"Miss, we... don't know you. You must have mistaken us for someone else."
"Yes, even though we do have a daughter, she's only four years old. You're probably older than us; we don't have a daughter as old as you."
A man and a woman from the Lunarians gave successive negative answers, but Shaina wasn't surprised and simply dissolved her ability transformation, revealing her true appearance.
"Ah, are you a child from my cousin's family? You do look a bit like Shaina. It would be great if she grows up to be as pretty as you. Darling, don't you think so?"
The female Lunarian's face was about eighty percent similar to Shaina's, yet lacked a few tenseness and had a hint more of innocence. At that moment, she inquired the male Lunarian beside her.
He was her husband and also Shaina's father. His face was stern, and his eyes somewhat lacked luster.
With a head of short white hair and a slight stubble on his chin, he had a cigarette dangling from his lips. Dressed in a black trench coat over a black suit, he showed a gentle smile when looking at his wife.
"Of course, our daughter is the cutest in the world. By the way, this girl really resembles your cousin."
"Surely, how could I have mistaken? But they shouldn't have headed this way... Wait! I remember us being attacked by the Navy..."
The woman suddenly felt a headache as she tried to recall the previous details.
"We encountered a storm during our journey, which made us change course. We happened to see you under attack. Shaina and Abel hid with the main group in another place. I stayed to look after your wounded. Don't worry, soon we'll be able to reunite."
Shaina chose not to acknowledge her parents but instead told a lie to cover up the situation.
Lily Carnation has a limitation; it cannot let the deceased realize they are dead. If they recognize they're dead, the effect of the Lily Carnation ends.
In the Lunarians' records, the Lily Carnation is not a Flower of Rebirth but a Flower of Remembrance. With their powerful life force, their blood is enough to cultivate this flower.
The deceased from their memories gradually appear as the flower grows, ultimately forming this false memory entity before them.
What the blood supplier remembers, the memory entity will also remember clearly, as it is formed from the supplier's memories.
However, the memory of the entity only lasts until the point of death; it cannot be filled beyond that.
Yet, this is not what's most magical. What's truly magical is that these memory entities aren't simply memories; they generate a unique "AI" based on those memories, operating in a special manner.
This makes the memory entities more like living people. Their mode of operation reaches a 90% similarity with the deceased, virtually indistinguishable from a real person.
This was originally the predation method of the Lily Carnation. It is a carnivorous plant that hunts a group clean in this way.
The Lunarians cultivated this flower and improved its use, deeming the wild predation method as forbidden.
They only use this method to commemorate loved ones on their death anniversaries. Even knowing it's false, they find it hard to refuse.
This is why Shaina values the Lily Carnation's seeds so much; she doesn't know if she'll have another chance to find them if she misses this opportunity.
Only the Lunarians can accomplish such a feat; their life force is extraordinary, allowing them to commemorate ancestors with their blood.
Ordinary people couldn't achieve this even if they bled themselves dry, and they risk being countered by the Lily Carnation.
The Baron's actions are a taboo for the Lunarians. If a companion dies near a Lily Carnation, it can create a more realistic memory entity, without worrying about the complications of recognition.
But time is limited, and to maintain it, one must continuously feed it with similar life energy.
The separation of life and death makes such interaction poisonous. Once it begins, it's hard to stop. This is why the Lunarians have always prohibited such actions.
"I see, as long as they're alright. Those pursuers are getting harder to handle. Miss, you be careful too."
They did not doubt Shaina's identity. Apart from the Lunarians, no other race can set themselves aflame. Shaina bears all Lunarian traits, including matching tattoo styles.
"By the way, what a coincidence, your tattoo is exactly what we wanted for our daughter. We hope she grows up safely."
"Darkrai, inform the others not to come over for now."
Shaina had little time to remove her disguise, and seeing that familiar face, one could guess their relation to Shaina. Even if false, they were still beautiful memories.
The original Lily Carnation was destroyed, the Red Arrow Pirates were entirely history now. In another world, they should still be comrades on the same ship.
But the island's facilities remained. Baron of Ecstasy had gone to great lengths to build those to lure others to the island, and they could still be used now.
"As you command."
Short-distance movement wouldn't trigger Darkrai's wandering buff. Arceus wasn't worried about Darkrai ending up in an odd place and entrusted him with the task confidently.
Time ticked by, the sun climbed over the horizon once more. Shaina knew it was almost time.
"Goodbye, Dad, Mom. Abel and I are doing well now, you don't need to worry about anything else."
The nostalgia of the past is heartwarming, but people cannot linger in it. Feeling it was about time, Shaina burned the seeds into ashes, and the two memory entities began to fade and flicker. At this moment, they seemed to understand something too.
After revealing a faint smile, they silently vanished from there.
...
"My lord, Sacred Beast, I'm sorry to have delayed for quite a while."
The mask once again covered her face; the previous memories were re-concealed. Only the few remaining seeds were put away by her.
"No need to apologize. Just wait. Time will prove many things. When all the remaining powers return, I will realize your dream."
The division between life and death is not something Arceus intends to break; otherwise, the world would descend into chaos. However, in his complete state, he is the creator; space and time fall under his dominion.
Interfering with the original world is not convenient, but creating a Reversed World is effortless for him. He has new plans for the Reversed World, where it won't be a dilapidated world of chaos, but a brand new Divine Kingdom.