Shooting Stars: Chapter 8
Whether it is the truth, or perhaps, merely Xavier’s conjecture—
At the center of the unstable protofield in Starfall Forest, is where the planet’s heart is located.
But this planet’s heart is an enormous cavity.
Philos is a man-made planet that should never have existed. The planetary core’s energy was exhausted a long time ago.
The way to keep it going is by endlessly supplying new energy to the ‘heart’, filling the empty void.
In Philos, where practically everyone achieves eternity, human lives are the most abundant source of energy. Just about every person who comes here is turned into nourishment for the planet.
And Wanderers are the abnormal energies born from this conversion.
Way back during the year Xavier underwent his Gladius Ceremony, he had already discovered this truth…
The Gladius Ceremony, 200 Years Ago
The young Prince returned from the dense Forest, bringing with him the light blade that had already pledged its allegiance to him, as well as the Protocore from a Wanderer he had personally slain.
King: …You succeeded. You’ve done well.
The Prince carried the Protocore in the palm of his hand, gripped it tightly, and raised it before his father.
Xavier: You’re not personally taking a look at this Protocore?
King: There’s no need, you’ve already received the acknowledgment of the light blade.
Xavier: Is there no need, or ?
Xavier: Is it because inside this protocore there was once a beating heart??
King: …I knew you’d have complaints.
King: But this is something that the King of Philos and the future crown prince must do.
The Prince stepped forward and placed the Protocore in his father's hand, holding the back of his father’s hands and guiding both of them, until his father was cupping both hands around that red Protocore.
Xavier: This heart once beat for you alone.
Xavier: I’ve brought it back to return it to you.
Xavier: Regardless of what she has become, from start to finish, this has always been a heart that belonged to you alone.
Once he finished speaking, the Prince stood, and left.
King: Xavier!
King: Listen well. A King has no right to do whatever he wishes to do, or protect whomever he wishes to protect.
King: The only thing you can protect is the planet of Philos.
King: You can only do what must be done.
MC: Don't tell me the Wanderer you killed… wasn't just a Wanderer?
I seem to finally understand the sore point between Xavier and his father.
Xavier: Energy that was swallowed by this cavity wasn't just regular people who mistakenly wandered into the forest and knights on patrol.
Xavier: Sometimes, in exchange for the planet’s increased lifespan, the royal family would take the initiative to send in even greater power.
Xavier: But this way, even more Wanderers would be formed.
Xavier: So, there has never been any honor or glory for knights.
Xavier: What the Order of Lightseekers is doing… Is merely helping the royal family to hide the truth, that human lives are fed to the planet to sustain it.
MC: …!
Xavier: But later, when I returned right before the Titulus Ceremony, I discovered that they had already stopped their practice of sending energy to the planet.
MC: No one has to be sacrificed for the planet any more, isn't this great?
Xavier: …It’s because they finally found a perfect candidate for its nourishment.
Xavier: That person, she can die and be reborn endlessly over millennia.
Xavier: Perhaps, she is this planet’s energy itself.
Xavier: She is a person who truly possesses …
Xavier: So the royal family believed when the time was ripe, as long as they sent her into the cavity, they could deal with it .
Xavier: Nobody cared about her feelings, or asked whether she was willing.
Xavier: So what if they put her in an empty cave to die and be reborn all alone?
Xavier: Since her life exists in this manner, that means saving the planet Philos is her responsibility.
MC: …
Xavier: This is the reason the Titulus Ceremony wasn't held.
Xavier: Tell me, how could I possibly be this sort of King?
After that, Xavier and I both never brought it up again.
The patrol spaceship’s modification is nearing the end, and the “” Xavier previously mentioned is also about to officially set off.
Jeremiah in this bold plan, and has long joined Xavier's side.
As for the specific contents of the plan, none of them would reveal even the smallest fraction to me.
The Town of Silvercord
Xavier: Silvercord is the nearest town to where we're stationed. Every half year, they hold a town fair.
Xavier: All the supplies required during the Backtrack can be purchased here.
Perhaps it’s due to the forest’s Protofield’s influence; every family in this town grows plenty of beautiful and unusual plants.
At the fair, all sorts of beautiful and precious goods were displayed from inside the shops, all the way to the road outside.
MC: Before this, I thought you were only abandoning your father and the royal family. I never imagined right now… you're even abandoning the entire planet of Philos.
Xavier: It's just an experimental voyage through time and space, it’s not quite abandonment.
Xavier: If we wish to save Philos, it already cannot be done from this point in time.
MC: But time travel is really dangerous… Where will you be going?
Xavier: We’ve drafted a coordinate in time and space. It’s still not certain where exactly it is located on Philos’s developmental timeline.
Xavier: We’ve already undergone several short-term test voyages; the success rate is very high.
I know I can't stop Xavier.
I follow the sounds of flutes and harps and look over to see a group of children surrounding a bard, having fun by the courtyard’s fountain.
Child A: It’s !
Child B: Xavie, brought any candy today?
They run over and surround Xavier in the middle. Xavier squats down.
Xavier: Sorry, I forgot today.
Child A: But you promised us last time, and Xavie doesn’t lie to people!
Xavier searches his body and takes off his brooch.
Xavier: Then I’ll use this as a replacement, is that okay?
The children take the sparkly brooch and happily run away.
MC: That is a brooch that symbolizes royalty…?
Xavier: But in their eyes it's just a toy, perhaps not even as important as a piece of candy.
We sit by the edge of the fountain. Amidst graceful flute notes, the bard melodiously recites an ancient legend about Philos’s royal family.
MC: Wanderers are still appearing everywhere… The 200th year is almost here. Without a King, without the knights, what will happen to Philos?
Xavier: Besides me, there are still other people who can become King.
MC: Do you still remember when we discussed this topic while at the Academy?
MC: At the time, you said you didn’t want me to become someone else’s Grandis Knight, or stand by someone else’s side.
Xavier: People always have their childish moments, don’t they?
MC: Then… What about her? Can you bear to give her up?
Today Xavier isn’t wearing his sword, but he knows I am talking about the person who gave him the star tassel.
Xavier reveals a of nostalgia.
Xavier: It's precisely because I cannot give her up, that I've made such a decision.
MC: …!
Just from a simple sentence, I suddenly understood everything.
MC: The person you previously mentioned, the one who will be considered endless nourishment and therefore be sent into the planet’s core, that’s her, isn’t it?
Xavier: …Mm. It's her.
MC: I understand now… So this is the reason.
He searches for her, always thinks about her and , even though she has already forgotten him…
Yet she still continues to influence his life, and his every decision.
At that moment, it was difficult for me to determine between giving up the person most important to you for a planet, and choosing to save an entire planet for the sake of the person most important to you. Just which of the two outcomes was more noble, more painful.
But I finally, deeply understood… Just how important that tassel was to Xavier.
And the moment I understood all this, I also finally understood what I wanted to do.
MC: If you're leaving Philos because you want to protect someone important to you… then I will also make the same choice as you.
MC: On Philos, there are also people very important to me.
MC: My knight companions, former classmates, friends, Master, and also…
Under Xavier’s gaze, I swallow down the word “you”, and avert my gaze.
MC: Those children, they also have people who are very important to them on Philos.
MC: So, I will not leave Philos.
MC: I will stay here, and protect everything here.
The bard’s ode regarding Philos is already about to come to an end.
At the end where the universe is about to collapse, in unprecedented darkness, the greatest King in history will be born.
This King is Philos's true salvation, and will lead Philos towards a new light and true eternity.
I look at Xavier with conviction. I know from this moment onwards, we are about to embark on two completely different paths.
I am unable to guess Xavier’s thoughts at this moment. He just turns towards that bard beside the fountain.
Xavier: Perhaps in that legend’s ending, the King who can lead Philos towards a new light and true eternity…
Xavier: Is a Queen.
MC: …
Xavier: She experiences all sorts of trials, and even in Philos's most turbulent, most difficult times, she has never given up.
Xavier: Regardless of whether or not a King exists, she has always been Philos's bravest holy knight.
Xavier: Knights scattered everywhere will band together again under this Queen’s leadership and gain true glory.
The bard understands his meaning, and leaves singing new lyrics.
I know, with the bard’s spreading of the tale, very soon, the Queen's legend will sweep across the wilderness like a spring breeze, and take root everywhere across all of Philos's mountains and rivers, sprouting into newly born buds.
Just like spring after the accumulated snow melts.
Very soon, all the people will celebrate and rejoice for it—
After enduring 200 years of silence, this ancient planet will finally welcome new hope.
Xavier: Tomorrow, the spaceship will depart.
I think for a moment, take my star-shaped knight badge off, and hand it to Xavier.
MC: Even though I can't go with you, my heart will be together with all of you.
Xavier: Is this the little star you said you wanted to gift me that year?
MC: …Of course not! You already have such an important tassel, I take back what I said that year!
Xavier: No need to take it back. I'll tell you a secret.
Xavier accepts the star-shaped badge.
Xavier: Actually, I've never accepted “” little star.
Not understanding Xavier’s meaning, I touch my now-warm ears.
MC: I should be going too, back to the royal city.
Xavier: Mm, the Academy’s knight selection this year should have started by now? Go back and take a look at the current juniors.
MC: What about you?
MC: Once you leave this time… when will you be back?
The evening sun is about to set behind the mountain, dyeing Xavier's side profile in a layer of light gold.
Xavier: When everything in that ode comes true…
Xavier: The next time we meet, it'll be my turn to be your knight.
Whether it is the truth, or perhaps, merely Shen Xinghui’s conjecture—
At the center of the unstable protofield in Starfall Forest, is where the planet’s heart is located.
But this planet’s heart is an enormous cavity.
Philos is a man-made planet that should never have existed. The planetary core’s energy was exhausted a long time ago.
The way to keep it going is by endlessly supplying new energy to the ‘heart’, filling the empty void.
In Philos, where practically everyone achieves eternity, human lives are the most abundant source of energy. Just about every person who comes here is turned into nourishment for the planet.
And Wanderers are the abnormal energies born from this conversion.
Way back during the year Shen Xinghui underwent his Gladius Ceremony, he had already discovered this truth…
The Gladius Ceremony, 200 Years Ago
The young Prince returned from the dense Forest, bringing with him the light blade that had already pledged its allegiance to him, as well as the Protocore from a Wanderer he had personally slain.
King: …You succeeded. You’ve done well.
The Prince carried the Protocore in the palm of his hand, gripped it tightly, and raised it before his father.
Shen Xinghui: You’re not personally taking a look at this Protocore?
King: There’s no need, you’ve already received the acknowledgment of the light blade.
Shen Xinghui: Is there no need, or ?
Shen Xinghui: Is it because inside this protocore there was once a beating heart??
King: …I knew you’d have complaints.
King: But this is something that the King of Philos and the future crown prince must do.
The Prince stepped forward and placed the Protocore in his father's hand, holding the back of his father’s hands and guiding both of them, until his father was cupping both hands around that red Protocore.
Shen Xinghui: This heart once beat for you alone.
Shen Xinghui: I’ve brought it back to return it to you.
Shen Xinghui: Regardless of what she has become, from start to finish, this has always been a heart that belonged to you alone.
Once he finished speaking, the Prince stood, and left.
King: Shen Xinghui!
King: Listen well. A King has no right to do whatever he wishes to do, or protect whomever he wishes to protect.
King: The only thing you can protect is the planet of Philos.
King: You can only do what must be done.
MC: Don't tell me the Wanderer you killed… wasn't just a Wanderer?
I seem to finally understand the sore point between Shen Xinghui and his father.
Shen Xinghui: Energy that was swallowed by this cavity wasn't just regular people who mistakenly wandered into the forest and knights on patrol.
Shen Xinghui: Sometimes, in exchange for the planet’s increased lifespan, the royal family would take the initiative to send in even greater power.
Shen Xinghui: But this way, even more Wanderers would be formed.
Shen Xinghui: So, there has never been any honor or glory for knights.
Shen Xinghui: What the Order of Lightseekers is doing… Is merely helping the royal family to hide the truth, that human lives are fed to the planet to sustain it.
MC: …!
Shen Xinghui: But later, when I returned right before the Titulus Ceremony, I discovered that they had already stopped their practice of sending energy to the planet.
MC: No one has to be sacrificed for the planet any more, isn't this great?
Shen Xinghui: …It’s because they finally found a perfect candidate for its nourishment.
Shen Xinghui: That person, she can die and be reborn endlessly over millennia.
Shen Xinghui: Perhaps, she is this planet’s energy itself.
Shen Xinghui: She is a person who truly …
Shen Xinghui: So the royal family believed when the time was ripe, as long as they sent her into the cavity, they could deal with it .
Shen Xinghui: Nobody cared about her feelings, or asked whether she was willing.
Shen Xinghui: So what if they put her in an empty cave to die and be reborn all alone?
Shen Xinghui: Since her life exists in this manner, that means saving the planet Philos is her responsibility.
MC: …
Shen Xinghui: This is the reason the Titulus Ceremony wasn't held.
Shen Xinghui: Tell me, how could I possibly be this sort of King?
After that, Shen Xinghui and I both never brought it up again.
The patrol spaceship’s modification is nearing the end, and the “” Shen Xinghui previously mentioned is also about to officially set off.
Jeremiah in this bold plan, and has long joined Shen Xinghui's side.
As for the specific contents of the plan, none of them would reveal even the smallest fraction to me.
The Town of Silvercord
Shen Xinghui: Silvercord is the nearest town to where we're stationed. Every half year, they hold a town fair.
Shen Xinghui: All the supplies required during the Backtrack can be purchased here.
Perhaps it’s due to the forest’s Protofield’s influence; every family in this town grows plenty of beautiful and unusual plants.
At the fair, all sorts of beautiful and precious goods were displayed from inside the shops, all the way to the road outside.
MC: Before this, I thought you were only abandoning your father and the royal family. I never imagined right now… you're even abandoning the entire planet of Philos.
Shen Xinghui: It's just an experimental voyage through time and space, it’s not quite abandonment.
Shen Xinghui: If we wish to save Philos, it already cannot be done from this point in time.
MC: But time travel is really dangerous… Where will you be going?
Shen Xinghui: We’ve drafted a coordinate in time and space. It’s still not certain where exactly it is located on Philos’s developmental timeline.
Shen Xinghui: We’ve already undergone several short-term test voyages; the success rate is very high.
I know I can't stop Shen Xinghui.
I follow the sounds of flutes and harps and look over to see a group of children surrounding a bard, having fun by the courtyard’s fountain.
Child A: It’s !
Child B: Xavie, brought any candy today?
They run over and surround Shen Xinghui in the middle. Shen Xinghui squats down.
Shen Xinghui: Sorry, I forgot today.
Child A: But you promised us last time, and Xavie doesn’t lie to people!
Shen Xinghui searches his body and takes off his brooch.
Shen Xinghui: Then I’ll use this as a replacement, is that okay?
The children take the sparkly brooch and happily run away.
MC: That is a brooch that symbolizes royalty…?
Shen Xinghui: But in their eyes it's just a toy, perhaps not even as important as a piece of candy.
We sit by the edge of the fountain. Amidst graceful flute notes, the bard melodiously recites an ancient legend about Philos’s royal family.
MC: Wanderers are still appearing everywhere… The 200th year is almost here. Without a King, without the knights, what will happen to Philos?
Shen Xinghui: Besides me, there are still other people who can become King.
MC: Do you still remember when we discussed this topic while at the Academy?
MC: At the time, you said you didn’t want me to become someone else’s Grandis Knight, or stand by someone else’s side.
Shen Xinghui: People always have their childish moments, don’t they?
MC: Then… What about her? Can you bear to give her up?
Today Shen Xinghui isn’t wearing his sword, but he knows I am talking about the person who gave him the star tassel.
Shen Xinghui reveals a of nostalgia.
Shen Xinghui: It's precisely because I cannot give her up, that I've made such a decision.
MC: …!
Just from a simple sentence, I suddenly understood everything.
MC: The person you previously mentioned, the one who will be considered endless nourishment and therefore be sent into the planet’s core, that’s her, isn’t it?
Shen Xinghui: …Mm. It's her.
MC: I understand now… So this is the reason.
He searches for her, always thinks about her and , even though she has already forgotten him…
Yet she still continues to influence his life, and his every decision.
At that moment, it was difficult for me to determine between giving up the person most important to you for a planet, and choosing to save an entire planet for the sake of the person most important to you. Just which of the two outcomes was more noble, more painful.
But I finally, deeply understood… Just how important that tassel was to Shen Xinghui.
And the moment I understood all this, I also finally understood what I wanted to do.
MC: If you're leaving Philos because you want to protect someone important to you… then I will also make the same choice as you.
MC: On Philos, there are also people very important to me.
MC: My knight companions, former classmates, friends, Master, and also…
Under Shen Xinghui’s gaze, I swallow down the word “you”, and avert my gaze.
MC: Those children, they also have people who are very important to them on Philos.
MC: So, I will not leave Philos.
MC: I will stay here, and protect everything here.
The bard’s ode regarding Philos is already about to come to an end.
At the end where the universe is about to collapse, in unprecedented darkness, the greatest King in history will be born.
This King is Philos's true salvation, and will lead Philos towards a new light and true eternity.
I look at Shen Xinghui with conviction. I know from this moment onwards, we are about to embark on two completely different paths.
I am unable to guess Shen Xinghui’s thoughts at this moment. He just turns towards that bard beside the fountain.
Shen Xinghui: Perhaps in that legend’s ending, the King who can lead Philos towards a new light and true eternity…
Shen Xinghui: Is a Queen.
MC: …
Shen Xinghui: She experiences all sorts of trials, and even in Philos's most turbulent, most difficult times, she has never given up.
Shen Xinghui: Regardless of whether or not a King exists, she has always been Philos's bravest holy knight.
Shen Xinghui: Knights scattered everywhere will band together again under this Queen’s leadership and gain true glory.
The bard understands his meaning, and leaves singing new lyrics.
I know, with the bard’s spreading of the tale, very soon, the Queen's legend will sweep across the wilderness like a spring breeze, and take root everywhere across all of Philos's mountains and rivers, sprouting into newly born buds.
Just like spring after the accumulated snow melts.
Very soon, all the people will celebrate and rejoice for it—
After enduring 200 years of silence, this ancient planet will finally welcome new hope.
Shen Xinghui: Tomorrow, the spaceship will depart.
I think for a moment, take my star-shaped knight badge off, and hand it to Shen Xinghui.
MC: Even though I can't go with you, my heart will be together with all of you.
Shen Xinghui: Is this the little star you said you wanted to gift me that year?
MC: …Of course not! You already have such an important tassel, I take back what I said that year!
Shen Xinghui: No need to take it back. I'll tell you a secret.
Shen Xinghui accepts the star-shaped badge.
Shen Xinghui: Actually, I've never accepted “” little star.
Not understanding Shen Xinghui’s meaning, I touch my now-warm ears.
MC: I should be going too, back to the royal city.
Shen Xinghui: Mm, the Academy’s knight selection this year should have started by now? Go back and take a look at the current juniors.
MC: What about you?
MC: Once you leave this time… when will you be back?
The evening sun is about to set behind the mountain, dyeing Shen Xinghui's side profile in a layer of light gold.
Shen Xinghui: When everything in that ode comes true…
Shen Xinghui: The next time we meet, it'll be my turn to be your knight.
Either it’s the truth or Xavier’s guess…
In the center of Starfall Forest, which had an unstable Protofield, was the heart of Philos.
But it was hollow.
Philos was made by mortal hands. It shouldn’t have existed, and the core’s energy had long been exhausted. The only way to keep the planet from dying was to fill its heart with energy.
Philos was a planet where almost everyone lived eternal. Thus, humans were the most abundant resource that yielded much energy. Almost everyone who set foot here became the planet’s food.
Wanderers were a side effect born from the abnormal phenomenon.
Xavier was aware of this during his Gladius Ceremony…
The Gladius Ceremony, 200 Years Ago
The Prince returned from the Forest. The lightblade belonged to him as well as the Wanderer’s Protocore.
King: …Well done.
His Highness presented the Protocore to his father.
Xavier: Shouldn’t the Protocore warrant a formal inspection?
King: The lightblade deemed you worthy.
Xavier: Is there no need for formalities? Or are you unwilling? A heart was once in this Protocore. Am I mistaken?
King: …I knew you’d catch on. However, it is a necessary duty of the crown prince. It is also the King’s responsibility.
The Prince placed the red Protocore in his father’s hand. He made sure his father tightly held onto it.
Xavier: In another eon, this heart beat only for you. I will return it. No matter her likeness, this heart belongs to you and you alone.
The Prince then bowed and left.
King: Xavier! Listen to me. A King cannot act on his emotions or only protect the people he holds dear. Your duty is to protect Philos. You must only do what is necessary.
MC: The Wanderer you killed… wasn’t a Wanderer?
I finally understood why Xavier and His Majesty fought.
Xavier: Civilians and knights were not the only ones swallowed by this gaping maw. In exchange for the planet’s longevity, the royal family occasionally sent in humans. Wanderers would be born as a result. A knight’s glory, honor—there is nothing. And even if there were, they are long dead and gone. The Order of Lightseekers has always kept the truth in the shadows. For the royal family’s sake, no one was to be told of people becoming food.
MC: …!
Xavier: Upon my return to the palace, I learned they stopped sending people to Philos’s heart.
MC: Is that not a good thing? No one has to die.
Xavier: …They found the perfect sacrifice. She can die and be reborn without end. In their eyes, she was the planet’s very life force. For only she has achieved true immortality… The royal family believed if they sent her into the planet’s heart when the time is right, their problems would be solved. No one asked how she felt or whether she was willing to sacrifice herself. They also care little about her being left in a hole to die and be reborn again and again. Her duty was to save Philos because her existence works in such a manner.
MC: …
Xavier: It was the justification for not holding a ceremony. How could I wear the crown when it means coating my hands in her blood?
After that, Xavier and I never talked about it again.
The refurbishing of the expedition spaceship was nearing completion. The “backtracking operation” that Xavier had mentioned was also about to officially begin.
Jeremiah was intrigued by this bold plan and had long joined Xavier’s side.
Yet none of them would divulge any specific details of the plan.
Silvercord
Xavier: Silvercord is the closest town to our camp’s location. They have a festival every six months. We’ll be able to buy supplies for the trip.
Perhaps it was because of the Forest’s Protofield that every family who lived in Silvercord grew strange, beautiful plants. All sorts of goods were on the market. They spilled out from the shops to the streets outside.
MC: I figured you’d leave His Majesty behind along with the other nobles… But you’re leaving Philos.
Xavier: Our trip is an experiment through time and space. Nothing is left behind. If we are to save Philos, we cannot do it in this era.
MC: Time travel is dangerous. Where will you go?
Xavier: We selected a specific coordinate in the spacetime continuum. The short test trips yielded fruitful results. Our success rate is high.
I knew I couldn’t stop Xavier.
I looked in the direction of the flutes and harps. By the square’s fountain, children were playing with a wandering bard.
Child A: It’s Xayxay!
Child B: Do you have any candy today, Xayxay?
They surrounded Xavier. Xavier knelt down.
Xavier: None, I’m afraid.
Child A: You said you’d bring some last time! You don’t tell lies!
Xavier searched his body, then took off his brooch.
Xavier: Won’t you take this instead?
The children ran away happily with the shiny accessory.
MC: The brooch proves you’re a member of the royal family…
Xavier: It’s but a toy to them. They would rather take candy over a bauble.
We sat down by the fountain. The bard sang of an ancient Philosian legend about the royal family to the tune of melodious instruments.
MC: The Wanderers continue to appear… For 200 years with no King or Order of Lightseekers, what can Philos do?
Xavier: I’m not the only person who could sit on the throne.
MC: Do you still remember our conversation at the Academy? You said you wouldn’t let me be another’s knight, or let me stand by someone else’s side.
Xavier: … Are people not childish at times?
MC: … What about her? Have you given up?
Xavier wasn’t carrying his sword today, but he knew I was referring to the girl who gave him the tassel. A rare instance of nostalgia appeared on Xavier’s face.
Xavier: I cannot. She’s my purpose, my guiding starlight.
MC: …!
From those mere words, I understood everything.
MC: The person who can die and be reborn. It’s her, is it not?
Xavier: …Yes.
MC: His deeds were all… for her.
He was looking for her, always thinking about her even when she had forgotten him… Yet she influenced his life and every choice he made. Giving up someone you love for the planet or saving the planet for the one you love—which was more noble? More heartbreaking? But… I truly understood the tassel’s value to Xavier now. I knew what I had to do.
MC: Leaving Philos to save someone you love… I’d do the same. There are people important to me here. My comrades in the Lightseekers, former classmates, friends, our teacher, and…
Under Xavier’s gaze, “you” remained a word stuck in my throat. I looked away.
MC: The children. They also have people important to them. I can’t leave Philos. I will stay behind and protect everything here.
The bard’s song about Philos was at its end. In these final days, the universe nearing its demise, the noblest king shall be born in the darkness. As the true savior of Philos, he shall lead us unto the light, unto true immortality.
Conviction in my heart, I looked at Xavier. We were about to walk separate paths. I couldn’t tell what Xavier was thinking. He simply turned to the bard.
Xavier: The King in the legend, who leads Philos into an age of light and immortality… The wearer of the crown will instead be Queen.
MC: …
Xavier: Facing every challenge, she never gives up even in the darkest of hours. Having a leader doesn’t matter. She is still the bravest knight in all of Philos. Under her, the scattered Lightseekers will band together and find true glory.
The bard understood his words, leaving to sing a new melody. Through song, the bard would spread the legend far and wide. The legend of Philos’s Queen would sweep across the planet like the spring breeze sowing seeds from the mountains to the churning rivers. Just as the arrival of spring after snow melts. Everyone would celebrate the joyous occasion. After 200 years of silence, the planet would finally greet the light of new hope.
Xavier: The spaceship will depart tomorrow.
I thought about it and took off the star-shaped badge representing my knighthood. I gave it to Xavier.
MC: While I can’t accompany you myself, my heart will.
Xavier: Is this the little star Your Majesty promised me years ago?
MC: …No! The tassel is important to you. Pretend I didn’t say anything back then!
Xavier: Your Majesty doesn’t need to do that. Allow me to divulge a secret.
Xavier took the star-shaped badge.
Xavier: Only one person has given me a little star.
Unsure of what Xavier meant, I touched my ears which has turned red.
MC: I’ll return to the capital now.
Xavier: Lightseeker recruitment will start again. Your Majesty should visit the current candidates.
MC: What about you? When will you return?
The setting sun dyed Xavier’s face gold.
Xavier: The day that song becomes a reality. When we meet again, I shall be Your Majesty’s knight.
那是真相，又或许，仅仅只是沈星回的推测——
星降森林磁场紊乱的核心地带，是星球之心的位置。
可这星球的心却是一个巨大的空洞。
菲罗斯星是一颗本不该存在的人造星球，地核的力量早已耗尽。
延续它的方式，就是不断向“心”输送新的能量，填补空洞。
在几乎人人达到永生的菲罗斯星球上，人的生命就是最充足的能量，几乎所有来到这里的人，都被这颗星球当做了养料。
而流浪体，就是在这样的转化中出现的异化能量。
这个真相，早在当年沈星回接受授剑仪式时，他就有所察觉了……
200年前，授剑仪式。
年轻的王子自密林归来，带着已经臣服于他的光剑，和那个被他亲手斩杀的流浪体的芯核。
国王: ……你成功了。做得很好。
王子将芯核托在手心，牢牢抓住，举到父亲的面前。
沈星回: 您不亲自看一看这颗芯核么?
国王: 不必了，你已经得到了光剑的认可。
沈星回: 是不必吗，还是不敢?
沈星回: 是不是因为这颗芯核里包裹的，原本是一颗会跳动的心?
国王: ……我知道你会有怨言。
国王: 但这是身为菲罗斯星的王，和未来的王储，必须要做的事。
王子上前，把芯核交在父亲手中，托着他的手背让他双手捧住那颗红色的芯核。
沈星回: 这颗心，曾经全心全意只为您一个人跳动。
沈星回: 我把它带回来，还给您。
沈星回: 无论她变成什么模样，从始至终，这都是一颗只属于您一个人的心。
说完，王子起身，行了君臣之礼后离开。
国王: 沈星回!
国王: 你听好，王没有资格做自己想做的事，保护自己想保护的人。
国王: 你唯一能保护的，只有菲罗斯星。
国王: 你只能做该做的事。
玩家: 难道，被你杀死的那个流浪体……不仅仅是一个流浪体?
我好像，终于明白了沈星回和父亲间的心结。
沈星回: 被这空洞吞噬的能量，不只是误入森林的普通人和巡游的骑士。
沈星回: 有时，为了换取星球更长久的寿命，王族也会主动送去一些更强大的力量。
沈星回: 可这样，就会形成更多的流浪体。
沈星回: 所以，从来就没有什么骑士的信仰和荣光。
沈星回: 逐光骑士团在做的……不过是帮王族遮掩用人命饲养星球的真相。
玩家: ……！
沈星回: 但后来，在立储典礼前回去的那次，我却发现他们已经停止向星球输送能量的行为了。
玩家: 没有人再为了星球牺牲，这不是很好吗?
沈星回: ……那是因为，他们终于找到了一个完美的养料人选。
沈星回: 那个人，她可以在漫长的岁月中不断地死亡，重生。
沈星回: 或许，她就是这个星球的能量本身。
沈星回: 她才是真正拥有无尽生命的人……
沈星回: 所以王室认为，等到时机成熟，只要把她送进空洞，就可以一劳永逸。
沈星回: 没有人在乎她的感受，问她愿不愿意。
沈星回: 就算放她一个人在空洞里孤独地死亡，重生，又怎么样呢?
沈星回: 既然她的生命就是以这样的方式存在，那说明，拯救菲罗斯星，就是她的职责。
玩家: ……
沈星回: 这就是立储典礼没有举行的原因。
沈星回: 你说，我怎么可能做这样的王?
这件事后来，我和沈星回都没有再聊起过。
巡游飞船的改造接近尾声，之前沈星回说的“回溯计划”，也即将正式提上日程。
邱诺亚对这个大胆的计划兴致盎然，早就加入了沈星回那边。
而计划的具体内容，他们谁都不肯对我透露分毫。
银弦镇
沈星回: 银弦镇是离我们驻扎地最近的小镇，每半年就会举行一次集市。
沈星回: 回溯中需要的所有物资，都能在这里买到。
也许是受森林磁场的影响，这小镇家家养着美丽的奇花异草。
集市上，琳琅的商品从店里一路铺到外面的路面上。
玩家: 以前你只是抛下父亲和王族，没想到现在……竟然连整个菲罗斯星都要抛下了。
沈星回: 只是一次实验性的时空远航，还谈不上抛下。
沈星回: 想要挽救菲罗斯，已经不能只从现在的时间点入手了。
玩家: 可时空航行会很危险吧……你们会去哪儿呢?
沈星回: 一个拟定的时空坐标，还不确定在菲罗斯发展线上的具体位置。
沈星回: 我们已经经历过几次短期的测试航行，成功率很高。
我知道，我阻止不了沈星回。
循着哨笛和怀竖琴的声音看去，广场的喷泉边，一群孩子们围着吟游诗人玩耍。
儿童1: 是星星哥哥!
儿童2: 星星今天带糖来了吗?
他们跑来将沈星回围在中间，沈星回蹲下身。
沈星回: 抱歉，今天忘记了。
儿童1: 可你上次答应我们了，星星是不会骗人的!
沈星回翻了翻身上，取下胸针。
沈星回: 那用这个代替，可以吗?
孩子们拿着亮晶晶的胸针高兴地跑开了。
玩家: 那是象征王族的胸针……?
沈星回: 但在他们眼里只是玩具，说不定还没有一块糖重要。
我们在喷泉池边坐下，吟游诗人在悠扬的哨笛声中吟诵着菲罗斯星王族绵长久远的传说。
玩家: 流浪体还是四处出现……200年就快到了，没有王，没有骑士团的话，菲罗斯星怎么办呢?
沈星回: 除了我，还有其他人可以成为王。
玩家: 还记得以前在学校时，我们讨论过这个话题吗?
玩家: 当时你说，你不想我成为别人的首席骑士，站在别人的身边。
沈星回: ……
沈星回: 人总是有很幼稚的时候，不是吗?
玩家: 那……她呢?你也放得下她吗?
今天沈星回没有带佩剑，但他知道我说的是送给他星星剑穗的那个人。
沈星回难得露出怀念的表情。
沈星回: 就是因为放不下，才做了这样的选择。
玩家: ……！
简单的一句话，忽然让我明白了一切。
玩家: 你之前说的，那个会被当做无尽养料送进星球之心的人，就是她吧?
沈星回: ……嗯。是她。
玩家: 我明白了……原来是这个原因。
他寻找她，一直记挂着她，即便她已经将他忘记了……
可她依旧影响着他的人生，和每一次的选择。
一时间，我很难断言为了一颗星球而放弃最重要的人，和为了最重要的人而选择拯救整颗星球。这两者间究竟哪个更高尚，更痛苦。
但我终于深刻地确信……那剑穗，原来对沈星回竟如此重要。
在想通这些的一瞬间，我终于也明白了自己要做的事。
玩家: 如果你是为了保护重要的人而离开菲罗斯星……那我也会做出和你一样的选择。
玩家: 在菲罗斯星上，也有对我很重要的人。
玩家: 骑士团的同伴，曾经的同学，朋友，师父，还有……
在沈星回的目光中，我咽下那个“你”字，挪开视线。
玩家: 那些孩子，他们在菲罗斯星上也都有很重要的人。
玩家: 所以，我不会离开菲罗斯。
玩家: 我会留在这里，保护这里的一切。
在吟游诗人的歌声中，关于菲罗斯的颂歌已经快要唱到尾声。
在这宇宙即将崩塌的终末，会在前所未有的黑暗中，诞生一位有史以来最伟大的王。
这位王，是菲罗斯星真正的救赎，将带领菲罗斯走向新的光明与真正的永恒。
我坚定地看着沈星回，我知道从这一刻起，我们即将走上两条截然不同的道路。
我猜不透此刻沈星回的想法，他只是转向了喷泉旁的那位吟游诗人。
沈星回: 也许在传说的末尾，能带领菲罗斯星走向光明与永恒的那位王……
沈星回: 是一位女王。
玩家: ……
沈星回: 她经历过所有的考验，在菲罗斯最动荡，最艰难的时候，也从来没有放弃过。
沈星回: 无论是否有王的存在，她都是菲罗斯星最勇敢的圣剑骑士。
沈星回: 四散的骑士团，会在这位女王的引领下重新聚拢，获得真正的荣光。
吟游诗人明白了他的意思，唱着新的曲词离去。
我知道，随着诗人间的传唱，很快，女王的传说就会像春风席卷荒野，在菲罗斯星的山川河流间吹出遍地新生的嫩芽。
就像积雪融化后的春天。
很快，所有的人都将为之欢庆——
在经历了200年的沉寂后，这颗古老的星球终于要迎来新的希望。
沈星回: 明天，飞船就要出发了。
我想了想，把自己的骑士团星徽摘下，递给沈星回。
玩家: 虽然不能和你们一起去，但我的心和你们在一起。
沈星回: 这是你当年说的，要送我的“小星星”?
玩家: ……当然不是!你都有一个那么重要的剑穗了，我收回当年那句话!
沈星回: 不用收回。告诉你一个秘密——
沈星回收起那枚星徽。
沈星回: 其实，我从来没有收过“别人”的小星星。
听不懂沈星回是什么意思，我摸摸发烫的耳朵。
我也该走了，回去王城。
沈星回: 嗯，学校新一年的骑士团选拔该开始了吧?回去看看现在的学弟学妹。
玩家: 那你呢?
玩家: 这次离开……什么时候回来?
夕阳快要落山了，将沈星回的侧脸染上一层淡淡的金色。
沈星回: 等颂歌里唱的都成真……
沈星回: 等下次见面，换我来做你的骑士。
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