CHAPTER FOUR

He Really Doesn't Like Flying…

Now, there's something you should know about my little brother.

It's that he doesn't have to exist.

You see, there are many timelines branching off from each point in time. In one, my Father might die at the climax of this current battle—if that were to happen, then my brother won't exist. But if, like in my time, my father were to die a little later on, my mother would have already given birth to Mark.

I, however, am already born in this time, and therefore my existence in any branching future is secured.

I feel sort of sorry for my brother for that; that it really doesn't matter if he exists or not. Not that I'm saying I'm more important than him or that my parents love me more. No way.

Besides, he's a completely different person to me.

Still, he's always been my brother, and if things go as planned, he'll be born in a couple of years just like in my time.

We've been hunting for my friends who've wound up in this time after following me through Naga's gate. So far we've managed to collect my cousin Wood and my friends Brady, Jerome, Azure, Loran and Noire.

There's a cavern made of crystal near the coast of Feria, and we heard some cries coming from there.

We ran to investigate, and found that the cavern was filled with bandits who sought to rob it.

Now we must keep it safe.

Hang on, that's not a bandit…

Ah!

"Mother!" I call.

"What is it, Lucina?"

"Th—That's Mark! Over there, in the robes, cowering in the corner!"

"Mark? Your brother…? I mean, my son?"

"Yes! He seems scared—we have to help him!"

"Right," in an instant, Mother switches over to strategist mode. "Sumia!"

"Y-Yes, Yuming!" Sumia flies overhead, her jet black steed treading air for a moment as Mother shouts orders to her.

"That boy over there! Rescue him, okay? Make sure he's unharmed!"

"Another friend of yours, Lucina?" Sumia asks over the loud flapping of her Pegasus' wings.

I nod.

"Okay, then! Hya!"

She rides off gallantly, elegantly; very different to how she is on the ground. I wonder if her daughter's somewhere around here as well. I remember Cynthia and Mark being good friends.

"Should I follow her, Yuming?" comes the huffy drone of Jerome's voice. He swoops down on his lizard, almost knocking Wood down, who just before was talking with his father about suitable names for his axe. Vake seems surprisingly open to the idea.

"Cover her, Jerome, but stay out of harm's way—so avoid mages, okay? Keep at a distance."

"Yes, ma'am."

He flies off.

"Keep that madman away from me! I'm trying to get in the fighting mood," Wood explains with a scoff.

"Alright, hotshot, let's see your moves, eh!" Vake roars. "Ready, Yuming!"

"Not just yet. Brace yourselves, everybody! When Sumia comes back—Alright, charge! Noire, Mariabel, Brady! Stay back! Okay, Sumi, let's see what we've got here! Lucina, go with your father, I'll take care of the little one."

When Sumia comes back, she's carrying a very sickly-looking Mark.

"I-I don't like flying…" he mutters.

As Sumia lowers to the ground, creating a great deal of wind, Mother helps my poor brother off and he droops limply into her arms.

"Mama…?" he murmurs, not quite awake.

"It's okay, I got you," she whispers to him, and carries him over to Brady. "Take him to your mother, unless you're up to the task."

Brady flushes red. "I-I got this! I don't need Mama's help!"

"Okay, but if you're having any trouble…"

"I-I got this! I got it! Just go and fight or whatever, sheesh!"

It's safe to say Brady is almost nothing like his sweet little father on the outside, but I know he's really a great person. I remember when we had to treat him after he accidentally slashed his eye with a violin string.

It still hasn't healed properly, that scar.

Mother sighs, and after turning around, grabs my arm.

"Come on, we'll tend to him later."

I Don't Remember!

We all crowd around Mark when he comes to. After the battle, we took him back to our base camp and laid him down in one of the tents. Mariabel coaches a reluctant Brady through mixing up some herbs off to the side, and he sporadically whines to Licht about it.

"Papa, please help…" he whispers.

"Don't think I cannot hear you, young man! A gentleman always listens to his mother! Now, add a pinch of…"

Mark opens his eyes slowly, eliciting a myriad of hushed gasps and murmurs from us.

"Ngh…Mama? A-Ah! It really is you!"

Our attention turns to Mother.

"He's talking to yoooou," Azure whispers in her ear.

"I know, Azure…"

"M-Mama! Aha! Ah~ I've missed you so much!" Mark suddenly sights upright, flinging his arms around Mother's arms. "A-And Lucina! Sis, sis! I made it, haha! A~ah!"

Yes, this is definitely the Mark from my time.

"Wa~ah! Woody's here, too! A~and, who else? Wah! Mr. Jerome and Azure and—aha…I don't remember you," he sings, pointing to Loran.

The bespectacled boy is obviously dejected, but doesn't let it show too much. Ronku pats him on the back sympathetically.

"Eh! So many people here! Mama, I can't remember anything—haha…" Mark laughs, slapping his head gently. "So so~ore…"

I furrow my brow and lean into him. "What do you mean, Mark?"

"Haha, I can't remember! Wa~ah… A lot of things… Haha!"

"Hey, everyone, give 'im some space, alright?" Vake yells.

The sheer intensity of his voice gets everyone moving. Everyone shuffles to the other end of the tent or leaves, and only Mother, Father, Wood, Aunt and Uncle and I remain huddled around Mark.

"Hey, weenie, your head alright?" Wood snorts, knocking his finger against Mark's head.

My little brother laughs and shoos him away.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Woody. Geez, look how young Mama looks. And Auntie and Uncle Vake and—uh—um…" He pauses at Father.

"Um…" he mutters. "S-Sorry…Ah! I hate this head! I can't remember your face, I'm so sorry, Mister!"

Father's expression darkens.

"Excuse me?" he murmurs.

He slaps his hands together and bows apologetically. "Mama, could you—"

Mother looks at me for assistance, but I'm just as speechless as her.

"U-Uh…Mark…You don't remember…Father?"

His jaw drops.

"Gah! Dad! You're my dad! Ah! Oh my goodness! Wa~~ah!"

He completely freaks out, muttering to himself for a while and mixing in hurried apologies. "My dad!" he muses aloud, before lunging at Father and locking him into a strong hug.

"Ngh…"

"Dad! I'm so sorry!"

I can't remember if Mark ever got to meet Father for very long at all, even shorter a time than I…

But still, not remembering him at all is certainly strange. Maybe something happened on the way from our time, and he's been struck with amnesia.

If so, I feel even sorrier for him than I did before…

And Father…

I can't imagine how Father feels, or if he even feels any love for Mark at all, but if so he must be crushed. For a son not to remember his father at all…I don't know what kind of pain that could be comparable to.

But I do know what it felt like to stand in front of parents who don't know you.

"Wa… Why can't I remember anything…? Haha… Ah, I can help, though! I can try my hardest to help Mum and Dad and Lucina!"

"Huh?"

"You're fighting, aren't you? I want to fight too. I can use magic and I know…uh…sword stuff, too. I can help like Lucina is," he says with the same cheery expression.

Mother raises her eyebrows and places a gentle hand on Mark's shoulder.

"You don't have to do that, Mark. You just rest, okay?"

"What? No, no. I want to fight, Mama. I want to help you all; otherwise I'd feel bad." He says it all with a smile on his face.

My little brother is…strange…but I couldn't love him more.

It's what makes our family so unique and perfect.

Maaarkkkk...