Content warning: toxic behavior, child abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, gaslighting*, swearing
* There will seriously be a lot of gaslighting in Chapters 34-36. I've read lots of online articles about it to get the behavior accurate. However, in Chapter 36, I worry that I didn't write this behavior as accurately. So I just wanted to give a quick disclaimer: if you need to learn more about gaslighting for your own writing or for real life, please do proper research about it or consult an expert. Thank you. (Same thing applies to other topics.)
Me: *inhale*
People who are multi-fandom and have seen the same song used all the time: oh, don't do it
Me: "Dead Hearts" by Stars goes perfectly with Chapter 36.
People who are multi-fandom and have seen the same song used all the time: oh my god
The thunder barely pierced Memory's panic as Void teleported them both to the Overworld. Void leapt into the sky and soared ahead. "Come on, hop to it! This is another once in a lifetime chance!"
22-year-old Memory stumbled as he tried to catch up. He couldn't run as fast due to the muffled sniffs preventing him from breathing, nor could he teleport because he couldn't focus.
Void landed on a hill that was hidden from view by a half-wall of stone, glaring at Memory to catch up.
Ahead of the stone wall was Galaxy Steve, who was looking around the prairie confused. "Waaiiit a diddly darn minute, this isn't the magical muffin dimension I was told about! ...Oh well!" He started to frolic around with a goofy expression.
When Memory arrived at the half-wall, Void grumbled, "This is the earliest we found Galaxy returning from whatever dumb dimension he was in before. We don't know if we'll get another chance like this."
Memory nervously nodded. They had never had an opportunity like this before. All the other times Galaxy randomly returned to the Overworld, Memory and Void were off doing their own tasks and couldn't coordinate a plan immediately.
...The only reason why they were "luckily" together for Galaxy's return was because Void's serious rant had gone on for so long.
...all because Memory made the mistake of talking back, causing Void to snap and threaten to bury him.
Galaxy's sudden return was the only thing that interrupted the rant and gave Memory an excuse to stay above the surface for longer. But the image of Void towering over him with the blocks still haunted him.
Void flicked the back of his head. "Get on with it, Memory!"
Memory yelped, "Yes, Father!" and teleported to the valley below. He hid behind a tree and tried to summon a bow.
Void wanted him to steal a memory of confusion that Galaxy always had after returning to the Overworld (since he always teleported between dimensions by accident). Then Memory had to mix that memory of confusion with Galaxy's recent memory of travelling through the dimensions. If he could mix them together, he could make Galaxy permanently clueless about his dimension-jumping powers, making him unable to use the power, trapping him in the Overworld.
Memory tried to summon the bow over and over again, but it always despawned mid- formation. He teared up as he became painfully aware that he didn't know what he was doing. Mixing the confusion emotion of two memories? Why did Void demand this? Memory knew how to collect the emotions that came along with memories, but he still didn't know how to restore them without his drawback interfering. He hated it when Void demanded him to overcome these drawbacks during missions, but what other choice did he have?
Memory gave up after his 20th failed attempt to summon the bow. Guess I'll have to get closer.
He teleported behind Galaxy and grabbed him. "Ah! Spider!" Galaxy ran. Memory yelped as Galaxy pulled him with him. He zoomed around the prairie, dragging a screaming Memory with him. "GET OFF ME, SPIDER!" He bonked Memory with a stick.
"Ah!" Memory let go and tumbled to the ground, consumed by the dust trail of the running Galaxy. He got up, madly coughing the dust.
Void landed in front of him with a snarl. "A STICK?! YOU LET GALAXY GO BECAUSE OF A STICK?!"
Memory sat up and trembled. "I'm-I'm sorry. I'll go find him and – "
Thunder. Galaxy had teleported away.
"Grrrr..." Void threw his head at the sky and screamed. Memory trembled even more. "He got away! You know what happens as soon as he leaves! He just forgets what happens, so the memories we came here for are probably forgotten by now! WHY DID YOU MESS IT UP AGAIN?!"
Memory panicked. "I'm sorry! I couldn't focus because – " He shut himself up. He couldn't admit that Void's tirade had shaken him up so badly. He knew Void tried his best and gave these lectures to help him become better. Memory should had used Void's words as motivation, but he always failed himself by having the words make him more nervous to experiment with his powers, just like now. How could Memory be so pathetic that he always took Void's generous help and turned them into more weights on himself, the opposite of what those words should had done?
Void snarled again. "I've grown frustrated with your inability to actually do your job!"
Memory shuddered. "F-father, I can do this! I just need more time to hone my skills. And all of these years of struggling weren't all for nothing. I have a lot of small victories!" He flimsily generated glowing white darts. "I can create weapons from light! I can control other people's minds and command an army of entities. I can even control time a bit now and – "
Memory yelped when Void grabbed him. Void hovered into the sky, Memory panicked when the ground beneath him disappeared and he was left dangling in the air, Void's sinister face staring back at him.
"I don't care about what excuses you make or what you have to share," Void hissed. "I've already given you so many chances and gave you everything needed. But they never helped out! All you do is waste my time! I've raised you and I've been there for you when our family abandoned us, and this is what I get?!"
Void threw Memory to the ground. "AAHH!" Pain thundered through Memory's body as he smashed the ground, forming a crater. He quivered, his body aching, as he tried to get up, but he fell to the crater floor again. The tears threatened to cascade. He's just venting. He has a right to be angry. He has a right to be angry.
He just wants to get what he deserves and I'm a hindrance to that. I caused this. I caused this.
Void landed next to the crater and yelled, "Stop shaking all the time! You know I hate that!"
Shame boiled in Memory. He failed himself and Void yet again.
Void stomped a foot when Memory failed to snuff down the tremors. "I said – " He withdrew bedrock blocks from his inventory.
Memory gulped. Blood drained from his face, leaving only the cold tears to bite him. "No...D-dad, please..."
Void snarled. "I said, stop – !"
The ground rumbled, toppling Void off his feet. Memory cried and immediately teleported out of the crater.
The ground rumbled again. It was short and concise, but strong enough to demand the world to acknowledge it. Was it an earthquake?
No, this rumble wasn't coming from the ground. It was something invisible and trapped in the crevice of space, pounding at existence's door, demanding to be released.
Thunder screeched as a gash sliced through the sky, opening a portal to a pure golden realm.
Void grunted and crawled out of the crater, balking at the gash above him and Memory. "What the – "
The rift dropped closer to the prairie. Nearby grass blocks glitched and morphed into pure yellow blocks. Void and Memory, eyes still glued onto the gash, nervously backed away as the yellow blocks slowly approached them in a checkered pattern.
Somewhere in the raw portal, green light flashed.
Thunder again. All the transformed ground glitched and reverted back to grass, and the gash sealed up and vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Memory looked worriedly at his father. "What was that? Is that something Galaxy could do?"
"N-No!" Void quickly answered, flustered. "There's no way something that damaging can be him! It's probably – " He paced around. "It's probably...It's probably..." He paused and gave Memory an urgent look. "I think we have to visit that mountain."
Void teleported them to the mountaintop. He hurried to the clear, mirror-like lake in the center, but didn't yell at Memory to catch up. Memory was able to focus and teleport closer to the lake. It was easy to visualize the mountain where he spent a portion of his childhood, and he was more curious than ever.
Void placed a hand on Memory and nervously laughed. "Heh, Memory, stay here. I'll get to the bottom of this."
What answers would they even find here? Was this mountain even useful anymore? If that rift incident was a Color interfering, did that mean they could interact with any place after all, making this mountain – the place where Void discovered the Colors – less special?
Deep inside, Memory hoped that they would leave this mountain with news about his little brother. It's been 22 years. Will the Colors lend Void their creation power again?
When Void approached the lake, the sky became gray and drizzle of rain began. he peered into the lake's reflection. He observed the reflection for a long moment until thunder lolled softly and the rain faded away.
"Have you found anything?" Memory called out. He felt a little bit annoyed. It was frustrating to wait for something you didn't even know to anticipate.
Void got up, gaze still on the lake. "I...I don't get it. They won't say anything about that rift."
Memory had a feeling he was supposed to feel disappointed, so he lowered his head and sighed.
"But...they did show me something else."
Memory perked up. "What is it?"
Void faced him, pity in his eyes. "The Colors...they changed their mind about you."
...Memory tilted his head. "I don't understand. What exactly happened?"
"Well, they first didn't bother explaining themselves with that rift in space," Void grumbled. "I was getting angry, but they threw a curveball at me by giving me a new vision. I think they changed their minds about you, because...look."
Void fully faced him and in his hands was a rectangular display. The display showed the grayscale, ravaged landscape and the same mountain.
But on that mountain was only one person.
Memory nervously watched. He had come to recognize his future self only by seeing him next to his father and future brother, or with the spiral mask. But this tall figure had none of those. What was going on?
In the display, two figures zapped through the sky with a loud bang, causing Memory to flinch. The figures zapped through the sky, pushing and punching each other. They were miniscule in the display, but Memory caught a glimpse of the clock mask of one of the fighters.
"Who's fighting Time?" Memory asked.
Void despawned the display. "Not you."
Memory flinched.
"I don't know who will fight Time in the future. All I know is that the Colors have run out of patience as much as me." Void scowled. "They no longer want you as Time's evil counterpart. You failed the reason why I created you."
"W-what..." Memory backed away, shaking his head madly. "No...No... Did I fail...fail for real? Are-are you sure that it's really true? Are you sure that's what the Colors said?"
"I know what I saw!" Void snapped.
"Are you positive?"
"YES!" Void jumped into the air. "I know you're begging for me to doubt myself just so you can get another chance. But it's over! You've failed!"
Memory snapped his gaze away and shut his teary eyes tight. It's over! The words echoed in his mind. It's over!
He remembered all the times he pleaded Void to forgive his incompetence. How he begged for his 100th second chance to prove himself. How he insisted Void to look at his smallest victories he had in mastering his power.
But it was over. He finally lost all of his chances. Void had lost all of his patience, and all the work Memory put in would never accumulate into anything.
He failed the reason why he was created. He would forever be a burden who wasted 22 years of Void's life. A wasteful investment that would never give Void anything worthy in return.
"If...If I failed, then what are your plans for me now?"
Void waved a dismissive hand. "Don't be afraid. I still want you around and you'll always be my son. But since you no longer have a destiny to reach towards, I'll have to find another use for you."
Memory looked away with shame. But he knew he should be grateful that Void didn't abandon him right here. Maybe this was the change they needed? Maybe Void would stop comparing him to Time. Maybe all the missions and training would ease since Memory didn't have a huge expectation to meet. It was sick to think like this, but maybe knowing his son would forever be a disappointment meant Void didn't have to get his hopes shattered anymore.
Maybe without the stress...could Void go back to the way he was? Memory longed for Void to see him as just a son, not a tool or a thing that always needed work. Could they go back to that? Could they lessen the training and even start taking days off together?
Void climbed down the mountain, gesturing Memory to follow him. "Well, if the Colors want me alive to figure out who is Time's true evil counterpart, then it's safe to say that we can go home without trouble. Let's take the long way home."
He always takes the long way home when he needs to walk out all the stress, Memory thought. He caught up with his father. So is it safe to ask? Well, maybe it's safe to ask indirectly.
"May I ask another question about the vision, Father?"
"What do you want now?"
"I was wondering why I was alone on the mountain in the vision. You weren't in there either."
Void shrugged. "They probably wanted to rub their disappointment into your face by making you alone."
Memory gulped. "But besides that, is this something I should worry about in the long run? I am a bit worried that the Colors won't grant you the power to create my brother."
Void scoffed. "Why do you think that I ever thought about giving you a brother?"
Memory paused. "Well, remember the vision before it was changed? With that smaller figure on that mountain? That was supposed to be my younger brother."
Void laughed, "I never said that the vision was concrete. Did you see how easily it changed today? I just showed you what the future could be. I never promised anything about another family member."
"I don't understand," Memory fussed. "How can the previous vision be subject to change while you're positive that the new vision is definite proof that I failed?!"
Void glared at him; Memory held back a yelp.
Through gritted teeth, Void said, "I know the old vision is false because of the new vision. That is all!"
"But what about the balance between good and evil?"
"What about it?"
"I'm supposed to – er, someone else is supposed to be Time's evil counterpart. But what about Elemental? Would my brother be Elemental's evil counterpart? Someone has to counter him in the balance, after all."
Void paused. Memory paused too, waiting hopefully for his father's answer.
"...Like with Time, I don't know who is Elemental's counterpart. But I never said for sure it would be your brother."
Memory teleported in front of his father. "P-perhaps you need a reminder. Look!" He pulled down his balaclava and clawed into his scalp, crying out as his nails dug deeper into his skull. "I can show you my memory!" He said through the tears, pulling a flower out of his head. "I can show you when you told me about my brother! Or even all the times we've talked about him!"
Void grimaced. "Will you cut that out!"
Memory tugged the gray flower completely out. "I found a memory and – "
"What good will that do?!" Void threw his arms out. "Your powers are great because you confuse enemies and alter their motivation by taking their memories. But memories are just memories: a very filtered interpretation of the past that motivates people. I see you're clearly motivated by this brother nonsense. That probably means your memories are going to be wrong about everything, making it sound like I promised you things you want, when I never did!"
Memory dried off his tears and glanced at the gray flower. He stroked one of its petals. He knew it was physically there, but he now wondered about the contents it actually held.
Void was right: a memory didn't hold every single detail. Did it mean all these memories stored misinterpreted words and events?
He felt foolish. He had been so focused on getting better at stealing memories and restoring them, that he never stopped to think if the contents inside of them were of any authentic use. He realized how biased it must be to speak on his own behalf. To rely on his own memories. If his powers worked on his father, he would view Void's memories to verify the truth of his younger brother, since only Void knew better.
Void resumed walking. "Now, if you really wanted to show me what you believe you heard, it would had been useful if you gained control of your time powers and looked in the raw, real past. Hah! But that's not the case unfortunately, so just drop it."
Memory lowered his head and despawned the flower, embarrassed that he was so desperate and so wrong. "Yes, Father..."
In the Green Steve village, build on a platform on the high tree tops, the inhabitants of the village were enjoying the sunny day: having picnics, tending extra time to their garden, climbing trees, or playing in the parks.
An adult Green Steve was chasing after his younger brother. "Get back here!" He hollered as his younger brother laughed. The two zoomed from bridge to bridge among the tree tops. The older brother stopped to pant, but that made his brother run faster down the bridge spiraling around the tree. The older brother peered down the bridge to see where his brother was going. With a gulp, he leapt off the ledge and landed on the bridge below, blocking his brother's escape. The brother screamed and tried to skid into a halt, but he crashed right into his older brother's arms.
The older brother gave a playful roar and trapped his younger brother into an embrace. "RAWR! Hahaha...please don't tell our Dad that I jumped down a bridge for a shortcut."
From a nearby mountain, Memory watched the two brothers laugh and walk back up the bridge together. He watched from a shaded cliff side, where he was sitting on a checkered picnic cloth he set up. He sighed. He didn't even bring food or anyone to join him. Even though his friend, Purple, offered to come with him, Memory told him he wanted to be alone.
He looked down at all the now recipient-less gifts he had set on the cloth. The nearly 10-year-old shoe box that helped display memories. A younger, year old box that was an updated version of the original. A few buttons and wooden swords. It had been hard to gather these things due to his inability to break blocks and the difficulty he had purchasing things from the stores, so he held these rare items throughout the years, hoping that they would make wonderful gifts to any new family member.
He almost felt the need to apologize to these pieces of garbage for wasting their time. Two weeks ago, he had been wrong about everything, and he was still trying to comprehend that he would always be an only child. He wouldn't even have cousins or an uncle to hang out with anymore.
He scanned the items again. He daydreamed what would had happened if there was a child to play with these items. How would that child react to his older brother gifting him cool things and offering to play with him?
Memory looked away painfully. The laughter of those Green Steve brothers overwhelmed him and he tried to block the sound. It doesn't matter, he forced himself to think. It shouldn't matter...
He felt ashamed for wasting an hour to sulk, so he decided to seek out Void for an assignment. He sensed that Void was somewhere in the Overworld a few biomes away, so he began to teleport his way to him.
However, while he was looking for Void, his father's energy disappeared from the air. Memory froze, nervously scanning his surroundings and trying to regain the trace of his father. Where is he? He teleported to the Void Dimension, but he didn't sense his father there, so he returned to the same place in the Overworld more confused. Why did he hide his energy? He only does that when he wants to do things without his family noticing. Is Galaxy back? But I would had sensed if he returned.
Memory knew that the longer he questioned things, the harder it would be to find Void. So he resumed following what he believed to be the path to Void's last known presence, hoping that Void didn't wander somewhere else entirely. And just in case, Memory decided to hide his own energy too.
After ten minutes of walking through a forest biome, he heard footsteps and a voice, but couldn't see anyone.
"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, my new friend." It was Void's voice.
Memory followed the sound. It was just outside of the forest. A new friend? He repeated in his mind. Who is Void talking to?
"Hey, in the old days, I used to be a teacher," Void continued. "I'm not sure if I can give you what you need, but if you want, I can teach you a thing or two about my role in the universe. Who knows. Maybe you can find yourself that way?"
Teach? Role? Memory paused to gasp. Did he finally find my replaceme – the one who will counter Time in the balance? Is he recruiting them? Memory perked up, dusted off any particles off his suit, and straightened his tie and coat.
He didn't want to take another step forward, but he knew he must inevitably meet this new henchman. He had felt these emotions before when Purple Steve introduced him to his village and when Void first introduced him to Time and Elemental. And those worked out. I made friends. Memory puffed his chest out with sudden bravery. I can do this. Just give this new companion of Void a warm welcome and help them.
Memory trotted forward, eventually finding a clear path that led out of the forest and into the bordered farmlands, where he heard Void again. He rushed through the path and skidded to a halt by the forest's exit, repeatedly rehearsing his "hello."
He finally emerged from the forest and turned to the sounds of two people chatting on the open road.
Memory immediately stumbled back with a gasp. "No..." He silently mouthed.
Void gave an assuring smile to the person he was talking to. "Yeah, I know this is sudden and you don't know what's the best thing to do. But you understand that you're ageless, right? An immortal guardian of something. You have all the time in the world; you gotta use that gift, so it doesn't hurt to give my teachings a chance."
The person stroked his red beard and pondered. "I suppose you're right. But, ugh, I'm already dealing with my brother who's always on his soapbox. I'd rather get away from him than find another person always nagging that they know better. No offense."
Void shook his head. "None taken! I actually know exactly what having a nagging brother feels like! That's why I say that my teachings aren't the right way to do things, but rather something that can inspire you to find your purpose. But if you still don't want someone always preaching about things, then how about I offer you a job shadowing instead? You can observe me do my job defending the balance from otherworldly threats."
The person perked up. "Otherwordly threats? Like, they actually come here?"
"They don't actually come here, but they threaten to unravel this very universe. It's a very stressful job, but someone has to do it."
"Unravel this very universe? External forces?" The person circled around Void, an intrigued glow in his yellow eyes. "Hmm, sounds complicated. Perhaps I have to see it myself. Consider me interested in this job shadowing."
Void smiled. "Great! Why don't you come back to this crossroad next week? I can take you to my castle and show you my work."
"I'll keep that noted. It was very nice to meet you, Void Steve."
Void nodded. "I'm excited to show you my job, Elemental Steve."
Void returned to his dimension and entered through his castle's main door, where Memory forced himself to bow in greeting. Memory's scowl intensified, but fortunately his mask hid that. "Welcome back, Father."
"Hello," Void mumbled. "If you're looking for something to do today, I'm sorry. All of today's tasks are only for people who can break blocks."
Memory twitched an eye as Void rolled up his sleeves. He spat at and polished his fists as if they were trophies. "We're having a visitor stay with us next week," he explained. "But we ran out of spare rooms and it would take forever to build another hallway, so I'm going to demolish one of our rooms and make it completely empty. "
"And I suppose the room you had in mind was Elemental's!" Memory finally snapped. "You don't want our guest to remember his past life so you have to scrap all evidence of it before he arrives!"
Void narrowed his eyes and frowned. "I taught you too well with staying quiet and listening to everything I say."
Memory's furious expression melted into dismay. "You believe Elemental is Time's evil counterpart? I don't understand. Galaxy created him, and he's on the side of good. All the years you spent hating his side of the family should had made that obvious!"
"Well maybe I was looking at it the wrong way!" Void retorted. "I don't know, it happens! Maybe if you weren't such a hassle to take care of, I would have had a clearer mind and saw this sooner, and we both wouldn't have wasted our time!"
Memory stumbled back, speechless.
"I originally thought Elemental and Time were jokes of a creation who shouldn't have a say in this universe." Void explained. "But maybe Elemental does have a purpose. He has dimensional powers. He specializes in that! And he can destroy, fight, and plan! Why do I have to struggle training an evil counterpart for Elemental...when I can just turn Elemental himself into Time's evil counterpart!
"I've seen him from afar. He's been frustrated ever since you erased his memories, and I believe that frustration can lead him to his true calling to be evil!" Void began an evil laugh. "I must guide Elemental to his proper role in this universe."
"A true calling?" Memory sputtered, his blood boiling. "For many years, you believed Elemental's role was to be good and someone evil had to fight him! You have no proof that his destiny is actually to be evil! Please...just leave Elemental alone!"
"No! This must happen! I want Elemental by my side as Time's evil counterpart!"
"How can you be so certain about this?!" Memory challenged. "How can you put more trust in someone who ran away like Galaxy than me, who's always been on your side?"
Void scoffed. "You? You may be loyal, but what else do you have? Actual skills? Any groundbreaking accomplishments? I appreciate your moral support, but that only goes so far."
Memory flinched. He should be used to Void listing out everything that he wasn't good at. But knowing that is cousin's freedom and life was at stake, it pained him to see Void win using the same arguments.
Memory felt like he had to go on his knees. "Father, please give me another chance to prove myself. Let me show you that you don't need to bother Elemental."
"NO. I'VE MADE UP MY MIND. AND YOU'VE USED UP ALL OF YOUR CHANCES."
"You've told me that I was created to do this!"
"Yes! I did tell you that before! Maybe one time, you were Time's evil counterpart. But now, you aren't. Any visions of the future can be affected by anything unexpected! I saw the future be changed by the Colors weeks ago. Time is subjective. If you had focused more on your time-breaking skills, maybe you would actually understand my reasoning."
"But what if, umm." Memory fidgeted and look away. He tried desperately to find another argument or any flaw in Void's reasoning. But all he did was confuse himself more, and he felt ashamed, knowing that his inability to comprehend the complications of time was his own fault.
Was it also his own fault that he failed so badly? Failed so badly enough that he ruined his own cousin's life?
"Do you have any other complaints?" Void grumbled.
Memory muffled down a whimper. "No, Father. No more complaints."
"It better stay like that," Void snarled. "This entire argument was pointless because it's not my fault. I'd rather not have plans change so drastically, but here we are, all because you couldn't live up to what I wanted."
Memory grimaced. That was the final nail that pounded into his heart. He stormed away, but not before hearing Void's final warning.
"Just remember, Memory Steve, you made me do this."
Memory fled into his room and slammed the door.. What have I done? He shook as the tears flooded, slowly sinking to the floor. Oh Colors, what's going to happen?
If Elemental would become one of the villains, Time and Elemental would lose each other as brothers. Were they going to fight each other? Would they actually go through with it?
Would one of them...die?
Imagining the possible futures made him more queasy. His mind was plagued with all the terrible consequences that would come. Could he do anything to prevent this? Could he run away? No, that was the coward's way. That was Galaxy Steve's way. Could he erase both Elemental and Time's memories of their brotherhood to make their inevitable fight less painful? But how could he bring himself to do that?
Did any of his ideas even matter? None of his ideas did anything meaningful before, so how could they help now? How could he do anything right?
He hid into a corner of his room and started to bawl. He drowned in his own stress, anger, and shame.
How could he call himself a loyal minion or a good family member after today? He was so much of a burden that he dragged another family member down with him. He was nothing but a burden.
Maybe better off being forgotten.
He sniffed as he withdrew a family photo out of his inventory. Through his blurry eyes, he studied the photo and the silhouettes of him, Time, and Elemental in a group hug. In his mind , he was haunted by the image of the mountain, the lonely silhouette, and the fight in the sky. He was terrified of what other events would split apart the brothers, turning their bond into malice. "I'm sorry," he murmured after the bawling subsided. "...I ruined it for everyone..."
Somehow, saying those words made his negative feelings feel heavier. Harder. Colder. When his blurry eyes cleared, he stared at Time in the photo. The longer he stared, the more a dark emotion stirred inside his broken heart.
Weak, passive, a family breaker, the words pounded in his head.
Memory snarled and crumbled up the photo. He really did make me look weak.
He remembered growing up with Time. All the acts of kindness, the gifts, the Tree. To think that he used to think so fondly of those recollections. He cursed those moments, wishing that Time had never gotten in the way.
No, he wished that he had never, ever met Time.
"Elemental would had been alright if he didn't just show off so much," Memory snarled, tears swelling again.
Maybe the fact that we both lost Elemental is proof that Time never cared...
Never cared...
Memory curled into a ball, raking a hand through his hair. The darkness and shame in his heart was growing.
And this time, he had no one to reach out to for help...
He gasped, snapping out of the flashbacks. He flicked his hands and the bundle of gray flowers floated closer.
Back to the main story, he thought as he sent a jolt of energy into the bundle. The gray flowers scattered into the air. He closed his eyes again, ready to reenter this series of memories.
Remorseful Recollections of the Forgotten Family:
Act 2: RESUME
Thunder.
Memory jolted awake inside of a hedge. The world shook and he quickly teleported back on his feet. The Shadow Stone running in his blood kicked back into high gear and he frantically scanned the area, his gaze landing on the golden barrier around the Time Tree.
The barrier sent another burst of energy, knocking Memory back. "Ah!" He hit the ground and clenched his head. His eyes burned from all the light, and not even closing them for a brief rest allowed him to escape it.
Once the intensity against his eyes subsided, he pried them open and watched the golden dome fade away. The Time Tree's dark, frail silhouette reemerged from the light. It donned golden, shimmering flowers and yellow leaves on its branches. At its base, Alex looked down worriedly at Time, who was sprawled on the ground unconscious.
Alex nudged him awake. Time groaned and pushed himself up with trembling arms. "What does this mean?" He mumbled in a low voice without looking up.
Memory inched closer to the crystal lake, shaking off the twigs and leaves on him. What is going on with him?
Alex helped Time get up, but he was too shaken up to stand on his own. "What does this mean? What does this mean?"
Thunder shook the island again. The Tree creaked like an ancient door as the golden flowers grew bigger. The crystal lake shuddered, its smooth surface breaking into a ring of wild waves that capsized lily pads and broke its clock shape.
Time snapped his masked gaze to Memory. "Elemental wasn't meant to be evil. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!"
Memory gasped. "No..." He cowered back. "You found out?! You remember our past?!"
Time teleported in front of Memory and pinned him down. "YES, I remember it all!" He screamed, the clicks of his clock growing louder. "And – and – " He released Memory and stepped back, trembling madly. "All – all this time..." His whimpers grew distorted. "All this time, Elemental should have been by my side and alive?! I should have never lost him?!"
Memory backed away and nearly tripped over a shrub, shaking as much as his cousin. "Oh Colors, why this?! Why now?!" The Shadow Stone did give him enough energy to fight, but he kept his distance. He was afraid that Time would be at his throat again, ready to break him the way Void had broken Elemental.
Time stared at Memory. He wondered if there was a pain expression underneath that mask. "Did you believe you'd get this far without telling me?!"
"I NEVER WANTED THAT TO HAPPEN!" Memory snapped. "I NEVER WANTED ANYONE TO KNOW!"
"He's my brother!" Time's voice broke more. "I had the right to know, and yet, I don't feel any better knowing the truth."
Memory tensed up in a defensive pose. "You think you're in turmoil? I've felt this pain for generations! And it hurts, doesn't it?! All these questions. All these 'what-ifs,' but YOU CAN'T FIX IT!" He looked away, the tears overwhelming him. "Fucking Elemental...why couldn't he be happy with what he had? How could he be unhappy, when he had you? You were always better at everything, but you couldn't be good enough for him?"
Time gulped and stepped forward. "Memory – "
"Enough!" He punched Time, sending him flying over the lake. Time slammed into the Tree, howled in pain, and fell to the ground.
"TIME!" Alex ran up to Time to check him. She looked at Memory and said, "Memory, stop!"
"If you're as upset as I am, then just go! There's nothing else to see! You finally know how worthless I am!" Memory clenched his head to shut up the agonizing headache. It hurt to cry, so he forced out a laugh. "Alex, you were one of the Colors. You had to watch me severely disappoint you twice now. How absurd is that!"
Alex watched in silence, her expression becoming more pitiful. Time groaned and got up. He limped forward, earning him a horrified expression from Alex.
"Memory," he began.
"Don't try to sympathize!" Memory spat, causing Time to jump back to the Tree. "You wouldn't understand. You didn't fall as low as I did!"
"Maybe it's true I won't understand, but I want to," Time pleaded. "Please, Memory, listen. I want to come to terms with this as much as you."
"With me?!" Memory advanced, stepping over the few lily pads that remained in the lake. "How can you ever come to terms with what I've done? Haven't you learned from seeing my past?"
Time tried to remain calm. "Because I want to care."
"...How can I trust if that's true? Before you lost your memories, you never noticed the ways you hurt me. How can I expect you to pity me now?"
Alex stepped up, gently pushing Time back to the Tree while blocking him protectively from Memory, while also offering an open hand to the enemy. "Memory, please give us a chance. We want to talk to you."
Memory teared up more. "Why are you giving me a chance? I've tried. I've tried to make up for everything, but the damage can't be undone. Elemental's GONE. He's NOTHING but smithereens!" He tensed, feeling dark particles accumulate around his fists. The Time Tree's golden foliage turned gray, making the world so much dimmer and grimmer. Both Time and Alex looked grayscale in Memory's changing vision.
Lightning was roaring and drowning all of Memory's senses. "My guilt and my failures haunt me in ways you'd never understand. Just leave me! I'll never be anything but someone who breaks this family apart!"
Thunder. Memory was suddenly past the lake and charging at Time and Alex, his corrupted fists aiming at them.
"Move!" Time pulled Alex away from the Tree.
SLAM! Memory struck the Tree. The darkness boiled in his blood and seeped into the trunk. The trunk burst into flames, causing Time and Alex to shriek and dive into the lake. The dark particles snaked up to the branches and blast! The branches exploded, scattering the golden leaves and flowers into the now ash-infested sky.
Memory whimpered as he fell to his knees, hands sliding down the dented trunk. Some burning leaves brushed past his shoulders, and the air was flaring up from both the fire and his shame.
Time and Alex climbed out of the lake, soaking wet and now looking mucky and sooty from the ashes.
Memory pressed his forehead into the Tree. "Just...why?" He hissed through the tears. "I watched as Void slowly corrupted him. Every time he was miserable, I was reminded of how I could never catch up to you. I was reminded of...every horrible thing I brought unto him. He wasn't supposed to be there. But I wasn't good enough...or evil enough or...WHATEVER you're supposed to say!" He punched the Tree, though the trunk didn't break. More ash and burning leaves hailed down. The island was shrouded by gray, accumulating smoke, which was speckled by the golden, ember-like flowers that fell like snow.
Memory tried to claw into the bark of the Tree, despite his inability to break blocks. He felt like he was suffocating. As the anger boiled, and as he was forced to take in ragged breaths, he felt a sick aftertaste growing in his chest. A sick aftertaste now running through his blood where the Shadow Stone used to dominate.
He sat up and looked at his ash-covered gloves, the guilt becoming heavier. "Why am I saying these things? Why am I making this all about me when it's you who got hurt?" He forced himself to look at Time and Alex. He especially looked at Time, a Steve who just wanted his family together as much as Memory wished he could undo his mistakes. "...I'm sorry. I couldn't do enough to save your brother, and he had to pay the price. You had to pay the price. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you and your brother. I'm sorry I erased Illusion's memories and failed you again." He grimaced, swallowing down a sob. "I could have had a little brother...I never meant to take away yours."
The burning embers took over the silent air. Time Steve remained still, unable to look away from Memory. Alex tugged Time's sleeve, causing him to look at her. She whispered something to him and he nodded.
Memory dipped his head down. He hates me. He has every right to. If Time wanted to remain angry at him, he'd accept it. If Time wanted to fight him and wanted to win...he'd accept that too. He knew he deserved punishment.
As Memory remained sitting by the Tree, the two heroes started whispering a conversation. "Time, are you ok?" Alex asked.
Time shook his head. "I'm upset...but don't worry. I know who to really be upset at. But it's hard to think...I keep thinking about what could had happened if Elemental stayed by my side."
"I know you badly miss your brother. It's part of your nature. But I also know you want to save your family and well...he is family."
"I know...he's not to blame for Elemental's fall. But...he was still involved it in. He took away our memories. And yeah, he apologized, but he hasn't apologized for his true crimes."
"One step at a time. I know you put faith in him once and it went horribly wrong, but something tells me that this time...it'll go right."
Footsteps approached Memory. Memory flinched and braced himself for any sharp words or a sudden kick in the face. He eventually mustered up courage to look up, and he was surprised to see Time kneeling down, getting to eye level with him.
Time lowered his shoulders and drew out a long sigh. He reached a hand to the center of his clock mask and tapped it. The clock mask shrunk and transformed into a silver monocle. Time sighed again as he readjusted the monocle over his left eye and ran his other hand through his short coily hair.
Memory straightened up, taking a long moment to look at Time. It had been forever since he last saw him without his mask, and it was crazy how little he had changed. Time's eyes were silver with a golden ring around the pupils. They were like a foggy gray night, with a faintly glowing lantern in the mist promising that safety was near. They stood out against Time's dark face, which was framed by black sideburns, which started from his fade haircut and ended at his cheeks.
After fixing his hair, Time stared back at Memory. His eyes had bags and were puffy from crying, but they softened as a small smile crawled on his face. "Memory...I forgive you."
Memory froze. "W-What?" Had Time gone mad too? Or did he mishear that?
Time nodded. "I forgive you. I know you've been through a lot but..." He suddenly hugged him, making Memory flinch. "I don't blame you for what happened to Elemental. It was never your fault."
Never? Memory braced himself for any sudden movements. For a stab in the back. For a sudden throw to the ground. For a sudden chokehold. But more peaceful seconds passed, making him even more baffled. He wanted to squirm, uneasy that this embrace was actually warm instead of threatening, and he wanted to reject it. I don't deserve this.
Time held him tighter. The warmth of the hug had fully locked Memory in. It felt at home. It felt like it was filling all of these empty crevices in his heart.
Slowly, Memory brought his arms forward and hugged Time back. Then the tears fell. This would never undo the damage of what happened to Elemental. Nothing ever would. Despite that, Memory felt...hope. He didn't know what the hope was for, but he cherished it, felt it, and refused to let it go. This hope couldn't undo anything, but it could build, it could reclaim, and it could persist against anything.
And at this moment, Memory wanted to reclaim something he once lost: a friend.
Synchronized in their reborn friendship, Memory and Time let go of each other, sitting peacefully by the Tree. Memory reached for his spiral mask, unclipped it, and slipped his balaclava down.
Time was taken aback, but he chuckled and restored his soft smile. "Heh, it's been forever, hasn't it, Memory?"
Memory dried his tears and returned the smile. "It has...Thank you, Time..."
If they had looked up, Memory and Time would had noticed the Time Tree's branches regrowing dark blue leaves.
Word count: 7573
ERROR. Conflicting versions of Chapter 36 found.
Recalculating...
Word count: 7509
Issue resolved by the narrator.
*collapses and dies*
Bruh, when I wrote Chapter 31, I thought that was gonna be the longest RRFF chapter ever. I was immediately proven wrong with Chapters 34-36.
But I really enjoyed writing these chapter, and how almost every scene is its own mini-story. These three chapters were like its own angsty friends-to-enemies-to-friends story.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed these chapters. They were incredible challenging to write, considering that they were the chapters where I had to answer the mystery I've been hinting at throughout RRFF. I hope I was able to give you guys a tragic, but satisfying, answer to Memory's past.
I want to take a break from uploading next week, so the next chapter will be posted on September 17.
Thank you for reading. Take care and stay safe.