Novel All Day
870. The Arrival of A Flower That Must Exist
870. The Arrival of A Flower That Must Exist
The funeral ended as quickly as it began.
Moons, Healers, the Archetypes and familiar faces such as Stella, Ignis, Aster, Revy who were denizens of the Floor of Amalgamation gave their condolences to the red-haired Healers.
“Sanguine Doves. Frost better give them a good name. Scarlet Healer and Blood Angels are already taken. She better not choose harmacist.” Cer groaned to herself.
Her tail gently brushed against the flowers. The flower patch she sat on was a family of colorful dahlias. Red, green, yellow – even black dahlias existed here on the Floor of Amalgamation.
All but for blue.
“A flower that doesn’t exist, huh.” Cer leaned against her knee, sitting unkemptly as she slowly bundled the flowers together to create a small boquete. “All that’s left are the forget me nots. Heh. I love this scent. We didn’t always have to climb the mountains to see the moon. You must’ve loved this scent too.”
Cer sniffed herself all over, wondering how she must have smelt to her mother. Flowers with a pleasant hint of sweetness. Dare she say it was addictive. She found it funny how departing from her old ways only caused her to start smelling better.
“Haaaaah. Back home at last.” She laid herself against the flowers to bask in the morning sun. “Being a flower wouldn’t be bad. You get to bask in the sun all day, smell good all the time. But you can’t really defend yourself.”
She didn’t know why she was rambling on nonsensically. Her way of unwinding used to revolve around her causing trouble. Now, she just wanted to sleep and devour the world with her senses.
“I’ve been alive for 42 years. I feel alive for the first time in my circus of a life…”
*Scrunch*
*Scrunch*
*Scrunch*
Footsteps slowly approached her from behind. A pair of familiar voices suddenly called out to her.
“Cer?”
“Sis, that’s you, right?”
Res and Ber did not recognize Cer from behind. The coloration of her hair and her body proportions were completely different. However, their Galvanic Blood told them otherwise. This was Cer, but they still had to ask.
A small breeze swept by. It threw Cer’s bangs aside, revealing her face to her sisters. With a toothy grin, she grumbled:
“Were you expecting someone else? Of course it’s me. Heh. I’m kind of happy you didn’t recognize me straight away.”
Cer climbed to her feet. After dusting her knees and brushing the petals from her chest, she turned to her sisters with starlit eyes.
“Surprised? I know, I know. You’re going to think that I Corrupted and had to fight my way out of the egg –!?”
“Cer! I should’ve been there for you too!”
“Sis! Why didn’t we hear about it!?”
Cer could see them rushing towards her in slow motion. Side stepping them would be a piece of cake with her newfound speed, but the looks on their faces caused her body to relax as she stood there, ready to be taken into their arms.
Why did I think that these two knuckleheads would hear me out? They were worried, huh. Nah, what kind of a question is that? Obviously, they’d be worried. I look like I recovered from Corruption.
It was not often… no, Cer was never on the receiving end of their concern. At least not like this. Cer had always been the strongest of the three, so there was never a need for them to outright comfort her.
Their presence alone, since the start, was all Cer needed to get through her days as a Moon. Part of her always felt responsible for them. Recently there wasn’t a need to remain glued to each other like three peas in a pod. The shackle of reliance that once trapped them paved way to their individual growth.
A familiar yet distinct warmth enveloped Cer. Their bodies were no longer the same. This was their first collective embrace in their rightful bodies. Cer was estatic that she didn’t have to stand on her toes or be smothered in their chests whenever they embraced.
They locked their foreheads together, their ears happily wiggling in delight as their tails wrapped them into a giant cocoon.
“I just wanted to surprise you two. Like I said, I didn’t Corrupt. Look.” Cer pointed at the golden strands of hair and waved the tip of her tail in front of them. “Just like Frost, right?”
“You didn’t Corrupt? So what happened?” Ber relaxed. As mischievous as Cer was, she would never lie about Corruption.
“Geez… You… really should have said something. I thought Elysia managed to get you too.” Res breathed a sigh of relief moments before headbutting Cer lightly. “Idiot. You still should have said something. How can’t we jump to conclusions when you look like that!?”
“Why, does it not suit me?” Cer tilted her head.
“That’s not…” Res retracted her words sorrowfully.
“I’m kidding, heh. About what happened…”
Cer was about to conclude with “It’s a long story.”, but she wanted to fill them in with what went down, why she looked like this, what happened to Raoul, and most importantly…
“… Mom was there. She was happy that we were doing alright. She asked about you too, Ber. She didn’t know you wanted to wear dresses.”
“It’s not like anyone would’ve known if I didn’t end up Corrupting.”
“… She remembered Ber? What about you?”
Cer grinned and snatched the bouquet with her tail. Then, she took both of their hands and dragged them along. She was ahead of them for the first time. The two stared at the relaxed back of their oldest sister as she recounted what happened in Grandis.
The infiltration of the Bellum Empire. The conspiracy with Raoul and Ara’s capture. Her battle with Raoul. Her reunion with her mother through the Advent of Desire. The Arbiter’s transformation.
Their mother’s wish.
“I didn’t Corrupt or manifest a Corrupted Persona. I did what no wolf has ever done before. I reached the moon and the star, only to find out that the only star that matters is…”
Cer spun on her heels. The smile she wore captured the jubilation of finally reaching her sisters. She placed both hands on her chest right where her heart was and knocked.
“… right here. My own star. Isn’t it childish? You only hear that stuff in fairytales. One second I was the old Cer, and the next I was flying like a shooting star across the sea. I Awakened. They reckon I’m a Star or something like that.”
“Something like that…?” Ber blankly blinked. “Brag about it more, Sis!”
“Yeah. Cer… I thought you’d be running laps across this Floor.” Res was taken aback by Cer’s reservation. The look on Res’ face changed from surprise to a warm, understanding smile when she realized why Cer didn’t celebrate.
“Does it look like the mood for celebration?” Cer laughed. “I already came to terms with it. I don’t need to let the world know that I’m the hottest shot right now. They’ll see it for themselves. Maybe after some sleep we can celebrate. Heh. Never thought I’d say that, huh? Well too bad, this is the Cer who knows her worth in and out. This time, without the extra fluff and toppings to go along.”
Stars did not need to tell the world that they were stars. People just needed to look up to find them. Cer didn’t need to be a jester to be seen or noticed. Merely existing was all that was required of her.
There was nothing for her to chase but her own wants.
Do I even have any?
Cer had been so fixated on her dream that she only inherited combat skills. As a result, she didn’t have hobbies or desires like Ber who adored cooking, or Res who took up painting.
I’ll have to find something I want, huh. To think that’s the most of my worries now. Haha…
“Raoul. What happened to him?” Res could not help but ask. “Did you kill him?”
“No.” Cer shook her head. “He’ll be a Repenter now. That guy… He was responsible for driving the Impuritas to Corrupt us.”
“… That… Raoul did? Tch…” Ber spat.
“Why would he…?” Res could not believe her ears.
The brother they loved so much was the reason why they had broken down. Cer further explained Raoul’s intentions. How the ‘new world’ would require stronger people, and how Raoul did not want to see them grow. He would rather that they remain the same and unchanging so that he could never lose anyone again.
And not only that, but it was his way of hiding them from their father.
“Will you go visit him when he becomes a Repenter?” Ber asked them both as they found themselves standing at the foot of a new hill.
Healer roamed the fields plucking flowers to bury alongside the Moons.
There was a small commotion at the top of the hill.
“What happens to him doesn’t matter to me anymore. It’ll be up to him if he wants to chase after us. Either way, I don’t care. Raoul isn’t my brother.” Cer answered truthfully.
Res agreed. “Neither. I’ll only hear him out if he returns from the Repent Cycle. Other than that, I don’t see a reason to visit someone who never bothered to check on us when we needed him the most. And to think he behind our Corruption…”
“Did Raoul even get to meet mom?” Ber asked another question.
“He couldn’t even do that right.” Cer sighed. “Hey, wanna hear what our names were supposed to be?”
She suggested as they climbed the hill. The commotion above grew louder. Several more Healers were called to the top of the hill. Looks of excitement shone on their faces.
Just what was up there?
“Certus. Beryl. And Ceres. Can you imagine if our names turned out like that?” Cer chuckled.
“Maybe in another world.” Ber laughed. “Beryl sounds weird. Was mom into weird names too?”
“She was.” Cer nodded, remembering the memories of her mother. “She loved making puns.”
“I bet she would’ve gotten along with Nav.” Res commented.
Cer swallowed heavily. “Yeah. I think so too.”
Her breaths became ragged as they ascended the hill. She wasn’t weak enough to be fatigued by walking up a hill. Something inexplicable was causing her chest to tighten.
“Hey Cer. You said mom made a wish. What happened to her afterwards?” Ber asked.
They were close to the top now.
“She passed on peacefully. Her powers were left behind for Frost to inherit. She won’t lose her memories. Nav says she has an Ability that cancels it out.”
Res then asked one last question as their ears peeked over the hilltop.
“Is she resting for good this time?”
Cer knew that her mother was gone for good. Her soul had been destroyed and cast into the wind. All semblance of their mother was effectively erased from existence itself. Not even a wish could bring her back.
“Yeah. No one will be able to disturb her. She had a lot of regrets. Mom looked so happy when she talked to Raoul about us. I think she would have loved to see us all one last time. But, at least she’s safe now, right?”
Cer bit her lip as they reached the top of the hill.
Suddenly, a bunch of Healers swarmed them, crying out:
“Look! Aawwww! It’s Cer! You’re so…! I mean, come! It’s a miracle!”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before!”
Another Healer shouted, their eyes sparkling at something further ahead.
“What miracle?” Cer asked.
The triplets looked at each other with confusion.
“Come! See it for yourself! The gardeners – they’ve never seen it before!”
The Healers ran off. The triplets followed suit and ran through the flower fields. A storm of petals swept across the Floor of Amalgamation. Colorful petals littered their hairs as the scent of hundreds of flowers flooded their senses.
Among it was a scent that Cer remembered from the grand tree.
That scent…!
“Every flower grows in the Floor of Amalgamation! We’ve never seen this one before!” A Healer cried as they reached a small incline.
And there, Cer gradually came to a complete stop as she stared out into the distance with disbelief.
“Those are… Why are…?” Cer’s could only squeak as a Healer bent over to grab one of the many thousands of flowers that filled the world before them.
“Blue dahlias! Of all the colors of dahlias that we know of, blue wasn’t one of them! But look! It’s a miracle!”
The Healer offered the blue dahlia to Cer. She gently took it into her hands after a moment of hesitation. Her eyes moved from the lone flower to the thousands that painted the world between this hill and the next completely blue.
“… Why… but… they’re not supposed to exist, right? How come…?”
Cer didn’t know what to think. Her immediate thought was an irrational one.
Her mother’s soul had given birth to a new type of flower. It was silly. So utterly childish that Cer despised that she even dared to think of it.
However –
“There’re another eleven new flowers! Hurry!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
“Eh!? Why are so many new flowers sprouting out of nowhere!?”
– The new species of flowers that appeared matched the number of people who were buried today. The Healers didn’t notice it. If anyone told them, then they would likely dismiss it as a coincidence.
But a blue dahlia was too symbolic to be a coincidence. Of the infinite kinds of imagined flowers that exist, why did it have to be the blue dahlia?
“Mom… looked through every possibility to find the perfect me… But she never found her perfect self… tch… Mom…”
A warm sensation rolled down her cheeks. She didn’t know what it was, so she quickly panicked and reached for her face.
It was wet.
She tried to wipe the dampness away. It was futile.
“… Ah… Ah… I can’t…”
“It’s ok Cer. It’s ok to cry.” Ber assured her and placed a hand on her head to comfort her.
“The strongest wolves have to take a break at some point.” Res purred lovingly. “Cer… you did the best out of all of us. If there’s anyone who deserves to take a break, then it’s you. You won.”
“Ahh… Gh… Kh…”
Cer didn’t know what kind of face she was making. It had been so long since she last cried that she had forgotten how. Incomprehensible squeals and grunts left her lips. She didn’t tremble or squint. She remained unmoving as she stared at the blue dahlia, crying with her eyes wide open.
“Auu… Awoo… Ah… Mom… Moooom…”
The pent-up tears that had never been shed since the day she was born finally fell. The damn had been breached, and finally, Cer’s face morphed mournfully as she clapped onto the flower.
She dropped to her knees and howled with all her heart.
Cer was a wolf who had been controlling her emotions for as long as she could remember. Every facial expression carried a purpose, hence, the meaning of the Phase of the Moon. The relinquishment of her burdens, the fruition of her plight, and finally, the reality of her mother’s caused her raw, unfiltered emotions to overflow.
Despite this, there was a weak smile on her face. It was difficult for her to physically connect with how she felt deep down. As happy as she was to finally reach the end, her tears would not stop falling. She had suppressed her suffering for so long that these overwhelming emotions felt unnatural to her.
But it was cathartic. The release marked the first time that Cer could finally… finally… take that long, deserved rest from chasing the moon and the star.
*Snap*
A polaroid fell onto the flower.
It was a picture of their mother on the log. She caressed her belly which carried all three of the triplets.
Written in captions beneath the picture of her mother were:
“I’m (Cer)tain that you’ll be a good sister for them. Hmm… I want my girls to be as beautiful as (Ber)yl~ I don’t want to be too greedy. That’ll be my (Res)olution for now~”