Trace the Database

Once upon a time, romance floundered in the Kingdom of Rot. It is, after all, the kingdom of romance.
A man named Patsha and a woman named Naisha. They went to school together in the city, but returned to the countryside to have kids, so their kids would grow up around a large family.
Yet, after many years, no children came. It was a miracle when Aida eventually entered their lives, but in the time it had taken, the large family had aged and dwindled. Still, Aida grew up with loving parents.

Crowned godfather, a wealthy man of Yve, had moved to the area to support his precious friends from school. Patsha, Naisha, and the exchange student Flionel were the closest of friends, and that friendship would continue into adulthood. Flionel's presence filled some of the gap that the loss of grandparents had left in Aida's life.
The miracles continued when Aida's sister, Kaina, was born. Yet we know how the story ends.

The man named Flionel, when left to babysit the two children, stole them away and fled back to his homeland of Yve.
Naisha, from the despair of this betrayal, ended her own life.
Patsha, from the anger of this loss, vowed revenge on Yve, becoming an assassin.

What he didn't know, when he attempted to kill Lann's king, was that he was working for Flionel's cause.

◇ ◇ ◇

My recollection of those memories is odd. It wasn't a projection, but a reminiscence, like a story I once heard.
Still, the database of death shone white, and both Feana and Ms. Tsa took notice.

"What was that, Sir Hildna? Did you check something."
"No. Well, kinda. I remembered some things about one of the men who tried to kill Vio."
"And... did you learn anything?"

Explaining everything right now would be a waste of time, so let's cut to the chase.
To the princess, I declare:

"The puppetmaster who gave Yve to Eraidus is a man named Flionel."

Her reaction tells me she knows the name.

◇ ◇ ◇

Feana tells her few trusted guards to apprehend the man known as Flionel, and so, they march off. Before she and Ms. Tsa can follow in that search, however, I ask them to hang on for a minute.
I think I need Ms. Tsa's help with something...

Within the database of death, both the memories of this girl's mother and father are stored. Not just the events, but the emotions, the context, the understanding.
Kaina here... She may be too young to remember her parents, but she also may be too young to have forgotten them. Some recollection must be in there.

If I use the power I've been granted, could I fight back against the indoctrination this little girl has been subjected to? If I showed her what her childhood was like, would she remember?

What worries me is... Well, I don't know much about human psychology, but I know what suppressed memories are. When we experience a severely negative emotion, we block out a part of reality in order to survive.
If I reminded her how happy her life used to be, would the shock of how her life has become be too much for her to handle? Maybe... No, not maybe; I'm certain this is too dangerous a situation for me to mess around.

But... if I do nothing, will Kaina spend her entire life believing that man was her father? Will she go on believing that murder is okay? That Feana has to die? That her kidnapper is more precious than a brother who cares so much for her?

I can't answer any of this alone, and even if the three of us put our heads together, I don't think Ms. Tsa, Aida, and I will be qualified to make the right decision...
But this isn't Earth. No one can help us. I believe, at the very least, her brother will be there for her as long as it takes, but nothing else is granted.

I explain my powers and my thought process to Aida, with translation help from Ms. Tsa.
I say that I can show people visions of others' memories. I could show Kaina what her mother and father were like, but it might be a shock to her, and she may never recover from that shock.
Kaina could've repressed those memories in order to believe that her current life is normal and the happiness she once knew never really existed. Breaking that boundary might harm her in a way that can never be fixed.

Despite all those warnings, Aida responds in an instant:

"I want her to know what normal life is like."

Ms. Tsa, on the other hand, is very wary, but comes to her own decision using entirely different reasoning from the two of us. She must've had time to think it over while translating my words.
The harsh reality of all this is... Kaina is an assassin. Without some form of assurance that she can feel remorse or regret, the only alternative future has her imprisoned for life.
Letting a killer run free is rarely ever done, but letting a killer who feels no guilt run free... It's impossible. That would only threaten the security of the city and put innocent civilians at risk.

With both her parents dead, she has nowhere to return to, she has no identity, and her ethnic connection is to a country Yve can no longer communicate with. Furthermore, she's a weapon developed by an agent of that country.
We either leave her in a jail cell for the rest of her life, or we break down the jail cell in her heart and hope that a good person comes out of it.

It's a complicated discussion, but in the end, we come to a decision...

"I wish she could see Patsha's memory of what Naisha and Kaina looked like together."

I hold the cube in my hand with a softer grip than usual.

"Gentle memories."

My mind floats to the sight of a happy family... One before despair took root.

Since coming here, I've read many tales of tragedy, of curses, of destruction. The one positive quote that comes to mind from all my reading stems from the only other Earthling that's left a mark on Larilan culture:
"To go as far as one can go to save one woman, one girl, one child."
The worshipped mythology of this world always favours sadness over words of hope. Even so... I'll pray to those mythological figures as the only gods that Larila knows.

May this world have some kindness to spare.