Started: March 9, 2004
Finished: April 15, 2004
Revised: October 14, 2005
Chapter 5: Second Chances
He was not sure what to make of the dazed look the teenager gave him from his seat in the bath. Although there was nothing overly offensive about the stare the other redhead gave him, he felt uncomfortable under such scrutiny. He moved to round the tub, frowning slightly at the other and repeating his question. "Are you Caesar Silverberg?"
The response was instantaneous. Before the older man could blink, the younger had reached across the tub and grabbed the front of his shirt, nearly dragging him down into the bath water with him. "How dare you?"
Eyes wide, the taller of the two grabbed hold of the wrists on his shirt and wrenched them off of himself. "What are you talking about?" he demanded, backing away quickly before he could be grabbed at again.
Caesar tore out of the water after the other, glaring daggers at his brother. "How dare you play stupid after everything you've done? I knew you were arrogant, Albert, but you're making yourself out to be a real prick!" Albert backpedaled as the smaller redhead lunged, expression wary as he kept his eyes on the aggressive boy.
"Caesar Antonius Silverberg!"
Both tensed at the voice that rang throughout the room, slowly turning their attention to the shouter. Apple stood at the entrance, one hand on the doorknob and the other holding her removed glasses. Her eyes scrunched shut, the woman appeared red in the face - in embarrassment or anger, neither of the young men could tell. "I sent Albert in here to talk to you, not for you to assault him!" She paused, shaking her head to clear it. "Get some clothes on, Caesar, and come to our room. Albert, come with me."
Albert glanced over his shoulder at the woman, nodding although she would not see the action. He gave Caesar one last confused glance before turning his back, leaving the flustered and upset teenager standing in the middle of the room, dripping wet.
"Boss, orders from Crystal Valley."
He raised a brow and leaned forward, setting the chair back on all four legs and looking up at his companion's dark face. "Huh, that's a bit strange," he grunted, reaching for the papers that the older man held out in offering. "Did ya read the papers over yet, Nicholas?"
"Of course, sir." Nicholas nodded, cupping his chin and rubbing it as he spoke. "We're supposed to search for an Albert Silverberg and detain him by any means necessary. Bishop Sasarai wants him transported back to Crystal Valley."
"Silverberg, eh? 'Wonder if he's related to that lazy strategist from the war?" Duke drawled, flipping through the papers idly. "By any means necessary, huh? What's the bounty?" The scarred mercenary smirked, reaching for his tankard and beginning to down the rest of its contents.
"Two hundred thousand potch."
The fiery-haired man nearly spluttered at the response, slamming the glass back on the table and staring at his comrade. "Two hundred thousand for one man?" he rasped, clearing his throat and beginning to laugh. "Damn, what a deal!"
"I've already sent out Gau to intercept the orders to the other units," reported the dark-haired man, knowing quite well the way his leader's mind worked.
"Good, good," Duke chuckled, standing up and smirking widely. "Grab your stuff and let's get a move on. We'll beat out Geddoe's team yet."
Nicholas simply nodded, waiting for Duke to stride past him before turning and following him out of the Calerian bar.
"I have to admit it… This is very different from what I thought it'd be like."
"Is that a good or a bad thing, Sir Nash?"
"I'll tell you as soon as my stomach catches up, Franz."
Nash clung to the horn of the flying saddle as he and Franz soared through the air, trying his best to keep his eyes open while pointedly not looking down. Sasarai had sent a daybreak summons for the Mantor riders of Le Buque to come to Crystal Valley, and Franz and half a dozen other riders had arrived several hours later. Now they were heading back towards the home of the Mantor riders before traveling towards Kuput Forest.
When the search in Crystal Valley and the surrounding areas did not provide any clues, Nash had not been surprised. The True Runes were elusive, only becoming known to mortals at their own decision or when they took hosts. Once the Beast Rune had managed to escape the One Temple, it was unlikely for it to stay around in the place that had held it captive for so long. They had returned by the end of the day, exhausted and understandably frustrated.
But the bishop had awakened half of the Crystal Palace in his rush to send out summons to Le Buque. With a vision pointing out a possible suspect with strong motive, Sasarai led his group down to the Grasslands. Albert Silverberg, the only 'Destroyer' to reappear in society after the near-destruction of the entire continent, was their suspect.
In a strange way, it made sense.
How long had he been stalking through the Grasslands on a wild goose chase?
Yuber seethed to himself as he rested on a protruding rock formation in the middle of the plains, flat on his back and his arms crossed. The howling of a wolf continued to coax him further out onto the plains, but the demon refused to follow it any further.
Although time was all relative in the mind of the demon, he had grown tired of following the echo of a creature that never once made itself physically known. He felt as if he was chasing a ghost, never knowing quite where the source of the voice was and greatly frustrated by this turn of events. Was he wasting his time on a mirage?
He thought back on where he had first heard the howling, near Chisha Village. Without the wolf distracting him, he was able to think back on the time spent near the village. He had been musing over Silverberg when the Beast Rune had made itself known.
Was the wolf luring him away from Chisha and Silverberg?
He sat up, eyes averting to the coat that he had laid out on the edge of the rock to dry. Now, more than ever, he felt the need to look for Albert. Following the strategist's trail had led him to Chisha, where he had sensed the presence of the Beast Rune and followed a ghostly howl. If the Beast Rune was with Silverberg, what did this mean for his former employer? How the hell had arrogant and collected Silverberg gotten his hands on the Beast Rune, a notoriously-wild True Rune?
Smirking to himself, Yuber grabbed hold of the white coat and leapt off of the rock.
It was time to return the coat to Silverberg.
Caesar was understandably sullen as he slowly made his way down the hall, his hair damp and a towel resting around his neck. Unanswered questions echoed through his head, anger simmering behind emerald eyes as he tried to focus. There was no way to forget the sudden reappearance of his aloof and arrogant older brother, especially considering the first words out of his mouth as soon as they saw each other.
He felt betrayed. Confused, angry, and frustrated. What kind of cruel joke was that! He's gotta know how I feel - how can he be so callous!
By the time he reached the room that he and Apple were sharing, he was openly seething. Loosing one hand from its tight fist, he took hold of the doorknob and prepared to turn it. However, he found himself pausing as voices from within pierced the storm of turmoil clouding his mind.
"Why does he hate me?"
A deliberate sigh, followed by a long period of silence. The tense stillness was enough to keep Caesar from entering the room. "Things have happened in the past, Albert."
"… I don't understand." It was a hushed admission, and Caesar only caught it by holding his breath.
"You had a disagreement of sorts. It's not my place to try to explain." Good, reliable Apple, trying to keep her nose out of other people's domestic problems.
"Will he tell me? I've never seen someone so … angry before." The utter naivety in such a mature voice was shocking to listen to.
"I'm almost sure you have, Albert."
"I don't remember any of them." The silence became awkward after that, and Caesar clenched his hand around the knob even more tightly. He was gathering up the strength to push the door open when he heard Albert speak again. "What was his name again?"
"Caesar, you mean?"
"And he's my brother?"
"Yes, he is." There was a surprised tone to Apple's voice. "We've been over this before, Albert."
"I'm sorry… I forgot. I forget new people very quickly."
"Even your own brother?"
"… I'm sorry, Miss Apple. I don't even remember his face anymore."
There were tears in Caesar's eyes before he realized it, and he released the doorknob as if suddenly burned. He really doesn't know. He backed away slowly, his breaths labored and shuddering as he turned away from the door. That confusion wasn't fake. Shaking his head, he sprinted down the hall, the towel tumbling off his shoulders and ignoring the noise his boots made as he pounded down the stone corridor. I really lost him. Again. Again…
Apple tensed as she heard the door rattle slightly, standing up from her bed and heading for the door. Albert watched her quizzically, rising from the chair he had settled down upon and following after her. The bespectacled woman opened the door warily, stepping out into the hallway and gingerly picking up the damp, discarded towel.
"Did something happen, Miss Apple…?" inquired Albert, hanging back and resting one hand against the doorframe.
She sighed and bundled up the towel, looking down the hallway with a worried frown. "Caesar overheard."
Albert blinked and followed her gaze. "Will he be okay?"
"Do you remember anything about being a brother, Albert?" Apple inquired, glancing at the taller man with a troubled look.
Dusting off his blue shirt, Albert lowered his eyes to stare back at her. "No, I'm sorry, but I don't." I don't even know what that is. Being a brother? "But … why would he run off?"
Apple looked pensive as she gazed back at the perplexed Silverberg. "Why don't you go ask him yourself, Albert?"
The redhead blinked. Hard. "Ask him?"
"If you want to know, you should ask him yourself," the woman said, nodding. "You aren't afraid of asking him, are you?"
Albert straightened at the question, frowning slightly and bristling at the very idea. "Of course not! There's no reason to be afraid of him, especially when there's nothing to lose in asking him." He raked a hand through his hair, and Apple was momentarily reminded of Caesar in some of his more serious moments. The two were brothers down to their mannerisms, although neither would probably ever admit it.
She simply looked at Albert until he began to move, watching the young man hesitantly pull away and take a few steps before gaining confidence and striding away. It was a very strange feeling, realizing that Albert truly did not remember anything; even the arrogance that she had found affronting about the young Silverberg had been left in tatters with his loss of memory.
She sighed, turning to reenter the room. Until she was able to figure out how Albert had become amnesiac, there was little else she could do other than help him try to remember.
Even if it meant forcing Caesar to give Albert another chance.
Caesar found it difficult seeking privacy in Chisha. The small village did not have many places for him to weep in peace, and so he settled behind a small storage hut to choke on his own sorrow. His thoughts were chaotic and entangled, much like the disheveled hair that he tugged on as he slid down the wall to sit on the ground.
He had never wanted to lose Albert. Although there had been flashes of frustration and long-stemmed bouts of anger over belief differences, he had never hated his brother. He had always thought, perhaps naïvely so, that he would be able to meet with Albert on good terms once their differences were out of the way. Before the paradigms and tactical lessons had gotten in the way, they were brothers in every sense of the word. Good brothers.
There were numerous times when he had thought he had lost Albert somehow, such as when Albert showed interest in going to the Soledt Academy of Military Sciences in Harmonia. When he had come back, the caring brother had somehow been lost behind the guise of an arrogant academy graduate with everything going for him. Albert's priorities had changed; he no longer had time for Caesar, as he was always busy researching and looking for ways to make himself known.
When Albert walked out of Gregminster a year after graduating, one year prior to the Second Fire Bringer War, Caesar thought he would never see him again. Of course, the thought had probably been manifested during a bout of teenage angst, but it was enough to dampen Caesar's spirits for a long time. Apple, who visited Gregmister every once in awhile to visit old friends within the hierarchy, took him in as a pupil after Albert's departure. They traveled northward, eventually ended up in the Grasslands, and were caught up in the war unfolding up there. The one that Albert had somehow orchestrated in order to earn himself a place within the Harmonian government.
Caesar had never thought there was a pain as agonizing as knowing your brother was your enemy. However, the realization that Albert remembered nothing of what they had been through together - the years of love, tears, and hardships - was unlike anything that he could possibly express in words.
He felt as if something had died within him.
"Caesar?"
He stiffened at the familiar voice, shutting his eyes stubbornly to avoid looking at this … shell of a man that was once his brother. "Go away."
"If I did, that wouldn't change things."
"And you staying here would change things?" he responded bitterly, hugging his knees to his chest.
"You could try talking to me." There was shifting as Albert moved away from standing over Caesar.
The younger Silverberg remained still, rubbing his eyes against his knees and quietly sighing. "I never wanted things like this, you know." He opened his eyes to find Albert kneeling in front of him, a mildly curious and concerned look on his face. It was a strange look for the elder to be wearing; that spark of curiosity in Albert's eyes had been squelched by the time he had returned home from Soledt.
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand."
"Of course you don't; you don't know anything," grumbled Caesar, glancing away to stare beyond Albert. "How could you understand?"
Albert rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on that had nothing, and yet everything, to do with Caesar. Part of him wanted to pursue the questions rising inside of him, while another wanted nothing more than to get away from this familiar-looking boy and forget. It was a strange feeling, and the feeling of being torn apart from inside bothered him greatly.
But he wanted to know - to remember - this boy. His brother. Even if he had to go against the nagging pain that bothered him from time to time.
"I can't understand if you won't help me," he answered honestly, sighing and frowning at the growing headache. "I don't know what kind of relationship we had, Caesar … but I want to know."
Caesar's gaze averted again to rest on his brother's. The bold sincerity in those eyes was almost too much to bear. You have a chance to have everything back the way things were before. Would you give that up now? "We can try," he relented.
A smile spread across Albert's face at Caesar's words - the first smile Caesar had seen from his brother in over six years.
He was unsure whether to cry or smile back.
So he did both.