Gilded Ashes-Chapter 286: For The Realmweaver

Enya stared at the black lotus, her mind struggling to catch up with the words.

"A... What?" she asked quietly.

Her mother looked at her, then back at the flower. For a moment, she seemed uncertain - like she was trying to find the right way to explain something she barely understood herself.

"A memory vessel" her mother repeated, softer this time.

Enya’s brows knit together. "I don’t... What does that mean?"

Her mother knelt down fully now, settling beside the massive white flower. She gestured for Enya to sit too. Enya dropped down onto the soft grass without hesitation, legs crossed, eyes fixed on her mother’s face.

Her mother took a slow breath, gathering her thoughts.

"Do you remember" her mother started gently, "How you preserved flowers together? How you’d seal them in resin?"

Enya nodded. "Yeah. I do it all the time."

"And once they were sealed, they stayed perfect" her mother continued. "Frozen exactly as they were. The colors didn’t fade. The petals didn’t wilt. They just... stayed."

Enya tilted her head. "Okay..."

Her mother’s hand hovered over the black lotus, not quite touching. "This flower does something similar. But it doesn’t preserve the flower itself."

She paused, searching for the right words.

"It preserves the memory."

Enya blinked. "The memory?"

Her mother nodded slowly. "When you create this flower, you’re feeling something. Maybe you’re happy. Maybe you’re sad. Maybe you’re thinking about someone you care about."

Enya listened, leaning forward.

"Whatever you’re feeling in that moment" her mother said, "gets sealed inside. Like resin around a flower. The feeling is captured. Held. Kept safe. That’s why it’s so special"

Enya’s mouth opened slightly. "So... When I made the one for Raizen..."

Her mother’s expression softened. "Whatever you felt when you created it - that’s what the flower holds."

Enya’s chest tightened.

She remembered making it. Sitting in the greenhouse with Mina. Raizen asking her for a special flower. The way the black lotus had just... Appeared in her mind, fully formed, like it had been waiting for her to find it.

She’d been thinking about him. About how he stood up for her with Mina. About how he didn’t treat her like a problem child. About how he looked at her like she mattered.

She’d wanted to give him something that said: Someone cares.

Her throat felt tight.

"I..." Enya started, then stopped. Her voice came out quieter. "I wanted him to know that someone... That he had a friend."

Her mother smiled gently. "Then that’s what it holds."

Enya looked down at her hands. "Will he know? When he looks at it?"

Her mother hesitated. "I don’t know."

Enya’s head snapped up. "You don’t?"

Her mother shook her head slowly. "I do not know everything, Enya. It just showed me what the flower was. Not how it works. Not what the person who receives it will feel."

Enya frowned. "But... You said it holds the memory."

"It does" her mother confirmed. "But I don’t know if the person holding it can feel what’s inside. Or if it just... Exists. Quietly. Like a beloved photo tucked away in a drawer."

She looked at the black lotus again, thoughtful.

"Maybe he’ll feel warmth when he holds it" she murmured. "Maybe he won’t understand why, but he’ll feel something. Or maybe it’s just... There. Waiting quietly."

Enya didn’t like that answer. She wanted certainty. But her mother’s expression was calm. Accepting.

"I wish I knew more" her mother admitted. "But I don’t. The dream gave me enough to understand what it was. Not enough to understand everything it could do."

Enya sat with that for a moment.

Then another thought hit her.

"Mom" Enya said slowly, "if you had a dream about this flower... and I made one without knowing... doesn’t that mean someone wanted us to know about it?"

Her mother’s gaze sharpened slightly. She nodded once.

"I suppose so."

Enya’s heart beat faster. "Who?"

Her mother’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in her eyes. Uncertainty. Maybe even a touch of unease.

"I do not know" she said honestly.

"But you felt them" Enya pressed. "In the dream. You said someone showed you."

"I did" her mother agreed. "But I couldn’t see them. I couldn’t hear them. I just... Felt their presence. Like they were standing behind me, holding my eyes open, pointing at something they wanted me to see."

Enya shivered slightly. "That’s creepy."

Her mother’s mouth curved into a small smile, and she chuckled. "A little."

"And they didn’t say anything?" Enya asked. "Not even a name?"

Her mother shook her head. "No. Just the image of the flower. And..."

She trailed off.

Enya leaned closer. "And what?"

Her mother’s expression grew more serious now. She straightened slightly, like she was preparing to say something important.

"There was something else in the dream" she said quietly. "Not just the flower."

Enya waited, breathless.

Her mother’s hand moved to Enya’s shoulder, grounding her.

"I saw a place" her mother said. "Far from here. And I saw a name."

Enya’s eyes widened. "What name?"

Her mother’s voice was steady, deliberate. Like she remembered the name. "The Realmweaver."

Enya blinked. "The... Realmweaver?"

"Mhm" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Where are they?"

Her mother hesitated. "As far as I know, he’s in Haldor."

Enya frowned. "Woah. That’s... really far."

"I know."

Enya stared at her mother, trying to piece it together. "So someone showed you a flower. And a name. And a place."

Her mother nodded.

"Why?" Enya asked.

Her mother’s hand squeezed Enya’s shoulder gently.

"Because" she said softly, "I think he needs it."

Enya’s stomach tightened. "Need what? The flower?"

Her mother nodded again. "The dream made it clear enough. The Realmweaver needs this flower. And..."

She paused, meeting Enya’s eyes. "I need you to bring it to them."

Enya’s breath caught.

For a moment, she just sat there, staring at her mother.

"Me?" Enya whispered.

Her mother’s smile was sad. Gentle.

"Yes, sweetheart."

Enya’s mind raced. "But... I don’t know who they are. I don’t know where Haldor even is. I don’t-"

"I know" her mother said, calm and steady. "And you don’t have to go right now."

Enya blinked. "I... Don’t?"

Her mother shook her head. "When you’re ready. When you can. There’s no rush."

Enya exhaled slowly, some of the panic easing.

But then another thought hit her, sharper than the rest.

"Why can’t you do it?" Enya asked, voice small.

"Because I’m not there, silly" she laughed again.

Enya’s throat tightened. "You mean..."

Her mother nodded. "I can’t go to Haldor, Enya. I can’t create the flower in the real world. I can’t deliver it."

She cupped Enya’s face with both hands now, thumbs brushing her cheeks. "But you can."

Enya’s eyes stung. She blinked hard, trying to keep the tears back.

"Wh - What if I mess it up?" Enya whispered.

Her mother’s smile didn’t waver.

"You won’t."

"But what if-"

"Enya" her mother interrupted gently. "You’re stronger than you know. Braver than you believe."

Enya’s lip trembled. "I don’t feel brave."

Her mother’s hands stayed steady, grounding her. "Nobody does. You think the fiercest warriors don’t fear the living nightmares?"

"W- well..."

"That’s what makes someone brave. That’s what makes you brave" her mother said. "You do things even when you’re scared. You fought Nyxes today. You protected people. You didn’t run."

Enya sniffed, trying to hold herself together.

"And now" her mother continued softly, "I’m asking you to do one more thing. Not today. Not tomorrow. But when you’re ready."

She leaned forward, pressing her forehead gently against Enya’s.

"Find the Realmweaver. Give them the flower."

Enya’s voice came out shaky. "B- but what about dad? Won’t-"

Her mother pulled back slightly, searching Enya’s face. "You promise?"

Enya swallowed hard. After a few seconds, she nodded slowly. "I promise."

Her mother’s smile widened, warm and proud. "Good."

For a moment, they just sat there. The garden was quiet around them. The sunlight felt softer now. The flowers seemed to glow a little less brightly.

Then Enya felt it.

A strange pull. Distant. Gentle. Like someone tugging on a thread attached to her chest. Her mother noticed too. Her hands slipped away from Enya’s face slowly, reluctantly.

"It’s time" her mother said quietly.

Enya’s chest tightened. "Already?"

Her mother nodded. Enya looked around. The garden’s edges were starting to blur. The colors weren’t as vivid. The sounds felt muted, like someone had turned the volume down.

"I don’t want to go yet" Enya said, voice breaking slightly.

Her mother pulled her into a hug. Tight. Warm.

"I know" her mother whispered into her hair. "But you have things to do out there. People who need you."

Enya buried her face in her mother’s shoulder, holding on. Her fingers clutched the fabric of the pale yellow dress.

Her mother’s arms tightened around her. "But you’re never going to be alone!" she said firmly. "Whenever you need me, I’ll be here."

Enya nodded against her shoulder, even as tears started slipping free. Her mother pulled back just enough to look at her. She brushed the tears away with gentle fingers.

"I’m proud of you" her mother said, voice thick with emotion.

Enya’s face crumpled. She bit her lip hard, trying not to break down completely. Her eyes burned. But she nodded.

"I love you, Mom" Enya whispered.

Her mother’s smile was watery now too.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

The pulling sensation grew stronger. The garden was fading faster now. The flowers lost their color first, turning pale and translucent. The trees followed, their trunks dissolving into soft light. The sky above brightened until it was almost white.

Enya tried to hold on. Just a little longer. Just a few more seconds. But the light was everywhere now, wrapping around her like a cocoon. Her mother’s arms stayed solid longest. Her warmth. Her presence.

And then-

Silence.

And somewhere, faint and distant, Enya heard something strange.

A soft, rhythmic sound. Familiar. It took her a second to recognize it.

Snoring.

Her own snoring.