rogue_5

By the time Yi arrives outside the Tomb of Sui, it has already been tidied up by the men and women of the Sui Regulator and Tianshi Bureaus. Aside from some traces of repair work by the great gate to the tomb, there is no sign of this place having been host to a momentary recreation of the bestial Sui's death.

However, the very real fear of loss keeps its grip on him, along with his ten siblings. As Sui proxies, they know that, were the bestial Sui to reawaken, all trace of their existence would be snuffed out. Once it truly comes to pass, not even the warm fire of his youngest brother would be able to dispel the pain in Yi's heart.

Wang had entered the tomb, and the bestial Sui manifested Itself in a half-awake state. Thus, the Sui Regulator forbade all proxies from approaching the tomb. At the time, Yi was enjoying a cup of tea in the Garden of Grotesqueries, but when he sensed the stirrings of the beast, his Candleholder—who also held a post as one of the chief managers of the Garden—immediately called four Tianshis over to watch him. Soon after, the sky flashed with flames and thunder, wind and rain. Baizao dispatched the Imperial Guard, and so, during a leisurely afternoon, a war began, one that only stopped to rest in the morning of the next day.

It all happened so quickly. By the time Yi looked at the scrolls in the attic and saw only blank sheets, and leafed through books on the table devoid of words, he had already forgotten the name of the deceased. Even though he had the power to change heaven and earth, all he remembers of her is an indistinct silhouette. The only vivid detail he recalls is the name bestowed by her, one he has been using for thousands of years. 'Yi'.

Yan has always been swift and decisive with Sui-related matters. Only a few days later, he received his next duties.

Considering that the Garden is the site of the Placation, and that it just so happens to be atop where the chaos occurred, Yi has no choice but to make some renovations to the Garden, so that Sui will be suppressed a little bit more than last time.

Yi lets out a deep sigh as he picks up some rubble and looks at the gate to the tomb. There were already a hundred Great Tomb Trees buried in the Garden, driven straight into the tomb to seal the bestial Sui's tattered remains within. Even if he added a few more hammers and nails, the results were not guaranteed to be of any use. Yi rubs the rock in his hand, depression setting into his heart. Just as he is about to throw it away, he suddenly notices traces of writing on that rock.

Is this the final vestiges of her power, or a clue she left for her siblings? Yi cannot discern the mysteries within the writing, but he thinks of a plan, one that might allow these memories slowly being forgotten by everyone to become another stake to suppress the Tomb of Sui, as well as his final memento.

With the tattered pages gathered by the Sui Regulator's people who tidied up the battlefield, along with the rubble here that resembles scattered blocks of movable type, Yi brings his full power to bear before the gate to the tomb, under the watchful eye of the Candleholders, Tianshis, and Imperial Guard.

All present witness those pages adhere to the stones, flinging themselves at the rock wall before fading away. Then something falls from the sky, nailing itself into the depths of the Tomb of Sui. Soon after, Tianshis on the scene reported that at the highest point of the Garden of Grotesqueries, another memorial hall had appeared out of nowhere.

Yi had planned to give everyone an explanation about how effective the suppressive shrine would be, but when the elderly Tianshi overseeing things sees the cracks in the Tomb of Sui slowly mend, he gives him a nod of approval. Yi feels there's no need to say much more after that.

After returning to the Garden, Yi notices something odd about the memorial hall as he stands in front of it. It is a hall created from her remains, but everywhere that bore ink, whether inside or outside, had been wiped clean, without a single word in sight. Only a ragged portrait hangs in the center of the hall, reflecting their shattered memories. Every time he comes here, he has the distinct feeling that he's forgetting something. Yi is sure there are records within this hall, but in accordance with his powers, his memories of this place can only be reconstructed here. Were he to leave, everything to do with her would disappear, just like these myriad blank signs.

'This way, I, we, and everyone on this land will not forget you, sister.'

Yi proclaims this, then closes the doors to the hall.

He has said this many times over. After the end of every ceremony, he will come here, and say some variation of these words.

Until one day, a team here for the ceremony returns with a graven stick of ink.

They were unable to remember much of what happened in the shrine, but from this hall where nothing can be retained, they retained the engravings upon that inkstick.

If things here can be written down in this manner...

Will there come a day when the past everyone has forgotten is recalled?