When Memories Collide Part 2!

The Guardian, crushed by reality, felt his legs give way. Shaken, he was utterly shaken. This information…it seemed too insane to process, to be real. He collapsed back into the chair with his voice a ghost of a whisper, "He believed himself to be bad because of his past…because of who raised him. Despite his memory loss, a part of him must have known—must have sensed it! Oh, the reoccurring nightmares, night after night, tormenting him without end: they make sense now."

"I fail to understand you!" Morgroff shouted with a shake of his head, beyond confused. He abruptly shot up onto his paws and Bow shrieked at being forced to take flight, thrown off him. "You are not making any sense! What has this got to do with Vincent? What is written there?"

"…Jano is written here," Rayman moaned. His tone lowered to one full of mourning, disbelieving, a hiss as he spoke, "It says Vincent was raised by Jano, the Gatekeeper of the Cave of Bad Dreams. Raised as in brought up inside the cave, inside a living nightmare. He once turned around and asked me whether I believed him to be bad. Why? Because of this. But no! No it's bloody madness! His timid looks, his innocent behaviour, his general goodness…he can't be Jano's son! He just can't be!"

A growl sounded as Rayman slammed his fists onto the armrests. From their very first meeting, both he and Jano had despised each other. Before any events were even set in motion, distrust had arisen between them. His blue eyes glinted, furious. Never would he trust him.

XXXX

"Once upon a time, an evil Nymph named Edith threatened her sister, Betilla, and only by feeling this dark threat did she then go on to create the protector—the good in our world—that is the Guardian! When Edith's dark prophecy was cast upon her dying breath and hope seemed lost, Polokus raised the spirits of the world by fighting one curse with another. A descendent of Betilla faced a tragic, burning end, and thus so did the world we cherish…but Polokus stopped this. Do you know how my brother stopped this, Vincent?"

Vincent blinked, confused, yet spoke strongly, "O-Of course, Rayman told me this story. Polokus asked his two adopted daughters, Hope and Faith, to take the descendent away and therefore stop the world burning to destruction when the time came. They gave up their ethereal forms and became the Twin Moons. Why do you ask?"

"Exactly, Vincent! EXACTLY!" Jano exclaimed, suddenly clutching Vincent's smaller hands. In the deepest, darkest depths of Vincent's mind, he felt a horrid pain and almost buckled, but Jano held him up. The hold refused to let go. "Remember who you are, Vincent. You're so close."

XXXX

Angry, at first the Guardian felt betrayed. The betrayal was piercing him as if Vincent stood right there in front of him and simply stabbed him in the back. Yet, the hot emotion soon vanished to be replaced by fear. A shudder wracked his frame, eyes shutting against the image: the Cave of Bad Dreams, the nightmare, the desolation. Feeling young and helpless. He remembered it all too clearly; scowled as he remembered its deity. Jano had stood misshapen and threatening…his power undeniable. It had scarred his dreams. That large, demonic eye, its vindictive glare burning into him. Watching, always watching. Unable to flee. Never escaping. Chasing. Hunting. He sharply inhaled as cold dread consumed him; his claim on the Elixir of Life all those years ago far too real. For a mere moment…it felt like he was still stuck there. Morgroff began to worry when a panicked gasp was heard and Rayman almost fell off his seat, inwardly reliving his worst horrors.

Denial. Rayman was in denial. His hand trembled where it hovered near his mouth. Strangled, it felt like being strangled. Claws rising from nowhere, throttling him—merciless.

Only a raw croak escaped him, "No…Vin's more than that. He'll always mean more than that, especially to me. He has to! This has to be some sort of mistake. Jano's bond with him can't be this close—I won't accept it!"

XXXX

Vincent could no longer restrain the agonised sob, "Then why is this so difficult, Jano? Why does this hurt so much?"

"Because, for far too long, your memories have been blocked from you by someone you once held dear," Jano comforted, full of regret. The pain he felt inside the quivering boy broke his heart. "Think, Vincent, think! You play a larger role in this world than you realise."

All of a sudden, utterly devastating torture pulsed through Vincent. Both hands grasped at his hair with a cry, unable to endure it. Too much! This was too much—unbearable. The glass once in his clutches slipped through his fingers. It fell without a saviour. Clunk! It thudded to the ground by his feet. Both people ignored how the juice spilled: dampening the purple carpet a shade so dark it almost seemed black. Just like how Vincent's heart felt the more he fought his mind. The more he pushed against the door, the more something used all its power to pull back in retaliation—pulling that important door shut—and the more and more his heart grew black. Pained emeralds suddenly held a flicker of recognition. Deep, deep down, understanding from the knowledge learned about his twin shone true. Her heart had been tainted black? Is this what Jano referred to earlier? If, for some reason, he failed to open this memory door…would his heart turn dark, evil too?

N-No! I do not wish to turn bad…I do not want my heart to turn black!

In his mind, Vincent grimaced at how only blackness surrounded him…all except the door. Raising his hands into the abyss of his conscience, he braced his palms against it. They pushed, pushed, his struggles unheard, his despairing tears unseen. But his boots only slid backwards on the floor the more he pressed, and he soon fell flat on his stomach. He gulped for air where he lay. It would not open: the door remaining shut, forged to bar him access.

He failed. An exhausted sigh escaped him as he finally surrendered. In reality, Vincent's body weakened and collapsed into the awaiting arms, only just managing to slide an eyelid open. It was enough, however, to see Jano watching him. Through blurry vision…an expression deep with concern clashed with his own.

Only then did frustration rip a yell from Vincent's throat, catching Jano off-guard. "For heaven's sake Jano, just tell me already! If you are my father, as you so claim, then have it in your heart to tell me! Please, I cannot deal with this any longer!"

Inside, without drawing attention to itself…the door swung ajar, as if someone cautiously listening in.

XXXX

His hand suddenly sprang forward and grabbed the mouse, hasty to reveal more. Vincent, he needed to know about him! Needed to uncover the full truth. Surely more than meets the eye lay dormant here? The mouse swerved downwards. The information snapped up on the screen, yanked up under his control. Faster and faster it scrolled. Fact upon fact, truth upon truth, flowing passed his eyes.

Until all of a sudden…Rayman found it.

XXXX

Jano said nothing. Silence fell over the two—father and son—in a quiet, chilling shroud, even as Jano stared into the begging gaze amidst his arms. A deep, sad sigh drifted passed his lips, lips refusing to speak. He merely held the child he had come to cherish through time. Bony fingers, even though sharp, never once possessed any wish to hurt the other. Instead, Vincent felt them gently entwine in his ponytail, and he blinked at the sensation. Why did it feel…gloomy? Melancholy, as if about to admit something unforgivable? It made him frown as those fingers then trailed down to cup his face, an action he knew was done to force their gazes to meet. He saw it, saw how Jano's eye carried a heavy burden beyond its iris, propelling it straight into his own. It did nothing but bring an unnerving fear to cascade over him.

To Vincent, the once cosy Living Room suddenly felt different. Suspenseful, on edge, nervous, his gaze darted to the fire for a moment. There, there in the hearth, the opal flames continued to sway and flicker…threatened to be blown out by an unfelt draft. It suddenly began to feel cold regardless of the warmth emitting from those embers. And with his head still pinned in place by Jano, he could not shake off the growing unease.

At sensing the tension, Jano released a low, soft chuckle, holding Vincent's face more firmly. One finger gently moved to tilt Vincent's chin up. The slight difference in his touch encouraged those emeralds to turn back to him, their familiar colour making him smile.

His mouth slowly, unsurely, opened once more, voice quiet yet powerful, "Earlier, I told you…that our world requires balance. That good and evil, side by side, unconsciously work together. That's why I exist as a darker counterpart to my holy brother, Polokus. And as I said, good things may not be understood…unless bad things happen, as well. This is where you come in. You and Vanessa were created with a very specific goal in mind. First, let me explain something very important that I have never told you before:

"The Guardian of our world is the embodiment of all things good. Indeed, he supports the good in your heart, and protects the world from evil. He is a physical protector that creatures see and feel safe around—a physical being that they can look up to. Yet here I shall spin you a twist, dearest Vincent: Guardians are born from pure, magical energy, and this energy depends on the purpose that Guardian in particular is created for. The Guardian created by Betilla all those years ago was born to protect the world in a literal sense: he literally embodies 'Justice.' His energy glows with it! It makes him who he is! However, for many, many years, the Guardian has lost sight of who he truly is. Deep inside, his heart—his very core—have been tainted by grief. Without realising it he went off on his own path after losing a dear friend. Selfish, heart-broken and determined, he set out to find a way to bring her back…even though he would not find any power in this realm to do so. Such power simply does not exist outside Polokus' Court. So…the Goddesses intervened."

"Please, one moment, if you will," Vincent interrupted, as civil as always. He cleared his throat and lifted his hands to cover the ones holding his chin, much to Jano's fond delight. "You mentioned 'Guardians.' Are you saying…there is more than just one?"

A triumphant smirk crossed Jano's face. "Oh yes, I did, didn't I?"

XXXX

Blue eyes scanning the screen widened, the Guardian's face becoming deadly pale. The finger that hovered over the mouse button smashed it down without hesitation. Stop. On the screen, shocking information froze still. What he discovered, the facts glowing bright and white upon the screen, froze his blood cold in his veins.

Everything: reality in all its twisted glory, the world, the fabric of time itself, was snatched out from under him. Everything: a disconcerted Morgroff, a silent Bow, the curious shadows peering over his shoulders, the camera displays, all vanished. Only the words blaring out at him existed.

And their truth blew his every expectation away.

XXXX

"'Guardians' come at a great cost, for a curse lies embedded among them. When they begin to lose sight of themselves, they also begin to fade…turning dark inside. They become a great risk. So, if you embodied happiness for example, yet your soul falls into a deep depression where no joy shines, you will start to drift. You will become emotionless, incapable of emotion. You will hate to be touched, caught within your own cage. Ever, ever so gradually, you lose yourself piece by piece…until not only are you alone, but your heart flips to the other side. Darkness would claim you. You would be forever fading away—forever lost. And what could be worse than this, you may ask? Well, that Guardian would never even know it was happening to them. And losing the Guardian of the world would throw it off balance so much that it would cause widespread panic. Thus, the Goddesses decided to take action to prevent this, and conducted a plan."

Vincent tensed up inside, but on the outside his face went pale. Something about those statements were terrifyingly familiar. He could not quite put his finger on it however, so gave a light shake of his head and closed tired eyes. In a sense, it reminded him, not directly of course, of how Rayman would often talk to him about the little things. Only then did his mind recall a faint memory involving his cream-coloured partner, the edges white and unclear as he reconsidered its meaning:

Vincent felt it all of a sudden in that very moment and tensed. The normally happy atmosphere seemed to vanish around Rayman as if it had been sucked away into a black hole invisible to the naked eye. No... Because the black hole resided nowhere except his soul where no one could see it—pulling threads of confidence loose from the inside out. He could see Rayman frowning on the edge of the bed and his heart sank as it looked as if the other had lost all hope in the seconds that the room had grown colder and colder, tenser and tenser. He really did not like this miserable aura engulfing his usually outgoing partner.

He had kept denying that his closest friend might be something more. That maybe, just maybe, Rayman was the actual Guardian sent to protect the world. For if such a concept were to be true, why would he keep it hidden? Why would Rayman keep such an important secret from his friend? Did he…fear some sort of rejection? One brow raised into his hairline with an incredulous look on his face, for he secretly could not comprehend his friend's decisions if all of this was true.

Polite, Vincent covered a cough via his glove before clearing his throat, "Indeed…such a fate sounds rather unpleasant."

"You truly do not see it, do you?" Despondence resided in the downward tug of Jano's lips; a downcast cloud over his expression. Only a sigh through his nose followed as he decided to continue where he had left off, "The Guardian has already started his path to destruction…so who can possibly save the Guardian? When he is the protector, who protects him? His struggles, his source of justice, his hopes, his dreams, who can guide him when the Guardian himself is meant to be the guider? The moment he derailed—the day he lost his close friend—those in Polokus' Court acknowledged that there needed to be more than one Guardian…one for different concepts. He is the Guardian of the world, the protector of physical life: so he could not be protected in that same way, since no one else has that power. He needed a different form of protection! One that was not strictly physical, but mental instead. Someone to emotionally fix him and give guidance without ever needing to say a word."

Deep within Vincent's mind, the door began to shift immensely, hard enough to make him flinch. Light was beginning to spew out from the gap, its glow highlighting the unforgotten memories that had been trapped, and still remained so. A shaky grunt escaped him. By Polokus, this hurt more than he could describe.

Gentle, yet also firm, Vincent grabbed Jano's hands that were still cupping his face and pushed them away, looking down at how immense they were when in his. He placed his gloved hands palm up in them and allowed the Gatekeeper to lightly enclose skeletal digits around them, permitting Jano to hold them. Looking down at the sight, he gave a sigh of dismay.

"I am sorry, but you are confusing me. First, you mentioned the old tale with the Nymphs and the prophecy, with Betilla's descendent being taken by the Twin Moons to stop the burning of the world. Then you have talked about good and evil, and the balance it needs. Then you referred to the Guardian, what has happened to him, and what a Guardian really is. And throughout it all you keep stating that I and my twin were created for a specific reason? That someone blocked my memories? That you were 'ordered' to raise us, yet you will not tell me why or by whom? I am more confused now than when this all started," He confessed.

Vincent's eyes narrowed. Again, he felt something shifting in his head. Saying those facts aloud seemed to move the door, pushing it open a tiny bit further without any mental attempts to pry it open. And it felt entirely painless to do so. Realisation dawned on him in that moment: the door, it would only open when the memories wished to flow out—not when forced by his hand.

The event did not go unnoticed by Jano, who tightened his grasp on the hands in his own with a determined flash in his eye.

"All the signs—all the clues—have already hinted your identity. All you have to do is put them together. The pieces are there, Vincent. They are spread out before you and waiting. I can't tell you point-blank, for that will do nothing for your memory if you can't actually remember what I'm telling you."

"Correct, but I just cannot make them fit. I am trying my very hardest, but they make no sense."

Jano gave him a warm smile. "Let's just say, you mean more to a certain blonde than you realise."

Vincent, who had averted his gaze to the fire for a brief moment, whipped back around so fast it sent his bangs aflutter. Pupils shrank to dots in his stare.

"W-What?"

XXXX

Every muscle in Rayman's body stiffened. To his left, both Morgroff and Bow watched him carefully from the side-lines, reluctant to voice their concerns. The look upon the blonde's face was a confusing array of emotions, not unlike those expressed at the discovery of Jano having raised Vincent. And Morgroff especially felt too uncertain to disturb him. For it appeared Rayman was experiencing an absolute explosion within his head to the point it near triggered a short circuit, or perhaps it still was. The wide gape proved shock was an understatement.

Pale blue and black like a moon in the clear night. Twin Moons. TWINS! He has a sister—his twin sister! Two children born together. His voice like a bell, like a soothing melody in the dark. That twinkle I crave in his eye. Hope! Green eyes that I always see stars of hope in, always! It has grown brighter with time, yet has still been there, guiding me. Everywhere I turned Vincent was my hopeful star. Making me smile, a goal, a constant comfort. He is my silent support. Without needing to think, he changed those who met him! He brought hope. Twin Moons. Hope and Faith! HOPE!

"No way…"

XXXX

"Blonde? Are you talking about Rayman? And no, I am nothing of great worth, so how could I possibly mean much to him?" Vincent spoke the last part as a mutter, discouraged. "I see him as my friend, however I can only hope he sees me in the same light."

Jano sent Vincent a pointed look that caused him to squirm. "Oh you know who I'm talking about. You've had your doubts, but you and I both know the truth."

Emerald eyes widened. "So…Rayman truly is…the Guardian?"

Jano rolled his single eye. "Of course he is! You should trust your instincts. Yes, that insolent Rayman is the Guardian. Sorry to say that we both don't exactly get on very well, if at all. It's a mutual distaste. Perhaps it's because he embodies goodness and I the darkness, making us spiritual opposites, but I don't care—I still hate him. So imagine my utter disgust when your mothers sent you down to me all those years ago and told me to raise you to help him! That it was my destiny to prepare you twins for your fate. That was another reason I hated you and Vanessa at first: your destined connection to Rayman. Hell, the last thing I wanted back then was to help the brat! Challenging me and taking my Elixir of Life. The nerve."

Once again Vincent tensed. A keen, sharp mind had sunk metaphorical teeth into the most vital part, refusing to let go. His brows furrowed.

"Wait…mothers? Not just mother? Are you saying…that I have more than one? That is impossible."

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"No way…" The Guardian breathed as he leant forward a little, eyes focusing closer on the facts gathered by Razorbeard. How did the robot even find this? "Vin was created by Hope herself? By one of the Twin Moon sisters, Polokus' adopted daughters? Then why would she give poor Vin away to JANO?! Not only that, but why was he created?"

In the corner of his eye, the image of a certain ginger cat spluttering with enormous eyes and almost falling off the control panel failed to distract him. Not even Bow's sudden full-blown laughter tore his attention away.

Polokus, I can't believe it! Vincent IS hope! Without realising it he literally embodies it. It all makes sense now: the profound bond I formed with him, the way I was literally drawn to him. Hope is his damn energy source—his soul, his core!

XXXX

"In a way, yes, you have more than one mother. You have two, actually." Then, softer as well as kinder, the corners of Jano's lips were tugged up into a smile when he added, "Besides, Vincent, you're selling yourself short. You forget I see Rayman at night. Catching glimpses of his dreams, and indulging in his nightmares. His main fear recently…has been losing you. Losing you because he is the Guardian and, if you were to find out, you might treat him different. You mean a great deal to him. Guardian or not, he is only mortal."

"He fears…losing me?" Vincent hesitantly repeated. A fond shake of his head signalled his devotion. "I do not revolve my friendship with him around a concept. Guardian or not, he is Rayman to me. And Rayman is my friend."

Jano nodded back. "Good, because to stop his descent into an emotionless limbo, a true friend is what he needs right now. Then again…it was your destiny to befriend him."

"Forgive me for asking, but how so? For the last time, what is my role in all this?!"

XXXX

"It makes sense now. Razorbeard's horrid fascination with him, I mean." Rayman spared a glance Morgroff's way as he said, "If Vin literally is hope in the world, just like I'm its protection, then Razorbeard literally has a fool-proof plan. What better way to destroy the world…then by taking its very hope away? Then by having its very essence right under your thumb?"

The cat furrowed his brows in worry. "It is certainly a frightening thought."

XXXX

"The story begins with when the Twin Moons—the goddess sisters, Hope and Faith—needed to bring their elements to the corrupted Rayman. He had gone and lost himself, his core fading, thus needed a star to guide him. This is where the plan originated from. So, the twins decided and both agreed to create their own Guardian like their stepsister Betilla had done, one to guide and emotionally stabilize Rayman." Jano took a moment to pause and stare at Vincent, who merely cocked his head in return. "The magic of Hope and Faith cannot work separately, thus they attempted to create a single Guardian together. However…something peculiar occurred. Something went wrong. When the moment came, the energy split itself due to certain circumstances…and two were born instead. A set of twins, like their twin mothers. One embodied faith, the other hope."

Vincent let out a groan of discomfort, swaying a little on his feet and would have fallen if it were not for Jano's grip on his hands. This pain felt incredibly distinct—different from before in a noticeable way. He noted how it was softer, less extreme against his skull. Noted how it felt more like a loose thread unwinding from a knot in fate rather than a harsh yank on his heartstrings. Inside the darkest depths of his head, his past's jigsaw pieces took shape and began slotting together.

The pale light through the gap in the door was akin to the pearly caress of moonlight, it growing ever brighter. It felt as if the moonlight was leaking through to embrace Vincent in its arms. Ever, ever so slowly, he both saw and felt the door finally swing open…

And bright shininess filled his mind when the Twin Moons stared back at him.

XXXX

The more and more Rayman read, the more and more stunned he became. So, Vincent indeed embodied the element of hope. Was the son of Hope herself—half of a pair. A twin with a female counterpart, one which he supposed personified her own element: faith. He frowned at that. Had Vincent not told him upon their very first meeting that he had been looking for his sister, before getting ensnared by Razoff? That she had gone somewhere, and that he had set out to find her? That he had lost her?

"If Vin never found her…" Rayman trailed off for a brief moment, chewing at his lip. "Then where did she go? Where is she now?"

XXXX

A sharp gasp escaped Vincent and he recoiled with wide eyes. Below the image of the two moons hanging on the night's canvas, a dark pool filled with glittering stars rippled. However, floating above it, overshadowed by the delicate moonlight, a shadow turned to glare at him with angry eyes. Those eyes were just as green as his own…yet were duller, unkind. They were brimming with distrust. They locked on him—flashing in rage.

Vincent almost wished the door had remained shut. He took a swift step back in fear. Darkness enshrouded the figure beyond the door, her fury unyielding, her heartlessness unrestrained. A holler of pure malice followed:

"How dare you! How dare you, my brother! You should have remained down when I put you down!"

In anguish, an expression of sadness crossed his face. "…Vanessa?"