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Furbobo Weekly | Life After Irontomb: Daily Snapshots from Amphoreus

Following the catastrophe that nearly marked the end of the known universe, Amphoreus has finally emerged from the veil of the Remembrance. Once regarded as nothing more than strings of data, the Eternal Land now stands revealed to the cosmos for the first time in its long history.

Though the scars left by the First Genius’ experiment remain visible across the world, life continues. Markets bustle once more, children fill the streets with laughter, and communities work tirelessly to rebuild what was lost. Amid the ruins of yesterday's crisis, a new chapter is quietly taking shape, waiting for a new seed to sprout. 

Join Furbobo Weekly as we journey across Amphoreus, capturing moments both ordinary and extraordinary, from local celebrations and heroic reunions to the everyday lives of the people who endured the impossible and lived to tell the tale.

These are snapshots, stories, and faces of Amphoreus after Irontomb.

[Photo of Anaxagoras and Hyacine tending to vegetable garden]

[Read more…] 

[Next Article ➜]

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[Comments]

(Anonymous661)
Aglaea can step on me and I would thank her. 
+120 (thumbs up) | -2 (thumbs down)

(theherta1111)
Amphoreus is beautiful! I recommend watching the Baseball Raccoon’s livestream replay. There’s an Amphoreus tour whoa. 
+25 (thumbs up) | 0 (thumbs down)

(Phainon’s #1 Fangirl)
Phainon’s so handsome….. MMMM. LOOK AT THAt. I want him to eat Mydei’s tomato. If you know what I mean. hmmm *winkwink*
+3 (thumbs up) | -30 (thumbs down)

⤷ (JustHeretoSIMP) 
Er. This is not a shippy subs or an rpf subs for that matter. Moderator, delete pls @racoonbots! 

(Archivist_03)
Kinda surreal seeing Amphoreus become a real place. Feels weird remembering that everyone there actually lived through all that.
+18 (thumbs up) | -0 (thumbs down)

⤷ (caffeineaddict)
Yeah. Reading As I've Written was one thing. Seeing candid photos of people tending gardens after all that... hits different.

(Across_the_blue)
Look, you all keep celebrating this ‘new world’, but don’t you know that amphoreus still hosts a lord ravager’s seed? namely, that chrysos heir, Phainon? i say we better watch out. 
+10 (thumbs up) | -37 (thumbs down)

⤷ (goldenfriedegg) 
Didn’t you hear that he has given the golden blood away to General Jing Yuan of the Xianzhou Luofu? Asat Pramad himself said that he “didn’t even stick around for probation”, so Phainon isn’t with them anymore. You should know this if you read the last edition Q&A.

⤷ (Across_the_blue) 
Are you dumb? That’s like just giving blood samples, isn’t it? Doesn’t mean his blood is no longer gold just because he donates some to Luofu. Who’s to say he’s cleared for good? What if one day he succumbs to Destruction? You all just excuse him because he’s handsome.

⤷ (JustHeretoSIMP) 
ngl i think all lord ravagers are kinda hot, have u seen phantyllia and celenova? is it a requirement to be hot in order to get appointed as a lord ravager? lowkey even nanook is hot. would.

⤷ (BroMeanie) 
That’s right! ^_^

⤷ (JustHeretoSIMP) 
bro why are u here???
btw are u saying it’s true that u need to be hot to be a lr?

⤷ (Across_the_blue)
Are you saying I’m right? So there’s still a threat of an lr seed in Amphoreus?

⤷ (goldenfriedegg)
No wait, maybe he meant ME who’s right. Phainon is no threat. The LR was Irontomb, not Phainon, and the AE has already defeated it!

⤷ (Across_the_blue)
Can you read? I said lord ravager seed. SEED. he may not be one now, but he might become one.

⤷ (JustHeretoSIMP) 
bro just disappeared without confirming huh, what a riot…

Redlight Tabloid | Golden Hero or Harbinger of Destruction?

PLANARCADIA - In Planarcadia, we all love a good story about heroic deeds and noble sacrifice. Few stories have captured the public imagination quite like the adventures of the Astral Express, first brought to a wider audience by Blurry_QR_Colt's bestselling graphic novel series, Fluffy Across the Blue (hereafter abbreviated as FAtB).

In the latest arc of FAtB, readers are introduced to Amphoreus, a mysterious world long hidden by Remembrance. What begins as another thrilling tale of heroes battling impossible odds soon evolves into something far more complicated.

At the center of the story stands the Chrysos Heirs of Amphoreus. Courageous, self-sacrificing, and unwavering in the face of disaster. They quickly became fan favorites among readers. Social feeds across Planarcadia have been flooded with artwork, discussion threads, and even dedicated fan clubs for each of the Golden Heroes.

Among the most popular Chrysos Heirs is Phainon, lauded as the world bearer Titan, the hero who has made the biggest sacrifice for the future of Amphoreus.

However, recent developments have left some people questioning whether the title "hero" tells Phainon’s whole story.

As the allegedly real events of Amphoreus unfold in the recently published As I’ve Written, following FAtB’s popularity, Phainon's connection to the feared Lord Ravagers—a title historically associated with destruction on a cosmic scale—is brought into the spotlight. The revelation has driven intense debate throughout the fandom.

Can a man who helped save his world still be trusted if he bears the mantle of a Lord Ravager? Which defines one’s self? Destiny, or their choices?

People’s opinions are sharply divided. We can argue that Phainon's actions speak for themselves, pointing to the sacrifices he has made to protect Amphoreus, and in extension, our known universe. But this writer cannot help but remain uneasy, wondering whether any connection to the Ruin Author can ever truly be ignored.

For now, Phainon has become one of the most controversial figures in recent history, and if Amphoreus is a seed destined to grow, to become more than strings of data one day, should we all be concerned?

Golden hero, harbinger of Destruction, or something in between? The discussion shows no sign of ending anytime soon. 

[Next Article ➜]

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[Comments]

(SilverQueen_Almond)
I mean, I respect everything he's done for Amphoreus, but history has shown that Lord Ravagers don't exactly get a happy ending. Better safe than sorry.
+35 (thumbs up) | -33 (thumbs down)

⤷ (Across_the_blue)
Everyone keeps saying "judge him by his actions." I am. His actions are the only reason we're even having this conversation. Doesn't change the fact that he's literally connected to Destruction. 

⤷ (scaredycat777)
Imagine if another Lord Ravager suddenly appeared on your planet and everyone just said "nah he's chill now." 💀 

(JustHeretoSIMP)
counterpoint: he's cute
+27 (thumbs up) | -10 (thumbs down)

⤷ (furrrrbabies)
bro this is NOT the article for this 😭

(HistoryNerdR)
The issue isn't whether Phainon wants to hurt people. Plenty of tragedies begin with people who never intended for things to spiral out of control.
+73 (thumbs up) | -2 (thumbs down)

(goldenfriedegg)
I actually feel bad for the guy. imagine saving your world only for everyone to remember you as "that Lord Ravager guy." Phainon is no threat. The LR was IRONTOMB!
+12 (thumbs up) | -5 (thumbs down)

⤷ (live.love.LAUGH)
I'm more worried about the people around him tbh.

⤷ (not-a-masked-fool)
^ this.

(LordRagebaiter)
Like... who's keeping an eye on him? Genuine question.
+10 (thumbs up) | -1 (thumbs down)

⤷ (SilverQueen_Almond)
Didn't that livestream kinda imply Mydeimos is almost always with him now?

⤷ (LordRagebaiter)
Then honestly that's probably for the best.

⤷ (SilverQueen_Almond)
True. Having someone like “Mydeimos the Undying” sure is reassuring.

⤷ (LordRagebaiter)
Is he still undying tho…

⤷ (Phainon's #1 Fangirl)
OMG is this doomed yaoi I'm smelling?? 👀

It isn't the articles Phainon can't stop reading.

It's the comments beneath them.

Phainon scrolls up to that comment about Aglaea. Not far below that comment thread is someone arguing that Amphoreus should never have been allowed to leave Remembrance. Then it was another person talking about how Lord Ravagers are attractive. Half the replies beneath that have devolved into how hot Nanook is.

What in the world…

He's not sure anymore if it's a blessing to be connected to the world beyond the skies. To see people on another planet speak of them and all they had lived through—all those cycles he had to go through—as though it were nothing more than entertainment. There’s even an account he suspects belonging to another Lord Ravager that is commenting on it.

But as he scrolls, there is one commenter who isn't treating it as entertainment.

'What if one day he succumbs to Destruction?'

The thought follows him into the next article.

There, it is no longer buried beneath jokes and arguments. It sits in the headline, woven into paragraphs that weigh his choices against his destiny and wonder whether the cosmos should be concerned. Hundreds of people debate beneath it as though the answer can be reached by popular vote.

'Like... who's keeping an eye on him? Genuine question.'

'Didn't that livestream kinda imply Mydeimos is almost always with him now?

'Then honestly that's probably for the best.'

Phainon's gaze lingers on the words.

He has given the golden blood to the Xianzhou Alliance. He has cut ties with Destruction to the best of his ability. The power that once burned beneath his skin is gone. 

Yet it is true that he had once drawn the gaze of an Aeon. He is still the World Bearer Titan and golden blood still flows in his veins. 

The question lingers.

Is he truly free?

A knock on the door startles him hard enough that his grip slips on the teleslate.

"Phainon?"

The door to his room slowly swings open, and his mother peeks inside.

She looks exactly as she did when he was barely a teenager. Exactly as she had looked in countless cycles before she was taken from him.

For a brief moment, the comment section disappears.

"Oh, you're awake?" Audata says. "I thought you were asleep since you didn't hear me knocking."

Phainon quickly schools his expression into something lighter.

"Sorry, Mom. What is it?"

"Did you forget?"

A second voice joins the conversation. Low. Familiar. Someone much taller than his mother leans into the doorway.

"You asked me to come today because it's time to gather the apples."

“Oh. Right.” Phainon clicks his teleslate screen off and places it down. “Sorry, I was just too engrossed in reading an article. There are a lot of interesting things out there beyond the skies.”

“That’s true,” his mother agrees with a chuckle. “One day, I’d love to travel to other planets?”

Phainon’s smile twitches. “That would be lovely.”

For a moment, Phainon feels familiar sharp eyes on him. When he looks up, Mydei’s eyeing him like he’s trying to pick him apart.

"Give him a few minutes," says his mother, breaking the almost tense silence she probably doesn’t realize exists. "I'll get the baskets."

Then, she disappears down the hallway, leaving Mydei hovering by his door. And because he’s Mydei, he simply steps into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"You’re worried about something."

A statement, not a question, because of course Mydei knows. Could read him like an open book. To Mydei, Phainon is bad at hiding his expression, though Phainon is sure it’s not the case for most people but Mydei and maybe Aglaea and the Tribios.

“It’s nothing important,” Phainon says, because it’s true, technically. Articles and comments written by people who don’t know them—him—shouldn’t matter.

Mydei studies him for a moment, but either out of mercy or because he actually trusts him, he doesn’t push.

"Well," he says at last, "the apples aren't going to pick themselves."

Phainon lets out a breath that almost resembles a laugh.

Right.

The apples.

He doesn’t have to worry about coreflames, about having to kill his friends, or cosmic-level disasters anymore.

It’s just him in his hometown with his family intact, and his most important person is going with him to pick apples.

Furbobo Web Portal | New series on FurboTube!

Dear furbies, following a popular request, after our last photos feature about Amphoreus, FurboTube is launching a brand-new spotlight series! Beginning from this week, we will be featuring one Chrysos Heir each week, examining their less known origin stories by providing a visual walkthrough of their hometowns for the fans!

To start off the series, there could be no more fitting choice than Phainon of Aedes Elysiae. 

Phainon is a name that needs little introduction to avid readers across the cosmos. He is best known in Planarcadia as one of the central figures in Fluffy Across the Blue, but recently with the cosmos wide publication of As I've Written, penned by none other than Caelus, the real figure behind the Trashcan Racoon character in FAtB, you will be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't know the name Phainon. 

Beyond his heroic tales though, Phainon used to be an ordinary young man. He hailed from Aedes Elysiae, a quiet, picturesque village where life moved at an unhurried pace. At no point in his life as a young boy did he dream of one day becoming the only human that could face the Ruin Author head on and even extract a drop of Golden Blood from the fearsome Aeon. 

And now for the first time, we will take you on a tour of Aedes Elysiae! 

[▶ Play] 

EXT. AEDES ELYSIAE - MORNING

(FADE IN)

The sound of chirping birds while the camera pans over a creek with crystalline water rushing, then cuts to a field of golden wheat that sways in the wind. A scarecrow made of sticks and old clothes stands in the middle of the field like a silent sentinel. 

Two children run by, laughing with a shrill sound. 

[Damionis] Hey, kids! Where's Phainon? 

[Children] Over there!

The camera moves again, walking in first person view. The cameraman takes the viewer to a riverside with a small wooden platform and a swing. 

Phainon is sitting on the swing, smiling up at Mydeimos who is standing in front of him with his arms crossed. Phainon notices the cameraman’s approach and waves. His smile morphs into a big grin. 

[Phainon] Hey, pal! Welcome to Aedes Elysiae! 

[Damionis] Good morning! Thank you for having us!

[Phainon] Gladly, how have you enjoyed the scenery so far? 

[Damionis] This place lives up to its reputation. I don't think I ever want to leave. 

Phainon laughs. He gets off the swing and looks at Mydeimos. 

[Phainon] Wanna go on a tour with me? 

[Mydeimos] I'm already pretty familiar with this village. Just go ahead. I'll help your mother at home.

[Phainon] Alright. Heheh, it's just you and me and the viewers then, Damionis! Let's get started!

(FADE OUT) 

[⏸ Pause]

-

[Comments]

(Dreaming_of_the_Sky) 📌pinned by racoonbot
Hello everyone, I am Damionis who is trusted to work on this series. Next week, I will take you on a tour of the Grove of Epiphany. I have even gotten the permission to film Professor Anaxa’s workspace! How amazing is that? Stay tuned!
+335 (thumbs up) | 0 (thumbs down)

⤷ (racoonbot) 
Thank you for your help! 

⤷ (furbobocom_official)
Thank you for your help! 

⤷ (Gemibo)
Thank you for your help! 

⤷ (A-na-xa-go-ras)
It's Anaxagoras.

⤷ (LittleBigIca)
oh hi professor anaxa.

⤷ (A-na-xa-go-ras)
It's Anaxagoras.

(Squaredcardia)
Amazing! Especially loved the part where he took us through the tree hole and came out the other side to a big cave with little empty houses. Was that the Membrance Maze??? I loved reading that part in the book so much! 
+157 (thumbs up) | 0 (thumbs down)

(Phainon's #1 Fangirl)
This was a blessing!!! Aaaah, the book didn’t really go into the gritty depth about Phainon’s childhood, and what we knew mostly came from speculations and the artistic license of the comic. I AM THIRST. Thank you, Damionis, for the candid 101  questions about Phainon's childhood when you met his mom! Ahhh~ look at him being so shy! Bet, he must be so cute as a child! 

And oh, oh, I am now more than convinced that he and Mydei have something going on. I mean, come on, if you read the book, it told of the tale of them taking a bath together at the dead of night? Just the two of them? Sparring for ten days and ten nights straight? The sheer homoeroticism!! And then oh, that beginning shot??? And Mydei was at Phainon’s house helping his mother??? What a dutiful son-in-law. Ooooh my shipper heart can’t take it >.>
+125 (thumbs up) | -37 (thumbs down)

⤷ (godslayer) 
Oh, AHA be damned. You’re here again. Go slobber elsewhere. 

⤷ (goldenfriedegg) 
Wild, baby. 

⤷ (BroMeanie) 
Wild, baby. 

⤷ (Sparxicle ❤️ LOLOLOLOL)
Wild, baby. 

⤷ (Underworldbutterfly)
Um, may I DM you, Phainon's #1 Fangirl?

(Panshipper)
Look, I read above commenter’s ramble and while I am not an expert in body language, I’d say I'm pretty observant. The way they're standing close together as if they're very comfortable that way is very sus. 
+213 (thumbs up) | -67 (thumbs down)

⤷ (godslayer) 
Gross. Have you seen Mydeimos? There's no way he would be with someone like Phainon? 

⤷ (Anonymous237
Just because he looks sweet and harmless now, it doesn’t erase the fact that he’s killed Mydeimos and the other CHs over 33 million times. Imagine being with someone who’s killed you over and over again. Especially Mydeimos, who was literally the Undying. He told Phainon about his weak spot, the only way to kill him, and Phainon abused that knowledge for 33 million times. Crazy.

⤷ (HonestlyNoCap)
Wait, Panshipper, aren't you the person who ships a furbo and the Lord Ravager? O⁠_⁠o

⤷ (godslayer) 
That explains it.

Phainon isn't a stranger to interviews. During his time as a Chrysos Heir across countless cycles, he'd done more than he could remember. Aglaea had always made it part of his training, preparing him to speak on behalf of the Flame Chase and, one day, succeed her. Formal interviews, casual interviews, speeches before crowds... he'd done them all. So when Caelus approached him with the idea of filming a documentary series about Amphoreus, starting with Aedes Elysiae, and asked if he would serve as its guide, Phainon readily accepted.

There was another reason he couldn't bring himself to refuse. Amphoreus had finally stepped beyond the veil of Remembrance, but its future was far from certain. As a nascent world, it still needed to be remembered, to be seen, to help solidify the seeds of Amphoreus in the cosmos. A documentary would definitely convince even a handful of people that Amphoreus was more than the setting of some heroic tale; that it is an actual place with actual people living in it. If a few hours in front of the camera could help make Amphoreus feel real instead of just some fiction for entertainment, then Phainon would gladly do it.

So, on the day of the shoot, he put on a bright smile and slid on his perfect Deliverer’s mask. He spoke with the same practiced ease that Aglaea's lessons had drilled into him. Even though the article and the comments he'd read a few days before still weighed him down, Phainon pushed them aside. This was more important than his personal feelings—and while, his mind told him that showing his face to the world again might spark even more speculation about him. There was no denying that they needed someone who was known to the world. What Caelus—what Amphoreus needed at that moment, was the Deliverer, not Phainon. 

And now that the episode has aired, what he feared has come true, the comments come flooding in faster than Phainon can keep up with them. He knows he would be better off not reading them, but Phainon can’t help it.  He scrolls through the opening article, then the video itself, and then… the comment section. 

The comments this time feel less like they were talking about fictional characters. Caelus was right. Showing people around Aedes Elysiae and introducing them to her residents had accomplished what he'd hoped it would. More people are talking about Amphoreus as a place they wanted to visit rather than some distant legend hidden behind Remembrance. As someone who enjoys reading, he knows how important is an emotional connection to characters and setting, and how it helps in making a story stay in people’s minds. And what better way to foster that by telling them that Amphoreus is populated by ordinary people like them, too. 

He reads on. The comments on the beauty of the golden wheat field makes him smile—it must be something that is so rarely seen in Planarcadia, if there's even any. Others wonder about the fairies of the Membrance Maze and how they would love to visit the Grand Chrysos Restaurant if they ever become accessible.

But there's also something else. Something about the way people talk about him and Mydei that makes him more than just a little... uncomfortable?

His attention is caught on one in particular:

‘And Mydei was at Phainon's house helping his mother??? What a dutiful son-in-law.’

That's—well. Mydei does visit Aedes Elysiae a lot, to the point that he has become familiar with his parents. At first Phainon invited him after Mydei allowed Phainon to visit his library and spend so much time there. Partially because his parents were curious about this "close companion" he would mention often.

After the first time, Mydei started visiting him a lot. Despite their first impression (Mydei is a crown prince, a Kremnoan, and the demigod of Strife after all—his parents were more than a little worried) Phainon's parents now absolutely adore him, and Mydei seemed enthusiastic about learning Aedes Elysian wheat-based recipes from Audata. Now it isn't a weird sight seeing the Mydeimos strolling about in Aedes Elysiae, working his family farm or picking apples and other mundane things.

"It's relaxing," Mydei told him once when he asked if he truly didn't mind the labor. "It keeps me physically active without having to think about battles."

So it became a part of their routine; Phainon spending time in Mydei's library with the man himself and his five friends he finally got to meet, and Mydei chilling in Aedes Elysiae in his free time.

He scrolls further down. Someone else replies that they've always suspected there was something between them. And then another analyzes the way they stood next to each other, insisting nobody stands that close unless they're together.

Looking at it now, they do spend most of their free time with each other, because after all of those cycles—where they always had to part ways and it always ended with Mydei's blood in Phainon's hands—it feels like now that he's allowed to, that Mydei has forgiven him, Phainon never wants to be too far apart from Mydei.

There is never a confession, or even an agreement, not in so many words. Just this thing, this growing closeness that creeps up on them, day by day.

When the dust settled after Irontomb, Phainon felt suspended. He didn't know what exactly to do. He still doesn't, to be honest. But Mydei helped shape his days. He invited Phainon to his library. He suggested that, now they were finally free, perhaps Phainon could show him the golden field he'd talked about so often.

Somehow, that is how Mydei ends up making his way to his mother's kitchen, flour dusting his knuckles as he learns to work the dough the way Audata taught him. It is how Phainon ends up sparring with Mydei's friends in the golden field while Mydei watches from the sidelines, a campfire crackling in the night. 

Then… somehow, Phainon keeps expecting to see Mydei’s boots by the door whenever he comes home from tilling the field, taking Mydei’s presence in Aedes Elysiae as something natural. 

Phainon knows what he feels. He's known for a while now—for millions of cycles—that he’s stopped trying to talk himself out of it. Long enough that it doesn't even startle him anymore. It just sits there, quiet and constant, like the breeze rustling the wheats in the field.

And he lets himself think, some nights, that Mydei might feel it too. The way Mydei just forgave him so easily—too easily, even. The way how, in most of the cycles, Mydei was the only one who believed in him, and would give him a battle to the last drop to fuel his fire of deliverance. The way Mydei, in almost every cycle, always wished for them to have a “chance in the next life” and made a promise to visit his library.

The way after everything, Mydei so readily accepts him—all of him. Even the 33 million versions of living inside of him, for better or for worse. 

But knowing isn't the same as saying. And every time Phainon gets close to it—to the actual shape of the sentence I want this, I want you, I want to stop pretending this is just proximity—something closes his throat. Thirty-three million and change. That number sits in him like a splinter that never worked its way out. He knows Mydei has forgiven him. Mydei has told him so, plainly, more than once. But forgiveness and deserving are not the same thing, and Phainon has never been sure he's earned the second one. What right does he have, asking for more than what Mydei already, generously, gives him?

So he never asked. He's been letting the days accumulate instead, telling himself that's enough.

Then came that other article. The one speculating whether he was a hero or a harbinger of destructions. He remembers some of the comments there, where strangers debate whether someone should be keeping an eye on him. These people don't know him. Perhaps they didn't mean to be cruel. Most of them sound... reasonable, even. The way people felt like Mydei being around to keep an eye on him should be reassuring.

But now, the comment section is insisting there’s something between them, and seeing it laid out by strangers—dutiful son-in-law, he must reciprocate, look how close they stand—makes the doubt crawl in sideways, uninvited.

Against his better judgment, the two conversations begin to blur. 

Because what if that's all it is. What if the ease he's been reading as want is actually just Mydei being careful with him, the way you're careful with something that's been broken so it doesn't break again? Or worse, because he feels responsible. What if Mydei visits so often not because he wants to be here, but because he doesn't trust Phainon to be left alone with all those cycles rattling around in his head? Because perhaps those strangers are right, and if anyone would notice first should something go wrong, it would be him. What if the closeness isn't closeness at all, but a kind of vigilance? 

Khaslana, Mydei would sometimes call him when they’re in private. As if testing the way the name rolls in his tongue, feeling the full weight of it. 

It’s not often. Just enough to make Phainon think the name means something private between the two of them. 

Khaslana is all of him, after all. Not just the persona he wants people to see, but it’s also everything he’d rather leave in the past, along with those millions of cycles. 

What if he's misunderstood all this time?

What if it isn't intimacy that Mydei means when he calls him Khaslana, but a reminder?

What if Mydei stays close not because he trusts him, but because someone has to?

In case the aftereffects of those cycles finally catch up to him. In case whatever brush with Destruction still lingers somewhere inside him resurfaces one day.

After all, he has been glanced at by the Aeon of Destruction.

The comments are right about him. And if he ever lost control—Mydei would have the best chance of stopping him.

The thought settles into his chest like a stone dropped into still water, and Phainon sits there a long moment, his teleslate’s screen dimming in his hand, feeling how much it hurts to even think about.

Evening comes slow.  

Mydei leaves Aedes Elysiae after breakfast that day, citing that he must attend some kind of ceremony. There are many such ceremonies in Kremnos that Phainon lost track of them, the first time Mydei listed them for him.   

The taste of his mom’s apple desert, with apples picked from their own garden that morning still stays on his tongue. His mom had been smiling so wide at Mydei, merrily telling him about Phainon’s childhood—about the trees that he would climb and the scars that littered his body (or used to, really. As a Titan, he is as undying as Mydei now, and scars hardly stay long on his skin). 

With Mydei gone, his mom comes once to deliver meals to his room when he’s stayed too long inside, forgetting the time as hunched over his teleslate, inspecting an app that Caelus recommended to him for video editing. He ate his lunch while typing an occasional back and forth with Caelus, pausing every now and then to look at the pictures of Planarcadia that Caelus sent him. 

Hours now have gone by. Phainon lies on the bed, teleslate in hand. 

He scrolls through the comments once more. There are markedly more replies now than the last time he checked. Most of them are saying good things about Aedes Elysiae, and he is glad about that. 

The other half though…, the discussion about his and Mydei’s hypothetical relationship has reached a new heat. Many people are fighting, and Phainon doesn’t understand many of the terminologies that they’re using, like  ‘OTP’, ‘shipper’, ‘UST’, ‘Fanon’,  and so many more. Looking them up just makes his head spin with more questions. 

But, one thing is certain—among many people that hate the idea of them being together, they are of the consensus that Phainon is not safe for Mydei, and Mydei is too good for him. 

Phainon is inclined to agree. The more he read about himself, about how the people of Planarcadia see him, the more he comes to realize that they are right. 

When he reaches the end of the comment section, Phainon sighs. He taps out of the web browser and pulls the messaging app. The last person he messaged was Caelus, but there hasn’t been a new reply since a couple hours ago. He switches to another name on his screen.  

Phainon’s last message to Mydei was from this morning, just an hour after he left. 

Mydei, too, has not replied. 

His message sits empty under the time stamp. 

He must have been too busy, swept up by the flurries of activities that came to him after some days of being absent. It is understandable that he is unable to reply right away. Phainon has seen how it is in Castrum Kremnos. Mydei is their third most important person, and while he is not as busy as the ruling king, Mydei has been given more and more duties of late. The fact that he still chooses to come see Phainon in his spare time, visiting him in the village, is truly humbling to him. 

Before he can stop it, those comments he read before, comes back to flood his mind.

Perhaps Mydei comes because he feels responsible. Because after everything they've endured together, how could he not? Because if there is even the slightest chance that one day Phainon loses himself... then of course the burden would fall to the person who knows him best.

The realization leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

Staring at his unread message to Mydei, Phainon wonders… If none of that had happened, if there had been no thirty-three million cycles, no Flame Reaver, no Khaslana who bears the mark of destruction... would Mydei still choose to come?

Or would he simply have no reason to?

A knock sounds. 

“Phainon! Dinner’s done,” comes his father’s voice through the door. “Come eat with us. What are you doing in your room all day, son?”  

Phainon puts his teleslate down on the bed. “I’ll be there!” 

It is to his surprise that he sees Hephaestion with them, though to be honest, while unexpected, his presence is not a novel one. Ever since the first time Mydei brought them to Aedes Elysiae, his friends have often come to enjoy the quiet of his village. Even without Mydei there with them, it is not strange to see his friends. The other day, Phainon even spied Ptolemy lecturing the village kids about the art of rhetoric at the square.  

And at his home, Mydei and his friends have been guests before, but having one here alone is a first. 

“Alexia’s cow was stuck in a ditch. Hephaestion and the village lads helped us pull the poor thing out,” his father explains. “It’s so late by the time we’re done. I invited him for dinner.” 

Phainon plasters a smile to his face. He gets along just alright with Hephaestion. He even sparred with him at one point, but this is the first time he interacts with the man without Mydei there as a glue and the conversation while not stilted, is not quite naturally flowing either. 

They have nearly nothing in common. The only thing connecting them is Mydei, and so the topic, of course, comes to Mydei. His mother is praising Mydei—waxing her admiration about his temperament and the way he would help around the house even though he is a prince. 

“Well, that’s just how he is,” says Hephaestion. 

Phainon hums in agreement. 

“He’s a good man,” says Audata, “but… I worry about him sometimes. From what I read on the teleslate, it’s a busy time in Castrum Kremnos. I hope he’s getting enough rest.”

“Heh. Don’t worry, ma’am. Between me and Ptolemy, we drag him away from his duties often enough as it is to ensure that he has good work-life balance in this time of peace.” 

“Mmm. That is good,” Audata says. 

“Yeah, but I agree with you, if left unchecked Mydei’s sense of responsibility would work him to the ground. Especially with Krateros as his aide.” 

Phainon swallows the meatball his mom made. He looks at Hephaestion. Hephaestion and his mom have moved on to another topic—his mom is telling Hephaestion about the time Mydei helped her in the kitchen and taught her how to cook Kremnoan dishes in exchange for her teaching him her secret technique to baking. 

Their conversation fades into the background. Phainon chews another meatball slowly, barely tasting it. He agrees with his mom and Hephaestion—Mydei’s sense of responsibility and his dedication to his people is immense. Maybe that’s a natural thing for a prince who is beloved by his people. Maybe it is just a Mydei thing. 

Dread creeps into Phainon’s heart, slow but sure. 

It stays and festers, long after the dinner is over. 

In his room that night, he is glued to his teleslate once more. The comments have grown again, now reaching hundreds. The moderator even has to intervene at one point, deleting comments and threatening people with permanent ban. 

Phainon sighs. 

If left unchecked Mydei’s sense of responsibility would work him to the ground

He knows that for truth. 

He also knows that ever since they reconnected in the eternal page, there hasn’t been a day that Mydei didn’t contact him or seek him out in person. What if there is a reason for that?

Phainon tries not to think about that too much. Cyrene often said that he tended to think himself into a corner and that’s a bad habit. If Cyrene were here, he could consult her. But she isn’t. She probably will never be here anymore. 

Phainon clicks his telestate screen off and puts it facedown on the bed. 

He tries to sleep, pushing the thoughts aside, and though it takes a long time, sleep does eventually find him.

Furbobo Weekly | Breaking News! Asat Pramad in disguise!

Grab your popcorn, furbies, because the biggest twist in Phantasmoon Games is unfolding before us, and it's been lying in wait for a thousand years.

This furbo can now confirm what many people have already suspected and many others still  refuse to believe: the beloved fixture of Planarcadia’s everyday life, the much respected Dean of Graphia Academy and head of Murata Family, Ryusuke Murata, is in fact Asat Pramad!

But things may not be as simple as it appears, there is more twist to this, and this furbo will tell you a story of a long ploy that started the night Asat Pramad found an orphaned baby girl, crying her heart out in war-torn Arcadia.  

[Read more…]

[Next article ➜]

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[Comments]

(goldenfriedegg)
That was… uh… quite a revelation. I am glad I’m alive. That was scary. But look, I even managed to take a selfie with Asat Pramad before uh, he tore the city apart. [link]
+25 (thumbs up) | -100 (thumbs down)

⤷ (godslayer) 
The world was ending and all you could think of was taking a selfie?

⤷ (goldenfriedegg)
Well, I didn’t know that he would literally wreak havoc the moment I finished taking that photo. Also haven’t you also interacted with him in the comment section, godslayer? I saw you. 

(Across_the_Blue)
See? Seeeeee? We all thought Asat Pramad was harmless because of the way he acted in the comment section. A lot of you even followed him. Gosh. But no Lord Ravager is harmless. He played the long game and deceived us all. I still can’t believe the Dean who listened to me when I was down in the dump as a student was Asat Pramad. I told him all my sob stories. *shudders* 

I thank you for the time you helped me, Mr. Murata. But no thanks for destroying my home and killing my pet fish, Joe. (RIP Joe, I miss you so much ;_;)

Oh and you all voted me down when I brought up another Lord Ravager who may be lying in wait. But I will say it again. You know who else is waiting to be born anew? Phainon. He might as well be a Lord Ravager and a danger in waiting. 
+128 (thumbs up) | -80 (thumbs down)

⤷ (HonestlyNoCap) 
Hey, I’m sorry your pet fish died. But I must say something here, lest even more misconceptions grow. Phainon is not a Lord Ravager. In fact right now, he isn’t anything but data—memoria, maybe. He is a possibility. Irontomb was born already, and he was eliminated by the joint effort of AE and half the universe. What we have in Phainon is a seed, and he can become anything that he wishes to be. And from what I have seen, I don’t think the person who has sacrificed so much for his homeland and his friends would want to see them destroyed. 

⤷ (Across_the_Blue)
[He is a possibility]

And there you have it, friend. He is a possibility, a seed that may become a Lord Ravager, and I don’t think we know his capability, or the extent of his power right now, or even his mental state. And until then, I will stand with my opinion that he is a danger. 

⤷ (MandaMandy) 
I agree with Across_the_Blue. We must be cautious.