I always found it sort of curious the brothers (Brendt, Brendan, and... something else?) were not only essentially the same character but in all three starting zones, but they obviously show back up in a moment up great need -- but only the one *you* started with.

Equally curious, I thought, is how you seem to meet the same character when you first arrive on... the First. He seemingly suffers a terrible fate, but it seemed like more than just a simple "callback".

In my mind, it sort of felt like perhaps those brothers might serve some greater role? We do know that all three brothers exist, given they show up in the Waking Sands are various points (and I believe all three are present when you first beat ARR's MSQ?), so perhaps not something as simple as "some omnipotent character in disguise".

But I guess to me, part of it reminds me of "the Old Man" from Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest. A mysterious character who helps guide you, but in that game, reveals himself to actually have been the physical form of the Crystal of Light.

It feels like their presence in the story is a somewhat unexplored mystery. The fact that they're all present at such important moments in your journey, yet are technically separate characters (instead of just being the same character, like Alphi and Allisae), seems quite odd.

I almost wonder if their seemingly humble nature(s) masks some potentially greater role? If they might be more aware of events than they let on, and serve to guide us only in those most crucial of moments? Perhaps they are truly brothers, or perhaps they are just manifestations of a singular being?

Who knows!

But I think there's something kind of fun about speculating, if they did indeed have a greater role in the story, what that might be.