Forget-Me-Not

To the Fusion Warriors, Elysia was an anomaly. Her "unrestrained" behavior always brought a sliver of relief to the somber warriors.

"That's right, Sakura... the Fusion Warriors still have plenty of strength," Dr. Mei's clear voice grew louder through the crack in the door.

"We were fortunate to defeat the special Eleventh Law-Ruler without paying too heavy a price, and the Fusion Warriors are still expanding."

"Moreover, given the current situation, the Honkai seems capable of adjusting to us. Whether the Fusion Warriors can play their usual role against the next Law-Ruler... that's hard to say."

"In that case... Dr. Mei, should the veteran Fusion Warriors form a vanguard?" Sakura pinched her chin, resting her elbow on the back of her other hand.

"Of course, I agree with you. You are Fire Moth's most precious fighting force. There are many situations only you can handle. As for the new recruits, they need to continuously learn and fight to become sharp blades capable of standing on their own."

"Besides, I'm not the only one who suggested you form a separate squad. She also believes my proposal has merit."

"She?"

"It's me, of course." A cheerful and casual voice chimed in as Elysia opened the door and walked in.

"Besides me, is there anyone else who truly cares about the fate of us Fusion Warriors? What do you say, Sakura?"

"Elysia..." Sakura helplessly rubbed her forehead. Elysia was the only person, besides her sister, who could make her wear such an expression.

"If I recall correctly, you should be tracking abnormal Honkai energy concentrations three thousand kilometers away right now." Clearly, Elysia's carefree image was deeply ingrained in Sakura's mind.

"Oh, Sakura, I didn't expect you to care so much about me. It's quite embarrassing."

"However, compared to a proposal that might unite us, those are just minor issues."

"So, Sakura, are you willing to join?"

"..." Sakura hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, I'm used to..."

"Wait, don't refuse so quickly." Elysia put her arm around Sakura's waist, pressing her body dangerously close. Elysia seemed to bite Sakura's ear and whispered next to her: "Sakura... the situation is urgent. I'll only say this once. You need to control yourself and absolutely do not show any surprise."

Elysia spoke at an extremely rapid pace, her voice clear only to Fusion Warriors: "I intentionally went three thousand kilometers away. The source of the Honkai energy is the next Law-Ruler, and she's not there." High concentrations of Honkai energy can have various causes, such as the prelude to the birth of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, or a signal for a swarm of Honkai Beasts preparing to attack. Of course, it could also be the first cry of the next Law-Ruler.

"Currently, only I know about this. We still have a chance. The next Law-Ruler, she..."

"She's your sister."

The atmosphere stiffened for a second or two. Sakura nodded woodenly, showing no surprise at all, not even a hint of sorrow. She simply nodded and continued the conversation as if Elysia's usual playful banter was still ongoing. Sakura didn't remember when Dr. Mei and Elysia left the room; she only remembered being the last to leave.

As usual, she walked through the long corridor, greeted her companions, and returned to her room. She appeared clear-headed, yet her mind was muddled as if drunk or feverish, hazy and forgetful, with only one thought lingering in her heart: "What have you protected!"

Poisoned Cocoon was the hidden blade in Fire Moth's hand, never exposed to sunlight, existing only in the shadows. Even when unsheathed, sunlight could not penetrate the dark, dried blood on the blade. Poisoned Cocoon was responsible for resolving every "troublesome" issue Fire Moth deemed necessary with the most violent and direct means—cleansing Honkai energy infected individuals or assassinating Fire Moth's political enemies, among other tasks.

Furthermore, they possessed supreme authority to escape legal repercussions, as their master was the law's creator. Although such an organization had already been disbanded.

Similarly, as a former member of Poisoned Cocoon, Sakura's hands were also stained with blood and guilt. The blood of villains, the blood of the righteous, the blood of everyone who stood in the way of humanity's progress. When Sakura slit the throat of the first Honkai energy infected individual, her best possible ending would have been to die in the final moment.

But Sakura never imagined her suffering would befall her sister in this manner. As her own blade was about to fall upon the family she fought day and night for, regret and self-blame washed away all the beliefs she held dear.

Only self-inflicted death was sacrifice; "sacrificing" others was merely murder with a pretty name. And murder always led to death. It took countless people a long time and immense cost to engrave a simple truth in their hearts.

A long scream erupted from within Sakura, followed by the questioning of the innocent. Countless faces appeared, scolding, interrogating, and weeping.

"What have you protected! I can't imagine. Can you name anything you've protected?" The last face that appeared in Sakura's mind was her own, her original face. "Sakura" glared at her with stern eyes: "You've only brought mountains of corpses and seas of blood!"

Helplessly, Sakura knelt under the cold gaze of the departed, allowing the dead to curse her actions, question the meaning of their sacrifice, and lament her worthless death.

Past courage degenerated into heartlessness, wisdom devolved into recklessness. A pure white soul, watered by conspiracy and cruelty, blood and slaughter, transformed into a gleaming machine of massacre, shouting "for everyone" while killing everyone. Those who willingly supported tyranny did so only because the muzzle of tyranny wasn't pointed at them.

As regret swept through her mind, sorrow rained down upon the sea of regret. Sakura's thoughts were chaotic, grief and remorse intertwined.

—Should she spare her sister?

If she were to let her sister, who had become a Law-Ruler, go, then what was the point of all her previous actions! She had convinced herself that killing innocent people was to protect more innocent people. Therefore, now, to protect more innocent people, she should kill her sister. Because no Law-Ruler was harmless!

—But that's her own family!

Hadn't she fought her entire life, bathed in the blood of countless innocents, all for her sister? Demons whispered to her, attempting to turn her into a cruel and hypocritical servant.

"No, I will never spare my sister," Sakura answered, sobbing inwardly.

"I made countless wrong choices in the past... Now, I won't make such mistakes again."

Sakura understood she didn't deserve forgiveness, nor was she worthy of asking the departed souls for it. The only thing she could do was turn back and make amends.

Sakura's dream was to protect her loved ones, but for Ling, how many other people's loved ones had she killed? Didn't they also want to protect their brothers and sisters? Why was only her sister worthy of protection? Were others' siblings not deserving?

As Sakura's realization dawned, the ice-covered souls departed, and the demons vanished into nothingness. The whispers that had surrounded her turned into smoke.

In reality, Sakura could no longer hide her grief. She covered her face and wept like a helpless young girl. Her long ears drooped listlessly, and crystal tears slid down her cheeks and trembling hands, falling onto the blue carpet, leaving wet trails like blooming flowers—Forget-me-nots.

For Sakura, the flower language of Forget-me-not was: Do not forget your true self.

PS: Chapter 39 has been revised, please check it.