Please bear with me this is lowkey me talking out my ass and breaking out the conspiracy board Pepe Silva style
I was talking to my brother (who doesn't play HSR but knows the lore) about Amphoreus and I brought up the general headcanon that Mydei feels Phainon's absence the most in the last cycle. While we were discussing it, I actually came up with an analogy/reason for it and it makes me look at it a bit differently.
When coding, changing variables can get really messy. One change can lead to a whole cascade of issues and errors for a whole nest of reasons (overlooked references, out of bounds ranges, function calls, etc).
So what happens when you remove a key variable entirely, like when Phainon's was removed. For a lot of the cast, it wasn't as bad because Trailblazer filled that variable role rather handily. They needed a "Deliverer" and the Trailblazer could be it.
But that just isn't the case with Mydei. Mydei doesn't just need a "Deliverer". He needs "Phainon". Trailblazar can't fill that role for him because they aren't Phainon. They never could be Phainon. I think that's why Mydei's backstory changed so drastically between Phainon's last cycle and Trailblazer's last cycle. Everyone else more or less lines up with what we expect, but Mydei? His parents are both alive, his father didn't try to kill him, they came to Okhema's aid on a request. If Mydei's backstory hadn't changed, the Kremnoans would have never joined Okhema because Phainon isn't there to convince Mydei to stay. Maybe he could have been convinced by the other Chrysos Heirs but I feel like he wouldn't feel as attached. He'd like them plenty but they wouldn't feel right.
Maybe I'm too Phaidei pilled, maybe I'm using a teaspoon to shovel water out of a sinking boat, but it makes so much sense to me. It stood out to me how different Mydei's story was, how his parents were now active players in his life. Something had to fill the void Phainon's presence would leave behind in his story.
Actually, this isn't too far off from how Phainon and Mydei's "duel" changes from cycle 0. When Cyrene was part of the story, they presented themselves to Talanton and had them judge their worth. When Cyrene was no longer there, Phainon and Mydei had to fight instead. I think this is similar; Cyrene has a role in Phainon's story that can't be filled normally, so the story has to change to move forward.
So yeah, all this to say, I need more of Mydei remembering Phainon in that final cycle without knowing what he's remembering. I need more Mydei feeling a gap in his life that nothing ever fits in. He can probably function well enough because our boy is strong but it doesn't get rid of the uncertainty, the dread, the feeling that something is missing.
His soul is missing a part of itself, even if he himself doesn't realize it.
