Truth about Rose

Scarlet was able to recall her memories after finding her father’s Memory Book. She decided to return to the other world Wisteria. She used the train ticket that Blackwood gave to her. When she exited the train, everything looked different to her at the stop. The pathway was shrouded in fog and mist; it made it difficult to see. The white puff of smoke was inhaled through her nostrils; it smelled sweet oddly enough. Among the dense fog, she was able to spot a fast-running Rose who was wearing all white. It seemed like a fever dream.

“Rose!? Come back! Please, tell me everything”

The Rose apparition then went over to the Memory Bank. It was the same alley way where she followed Valerius last time. The ghost drifted over to a solid brick wall and pulled one brick out, a cramped hole emerged for her to go in. It ran deep and she could not see the end of it. Scarlet rolled up her sleeves and crawled through the hole on her hands and feet. The sandy soil within the hole was abrasive against her skin. Her hands and knees were covered in cuts from crawling.

Owww

She rubbed her knee before proceeding. As she progressed, she was moving closer to the light which seemed to be the end of the passageway. She placed her last foot on the ground and stretched. The Rose apparition was nowhere to be found.

Clank Clank

There were sounds of carts being pushed around with a sign for memories on sale.

There were multiple vendors seeking out customers. “Memories anyone? Going once-going twice.”

“Would the lady like a beautiful memory?”

“A beautiful memory for a pretty lady?”

When she looked at the people who were speaking, they were faceless, it was just emptiness.

Then as she moved forward, there was a white light emanating from one of the buildings. As she slid open the door, it was mostly vacant. In the middle of the room, she saw Rose trapped in a multi-petaled glass flower. She lay at its heart with her eyes closed as if she was in an endless sleep. The glass was so clear and cold to touch.

She tapped it, a small crack formed and then it busted. The glass shattered into individual petals. Rose disappeared.

She could see her reflection in each of those glass shards.

She carefully picked up one. Once she touched the glass, she was enveloped in a memory of the past.

“Flen! Please do it, kill me.”

“Rose, I can’t.”

He looked at her changed appearance. She was injected with the syringe, but it had no effect on her, so they kept producing stronger chemicals for her.

Flen exclaimed, “They did something to you. They made you evil, Theo, I need to find him!”

Rose protested that there was not enough time left. “Don’t blame him.”

“You must kill me! Day after day, I’m starting to lose myself. I’m becoming someone I don’t like. Something evil is growing inside of me. Please just end this pain for me, Flen.”

She knelt and pleaded.

Flen felt strongly and held her tight in his arms.

“You were the only person that kept me going all of this time. I can’t do this to you.”

Her eyes were begging to be killed. At the request of his dear friend, he complied.

Flen was unsteady with his sword, his hands were trembling and did not want to move.

“Rage crosscut!”

He screamed; a large X slash went through Rose. The blood was overflowing on the ground and splashed on his face.

The glass shard’s clear form turned bloody. Scarlet dropped it on the floor, it shattered.

I’m not sure I like these glass shards. It’s telling me something though, I need to continue no matter how scary it can be.

Scarlet had been gaining more confidence in herself.

There was a jagged glass shard that had a reflection of Valerius. She carefully held it in her hands with her sleeve covering the sharp edge.

More scenes appeared.

Rose’s father took her body and tried to heal her. He tried his best, eventually her heart beat once again. He decided to leave this world to protect her. Professor Valerius refused initially but then agreed.

“Only on one condition, her memories will be erased and that you don’t return to this place.”

Professor Valerius looked at both Rose’s father and mother.

“Kieran and Lumina, you are both dead to this world.”

Scarlet heard those names.

Those names were on the headstones before. They are Rose’s parents!

He was trying to sneak them into the other world. His wife kissed Rose’s forehead before they left. Unfortunately, the mother was struck down by the Cosmocrat and died. Valerius killed that one instantly. He betrayed the Cosmocrats that time to allow them to escape. Valerius convinced the rest of the Cosmocrats he killed everyone; he created a tombstone for them on the same date.

He was suspended for killing a Cosmocrat. The Elder later forgave him, but they had a strict watch over him.

The Elder cackled in a wicked way.

Scarlet crouched down and tucked her head into her arms.

“Why am I seeing all of this? Why do I keep seeing Rose? I don’t understand this at all!”

Then a spiritual ghost came by hovering over Scarlet and trying to comfort her.

She was the ghost that Scarlet saw hanging around Grandmother Mimi all of this time. She was able to see the ghost’s features more clearly. Her face was youthful, and she had long hair, her eyes were soft and tranquil.

“You..” The ghost spoke in a graceful, sweet voice.

“Rose, my Rose.” The ghost smiled deeply.

“Who are you?” Scarlet asked.

“I’m Lumina, dear… I’m your mother.”

“Wake up darling.”

She felt a hand on her face. She opened her eyes.

“Grandmother Mimi!”

She leaped out of bed and the wet cloth on her head fell off.

Grandmother Mimi took a seat right next to the bed.

“I can’t believe you came back. Flen brought you over here. He said that he found you unconscious outside the Memory Bank.”

“I see.”

“Grandmother Mimi, this has been bothering me for quite a while now. Please tell me the truth about Rose and everything you know.”

Grandmother Mimi appeared worried, said, “I didn’t know how to tell you. You are Rose, my dear.”

Scarlet’s eyes widened, “Me…I’m Rose?” She was in utter shock.

Grandmother Mimi nodded and said, “It is the truth.”

“Your mother’s spirit has been living inside of me.”

Scarlet was overwhelmed. “No, no. This can’t be. I don’t understand how.”

Grandmother Mimi moved the palms of her hand inward closer to her chest; she then summoned the mother’s spirit. Although she was see-through, her face was expressive, she stared at Scarlet deeply.

She smiled looking at Scarlet, “My, you have grown. Your father called you Scarlet, what a beautiful name.” She moved closer to sit on the bed next to her.

“I was born into the noble family, and I fell in love with your father. The wise old man in the town warned your father he did not have much time left and to protect you, he wanted to take you somewhere safe. He wanted to live a normal life. We wanted to raise you and your brother away from all of that. When you were born, it caused a shake in the Cosmocrats’ power. You held the key to destroying their utopia and they wanted to get rid of you. You were so open and wanted to cherish everything around you. A breath of fresh air to the common people.”

Then Grandmother interrupted, “I decided to save your mother’s soul with me. She was too young to die.”

“I don’t believe this, I’m sorry.” Scarlet responded. “I just don’t fully understand,”

“But my aunt and cousin…. Who are they?”

Prof

Valerius stepped in to speak.

“On your seventeenth birthday, while your father was baking a cake for you, he realized something was wrong with his body. The old man fortune teller from our world already warned him of his fate. Even from faraway, we were still connected; we were brothers through friendship. When his thread of life was cut, I felt a pull from my body, too. When he breathed his last breath, he gave his daughter to his neighbor. He implanted a false memory into them.”

“Why did Theo want me to come back here?”

“That I’m not so sure, his family did betray the royal family and that’s when the Cosmocrats were at its strongest. He would have to tell you himself the reason.”

Blackwood was listening in all of these conversations.

“I just assumed my parents passed away but thought nothing of it.”

He got up and looked at Scarlet.

“You’re Rose, my dear sister Rose.”

He squeezed her tightly. “You’re alive.”

She yelled, “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember a thing. You all kept saying I look like her. I didn’t realize I was her.”

She ran outside after feeling overwhelmed.

I thought I could handle this, but I can’t. My mother died and I never knew, I had a brother and an aunt and cousin who weren’t really my family at all.

Flen saw Scarlet huddling in a corner by herself.

Flen walked over to her, “I heard that you remember who you are.”

Scarlet’s face was hiding in her arms.

“I’m starting to.” She muttered.

“Miss Scarlet, I think it is a blessing in disguise to not remember sometimes. I haven’t forgotten about you at all. There are scenes that haunt me every day.”

He looked at her with worried eyes.

“You don’t have to rush it.”

Scarlet thought to herself she had always been a little anxious and afraid, but now’s not the time.

She closed her eyes and entered that memory realm again in her mind. She wanted to find that room again. The glass shards vanished from the floor. Rose was sitting crouched, too.

“Come to me, Rose.”

“I know who we are.”

Rose’s eyes suddenly opened wide and flew in a burst of wind into Scarlet’s chest.