Wish, And You May See

"You were able to see someone else's memories?"

Up until now, the one certainty we have believed in, when it comes to the device's powers, was a simple one: it could only show memories of Earth.
I had many ideas for what the cube's true powers might be. I had theories of how I could use it or how it might expand in usefulness.
I didn't think I would see someone else's memories, especially ones not from Earth.

I pick up the cube again. Feana tries to warn me that it's still hot, but I think she's just being cautious. I have so many ideas running through my head, I need to run through some of them before I lose track.
The man whose memories I just saw... His name was Patsha. I should be able to learn more about who hired him.

"I wish I could see Patsha."

Against my own expectations, I don't get thrown into a projection of the man's memories; rather, something else appears within my vision. From the device's core, a projection is pushed onto reality. It's a circle, purple and orange in color.

"Whoa..." In the centre, the face of the man I just was: Patsha. His name is right there, in the middle. "Princess, look at this!"
Feana steps forward, a confused look on her face. "What is it?"
"The cube! Look at what it's doing!" I point to the obvious image of an unmasked assassin.
"It's glowing, that's for certain. Is that remarkable?" The princess begins to question, but realisation hits her before I can respond. "It's active! But why? You aren't trapped in a vision!"
There's no way the big colorful circle in front of me is that inconspicuous...

"Can't you see this? The orange? The purple?"
"Not at all. Is it showing you something?"
"Yeah, I can see the assassin's face, his name. It even says... 'Time of Death: 2.15201.849.30' Is that how you write dates?"
"Whatever could that mean? 2.152... what was the rest of it?"
"You don't recognise that layout?"
"No. The current notation for dates uses 'BD' and 'AD'. Prior to that, we simply counted the day and year."
"2.15201.849.30. You don't recognise any of that?"
"Certainly not, I'm afraid. What else can you see?"
"Umm... Hang on. "

With another idea in mind, I make another command. "I wish I could see every Eraiden."
This time, instead of seeing a profile of Patsha, I get a list of five names: Naisha, Patsha, and three others. Checking the unfamiliar three, they share a near-identical Time of Death entry to Patsha. These have to be the three other assassins...
Wait, does this cube store the memories of the dead or something? But... it has my memories, doesn't it? Wouldn't that mean-...
Once again, I make another command. "I wish I could see every Human."
The list that follows contains a single name: Ven Hildna. I check the entry for more details.
'Time of Death: ' It's blank. Phew, okay, I'm not dead. I didn't think I was, but... that complicates things. It's not just storing the dead.
To double check, I ask to see every Huls. I see three cat-like creatures—the things Ms. Tsa and Sera's mom slew during our trip back to Shum.

"What is it? Is it showing you things?"
"Yeah. It's like... a database. A library, I should say."
"It stores books? Or... memories, like books?"
"I dunno. It lists a bunch of people who I know have died, as well as some animals I saw die, and of course, me."
"How curious..."
"What are the people of this planet called? Larilans?"
"Yes, this is Larila, after all."
"I mean, yeah, I swear you have a city called Larila and a country called Larila, so... It's very confusing."
"Ancient Capital Larila was the capital city of the Larilan Empire, if that's what you mean."
"Exactly! What do you call a citizen of the Larilan Empire?"
"Larilesian, obviously."
"That's not obvious at all!"

Before I can let this nonsense distract me, I refocus my attention towards the database projected from the device in my hand.
"I wish I could see every Larilan." In the blink of an eye, a larger list appears. The five people but not the three cats, however, Feana and Arya are also present.
"Huh? Why are they in here!?" The princess is starting to look annoyed at being unable to witness any of this, so I describe what's going on for her.

"Okay, so... I looked up Larilans. Both you and Arya are here, as well as the assassins, plus an entry for Naisha, but no one else."
"What does it say about us?"
"Nothing. Time of Death is blank, so you're still alive, at least."
"I'm very thankful for that, but is that all?"
"Oh, there's a thing at the bottom. 'User', it says."
"User? As in... one who uses something?"
"Right! You and Arya used the cube to project memories! That's why you're in here!"
"Does it have our memories?"
"There's only one way to find out!"

"I wish I could see Feana's memories."

...Nothing.

"Well that didn't work."
"No, it didn't. But you were able to see the assassin's memories?"

I nod, then I try something else.

"I wish I could see a Huls' memories."

Flash! I'm a cat! I'm in a cave or something! Look at all these little baby Huls, they're so cute!
I'm immediately pulled out of the memory as Feana forces me out of it.

"Warn me before you do that!"
"Sorry..."

Still, it worked with the dead animals, it worked with the dead people, but it didn't work with the Princess. I'm not sure how my memories fit into this, but everything else available to me is painting a clear enough picture.

"I think this device is a database of the dead."

Not everyone who's died, but everyone I've seen die. Yet, one of these entries, Naisha's, belongs to a person who I didn't personally see die—Patsha did. So even if I witness a death in someone's memories, they get added to the database...
Do you think it'll process all of the information within these memories automatically, or do I have to manually check every single one?

"Hey Princess, do you know what a computer is?"
"Yes, we have many people employed as computers in Yve. It's a modern occupation."
"...okay, good to know."

Seriously, how old was He!? Human computers got replaced by machines before my great-grandparents were born!

"Why do you ask?"
"No, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Now I'm curious!"
"Okay, this thing... I think it might be enough to solve the problems in Yve."
"You mean that, by witnessing the assassins' memories, you may be able to find other spies, correct?"
"Not just that. I might be able to see the memories of anyone they killed."
"That's... That's remarkable! It's impossibly perfect! Honestly, what fortune brought you to me?"

But, although the princess seems eager to celebrate, I do worry about one thing. The fact that memories of foreign languages seeped into my brain so naturally, without me even noticing... as well as the fact that, while viewing that assassin's memories, I struggled to separate myself from his mind...
It's a bit scary. If I witnessed another's entire life, would it overwhelm my own sense of self? Or is it like a dream—something I will soon forget?

My family has a creed that keeps it strong. "Think of those you love."
If I were to lose my sense of that—of who I love; of who I am—who would I become?
That's not something I'm willing to experiment with.

"...I don't think I'm supposed to look at these memories."
"What? Why not? This is an incredible power."
"I'm only one person. Am I supposed to live the lives of all who die?"
"Is it not just a memory?"
"But isn't that what life is? You die and become nothing but a memory. That's what this database is, anyway."
"I see. If that's how you feel, it's not my place to force you to help me."

Feana backs off quite easily. She's understandably disappointed at receiving and then losing such a useful tool, but she's polite about it.
"I'll still help you." I assert. "I'll go to Yve."
"Are you sure? I don't want to force you." That much was obvious.
"A boy stands before you with the ability to paralyse." I place the device into my pocket, shutting down the database display, and offer my hand to the princess. "That's all I'll ever be for you."
The princess smiles.

"That's more than enough. Thank you."