862. The Departure of A Flower That Cannot Exist

Frost knew that Lethe was a victim of circumstance.

However, she also looked at it from an objective standpoint, and subjectively with how Ber was treated. Ber was barely an afterthought, then again, whose fault was it in the first place?

It was a complicated mess.

But the tears that formed in the corner of Lethe’s eyes were real. The small beads of regret were all Frost needed to see to know that what she did was not out of malice.

Slowly, her tail reached up and wrapped around Lethe’s wrist as she plucked the final petal of the dahlia.

“But you did what you could. That’s what matters now.”

“Loves me…” She melted into Frost’s touch.

“MOM!” A voice rung out from behind.

It belonged to Cer.

“Mom… Are you already… saying goodbye?”

Lethe didn’t know how to respond. Cer had changed once again before her very eyes. The soft scrunches quickened as Cer hastily reached their side. They were greeted with a Cer whose hair carried golden-orange strands similar to Frost’s. The same coloration was found on the tip of her ears, tail, and the rims of her irises.

But more than that, Cer stood eye to eye with her mother.

Lethe smiled through her tears, finally having seen her daughter grown up.

“I remember a time when Cer gave advice to a child.” Frost whispered. “She told that child to make problems. That she was allowed to. A child’s joy is their mother’s own. Do you know what she said before we left? Cherish your mother.”

“… Is Beryl… Ber… also doing ok? I imagine she’s just like Cert… Cer.”

“Ber was a surprise. I always thought she was the coldest of the bunch, but she ended up being the most self-expressive of them all. She always wanted to wear dresses. It took… a monumental amount of effort to get her to realize that she wasn’t the ugly duckling she thought she was.”

Frost reminisced. Lethe could almost envision it herself in the eyes of her daughter.

“I never knew… No, it’s nothing… So that was what Ber wanted. What about Res?”

Cer answered for Frost this time.

“She’s a lot happier and no longer relies on her CognitO Filter anymore. Can you imagine that? The Res who couldn’t leave your side or bear to look at roses became a painter. Mom, were you watching over her through it?”

“I was. The memories are vague, but I remember shielding her eyes through the CognitO Filter. My Ego fueled her Atelier Item. Eventually, my soul latched onto my Ego, which brought ‘me’ back in my entirety. My memories, my experiences, my hopes and dreams… my grief, it’s all here.”

Lethe further explained that the opening of Guf allowed her soul to return to her Ego, effectively resurrecting her. Her form was noncorporeal, but she existed. She raised the final petal towards an eye.

“Cer… are you happy right now?”

“I am… thanks to Frost…”

“Are your sisters also happy?”

“Mhm. Happier. And free. We’re all grown up now. Ber’s the biggest of us all and the prettiest. Res is trying out new things. As for me… I’m still the leader of the pack. I’ve just caught up is all. And you, mom? Are you happy?”

Cer was not one to cry, but her voice cracked like she was on the verge of breaking down. Lethe reached out to caress her daughter’s cheek. Suddenly, a tiny, ghostly version of Cer stood beside the real Cer.

It was the Cer that Lethe remembered.

“Proud. I’m proud. The moon was always meant to be a way for us to reconcile.” Lethe sobbed, but she battled through her tears and smiled.

The moon disappeared. The sun arrived in its absence. Its rays showered over them, and it glistened in Cer’s eyes. What used to be the full moon was the sun.

“But look at you… You’re became a star all on your own. Those eyes are just like hers. Aha… Your hair too…”

Lethe saw it as a symbol of Frost and Cer’s connection. Their matching appearance was like that of a parent and child. There was no envy in those tearful eyes. Only love and gratitude. She slowly walked over to Frost, crying her eyes wide open.

“Amalgam. Thank you. For looking after them. You did what I couldn’t do for over 30 years for them in only months.

A ball of light was imprinted into the center of the petal. It looked like an eye, and it emitted a faint, blue aura. She removed it from her face and held it close to her heart before finally reaching out towards Frost.

“The last of the River of Forgetfulness, and my namesake’s power as a Color.”

Piece of the Blue Dahlia

What was is will never be

This item contains the power of the River Lethe. It will grant you similar powers as the Blue Dahlia – Erase. However, this will come at the risk of losing your own memories

But you have nothing to worry about

< ABILITY:

Unwavering Wick

Remember what is most important. Never let them burn

< EFFECT:

Your precious memories will never disappear

It came full circle. The situation not only had reminded Frost of Calfasio, but it also served as a cautionary reminder of how easy it was to lose what one could not afford to lose, and in turn, lose oneself entirely.

Memories were the ultimate treasure, and Lethe had destroyed them with this power.

But Frost had a power of her own to hardness it and learn from her mistakes.

“… Were you aware of my Ability?” Frost asked as she took the petal.

“I had a feeling that someone who could eat through Qliphoth would also be able to harness it properly. It wasn’t until I drank it dry that I lost everything that mattered to me. It’s yours now.”

Frost couldn’t devour it until her hands could work again. She thanked Lethe for the gift as the woman returned to Cer’s side. Then, she cast her gaze into the horizon.

The moon had disappeared.

She was due to follow it.

Cer’s tail dropped when she realized what her mother’s intentions were.

“Cer. My wish was to see you again. I followed a mute child as another one that looked like the Amalgam took my hand. They led me straight to you. As you know, I’ve died a long time ago. I’m not meant to be in this world anymore… But… I want to rest for good. There are a lot of colors in this world, and blue was the one I chose because of the moon.”

The Blue Dahlia whispered as she took both of Cer’s hands into hers.

“There’s not a lot of flowers that’s blue either. So I made up a flower of my own. The blue dahlia. How silly, right? How stupid… wanting to make a flower… at the time I never knew that I’d have children. Just like the dahlias that were never meant to exist… I erased you.”

“I’m still here, right?” Cer couldn’t bring herself to smile.

“You are… and that’s why I’m happy. I wish I could have seen Ber and Res as well, but we’ve already said our goodbyes. I love them. I love you.”

Pieces of the Blue Dahlia faded into fleeting petals. The wind slowly took her legs away as she floated in place, still holding onto Cer’s hands. Her tears soon subsided as she knew that her time was up.

Frost did not realize it at first, but there was an immense amount of Nex being generated by Lethe. The color of her soul destabilized before a crack ran through it.

Her soul was on the verge of disappearing.

“It might be an imperfect wish, but it doesn’t matter to me. Cer… even now you won’t cry?”

“Wolves don’t cry.” Cer, against all odds, flashed a toothy grin at her mother. “Mom. I always had something I wanted to ask you if I ever had the chance.”

Cer grit her teeth as hard as she could, fighting her tears away as her lips quivered.

“How am I doing?”

Polaroids suddenly fell from the sky. They were caught by Lethe. Immediately, her body melted with utmost delight at the picture she was shown.

Finally, she looked back at Cer one last time and uttered:

“Better than I could have asked for. I hope one day there’ll be something for you to remember me by. If I couldn’t bring you to tears, then maybe that will~”

It was all Cer wanted to hear. The Blue Dahlia was taken by the wind. The last of her soul cracked, releasing a torrent of Nex and mana into the ambience. The blue dahlias faded with her as the world reverted to a desert.