The One That Sways from Guilt
"I found it so strange to be unaffected by the sorrow that their death caused.."
Born as the youngest son to Cordelia Irving and Reid Irving, Max managed to escape the pain of his parents dying due to the fact he was a toddler when it happened. In honesty, he could have been a victim as well if his brother haven't been left responsible to take care of him. Through the years, he found himself learning what kind of people his parents were. Even with this knowledge, he found himself unable to really...pained by it. It wasn't because of the fact he didn't love them. Oh no. He did care about them. However, he found himself unable to truly feel too attached to them since he only have the smallest bits of memories of them. It was like a puppy being raised by a person despite that person not being the one who gave birth to them. They feel stronger memories to the one that took care of them the most.
That person in this case was his brother, Malik. Even as a king, Malik spent all of his energy making sure that he was well taken care of. Even on those dark days, he priotize Max over everything else including his health. It was something tht Malik was a fan of espesically in the later years. It was the reason why he found himself pushing his way to help his brother push through his trauma. While the progress was slow, that didn't stop Malik. To him, every little step counted since he knew that in the end...he will get to see his brother joy. It's that joy he's sure his parents would have craved to see.
In a way, Malik almost took the role of a advisor to his brother. On the days he knew his brother was down, he was there to either speak for him or get him through the day so he can rest. Truthfully, it was something he enjoyed since he saw it as a excuse to get closer to his brother and learn from him. Sure, it did leave to others joking that he was his brother's caretaker, but that didn't bother him. However, there are days where he fear what would happen if he wasn't there for his brother. He found himself questioning where he would be if he wasn't there for him. It's a scary though, but it is something that his best friend (and eventual boyfriend) Eiko would inform him not to worry about. In his heart, he knew that he would be there for his brother no matter the difference. It's Eiko's words...that make Max fond of him.
