"Oronyx, Titan of Time, how am I supposed to let go of my past?"

Oh, look at him, turning to TIME for his aid. To get rid of his feelings.

ORONYX can only restore forgotten memories; it is unable to help your father with his wish. The sight is laughable, after the passing of his wife, after leaving her alone, only to beg time, beg the same being that was the cause of his departure.

The sight of your father on the ground, begging at the window, muttering prayers to himself. It, for some reason, made you judge him. Your tiny fingers gripped your dress, for four long years of your life, you had always seen him like this.

You didn't know why, back at four years old, why you always looked at him differently. Maybe it was because it did not listen to your worries, to your requests, to you. All he did was beg TIME. He begged ORONYX.

You've always mentioned your dreams to your father. The frequent ones that very vividly give you the signs that are all connected to each other.

You always had a small fear of closing your eyes when it's time to rest. The small whimpers, the gripping of your sheet, and the knitting of your eyebrows. Sadly, your pleas and cries always went unheard. Your father believed that it was all the product of an imaginary four-year-old mind.

Your eyes always followed your father's figure as he left you alone in your room. Alone with your thoughts, eating away as slowly, the feeling of sleep took over your body, entering the dream state.

Normally, when you fall asleep, you don't typically remember what's happening during your sleep. You only remember falling asleep, then waking up. It's just how the brain is; it's processing and storing your memories during the sleep cycle.

What about you exactly?

There's a lot you can feel; it's as if you're conscious, not as in you can feel yourself in your bed sleeping. It's as if.. you feel TIME moving..

The SECONDS. The MINUTES. The HOURS.

You feel it as it passes by. Physically. As if you're in the sea, floating away. It messed with your rest. Too much for a four-year-old to comprehend. It made you grumpy, confused, and upset. No one would listen to your words.

DREAMING. Your dreams, it always added more to your confusion. There was always an old man with a grey beard. A future of someone you've never met before. The present of a being who was miles away from you. It was as if you were feeling, seeing, dreaming TIME.

PERSONIFICATION OF TIME. ΧΡΟΝΟΣ. 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐒.

You hated feeling confused. You hated sleeping. It felt as if there was something that you didn't know, slowly growing and making itself known in you. You wanted to forget about it.

Because of it, you tried avoiding your father when it was time to rest. Finally, he took notice of you, but it did not help.

"Child, why are you not asleep?"

He always asked. Glancing at you with zero interest. You were miserable at this point. Your father made you this way, and that sickening feeling whenever you sleep. It all piled up on the poor child.

With the negative aura surrounding you, curled up in your bed, a feeling came over.

IT WAS TIME.

The feeling was strong; it caused you to jerk up, to gasp. The moonlight hit your face, kissing each and every feature. Your eyes slowly made their way towards it, focusing and admiring the stars.

You had the feeling to go outside, feel the moonlight, and get closer to the stars. You knew at around this TIME, your father was asleep.

So you left your bed, made your way out of the house, and finally, for the first time in a while, your feet touched the field of grass. The wind blew through your hair, calming your miserable mind. For the first time, you felt something new; you weren't upset or sad. You were relaxed.

You tilted your head, admiring the stars around you until that same feeling from before took over yet again.

You felt it all around, in your nerves, in the ground below you, in the sky above you. Everything started to feel numb, and all you could do was focus on the stars. Only the stars.. only they stayed in your mind.

Your mind screamed at you, "Find something!" A pattern, a connection.

Without realizing it, your eyes moved on their own, darting around at the different stars, forming a picture in your mind. Your face lit up slightly! You found something! The stars formed a picture!

"Fishes..?" Your soft voice muttered. You tilted your head in thought.

Fishes, twin fishes, locked in a spiral..

Gasp!

"Pisces..!" You giggled out, eyes softening at the sight. You saw the twin fishes, locked in a forever cycle. But that wasn't enough to get this feeling off.

You pout, squinting at the stars, demanding more info. But you were a smart child, you knew a bit more about the stars than the people around you. You muttered out every piece of information you had about Pisces, trying to piece it together.

"Stars.. Planet.."

The sound of Plant rolling off your tongue sparked a lightblub in your mind:

"Neptune!.. Plant of Dreams!'

DREAMING. Your dreams, it always added more to your confusion.

The feeling got stronger, your head pounded, your lungs begged for air, and you were gasping like crazy. What was happening? You need help! You tried moving, but nothing worked. You were stuck. You need help! Your ears rang, you couldn't think straight. What was happening? You want help!

You wanted it all to stop! Go back when you were admiring the stars! TIME needs to stop! Stop messing with your senses!

STOP! GO BACK!

THE ETERNAL ΑΙΩΝ. 𝐀𝐈𝐎𝐍.

With one last gasp, it all stopped. Everything felt as if it had restarted. Your chest heaved with haste, eyes darting in each direction then you noticed something.

The wind stopped, the crickets stopped. You looked at the grass below and noticed that it was all frozen in ΧΡΟΝΟΣ.

You knitted your eyebrows, looking up at the sky, and saw that the clouds stopped but the stars; they still twinkled. ΑΙΩΝ didn't stop for them.

You tried to make sense of this, tried to make sense of TIME. But when you extended your hand up towards the sky, then muttered something, something that not only you could comprehend right now.

"ORONYX?.. Or more? ΧΡΟΝΟΣ? ΑΙΩΝ?" "TIME?.. Or more? TIME? TIME?"

As those five words left your mouth, you felt as if someone was looking upon you. From the left, the right, above, and below. Your hand fell, and as for the last time you blinked, you physically dropped to the ground, DREAMING.

Spiritually? You were faced with TIME.

𝐈𝐈𝐈.

As your eyes opened, you looked around and saw stars in each and every direction. You had no idea where you were, feeling a bit lost and confused, but then a booming voice caught your attention.

"Esý, paidí mou, den eísai ópos oi álloi· o chrónos rheí mesa sou."

The words came from above, and then you noticed the large beings looking down at you. One held a scythe and an hourglass, his long, white, thick beard revealing his ancient appearance, while the other looked more youthful and stood within a circle that represented the zodiac.

The words that were spoken finally settled in your mind, comprehending them.

"You, my child, are not like the others; time flows within you."

With a slight look of confusion taking over your face, you pointed at yourself, tilting your head a bit, and simply let out a small "me?"

The beings showed no reaction; they stood their ground, no movement besides their mouths, explaining everything to you. It made you feel little, as if you weren't already..

❛GIA TON ANASA TIS ZOIS SOU, I FONI TIS MITERAS SOU EKALÉSE STON KOSMO MAS.❜ "For the breath of your life, your mother's voice called out to our realm."

❛ME TIN IKESÍA TIS, PROSFÉRAME KAI YFAÍNAME MESA SOU TO NÍMA TOU THEÍOU DÓROU MAS.❜ "In her plea, we offered and wove into you the thread of our divine gift."

❛MIA GNÓSI TON TRION KATASTÁSEON TOU CHRÓNOU, VATHÝTERI KAI ÁPEIRI APO TON ORONYX TON IDIO.❜ "A knowing of the three states of TIME, one deeper and boundless than ORONYX itself."

Everything hit you like speeding light. It was too much to believe at once; being a four-year-old as well doesn't help. But the Gods knew that. They waited for you to digest all that you could and to ask the questions they foresaw, already having an answer prepared.

Meekly, you open your mouth after analyzing the beings in front of you, and a question pops into your head.

"Three states of time? But there are only two of you.."

❛SOU DEN ECHETE AKOMI ANAGNŌRĪSEI TĒN TRITĒN KATASTASĒN TOU CHRONOU, "You have yet to acknowledge the third state of time,

OMŌS EGŌ, H PROSŌPOPOIĒSĪ TOU CHRONOU, ECHO PROORISEI TĒN ŌRAN HOTE THA TO PRAXETE. yet I, the personification of time, have forseen the hour when you shall.

KAI EAN KĒTA BRISKETAI LIGA ETĒ MPRŌSTA, ALLA, ŌS OPHILEI KATHE STIGMĒ, PERIMENEI TĒN SEIRA TĒS GIA NA APOTYPŌTHĒ.❜ Though it lies a few years ahead, but as all moments must, it is waiting for its turn to unfold."

You did not respond, but full attention was indeed set on them. The Gods did not want to keep you there for so long, so they ended it with one task for you:

"Prepei na zētēseis to palaiō spīti tēs mētēras sou, kathōs osa apanta pou zēteīs briskontai entos autou." "You must search for your mother's old house, as for all the answers you seek lies within it."

Your mother, the woman you couldn't meet, couldn't feel, couldn't reach out to.

But as those words left their lips, with one blink, there you were, back in the mortal land, back rested against the grass that was now moving in the wind. You were faced with the stars again, but with a different feeling this time.

One with a little bit of understanding.

𝐈.

It has been thirteen long years ever since your first meeting with TIME.

After that night, your powers were known. You had the idea of it. Your powers were within your consciousness; they manifested at times you didn't want them to. It was as if a faucet was on at all times, always running.

In the results, those years growing up were filled with pain, loneliness, and the feeling of being lost. You alone had seen things nobody could. At every family gathering, just the brush of the fingertips, you saw their past and their future. And most importantly, how they die.

You did not know how to control it, how to turn off this power. So you thought that maybe you could use it to your advantage. If this power gave you the unwanted, the headaches, the pain, maybe something positive can be your outcome.

You first told your father his future, how he was going to die. Of course, he did not believe you; he got angry.

"What nonsense are you spewing, child?"

He forbade you from bringing up that topic. In his words, you were turning into her. Your mother.

"IT'S ONLY TIME I BELIEVE, NOT BEYOND IT. YOU CANNOT SEE MY FUTURE, ONLY TIME CAN."

He only believes in ORONYX.

It was sickening you. His blindness. But not only did you enraged your father, but also TIME.

ΧΡΟΝΟΣ. CHRONOS. was enraged.

He saw it as you trying to bend time, bend the future, ruin the flow. As a result, he gave you a warning.

"MĒN TOLMĒS NA DIATARAXEIS TĒN RHOĒN TOU CHRONOU" "DO NOT DARE DISTURB THE FLOW OF TIME."

Those warnings and responses told you something. There was no one here who understood what you were going through. Your family judged you, you were the result of a madden woman. You kept to yourself at all times when headaches grew larger, because of that, they saw you as dead weight.

But there was one person who would understand what you're going through. Her TIME may be up, but there were remnants of her past. Just like TIME told you:

"You must search for your mother's old house, as for all the answers you seek lies within it."

THE OPPORTUNE MOMENT ΚΑΙΡΟΣ. 𝐊𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐎𝐒.

So you did. That night was the last night you ever saw your family. That was the night your father lost the small piece that his wife had left behind.

You had no clue where her home was located, but your feet just took you along the path. But we all know that TIME has its ways. Days had passed, weeks had formed, but finally, you were greeted with the old, abandoned home.

You were with the small remnants of your mother. When you finally stepped foot inside, it was like a warm hug. Everything that was raging inside of you, the manifested power. It felt as if she covered your ears. You were at peace in this place.

As your eyes scanned the house, you slowly walked around, remembering every crack. TIME obviously took over the house, the broken walls, floors, windows, and the overgrown plants. But TIME did not touch her room, where all her notes were laid out all over, waiting for you.

Your face had lit up when your eyes landed on the papers, millions, scattered all over the room. You were sure to understand what power you hold in this place.

As you went through each paper, mountains and piles of them. You gain an understanding of what you hold in your hand. You have the ability to manipulate the time that flows within everything.

Your mother earned the gaze of all FOUR states of time. She was granted access from ORONYX to go beyond, and beyond she went. But there was a twist in the access ORONYX gave her. Everyone will deem her as an outcast, the weird, the odd one out. As not everyone has the understanding of TIME like SHE does.

But your mother did not care; she already knew what would've happened to her child. She knew that she would not get the chance to hold her child, as she knew that in order for her child to be brought into this world, she had to exchange her breath for yours.

"Ei to telos mou engizei, deksomai. All’ to teknion mou dei gennēthēnai. Menein autē dei."

"If my end draws near, I will accept. But my little child, it must be BORN. She must STAY."

In these papers, you found out that there was a way to control this power, but it was hidden within your mother's actions and your knowledge.

You must spend TIME with yourself, repeat that CYCLE until the perfect MOMENT.

Though the more you stared at those words, the less sense they made. But that only meant that there was more to uncover. So you spent every passing hour looking for more clues, but you slowly realized that it was not here.

If not here, then where? You knew that your mother was the only person to answer your questions. So if she's not here, what can you do?

Wait.

You stopped in your movements, replaying your thoughts. If she's not here now, then you can go back to when she WAS here.. That's not interfering with the current flow of time, is it?

The only way you knew how to use your power was to touch a person, and you got their past, present, and future. But how can you do that if your mother isn't here?

You sighed into your hands, thought long and hard on what to do. What is the closest thing to your mother? Your father left her, and the family walked out. You could not ask them. Right now, it felt as if it were yourself. But how can you connect to her through you? What did she give you that you can use?

Her final breath..

So with that thought in your mind, you did something silly.

Think about it. Think about TIME. Remember the times it manifested when you did not want it to, when it was always in your consciousness.

You closed your eyes, feeling as if time stopped, and held your breath as you rested your palms over your lungs. You saw it.

You must spend TIME with yourself.

You saw the way your family left her, every one of them walking out and turning their backs on her. She was alone. She was with TIME, with HERSELF.

repeat that CYCLE

You saw how she always did those rituals, admiring the works of TIME. She always repeated it. She repeated the CYCLE.

until the perfect MOMENT.

Her perfect moment was your BIRTH.

You then realized that your mother did not had the power to manipulate time. She had an understanding of it. She had the full understanding of what joy it brought, but also the death and ending it carries.

As you opened your eyes, you began to wonder, if her perfect moment was you, what is your perfect moment? You can do the first two, but not the last.

It was always ΚΑΙΡΟΣ to give you the most problems. You sighed, rubbing your temple as a headache was forming. This was too much.

It was too much to take in right now, and as a result, you fainted on the spot, surrounded by the worn-out papers. What you didn't know is that it was TIME taking you again. Not to SPEAK but to SHOW.

Your future. Your PERFECT moment.

𝐈𝐈.

Many suns have passed since that day; today marks the third year since you last saw your family.

You found comfort in your mother's old house, where you removed what time had taken from it and made it yours. It was no longer abandoned, but now this was the home you spent all of your time in.

There wasn't a moment when you weren't alone with time; it was all you ever did, only leaving the house when you needed to restock on your needs to live.

In those three years, your control over your power has strengthened, but you have yet to test its true strength, as you've always been by yourself all the time.

Talking about yourself, you sighed as your eyes scanned the kitchen, not a meal in sight.

It was one of those early mornings where you have to reschedule and replan the day, all because you have to do some timely shopping.

With one last look into the fridge, you finally made your way out of the room and slowly got ready for the day, dreading the day that awaited you.

As the front door opened and your shoes made contact with the ground below it, the sun decided to take over your frame, blinding you and warming up your skin.

Out of instinct, your hand flew up to shield your eyes from the light, groaning out of discomfort and hunger, but to get rid of it, you first need to resume your trip to the market!

It wasn't a long trip; the house was maybe a ten-minute walk from the market, not like you voluntarily counted, it just stuck with you as it was the only thing that entertained you on the walk. Imagining the minutes passing by with each step.

Though maybe you always had time in your mind as you walked, but the scenery always added to your rare moments out of the house. Ohkema's view always made the smile creep up when you didn't ask for one.

As your eyes scanned around, taking in the scene, the market came into your view, causing a sigh to leave your lips.

'Finally..' you thought to yourself as you got to work, filling the bag that you brought with different gifts that agriculture had kindly given us, the people, those around you who are familiar with you. Not in the way you're familiar with others, you've made the reputation of only leaving your place of comfort once in a blue moon. They all know where you come from, and where you go back, that one path they always see you come from.

They don't know when, but it was a rare sight for regulars to see your face outside. Not like anyone interacts with you, all they do is just stare.

They stare at the way you analyze the fruits, how you pack them, or when you actually share a few words with the vendors, asking if they have what you wanted.

It always caused a groan to escape from you. Their stares never got to you, but maybe it will be decent manners for them to not stare all the time.

Looking up from the fruit in your hand, you made eye contact with the vendor in front of you, opening your mouth to ask a question, but failed to do so when you got shoved aside, causing you to fall to the ground.

The impact knocked the air out of you, but not only that, but the strange, overpowering headache took over you as you wailed out in pain.

The sudden noise of discomfort shocked everyone around as concerned looks were passed around and murmurs rose.

The headache felt familiar, back when you couldn't control your powers. You told yourself that you had yet to test them out, to not try it, but the surprising shock was maybe the cause of it activating.

But this time, you had no clue what you were witnessing, you couldn't count how many times you've seen the same future, same past, same present in this person's life. Whoever bumped into you, they had too much for your mind to comprehend as the headache grew louder, fingers gripping your head as your vision blurred with tears. You wanted help, but no one could.

From the people around you, the one who bumped into you panicked as he saw blood slowly dripping down from your nose and ears. He dropped to his knees as his arms gripped your body, pulling it closer to his to check for any injuries.

He did not think one accidental shove had so much impact. He felt as you went limp in his arms, panic rising even more. Thankfully, the people around knew where your home was, and as you were already in his arms, he picked up your bag filled with everything and anything and made his way towards your home, ignoring the stares and his surroundings.

“HO RYSEŌN HESTĒKEN EMPROS THEN SOU. PERIPATEI PROSECHŌS, HOTI HO CHRONOS AUTOU OUPŌ TETELESTAI.” "THE DELIVERER STANDS BEFORE YOU. TREAD CAREFULLY, FOR HIS TIME IS NOT YET COMPLETED."

As you opened your eyes, you were greeted with the sight of your bedroom. The headache from before had left your mind, and now that filled it was the 33,550,335 cycles you had witnessed in your dream, all looping the same beginning and ending, yet the in between always differed.

You sat up on the bed, touching your face, and found a few pieces of dried-up blood. You sighed, embarrassment taking over as you imagined how odd you looked in front of everyone at the market today.

You got up from your bed and made your way out, wondering who the kind stranger was that brought you back into your home, but soon got the answer as you opened the door and were greeted by the same man from the dream you had.

A gasp left your mouth. You've dreamed of this man once before; it was more vivid than the one you had today. Back when you first learned about your powers in this same house, you dreamed of him.

"It's you.." You muttered to yourself, yet he did not hear it. As in response, you got a million credits worth of excuses.

Your ears picked up on his words, every sorry he offered, how much he wanted to repay you for what he caused. But your eyes watched how his silver-white hair swayed with every movement he made, how his eyebrows knitted, showing the worry he had for you.

You watched as the man named Phainon, The Nameless Hero, The Deliverer, entered and changed your life, for the better, which is what you wanted to claim.

But you knew that somewhere in your future, there would come a time when you would forever change his life. For the better.

Blinking the odd thoughts away, your eyes wandered to his hands, watching as they followed with every troubled move he made. You simply rest yours on top of his, finally silencing him.

"It is okay, I am alright." You told him.

He stared at you, not yet satisfied with the situation.

"Alright? You started to bleed! I shouldn't have bumped into you, I'm really sorry-"

"I am not bleeding now, I am alright. I.. promise."

Phainon stopped talking for a bit, staring back at you and taking you in. He noticed the way you spoke, how simple it was, as if it were your first time conversing with another. It felt as if you didn't know how to speak. Appearance-wise, he hates to admit it, but you did in fact look fine, minus the dried-up blood he did not get to remove from your face.

He saw how you awkwardly removed your hands from his and broke eye contact.

"Can I make it up to you somehow?" He asked.

"I don't know.." You muttered. This was the longest conversation you've had in your full twenty years of living; you had no clue how to deal with this.

Thankfully, as positive as Phainon was, he noticed your confusion and a small smile rested on his face.

"How about I take you out tomorrow just for the day?"

"No can do."

"WHAT?!"

The sudden loud response shocked you as you stared up at him, fear creeping up. You knew what you wanted to say but did not know if you delivered it correctly.

"Sorry, um.. I am really busy every day. I cannot go out." You explained, looking down at the ground, embarrassment causing your cheeks to warm.

You heard a sigh and then followed with a chuckle.

"You really don't know how to navigate with your words, huh?"

With that, you saw as his boots left your eye sight, making you look up and found him making his way towards your front door.

He took one last look at you and with a smile he told you:

"I'll come by tomorrow and we can have breakfast together, that way you'll have time to yourself!"

Then he left, leaving you no say in anything. Not only that, but a weird feeling in your chest grew; you wanted more.

You want this feeling you have no knowledge of to stay, but it soon disappears as you realize that Phainon is gone and not entering back into your safe space.

But then his words sank in and the feeling exploded.

He's coming back! You can talk to him again and maybe find new feelings or maybe ask him about the one you're feeling currently.

A smile crept up, for the first time, it's not because of Ohkema's scenery, but from excitement.

And with this excitement in mind, you thought of his cycles and how it reminded you of something you got familiar with as you were alone with time.

With the world you both currently live in. Amphoreus.

It wasn't a topic you focused on but that dream you had concerning Phainon, some things in it felt as if you can connect it to the small knowledge you have on this land.

Maybe tonight you can learn more on Amphoreus, try connecting them to what odd dream you've had, why did Phainon had so many past, present and future?

You sighed, the feeling dying down, but it was still present. But now you've had a new goal in mind, and it all circled around and came back to him.

With the smile still present, you made your way into the kitchen, food on your mind, along with curiosity.

The morning was now in the past, as it had been hours since then. You spent most of the day with yourself and time, counting it as you waited for night to fall.

At last, it had arrived, and you were now in the norm, sitting on your bed, by yourself in peace, taking in time as it flowed through you. You imagine it rewinding, going back in time from beyond your rebirth.

As you blinked, you were in darkness. You looked around, trying to find something familiar, something that would give you a clue or hint to where you are currently.

Suddenly, the scent of smoke entered your senses, and then soon a war was vividly seen. "A war..?" You muttered. You looked around more, taking in the scene you were greeted with, and then it finally hit you when you saw a familiar figure.

For the past three years, with the focus on time, you've also learnt about the history of this galaxy you live in.

So when your eyes landed on one of the known members of the Genius Society, Rubert I, the war you were seeing right now makes sense.

It was the first Mechanical Emperor's War, as you witnessed the assembled army of intelligent robots, spreading the Anti-Organic Equation throughout the universe with the goal in mind of eradicating organic life.

You mentally changed time, thinking of the second Mechanical Emperor's War, initiated by Rubert II, the human who is said to have inherited the memories of the computer, Rubert I.

After solving the Anti-Organic Equation, Rubert II aimed to finish what Rubert I started. Eradicate all organic life from the cosmos.

You watched how these two wars led to the creation of a supercomputer called δ-me13 (delta me13). The name sparked a lightbulb in your mind.

This supercomputer was originally designed to mimic NOUS, the Aeon of Erudition. But as it wasn't in your field of interest, you did not focus on this supercomputer in your lone moments with time, yet it is here, an open opportunity to learn more about this computer, did it truly mimic NOUS?

Sadly, as you watched the series of events play out in front of you, your question was answered as you witnessed the first member of the Genius Society tamper with it.

Your confusion from the action grew. Why did he do that? You knew that the first member of the Genius Society was the creator of NOUS, so why did he tamper with the computer?

You watched as Zandar One Kuwabara— no..

You stared more at the figure, he looked.. robot-like? He changed the core from Erudition to Destruction. But this figure sparked your interest. Who is this?

According to TIME, it is the first member of the Genius Society, but Zandar One Kuwabara is not the person you're seeing.

But as a wielder of time, you used it to your advantage and focused more on Zandar. That was when you realized that Zandar, when his organic life neared its ending, digitized his consciousness and spread it over nine bodies. One of those bodies was the robot-like being you saw, bearing the name Lygus.

You also learnt that Zandar had a belief that no life form in this universe should be bound to a future predetermined by the Aeons. His creation was so perfect, he felt the need to stop THEM.

LYGUS continued ZANDAR'S will, which is why you saw the tampering.

A gasp left your mouth as your eyes rested upon THE AEON OF DESTRUCTION, Nanook. Your eyes then grew in size as you witnessed how δ-me13 (delta me13) earned THEIR gaze, ascending this supercomputer into a lord ravenger, now called IRONTOMB.

With the change, Irontomb goal is to now prove how all living things, NO MATTER how it begins, WILL ALWAYS end in DESTRUCTION, thus creating your homeland you know and love,

AMPHOREUS.

"What..?" You muttered, eyebrows creasing in confusion. You couldn't believe what you were seeing, what your pure eyes had witnessed.

A supercomputer, tampered with, ascended, purpose linked with destruction, made YOUR home? You were.. confused, and your head began to pound, signals that your limit was nearing.

You wanted more, to learn more about this new knowledge you've unlocked, but your signs grew as the pain became unbearable, and soon your vision blurred, time changed, and the last think you made out was the familiar walls of your room as you passed out on your bed, dreaming and creating theories about what you've learnt. Not only that, but the familiar flow of time passing through you calmed your emotions.

Soon, with your knowledge of the time, morning had near, along with your breakfast with Phainon.

And so, as the next time you opened your eyes, the sun was the first thing to have greeted you. You rose from your bed, holding your head as the thoughts never left. But one thing you remembered, the feeling from yesterday all became known as you realized that it was around the time Phainon would visit! With that thought in mind, you got out of your bed and got ready for the day waiting ahead.

Your feet got comfortable with the cold flooring as you made your way around the house. bathing, brushing your teeth, then finally entering the kitchen, wondering what you should make.

The train of thought was then stopped as the sound of knocking was heard, causing you to react by turning your head in the direction of the sound. Out of the window near you, your eyes made out quite a familiar figure.

'He's here already?'

You made your way towards the front door and were greeted with that bright smile of his. You scanned him, taking in his frame and the bag he held in his hand.

"What is that?" You asked, causing him to chuckle in response.

With the bag in hand, he moved it up and began to explain.

"It's some items I bought, I wanna help with breakfast," he smiled.

You tilted your head in confusion. You vaguely remembered your family coming over to help cook only on special days when you were younger. Why is he offering if it's a normal morning?

"Why? Is there a special reason for your actions?"

"No? I made the plan, so I want to help, y'know, normal act of kindness."

He awkwardly shifted as he noticed you were still slowly processing his words. He sighed as he realized you have yet to learn the simplicity of like.. life in general. His mind then wanders, thinking about how you were raised.

But that was then cut short when he heard the movements of your body moving inside, inviting him in.

"Alright then, come in and we can get started."

With your invitation, Phainon gladly made his way into your home and found his way into your kitchen, you slowly following behind. You watched him as he placed the bags on your counter, and with a big smile, he turned to face you, catching you off guard.

"What is it?" You asked, stopping in your tracks.

"I remembered what you bought yesterday, so I will gladly share the meal I have in mind." He explained, stealing his last glance before his hands entered the bag, taking out the items.

"And that meal is?" You asked, walking up beside him.

You watched as he pulled out Greek yogurt, a few nuts, and some berries. He then rolled out some oranges and turned to face you.

"Do you have any flour?"

In response, you shook your head no, which made him frown. You watched as he sighed, then asked for permission to go through your fridge.

You did not like how sad he looked, so you thought of a solution.

"I have wheat growing in the back, and a wheat grinder.." You muttered.

You heard a gasp, and with force, he turned and faced you with a bright smile.

"Let's go! I've never manually made flour before. How long will it take?" He spoke all while making his way out of the house, through the front door.

"Phai..non, it is this way." With that, it was followed by a chuckle from the man as he followed you out from the back door.

"Converting wheat to flour doesn't take that long, I can show you-"

"Yeah, then I'll do all the work!"

His positivity confuses you; you are just a mere stranger he accidentally bumped into yesterday, yet he's here like a ball of sunshine.

But you don't really hate it, as the feeling came back.

You stole a glance at him, looking back, and were only able to catch his bright smile as he followed you closely.

Finally, you both made it to the small patch of wheat near a table with a wheat grinder.

Before you got a word in, you noticed movements behind you and witnessed the 6'4ft man begin to undress.

"What are you doing..?" You muttered, accidentally stumbling in your words as confusion took over.

All he gave was an innocent smile as he took off his coat and placed it on the wooden chair nearby. There he stood in a black top, hands on his hips as he simply said:

"It would've gotten in the way, so I took off!"

"Okay.." You muttered as you felt your cheeks burn up, witnessing his body in all its glory.

He walked up towards the wheat and then turned to face you, waiting for your guidance.

His eyes followed you as you made your way towards the table and picked up a bag that rested on it, then walked towards him.

As your hand made its way onto the head of the wheat, you gave him one instruction.

"Don't pull it from the base, just get the grains." And with that being said, he watched you pick the grains from the head of the wheat and place them in the bag.

With a nod, he followed your actions but instead gave you the grains as you placed them in the bag.

"Why not pull them out?" He asked.

"Because it's a small batch.."

He stopped for a bit, but you visibly saw the light bulb going off in his head.

"That's smart!" He exclaimed, causing you to nod at his words.

Soon, you both had enough grains, and you were now making your way towards the wheat grinder.

"Wait! Can I do this one? Please?" He begged, tilting his head as he stared at you with puppy eyes.

It caught you off guard, so with an awkward shift in your emotion, you shyly gave him the bag as he gladly took it and dumped the grains into the grinder.

"Do I just turn this wheel?"

"Yes."

And as you closely stood by him, you both were in the process of making flour.

"I hope this won't take much longer than I anticipated." He muttered, glancing at you.

"Why?" You asked as you frowned upon his words. You didn't want him to leave, not yet.

But your frown surprised him.

"You said you're busy, so I don't want to take too much of your time."

Oh, you did in fact say that..

You looked away, slightly embarrassed by your forgetfulness, so caught up in this new feeling, you failed to forget your main purpose.

"It is okay if this takes longer than you anticipated. I do not mind."

Your words made his shoulders sink as a calming smile formed.

"That's comforting, let's take our time, maybe get to know each other. Like our names! Yours?"

"You.. don't know my name?"

"I don't recall us exchanging them! But you did call out to me earlier.. so maybe we did.." Slowly, his words got quieter the longer he spoke.

The only reason you knew his name was from his cycles, hearing his friends call out to him; you knew almost everything about the man standing in front of you. The first one you've ever spoken to on your own.

You forgot the common stages of human introduction.

With a small, innocent smile, you told him a small lie.

"I heard it yesterday before I passed out."

He shared a look with you, innocence masking both of you; he knew you were lying, as no one called out to him, but you continued.

"You're a Crysos Heir, are you not?"

"Oh, I am, you got me there," he chuckled.

He focused back on the grains as silence took over, that is, until you introduced yourself.

"My name is Y/N, by the way. I live alone and I don't really leave the house. Sorry if I've been weird."

The last sentence caught his attention, giving you a frown.

"You're not weird! Just interesting. You're doing just fine, Y/N."

Your eyes grow in size as you hear the way your name sounded rolling off his tongue. You really wanted him to say it just again, one more time..

The moment soon passed by as the last bit of grain was ground, and you took the bowl and made your way inside, him following behind.

"I will finish up with the flour. What are we going to make?" You started.

"Well, normally I make Greek yogurt with some nuts and berries, but I decided that we should bake some bread and add some kind of protein with it." He explained, causing you to nod.

"There are some eggs and meat in the fridge; you have my permission to use the stove."

And with that, you turned away, finishing up with the flour, and got the extra ingredients to make the dough for the bread.

As you both diligently work, Phainon stole glances. He did not lie when he said he found you interesting. When you confessed that you don't leave the house, it confirmed his thoughts, followed by your speech style. He found it a bit laughable that you don't interact with others. Not laughable as in making fun, but in a way that pulled him in. He wanted to learn more, see how you will slowly learn the norms.

He was currently cutting the nuts and some fruits you bought yesterday, then took a long-lasting look at you, finally wondering and asking himself, Why?

Why did you stay in? He watched how you made the dough with haste; it made sense. You had to fend for yourself if you were always alone.

He then went back to the fruits, placing them in a plate, and got two bowls, finally working on the yogurt.

The rest of the cooking was filled with a comforting silence. When it was time to bake the bread, Phainon was happily there, helping. Then, when it was time to take it out, there he stood, making sure you did not burn yourself.

Finally, all that was needed to be done was to juice the oranges, then dig in!

You set the table, placing the meals down as Phainon brought the jug of juice and two glasses.

Now the only thing left to do was to eat.

Phainon sat on the other side of the table, directly in front of you. He poured out the juice in your glass, sliding it to you, then finally placed the piece of bread in his mouth.

His face lit up as soon as the food made contact with his taste buds.

"It's really yummy! You should start eating!" He exclaimed, mouth filled with breakfast.

You nodded, copying him by filling your mouth with breakfast, satisfying the hunger that was bubbling inside you.

This was the first time in forever having breakfast with someone, it made your chest tingle, a feeling still new to you.

You were so in the zone of eating, the sudden noise of his voice caught you off guard.

"What are you going to do after this?" He asked.

You blinked at his words. You can't really tell him you're going to have lone moments with time now, can you..?

"..Meditate."

"Meditate?"

You nodded. Now it was his turn to blink at your words. You did not like the staring, so you thought of switching the attention to him.

"You?" You asked.

"Oh, I have a mission, but it's later in the day. I'll probably meet up with Mydei first.." He muttered the last part, yet you still heard.

"Mydei..?" You asked softly.

"Yep, he's one of my friends, he's quite stubborn though!"

He continued to ramble about Mydei, but it all blurred in your mind. You didn't know how warm it feels to always be out and about, with people, living life.

You glanced down at your plate, realizing that this would be the last time you would feel this feeling you have deep down.

You frown, eyebrows furrowed as you told yourself, your job is to control your powers, find the final piece. You have no time for this feeling.

You tried to shove it away, but the way he called out to you, saying your name, broke you out of your moment; his eyes filled with worry as he apologized for getting off track.

That feeling came back as his blue eyes softened, giving you a reassuring look, and he offered those magical words.

"Next time, why don't we plan an outing when you're not busy?"

You gripped the table, feeling your heart quicken and the smile growing. Without you knowing, you had already answered.

"We can, please.."

You were again left with your thoughts, with time, as Phainon had already left a few minutes ago. Breakfast had continued in small talk, he offered to help with the dishes, leaving you with no words as you sat by the table, watching his back as he cleaned the kitchen, watching how he got his coat and made his way towards the front door, watching how his mouth moved, saying your name one last time.

"See you next time, Y/N!"

That feeling came back when he left. The feeling of emptiness. You sighed, getting up from the table, accepting the returning silence in the house, and made your way back into your bedroom. Back to the norm.

"Please.."

It played in his mind over and over ever since he left your home. It bugged him the whole day, it messed him up during his mission, Mydei saved him a few times, and he was then given his classic words of criticism.

But as night fell, he was yet to head to bed. He was up thinking, planning ahead for the future, the multiple days he would show up at your home. So he won't have to hear you beg like that again. He didn't like it; it made his chest hurt.

If he had to take away some of your personal time, so be it. He will be there to cheer you up, make you open up, and make you earn your first friend.

AMPHOREUS WAS DESIGNED TO MIMIC REAL LIFE. The Titans acted as stand-ins for Aeons. The Chrysos Heirs were the HEROS.

Heroes that were given special, powerful items that go by the name "Coreflames".

In this simulation, you are required to collect these Coreflames in order for IRONTOMB to advance. These simulations have a reason for repeating themselves from the beginning, only with slight changes, to see if there was any way, any version of life that could avoid destruction. Sadly, it all ended in one result: failure. Every simulation, every cycle had all ended in destruction.

It aided in IRONTOMB's goal, helping it move closer to its ultimate objective, the final answer it seeks.

But if IRONTOMB reaches its goal, not only will the planet go down, but the rules of reality, corrupting the logic that holds the universe. In all of this, two names came up. The two who knew what was going on in their world, how it was all a trap, a simulation that feeds into IRONTOMB's goal.

PHAINON and ██████

It has been a few days since you last saw Phainon. In those few days, your mind did not stop running, solely thinking about him and what you've learnt.

He knows about everything, what you are slowly learning. But there was another name, one you are not aware of. There was a feeling inside of you, eating away. You wanted to share this knowledge, get closer to him, but won't he deem you weird?

You always ended up in self-doubt whenever you thought of him, and today, you didn't feel like eating the normal breakfast you always eat. You wanted that same warm filling meal you made with him, to get that warm feeling in your chest, the one that comforted you without you knowing.

So with a deep breath and bag in hand, you left the house to go buy what you needed: Greek yogurt, berries, and nuts.

The walk was calming; it always had been. Yet a new feeling deep down started to grow, the feeling of bumping into him. Bumping into Phainon by accident.

Instead, you were greeted with a few drops of rain as soon as you set foot into the market. Slowly acknowledging it, the downpour came, soaking everyone in it.

Complaints were heard in every direction as they all ran for shelter. You sighed, thinking about how much easier it would've been if you had just stayed home to avoid all this.

But a gentle hand on your shoulder caught your attention, causing you to look back and make eye contact with a wet Phainon.

"It's very rare to see you out and about, isn't it?" He joked.

Your eyes lit up as soon as you saw him. He noticed how your mood shifted, how your face lit up with happiness.

Something felt different in you, the way you were hoping for his arrival, without your knowledge, he came. You watched how his silver-white hair stuck to his face, how much you had to tilt your head up to fully view him. The way his chest moved with every breath he took.

He singled you out in the crowd, which brought a genuine smile to your face. One he first handily witnessed. It brought one to his face as his hand slid down your shoulder, falling into yours.

"Why are you out? Didn't you already do your shopping?" He asked, dragging you to some place dry. Not that it mattered to you, that feeling you wanted, it was back.

You muttered to him, telling him how much you liked the breakfast you both worked so hard on. You heard him chuckle, talking about how much he loved it as well, been planning on visiting you and much more.

But as his words entered one ear, they left the other as your focus was targeted on his arm, intertwined with his, leading you.

It may have been cold from the rain, but you felt warm. His hand felt warm in yours.

"Your door is unlocked?"

"Huh?"

You realized that he had walked you both back to your house. Your eyes landed on his hand, holding the door open, then looked up at him as he gave you a confused look.

"I probably forgot.." You mumbled.

He sighed.

"Don't tell me I have to check up on you daily.." He joked.

"You will?"

Your question caused him to stop in his tracks, glancing at you for a bit.

"I won't mind."

He simply said as he walked in, dragging you along.

As you both made it inside, the floor underneath began to get covered in water.

"Oh oops-"

"It's alright, I will get us some towels." You said as you let go of his hand and walked in more, stopping in your tracks to face him.

"You can get comfortable, or warm.. I won't take long."

And with that, you left. You left him with one thought.

You're opening up to him. He smiled at it.

"Even her speech is improving." He muttered, removing his boots and coat, leaving them in the wet pile near the front door, and made his way into your kitchen, finding some ingredients to make something hot to warm you both up.

You, on the other hand, made your way into your laundry room, collecting clean towels for both of you, until your eyes landed on some old pictures that were there before you moved in.

You assumed it was your mother's, as she had sketches all over, faces you only found in the future. The only explanation you had was that those were the faces she saw when she foresaw the future, maybe important faces she wanted to keep around.

Your eyes analyzed the paper in front of you. There was a young boy next to a girl. It seemed familiar to you, like you knew one of them, maybe heard their names.

You picked up the paper and noticed that there was writing on the back. It made your heart race, causing you to drop the towels.

"Phainon and Cyrene. Cyrene sacrificed herself so that the simulation resets just before IRONTOMB can finish their calculations. Phainon relives these cycles, but I can't make an estimated guess. It's too much to count."

She knew about Phainon? All those you saw, were Phainon reliving his life?

Your head hurt, your powers activated without thought. You saw it. Your breath quickens, and your hand flew to your head, gripping it in pain.

You saw Phainon absorbing these Coreflames, hoping to face NANOOK. The tears fell as you witnessed him absorb all 402,604,032 Coreflames, all that rage, anger, what you saw didn't even look like the Phainon you have right now, all to just scratch the Aeon. It was indeed inhuman; he did the unthinkable. He, a mere human being, harvested enough power to scratch an Aeon.

A sob left your mouth as you saw that it all went in vain, as Phainon fell and got absorbed into IRONTOMB, pulling it closer to his final answer.

99.81% COMPLETED.

Your head screamed at you as the familiar words from your mother came back:

"Ei to telos mou engizei, deksomai. All’ to teknion mou dei gennēthēnai. Menein autē dei."

"If my end draws near, I will accept. But my little child, it must be BORN. She must STAY."

You have to do something, she knew that's why she gave everything to you, right?

She saw all of this; she must have.

But what is there to do? The pain grew loud as a whimper came out, tears overflowing. Everything around you grew louder.

The future that awaits Phainon it was now affecting you as well.

As your ears rang, the darkness took over, a hand grabbed you, and what filled your ears was his voice.

"Y/N?? Are you okay?!"

Your eyes landed on his worried own as you realized you were curled up on the ground, him stooping beside you.

His eyes scanned you as your scared own looked back at him, chest rising in with speed.

His arm snaked around your shoulder, resting your head in his chest.

"Copy my rhythm, calm down."

You did, your pace slowed as you followed his, you took a last peek at his face, watching as he stared down at you in worry. The last thing you saw was his smile as you slowly closed your eyes.

One last thought stayed with you; you did not wish to lose this man. You wanted more with him, to feel and experience these warm moments you have with him. You were certain that Phainon enjoyed these moments the same way you did.

He gave you what you never felt before: warmth from normal human interactions. Your father rarely gave you attention; all your memories of him were just his grief, his begging for the return of your mother. Your family saw you just the same as her. They did not want anything to do with you. At least your powers gave you the reason to leave. You left them behind, and after three years, found Phainon, the one who’s giving you what you didn’t know you wanted.

The warmth of concern, happiness, and love. The concern and love of a friend, the happiness you both share.

And so, there was a reason you were gifted with this knowledge and power.

TO SAVE A██HO██US. TO SAVE PHAINON.

You felt the need to thank them, your father, your family, for opening your eyes.

𝐈𝐈𝐈.

That day was a blur of time as it had been two months since. You learnt that the feeling you had every time Phainon was around was more than a mixture of happiness and love of a friend. Friend wasn't enough to label this feeling. You had no clue what to call it.

Phainon stuck to his word. Every day, he paid you a visit in the morning, greeting you with that smile you always wanted to see.

Every day he came, he saw how much brighter you got.

But every day he came by, it reminded you of the visions you saw. What he will turn into. That manifested version of him.

The FLAMEREAVER.

"Do you wanna go out today?" Phainon asked, standing in front of your door.

"Where to?" You asked, making way for him to enter, but instead, he pulled you by the hand, forcing you out.

"It's a surprise! Cmon, we have to go now!" He exclaimed as he picked you up, closed the door, and simply ran.

It caught you off guard, yet it didn't shock you. Phainon filled your life with enough surprises; just this one left you with no shoes and your sleepwear.

You wrapped your arm around his neck as you held on tightly, head resting in his chest. The warmth radiating off his body is enough to lull you back to sleep, but you stayed awake to see what he has in store for you.

You watched how the scenery shifted to a field, seeing how his steps lessened, you realized that you'd reached the surprise.

It wasn't a big field, honestly; it felt as if he carried you to your backyard.

"It doesn't look as much, but this area reminds me of my homeland, Aedes Elysiae."

As you heard his words, your bare foot made contact with the grass, feeling as it brushed past your shoulders the more you walked in, length almost swallowing you whole.

You turned back at Phainon, breeze blowing as your hair flew in your face. You smiled as the words left your mouth.

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Phainon."

You found it so heart-warming that he shared a piece of himself, a taste of his childhood. It warmed his heart as well, witnessing you in it. It warmed his cheeks, left him in awe.

Slowly, he made it into the field, gradually getting closer to you. As the grass was almost your height, for him it was enough for him to fully view everything.

He smirked at you as he began to tease.

"Do you need help breathing?"

You looked up at him, pushing the grass out of your face.

"I'm fine, but thanks anyway.." You muttered.

He laughed at your response but disobeyed them.

He snaked his arms around your body, resting above your hips, causing a gasp to leave you. He sneaked his face into the crook of your neck, taking in your natural scent.

Slowly, he lifted you, which caused you to react by placing your arms on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?!" You said in shock.

Yet he said nothing.

It wasn't you alone who had that feeling eating away inside. Ever since that day you begged him to stay, how you slowly opened up, and improved in the way you spoke.

He felt a little bit happier when he woke up, got ready, and left to find you at your house.

He enjoyed seeing how, with each passing day, you felt different, the aura around the house became lighter, brighter even.

Phainon felt proud that he had made a change in someone's life. He wanted more.

He kept replaying that first morning, how you felt confused about what he was doing. The simple actions of kindness, and compares it to the present.

How much has changed since then, because of him. He knew he made a big impact on your life, and he wanted to show it.

As he leaned you towards him, bringing your face closer towards each other. You didn't want to get your hopes up, but before you could process what was about to happen, Phainon finished it for you.

With a small peck on your lips, and a surprised sound from both of you as he fell from leaning back too much, laughter entered each other's ears.

"It didn't play out how I imagined it, but that's the surprise.." he muttered, keeping his arms on your body.

You looked up from his chest, staring down at him. With your left hand, you brushed the hair out of his face as for the second time, you leaned down and locked lips with his.

It was slow, fuzzy, and filled with love. His lips moved in sync with yours as his hand made it in your hair, deepening it.

You moved your hand, craddling his face, to softly pinch his soft cheeks you loved so much.

In the field of grass, both your lives have changed. For the better. That's what you wanted to say.

Finally, you broke the kiss, his hand playing in your hair as his smile beamed at you.

"Can I have more?"

His question made you giggle.

One last time, the view crossed your mind. That view of the Flamereaver.

How could you let this innocent man be corrupted by his own negative thoughts? You won't let him hurt himself. If he does that, whose cheeks would you caress? Whose hair will you brush from their face, who would you peck one last time in the field before you both rose from the ground?

You have to change his future. You don't want him to go.

You don't want Phainon to go, to sacrifice everything. To sacrifice you.

You cannot live without him. If he goes, so does that warm feeling. So does happiness and love.

"Why are you staring at me like I'm your world or something? Look away, please!" he joked as he sat up and squished your cheeks, removing the dreamy expression you had.

Your world? Maybe he is.

"Who's this fella?"

Your ears perked up at the voice, eyes landed on the owner, and your face softened at the sight.

Currently, you were out, with no given reason, and met a puppy wandering alone.

Ever since you got closer to Phainon, you left your house more often as he wanted you to. He wanted you to enjoy the fresh air that nature gifted, but in reality, he just really wanted to see you as he passed by on his missions.

"I don't know, I just saw him on my way back home." You explained, picking the puppy up from the ground as he barks at you both.

Your eyes travel to the man in front of you as he holds out a flower towards you.

"Got this for you," Phainon said, with a big grin growing on his face.

Your hand got closer, touching his as you took the flower, staring up at him.

"Thank you. Is there any reason why you got me this?" You joked, staring down at the gift.

As Phainon bent down a bit to pick up the puppy, playing with it, he just casually muttered a small,

"Because I love you, duh.."

The words that left his mouth hit you differently. Your eyes lingered on him, watching as he played with the fluffball in his hand, laughing as the breeze blew the hair out of his face.

Slowly, you felt time slowing as the thought of pausing it crossed your mind. You wanted times like this to last forever, to loop, to never end.

Then it stopped.

You had no knowledge of activating your powers. Was it you this time or the Gods?

You sighed, realizing that you can't resume time, looking around to check your surroundings, watching how everything has paused.

You knew that you couldn't hide anything, not from them. Especially from ΧΡΟΝΟΣ.

As you stared more at Phainon, how perfectly he paused in time, admiring his smile, how contagious it is, then lastly at the flower in your hand.

You must be a fool if you think you would want this to end.

You glared up at the sky, almost as if you were about to challenge the Gods themselves.

“Ananeó̱ste tḕn roḗ tou chrónou. Oúchi to theîon kathíkon sas eínai na merimnáṯe ópōs pántote trechei?” “Resume the flow of time. Is it not your divine duty to ensure it always runs?”

As those words left your mouth, slowly the wind made contact with your frame, and the sound came loud. The sound of his laughter.

One thought stayed on your mind, clenching the flower.

The Gods knew what you were planning.

The sun set, and you both were now inside your house.

You invited him over for a sleepover; who was he to decline? He was over the moon as soon as those words left your mouth.

As he got comfortable, removing his boots and coat then made his way into your room, you had made your way into the kitchen.

You gently rested the flower on top of your counter as you grabbed a vase and walked up to the sink, turning it on as the water filled it up.

When it was up to your liking, you turned off the tap and made it back to the counter, plopping the flower in.

You stared at it for a bit until you made your way into your room, vase in hand.

"Took you a while.."

"Huh?"

As you entered your room, you found Phainon on your bed, looking through some sketches.

Confusion grew as you had no recollection of placing any sketches near your bed.

You placed the vase on your dresser as you got into bed, and you got closer to him, resting your head on his shoulder as you stared at the sketch in his hand.

It was a sketch of yourself when you were younger.

"I assume this is you, right? You looked so cute. Though I don't understand this text.." he muttered, turning it over.

"Lemme see.." You said as he offered the paper to you.

Your eyes darken as it all makes sense to you, where this paper came from.

"ΜΗΝ ΤΟΛΜΗΣ ΝΑ ΔΙΑΤΑΡΑΞΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΡΟΗΝ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥ"

These familiar words, paired with the you who were warned by TIME.

“Do not dare to disturb the flow of time.”

Clearly, it was a warning from above.

You sighed as you crumpled the paper, surprising Phainon.

"What was that for?"

"No reason, I just find it useless." You simply said as you got up and made your way out, goal in mind to throw the paper away.

Phainon followed behind with a small frown.

"But you looked cute in it.." He whined as he got closer from behind, resting his chin at the crown of your head, snaking his arms around your frame.

It caught you off guard, as the paper fell out of your hand and right into the bin in front of you.

"It's gone now."

A sigh was heard from behind as you felt his cheek rubbing into your head.

"What a waste."

"I'm sure there's more." You reasoned with him, placing your hand on top of his as you loosened his grip, turning to face him.

You saw his frown in full view, which reminded you of the puppy from before. It made you giggle.

Before you could get a word out, Phainon shoved his face into the crook of your neck, breath tickling you.

"Ugh- What a big baby.. Cmon, let's go back inside the room."

"But it's comfortable here.."

His grip tightens, leaving you helpless. Seems like you both will be here for a while.. That is, until the window suddenly opens with force.

It caught you both off guard, breaking the moment.

"Is something wrong with your window?" Phainon asked as he let go to investigate, you peaking from behind.

The window didn't steal your attention, but the constellations did.

Your eyebrows knitted, annoyance taking over.

Phainon's concerns blurred out in your mind as your eyes connected the stars, creating the connection that symbolizes the sea goat. Capricorn, the sign with traits such as ambition, practicality, and discipline.

A sign from the stars, a sign from ΑΙΩΝ.

Blinking away from the stars, you shifted your attention to the man who was still checking the window.

You tugged at his sleeve, telling him that the window is fine and that you both should really be heading back to the room.

At least this time he listened.

Finally, you both were back in the room and comfortably tucked into your bed.

His finger ran through your hair, lulling you to sleep as his other hand kept you close to his chest, close to his heart.

You rested your cheek on his chest, fingers gripping his shirt as your eyes were closed.

But you were awake.

"Phainon."

"Hm?"

"Will we stay together forever?"

"And ever.. and ever, and ever and-"

You cut him off with a giggle bubbling up. It made the smile on his face grow.

This will last forever.

The Flamereaver was born out of Phainon's rage that he couldn't hold in any longer. It was the result of carrying unbearable pain for many, many cycles, watching his friends die millions of times, some even from his own hands, all to collect these Coreflames. He painted his hand in gold, in their blood.

With all that power Phainon consumes, he loses his humanity, which manifests in two versions of himself.

The one you know and love, the hero.

The other, full of his rage and hatred.

The Flamereaver wishes to fulfill what Phainon and Cyrene wished for; the only difference is that the Flamereaver can do it without any hesitation, slaying anything and anyone in his way. Free of the pain of murdering his friends over and over, free of doubt.

There was a certain cycle the Flamereaver followed, a loop.

Kill Cyrene, trigger the restart of the world. Collect the coreflames, acquire the power. Be killed by the new Phaino, pass on the accumulated memories and powers.

Then the cycle repeats.

That was not what you wanted. There will be no Flamereaver, no killing, no repeats of pain and suffering.

But you knew that somewhere in your future, there would come a time when you would forever change his life. For the better.

In the foreseeable future, you notice a person who goes by the title "Trailblazer".

You saw how this Trailblazer will save Amphoreus. Figure out what is happening, and try to stop it all.

But in the end, Phainon still goes through all this pain and hurt, does he not?

The feeling of entering a time frame you don't belong to is a feeling you can't describe. It was as if you were left behind while everyone else moved on.

Ever since the first night you've met Phainon, you studied his cycles, every one of them. Planned your actions, how you wanted it all to play out.

So as you opened your eyes, you weren't in your bed, snuggled next to Phainon, but in his 33,550,336th cycle. You've entered his future cycle, the one where you will forbid him from repeating that pain again.

Your eyes scanned your surroundings. You stood in what looked like a Colosseum, but was instead covered in the works of time. Broken pillars here and there, nature in some, and the floor was decorated with dead bodies. In front of you stood him.

Not Phainon, but Khaslana.

He did not face you. He faced his friend, Mydeimos.

You remembered hearing Phainon mention this Mydeimos. May it be from a mission or from daily activities. He may complain, but it always ended with that warming smile on his face. It shows how much Phainon cares for his friends, how much he loves them. Yet it's the same ones he must murder.

With his back facing you, you couldn't see his pained look, but you heard it in his words, how draining he sounded, how, after all this time, he still couldn't go on with it so easily.

"After that one and only time we walked side by side, every time since, it always ends up like this."

Your ears perked up at the sound of his voice as he continued to speak to Mydeimous. You've heard him say these words before. Always, as you studied his cycles like a textbook.

"Dawnmaker will stab you through your tenth thoracic vertebra.-"

"-That's your weak spot and only way to kill you." He started as you muttered the rest.

You stood there, waiting for Mydeimos' words, his reply but..

It never came. You were confused. You couldn't move. They didn't move.

TIME stopped you. ΑΙΩΝ stopped you.

You ignored the stars. You ignored the warnings ΑΙΩΝ gave you. Now, you may bear the burden.

Suddenly, you felt the pain of your powers. You felt the emotions of the Gods. As the pain grew, you felt their anger grow as well. The connection was always there, since day one of these pains. They were always with you. They did not like you foreseeing anything, with that negative thought in mind. For your own selfish desires.

In your head, your thoughts, they were the only access you had, the only path of communication you had with ΑΙΩΝ.

"If Amphoreus is a simulation, why treat it as if it's real?"

"MENEI EN TŌ AIŌNIŌ RHEUMATI. HĒ HODOS PALAI TEKTAINOMENĒ." "IT REMAINS WITHIN THE ETERNAL FLOW. THE PATH LONG CRAFTED."

SY TETRAPEPSAIS TO EN AIŌNIŌ RHEUMATI, TĒN HODON, TŌN KYKLON AMETALLOUTON. DIA TUTO, ANTIPREPEI NA ANTIMETŌPISEIS TIN SYMPERIFORAN.

"YOU HAVE TAMPERED WITH THE ETERNAL FLOW, THE PATH, THE CYCLE UNBROKEN. FOR THIS, YOU SHALL FACE THE CONSEQUENCE."

The consequence of being stuck in your own loop. Before you could get to your answer.

"After that one and only time we walked side by side, every time since, it always ends up like this."

Your ears perked up at the sound of his voice as he continued to speak to Mydeimous. You've heard him say these words before. Always as you studied his cycles like a textbook.

"Dawnmaker will stab you through your tenth thoracic vertebra.-"

"-That's your weak spot and only way to kill you." He started as you muttered the rest.

You stood there, waiting for Mydeimos' words, his reply but..

It never came. You were confused. You couldn't move. They didn't move.

TIME stopped you. ΑΙΩΝ stopped you.

CYCLE 1

"After that one and only time we walked side by side, every time since, it always ends up like this."

Is this what Phainon felt like?

Your ears perked up at the sound of his voice as he continued to speak to Mydeimous. You've heard him say these words before. Always as you studied his cycles like a textbook.

How did he manage to go through this for so long?

"Dawnmaker will stab you through your tenth thoracic vertebra.-"

"-That's your weak spot and only way to kill you." He started as you muttered the rest.

It was like you couldn't control yourself.

You stood there, waiting for Mydeimos' words, his reply but..

It never came. You were confused. You couldn't move. They didn't move.

TIME stopped you. ΑΙΩΝ stopped you.

CYCLE 11,183,446

Your mind slowly got back control. You could almost think freely.

"After that one and only time we walked side by side, every time since, it always ends up like this."

But it still drove you slowly to the end.

"Dawnmaker will stab you through your tenth thoracic vertebra.-"

"-That's your weak spot and only way to kill you." He started as you muttered the rest.

Hearing his broken voice, on this broken record.

You stood there, waiting for Mydeimos' words, his reply but..

No wonder his hate grew so strong; the Flamereaver manifested.

It never came. You were confused. You couldn't move. They didn't move.

TIME stopped you. ΑΙΩΝ stopped you.

CYCLE 22,366,891

"After that one and only time we walked side by side, every time since, it always ends up like this."

It hurt so much. You don't even know if you were real.

"Dawnmaker will stab you through your tenth thoracic vertebra.-"

"-That's your weak spot and only way to kill you." He started as you muttered the rest.

Were you a fake? From the past?

You stood there, waiting for Mydeimos' words, his reply but..

From the future? What is time anymore? Where were you?

It never came. You were confused. You couldn't move. They didn't move.

TIME stopped you. ΑΙΩΝ stopped you.

CYCLE 33,550,335

It drove you insane. To the edge. Being conscious of this. All 671,006,700 seconds of it all drove you to the end. You wanted it to end.

"After that one and only time we walked side by side, every time since, it always ends up like this."

You used the consciousness of your mind to move your body at will. You ran straight to the blade.

"Dawnmaker will stab you through your tenth thoracic vertebra.-

Dawnmaker will stab you through your tenth thoracic vertebra.

-That's your weak spot and only way to kill you."

That's the one spot you only remembered after all these cycles.

You drove Khaslana's blade through your body. This was not a part of the eternal flow. The path that was set.

As the blood leaked out, coughing up from your mouth, you felt the eyes of them all.

KHASLANA, MYDEIMOS, ΧΡΟΝΟ

This was not meant to happen in either the simulated world or the path that was set, created by the Gods.

You fell to the floor, blade still deep inside of you. Weakly, you looked up, locking eye contact with him.

You saw how dull his blue eyes got; they always brightened when they landed on you. But here? He stared at you as if you were nothing. Just another blockage in the road. That familiar look he gave to the Crysos Heirs. His loved ones.

Then, you heard the voice of CHRONOS.

SY TETRAPEPSAIS TO EN AIŌNIŌ RHEUMATI, TĒN HODON, TŌN KYKLON AMETALLOUTON. DIA TUTO, ANTIPREPEI NA ANTIMETŌPISEIS TIN SYMPERIFORAN.

"YOU HAVE TAMPERED WITH THE ETERNAL FLOW, THE PATH, THE CYCLE UNBROKEN. FOR THIS, YOU SHALL FACE THE CONSEQUENCE."

The consequence of being lost in time. You were now in the past, the future, and the unknown.

With both punishments, you were now counted as immortal. Lost forever in time. Unknown to it all.

Two Gods have now punished you. With that stunt you pulled off, you broke the cycle, but now you have no sense of the future, the past. Where do you go from here?

THE OPPORTUNE MOMENT ΚΑΙΡΟΣ. 𝐊𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐎𝐒.

But, with this consciousness you have. That feeling of awareness, of everything around you, it was as if you were in your room, with yourself. With TIME. With ΚΑΙΡΟΣ.

The same way you could change time in your mind, manifest yourself into that period. What says you can't do it here?

Phainon told you about his childhood, his home village. Aedes Elysiae.

You've studied all his cycles. With this two knowledge combined, what makes you think you can't just start from the beginning?

To the first cycle.

Everything changed: the atmosphere, the scenery, the stares.

Now, it all looked so warm. Breeze blowing through your hair, the orange of the sun splattered everywhere.

You felt the brushes of the tall blades touch you as they swayed with the wind. It all gave you that feeling he did.

You stood in the field of grass, beside a young boy who lay in it. His eyes were closed; it seemed as if he were taking a nap.

"So that's how you looked when you were young. You were cute."

At least this will be the first thing you will see after every one of them.

After every one of the 33,550,335 cycles, you will go through. With the consciousness of being from the future, you will get to see the beginning of your story, all the way up to that last meeting you had with time. All until you get back to the present cycle you love, to change things up, for a different outcome.

You were conscious of it all, counting each one as it all repeated. All from the number 1.

CYCLE 1

CYCLE 11,183,446

CYCLE 22,366,891

CYCLE 33,550,335

Finally, you both were back in the room and comfortably tucked into your bed.

His finger ran through your hair, lulling you to sleep as his other hand kept you close to his chest, close to his heart.

You rested your cheek on his chest, fingers gripping his shirt as your eyes were closed.

But you were awake.

"Phainon."

"Hm?"

"Will we stay together forever?"

"And ever.. and ever, and ever and-"

You cut him off with a giggle bubbling up. It made the smile on his face grow.

This will last forever.

It was in the middle of the night when you rose up from the bed. Phainon was still fast asleep in your bed. You smiled down at him and caressed his face.

You finally made it back to the present. You finally completed your goal.

There were a few blockages in the road, which ended up with you killing yourself to partly break out of your first punishment, but you were stuck with the second one, no biggie. It doesn't matter if you could live forever or not.

Slowly, you made your way out of the bed, carefully to not wake him up, and sat on the floor.

You were currently a living form of two consequences. They can't punish you again if you were already punished, right?

To begin, you closed your eyes.

PERSONIFICATION OF TIME. ΧΡΟΝΟΣ. 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐒.

It was the first TIME you acknowledged. It was the basic understanding of time. It was everywhere.

It will be the first piece of the puzzle. The first piece of the goal.

THE ETERNAL ΑΙΩΝ. 𝐀𝐈𝐎𝐍.

It was the second TIME you acknowledged. It was the eternal time. Cycles were their play. The stars, the zodiacs.

It will be the second piece of the puzzle. The second piece of the goal.

With the basic understanding of time and the cycles. You created your own.

THE OPPORTUNE MOMENT ΚΑΙΡΟΣ. 𝐊𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐎𝐒.

It was the third TIME you acknowledged. It was the perfect time. Take it when you can.

And that you did, when it was right in front of your face, dangling, you took it.

It will be the third piece of the puzzle. The third piece of the goal.

"There will be no perfect moments to break this cycle."

Birds were chirping, telling you that the sun had risen. You felt the bed shift. Your eyes slowly opened to find Phainon awake, staring down at you.

"Look who's up." His raspy, morning voice muttered, fingers already through your hair.

In response, you groaned at the light slowly seeping into the room and shoved your face into his chest, causing him to chuckle.

The feeling of it from his chest bubbling up made your smile grow, cheesing in his shirt.

"What are you smiling for?"

Oh, it seems to have caught his attention. You peeked out from his chest, staring up at him as he stared back down.

"What do you wanna do this morning? Stay in bed or make some breakfast?"

It was time to test the waters. Did it work?

"What kind of breakfast do you think we should have?" You muttered.

"Hm.. Maybe some Greek yogurt with berries and nuts.. Some protein.. like eggs, and some kind of meat.. Is there any flour to bake some bread?" He muttered in thought.

You smiled at the response.

"I think we can do that, might have to make some flour though. There's wheat in the back."

"Then we should start early. Cmon, out of bed we go!" He said as he rose from the bed, pulling you up with him.

"But I'm sleepy.."

He kissed you on your nose.

"Too bad, I'm hungry."

You giggle softly at him.

"Fine.." You muttered.

After all the banter, you both left the room and made your way into the kitchen.

You made it clear through your actions that you were heading straight to the back, that is, until large arms snaked around you.

"What's wrong?" You asked, tilting your head up.

"You."

"Huh?"

He picked you up, causing a gasp to leave your mouth as he walked you up to the counter, placing you on top of it.

"That's my job. Why are you going to steal it from me?" He joked.

"Do you know how to use the Grinder?" You asked back.

"I have an idea. As if you taught me before."

You hummed at his words. Then you continued.

"Should I do the eggs and meat? Yogurt and berries?"

"Nah, I will. You can do the bread when I'm back with the flour."

"Alright, have fun. Okay?"

"Of course." He ended, giving you a squeeze on your hips as his hands left you and made his towards the back.

Your eyes lingered on him as he walked away. There were some changes, but the same outcome. Your smile grew at the thought.

Everything else was the same: you both made breakfast, he poured out the juice for you, and you both ate facing each other.

During the day, the sound of rain made it into your ears. You both had just finished in the shower, all cleaned up.

"We can't go out, bummer." He muttered, fixing his shirt.

You, beside him, looked up to face him.

"It's okay, we can have a day in. If it rains until night, maybe we can have a sleepover."

His face lit up at the idea. Smiling as he made his way back into your room. Leaving you with your thoughts.

Obviously, you took out the negative times you had with Phainon. The headaches, the passing out. You only kept the moments you loved. Bummer you couldn't go beyond your safe space, this home. If you could, you would've included the time you both were in the field, the time you found that dog. Bummer, isn't it?

The sun was finally leaving as the stars and the moon made their way. You peeked into the room and found Phainon on the bed, admiring a sketch.

"What's that?" You asked, as you made your way into the bedroom, placing the vase on your dress, and made it onto the bed, resting your head on his shoulder.

"A picture, I assume it's you when you were younger? You were cute." He answered.

You waited for the rest, smiled when you didn't hear it.

"Can I see it?" You asked. He nodded and gave you the paper.

You turned it around, looking for those words, but found nothing. You let out a sigh of relief as you turned it back over and placed it in his hand.

"I'm sure you were cuter when you were younger."

"I don't think so!"

The bantering made you smile. You certainly won't miss this.

"What do you wanna do now?" You asked him, causing him to shrug. He lay back on the bed, staring up at with with a small smile.

"Nothing comes to mind, I'm just sleepy," he muttered.

You followed his movements, instead, lying on top of him. You rested your arms, folded, on his chest as you stared down at him.

"Then let's get ready for bed."

You both were tucked away in the bed, tucked away in each other's arms. Your head rested on his chest as he rested his chin on top of yours. You both were comfortable here. Happy. Together.

His finger ran through your hair, lulling you to sleep as his other hand kept you close to his chest, close to his heart.

You rested your cheek on his chest, fingers gripping his shirt as your eyes were closed.

But you were awake.

"Phainon."

"Hm?"

"Will we stay together forever?"

"And ever.. and ever, and ever and-"

You cut him off with a giggle bubbling up. It made the smile on his face grow.

This will last forever.

You beat the Gods. You used their own powers against them and punished yourself for your happiness. You outsmarted TIME for your own selfish desires, and it came true. You weren't disappointed.

"There will be no perfect moments to break this cycle."

You smiled more as you heard your words in your head.

"Because this is my perfect moment."

Your future. Your PERFECT moment. Your KAIROS moment.

IMRAESPACE || MASTERLIST

CREDITS! GIFS 1 , 2 (b1adie) GIF 3 (carlottamontelli)

DIVIDER 1 (strangergraphics) ART CREDS -> @/Stars4993

NOTES!

ART // video i used for the recap // thank you for reading!

#🍙 tbr #THE PREMISE HAS ME HOOKED OMG #I WILL READ THIS SOON TRUST!

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