Bryan tried to tail them but he felt someone behind him.
"You guys take care! Get the things that I told you and hurry back, alright?!" shouted a man, who was holding a small infant.
"Alright, Papa!" shouted the two children.
The infant started crying as he heard his father shout that loud. Bryan cringed as he remembered how he had to apologize to a mother when he shouted too loud in the middle of the night. That was a nagging session he never wanted to revisit.
But this scene was foreign to him. Too foreign to be part of his memory. He was sure that the spell could only show the person their memory. It dives within the visual cortex of the brain to project out what was taken in. In most cases, the person might have forgotten.
But there was always a way to recover lost memory. And this spell was one of the ways. It's only the final stage of the spell that would end up being an illusion. But that was up to the person's inner voice. And now, it was time for Bryan's inner voice to narrate the memory.
"Sorry that the events are a bit in a jumble. It's hard to piece out memories that you've been forced to forget. A Memory Mage has tampered with your early memories so I can't show too much of it. Just the important parts should suffice," said the voice.
"No big deal... But could you show me why the kids are so happy or what they were so eager to keep?" asked Bryan, unfazed by the fact that he was talking to himself.
"Sure, that was what I wanted to show you next. Prepare to shift your position," said the voice.
Bryan turned around to find himself in the middle of a bedroom. A girl was crying and a boy was pleading to a mother. Bryan rubbed his eyes as he recalled the family from earlier. The woman was on sitting on the bed, rocking a cradle while her children were begging her for something.
Bryan slowly walked over, unsure if this was his memory or someone else's.
"Don't worry. This is your memory, no one else's. I can't show you something that you weren't present at. Your physical being must be around for this spell to show you the memory. These are the memories that have been locked away."
"So you might find some discomfort with your mind, like a small headache."
Bryan nodded and listened in to the conversation.
"I can't afford to take care of him... I am so sorry. He was a mistake, I didn't know that I was pregnant. I promise that he would be in a better family..." explained the mother, who seemed very tired.
"No! You can't just give your baby brother away!" wept the girl, clinging onto the crib.
"I am so sorry. I don't have much time left... I can't even get out of this bed. Your father has to work as well, to feed both of you. Another mouth to feed would end in more pain and suffering."
"Please! We'll help! Just tell us what we need to do!" begged the boy.
"Yea, we'll listen to every instruction you give us to take care of him. We'll change his diapers! We'll find a cow to give him milk!"
"We'll do the housework! We'll go and buy groceries for you! We promise! Please don't give our little brother away..." cried the girl, with her big, round teary eyes looking at her mother.
She was paralyzed from the waist down. Her disease was not known and she was slowly dying. Having a child at the stage was a miracle. But keeping him alive after he comes out was going to be a tougher jaunt. But seeing her two older kids pleading like that, she could only give in.
The two kids were both at least ten to twelve years old. They were past the age of harboring jealousy for a newborn. They might not be too mature but they were kids. At this age, kids won't retaliate too much. They will question why but their actions will follow the demands.
And what's more, how could she give away her baby just like that?! She carried him for months before suddenly entering labor. Moreover, it was the two kids in front of her that helped deliver him a few weeks ago. No one else could take care of him better than the children in front of her.
"You do know you have to uphold your promise, right?" asked the mother, sighing.
"We will!"
"Alright then. You both win. But, the first thing you have to do is the most important piece in the baby's life," said the mother, smiling at her children.