1. Mana was trying to resist becoming the Earl.
Mana 35 years ago was just like Allen is right now: struggling to keep the Noah memory *away* and stay a regular human. Nea's known behaviour, and Mana's
guilty conscience suggest he didn't want to let this happen.
2. Nea & Mana went on the run (probably after Earl killed their mother).
Nea and Mana tried to run away from the other Noah clan members, but as we've been seeing with Allen, it's impossible for a Noah to hide from the other Noah... so
Nea had to fight to protect Mana. Unfortunately, despite all that, the Earl gained enough control to finally kill Nea.
3. Mana/Earl went insane from killing his brother.
Obviously Mana came back after Nea died, but remember what Cross said? Mana was never the same after his brother died and had probably gone insane. Could it be that Mana lost control, let the Earl kill his (mother and) brother, and is so wracked with
guilt (Allen's hallucination of Mana from Nea's memory in 212: "Do you hate me?" AND 218; Earl hallucinates Mana saying "Nea... I am sorry, Nea..."). What did we just see in 218? The Earl is insane! What did we see in 187 (and then again at least one more time during the NA Incident)? The Earl has a fond memory of, and feelings for, Nea that
resemble feelings Mana would have about his younger brother. (The Earl even *calls* the 14th his brother at at least one point-- I personally think that's out of his *confusion* rather than it having to do with them both being Noahs.) *Looks* like Hoshino could be giving signs that Mana is still fighting back from deep within the Earl's mind. Either that or the Earl's psyche is really messed up.
See both here:
"But it's a secret," she says before disappearing. So
what's the secret? Maybe it's something to do with the 14th-- whom she told Wisely to shut up about in 187, because it's a "private matter." :>
It could also be what Road and the Earl are talking about where they first appear in 188:
Now check out what
the Earl says just two pages later:
"I as the Millennium Earl can't stop..." and "I can't allow myself to stop, no matter what." <3
Hmmm... Sound familiar?
As Road said in 205,
Nea's *last words* and they were
for *Mana.*
As a matter of fact, compare the following:
Earl in chapter 188 (above):
「何があろうと立ち止まることは許されない」 (No matter what, I can't allow myself to stand still.)
Mana's words to Allen: 「立ち止まるな、歩き続けろ。」 (Don't stand still. Always keep walking.)
**Note the usual intransitive verb for "stop" in Japanese is "tomaru" (止まる). The verb Hoshino uses in both cases here is "tachitomaru," which combines "tatsu" (立つ) for "to stand" and "tomaru" to make a more specific term than just "stopping."
Also, compare how the Earl (talking to doll-form Road above) looks without his costume to Cross' memory of Mana w/o clown makeup (from 206). Middle right panel...
4. Nea's promise to Mana was about what he'd do if/when Mana "dies."
In 215, Nea says he'll keep his promise to Mana. So maybe Nea promised that if Mana became the (evil) Earl for good, he would
kill him (like Kanda intends to do if Allen "permanently" becomes Nea, though we know that won't likely happen) and become the new Earl (which Nea says he's going to do in 188 I believe, or around there).
5. Memory Loss for both Allen (but not Nea) and Mana/Earl.
Until now, the Earl's (Mana's) mind has just been too *scrambled* to remember things clearly, much like Allen's too scrambled to remember 35 years ago, much to the 14th's evident chagrin in 215. I think the Earl/Mana has been experiencing psychological trauma. (Ch 187's flashback of Nea, and the Earl getting upset over his "brother" at the NA incident, give me that strong impression, personally.)
