Bygone Memories

(Part 1)


-75 years ago – Murphy Residence-

"I'm leaving!" I shouted in pure joy and excitement as I opened the front door of my home. Today was Saturday and a very cold day. The air around me was chilly, yet filled with warmth. It was, after all, the first day of the month of December…and that meant there was only twenty-five days until Christmas day.

Which was my most favorite holiday ever.

"Alright, young man. Just slow down." I glanced behind me and saw my first father, Scott, walking hurriedly towards me. "You forgot your scarf, and we both know how bad colds are, right?"

I chuckled at his reaction. I kept telling my first old man that Viltrumites do not get sick so easily. But since I loved the scarf, I accepted it.

"Ok, ok." I said as Scott threw the scarf around my neck.

"Now, be careful during training. Just because you defeated a couple of villains a month ago, does not mean that you are already strong enough to withstand many pains."

"Ok, Dad~" I replied to him with a hint of sarcasm, though I understood his concern. However, my eyes lit up as my heart moved in excitement again.

There was also another reason I was excited for this day. "I'm going now!"

"Now remember, come home before six. You know how Molly gets very upset if you're late for dinner!"

"Ok, Dad!" I laughed heartily as I flew up towards the cloudy blue sky.


It only took me a couple of seconds to burst out of the clouds, but it felt like hours to me.

"I'm here, Dad!"

"Right here, Marky." I smiled after I heard a very familiar voice. When I turned around, there, sitting on fluffy clouds, was my second father, the second reason why I was excited for today.

My father from space, Mark Grayson.

My second father would always meet me above the skies every month of December. To normal folks, this kind of arrangement was very much strange, but I knew why. He was not just my second father. He was also the Emperor of the Viltrumites, and because of that, he had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders.

I could not imagine how incredibly busy he was, but I was glad that he could still spend some of his time with me.

"Dad!" I zoomed in and locked him in a bear hug, which he returned with equal warmth.

"How are you, my son?"

I buried my face in his chest, feeling his warmth more, before I looked up. "Just doing fine. I defeated lots of enemies this year and keep your planet safe from harm."

"Really? It looks like you've had a busy year." My second father brushed my hair as he smiled at me more. "Would you like to tell me more?"

"Of course," I replied happily before I let him go and hovered back, "but before that, let us start our training! I'm so eager to learn new things from you, Dad."

My second dad's smile grew warmer, which meant he would do what I asked of him. "Of course, son. Now prepare yourself."


I didn't know how many hours I had spent with my second dad, but we stopped training after we both noticed that the color of the sky above us had already turned into a deep orange-purple hue. It was already deep afternoon and we both decided to spend the rest of our time, sitting on the clouds, and telling stories.

I listened silently to my second father's journey in space. My eyes were wide and filled with wonder. I was very much amazed by his journey.

"You've been to many places. Wow…I wish I could go with you." I said lowly with a hint of envy.

Mark made a side glance at me and replied with a reassuring voice. "Don't worry, Marky. Someday, I'll take you with me, and when that day comes, I'm sure Terra would be glad to be with you."

"Can Molly come too?" I asked with excitement in my voice. I couldn't believe that my second father had just told me to come with him, though I was not sure which day it would be. However, Molly had to come with me. She too would be happy to see space for the first time.

"Of course, she can."

"Yes!" I couldn't contain my excitement anymore. I dived into my second father again and hugged him. My reaction brought happiness to him, making him let out a gladdened chuckle.

"Say, Dad."

"Yes?"

"I can't wait to fly with you soon."

My second dad looked down on me with his usual kind eyes and replied to me. "I cannot wait for that time to come too, son. I just cannot wait."


-3rd P.O.V-

The estrange father and son continued their warm moment in the clouds, basking in the mellow light of the setting sun. However, unbeknownst to them, there was another figure standing on the next cloud, away from them. The figure was observing them with calm eyes and a serene smile on her face. And what's more, she was wearing a pink kimono that was rustling softly as the wind blew passed her.

"Is it nice to have two fathers, Markus?" the figure – the woman – shifted her head up, feeling the lovely emotions coming from the two people.

"This memory of yours would usually bring a smile to someone." The woman continued watching as the son and father stopped their hug and flew down from the cloud. Her eyes glanced down and followed the receding backs of the two Viltrumites.

"Its too bad for you now, however. Now that you know the truth, you should have an idea already about the true feelings of Mark Grayson." The woman retained her serene smile, though her tone had changed into a delicate, disappointed one. She looked away and cast her soft brown eyes towards horizon in front of her,

"Marky…now that you know you are born from hate…can you still love him? Do you still want to follow him?" she asked with a contemplative voice. Her smile deepened as she closed her eyes.

"Do you still have the right to fly with him?"


-Murphy's Residence-

-August 2095-

I gasped hard as I shot up from my bed. My eyes adjusted and saw the familiar sight of my bare room. My mind ran wild as the dream that I woke up from began to ebb away.

No… "I don't want that dream. I don't want that memory." Even though I was slowly forgetting my dream, the feeling that it had left still lingered. And the feeling was so familiar to me, which made me feel sick.

It was the same feeling that I always felt whenever I hugged my second father.

And I didn't want to experience that feeling anymore…now that I knew the truth about my uncanny birth.

The memory was already a bygone to me, and one that I wished to forget.


I washed my face at the bathroom sink and glanced up. Reflecting at me was my tired and haggard face. I blinked my grey eyes, filling it up with rainbow colors as I activated my mystic eyes.

It had been a month since the overlooking view incident, and yet I still couldn't get myself to accept this newfound ability that I possessed. The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception was very powerful. It could cut and end absolutely everything, including intangible objects, such as my shadow.

I'm glad my shadow is back. I glanced beside me, and gladly saw my shadow. It seemed my mystic eyes could cut my shadow, but only temporarily. Since I was still alive, I could still cast my shadow due to the sunlight above me.

Heh, but even so, I would never cut my shadow again. What I did back then, with Johnny Handy, was incredibly reckless and dangerous.

What if I indirectly cut my soul in the process? What would happen to me then?

"Great…enough spooks for today, Marky!" I slapped myself from overthinking and walked out of my bathroom.


I walked down the stairs and turned on the television. The sound flooded my silent house as I picked up my phone and dialed Touko's office number. It had been a month since my debut as a superhero, but I was not fully healed yet. I needed to know what kind of session would I have with Touko today.

"Morning, Marky!" The cheery voice of Touko greeted me again.

"Um…Good morning, Touko. I was wondering what the topic for our session would be for today?"

"Oh, about that. I must apologize because I completely forgot to tell you that I have a short business trip today."

A business trip? I was startled that Touko had a business trip. I didn't know much about her life, but I did know that if she had business, it usually involved her dolls or the Mage's Association.

"Guess that means there will be no session for today?"

"Nope. And I think we both deserve a bit of break from psychology, right?"

Although I wanted my mind to be healed quickly, I did want to take a break from my sessions with Touko. But my mind was troubled by the question that she had asked me a month ago.

'Do you still want to save the humans of this world, despite their incorrigible attitude?'

"Touko…" I called. I wanted to tell her about what I felt. Her question made me my resolve tremble.

"Yes?"

"No, nothing." Maybe I do need a break. I'll just ask her next time. Despite wanting to tell her about my confused feelings, I did not. I think what the woman had suggested was right.

I needed a break. Plus, I could use this time to learn more about all the world's events that had transpired while I was in my seventy-year coma.

"Marky, before I leave, I sent you a package. Its my present for you since you've shown great improvement in our last session."

I glanced towards the door, and true enough, I saw a small package wrapped in brown paper. What could Touko have sent, I though as I picked up and opened it.

A pack of cigarettes – and it was Touko's favorite Taiwanese brand. I recognized the symbol of the yin yang on the packaging.

But smoking is disgusting. "Touko, I don't smoke."

"Tut-tut! There's a first time for everything, Marky. Why not loosen yourself a little?"

I know you're weird, Touko, but aren't you a psychiatrist? Should you be encouraging your patient to indulge in vices such as smoking? Psychiatrists usually encouraged their patients to have a good life, seek out healthy habits – not invite them to do bad things, such as smoking.

But I had forgotten that Touko wasn't a normal human, thus she was not a normal psychiatrist.

"Everything good? Then bye for now, Marky!"

"Wai—" Before I could finish my sentence, the line on the other end clicked. I sighed as I put my phone back in my pocket and glanced down at cigarette pack.

"Now what the fuck am I going to do today?" I wondered while I cast my eyes through the window and towards the sky outside.


Sadly, after an hour of painstaking thinking, I had decided to go to my local mall. With Touko away, I found time to explore the city where I grew up. I should know the changes that had taken place in my city during my seventy-year coma. Maybe there were things that might catch my interest, something I would probably enjoy.

Big mistake.

The first change that I saw was at a bus station. The walls were littered with posters, all depicting LGBTQ or black people movements against straight or white people.

The Critical Genes Theory, who would have thought that it come back? Even though the propaganda started thirty years ago, it seemed that it was still going strong and was still very effective.

I saw more of these uncanny changes after I arrived at the mall. There were tons people around, walking with their own business in mind. However, I could see how separate they were.

Unlike in Chinatown, L.A., the races were mixed along the street. In this mall, however, the blacks and the white people were clearly separated, with the former taking most of the spaces.

I am half-Asian…so does that mean I walk on the black side? Before going out, I had read the laws of my country, and it said that Asians had the same privilege as that of the blacks. The laws were too sickening for me, but I had no choice except to follow it.

I did not want to cause a commotion on my first official day out.

I gulped down nervously, disturbed by how should I act, but then again, I remembered something from a book that I had read a long time ago.

'When in Rome, act like the Romans do'.

"Fuck…" Fuck this neo-liberal-racism bullshit. I cursed and started walking on the side of the black people.

I really hoped I could enjoy this day, but sadly, it looked like I would have a fucking disappointing one.


-Supermarket-

Note to myself: from now on, when I'm going to buy my groceries, it will be from Chinatown, and not in any mall supermarket.

There were two sides on the line – one for the black and one for the white. The latter was jam packed and slow while the other was fast and almost empty. I glanced passed the line of the white people and most of them were already irate at the slow service. The scene had made my blood boil out of anger and sadness.

These things had existed only in the nineteen fifties. You couldn't eliminate racism because it was rooted in fear, but the society before had almost made it non-existent.

I knew why it was back: due to the fear from the attack of the Galactic Kingdom of Wolvesbane. I never thought that I would see the day where fear and false propaganda worked perfectly hand in hand.

Shit…I cursed again after I noticed a little girl in the white people's line, holding her father's hand. Her face was showing confusion and somehow sadness. She was wondering why my line was faster than hers.

I wanted to help her, to destroy the line and the barrier between us. But fear, from the back of my mind, stopped me. I didn't want to cause a commotion right now. If I was going to destroy the current incorrigible status-quo, then I needed a good plan.

And currently I didn't have one.

With a saddened frown, I turned my back on the child and walked away with my purchase.


-Murphy's Residence-

The afternoon sun bathed my living room as I entered my home. I closed the door and let out a heavy sigh. Yup, I was not wrong – today was fucking, devastatingly disappointing. Racism was back, but in reverse of what it was one-hundred years ago. The basic rights of the white people were almost non-existent while the blacks had many privileges.

What a sickening scene. What had Earth turned into? And I was mad because I couldn't do anything about it.

Not yet anyway.

I put my groceries on the kitchen counter and turned the faucet. The rush of water calmed me down. My mind could finally think straight and it made me let out a very exhausted sigh.

"What has my world turned into?" I asked myself in a dejected way, washing my hands before I took out my groceries.

Augh…I cannot think with an empty stomach. My thoughts, however, were interrupted after I felt a rumble in my stomach.

"I guess I'll think about this over my instant lasagna…"

I said as I took out my food and began to prepare dinner.

*DING-DONG

I paused after I heard the doorbell, which made me look at the door. Who could be visiting me at this hour? I wondered as I approached the door and opened it.

Fate had a very sick sense of humor. Even if you prayed for recovery and not get hurt anymore, it always found a way to hurt you even more. That was what I learned after I opened the door and saw the person who rang my doorbell.

"Marky?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. Both time and the world seemed to have stopped with me as I faced my surprise visitor.

"…Dad?"

I was so shocked that I could not move. I was still recovering from my trauma, and yet I could feel some cracks starting to appear on the surface of the walls of my mind.

I wasn't expecting my second father to be here. My second father from space, Mark Grayson, who was now standing by my porch, with a startled and saddened frown on his face.


Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Invincible and Kara no Kyoukai. Names, Places and Events are all merely fictional. If one exist in real life then its purely coincidental.

Special thanks to Pure Red Crane for Beta-reading. :)

So guys! A brief explanation. This arc is a feeler arc and would act as a preparation for the second arc. This also gave me the opportunity to explore the possible outcome of Markus and Mark's relationship, after the kid-invincible learned the truth of his birth. I want to imagine and stretch that imagination on how the relationship of the two would look like.

So...expect heavy drama and no action, in this feeler arc.

THAT'S WHY IT WAS CALLED FEELER ARC, DUH! ITS FOR FEELINGS ONLY!