The two kids looked at each other. They both had question marks hovering above their heads.
"His name. You both get to pick out his name. Remember, each of you can pick a name. We come of Chinese descent so give him a Chinese name as well. Alright?" asked the mother, ruffling both their heads.
The two kids stared into the crib. For the whole time, Bryan had failed to see how the baby looked like. He too loomed over the crib, looking like a scrawny scarecrow about to eat a baby. But he managed to catch a glimpse of the baby giggling.
He couldn't deny it, he was smiling the same way like the other two kids were. The girl poked the baby's cheeks. Luckily, the baby didn't cry. Instead, he made an 'eh' sound and used his tiny hands to wrap his sister's big finger. The girl allowed the baby to pull on the finger.
Tears formed on the corner of her eyes as the baby smiled at her. She couldn't contain her emotions as she decided the English name for the baby.
"You are my baby brother. I'll always protect you, no matter what. Your name will be Bryan. It means 'High and Noble'. You were a strong baby, to survive in Mama's belly for so long, even if she is sick. I love you, Baby Bry..." said the girl, holding the baby's hand.
Bryan was shocked, he had a family?! And that was him in the crib?! He had a sister and a brother?! Where were they, all this time?! Bryan felt confused and excited. Confused because he had always thought his family had abandoned him. Excited because Rina was right.
And he could reunite with his sister. The girl's voice snapped Bryan out of his daze. She was tugging on her brother to choose the child's Chinese name. The borghther was older so he took quite some time to pick out name.
"I want to give him a special name. Something on the lines of what you picked, Val," said the boy, still staring into the crib.
The infant then stared at his brother. The two boys were having a staring contest before the baby made a very odd sound.
"Rawr!" sounded out the infant, trying to grab the brother's hand.
"That's it! You'll be Ji Long... The 'Long' means 'Dragon' in Chinese. And since you are born in the year of the Dragon, this name should suit you best. I hope you would be able to live up top this name, as it also represents imperial power and authority, like your English name."
Little Bryan laughed and gurgled. The three kids were smiling and laughing as Bryan watched on, still shocked at the fact that he had a family. He had found out about the meaning and origin of his two names and now he was keen to learn more about his family.
And maybe, if he gets enough information, he should be able to track down his long-lost family. All he ever wanted was to find his family. To ask them about his powers and whether they had been Mages or not. This posed another question in his head.
Did he have powers from the beginning? Or was he given powers by Nova?
"I can assure you that the Memory Mage did not supply you with any powers," replied the voice, appearing once more.
Bryan nodded and took another look at the family. Just then, the bedroom door flew open. The man from the earlier memory was standing at the doorway, holding his arms wide open.
"Papa!" shouted the two older children, who flew into their father's waiting arms.
"How are my two stars?" asked the father, hugging the children.
"Well, looks like we've got another mouth to feed. They kept begging me to keep Bryan," said the mother, shaking her head.
"Who's Bryan?" asked the father, confused.
"Our baby brother!" replied the two kids in his arms.
She placed a hand on the baby's head, gently stroking him. The father blinked a few times at his wife before looking at his two kids. Their bright, beaming smiles burned through his retinas. There was no way he could get angry at them. But having a baby to care for now was an issue.
"We promise we'll take good care of him! We love him!" chimed the two children.
OInce the two kids ran off back to the crib, the father made his way to his wife and sat by her side.
"It's alright, I won't be long for this world. Soon, you'll have one mouth less to feed," said the mother, weakly.
"Don't say that, love. No matter what, we are gonna make this work. That's what a family is, right? Working together to overcome any odds."