Phaenomena
I
Phaenomena Kamitis is a member of the Delphic Oracle and the Dean of the Delphi Astronomical Academy.Thousands of years ago, a "Star" descended into the Nereus Sea, ushering forth a bewildered blue-haired girl who traversed the parted waves onto the shore. The Delphic Oracle recognized her as an Anomaly and gave her a name, clothing, and an identity, granting her sanctuary within Delphi. Since then, each girl who accompanied her through the generations was given the name "Aratos."
Research by the most recent Aratos suggests that Phaenomena is likely a lifeform comprised of gravity and gravitons—an existence beyond the reach of current human science. This also explains why starlight often glimmers in her hair—her essence resembles a celestial body more than a being of flesh and blood. From a certain moment onward, the title of "Dean of the Delphi Astronomical Academy" became permanently hers, despite her obliviousness to the honor it carries.
II
Everyone at the Delphi Astronomical Academy knows that the dean does not actually handle administrative affairs. Still, like every other dean, Phaenomena has her own office. Although the vice-dean, who handles the actual work, has furnished the room with bookshelves, an armillary sphere, and other scholarly decorations, Phaenomena has never touched a single tome nor spun the delicate brass sphere. Within the office, her sole focus centers on the safe embedded in the wall. Once, due to lax oversight, a thief broke into her office and pried open the safe. Upon being caught, the thief confessed his deep disappointment with the Delphi Society, because the contents of the safe were merely a pair of rusted tuning forks.
To Phaenomena, these simple toys hold immense value. Occasionally, she would strike the tuning forks herself to pass the long, idle hours. With the passage of time, the humble forks succumb to rust, their once resonant tones silenced, yet she preserves them with utmost care, securing them deep inside the safe.
III
Phaenomena's passion for sweets rivals her insight into the stars.Legend has it that when she first emerged from the Nereus Sea, she remained indifferent to all "offerings" presented by the people of Delphi—until a chef brought her a piece of candy, and only then did she finally smile.
From that moment on, Phaenomena fell in love with all kinds of desserts. While she may have forgotten the myriad goods and shops in human markets, she could always recognize a cake shop or a bakery. Every generation of Aratos is allocated a dedicated "dessert budget" approved by the Grand Scholar, solely for satisfying Phaenomena's sweet tooth.
Of all the subjects imparted to her, culinary pursuits stirred the deepest passion within Phaenomena. However, within the vast world of culinary arts, her interest is limited to the art of crafting desserts. Naturally, due to her inherent clumsiness, every baking attempt ended in disaster. Rumors once circulated that the most terrifying weapon in the entire Delphi was not the Flame of Hephaestus from the Mechanics Academy, but Phaenomena's oven in the Astronomical Academy.
Despite her failures, it was after her first baking attempt that Phaenomena gradually began to understand the concept of "friendship." Holding carbonized cookies, she offered them to the Aratos of that generation. "Try it, my friend." Since then, a few students and professors have been "fortunate" enough to taste Phaenomena's creations.
Still, Phaenomena never quite understood why those friends—and those bakeries—always melted away and vanished, just like the cheese she put in the oven.
IV
Phaenomena often sensed an indescribable pull from deep within the starry sky, a sensation that humanity labored over for centuries to encapsulate in the term "gravity." Much later, she stumbled upon the precise expression in human literature for that very feeling: "homesickness."The Delphi Society has long known that Phaenomena came from some distant "other world," yet the nature of this realm eluded comprehension.
In fact, the Delphic Oracle is more concerned with the "Beacon" that connects to that world—where is it?
Anomalies inevitably follow their Beacon, an unbreakable law guiding their path.
Phaenomena unaware of this fact, and even if she did, she would struggle to express it clearly.
Anomalies typically pose risks to ordinary human existence. This realization has been reached through millennia of observation and bloodshed by C.A.V.E. Even when an anomaly appears harmless, it often harbors the potential to wreak havoc in the future. The longer it lies dormant, the more menacing its true essence becomes upon revelation.
Since ancient times, the Delphic Oracle deliberated on a question: when will Phaenomena, as an anomaly, eventually reveal her formidable side? And in what form will it materialize? Millennia have elapsed, yet she remains the same gentle girl, which only amplifies the Oracle's anxiety. When a coiled spring finally rebounds, unleashing the accumulated power stored over centuries, will the human realm endure its impact? Following Cyril's successful launch of the first artificial satellite, the Oracle even once proposed the idea of dispatching Phaenomena to Cyril and propelling her back into space via rocket—far, far from Earth.
However, that proposal was staunchly rejected by the Aratos of that generation, akin to previous rejections of similar proposals. As the person who understands Phaenomena best, Aratos holds considerable influence over all decisions concerning her. Hence, to this day, Delphi remains Phaenomena's sole "home" in the human domain.
Yet, what will happen when this girl transcends mere "homesickness" and endeavors to "return home"? One renowned scholar once predicted that only then would the dreadful nature of the anomaly, known as "Phaenomena Kamitis," be truly unmasked.
However, if someone could constantly serve as her gravitational anchor, perhaps this star would stay, forever, for that person.