《Re:Freeze - [Progression Isekai]》


 001: Abberation

    He was in free fall. The metal had torn with a squelch and he had fallen off the side of the building. Why did things have to end like this? He could only ask himself that question as he fell, the eager growls of the creature below him grew ever louder as he neared its bloodthirsty claws. He had tried so hard to live but it seemed this was the end¡­


    ***


    Maxwell took a deep breath and clasped the door handle. It was nothing he hadn¡¯t done before. He was just overthinking things. Despite those thoughts Maxwell couldn¡¯t help but feel a pit in his stomach. He turned the metal handle, his hand now slightly sweaty and opened the door to the classroom.


    Maxwell''s eyes widened and he immediately moved away from the door. A humanoid shape flew out of the classroom. Maxwell got a glimpse of a scared face, tumbling hair and a bloody nose.


    ¡°Was that a person?¡± said Maxwell


    Laughter emanated from the room. He could clearly hear scuffling chairs, screams, the sound of things hitting the floor, the sound of fabric ripping?


    He gingerly walked in.


    Maxwell stared in confusion. He swept aside his dark bangs for a moment as if the sight was due to something blocking his vision. That wasn¡¯t how he imagined his first day at a new school would be. Who knew he would transfer to a weirder school than the one he had gone to before.


    In the front of the classroom. A boy with light blonde hair was fighting off three guys. He wore a white shirt and black sweater.


    ¡°Beat him to a pulp!¡± shouted someone. Maxwell looked to see where the voice had come from. In the back of the class students had built a small island of desk and on top of that a boy was laughing his ass off. He wore a red plaid jacket and whenever he laughed he would rear his head back causing his gold-chain earrings to rattle with each breath.


    One of the boys threw a punch at the blonde haired boy but it was swiftly dodged. The momentum from the punch was used to flip the boy over the blonde haired boy¡¯s shoulder. He punched the second guy square in the jaw and used the same arm to elbow the third guy in the throat in one fluid motion.


    ¡°I warned you,¡± said the boy calmly to the collapsed people.


    Maxwell spotted an open seat right near the entrance. He walked over to it.


    ¡°Is this seat free?¡± he asked the boy sitting next to it. The boy jerked his head up to meet Maxwell¡¯s eyes before looking back down at his desk and nodding shakily. He hadn¡¯t said anything but Maxwell took the gesture as a no. Maxwell sat down quietly. He suspected the boy was another victim of the blonde haired boy. The boy¡¯s eyes had been wide open in fear when he looked at Maxwell. It was then Maxwell had gotten a good look at the boy¡¯s face. He had a split lip, swollen eye and a smattering of bruises on his face. How did things get this bad? This shouldn¡¯t be happening at a school. Someone should have stopped this long ago. Where was the teacher?


    ¡°Jack, I told you to stop already!¡± shouted the blonde boy at the laughing boy. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game,¡± shouted the blonde boy.


    ¡°Why are you getting all violent, we were just having fun,¡± said Jack.


    The blonde boy rushed him jumping onto the desks. He punched Jack on top of the desks. Repeatedly.


    The girls screamed when they saw his fists come away red.


    Excuse me,¡± heard Maxwell from behind him. He turned facing a man in a dress shirt holding a cup of coffee. He had a marker behind his ear. Maxwell saw his eyes look over Maxwell''s shoulder.


    The teacher¡¯s eyes widened in horror. He ran forward.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing Colin!¡± he shouted, grabbing Colin by the shoulders. He pulled him off of Jack.


    ¡°Go straight to the principal¡¯s office right now!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°But teacher, he was the one who-¡±


    ¡°No buts!¡± said the teacher. His face a deep red. ¡°This serves as proper rights for expulsion!¡±


    ¡°Just because he¡¯s the principal¡¯s grandson-¡±


    ¡°I said go!¡± shouted the teacher pointing at the door.


    Colin stormed out and slammed the door behind him.


    ¡°Is he finally going to get expelled,¡± whispered some students.


    ¡°Somebody please call the nurse, it¡¯s better we don¡¯t move them, god knows what damage has been done to them,¡±


    ¡°I can do it, Mr Thompson¡± said a girl. She wore a light blue skirt, had auburn hair that flowed to her waist.


    ¡°Thank you Mary,¡± said Mr Thompson.¡± I¡¯m glad I can rely on you.¡±


    Maxwell raised his hand slowly.


    ¡°Um, Mr Thompson,¡± he said awkwardly. . The teacher stared blankly back at him before his mouth opened in an oh-shape.The teacher straightened up.


    ¡°Listen up everyone!¡± he said in a loud voice. ¡° We have a transfer student, joining us today his name is ¡­¡± the teacher trailed off.


    ¡°Maxwell,¡± chimed Maxwell in.


    ¡°...Maxwell!¡± finished the teacher. ¡° Give him a warm welcome, he¡¯s arriving in the middle of the year but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll catch up just fine, fun fact about Maxwell everyone, he got in due to his top notch grades!¡±


    The classroom was dead silent except for the groans of the labored breathing of Jack.


    ¡°A round of applause for Maxwell!¡± encouraged Mr Thompson


    A slow wave of claps echoed in the room. It reminded Maxwell of those times in kindergarten when everyone would have show-and-tell and bring an object from home. He never had anything interesting to bring and when he was done there would be an awkward pause before the teacher urged everyone to clap.


    Surprisingly the rest of the lesson was peaceful and fairly normal. He¡¯d never been one much interested in school but just did the work his teachers told him to do. Classmates often complained of not having enough time, but that was something Maxwell had never understood. It was simply a matter of time management, if one was consistent enough and did a couple hours a day of work it¡¯s practically impossible to be behind. That¡¯s how he had maintained excellent grades. Although to be fair, Maxwell didn¡¯t exactly have a lot of friends to spend his time on otherwise.


    After the lesson was over he went off to the bathroom. He first checked the floor plan by the stairs for were the bathrooms were located.


    He was currently on the third floor. As soon as class had ended the students had flooded out of the classroom heading for the bathroom on the same floor. He looked closer at the floor-plan. There was a small bathroom on the fourth floor. The sign marking it was faded, practically non-existent but it was there.


    He hurried up the stairs to the hidden bathroom so as no one else were to take it. If the scale was accurate it would be about half the size of the bathroom on the third floor. To his surprise when he opened the door, Colin the blonde haired floor was dabbing away at his face with a wet hand. Colin glanced at Maxwell.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, the transfer student,¡± said Colin.


    ¡°yea, ¡° said Maxwell, ¡°How do you even know that you weren¡¯t in class?¡±


    Colin shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re the only new face in a while, not many people transfer to this dump, my name¡¯s Colin by the way.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense, said Maxwell, nodding. This person seemed so different from the violent angry person he was introduced to. It seemed like the person in front of him was an entirely different person from the one that had beaten up four people, practically reconstructing that Jack guy¡¯s face. The only thing that gave it away were the bruises on his face and his scratched knuckles where the skin had come off due to his punching. That doesn¡¯t seem like someone that would beat up people for no reason. Maxwell thought back to the beaten up boy he had sat next to. The pieces clicked in his head. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t the bully, you were standing up for someone,¡± said Maxwell.


    ¡°Huh,¡± said Colin.


    ¡°You were beating up those guys because they were bullying someone else,¡± said Maxwell. ¡°Why would you do that, you¡¯re not doing yourself any favors,¡± said Maxwell.


    ¡°I mean look at how beat up you are,¡± said Maxwell gesturing to his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like bullying,¡± said Colin simply


    ¡°That¡¯s it, you just don¡¯t like bullying?¡± Maxwell said, confused. Did he not understand how things worked, nothing good will come from involving yourself with others.


    Colin remained silent.


    Maxwell sighed. ¡°But even though you were trying to do right, you went to far, you didn¡¯t have to beat them up that badly, ¡°


    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to apologize to them afterwards, I tend to go overboard sometimes,¡±


    Maxwell scanned Colin¡¯s face but couldn¡¯t find any signs of insincerity.


    Maxwell smiled bitter-sweetly in defeat before extending a hand.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Maxwell,¡± He said. Colin shook it with his wet hand. ¡°Pleasure to meet you Maxwell.¡±


    Maxwell winced as the water coated his hand.


    ¡°Did you have to use your watery hand,¡± said Maxwell.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t think about that,¡± said Colin sheepishly.


    ¡°I swear to god,¡± muttered Maxwell under his breath. Whether it was selflessness or stupidity Maxwell wasn¡¯t entirely sure. He couldn¡¯t bear to be suspicious of someone so earnestly trying to do good.


    Colin turned back to the mirror, touching a cut on his face. Maxwell watched him for a moment before walking over and grabbing paper towels.


    ¡°Try using paper towels, you¡¯ll be able to soak your skin more,¡± he began. ¡° You¡¯re also probably better off using soap instead of hand sanitizer, it¡¯s too harsh for your skin¡­¡±


    That was Maxwell¡¯s fateful first interaction with Colin and the start of a blooming friendship.


    ***


    A figure walked down the riverbank. To the side of him past the grass flowed the Rion river. It¡¯s water lapped at the sides of the canal as it flowed lazily beside the boy. The boy seemed lost in thought, his eyes were downcast and unblinking. His school bag was slung over his shoulder using one hand to keep it in place.


    Unaware to the boy, someone was creeping up behind him. familiar blonde hair waved in the wind. The boy walking behind grinned before pouncing.


    ¡°Boo!¡± he said, tackling him to the ground. They rolled down the hill and landed in a heap by the riverside,


    Maxwell laughed. ¡°I swear to god Colin!¡± he said grinning. They both got to their feet.


    Maxwell dropped his bag to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll get you this time,¡± he said.


    ¡°Alright, show me somethin!¡± said Colin, raising his hands.


    ¡°You sure about that, I¡¯ve been working on that kick you showed me,¡± said Maxwell. He dashed forward a couple steps before pivoting on his rear foot and striking at Colin¡¯s outstretched hand. His foot landed in Colin¡¯s palm with a solid thud.


    ¡°Not bad, but you have a long way to go,¡± said Colin. Maxwell felt the grip tighten around his foot.


    ¡°Hey, let go!¡± said Maxwell.


    ¡°For example, that balance¡­¡± Colin swiped Maxwell''s foot from under him.


    ¡°Just be glad i¡¯m not putting you in a headlock again,¡± said Colin


    Ever since that first incident two years ago Maxwell and Colin had become close friends. Colin had a poor reputation but as Maxwell got to know him he was amazed at how ridiculously kind of a person Colin was. The issue was he wasn¡¯t good at expressing himself and tended to use his fists twice as much as he talked. There had been an incident one time where Colin had greeted Maxwell with a Tibetan Mastiff. Maxwell found out later from Ms Turner that Colin had spent hours looking for it just because he had found a missing poster.


    ¡°OK, you win,¡± said Maxwell ¡±Can you please help me up,¡± he said raising his hand to Colin. Colin bent down and took it. Maxwell started to rise.


    ¡°Did that take your mind-¡± Before Colin could finish Maxwell leaned back taking both him and Colin back to the ground.


    ¡°I win!¡± exclaimed Maxwell.


    ¡°As if,¡± said Colin. ¡°What idiot takes themselves down along with the enemy,¡±


    ¡°A win¡¯s a win,¡± said Maxwell. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the details, I got you to the ground, that''s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, you¡¯re awfully competitive for someone who always loses¡± said Colin putting his hands behind his head and lying down. ¡°The strong don¡¯t have to try and convince the weak of how strong they are,¡± he said.


    ¡°THe strong don¡¯t have to conviNce the Weak of hoW strong they Are,¡± said Maxwell mockingly. ¡° Did you watch that in a tv show?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± said Colin, ¡°It sounds cool, you have to admit that.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Maxwell got up and helped Colin to his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before our clothes become even more wet.¡±


    ¡°You can wash up at my place,¡± said Colin.


    ¡°Appreciate it,¡± said Maxwell. ¡°And not just for being able to wash up at your place, you took my mind off worrying about finals, I¡¯ve been stressing about them for more than I meant too, you know how I am about these things,¡± said Maxwell.


    Even though Maxwell¡¯s mind hadn¡¯t forgotten his stresses but for a moment, it was more than welcome relief.


    ¡°Anytime,¡± said Colin, ¡° I¡¯m just looking out for you, my grades aren¡¯t good enough to help you study, so I¡¯m just doing what I can, although this is also fun for me.¡±


    Maxwell found himself once more admiring how good of a person and friend Colin was.


    After walking back to Colin¡¯s place, Maxwell took a quick shower before beginning to head back. He stopped at the door to tie his shoelaces, wiping a droplet of water from his face. He got to his feet with a groan that made it seem he was a fifty year old man with a family of four and 30 years of coal-mining experience.


    ¡°See you tomorrow,¡± he shouted behind him.


    ¡°See you then!¡± he heard Colin cry out, his voice muffled through several layers of walls


    ¡±You¡¯re not staying for dinner?¡± said a woman wearing an apron and wearing a worried smile. The same light blonde hair of Colin¡¯s flowed down her head.


    He smiled sadly ¡°Thank you for the offer Ms Turner but it¡¯s getting late and my dad will worry.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for being friends with Colin,¡± she said abruptly. ¡°I know he doesn¡¯t have many friends at school.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean Ms Turner?¡± said Maxwell, confused. ¡°I¡¯m friends with him because I want to, if anything I¡¯m grateful to have him as my friend.¡±


    With those final words he left, closing the door shut behind him.


    He walked down the street toward the train station. Crickets chirped in the bushes. The sky rumbled like the low growl of a lion. Maxwell looked up. Dark swirling clouds were forming and blocking out the already grey evening sky. A cold breeze washed over Maxwell¡¯s body sending a chill through him that made him shiver.


    He made it to the train station and rode three stops as he always did. At this time it was past rush hour which meant he had a clear view of the rain starting to pour down against the windows.


    Maxwell yawned. He still had an English assignment due tomorrow, he had about 30 pages of ¡°The Historian¡± left to read. The rain was really starting to pour now, fat beads of water hit against the thick glass windows like pellets from an air-soft gun.


    Once arriving at his stop he headed straight for his home. The buildings were much more tightly packed here compared to where Colin lived and were several times taller than a regular house. They had been built several decades ago for cheap housing, and had stayed that way ever since. Maxwell walked fast facing the ground to avoid being battered with water droplets the size of marbles.


    A high-pitched bone-chilling scream penetrated the air. Despite the noise of the rain the raw scream rang out clearly. The sound echoed through the tightly packed apartments. Before disappearing just as fast as it had appeared fading into the backdrop. Leaving him once more with the overbearing sound of rain. A shiver ran down his spine this time unrelated to the cold rain that soaked his body.


    What the hell was that? Was someone just watching a horror movie a bit too loud? Perhaps it was the mating call of an exotic bird? A million and one thoughts ran through Maxwell¡¯s mind. What was he supposed to do?


    He knew what Colin would do.


    ¡°Help me, please!¡± shouted the voice.


    ¡°In that split millisecond Maxwell made a decision. Crap crap crap!¡± Swore Maxwell to himself. He nearly tripped over his own feet before turning and running full pelt in the direction of the cry.


    He wasn¡¯t some sort of hero, why was he doing this? He could just turn around and run back. His thoughts rattled around in his brain. They were as numerous as the rain droplets that pelted him with each passing second. He didn¡¯t know if what he was doing was right or safe but he didn¡¯t have time to think.


    Maxwell followed the frantic cries. He ran down the street turning in sharply at the building corner, heading in between more apartment complexes. He rounded the corner, coming face to face with two people. In the far edge backed into a corner was a frightened woman, clutching her purse. Her eyes darted in Maxwell¡¯s direction at the sight of him, her eyes were wide and full of distress. Tears ran down her face, mingling with the rain. Towering over her was a large figure with a beige hooded cloak that obscured their body.


    He frantically reached into his pocket, scrambling around until his fingers wrapped around the familiar object of his phone. Who do I call? His breathing was fast and shallow. What do I do!?


    ¡­


    The rain was starting to soak into Maxwell¡¯s hair. He peeked over the edge of the brick wall at the monster. When is he going to get here? The adrenaline was making him so nervous his knees wouldn¡¯t stop shaking.


    The figure walked closer to the woman. She shrieked and held up her arms to protect her face. The person leaped forward rearing its head back and its jaws wide open. Maxwell got a glimpse of teeth way longer than a human¡¯s should be.


    Those veracious jaws wrapped around her pale arm. Blood ran down her arms and a terrible scream escaped her mouth. With a violent twist the arm came off at the elbow. Maxwell¡¯s blood ran cold. He felt nauseous to his core. His knees threatened to buckle under him. What the hell was happening! Mustering the last of his courage he stepped forward. He took a deep breath.


    ¡°Get a-¡±


    ¡°Get away from her!¡± shouted a voice. Maxwell¡¯s head snapped to the side. Colin! He was standing next to Maxwell. He was breathing heavily but he had a fierce look in his eyes.


    The defined muscles of the hulking figure rippled through its clothes. The figure turned around and snarled. Teeth jutted out from its furry face. Its red eyes burned with fury.


    A deep primal fear coursed through Maxwell¡¯s body. It shook him so violently his knees nearly buckled from under him. His body was screaming at him to run away, begging him to retreat. This creature whatever the heck it was, sure as hell wasn¡¯t human.

 002: Its Better Atleast One of Us Lives...

    The creature lowered itself onto its haunches and snarled its back to the woman. It wasn¡¯t hard to understand what it was conveying.


    Keep away from my prey.


    The woman behind it whimpered. Maxwell gulped. Was it going to attack him? Was there a chance that he could live? Maybe if he ran away¡­ Maxwell shook his head, as if he would do that.Maxwell jerked his neck to Colin.


    ¡°What do we-¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence Colin rushed forward. Maxwell felt a pang in his chest at the sight. There had been no hesitation in Colin¡¯s actions.


    Colin bent down sideways midstep and scooped up a rock. He lugged it at the creature.


    ¡°Quick get her to safety!¡± he shouted at Maxwell.


    Damn, how can you be so brave? Wondered Maxwell. He gulped before clenching his fists. I need to have courage!


    ¡°Ok!¡± shouted Maxwell using the last of his courage to dart toward her. While Colin goaded the creature Maxwell was able to get to her side.


    She was clutching her bitten arm. Maxwell tried his best not to look at the white bone that protruded from the gruesome wound.


    Maxwell scanned her body his eyes landed on her purse.


    ¡°Use your purse as a tourniquet,¡± he said frantically. ¡°We¡¯ll tie it around.¡±


    The woman nodded silently.


    I need to act rationally, I can¡¯t panic. He reassured himself. First I need to prioritise the injured.


    He grabbed the purse with shaky hands and looped it around the stump of her arm.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked her. ¡° Cindy,¡± she said. The fear was evident in her voice.


    He was hoping that talking would help calm him down as well but it wasn¡¯t working there was too little time. He tried repeatedly tying the strap of the purse around her arm but it would come loose and flap helplessly as soon as he let go.


    ¡°Shit!¡± he muttered.


    He heard a groan.


    Colin!


    ¡°We need to go!¡± he shouted at her, he glanced quickly at Colin before freezing. His blood ran cold.


    Colin¡¯s head was securely lodged between the jaws of the creature. Colin desperately thrashed around. Blood ran out of his nose, his eyes were bloodshot.


    Colin locked eyes with Maxwell. Colin was able to let out a feeble cry.


    ¡°Help¡­me¡­¡±


    The creature¡¯s eyes burned into Maxwell. They stared into his soul.


    Every hair on Maxwell¡¯s body stood on end. Time seemed to stop. He felt his heart palpitate in his chest and his breather grew even faster. He felt a stream of warmth run down his leg. There was only one thought in Maxwell¡¯s mind.


    I¡¯m going to die. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Get away from me!¡± Maxwell shouted, pushing the woman to the ground. He turned tail and ran. His feet pounded the ground. The alleyways were half-obscured by darkness and the rain pelting down made it even harder to see. The creature was practically breathing down his neck. Maxwell glanced behind him for a second to see it galloping after him on all fours.


    He crossed the corner only to run straight into a pile of trash cans banging his shins hard into them. The trashbags within exploded assaulting his senses with an assortment of rotten foods.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this!¡± he shouted. Stomping through the trash. He grabbed the lid of one of the trash cans and swung it behind him. It nailed the beast straight in the nose. It gave a yelp that sounded surprisingly human and stumbled back. Maxwell flicked off a rotten banana-peel that had stuck itself to his shoulder without stopping. He¡¯d bought himself some time.


    He continued running only to see a giant metal gate approaching him at the end of the street. There were no other roads or openings in the walls he could take. He increased his speed, dashing straight for the gate. He jumped reaching for the top with outstretched hands. His body whammed against the metal bars knocking the air out from his lungs. His fingers tried to grip the cold steel but the rain made it impossible to do so. He instantly slid down landing in a puddle at the base of the gate.


    His heart beat furiously in his chest. His breaths were shallow and fast. He tried taking a deep breath but it wasn¡¯t working. His body had completely gone into fight or flight mode.


    I need to calm down, I¡¯m not getting enough air!


    The beast would arrive there at any moment. He looked desperately around him for a way to escape.


    There! He caught sight of a rusted ladder attached to the wall. He had ran past it on his way to the gate and must not have seen it. He ran to it before quickly scrambling up. It creaked under his weight and the rusted edges of the rungs dug into his skin. Maxwell reached for rung after rung, his heart thumping in his ears. Blood dripped from his palms but he didn¡¯t even feel it.


    The ladder shook violently in his grip. His foot slipped leaving him hanging with just his arms. if Maxwell hadn¡¯t been holding on with both hands he would have surely fallen to his death. The vicious roar below him alerted him to the cause of the shaking. The roof was only a couple of arm lengths away.


    I need to get help, I need to call the police or something! He reached into his pocket, groping for his phone. He dialled in the three numbers. The screws that bolted the ladder to the wall screamed in protest.


    He got one hand on the stone ledge and gripped it firmly. His phone was firmly squeezed between his ear and shoulder. He willed with all his might for someone to pick up, but it would probably take a few seconds. He reached for the ledge with his other hand. He lifted his leg for the next rung. The screws gave one final scream of protest which was followed by the squeal of bending metal. The ladder tore completely from the wall. Maxwell¡¯s other hand only just grazed the ledge ever so gingerly before he was sent into freefall. The ledge grew further away. Maxwell hurtled down toward the ground. There was no coming back from this, he would die then and there. They say your life flashes before your eyes when you¡¯re about to die, I guess that¡¯s true. thought Maxwell in his final moment of curiosity.


    This is unfair, I was so close.


    The phone fell next to him still dialling. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.


    I tried so hard to survive.


    Tears welled in his eyes, flowing upwards from his face.


    The pendant floated up coming into view with his eyes.


    I¡¯m sorry mom, I¡¯m sorry dad. I¡¯m sorry Colin.


    The impact against the ground didn¡¯t feel painful, it might have been gentle even. He heard the creature stir in the background. It snarled. He felt its hot breath on his neck.


    It latched to his neck, its fangs sunk deep into him. The creature¡¯s putrid breath blew against his face. There was no pain, instead a tingling emptiness emanated from the wound. The creature growled as it lapped up his blood. His life was literally trickling away as blood ran down his neck. No matter how hard he willed his body to move he wouldn¡¯t budge, his body had become impossibly heavy.


    He caught a glimpse of the sky. A bright star shone down. It¡¯s light so yellow it was golden. How had he never noticed that star before? Its luster dazzled his eyes. It¡¯s light fragmented in his vision as it blurred. It hung in the sky so far, far away. Did it ever get lonely in the night sky?


    Maxwell¡¯s eyes glazed over. That¡¯s not good He thought. His mind was beginning to wander off. As he drifted off he couldn''t help but wonder if the woman the monster had cornered would survive. I hope she got away. He thought. Tears trickled from his eyes.


    Why do things have to end here? I don¡¯t want to die, there¡¯s so much more that I want to do!


    A deep voice resonated through him.


    Do you want to live?


    Yes! Shouted Maxwell with all his heart

 003: The Afterlife Seems Kind of... Rundown?

    <div>


    irst of all don¡¯t panic but as you probably guessed, you¡¯re dead¡± said an elderly man seated in front of Maxwell. His beard went down to his chest.


    Maxwell blinked back tears.


    ¡°Wha-¡± Maxwell paused looking around himself in bewilderment.


    ¡°Where am - ¡± In that moment he remembered that seconds ago he had been bleeding profusely out of his neck. He felt at his throat for the gash marks but there was no gaping wound, not even a trace of a wound. His fingers only brushed against the chains of his pendant. He was in a white room, perhaps a room was the wrong word. It was a white void that stretched as far as he could see. It was hard to tell since there was no variation or shadows in the whiteness.


    ¡°Start by calming down, perhaps have some tea¡± said the bearded man sliding a teacup towards him. Maxwell simply scowled at him.


    ¡°Where the hell am I!¡± He shouted. He grabbed onto the sides of the table. If this god had been the one that sent that creature there would be hell to pay!


    The man sighed. ¡°Why do I keep on expecting that to work?¡± he muttered quietly.¡±I should really lead with something else.¡±


    He attempted to rise but strong invisible hands kept him in his seat. He tried to shake them off but they held him firmly down.


    ¡°Now, now, why don¡¯t you behave,¡± said the god in a bored tone.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me that sent that creature,¡± he said. ¡°Frankly we¡¯re not quite sure how it even made it to your world in the first place.¡± His next words he said with a sheepish expression.


    ¡°But I must admit under normal circumstances that would have never happened, the interdimensional barriers would never normally be that weak. It might be a couple thousand years overdue since it¡¯s last checkup but that¡¯s really not saying much,¡± said the god.


    ¡°I am dead!¡± shouted Maxwell. ¡°You caused the death of at least two people!¡±


    The god raised his hands. ¡°Whoa, no need to be so offended, I have feelings too you know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn!¡±


    ¡°Just have some tea and calm down,¡± said the elder at Maxwell¡¯s defiant expression. ¡°I¡¯ll answer whatever questions you have afterwards.¡±


    Maxwell grunted before slowly reaching for the cup. It was warm in his hand. He brought it to his lips and took a sip. It didn¡¯t have any particular taste but warmth filled his body soaking all the way to his bones.


    ¡°See, it¡¯s pretty good isn¡¯t it,¡± said the man.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Asked Maxwell having cooled down a little.


    ¡°I am what you most likely know as a god, god of air to be exact, as gentle as the wind and free from all worldly tethers and desires¡± said the man matter of factly.


    ¡°Why should I believe you? What is this place? What was that monster?¡± said Maxwell without hesitation.


    ¡°Now, now aren¡¯t you full of questions,¡± said the man


    ¡°I was just killed by some sort of supernatural creature and am in heaven,¡± said Maxwell. ¡°Of course I have questions.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± said the man reluctantly.


    ¡°First of all there is one thing I must make clear this isn¡¯t heaven,¡± corrected the man.


    ¡°What is this place then,¡± said Maxwell gesturing to the ethereal surroundings.


    The man snapped his fingers.


    Wind raked at his clothes and large grey masses zoomed past them. Clouds, they¡¯re clouds! Maxwell realised in surprise. They were in the sky. He held up an arm against the fierce winds. Maxwell peered upwards. In the distance above Maxwell¡¯s head was a bright golden star. the light seemed to grow in luminosity as if it were getting closer to them or they closer to it.


    The surroundings turned to normal as fast as they had changed, although normal was hardly the right word.


    ¡°We¡¯re in somewhat of an in-between place right now, mortal bodies are much too frail to even think of withstanding the environment there,¡± Continued the man.


    ¡°Are we in the sky?¡± asked Maxwell.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but not the sky you¡¯re familiar with,¡± he said. ¡°My apologies if the wind was too strong, I thought it would be faster to show you that way,¡± he said.


    ¡°Earlier you mentioned we?¡± asked Maxwell. ¡°Are there other gods?¡±


    ¡°Additionally your death was not meant to be, that abomination that attacked you crossed over from another world. It is still a mystery as to how it was able to do so.¡± The god went on without answering his question


    ¡°If you¡¯re gonna apologise I''d rather you send me back!¡± said Maxwell crossing his arms.


    ¡°Unfortunately we can¡¯t do that,¡± said the god calmly. Your untimely death and strong desires have put you in a unique circumstance where we are willing to make you an offer.¡± said the god.


    What could this offer be? wondered Maxwell. There was little he could imagine would make up for the loss of his life. His life hadn¡¯t been perfect but he had enjoyed it so very much. Goofing off with Colin, the kind Ms Turner and what was all that time spent studying for? He would never be able to reap the rewards from those long hours in the night chipping away at those textbooks.


    ¡°This is the proposal,¡± said the god. ¡°As compensation you¡¯ll have to be relocated to another world very different from your own. It is a world of swords and magic there is nothing for you to worry about, we do regular checkups. You will be the first-born son of a prestigious noble family. You won¡¯t have to worry about money or hardships or any worries that you may have experienced so far.¡± said the god.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Is there any other option?¡± Maxwell asked.


    ¡°There is no area for negotiation,¡± said the god. ¡°If you refuse you will remain dead, whether you enter heaven or not certain.¡±


    They sat there in silence for a while.


    I say our proposal is quite generous if I do say so myself,¡± said the god. ¡°Especially considering you left your friend to die.¡±


    Maxwell froze. ¡°No I didn¡¯t,¡± he shouted. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice!¡±


    ¡°Sensitive topic, ¡° smirked the god.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t abandon him,¡± he said in a small voice. The table in front of him blurred. A tear rolled down his cheek.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Maxwell said. He wiped it away with the palm of his hand. Another one took its place at once. ¡°Why Am I crying, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong?¡± he said.


    He heard a crash to his right. A medium-sized black metal object had fallen. THe light coming out between the flaps of its end fizzled out and died.


    Maxwell¡¯s eyes scrunched up in confusion.


    ¡°Is that a stagelight?¡± he asked blinking back tears.


    ¡°Huh, oh that,¡± The god hurriedly flicked his hand. The stagelight disappeared in a haze as if it was never there.


    ¡°Why do you have stage lights?¡± asked Maxwell, puzzled.


    ¡°The electricity bill can get quite high,¡± he explained.


    ¡°What electricity bill,¡± asked max flabbergasted. ¡°You¡¯re a god, why do you need to pay electricity bills!¡±


    ¡°What does it matter to you, I don¡¯t need some mortal to be prodding into my financial situation, you people think it¡¯s so easy being a god,¡± the god ranted.


    Maxwell facepalmed. ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯m done. You¡¯re giving me a headache,¡± he groaned.


    ¡°I accept the proposal,¡± said Maxwell resolutely.


    Spherical Light particles danced on his skin.


    ¡°It seems our time is up,¡± remarked the god.


    The light particles were now gently overwhelming his vision, merging with his senses.


    ¡°As one final sign of my goodwill, I¡¯ll throw in a divine blessing to protect you and guarantee good fortune upon your life¡± The god¡¯s voice became increasingly faint as if he were getting farther away.


    A jolt went through his body.


    ¡°By the time you come too, expect nothing but a life of joy and ....¡±


    Maxwell disappeared in a flash of white and yellow.


    ¡°... Luxury.¡± finished the god. The god waited a moment before leaning back and sighing.


    ¡°Same mortal different day,¡± he said to the ether.


    He stared up at the white heavens, his majestic beard ruffling at the movement. He pulled out a cigar from his divine robs. He held it between his two fingers and lit it with a wooden, gold encrusted lighter. An ornamental lizard with dazzling ruby eyes was embedded one one side of it. Half of its length burned through and turned to ash. He then puffed out a lazy cloud. He turned to the side.


    ¡°That mortal is one piece of work, he¡¯s got at least a couple screw loose right,¡± he said. He paused for a moment before chuckling. He took another hit of his cigar. It blowed brightly before disintegrating in his hands. He pulled out another cigar from his robes.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting too old for this shit.¡±


    <h5>***</h5>


    A gentle breeze washed over Maxwell¡¯s face. Maxwell dragged his eyes open. His mind was foggy like he¡¯d been in a very deep sleep. He was lying down on what felt like clouds. He lazily sat up before stretching his arms into the air and tensing from head to foot before relaxing with a yawn. He felt surprisingly refreshed. Maxwell looked around. He was in a large bed in an even larger room. Silken white and red sheets swaddled him. He could tell at a glance that they were of exceedingly high quality. The linen was incredibly soft and its glossiness was unlike anything he¡¯d ever seen before. The bed was so soft, it felt as if he were atop a cloud. He felt the gentle breeze again. It was coming from an open window to his left. He walked to it and stared out. It opened up into a neatly managed garden below. A water fountain in the center shot streams of water in the air before splashing downwards in a fantastic display. Maxwell whistled at the sight.


    So far the god didn¡¯t seem to be lying.


    He instinctively scratched at his throat.


    The room had lavish furniture, closets and a dressing table with a large mirror on it. A grandfather clock ticked to the side of the bed. A grated fireplace was built into the wall opposite his bed. The coals were blackened and charred.


    Maxwell paused for a moment. He had caught his reflection in the mirror but a brown-haired boy stared back at him. There was one main issue with that. He looked nothing like that. He rushed over to it and stared himself right in the eyes. Golden irises stared back at him. Under normal circumstances getting a new eye-colour would have made his day, previously having brown eyes he had liked to have a more unique eye-colour. Unfortunately considering it took his gruesome death and relocation to another world to cause that he wasn¡¯t quite as ecstatic as he would otherwise have been. His hair was also a chestnut brown now in contrast to the pitch-black hair he had before. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken he appeared to be a bit younger as well. There was a certain softness to his face he didn¡¯t have before. It couldn¡¯t have been more than a couple years so it wasn¡¯t much of a concern.


    This discovery did wake some concerning questions. Was this even his body, he assumed he would be reincarnated as a baby or perhaps his body would be the same. This face, this hair this body. He looked deeply into the golden eyes in the mirror. Who had these eyes originally belonged to?


    Knuckles rapped against the door.


    Who is that? Maxwell had no idea what to expect.


    ¡°Master Igari, are you awake?¡± said a voice. It was a young boy¡¯s voice. Other than that he had no idea who it was.


    ¡°I will be coming in, I was told by the master to check in on you,¡± said the voice.


    The door handle began to turn. With no time to think Maxwell rushed to it. He stopped it from being opened fully.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alright,¡± said Maxwell, giving a strained smile.


    ¡°Dinner is ready,¡± said the boy.


    ¡°I see,¡± said Maxwell, unsure of how to reply.


    ¡°You seem to be feeling unwell, shall I bring medicine to help you?¡± said the boy staring at him. ¡°Yesterday you excused yourself from dinner and went to bed, you said you had a headache.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯m all better now ,¡± said Maxwell.


    He followed the boy out of the room. It led to a long decorated hallway. The walls had the occasional sculpture of a stern figure and paintings of fancily clad people adorned the walls. He walked down it. His footsteps echoing across the patterned walls. Despite the very large interior he didn¡¯t see any other person. It seemed strange to have such a large house but so few people inside of it.


    Maxwell sat down at the table without making eye-contact with the parents. An older maid came out carrying platters of food.


    ¡°So Igari,¡± said the man. He had a mustache and piercing eyes. ¡°When are you planning on getting married?¡±


    Maxwell nearly spat out his drink. Of all the things he had been predicting this was definitely not one of them.


    ¡°What do you mean,¡± said Maxwell weakly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said the woman insistently.¡± By the time your father was your age he had already been engaged with me.¡±


    Quick Maxwell come up with an excuse! He urged himself. ¡°I want to focus on my studies for the time being, I must make myself as suitable as possible beforehand,¡± said Maxwell.


    The man nodded. ¡° That is a respectable endeavour, and I¡¯m sure you will surpass me greatly but make sure to not forget the other aspects of life.¡±


    Maxwell nodded and muttered something before quickly taking a mouthful of food to stop them from asking more questions.


    ¡°Speaking of which, you¡¯ll be joining them at the academy next term, then the entire Sheshire household will have gone there once again!¡± said the man


    ¡°How splendid!¡± said the woman.


    ¡°Yeah, with my siblings that I don¡¯t have the faintest idea about,¡± muttered Maxwell.


    ¡°What was that?¡± said the woman.


    ¡°Nothing mother,¡± said Maxwell quickly. He prayed that he would never meet his siblings. If they knew him better than the parents did he would be screwed.


    Nah that won¡¯t happen.


    Maxwell took another mouthful of food, chewing happily.

 004: Help Im Being Repressed!

    Maxwell was adapting to his new life of aristocracy. The great halls, the large library, the open courtyard. Maybe this isn¡¯t so bad. He concluded.


    ¡°This way Master Ignard,¡± said Marco. Maxwell nodded. Marco had knocked on his door randomly saying there was a surprise he wanted to show him. There were boxes and sacks of flour piled against the wall. All manner of dried fruits hung from the ceiling. Wine bottles were neatly stacked against the far wall.


    ¡°So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?¡± asked Maxwell.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± said Marco.


    The door to the storeroom violently slammed shut. Maxwell jerked his head behind him at the noise.


    Standing in front of the closed door was a girl. She wore a simple blue dress in the same color as Marco¡¯s outfit. She had striking blue eyes and raven black hair. A bead of sweat went down his back. He had a bad feeling about this.


    I need to do what I can to diffuse the situation.


    Hey, you must be Amelia,¡± he said politely.


    The girl smiled in response. Normally when someone smiled at Maxwell he would find it soothing and if it was a girl he might even feel a flutter in his chest. Her smile made him feel uneasy. It¡¯s not that it was fake and didn¡¯t reach her eyes- it certainly did. It¡¯s that her eyes were staring at him menacingly.


    He he, I¡¯m in danger.


    The oil lantern that had been illuminating the room died with a hiss. The storeroom became enveloped in darkness.


    Maxwell¡¯s feet were kicked out from beneath him, sending him to the ground. Ropes bound his wrists and legs.


    "Help, I''m being repressed!¡± he shouted rearing his head but a hand pushed his face into the ground, shoving his words back into his mouth along with a mouthful off the wooden floor.


    He heard the flick of a matchstick and the glow of the flame. The room was lit up once more.


    He felt a foot on his back.


    ¡°Who the hell are you!¡± demanded Amelia and Marco in unison.


    ¡°You¡¯re certainly not Ignard!¡± spat Amelia. ¡°Some kind of demon?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know wha-¡±


    He was flipped over onto his back, in the same instant Marco held a knife to his throat.


    ¡°If you even think about uttering any falsehoods, be prepared to perish!¡± She pressed the blade into his neck. Maxwell couldn¡¯t help but gulp in fear. A single drop of blood rolled down the blade.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you make us stop,¡± said Amelia.


    ¡°What do you mean to make you, how exactly do you expect me to do that?¡± shouted Maxwell.¡±What¡¯s your problem!¡±


    Amelia scoffed.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not Ignard and now I know you¡¯re not a demon. A demon would have been able to read the flow of mana of our brands and command us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, that makes complete sense to me,¡± said Maxwell mockingly. Another jab to his rear silenced him.


    ¡°Ow, you can just say stop!¡± complained Maxwell. ¡°Communicate, please,¡± he begged. ¡°I¡¯m good at listening.¡±


    What am I doing? Wondered Maxwell. I should just be quiet and do what they say, why am I running my mouth?


    ¡°Here¡¯s the complete truth, I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on.. I was reincarnated - no not reincarnated. I had a past life and I ended up dying and now I¡¯m in this Ignard¡¯s body, I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on and -¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°You possessed Ignard¡¯s body, is he trapped inside there as well-¡± demanded Amelia.


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know!¡± He shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t know where he is, I don''t know what¡¯s going on. Less than a day ago my life was normal, then I was ripped to shreds by some sort of creature I met god or something and I¡¯m in a world completely different from my own. There¡¯s no internet or wifi, no movies, I¡¯m not used to not having my phone. I miss hamburgers and chocolate. My friend died too and it might be my fault! And¡­ and!¡± Maxwell didn¡¯t mean to rant but somehow it all had just come out. Before he knew it he was holding back tears.


    His abrupt pause left a silence in the room.


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve been through a lot,¡± said Amelia at last.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± pouted Maxwell.


    ¡°Well, we need to do something,¡± said Amelia moving on. We have several courses of action we could potentially take.¡± She raised a finger.


    ¡°One, we kill him and dispose of the body.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait up,¡± exclaimed Maxwell. ¡°Let¡¯s not go with that one,¡± he protested.


    ¡°It was just a potential option but do you have any inputs?¡± asked Amelia.


    ¡°I mean no not really¡­¡± he said but as the words left his mouth an idea popped into his head.


    ¡°A compromise- No Mutualism. We can mutually benefit each other, we can be allies,¡± said Maxwell hurriedly. He still wasn¡¯t sure exactly what he was trying to say but the more he talked the more it formulated itself. Come on brain work harder! He urged himself.


    ¡°If you spare me we can work together. You¡¯ll have an inside man.¡±


    ¡°Stop confusing us with your terminology, what¡¯s an inside man?¡± said Amelia.


    ¡°You guys don¡¯t want to be here right? I¡¯ve seen how they treat you.¡± He said. Maxwell felt the pressure on his rear lessen. ¡°I can help you gain freedom, nobody suspects that I am not Ignard. In return all I ask is that you help me from acting or doing anything out of character, I don¡¯t have any of his memories so I might do stuff he wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Marco turned to Amelia. ¡°He¡¯s got a point,¡± he said to Amelia.


    Amelia sighed and moved her foot from Maxwell¡¯s rear.


    ¡°If you even think of crossing us there¡¯ll be hell to pay,¡± she warned. Maxwell gave a sigh of relief. I knew I could always rely on my mouth to get me out of a tough spot.


    They untied him and dusted him off.


    ¡°There, all good,¡± reassured Amelia. ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    Maxwell massaged his shoulders. ¡°Actually -... I feel fine.¡± I would have thought that tousle would have left me feeling way worse.¡±


    Amelia nodded expectantly. ¡°That¡¯s for a reason. Unfortunately, it¡¯s important that I tell you this despite what detriment it may cause to us. We couldn''t hurt you even if we wanted to. She reached over her collar and pulled it down slightly. A black circle with wavy marks emanating from it was tattooed on its side. A black sun. he observed.


    ¡°This brand prevents us from actually harming someone of the Vanderbilt household.¡±


    ¡°Well why did it still damn hurt when you tied me up?¡± asked Maxwell.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because we¡¯re experts.¡± said Amelia winking.


    ¡°I¡¯m too afraid to ask,¡± said Maxwell.


    ¡°Anyways,¡± continued Amelia. ¡° We need you to at least know how to activate and dispel the violence pact. Additionally there¡¯s the command pact which allows you to command us forcefully.¡±


    ¡°What happens if you resist that?¡± asked Maxwell.


    ¡°It causes us great pain.¡±


    Maxwell smiled cheekily. ¡°How do you activate that one again?¡±


    Amelia smiled. This smile would have been quite nice if it hadn''t been for the fact that she was twirling a razor sharp blade between her fingers.


    Maxwell cleared his throat nervously. ¡°Just kidding of course, how do I do it?¡± He felt excitement building up inside him. This would be his first time using magic. This is what every child has dreamed of doing.


    ¡°You simply utter the phrase: I Ignard Vanderbilt command you to ¡­¡­ and then you say your order,¡± she explained. ¡°When dispeling the violence pact it''s equally straightforward. Simply say: I Ignard Vanderbilt dispel or activate the violence pact.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± said Maxwell.


    Maxwell went through all the words, with Amelia guiding him the few times he forgot the specific phrasing. She explained usually the phrasing isn¡¯t that important but in this case it was. Eventually he was able to get everything right.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± asked Maxwell.


    Wait there¡¯s actually one more thing.. Disable the violence pact for a minute,¡± said Amelia.


    Maxwell nodded. He closed his eyes in thought as he recalled the words. He uttered the words. ¡°Ignard Vanderbilt dispel the violence pact.¡± He felt the surge of mana rush through his body. His body glowed purple-red for a moment before returning to normal once more.


    ¡°First try, nice!¡± he exclaimed excitedly.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± said Amelia.


    ¡°What are you going to teach me now?¡± he asked expectantly.


    Amelia smirked before driving her fist deep into his stomach.


    Maxwell doubled over dry heaving. He lost touch with the world. The corners of his vision blurred. He tasted blood in his mouth. All thoughts had been knocked out of his mind except for one. Why would she do that?  She had not been holding back on that punch.


    ¡°What did I do to deserve that!¡± he groaned on all fours.


    ¡°Nothing, I''ve just always wanted to do that to Ignard,¡± she said happily. ¡°Man did that feel good!¡± she exclaimed. She sounded as if she had just taken a hot relaxing bath.


    ¡°Marco, you should try it as well, it''s really refreshing!¡± she said while gesturing at Maxwell with a closed fist.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m good,¡± he said awkwardly.


    ¡°Hmmm, maybe next time, ¡°said Amelia. ¡°It¡¯s really nice


    ¡°I hate you all,¡± gasped Maxwell between groans of pain.

 005: My Bodys Former Owner was Talentless?

    <div>


    Marco set the small tray of food on the grass. ¡°Your food has arrived,¡± said Marco in a flourish.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± said Maxwell. He continued on sheepishly. ¡°You know I still feel weird ordering you around like this.¡±


    Marco shook his head. ¡°If you act that different other people will start to notice. In fact i¡¯d say you should stop with the pleasantries. Ignard never really bothered with those.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Ignard sounds like a real piece of work,¡± remarked Maxwell. He reached over to the platter Marco had laid out on the blanket and grabbed a pastry. He took a bite savouring every millisecond of joy. The wind blew through Maxwell''s hair. The sunlight felt good on his skin. Perhaps he was enjoying himself a bit too much considering the unfamiliar environment but who wouldn¡¯t being outside in the warm summer air eating good food. In a way it felt like it fit in here, his past life in some ways felt more like a long dream. Could I live here forever? Eating meals with his parents, relaxing in the sun every day. When was the last time I ate a meal together as a family? The thought made his heart ache. Those luxuries were things he had never experienced in his old life. The possibilities in this new world were also limitless. There was magic! He became giddy with excitement at the thought. He shot to his feet.


    ¡°When am I going to learn magic!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to use it!¡± He could practically see how cool he would be.


    ¡°I am son Maxwell!¡± he shouted while mimicking shooting an energy blast. Not much came out of his hands of course but it did cause Marco to raise a concerned eyebrow.


    ¡°Are you alright Master?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Perfectly fine,¡± said Maxwell hurriedly. He awkwardly sat down again.


    ¡°By the way you may have noted this but you do not possess magic,¡± said Marco.


    ¡°What!!!¡± Maxwell was taken aback.


    Haven¡¯t you wondered why you alone are secluded in the estate while your siblings are nowhere to be seen?¡±


    Maxwell¡¯s mouth twisted in thought. He¡¯s got a point, I haven¡¯t so much as seen another soul. I was a little taken up in this new world experience thing.


    ¡°Nobles usually enter the royal magical academy at the age of 11 but that is only after awakening their Insignia.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how old am I?¡± asked Maxwell pointing a finger at himself.


    ¡°14.¡±


    Maxwell gasped. ¡°Seriously!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s usually common for nobles to awaken their ability around the age of 3 which makes you even more of a rare case. There have been cases of nobles being kicked out of their households for awakening their insignia''s late. They usually blame it on illegitimate children and get away with it like that.¡±


    ¡°Then why am I still here?¡±


    Marco sighed, ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything do you?¡±


    ¡°There is one marker of one¡¯s insignia before the awakening, and that is the eye-colour. Your eyes you might have noted are unique from anyone else¡¯s in the house of Vanderbilt or even me and Amelia.¡±


    Maxwell nodded. I noticed it as soon as I was transmigrated.


    ¡°Your eyes are golden,¡± continued Marco. ¡°Magical power is ranked with brown at the lowest, then green, followed then by blue and at the top its-¡±


    ¡°Golden,¡± finished Maxwell.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Even among nobles that is incredibly rare meaning you hold incredible potential, that is why you are in this unique predicament,¡± explained Marco. ¡°As for actual magical abilites, your insignia denotes your specific affinity and there are also of course general magic skills.¡±


    Maxwell groaned. ¡°I think I only got about half of that before my eyes glazed over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± said Marco. ¡°By the looks of it you¡¯ll never gain your magic so its nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for reminding me,¡± wailed Maxwell.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± he said, composing himself. ¡°I used Magic, the dispelling thing how was I able ot use that?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t require mana from its user, all mana required is consumed when it¡¯s cast. The technical classification of it is a curse.¡± he said.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± said Maxwell.


    ¡°No need to apologise,¡± replied Marco.


    Well it sucks that I don¡¯t have magic. He thought. It was incredibly frustrating. But¡­ He clenched his fist. When he had dispelled the violence pact he had sensed the surge of mana within him. It felt so strong within him he was certain he could use it. His fingers twitched as he recalled the sensation. He sighed and lay down. Perhaps those served no indication of any value. He stared up at the sky. Maybe there was no use contemplating that.


    He closed his eyes thinking yet again back to that sensation. Maybe if he could recreate those sensations he could use mana. Who knows the Ignard that had occupied this body could not use magic but maybe he could. Perhaps if magic is tied to the soul then maybe he still had the potential to use magic. The fact still remained that Ignard had golden eyes, would that power level translate to his own as well. There were too many questions. I wonder if I can do it though. He focused back on that sensation of mana channelling through him as he uttered those words. His eyes shot open, I felt a tingle! He clenched his eyes shut, Come on out, I can get another one! He gasped for breath.


    ¡°I worry for your mental health,¡± said Marco. ¡°Perhaps a visit to the church ought to be in order?¡±


    Maxwell¡¯s cheeks turned red. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re still here Marco.¡±


    ¡°At your beck and call,¡± said Marco sarcastically.


    He turned back to the sky. The sun was starting to poke through the clouds. He glanced back at it. Something about it had caught his eye. He peered up at the luminescent ball that hung in the sky, he blinked rapidly as the sunlight flooded his eyes. It seemed to shimmer and swirl. Strange iridescent patterns like the waves of a stormy sea crashed along its surface. He was completely mesmerized. There was only one word he would use to describe it. Beautiful. If Maxwell had been paying attention he might have noticed that his eyes didn¡¯t sting from the bright light nor did tears well up in his eyes. There was something about the sun that was so captivating. He felt his body glow hot, the heat inside him growing with every beat of his heart. The light from the sun seemed to coalesce in and through him. He felt a dizziness as if he was on a roller-coaster yet he had an unexplained calmness inside him.


    ¡°Master, what¡¯s happening to you!¡± shouted Marco. Marco sounded strangely distant to Maxwell, like he was behind a layer of glass.


    ¡°Maxwell!¡±


    Maxwell snapped out of his trance looking around him. To his surprise when he looked beside him through the windows he could see the rows of books in the library. The thing was the library was on the second floor. He looked down and to his horror he was hovering several body lengths above the ground. This awareness seemed to end his hovering. In the millisecond before his descent the thought of how this wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d fallen from fatal heights flashed through his mind. He hurtled to the ground. In a flash Marco leaped upward and caught him. Marco landed down with a gentle thump with Maxwell in his arms.


    ¡°Huh, I¡¯m alive,¡± said Maxwell in disbelief. ¡°I thought I was a goner.¡± Maxwell¡¯s face didn¡¯t compare to Marco¡¯s though.


    ¡°You¡¯re divine Insignia, it awakened,¡± said Marco, his mouth open.


    ¡°Does this mean¡­¡±


    Maxwell looked down at his chest. It was glowing. An insignia shone through his shirt. That must be what Marco had meant.


    Is this magic! He could barely contain his excitement. Everyone has had that fantasy at least once. Of being able to cast powerful spells, break mountains, control the weather- to use magic.


    ¡°That was magic, wasn¡¯t it!¡± said Maxwell excitedly to Marco.


    The glowing outline of his shirt illuminated by the mark shone brightly. They darkened as they ignited. His shirt rapidly burst into flames.


    ¡°Marco what do I do!¡± he shouted. Marco subsequently dropped Maxwell¡¯s flaming body onto the ground.


    ¡°Calm down, control your mana!¡± shouted Marco equally as panicked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be naked!¡± shouted Maxwell as he clutched the burning remains of his shirt. They withered and atomized in his hands before being blown into the wind.


    ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll call for Sir Howitzer!¡± shouted Marco rushing into the large estate. He soon emerged, followed by Sir Howitzer.


    ¡°Quick, we must head to the church at once!¡± said Sir Howitzer. ¡°You can explain what happened in the carriage!¡± Maxwell had never seen the man so happy. He was beaming from ear to ear. ¡° This is a momentous occasion, I almost thought this day would never come, finally at last!¡± He exclaimed.


    <div>

 006: Black Heart

    The carriage vibrated under him. Every bump sent Maxwell rocking slightly. Things seemed to be moving a thousand miles a minute. Maxwell thought back to when Sir Howitzer had rushed out of the estate with Marco barely able to keep up. He had never seen Sir Howitzer so energetic.


    The carriage had velvety comfy pillows on the seats and wide expansive windows. Not that he could see much. The curtains of the carriage were tightly shut to prevent excess light from coming in which was probably a good thing since his ability had been activated by the sun. He peered through the curtains and made out flashes of greenery and fields rushing by. Maxwell adjusted the robe around him. He didn¡¯t want to lose his clothes again. Not twice in one day.


    The carriage was ancient technology when compared to modern cars and bused but it had a deep sense of luxury despite that. The interior was adorned in golden metal practically wherever he looked. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s actually gold, right?


    The sound of reins being whipped rang loudly even above the noise of galloping horses and the vibrating wagon. Marco had joined Sir Howitzer at the front of the carriage which meant he couldn''t even ask any questions. Eventually the wagon came to a stop. The doors opened leading to a cathedral. It stretched high above the ground piercing into the sky. The building reminded him of the high-rise skyscrapers of a city which seemed out of place in this medieval world.


    Peering through the barely transparent blinds he saw Sir Howitzer knock on the door. The door opened and a nun walked out. Maxwell couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying but it was clearly about him. Sir Howitzer pointed at the carriage every now and then with the nun bobbing her head at his words.


    ¡°They¡¯re calling for you,¡± said Marco, opening the carriage door. Maxwell stumbled to the entrance making sure to not trip on the edge of his robe. Sir Howitzer put a firm hand on Maxwell\s shoulder.


    ¡°This is him.¡±


    The nun nodded. She had a stern face like an elderly school teacher.


    ¡°The ceremony is already underway, come on this way,¡± said the nun.


    Maxwell nodded silently. He felt a nervousness in the pit of his stomach, not entirely different from what he had felt two years ago entering a new school. He felt a pang in his chest. Why am I thinking about Colin now?


    The church was dimly lit. Candles illuminated the church walls. A center-aisle stretched all the way to the altar with candles attached to the elongated benches on either side. As his eyes adjusted to the dim glow he realised the benches weren¡¯t empty as he once thought. He made out rows and rows of hooded figures filling the seats. As his ears adjusted to the quiet he made out low rhythmic murmurs. They spoke as one causing the walls to hum and echo their words. It was as if the walls themselves was chanting with them. The thought sent chills down his back.


    ¡°Make your way to the altar,¡± said a commanding voice. The voice had come from a figure dressed in a flowing robe at the front of the aisle. His black robes had red accents that swirled along it. He held a staff and remained motionless.


    Maxwell gulped and began to walk, Marco crept after him.


    ¡°He goes alone!¡± boomed the voice. Marco bowed before scurrying back. Maxwell was surprised at Marco¡¯s shyness. This atmosphere is making me nervous, I¡¯ve never seen Marco so timid.


    He took slow steps forward as he made his way to the front. The thick carpeted floor muffled his footsteps. He stopped right in front of the priest. He shone the lantern on the end of his staff in Maxwell¡¯s face.


    ¡°We are delighted to have another of Vanderbilt''s, It seems god¡¯s grace has reached you too despite common belief,¡± he said in a hoarse voice.


    Does he mean how Ignard never got his magical ability, wondered Maxwell.


    He got a glimpse of red and black markings on the priests elderly face. He had been to churches before and even other places of worship but they never had an atmosphere quite like this¡­


    ¡°Clasp the Conduit, ¡°he said, his voice more tender now. He gestured beyond him with his staff.


    Maxwell nodded. He walked forward to the podium. The podium had a divot in it but it¡¯s what was above its metal frame that was most mesmerizing. A shimmering orb around the size of a basketball hovered clearly above its surface. He would have mistaken it for metal had it not been for its constantly shifting surface.


    He told me to clasp this thing?Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Maxwell reached forward slowly. As his hands touched the liquid he felt a slight tug on his fingertips. It was cool to the touch. He reached deeper into it until its edges reached his elbows.


    I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not how physics works, remarked Maxwell.


    He looked back at the priest, but the man only nodded.


    Dammit. Maxwell usually didn¡¯t like listening to strangers but considering the circumstances he was relying completely on the fact that they held no ill-will against him.


    ¡°Well, well aren¡¯t you an interesting one,¡± hissed a voice. The sound made his skin crawl.


    A glimmering face took form in the fluid liquid. Its watery features flowed and ebbed but took form before it completely disappeared.


    ¡°Another Vanderbilt as well, ¡°it cackled. ¡°What have those old coots brought me this time.¡±


    Why does everybody know that name? Is my family name that famous?


    He was incredibly disturbed by the countenance but he hadn''t succumbed to fear yet.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°Me, oh that¡¯s not important, I¡¯m here to know everything there is to know about you,¡± it cackled.


    The burning sensation on his chest alerted him to the fact that his insignia had activated.


    ¡°Oh, You are truly blessed, you have the mark of the angel, bestowed with light magic.¡±


    Its eyes seemed to squint for a second. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen something like this since¡­ since quite a while.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there appears to be something more,¡± it began. ¡°I can smell it, there¡¯s that bitter scent about you.¡± It hummed a quiet tune as it searched deeper.


    ¡°Fraud!¡± it hissed.¡±You don¡¯t belong here?!¡±


    It roared in laughter causing Maxwell to flinch. His arms remained firm entrapped in the liquid. He couldn¡¯t move an inch.


    ¡°I smell betrayal on your breath, you sacrificed another didn¡¯t you?¡± It spat.


    These words chilled him more than the last.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he said in a small voice.


    He looked around him but everything beyond the podium had been swept up in a world of black.


    ¡°Stop this right now!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°No one can hear you!¡± it roared. ¡°Your heart is black, darker than the innermost coals of a furnace!¡±


    ¡°Let me go!¡± screamed Maxwell.


    ¡°Your life will know no comfort, only pain and misery await you!¡± it howled. ¡°Your despair will be spectacular!¡±


    ¡°I said stop it, ¡° said Maxwell, trembling. ¡°Stop it!¡±


    He ripped one of his hands free from the liquid.. ¡°I said stop it!¡± he shouted. He gripped the face in his palm and crushed it. It squelched in his tightening fist. Droplets splashed to the floor.


    ¡°At least your death will bring me amusement,¡± it hissed. It¡¯s face had formed again in the liquid. With a roar Maxwell punched it. The face distorted once more. Except this time he didn¡¯t stop punching. He tore it apart with his bare fingers, ripping out sludge pieces by the handful. He bashed the face with his knuckles. Every blow sent a wave of liquid onto the ground. Soon only a small sphere of liquid remained. He angrily growled before grabbing it. While he was unaware of it, in his fit of rage a particular surge of energy was running through his body, it coalesced in his arms and as he touched the shimmering mass it ran into the conduit turning it bright yellow.


    A splintered mouth formed on the small ball.


    ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me now, suffer for my amusement¡­¡± it whispered before exploding in a dazzling display of golden energy, not even the podium remained from that blast.


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± said Maxwell. He was panting heavily his shoulders rising and falling with each breath. Adrenaline was pumping through his system.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on ??¡± he heard behind him.


    Maxwell snapped too and turned behind him. The rows of people chanted quietly. He took a glance near the entrance and saw his father and Marco¡¯s wide open eyes. Their mouths were also wide in disbelief.


    Maxwell looked back at the podium. The podium was intact but the shimmering orb had solidified and a golden crack ran along its circumference.


    He tried to calm his rapid breathing. Was it all a hallucination?


    The priest raised his arms. ¡° This power is truly unprecedented, this is a glorious day!¡± he boomed.


    The dark rows of people bowed their heads further, and increased the pace of their chanting.


    All Maxwell could do was scan their faces to see how much they had seen.


    The priest got to his knees and his staff rattled to the floor. He bowed low- until his head touched the ground. Maxwell could only make out some of the man¡¯s muffled speech.


    ¡°...I thank you divine gods for granting me ¡­¡­ My life is yours¡­¡±


    When the atmosphere had died down. Marco and Sir Howitzer were finally able to approach him.


    ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you,¡± said his father, embracing him.


    Maxwell turned his face to Marco, while scrunched in his father¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Umm... Marco, I was kind of in a trance, what exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before,¡± said Marco excitedly. ¡°One second you were there touching the conduit. It turned golden and illuminated the entire room. It then burst in an explosion of golden light, which destroyed the conduit leaving that crack.


    ¡®I see,¡± said Maxwell quietly. What am I supposed to make of what just happened?


    ¡°Are we leaving now,¡± said Maxwell weakly.


    ¡°What do you mean, you can¡¯t just leave?¡± said Marco.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± said Maxwell hesitantly.


    "The ceremony is only just beginning."

 007: Adelaide

    ¡°Come again?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately This is more of an all day thing,¡± Marco explained. ¡°You¡¯ll need to wait in the yard before we can come get you, there they¡¯ll teach you the basics of your abilities.¡±


    ¡°Are there other people as well?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Right you don¡¯t know what day it is,¡± said Marco. ¡°It¡¯s the 30th, that¡¯s when the Novitiate arrive. This church is sort of like the training grounds for them. You¡¯ll have to stick around with them for a while. A lot of them come from out of the city which means they also need to be taught about how to control their power so you¡¯ll fit in.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Maxwell. He didn¡¯t like the idea of not going home yet but it seemed that would have to wait.


    ¡°To be honest I¡¯ve never been a fan of holy place, seems shady in some way but it¡¯s something you¡¯re just going to have to deal with,¡± said Marco.


    He splashed his face with water. Maybe he was hoping it would rid him of the recent experience. He looked down at his hand. It still felt like some weird nightmare.


    He stared at himself in the mirror. He watched a water droplet run down his face before splashing into the sink. Loud knocking on the stall door disturbed his silence. ¡°Hey, hurry up in there, you¡¯re not the only one who needs the restroom !¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost done!¡± he shouted back. Maxwell quickly retrieved the black band from his pocket and tied it over his eyes. He adjusted it once in the mirror before stepping out into the yard. There wasn¡¯t much free space as it was covered in people wearing light blue tunics. They all wore a band of black fabric around their eyes. He sat down at a random table. Nobody really seemed to be talking to each other. There was a nervous energy among all of them.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your name?¡± He turned to the side. He was greeted by a smiling face. They had deep dimples and dirty blonde hair that ran past the length of fabric band that covered their eyes.


    ¡°Oh um, Maxwell,¡± he said without a second thought. Maxwell winced. That was stupid of me, how could I use my real name!


    ¡°Maxwell huh?¡± he said. ¡°I haven¡¯t really heard of that one before


    ¡°I gotta wonder who that guy was right?¡± said Wilbur excitedly. ¡°There¡¯s no way you missed it, the entire yard was shaking like crazy. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t know who it was!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ ¡°said Maxwell. I¡¯m glad nobody knows.


    ¡°Having that sort of power must be incredible, I could only dream of that, I can only imagine how happy that person is!¡± He went on. Maxwell wanted to say how he felt but he couldn¡¯t there wasn¡¯t anyone he could really trust in this world.


    I don¡¯t think they¡¯re as happy as you think they are.


    ¡°My family¡¯s from a little town called Worrenwich,¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯ve probably never heard of it. The Carbury River runs not far from it at least one of its offshoots. The river¡¯s been drying up and we¡¯re having trouble getting enough water for our crops and animals,¡± he went on.


    ¡°We¡¯d be lucky of course to catch any fish,¡± he chimed. He stretched out his hands ¡°Once a long time ago My father once caught one this-¡± He paused before lowering his head. ¡°Sorry for blabbering on like that, you''re probably not interested in any of that. I can¡¯t help it when I¡¯m in the city like this, It¡¯s just so overwhelming¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no It¡¯s alright,¡± said Maxwell waving his hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I just got caught up in my thoughts!¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Wilbur nodded. ¡°I know what you mean, My entire town celebrated when I was picked to work for the church. We could finally receive the help we needed.¡±


    That¡¯s not what I meant. Maxwell caught himself looking at his knuckles again. The sensation of his fist driving into the jelly-like substance wouldn¡¯t leave him.


    Man these masks really itch!¡± he said while flexing his fingers above them. He gave an exasperated sigh before putting his fingers firmly against his lap. ¡°I guess it¡¯s just a matter of getting used to it.¡±


    ¡°Why is it that we have these things anyway,¡± said Maxwell gesturing to the bad around his eyes. It was messing up his vision as if he was looking through a wire mesh.


    ¡°Since you seemed to have missed the previous seminars I¡¯ll tell you,¡± said Wilbur smugly. ¡°Eyes are the most important symbol within the church. When our eyes are seen, it says in the holy texts that we instinctively judge each other on their magical prowess. To prevent any prejudice based on magical level they are therefore obscured. Only those of high authority like the High Priest are able to reveal their eyes as a sign of their credibility.¡±


    ¡°Let me go, get off off me!¡±


    Maxwell along with all the other heads turned there. A boy wearing a fine salmon colored tunic was being held down by armour clad men. The boy managed to break free and ran through the yard. They ran after him, their armour clanking with their steps.


    As he ran past Maxwell he was tackled into the grass. ¡°Please help me!¡± he shouted to the people around him. They only looked on aimlessly.


    Why is nobody helping him?


    He locked eyes with Maxwell. He reached out a hand, a bejeweled bangle on his wrist wobbled loosely.. ¡°Please!¡±


    Maxwell¡¯s hand twitched. Who knows what will happen if I do it.


    ¡°Stop this at once!¡±


    A woman no older than him stood up from among the crowd. Her clothing had black markings along it and her eye-band had gold swirls along it.


    She crouched down by the kids'' side. ¡°Stop holding him so tight!¡±


    The guard reluctantly loosen his grip. She gestured at the guards who gathered around them to back down. She turned back to the cowering boy. ¡°Are you alright,¡± she said. She grasped his hand. ¡°My name is Adelaide, what¡¯s your name?¡± She spoke calmly and warmly. It brought a sense of peace in Maxwell. There wasn¡¯t an ounce of malice in that, like the warm rays of a later summer sun.


    ¡°My name¡¯s James Thoreson,¡± said the boy.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be afraid, James,¡± said Adelaide. She reached out with her delicate fingers. His hands were covered in dirt and grass from resisting but she grabbed it firmly without judgement.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you desire to be a part of this church?¡± she asked gently.


    ¡°But, I heard terrible things about those here, I heard they treat them worse than dogs,¡± he replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry you heard those things,¡± she said reassuring him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry these guards who were meant to protect you are treating you like this.¡± She glanced at them angrily. ¡°While they enforce god¡¯s will it does not permit them to use unnecessary force.¡±


    She squeezed his hand. ¡°You have my word that nobody will hurt you or mistreat you. Do you trust me?¡±


    He looked into her eyes. ¡°I do.¡±


    The girl Adelaide smiled. As James stood up, the guards stepped forward. but Adelaide waved them away. The guards escorted him out this time walking by his side. She waved at him as he left. He waved back. The tension in the room left as the boy did.


    ¡°I say that was mighty disrespectful,¡± said Wilbur after a while. It¡¯s such an honor yet they had the gall to put up such a display, I guess some people just don¡¯t know any better.¡±The atmosphere returned to normal once more.


    ¡°I guess..¡± says Maxwell. The church was so confusing to him. Who was he to trust? More importantly, who is that girl that could order those guards like that?


    He locked eyes with Adelaide. He felt a shock go through his body. Although her eyes were obscured he was certain they had locked eyes.


    ¡°Hey, who is that girl?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Didn''t you hear the exchange, that¡¯s Adelaide, the high priestess in training. It''s like it''s your first time here!¡±


    She¡¯s gonna be replacing the priest in charge of the ceremony? She has a completely different vibe from him Maxwell narrowed his eyes. But there was something unmistakable in her that made it somewhat believable. There was something different about her. While he couldn¡¯t explain why he was certain of it. When he locked eyes with her he knew.


    She has golden eyes too.

 008: Things Are Getting Out of Hand

    He stared out the window at the small field. Two birds were pecking away at something in the grass. He looked back over the classroom at the rows of desks and the sea of light blue tunics. The room was made almost entirely of wood but it was of incredibly high quality. The floors were so polished, they glinted. He had tried running his nail across an edge to feel for a crack but it was impossible. He looked at the eager students staring at the instructors up ahead. This was all part of his introduction to magic after awakening his insignia but there was something about it. The classroom was amazing, it was just, so, so ¡­WRONG.


    He scratched his head in frustration. Why am I back at school! He was in a fantasy world for christ''s sake. Why was he back in the one place he was glad to never see again. He sighed loudly and lent back in his chair. He stared at the pattern the planks made on the floor.


    He glanced at the seat next to him. Instead of paying attention to the instructors Wilbur was busy ogling a particular alluring female¡¯s Neophyte¡¯s body. Maxwell scoffed. He was the most sacrilegious religious person-in training he¡¯d seen. Well, it¡¯s not like I''m paying attention to them either. He remarked. How can I though, my mind is filled with the events earlier today.


    Should I have done something back there? He wasn¡¯t sure, he felt only uncertainty at that question. He opened and closed his hand. Wasn¡¯t he blessed with incredible power? What was the point if he never used it. Is this the same as that time back then as well? Someone else had stepped in there too. Yeah and look how that turned out. He thought. Colin had just ended up dying. He sighed. The things the face in the orb had said to him flashed in his mind. They could have been simply to cause him pain but he couldn¡¯t help but consider the possibilities. Maybe that face was right maybe I am everything it said. He clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. I swear I didn¡¯t leave them!


    He felt heat emanating from his hand. It was glowing bright yellow.


    ¡°Oh crap,¡± he exclaimed before hiding it firmly between his thighs under the desk. He looked around hurriedly. Nobody saw that right?. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead.


    Maxwell stared blankly at the front of the class. He nodded aimlessly, as he faked paying attention. WHy the hell is my hand glowing.


    ¡°Enough with the explanations for now,¡± said the instructors. ¡°We¡¯ll move on to some practical exercises.¡± One of them gestured toward the door. ¡°For this exercise in mana control we have a special guest.¡±


    In through the door walked a young priestess followed by a couple of assistants. She had a bucket of dirt in her hand. She nodded in greeting to the instructors before turning to the class. Her assistants walked in behind her wheeling in a cart full of similar pot of dirts.


    ¡°As you all know this is the high-priestess in training, please give her a warm welcome.¡± said one of the instructors.


    ¡°Hello everyone!¡± she beamed. She had familiar black swirlings on her robes and her band of fabric around her eyes had fancy gold markings that adorned its edges. Excited whispers buzzed around the classroom. Maxwell along with most of the other students perked up. What is she doing here? She was the one who helped that boy from the guards if he recalled it correctly. I believe her name was Adelaide, the one with the golden eyes.


    The assistants began passing around the pots of dirt. ¡°Pass them on backwards to make sure everyone gets one,¡± they announced in the way tired teachers often do.


    Wilbur passed one onto his desk. ¡°Thanks,¡± said Maxwell politely. while crouched over.


    The priestess clapped her hands together. ¡°OK, before you all isn¡¯t just a pot full of dirt, within that dirt there is a seed,¡± she began. ¡°These seeds are unique, they grow in the Somed forest and are highly sensitive to magic. Each of you guys are to channel your mana through your body and into the seed.¡±


    Maxwell grimaced. This is the worst time to be doing an exercise, how do I stop my hand from glowing? I don¡¯t want to cause a commotion by letting everyone know I have light magic. He wished he¡¯d paid better attention just a few minutes ago to what the instructors had been saying about mana control.


    He took a couple of calm breaths. Maybe if I calm down the light will ebb. It¡¯s the only thing I think that could have caused this. He peeked at his hand and to his pleasure it was reduced to a dim glow. Nobody would notice in the brightly lit classroom. He reached forward and inspected the pot on his desk. It was simply a pot of dirt.


    ¡°Let¡¯s race,¡± declared Wilbur,¡± Loser has to give a third of their dinner!¡± He hovered his hands above the pot. His face turned bright red.


    One of the assistants nearby raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you sure mana is the only thing you¡¯re trying to release?¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Wha-¡± Wilbur¡¯s face turned a different shade of red. Several people around us chuckled.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m trying!¡± retorted Wilbur to the snickering students.


    I better get started too. Maxwell held his hands out as well. He closed his eyes shut. Remember what it was like when dispeling the violence pact. It was a single clear memory he had of using magic. He cracked an eye. His left hand illuminated the pot. He hurriedly shoved his hand under the desk. The pot crashed onto the ground. Crap¡­ This day is not my day, he sighed.


    ¡°Another pot for someone here!¡± shouted Wilbur.


    ¡°Shh!¡± said Maxwell. ¡°Don¡¯t yell, we could have shared a pot.¡±


    A pot was gently placed on his desk.


    ¡°Try not to break this one OK,¡± said a familiar gentle voice.


    Maxwell¡¯s head snapped to the voice. He felt power surge to his fist.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I''ll be careful,¡± he said weakly. I didn¡¯t notice her approaching us at all.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to get the hang of this!¡± exclaimed WIlbur. His seedling had started to bud and was almost a hand-length above the soil. He waved his hands around deep in concentration. Not entirely unlike a scam artist flashily reading a crystal ball.


    Wilbur pointed at Maxwell¡¯s pot. ¡°There¡¯s nothing growing there at all, are you sure you¡¯re really trying?¡±


    He puffed out his chest. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll get there someday.¡±


    I swear he¡¯s got the biggest head of everyone I know.


    ¡°Are you having any difficulties?¡± said the priestess. ¡°Anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± he began. He looked at his pot of dirt. Not a speck of green graced its surface.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really understand the teacher¡¯s explanations, that''s all,¡± he said.


    She nodded understandingly.¡°It¡¯s OK, they can be confusing.¡±


    She reached into her robe and pulled out a seed.


    ¡°The secret is really visualising the mana within you, don¡¯t think of it as something you¡¯re actively controlling, it¡¯s a power bestowed to us by god, it is up to him whether we have control over it or not. Lots of students struggle with this but you have to give up control and not try and force it,¡± she explained. The seed sprouted in her hand, it¡¯s roots stretched around her hands. Its stem lengthened and grew before opening up into a dazzling rose.


    ¡°Whoa, I see,¡± said Maxwell breathtaking. He felt that spark of excitement within him. Magic really is amazing.


    She plucked the rose, snapping the bottom of the stem. She then placed the flower into Maxwell¡¯s pot.


    ¡°See, what I did,¡± she said.


    Maxwell nodded. Maybe he could use her advice for his hand as well. It''s worth a shot, I can¡¯t seem to get it to dim through sheer force of will. He didn¡¯t really know if all magic really was through the will of the gods but considering he had met one, it could very well be true.  He focused on his hand, and took deep breaths. I need to not force it. I need to simply let my mana flow out of my hand of its own accord. He felt the tingling in his hand subside and he knew the light had disappeared. She¡¯s a surprisingly good teacher. He remarked.


    He raised his hands in front of the dirt.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try it out Adelaide,¡± he said.


    ¡°Dude!¡± exclaimed Wilbur turning his head from his sprouting seed.


    ¡°Huh?¡± said Maxwell at his outburst. Did I say something wrong?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, holy priestess, this fool doesn¡¯t know who he¡¯s talking to, it¡¯s a wonder he can do basic chores,¡± he said, shooting daggers at Maxwell.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± said the priestess laughing. Maxwell was stunned. He¡¯d never heard such an innocent laugh. ¡° At heart I feel the same way as you guys, we are the same age after all,¡± she said.


    ¡°You must have heard it back then, right?¡± said the priestess.¡±I don¡¯t recognize your face.¡± Is she referring to when she helped that boy. Also does she remember everybody¡¯s face, there¡¯s no way that¡¯s how she was able to tell that I¡¯m new? Didn''t Wilbur say people pass through here all the time.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Maxwell. ¡° I didn¡¯t mean to offend you.¡±


    ¡°No, no you didn¡¯t.¡± she said. ¡°To be honest it¡¯s nice to be called by simply my name, most people treat me at arm''s reach like i¡¯m some precious metal they¡¯re afraid of smudging with their touch.¡±


    Maxwell noted a hint of bitterness in her voice.


    ¡°You should probably call me priestess though,¡± she said. ¡°It would bring attention if only you were to call me by my given name. It might cause misunderstandings after all,¡± she explained.


    ¡°Why would that cause..¡± he realised it when he said it. His cheeks tinged red. ¡° Right, right I see,¡± he said rapidly.


    She laughed awkwardly.


    ¡°Enough about me now, Let¡¯s see you get on with the practice.¡±


    She watched him as he focused.


    ¡°Do you mind if I suggest something?¡± she asked tentatively.


    ¡°Hold your hands on either side of the pot.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Maxwell. ¡°That way I can focus on channelling it between my hands and through the pot, Instead of focusing on projecting it outwards by focusing on sending it to your hands you have a more clear image.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Exactly, you¡¯re a surprisingly fast learner.¡±


    Maxwell shrugged. He was used to words like that at his old school. Although schoolwork had never meant much to him then. Here he felt he was actually getting something out of it. It is literal magic after all.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you didn¡¯t need my help in the first place,¡± said the priestess. Maxwell shook his head. If I didn¡¯t have your help I wouldn¡¯t have gotten it so easily.¡± He paused awkwardly. ¡°So.. thanks,¡± he said awkwardly. Upon uttering those words he realised he hadn¡¯t said those words once since coming to this world. Why do I find that so weird?

 009: Out of Sight, Out of Mind?

    ¡°6 elemental attributes are the gifts given to mankind by the 6 gods of creation and are the systems of which all gifts are derived from, ¡°said the instructor. He had short brown hair with clear widow peaks. His posture was extremely rigid. Seated at the corner of the classroom was another instructor with bright red hair, he looked aimlessly at the ceiling while twirling a toothpick in his mouth. The brown haired instructor raised his hands.


    ¡°¡°Everything around you, everything you-¡±


    The instructor halted abruptly. His mouth twisted. . Maxwell followed the direction of the instructors face. His eyes landed on two students who were passing notes to each other.


    The orange-haired instructor raised a hand to his mouth, giggling like a child.


    He continued speaking again while creeping toward those students.


    ¡°Everything you hear, see and touch¡­¡± WIthout missing a beat he grabbed the note from one of their hands as they were passing it and balled it up in his fist.


    ¡±... is created due to the gods,¡± he finished.  ¡°All abilities you use are derived from their ancient creations and manipulations of mana.¡± He gave the students a cautionary gaze before returning to the front of the classroom.


    ¡°Right on, Gideon!¡± cheered the orange-haired instructor while pumping his hand.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be taking your teaching a little more seriously Adam,¡± replied the eagle-eyed instructor in disapproval.


    ¡°Fine then!¡± he exclaimed standing up. He walked over to Gideon. ¡°Ok class, today I¡¯ll be talking about one of the six gods of creation.¡± He opened his palm, water flowed out of his hands and floated above his hand. ¡°Oohs!¡± and ¡°ahhs!¡± filled the classroom.  ¡°I¡¯ll be talking about the water goddess Mira.¡±


    Gideon nodded. ¡°Good, good you¡¯re actually taking this seriously.¡±


    ¡°Mira is a 10/10 in terms of looks and beauty and I¡¯m going to marry her one da-¡±


    Gideon stood up sharply. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡± he marched over to Adam. ¡°I should have known not to take you seriously.¡±


    He covered Adam¡¯s mouth but to little avail. ¡°She¡¯s not only beautiful, she is knuwmwg to be elegannnt booshh in... and mannerisms.¡±


    Gideon pushed Adam back toward the chair. ¡°SIt, down now!¡±


    Adam pouted. ¡°But I am taking my teaching seriously,¡± he said before plodding back.


    Are these really my instructors? He couldn¡¯t help but wonder.


    The neophytes slowly flooded the hallways, cramming themselves through the narrow doorway.


    ¡°Hey, you, wait a minute,¡± he heard Gideon say behind him. Maxwell turned his head. Was he talking to me?


    ¡°Yeah you, come over here,¡± said Gideon waving him over. He sounded nonchalant which was never a good thing when it came to people as strict as them. It usually meant you were in big trouble.


    I don¡¯t think I did anything wrong? What could Maxwell have done, he wasn¡¯t disturbing anyone in class? He was a good student after all.


    Gideon reached into his robes and pulled out a folded up letter. ¡°It¡¯s from your family,¡± he explained.


    ¡°You know who my family is?¡± Maxwell said, surprised. He didn¡¯t stand out from the rest of the students there.


    ¡°Well, it was surprisingly kind of hard identifying who it was, considering Vanderbilt¡¯s tend to stand out¡­ more-but basically yes.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± said Maxwell sultrily while accepting the letter. He nodded his thanks before leaving the room.


    He went to the yard and sat in the grass while he read the letter. His eyes moved to the bottom of the page. From Marco, it read.  It was from Marco, what could it be about?


    To Ignard


    I hope the ceremony and learning is going well, there is urgent information you must know. Your siblings have arrived back home from the academy. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Maxwell paused. No, no no. He read on.


    This complicates things as they weren¡¯t supposed to arrive anytime before the end of the year school break. Since you awakened your insignia, your parents(master Howitzer and lady¡­.) Your siblings were summoned to celebrate this momentous occasion.


    He hadn¡¯t even thought about his siblings, he wasn¡¯t sure he ever had any in the first place.


    Your training should be over soon. My sister will be bringing you back but she may not tell you everything necessary. Try not to interact with your siblings so they don¡¯t find out anything about you. Leave it up to me and Amelia to take care of this. Maxwell screwed his knuckles against his forehead. How was he supposed to deal with this? He folded up the letter and tucked it in his pocket. They say out of sight out of mind but Maxwell didn¡¯t feel any less anxious. Could he really leave it up to them?


    Over the next few days, all the basic training he had to do was completed. His days continued on with their routine dullness. Part of him didn¡¯t want to go home to meet Ignard¡¯s siblings. He had no idea what they would be like. Would he even be able to keep a facade around them? He could understand fooling his parents but his siblings- not a chance. Marco and Amelia had found him out instantly after all.


    Clutching his bag of belongings he walked one final time through the long hallways of the church. I wanted to leave this place for so long but now I¡¯m not quite sure which is better- or worse for that matter. A door opened from one of the rooms and out burst Adelaide. She had a stack of papers in her hands and nearly knocked into him.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t see you there!¡± she exclaimed. She saw the bag in his hands. ¡°Are you on your way out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Maxwell nodded.


    ¡°I see,  take care and may Luminus guide you back safely,¡± she said. Maxwell¡¯s eyes were drawn to her wrist. On it was a bejewelled bangle. For some reason he felt it was important. Where have I seen that before? The memory struck him so hard, he nearly flinched. The boy from before- James, the one she helped from the guards! It was his!  He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Why did she have his belongings?


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± asked Adelaide, cocking her head to the side.


    ¡°Hmm, uh no. Not at all,¡± said Maxwell hurriedly. It didn¡¯t make sense for her to have it. This church had been weird from the start, who knew what had happened to him.


    ¡°Well, I best be going, the work of the holy isn¡¯t for the faint of heart,¡± she said walking on. He could only stare at her as she left. When finally leaving the church grounds he waited by the side of the road for the carriage to approach. He heard a carriage approaching. He recognised the insanely expensive exterior. Amelia was driving it just as Marco had said. It came to a stop right in front of him. Amelia swiftly tied the reins onto one side before hoping down from the raised seat. She landed gracefully on the balls of her feet like a cat.


    ¡°Get in maggot!¡± said Amelia. She took his bags from next to him and put them in the back of the carriage for him. Before he could take another step she held the door handle, opening the interior to Maxwell. She gestured for him to get in.  I¡¯m not sure if she has great or terrible manners, he wondered in bewilderment.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she snapped at his delay.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± said Maxwell climbing inside. He sat down and took a deep sigh. The soft velvet cushions were a blessing to his behind that had only known hard classroom seats for the past couple of days. Amelia whipped the reins once and the carriage lurched forward, nearly throwing him out of his seat.


    This girl, is she trying to kill me? He huffed. Things were quickly going from a three-group team to a two-group team of just him and Marco. He slipped a finger under the fabric over his eyes before taking it off. He could finally remove the black cloth from his eyes. He spent several moments simply blinking fully while enjoying the extra freedom and forgotten sensations.


    Staring out the window he could finally see how the city looked. When he had first arrived the windows had been obscured to block any light from activating his insignia stopping him from taking in the new world.


    As he had suspected the cathedral had been the tallest building but the rest were not to be underestimated. They were still several stories tall and ranged in color from gray all the way to green, pink and yellow. There aren¡¯t any demihumans, he noted. He assumed there would be at least a few but there wasn¡¯t a single one. Maybe I¡¯ll have to ask Marco about that later on.


    After what felt like several hours they passed the estate gates. The beautiful courtyard with all its beautiful flowers and tall bushes welcomed him in. He was once again taken back at how rich his family really was.


    His eyes were drawn to a large gray figure on the grass. It was an enormous wolf. [description here]


    ¡°Amelia, what the hell is that?!¡± he shouted. He banged on the wall separating them. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Stop banging, there¡¯s nothing to worry about!¡± she shouted back. Maxwell eyed it as they rode past it but it didn¡¯t so much as budge. Is it sleeping? he wondered. The carriage grinded to a halt at the front gates. Amelia opened the doors for him once more. ¡°We have arrived, Master Ignard,¡± she announced. Maxwell frowned. Why was she speaking so courteous, before she had practically cursed him out while doing things for him?


    He stepped out. ¡°Th-thank you,¡± he said warily.


    A girl wearing a fancy dress straight out of the victorian era came into view.


    He froze, he didn¡¯t expect to have one of them greet him.


    She looked out into the courtyard before putting her fingers to her lips and whistling. It rang out sharply, hanging in the air for a moment before dissipating. The wolf-dog  darted over and trotted to her before sitting at her feet. It was practically as tall as she was.


    ¡°Good boy, ¡°she said, stroking its neck. She turned to Maxwell.


    ¡°Hello dear brother,¡± she smiled.

 010: An Unexpected Family Reunion(Speak of the Devil)

    Maxwell walked awkwardly forward down the carriage steps. His shoes clinked against them.


    ¡°Hello¡­s-sister,¡± he stammered. What was he to do? Heck he¡¯d never had any siblings before.


    ¡°Why are you standing there all awkward for?¡± she said. She raised the hem of her skirt and dashed forward. Her arms wrapped around him.


    ¡°So cold, not giving your sister a hug!¡±


    Maxwell gasped for air. ¡°Your siblings have been gone for a couple months yet that¡¯s all you have to say, the nerve!¡± she complained.


    ¡°I¡­can¡¯t breathe,¡± was all Maxwell was able to get with his mouth buried in her shoulder.


    ¡°Come on now, your siblings are waiting for you, it¡¯s already time for dinner! ¡°She said ignoring him. She grabbed his arm and gently pulled him into the manor. She whistled sharply and the beast lazily galloped after them. The sight of the massive beast made him all jittery, especially the glimpse of large canines in its mouth.


    ¡°Amelia, help me,¡± he mouthed behind her. She pointed to the carriage as if to say,¡±I got to put this away.¡±


    They walked directly to the dining room.


    The door opened revealing the grand dining room. Sir Howitzer and lady Gamiere were already seated at one end of the table.


    ¡°The prodigal son returns,¡± they said in unison, their faces beaming.


    ¡°Yeah, heh,¡± said Maxwell. I¡¯m starting to wish I had joined the theater club right now instead of being a part of the going home club. Then I could actually pretend to act like Ignard.


    The door behind him opened again.


    Two boys both several years older than him sat down across from him. One appeared slightly older and had a navy blue coat, which contrasted nicely with the white shirt beneath it. Despite the dark bags under his eyes his gaze was sharp. His hair was straw blonde like Sir Howitzers and a slight smile played on his lips. The one on the left was dressed similarly except for the fact that the coat was yellow. His hair was dark brown like Lady Gamiere¡¯s and was parted to the side slightly.


    Maxwell gulped. ¡°Good evening, my dear brothers Julius and Eustace,¡± he said. It was a good thing Marco had briefed me slightly on his siblings a while ago. That aside he barely knew anything about them except for their names.


    He felt their eyes scan him up and down. Why is everyone so quiet? He squirmed awkwardly in his seat.


    The room erupted in laughter. Julius pointed at him guffawing loudly, his head all the way back. SIr Howitzer slapped his leg laughing. Sofia and Lady Gamiere daintily covered their mouths with a hand.


    ¡°Did I do something¡­ ¡°began Maxwell.


    ¡°Did you do something,¡± said Sir Howitzer, ¡°I was sure you would be rubbing in your awakening the second you sat down!¡±


    ¡°When he heard the news we were sure you would drown us with tales of your many exploits,¡± said Julius wiping away a tear. ¡°Your quiet demeanor was hilarious.¡±


    Maxwell blushed. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Is he blushing,¡± teased Eustace.


    ¡°I am not!¡± said Maxwell. Why am I getting embarrassed? He wondered if siblings were always so good at getting on his nerves.


    ¡°So tell me Ignard,¡± said Julius leaning in. ¡°Is it really true you awakened your divine blessing?¡±


    Maxwell nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±


    Julius leaned back nodding. ¡°I was starting to think it would never come¡­¡±


    It is through the grace of the gods,¡± said Sir Howitzer. ¡°His Insignia is the divine blessing of Luminus the god of light.¡±


    Julius rolled his eyes. ¡°Father even the children of the orphanages know that much.¡±


    Perhaps it was simply his imagination but it seemed that for a moment Julius¡¯s mouth had tightened slightly at the edge of his gentle smile. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°You may be the youngest but it appears you may be the shining torch of this household,¡±


    He was starting to feel like the power he was being bestowed was more important than he had thought. While perhaps cheesy, he thought back to that one saying. With great power comes great responsibility.


    Maxwell nodded. ¡°I hope to live up to your expectations,¡± he said bowing slightly.


    Sir Howitzer nodded in approval. ¡°Good, good manners.¡±


    Julius took a bite of his food. ¡°It seems he has finally grown up,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe one day you can be as good as me,¡± he joked. ¡°It¡¯ll take more than just some golden eyes to beat me!¡±


    ¡°So this means you¡¯ll be joining the academy next term,¡± said Sir Howitzer between bites.


    The academy?- Right, Marco had mentioned something like that! Maxwell contemplated the thought for a moment.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± he said. The thought scared him but maybe if his siblings would be there then maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± said Julius.


    Sofia laughed. ¡°Afraid he¡¯ll come after your spot?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± said Julius.


    I remember when you were only about this tall,¡± said Julius holding his fingers open only slightly.


    Lady Gamiere chuckled in response. ¡°You¡¯ve been teasing him an awful lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s OK,¡± said Sofia. ¡°I¡¯m sure his high spirits can¡¯t be pulled down by some friendly taunting,¡±


    Maxwell hadn¡¯t realised it before but Sofia¡¯s eyes were a bright vibrant green. Everyone¡¯s eye color in the house was blue except for hers- and of course Maxwell¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t recall what eye-color Marco and Amelia had. How did I not notice that before? He wondered. Eye-color has to do with mana power or something. I wonder how that affects the dynamics, I think I heard one of the instructors mention that nobles all have Aquamarine eyes.


    Julius stretched his arms high into the air stretching.


    ¡°Can we get some tea?¡± he asked.. Amelia nodded politely before gracefully leaving the room. She returned shortly after with a tray of tea and light snacks.


    Steam misted from the pot as she poured them into the porcelain cups.


    Julius stood up and went over to her. Don¡¯t work yourself too hard,¡± he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You have a gentle soul, I don¡¯t want you to overwork yourself, you¡¯re so delicate¡±


    Sofia leaned toward Maxwell. ¡°It¡¯s so embarrassingly clear how obvious his feelings are toward her,¡± she whispered in his ear.


    Maxwell nodded slowly with a straight face. I also don''t think Julius has any idea what she¡¯s really like, he thought. If he did he doubts Julius would still have a crush on her. The memories of her kicking him and cursing him popped into his head with incredible ease. She walked around the table softly placing a cup at each person¡¯s plate.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Maxwell as she placed it in front of him with a clink.


    He tenderly took a sip but nearly burnt his tongue in the process. He had gotten a taste of the sweet aroma and was looking forward to drinking it when it cooled down.


    He heard a crash, and turned his head.


    ¡°My you¡¯re so clumsy,¡± said Julius teasingly. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Sorry sir,¡± she said.


    In Amelia¡¯s hands were the splintered remains of his teacup. The hot liquid steamed as it dripped from her hand. Droplets of blood spilled from in between the porcelain¡¯s sharp cracks.


    Maxwell stood up, ¡°You¡¯re bleeding!¡± He exclaimed.¡±Let me help you!¡± he said. He rushed over to her. He held up the tray for her to put the shards in.


    ¡°Let me look at your hands, ¡°he said.


    ¡°What are you-¡± began Amelia but he inspected her hands before she could continue.


    There were long red gashes in her hands. Maxwell winced at the sight of several small shards still stuck in her flesh. I think I can do something about this. He thought back to the first day of his general crash course in magic. They had channeled their mana into the plant and it had grown. Maybe I can do a similar thing here.


    Maxwell held a hand above and below hers and closed his eyes. A golden light emanated from them. The bleeding stopped and the wounds shrivelled in size. The shards loosened and clinked lightly as they hit the ground.


    ¡°That should stop the bleeding,¡± he said at last while opening his eyes¡±Hmm¡­. Impressive, you¡¯ve already learnt general healing magic,¡± remarked Julius whistling lazily.


    ¡°Huh, no that wasn¡¯t healing magic,¡± said Maxwell. ¡°I was just supplying some of my mana into her hands, ¡° he explained.


    His family exchanged surprised glances.


    His father uttered a small whisper.


    ¡°Normally simply applying mana to wounds doesn¡¯t help in healing or stopping the bleeding, it might dull the pain and provide a small energy boost but that¡¯s it. Whether it¡¯s because you have golden eyes or light magic it doesn¡¯t really matter, to make such a change with such a basic ability¡­. It¡¯s miraculous¡­¡± breathed Sir Howitzer.


    ¡°It is indeed¡­ ¡° echoed Julius.


    Soon the commotion faded into the background to Maxwell''s relief. He took small sips of his tea. Julius and Eustace conversed over some school event while Sofia chatted with Lady Gamiere. Amidst all the noise Sir Howitzer loudly cleared his throat. Nobody seemed to catch onto that cue to be quiet. Sir Howitzer cleared his throat again but everyone was too caught up in their conversations. Only Maxwell seemed to notice.


    Sir Howitzer¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in anger. His eyes shone brightly. The hair on Maxwell¡¯s neck rose. A boom echoed throughout the room, assaulting his ears. He felt the wave of energy reverberate through the air, rippling his face.


    The room was immediately silent.


    ¡°Listen up, everybody,¡± he boomed. ¡°I have an important announcement to make of utmost importance. I will be announcing the heir to the Vanderbilt Household.¡±

 011: D茅j脿 Vu

    The windows rattled from the intensity of his gaze. What the hell was that? Wondered Maxwell. Was that mana, that was so powerful!Maxwell It was like the roaring of a giant truck blazing down the highway toward him. It send a nervous sweat down his spine. The room- like Maxwell had turned completely silent. You could hear a pin drop in there.


    Julius and Eustace were frozen mid-conversation. Julius''s mouth was still open. The fork in Eustace¡¯s hand slipped from his fingers and clattered loudly onto his plate.


    A spark danced across Sir Howitzer¡¯s Mustache. Now that I recall, Sir Howitzer earned his fame in battle, he¡¯s a bonafide war hero.


    Sofia slipped Bastion a piece of steak from her plate. ¡°Good boy for not panicking, ¡°she whispered to him. She stroked his soft gray fur. He licked her hand in response.


    Lady Gamiere put her head against his shoulder. ¡°Dear, would you please calm down.¡± Sir Howitzer sighed in exasperation.


    Lady Gamiere leaned over, her auburn glossy hair flowed seamlessly with her movement. Her lips stopped just shy of his ear as she whispered into it.


    ¡°If you calm down, I¡¯ll do the ¡­.¡± Maxwell squinted. He couldn¡¯t quite make out that last part.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± said Sir Howitzer.


    ¡°That¡¯s right the red one with the ¡­¡± she said.


    Sofia groaned, jamming her fingers into her ears. ¡°Did you hear something?¡± asked Maxwell quizzically.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± groaned Sofia. ¡°I¡¯m starting to regret sharing my senses with Bastion.¡±


    Sir Howitzer straightened up, clearing his throat. ¡°Anyways, that aside,¡± he said flustered. ¡°I will announce the heir to the Vanderbilt household. This is very important and will affect the trajectory of all of our lives,¡± he continued.


    ¡°The house of Vanderbilt is one of the most influential families in the empire. We have done a lot for this country and will continue to serve it and the emperor undyingly. Through careful consideration we have finally appointed an heir to the household.¡±


    Maxwell was surprised to feel excitement building up inside him. Well, it¡¯s obvious who it¡¯s going to be. It¡¯s always the eldest. Julius is also hardworking and kind. He¡¯s the perfect man to lead this family. Eustace and SOfia aren¡¯t bad choices either, but he¡¯s still the obvious choice.


    He raised his porcelain teacup to his lips and took a long sip.


    ¡°The heir to the throne will be Ignard Vanderbilt.¡±


    Bastion raised his snout and howled. A crack ran down Julius¡¯s cup. A dribble of tea rolled through the cracks. The distinct sound of grinding, twisting metal was heard.


    Maxwell spat out his drink, nearly spraying everyone in the vicinity. This makes no sense!


    ¡°That¡¯s unbecoming of the heir to the throne,¡± chided Lady Gamiere.


    Maxwell was so taken aback he had accidentally swallowed some of the tea as well and was currently coughing his lungs out.


    ¡°Why me, any of my siblings would be a far better choice than me! I barely know any magic as well,¡± he said.


    Sir Howitzer nodded. ¡°You are the one who must lead this household, I¡¯m sure that with time your abilities will blossom and you will lead this family to greatness once more,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m sure that we all feel this way, and are in agreement of this decision,¡± he said putting an end to the argument. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Maxwell turned to Julius. How does Julius feel about this, I¡¯m sure he was expecting this more than anyone, to have that rug pulled from under your feet¡­ There was a long pause in the room. As if a dark cloud was swirling through Julius¡¯s mind. What was he thinking?


    Julius nodded after a while. ¡°I wholeheartedly agree, I have no complaints.¡±


    ¡°My, maybe you really have changed,¡± remarked Eustace. ¡°The Ignard of the past would have been absolutely delighted.¡±


    ¡°Master Ignard is practicing the six paths of leadership,¡± chimed Amelia in. ¡°He¡¯s been taking his studying very seriously lately.


    Maxwell shot her a thankful look. Thanks Amelia, for saving me there!


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Maxwell ¡° I am of course delighted, I will do everything in my power to serve the emperor well!¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Eustace. ¡°Persevere in your studies.¡±


    After dinner he went back to his room to relax. He lay on his bed and simply stared up at the ceiling. A lot was happening. His eyes caught a book on his shelf. He walked over to it. It was thick and bound in a dark cover. He took it over to his bed.


    He skimmed through the pages. He only saw the language as one who couldn¡¯t understand it - a gibbering of squiggly lines and dotes. Foreign shapes and diagrams flashed before his eyes. Are these magic circles? he wondered.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense to me,¡± he grumbled.


    He rolled over in bed, holding the book above his head. He felt the mattress beneath him shifting. He yelped before hitting the ground. It knocked the wind out of him. He groaned, rubbing his lower back.


    He heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Ignard, are you in here?¡±


    What¡¯s Sofia doing here? He hastily got to his feet. He opened the door. She was standing to the side.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Reading.¡±


    She furrowed her eyebrows, ¡°Reading?¡±


    Crap, would Ignard not do that. ¡°I know it''s weird right,¡± Nice save.


    ¡°Well I guess you are next in line to be the head of this family.¡±


    ¡°Yea,¡± he said, scratching his head. ¡°It still doesn¡¯t feel real.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, Lady Gamiere was calling for you,¡± said Sofia.


    ¡°Oh, what for?¡±


    ¡°She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°No clue.¡±


    She turned to leave. ¡°You coming?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± he said.


    As they were walking through the hallways. He was reminded of a previous occurrence. Wait, why does this situation feel familiar. He gasped. THis is just like that time with Marco. THe time they found out I was a fraud.


    Maxwell slowed his pace. WHat are they gonna do to me? Last time Amelia and Marco practically murdered me. Sure they eventually let me live but that was after getting my ass kicked. Who knows what Ignard¡¯s siblings will do to me¡­


    He shuddered. ¡°Hey Sofia, I think I need to go to the restroom.¡±


    ¡°You can hold it can¡¯t you, this is important,¡± she insisted. His mind was racing.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± she said stopping. Maxwell looked at the large door. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the door to the library?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said, opening it. She shoved Maxwell in and closed the door.


    ¡°Lady Gamiere!¡± called Maxwell hesitantly. His voice echoed slightly off the rows and rows of books. The library was larger than the one at his school.


    The lights suddenly dimmed submerging him into darkness. His feet fell out from under him.


    ¡°Not again!¡± he yelped. THe lights turned on once more. He was greeted with the smiling faces of Julus, Eustace and Sofia. In their hands they held large cones. They exploded covering him in confetti.


    ¡°Surprise!¡± they shouted in unison.


    Maxwell stood there stunned. He had subconsciously crawled into the fetal position and now undid himself.


    ¡°Wow, we¡¯re really good at throwing surprises!¡± They said stunned at Maxwell¡¯s reaction. They high-fived.


    Julius looked at Maxwell¡¯s almost scared face. ¡°Maybe too good¡­¡± He helped him to his feet dusting some confetti from his shoulders.


    ¡°What¡¯s the surprise for?¡± said Maxwell weakly.


    ¡°Your celebrations are only just beginning,¡± said Julius. ¡°We talked to Father and he¡¯s also allowed us to go on a trip to one of our other manors near the coast!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to go to the beach!¡± said Maxwell excitedly. He¡¯d always dreamed of going there. Sure he¡¯d been in swimming pools and technically rivers but the ocean was the real deal.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re looking forward to that! ¡°Said Julius. ¡°Yeah!¡± said Maxwell beaming. There was so much to look forward to! He felt a warmth in his chest. Perhaps it was a sense of belonging. He couldn¡¯t remember a time when he had been this happy.

 012: The Lesser of Two Evils

    Maxwell stared at his reflection in the shiny metal breastplate.  this is probably a bad idea he thought he reached for delicately with one hand it was  cool to the touch. Simply grazing it with his hand left a fingerprint on it. He eagerly wiped it away to not ruin the armour. Next to it was a maze nearly as big as the armour.


    A grin covered his face.


    He reached for it and with great effort was just barely able to get it out of its rack. When it threatened to fall he placed it back, slamming it into the rack as he lost balance at the end.


    He looked around as the sound of the echo died down.


    Maxwell exhaled in relief. That could have gone very badly. He thought to himself.


    ¡°Miss Sofia would like to see you.¡±


    Maxwell nearly jumped out of his skin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that Marco!¡± said Maxwell. He had never been able to notice when Marco was near him. He was so stealthy when he walked.


    ¡°My apologies master,¡± said Marco.


    ¡°Where is Sofia?¡± asked Maxwell.


    ¡°She¡¯s in the garden/courtyard,¡± replied Marco.


    Mark walked out to her. He had gotten used to the layout of the mansion and was able to navigate down to it without much difficulty.


    Sofia was sitting down on a blanket playing with her giant dog.


    ¡°Bastion, fetch,¡± she said, tilting her hand back and launching the stick forwards. It shot through the air, it tumbled before landing gently in the grass almost reaching the end of the courtyard. Bastion barked and darted after it.


    ¡°You called,¡± said Maxwell nervously.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right,¡° said Sofia


    ¡°What did you want?¡± asked Mark.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with simply wanting to spend time with my brother?¡± asked Sofia.


    Bastion lay the stick at Sofia¡¯s feet panting heavily.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m too tired Bastion!¡± exclaimed Sofia patting down her dress before collapsing onto the grass with a sigh.


    ¡°Fetch!¡± said Sofia pointing down the garden. A grin had covered her face.


    Bastion charged at where she was pointing.


    Marco was trimming the bushes along the side of the mansion. When Bastion had nearly reached him Marco lowered his head narrowly missing Bastion¡¯s gaping jaws. Marco paused his gardening dodging tackles and swipes from Bastion¡¯s large body and claws.


    ¡°Get him!¡± shouted Sofia gleefully.


    Bastion¡¯s massive maw encircled Marco¡¯s leg. Marco spun around taking his leg out of reach. The jaws clamped shut with a sound like a bear trap


    Maxwell felt goosebumps on his skin.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too close, he was almost bitten?¡± said Mark


    ¡°This is simply a training exercise, can¡¯t you see Bastion¡¯s just playing around,¡± she said waving him off. In that moment one of Bastion¡¯s claws grazed Marco¡¯s cheek drawing blood that ran down his face.


    It really doesn¡¯t look like that. For a training exercise they sure were getting into it but then again he would be best to cast away the normal logic of his old life this might just be the harshness of the time. He wondered if the servants also acted like bodyguards or such for the Vanderbilt household. Marco moved with such incredibly rapid yet fluid movements. It was the sort of motion that could only be honed through training.


    Bastion snarled. He had pinned Marco to the ground and proceeded to tear at his body.


    Maxwell instinctively got to his feet.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it done, he¡¯s lost¡° said Maxwell frantically.


    ¡°Huh, what do you mean,¡± exclaimed Sofia, annoyed. ¡°Marco¡¯s tougher than he looks, and besides it wouldn¡¯t matter even if he got hurt.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± said Maxwell, side eyeing her. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°We can always get another,¡± said Sofia nonchalantly.


    ¡°¡±Get another ¡­¡± said Maxwell, staring at her. She didn¡¯t mean¡­ No, no no, there¡¯s no way she meant that. I must be mishearing, that¡¯s right It''s a misunderstanding.


    Sofia brought her curled fingers to her lips and whistled. It rang out sharply.


    ¡°Bastion, game¡¯s over!¡±


    Bastion immediately raised his head before trotting over panting heavily.


    ¡°You¡¯re not hurt are you?¡± said Sofia addressing Marco.


    Marco trudged to his feet. Clutching his shoulder, his clothes were now scuffed from the dirt.


    ¡°No ma¡¯am,¡± he said picking out some stray grass that had gotten in his hair.


    ¡°See,¡± said Sofia looking at Maxwell. ¡°Just a training exercise we do together, in fact Marco enjoys it too, right Marco!¡±


    Marco paused for a second before answering. ¡°That¡¯s right ma¡¯am it''s just a training exercise.¡±


    Sofia tackled Maxwell to the ground. ¡°What¡¯s got  you so lost in thought, you were never much of a thinker?¡±


    ¡°I feel that you''ve been acting strangely since your accident,¡± remarked Sofia.


    ¡°What could you mean?¡± asked Maxwell nervously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Sofia softly as she stared in the distance.


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re calling me stupid,¡± said Maxwell.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± said Sofia giggling. Maxwell lied down looking at the blue sky contemplating the events that just took place. Maybe this world is different in more ways than I thought, the emblems every person is endowed with, the gods that rule people¡¯s lives even- Maxwell glanced over at Marco who had gone back to trimming the bushes. The only difference now is that he winced slightly whenever he moved suddenly. The ideologies of people even in my world changed so much over the centuries. Who knows what that means for an entirely different world with a different history entirely. That¡¯s not to speak of the inclusion of magic and sorcery.


    Sofia¡¯s giggles turned to sobs.


    ¡°Are you crying?¡± asked Maxwell, sitting up. ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Sofia sobbed, tears streaming down her face. ¡°It¡¯s just, I¡¯m happy,¡±


    She clasped Maxwell¡¯s hand.


    ¡°You had your awakening, you¡¯re joining the academy, i¡¯m just happy for you,¡± she said looking into Maxwell¡¯s eyes. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s sappy but you deserve this.¡±


    Happy for me? Maxwell felt a weird sensation fill his chest. When was the last time I had heard those words? He blinked back tears. Sometimes one doesn¡¯t know how important it is to hear something until after those words grace their ears.


    ¡°I should get going. I have some things to take care of,¡± said Sofia, getting to her feet. She patted herself down before walking away. She whistled sharply after which Bastion bounded happily after her.


    Afterward Maxwell found himself wandering the hallways he spotted Marco. He had fresh bandages on his face. He was carrying a broom hurriedly walking.


    ¡°Hey Marco,¡± said Maxwell, calling to him. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Marco nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll manage,¡±


    Maxwell studied his face but it was expressionless. ¡°Try not to have so many training sessions OK, you can¡¯t get injured like this,¡± he said.


    ¡°huh-OK¡± stammered Marco. ¡°Thanks for stepping in.¡±


    Footsteps echoed behind Maxwell.


    ¡°What did you do to Marco!¡± said Amelia. She grabbed him around the neck, almost hoisting him above the ground. ¡°You better say what you did right now or I swear on all things holy-¡±


    Let go, he didn¡¯t do anything,¡± said Marco. ¡°He was helping me!¡±


    Amelia¡¯s pupils were wide open and burned with red hot fury, they darted back and forth from Marco to Maxwell.


    ¡°If you laid your hands on Marco¡± she began.¡±I swear I won¡¯t let you nobles take -¡±


    Maxwell bit her. His teeth dug squarely into the flesh of her forearm.


    Her grip loosened slightly allowing him to rip himself out of her grip. He collapsed to the ground coughing and gasping for air.


    I can¡¯t take this anymore of this. What had he done to deserve this? He hadn¡¯t been mean or rude to them, he had treated them as equals, yet why now was he the one being strangled?


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this!¡± he shouted. ¡°I am fed up and done!¡± He glared at Amelia. ¡°I¡¯m doen with this partnership, I haven¡¯t done a single thing to you and yet you seem to hate me for no reason! I¡¯m going back to my family who does nothing but treat me nicely. All you¡¯ve done this time is try and use me, well to that I say I''ve had enough!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ve had enough?¡± said Amelia stepping forward.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do that?¡± said Maxwell cautiously. ¡°I Ignard Vanderbilt, activate the Violence Pact!¡± he commanded. Power coursed through his body condensing at his center for a second before fading.


    Amelia hesitantly took a step back. She eyed him warily. Maxwell clenched his fist. He smiled bitterly. It seems your true colors are finally showing!


    ¡°I knew it, all you¡¯ve been doing this time is trying to use me. Why are you so afraid? Is it because you can¡¯t control me like a dog anymore? I thought deep down even though you always were rude to me and hit me that you had my best interests at heart but I see it now. I was genuinely working to free you guys but the hypocrisy you¡¯ve shown me is blinding!¡±


    He stormed out of the room leaving them behind. The door slammed violently behind him jarring the door frame and rattling the hinges. Why did i ever agree to work with them.


    ¡°Maxwell.. ¡° said Marco in an agonized voice at his departure.


    ¡°Why would you do that!¡± snapped Marco at Amelia. ¡°Now this is all ruined!¡±


    ¡°I was protecting you!¡± burst out Amelia.


    ¡°No you weren¡¯t!¡± shouted Marco. ¡°It was Bastion that hurt me, Maxwell was checking if I was alright! He just wanted to help!¡±


    She froze in horror, all the color was strained from her face. ¡°No¡­but I didn¡¯t mean to do anything, I was just looking out for¡­¡± Her words trailed of as even she couldn¡¯t defend her own actions.


    ¡°I thought we were a team, we were doing this all for mom, but when you do stuff like this¡­ I can¡¯t help but hate you!¡±


    Marco stormed out of the room. The door swung firmly shut behind him.


    Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°What have I done¡­¡±

 013: The Failure of the Vanderbilts

    The wagon ground to a halt. ¡°We¡¯ll make camp here for now, we¡¯ve been riding for a while,¡± said Julius.


    ¡°Finally,¡± exclaimed Eustace. ¡° If we waited any longer I feared my rear would be glued to the seat.¡±


    Maxwell burst out laughing. He had interacted with Eustace the least but he was quickly growing onto Maxwell. He didn¡¯t seem to care much for the uptight regime of high society and was the most relatable to Maxwell.


    ¡°You know what I mean, Ignard?¡± said Eustace at his reaction.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you all are complaining about,¡± said Sofia. She rose elegantly as if it had been no more than a five-minute ride. Bastion yawned, tensing its entire body from nose to tail before trotting after her. They really are inseparable, thought Maxwell.


    Amelia was standing politely next to the carriage steps. As Maxwell stepped down she reached to close it. Maxwell grabbed it ahead of her and closed it himself. He glared at her through the corner of his eyes. She made him mad whenever he looked at her. To his surprise though she wilted under his gaze. There was no sign of her usual defiant self. Her eyes wouldn''t meet his. It puzzled him slightly but he brushed it off. What do I care if she¡¯s acting weird, there¡¯s no way she feels remorseful somewhere in her thick skull.


    Eustace crouched down at the side of the carriage. ¡°There¡¯s a problem with one of the wheels,¡± he said.


    Maxwell walked over to him. He stared at the large wooden and metal wheel that was nearly as tall as he was. Even this part of the carriage was ornament-ally carved out. The metallic spokes and rim while somewhat caked in much were etched with intricate patterns that poked through it.


    ¡°I did notice a rhythmic bump while we were travelling,¡± said Maxwell. ¡°Is it because of this wheel?¡±


    Eustace snapped his finger. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely correct Ignard.¡± He poked to one of the metal spokes. It was bent slightly out of shape perhaps from when driving over a pothole or a loose stone that got stuck at some point.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± asked Maxwell. He looked around at the desolate landscape. ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any mech-blacksmiths or carpenters around.¡± He nearly bit his tongue trying to cover his words. That was close, I was so close to saying mechanic.


    Eustace smiled cheekily. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, have you forgotten what my specialty is?¡±


    Maxwell had no idea what his specialty was. What is he talking about?.


    Eustace wrapped his fingers around the spoke. He took a deep breath and squeezed it tightly. Maxwell¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. No way. When Eustace removed his hands the spoke was completely straight. That¡¯s right, his ability was controlling metal. Marco had told him all his siblings'' abilities but he¡¯d never seen it in person before.


    ¡°Good as new,¡± said Eustace, patting the large wheel.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good for someone with blue eyes,¡± teased Sofia. ¡°Imagine being of the Vanderbilt bloodline and fixing tires like some backwater blacksmith.¡±


    Eustace¡¯s mouth was agape. Maxwell facepalmed. Not this again.


    ¡°Imagine running your mouth despite being Jade Class,¡± he retorted.


    ¡°Imagine not being Mother''s favorite child.¡±


    ¡°Guys guys, please don¡¯t argue,¡± said Maxwell. I¡¯ve noticed that all of the retorts seem to center around magic and their class. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t all the time but there were very few times where he heard them give insults that weren¡¯t related to magical ability.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± said Eustace. ¡°She¡¯s the one who started it.


    ¡°But Ignard I was simply complimenting him on his work,¡± said Sofia. Bastion howled in agreement.


    ¡°The campsite has been set up,¡± she said while enshrouded in the shadow of the carriage.


    ¡°I guess we can put this on hold,¡± said Eustace, turning his head. A fire had been started. As well as some simply seats. Nothing more than a pit-stop really.


    The fire crackled and popped. Maxwell took a seat next to Julius who was tending to the fire.


    ¡°Julius, is it time already?¡± said Eustace, his eyes flickering blue. Maxwell frowned. There was something about his tone that made his hairs stand on end.


    ¡°No no, ¡° said Julius chuckling. ¡°Not around here.¡±


    ¡°Time for what?¡± asked Maxwell.


    Julius turned to Maxwell. ¡°There are bandits in some of these parts, so we have to be extra careful in certain regions.¡± Julius glanced at Eustace, locking eyes for a second. ¡°I suppose Ignard wouldn¡¯t know since you never really had a reason to leave the estate.¡±


    Maxwell looked around over the landscape. Aside from the faint outline of the capital in the distance it was desolate. I forgot bandits and thieves were commonplace in a medieval world. It was a weird concept to him. He imagined how weird it would be having to worry about bandits while going camping in his old world. The concept was entirely foreign.


    ¡°The Imperial knights used to keep them in check, if we had even one we could probably rest assured,¡± said Julius.


    ¡°Right,¡± scoffed Eustace, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you still believed in fairy tales, let me guess they can also run on water and cut fire with their swords!¡±


    They are real, don¡¯t get me wrong they''re simply glorified soldiers but there¡¯s a reason people have still heard of them.¡±


    ¡°Right and they can walk on water and cut the fire of a fire dragon using simply a sword.¡±


    ¡°They can do all that!¡± said Maxwell excitedly. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± said Julius. ¡°Imperial knights have served the empire for hundreds of years. They are a group of powerful knights that excel at magic but are known for their hand to hand combat. The thing is they rarely make a public appearance so there¡¯s a lot of rumours about them. That¡¯s how you get all those myths of them cutting fire and taking on an army single handedly.¡±


    ¡°They sound extremely powerful,¡± said Maxwell.


    ¡°They were so and so,¡± said Julius, ¡°Maybe running on water is theoretically possible, but cutting fire- impossible.¡± Listen here Ignard, Fire magic has gone through the most advancements over the past hundred years. It¡¯s downright impossible for fire to be affected by mere steel.¡± He scoffed. ¡°I have no idea why anyone would use martial arts to fight when magic is the norm.¡±


    He put an arm around Maxwell. ¡° But you don¡¯t have anything to worry about, your brother will protect you!¡±


    Eustace snorted. ¡°With your Porcelain magic right?¡±


    Julius¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t better off opening a pottery class,¡± said Eustace.


    A crack split down Julius¡¯s teacup. ¡°Listen here, I''ll show you exactly how weak my magic is!¡± said Julius raising his voice.


    Maxwell stared at the crack in Julius¡¯s cup. I feel like I¡¯ve seen that before but I can¡¯t quite remember where.


    Bastion barked. ¡°Julius, don''t take the bait,¡± said Sofia. ¡°He¡¯s just insecure.¡±


    ¡°I am not!¡± said Eustace.


    ¡°Uhh,¡± said Julius, rubbing his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m too old for this bickering, let¡¯s just move on with the plan.¡±


    They were soon back onto the road again. Before long the roads became more bumpy and the bare terrain became occupied with groves of trees. Amelia opened a hatch leading into the carriage. ¡°We¡¯re approaching bandit-territory.¡±


    Julius nodded. ¡°Thanks for the update.¡±


    He turned to Maxwell. ¡°You know, Ignard, as I mentioned before, these regions are full of bandits. They¡¯re incredibly dangerous and vicious. It¡¯s not uncommon for nobles to go missing, not just for ransoms but nobles aren¡¯t treated well by commoners in general. It could be for all sorts of reasons: jealousy, rebelling, hate.¡± He practically spat the word hate.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± said Maxwell. When he said the word hate it sent a chill down his spine.


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired of this pretense, let¡¯s get started.¡± Metal wiring from within the carriage unraveled and tied around Maxwell restraining him to the wall. They snaked and coiled around his limbs clamping him back.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± he cried out.


    The sound of the creaking carriage was painfully loud. They didn¡¯t say a word. He was greeted simply by three pairs of shimmering eyes. Two blue and one green. Maxwell had been in this world for long enough to know the signs of someone activating their magic. WInd rattled the window panes.


    ¡°Guys¡­¡±


    Julius scowled. Maxwell had never seen such a look of hatred on his face.


    ¡°You are undeserving to lead this family. We were willing to leave things be but then you had to go and awaken your stupid ability. You could have laid low but you had to go and ruin things. After all the time I spent trying to gain my fathers favour.¡± said Julius.


    Maxwell stared in horror. It was like he was in front of an entirely different person. The kind warm Julius that was compassionate was gone.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± said Maxwell. ¡°That didn¡¯t bother you!¡±


    ¡°Bother me, we have spent our entire lives working to bring honor to our family but for some reason you, the failure of the Vanderbilts, somehow managed to worm your way into the top!¡±


    Eustace and Sofia nodded.


    "What, that can''t be..." His heart sunk in his chest. I thought we were a family. His eyes watered.


    Eustace stood up. He retrieved a spoon from his pocket. ¡°Let¡¯s get this started.¡±


    The spoon melted in his hand. It coated his fingers and palm in its shiny metallic color. He put a knee on the seat to get closer to Maxwell.


    Eustace smiled wickedly. ¡°Hold still and this won¡¯t hurt very much.


    ¡°Please¡­ ¡° begged Maxwell, a mix of spittle and blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth when he got out that word.


    He paused, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m looking forward to this either,¡± he said in an offended tone.


    ¡°Ok maybe I lied about both of those things,¡± he laughed as he jammed his hand into his eye socket. Maxwell screamed in pain. He felt metal coiling around him keeping him still. He felt his optic nerve and the tendons snap as it was ripped out of his head.


    A smattering of blood sprayed onto Sofia. She winced, blinking it out of her eyes. Bastion eagerly lapped at her face.


    ¡°Would you keep the mess down,¡± she complained.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± said Eustace. He extended the extracted eyeball to Julius.


    ¡°These are invaluable,¡± he said. His eyes glowed blue for a second and a layer of porcelain materialised and crawled along the ball''s surface. If one didn¡¯t know what it was one would assume it was a slightly unusual golf ball sized sphere of porcelain.


    ¡°Now for the next one,¡± said Eustace. He reached once more into Maxwell¡¯s head. Maxwell shook under his touch as he strained his trapped limbs. Eustace¡¯s arm recoiled.


    ¡°What happened, did you get it?¡± asked Julius. Eustace clutched his fingers. . ¡°He burned me!¡± he exclaimed. The metal on his hand was retracted revealing his bare skin. Red welts were forming ?apidly on his fingers.


    ¡°Hmm, seems we¡¯ll have to put that on hold for a second,¡± said Julius. ¡°I thought it might be too dangerous to simply extract them, you were lucky your whole hand didn¡¯t disintegrate.¡±


    Eustace¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to tell me that ear-¡±


    ¡°Sshh,¡± interrupted Julius. ¡°I need to focus.¡± He took out a briefcase and opened it. Inside was a single syringe and a dark bluish purple vial next to it.


    Eustace grumbled but remained silent. He craned his neck to look at the contents of the case. ¡°So that¡¯s how it looks,¡± he remarked. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you actually got it¡±


    Julius Smirked. ¡°Us Vanderbilt¡¯s have both a lot of allies and enemies, by combining them there is nothing out of my reach.¡±


    He inserted the syringe into the vial and drawed out the liquid into it. He moved with surgical precision. smoothly and with intent, keeping his hands incredibly still. Maxwell¡¯s skin crawled as Julius fingered a vein on his neck. ¡°There it is,¡± whispered Julius. He plunged the needle into Maxwell¡¯s throat, right into his jugular. His body instantly seized up. He bled from every orifice. His wails filled the carriage. It hurts, it hurts so bad! It felt as if getting his eyes ripped out was nothing more than a papercut. A billion magma ants tunneled under his skin, eating up his very flesh. They melted through his body into his bones and blood vessels. They concentrated at his insignia sending pain into his very being.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on back there!¡± shouted Amelia.


    ¡°Shut up and keep driving!¡± commanded Julius.


    The fluid crawled up his veins with each coursing beat of his blood.It flowed unaturally into his chest. Julius swiped his hand over Maxwell¡¯s shirt causing it to rip to shreds. His insignia glowed.


    ¡°This cursed sun will be forever shrouded in darkness,¡± he said grinning. He had a crazed look in his eyes.


    His veins swelled and turned purplish as they wrapped around his insignia while they strained under his skin. It was as if it was being ripped out of his skin.


    His body-movements slowed down. His singular eye fixated on Julius.


    ¡°Oh how I have loathed you ever since the day you were born,¡± said Julius before ripping out his remaining eye. A chunk of flesh came of with it. And with that he was plunged into darkness. Julius kicked open the carriage door. The landscape flashed by them.


    ¡°Well, it was nice knowing you,¡± said Julius. He grabbed Maxwell¡¯s shoulders and propped him up one final time.


    ¡°Come on say goodbye to your siblings,¡± he said.


    ¡°Bye Ignard,¡± said Eustace, waving his hand still soaked in Maxwell¡¯s blood.


    ¡°Seems a bit much, no?¡± said Sofia, a hand to her mouth.


    ¡°What does it matter? He''s already dead.¡± said Julius. ¡°May your soul never find peace.¡±


    He threw his body out of the moving carriage. He landed face first in a ditch, his body rolled for a moment before coming to a halt.


    ¡°Maxwell!¡± shouted Amelia but the carriage rattled on never stopping, not even for a second.

 014: Please Hurry

    Amelia gripped the reins tightly, her nails digging into her hands.


    She clamped her eyes shut. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to do anything,¡± she cried out softly.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I do anything?¡± Blood seeped out from her palms, they soaked into the thick wound fiber of the reins.


    She shut out the horrible screams from the cart. The road stretched endlessly in front of her. If she kept her eyes on it then maybe¡­


    The darkening clouds let loose its reserves and rained down water upon the carriage. The droplets landed on her head before running down her face and mingling with her tears. I¡¯m sorry Maxwell, she mourned.


    She was unable to ignore the sound of the carriage door open followed by a thump.


    She grit her teeth burying her face in her hands. She wept into her bloody hands as the coldness seeped into her body.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be dead for sure right, I¡¯ve heard a lot of things about this but you know how it is,¡± said Eustace.


    ¡°Once the procedure is done, he¡¯ll be as dead as the stones that lie on the side of this road,¡± said Julius.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard their bodies explode afterwards,¡± said Eustace.


    Julius shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true. Corruption is a very unique piece of magic. Corruption is a particularly cruel spell. It doesn¡¯t work like a poison or venom. It¡¯s even different from all forms of assassination techniques. The way it works is by using the bodies own power against itself. It used the body''s own magic supply to detach the Insignia from their being.¡±


    Maxwell was tightly bound to the wall by Eustace¡¯s metal bars. His single eye was wide open and unblinking. His heart pounded so rapidly against his rib-cage it threatened to force its way out.


    ¡°The insignia is attached not only to their physical body but also to their soul,¡± continued Julius. Additionally since Insignia¡¯s power are correlated to their user, the power supply is literally tailored to remove their respective marks. That¡¯s the beauty of it, it¡¯s a magic that works on everybody.¡±


    He held up a finger. ¡°Once the insignia is removed it kills 97% of all people. But the corruption christening has a 100% death rate. What people don¡¯t know is that the corruption christening is a two stage process. Once the Insignia is separated the body that is depleted of mana goes into shock. The mana-depleted body then goes into a state of panic. The Insignia is a gift given by the gods and once removed is as if the body has lost its heart.¡± He snapped his fingers. ¡°Within a couple minutes, they¡¯re gone. 100% of the times. It¡¯s no wonder it¡¯s used on nobles so often. Since they¡¯re stripped of their godly given mana It¡¯s a shameful way to go so it¡¯s often covered up by families.¡±


    Meanwhile the purple-sh liquid crawled further into Maxwell¡¯s body as it did its work.


    Eustace nodded.¡±You really know your stuff, no wonder you were recommended personally by the headmaster to be a trainee for the emperor''s guard.¡±


    Sofia scratched Bastion between the ears. His ears flicked at her touch.


    As for how I know this,¡± Julius continued. ¡°there were many trials for¡­¡± He smiled wickedly. ¡°... The sake of science after the war that led to a greater knowledge of this magic.¡±


    Julius looked out the window. ¡°Mana is what makes us noble, it makes us greater than those beneath us.¡±


    He turned his attention back to Maxwell.


    ¡°Oh how I have loathed you ever since the day you were born,¡± said Julius before ripping out his remaining eye. A chunk of flesh came of with it. And with that he was plunged into darkness. Julius kicked open the carriage door. The landscape flashed by them. Even in his unimaginable pain confusion peaked in his mind. All this time I thought this was because I had been found out but this entire time they didn¡¯t even know I wasn¡¯t Ignard.


    ¡°I¡¯ve hated you ever since the day you were born.¡±


    The words stabbed Maxwell¡¯s heart. ¡°What?¡± What¡¯s going on? ¡°Wha-what did you say?¡± Julius¡¯s cold eyes stared at his soul. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said Maxwell in a shaky voice tears welled up in his eyes. He hoped he had misheard him but Julius¡¯s countenance gave him all the information he needed.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Well, it was nice knowing you,¡± said Julius. He grabbed Maxwell¡¯s shoulders and propped him up one final time.


    ¡°Come on, say goodbye to your siblings,¡± he said.


    ¡°Bye Ignard,¡± said Eustace, waving his hand still soaked in Maxwell¡¯s blood.


    ¡°Seems a bit much, no?¡± said Sofia, a hand to her mouth.


    ¡°What does it matter? He''s already dead.¡± said Julius. ¡°May your soul never find peace.¡±


    He threw his body out of the moving carriage. He landed face first in a ditch, his body rolled for a moment before coming to a halt. Julius closed the door.


    He held a palm to his head. ¡°Drats, we forgot to extract his other eye.¡±


    How could they do that to me? The rocks dug into his back. The rain washed over him mingling with his tears. He coughed once, causing blood to shoot out from all the orifices on his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening to my body!¡± he groaned.


    There¡¯s no way his own siblings would leave him there to die. He wouldn¡¯t accept it- he couldn¡¯t. His body burned, like a thousand ants were sending tiny white-hot stakes into his flesh.


    Blood oozed from his empty eye socket. I¡¯m going to die, aren''t I. While it felt like it he knew he wasn¡¯t dead yet. He¡¯d unfortunately already experienced what it was like to die. His single eye-stared into the heavens. Wasn¡¯t I supposed to have a second chance? He could barely move. He wasn¡¯t held back by metal bars anymore but it somehow felt harder to move now. As if a mountain rested on his chest.


    There was no way they would actually abandon him. His siblings wouldn¡¯t do that. Maybe there was some sort of mistake- his parents. They wouldn¡¯t let this slide. All he had to do was make it back home! Then they would sort this all out. Everything would be fixed then!


    He heard the wheel of a cart drawing near. His heart raced. They must be coming back, there¡¯s no way they¡¯d leave me, they wouldn¡¯t betray their brother!


    Somehow Maxwell was able to turn himself over, propping himself up on his less damaged arm.


    He heard muffled voices. They were close yet far away.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± said a female voice.


    ¡°How should I know, probably some poor fool.¡± said a gruff voice.


    Maxwell¡¯s heart dropped. It wasn¡¯t them after all.


    ¡°But look at the state of him.¡± said the female voice sympathetically.


    ¡°I know, it must have been done in by bandits.¡±


    He heard the reins being whipped and the wheels of the cart start moving.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t leave me!¡± he shouted in a hoarse voice. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me,¡± he begged. I have money, I¡¯m a noble.¡± He snivelled. ¡°Please¡­¡±


    He heard a thump in the mud and then footsteps approaching. Shoes stopped at his face.


    ¡°Did you say you¡¯re a noble?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± said Maxwell hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯m part of the Vanderbilts.¡± he was having trouble speaking with so much blood in his mouth. His tongue had become covered in cuts from his teeth when he was tossed out of the carriage.


    ¡°Vanderbilts!¡± burst out the man. ¡°One of the great noble families!¡± The glee in his voice was palpable. Maxwell could practically hear him licking his lips. Maybe I can get him to take me there. He hoped.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± said the man. ¡°What are one of them doing all the way out here, what reason do I have to believe someone like you is trustable in the slightest?¡±


    Maxwell gulped. He was completely at the guy''s mercy. He couldn¡¯t let this chance go away. Who knew when next anyone else would come across him. Would he even be alive then?


    He looked in his pockets for anything to give him. Shit, if only I had jewelry still on me. The He regretted not making us all of Ignard¡¯s jewelry. He had never gotten around to wearing it. He had never worn jewelry before. It had felt so out of place for him to wear rings and bangles. His hands landed on the pendant around his neck. He gritted his teeth. He wasn¡¯t a fan of parting with it even now. What choice do I have!


    He ripped it from his neck. ¡°Please take this for now, if you get me back to my estate I promise you will be rewarded heavily, you have my word, I swear upon it with everything that I¡¯m worth!¡±


    His voice was hoarse from yelling. He didn¡¯t hear a reply from the man. All he heard was the low pitter-patter of rain.


    ¡°Hello?¡± he asked into the silence.


    The pendant was snatched from his fingers. He didn¡¯t even have the strength to resist in the slightest. Strong arms grabbed him.


    ¡°Wait, what are you doing! ¡°He said struggling. Tears streamed with renewed vigor down his cheeks. ¡°Please not again, I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± he wailed.


    ¡°Stop resisting and pipe down, I¡¯m doing what you wanted aren¡¯t I,¡± said the gruff voice in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°Oh,¡± said Maxwell, stopping mid dry heave I thought I was about to be kidnapped or something. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please hurry, I swear the faster you get me there the better your reward will be!¡±


    He was laid upright in the cart with his back to the wooden support. A thick canvas covered its wooden skeleton.


    He was starting to feel the pain in his bones. As if someone was taking a jackhammer to his joints or slowly ripping his bones apart one millimeter at a time. He called out to the driver once more, his voice barely above a whisper.


    ¡°Please hurry¡­¡±

 015: Magic Is Everything to a Noble

    He grit his teeth. The pain was nearly making Maxwell black out. He buried his face in his hands.


    ¡°I need to make it home, I need to make it home,¡± he muttered to himself. The cart shook as it drove over a dip in the road.


    ¡°Easy now,¡± commanded the stranger to the neighing horses. Maxwell had somehow managed to find himself a ride by these strangers. Inside the cart was a single barrel and a couple stacked boxes with fabric and rope keeping them in place. The sound of sloshing inside the barrel was probably wine. They seemed to be merchants of sort. The space in the cart seemed far too large for the little wares they had. woman next to the man was probably his wife.


    The woman wore a simple dress. Its color was a faded brown and it had been repaired in a few places but it was in good condition nevertheless. It was ironic in comparison to Maxwell¡¯s own clothes. His noble clothes were muddied and ripped. His clothes were made from expensive silks and had vibrant shades of blue and yet was stained by the dirt of the road.


    He felt something dab on his face. He looked up. The woman from before was kneeling in front of him holding a handkerchief. She wiped away his tears with a handkerchief and some of the blood on his face


    ¡°You poor thing,¡± she muttered. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of you ¡®till you make it home.¡±


    He raised his hand protesting. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m fine..¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± she said firmly. ¡°You¡¯re in so much pain.¡±


    Thank you.¡± he groaned in between painful grunts. While his agonising state remained the same it did in a sense provide a sense of relief for him, if but for a second.


    She put a hand to his forehead. ¡°My god, you¡¯re really burning up!¡± she exclaimed. She looked at him with sadness in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±


    She squinted looking closer at his face. She recoiled, placing her hand in front of her mouth.


    ¡°George!¡± she called to the man not taking her eyes off Maxwell. ¡°His eye George, its gone! Must have been ripped right out¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rough,¡± said the man after a pause. ¡°I¡¯ve heard bandits are getting more violent around these parts. I¡¯ve heard rumours of eyes being used for magical equipment, noble eyes especially would go for a lot¡±


    The couple would probably have freaked out more if they had known Maxwell had golden eyes but luckily for him they were in the dark. Maxwell¡¯s remaining eyelid was so swollen it was barely open and leaking blood it was practically impossible to tell his eye-color.


    He doubled over once more in pain. There was nothing he could do to ease it except grit his teeth. He¡¯d lost count of how many times he had wished for death. His body shivered. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was adrenaline or the cold. The mud was caked in his hair along with blood. He felt as if all the skin on his body had been peeled off. Whatever surface he laid against was as if he was touching a burning hot iron.


    Maybe I should have asked them to take me to a doctor beforehand? He wondered. Damn, I don''t know, this pain is too much!


    How am I still alive in the first place? The words of Julius echoed in his head.


    ¡°The corruption christening has a 100% death rate without exception.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t sure what exactly a corruption christening was but wasn¡¯t he already supposed to be dead by now? Was this something to do with what the god said when he was being reincarnated? It would explain how he wasn¡¯t dead yet even though he might as well be.


    The journey back home felt forever. The seconds were painfully long. The closer they got the slower time seemed to move. He had nearly passed out multiple times but he held on. ¡°I need to make it back, I need to make it back,¡± he whispered to himself. Once he made it back everything would be at peace. His betrayal, his pain, it would all be resolved. It was in that eternal agony that the cart eventually stopped. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°I believe this is it!¡± shouted the man over the downpour.


    The man helped Maxwell to the door through the pouring rain. The mansion looked so different at night. It seemed strangely foreign¡­ He raised a hand to the door. His knuckles rapped loudly three times against it. They were met with silence. He knocked once more, this time more forcefully.


    The door barged open revealing Marco.


    ¡°What seems to be the-¡± Marco¡¯s eyes landed on Maxwell. The light from inside was nearly blinding. Its warm yellow glow was warm on his skin. I¡¯m finally home, he thought to himself tearing up.


    ¡°Maxwell, is that you?¡± he said, shocked. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I need to see Sir Howitzer,¡± said Maxwell in a weak voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on,¡± said a voice. SIr Howitzer had appeared wearing nothing more than a loose shirt and pants. Lady Gamiere was behind him wearing silk bathrobes.


    ¡°Ignard, is that you?¡± said Lady Gamiere, stepping slightly forward.¡±We need to call the a priest- no a medic!¡±


    She rushed forward embracing him. ¡°Let go of him! ¡°She said to the man. ¡°What did you do to my son!¡±


    ¡°I found him on the road to my ladyship. Please we are but humble farmers,¡± he said hurriedly. ¡°I caused no harm to him! ¡°He spoke as fast as he could to explain the situation. He realised that showing up like this with Vanderbilt''s son half-dead was one that could easily be misunderstood.


    ¡°I found him on the road and brought him to safety at once,¡± he explained. He went on to briefly summarise the events that had happend.


    ¡°Mother!¡± exclaimed Maxwell bawling. ¡°So many terrible things have happened. I think I was betrayed and I¡¯m in so much pain.¡± he couldn¡¯t stop the turbulent flow of words from gushing from his mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± she said, reassuring him.


    ¡°Wait!¡± commanded Sir Howitzer. He had a serious look in his eyes. ¡°Step away from him¡± he said to lady Gamiere.


    He walked cautiously up to Maxwell. Maxwell eyed Sir Howitzer. If he wasn¡¯t in so much pain he would have felt fear swell in his heart. SIr Howitzer crinkled his nose before swiftly grabbing the collar of Maxwell¡¯s shirt. In one motion he ripped his shirt off exposing his chest.


    Maxwell''s eyes trembled in shock. ¡°Father why would you¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Your Insignia!¡± he cried out, he was so distraught his voice cracked. ¡°Your divine gift.,¡± he mourned. Lady Gamiere took a step away from Maxwell away from the doorway. Both their eyes were downcast.


    ¡°Father¡­Mother¡­¡± said Maxwell cautiously. He had no idea what was running through the man¡¯s mind. The man simply stood still. It was impossible for Maxwell to read him.


    ¡°That is no son of mine.¡±


    The rain jutted down noisily. They both looked straight into Maxwell¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°That is no son of mine!¡± they shouted. SIr Howitzers¡¯ eyes glowed a deep sapphire. While the rain and wind was coming from outside it was as if thunder was raging from within the doors.


    Maxwell¡¯s knees buckled from under him. ¡°Whoa there, don¡¯t fall now,¡± said the man supporting him.


    ¡°Please, this can¡¯t be true, you can¡¯t do this to me as well,¡± said Maxwell between tears. ¡°What have I done to deserve this!¡± he wept. He had hoped with all his heart that this had been some sort of mistake or that everything would return to normal if he could explain things to his parents but all those delusional thoughts were forced to crash down.


    Sir Howitzer turned to the farmer. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you think this street urchin is but he is not my son, begone at once.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, I travelled all the way out here!¡± the man protested.


    ¡°Marco close the door,¡± commanded Sir Howitzer in a dismissive tone.


    ¡°But SIr Howitzer, he¡¯s Ignard your so-¡±


    ¡°Not one more word out of you!¡± he shouted. Bolts of purple energy wrapped around Marco¡¯s body. His body moved awkwardly. He gritted his teeth and moved no more. A drop of blood fell from his nose. He can¡¯t disobey the orders from the head of the Vanderbilts, they¡¯re forced to through the magical pacts.


    ¡°Why do you still resist,¡± said Sir Howitzer.


    Marco¡¯s eyes met Maxwell. Desperation was in his eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t do it, I¡¯m sorry Ma-¡± Marco was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.


    Sir Howitzer''s mouth twisted in annoyance, ¡°Tsk.¡± He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.


    He stared at Maxwell with disgust. ¡°Magic is everything to a Noble.¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± called out Maxwell. He craned his neck desperately to her but she wouldn¡¯t meet his gaze, her head turned firmly to the side. ¡°Mom!¡± he cried, tears streaming. But she wouldn¡¯t answer. A boom echoed through the hall slamming the doors shut with such force it rattled the ground.

 016: Hopeless Despair

    ¡°Kid, I thought we had a deal!¡± shouted the man grabbing his collar. Maxwell stared in front of him at the closed door of the manor. His chest rose and fell rapidly. His heart beat loudly in his ears like drums. If he didn¡¯t stop soon, it felt as if he would expel all the oxygen in his body.


    It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this, everything was supposed to be solved. His face was downcast. His singular eye was unblinking. The image of the door closing in his face while his mother refused to meet his gaze repeatedly played in his mind. He thought he had been lucky when only one of his eyes had been so gruesomely plucked out, yet now¡­ Maybe it would have been better if he had been unable to see the sight of his parents forsaking him. Who am I kidding, he thought, they aren¡¯t your parents, they never were, they were Ignard¡¯s and even then that didn¡¯t mean much in the end. They were willing to cast him aside too.


    ¡°Hey kid, Are you even listening to me!¡± shouted the man. His thin straw-colored hair was matted by the rain. ¡°You¡¯ve set us back a day on our travels.¡±


    The man growled in frustration. He half-carried half dragged Maxwell back to the light of the cart.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± asked the woman excitedly.


    ¡°He¡¯s not theirs,¡± said the man bluntly.


    ¡°What!¡± she exclaimed.


    Maxwell crawled into the back of the cart and curled into the fetal position. He was in a state of utter shock. What did he have left to give? He¡¯d experienced heartbreak before. Once a long time ago he had been to a funeral. It was his mothers. He had been unable to contain those tears. He didn¡¯t want to see it at first. He never wanted to see her lifeless corpse.


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret this when you¡¯re older.¡± they had said. ¡°You should see her off one last time.¡±


    Whatever was in that box was not his mother. Sure it had the nose of his mother and the lips of his mother. It had the mole on its neck that was identical to hers. It had the birthmark by her ear that looked like an OK symbol. But that was not his mother. There was something gone, she wasn¡¯t there. She was kind and loving. Sure she had her faults but everybody did. My dad said she¡¯d gotten a heart attack but the truth was that She had overdosed in the bathtub. Now that I think about it, this day reminds me of that one.  It was a normal day, for his 11 year old self. I was excited to go to school, I remember having pancakes for breakfast. Even now I remember how good they tasted. Her pancakes were truly the best. She had kissed me goodbye as she normally did. She tried giving me a hug too but I squirmed out of her grasp. What I would do to go back in time to that moment¡­ What I would do to hug her again.


    The farmer paced outside the cart by the horses. ¡°What are we supposed to do now!¡± shouted the woman. ¡°We barely have enough money as is. By the time we make it there there might not even be any places!¡±


    The man raised his arms in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s not like I knew this would happen, we were supposed to be rewarded!¡±


    ¡°Those dumb Vanderbilts didn¡¯t recognise him, he duped us,¡± he complained.


    ¡°What are we supposed to do now!¡± wailed the woman.¡±He¡¯s just dead weight, we have nothing to show for this.¡±


    The man lowered his voice. ¡°All hope isn¡¯t lost yet.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he doesn¡¯t belong to the Vanderbilts but look at him, look at his clothes. He¡¯s clearly from a wealthy family. He¡¯s got to have something on him.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do that, he¡¯s already half dead.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said the man. ¡°He¡¯s an easy catch. We¡¯re doing him a favour if you think about it, why should both of us have to be dealt a bad hand. While he only has one of them imagine what his eye will sell for! It could feed us for months.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Maxwell was too absorbed in his anguish to notice his surroundings. I was pulled out of school during English class. The principal had come personally to get me. She called out my name in front of everyone and I awkwardly walked to her. I distinctly remember my cheeks burning in embarrassment and the wide eyes of my classmates as they ogled and whispered about me. Before then I never particularly cared about it but at that moment I hated their stares.


    She was only 36. My Dad was never the same afterwards. He sought to escape his pain through drinking and becoming absorbed in his work. Grief filled his entire heart not leaving room for anything or anyone else, not even me. When he was offered a remote job he took it. I was moved from everyone and everything that I had known. Why can¡¯t I have it? He gritted his teeth. Why can¡¯t I have the one thing I really desire? He clutched his heart. It hurts, it hurts so bad. The intense pain was a new sensation. Why does this always happen to me? Am I just some god''s plaything, haven¡¯t I suffered enough? It was as if new agony kept on blossoming inside him, like some creative display of hell.


    Strong fingers wrapped around his neck.The many hours working in the fields had gifted the man with an iron grip.


    ¡°Aaargh!¡± groaned Maxwell. He scratched weakly at the vice like appendages. When will this nightmare end! He couldn''t get out of his grasp. His legs banged against the floor helplessly in his struggle. Foam was building at the corners of his mouth.


    ¡°This¡¯ll be over quickly,¡± said the man through his teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll snap your neck like I¡¯ve done to the chickens at our farm.¡±


    Maxwell internally screamed. This has gotta be some cruel joke, just let me die already! Pressure was building up in his face. It was so intense he started crying tears of blood.


    The woman held a hand above her eyes. ¡°George, he''s suffering,¡± she complained.


    A bloody tear rolled down his cheek and landed on the man¡¯s wrist. He flinched.


    ¡°What did you do to me you damned child.¡±He cursed loudly, his grip loosening slightly at the same time. Maxwell kicked as hard as he could into the man¡¯s side. His grip loosened slightly more and somehow he was able to break free.


    ¡°He¡¯s getting away!¡± The man while clutching his wrist where his blood had landed.


    The man lunged at him, nearly grabbing his neck once more. His fingers caught on the chain around his neck. The pendant he had worn came free and dropped to the floor.


    Maxwell didn¡¯t even notice and with strength he shouldn¡¯t have had Maxwell darted past the woman and crawled on his hands and feet outside over the edge of the cart. He landed hard but the pain within him was greater than the pain outside. He scrambled to his feet and fled. He wasn¡¯t stumbling or crawling; he sprinted with every ounce of strength.


    I¡¯m running yet again, just like this entire time. I was running from my past, my family and my friends. I thought I could start over, I thought I could have a new family, a new life. I ran away from my responsibility, my fear, my guilt.


    Horse footsteps grew louder behind him.


    ¡°Where did that kid go! ¡°Shouted the man.


    Oh god, they¡¯re chasing me. Maxwell ran sideways abruptly off the road. The ground turned to thick grass that tangled around his feet. It was pitch black bare for the single torch of the cart behind him. The only sound was the tall grass raking against his legs, his raspy, laboured breathing and his feet thudding against the ground. The ground gave way under him. He was in freefall. He felt a drop in his stomach as his organs slammed into his abdominal cavity. His feet kicked air for a second and he was falling. He slammed into the side of the rocky surface and rolled down. He tumbled and fell down. Flashes of white and grey sparked in his vision with every crash. He didn¡¯t know what was up or down, left or right. The pain had evolved into merely sensations, it was almost as if he was seeing the pain being inflicted onto something else. He was watching his body fall and crash into the side. His suffering, his agony, it would all end with him. It would burn in a tiny funeral pyre with the tiny flame of life within him. But even that was rapidly fading.


    He landed in a wet pile. Should the Impact have hurt? It felt like nothing to him.burning, blistering heat he had once felt around his Insignia was gone, all that remained was an emptiness. The similar entity called numbness crept up and under his skin like tiny critters. It was freezing. He had never been that cold in his life. It racked his senses like a mallet. Is this death¡¯s icy grip? he wondered amidst the despair.


    Over the course of less than half a day, he had wished for death, he had wished for life. He had gone from the greatest highs to the lowest of lows. Oh well, everything I was, everything I felt- it¡¯s all gone now. all that remains is an empty hole of hopelessness, but not even that matters as I am unfeeling of all sensations except one. I feel myself become slow, unmoving and lifeless. All that¡¯s left is cold.

 017: Over My Dead Body

    He pet the snout of the cow. Its dark brown fur was incredibly soft. Gorn fed the cow a piece of straw. It tilted its mouth up and its thick tongue darted out. He retracted his hands to avoid it from touching him. It had been given the name Eagle. Which really just meant that its owner had a sense of humour. Sure it had the dark brown and white patched fur that matched the color of an eagle¡¯s but that¡¯s where the similarities ended. It was incredibly slow with not a graceful bone in its body. It also ate nearly twice as much as a regular cow despite actually being slightly smaller than an ordinary cow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lick me eagle,¡± he said laughing.


    He¡¯d always liked animals. He had a connection to them that was hard to find in humans. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say he preferred the company of animals to humans. Maybe it was that they would listen to him more than people often did.


    ¡°It must be tough for you all the way out here,¡± he said, scratching its chin. ¡°You have to be out here all day in the sun draggin this cart around, they are almost working you harder than us soldiers,¡± he said in a baby voice.


    He moved his hand and scratched underneath its harness. He could feel the indents in its thick skin from dragging the heavy cart. Eagle shifted slightly giving him a better position to scratch.


    ¡°You like that don¡¯t you!¡± said Gorn chuckling.


    He heard footsteps.


    ¡°Gorn, will you give me a hand!¡±


    ¡°Sorry Eagle,¡± he whispered.¡± TIme to get back to work.¡±


    Gorn and Sveyn were Imperial Soldier Trainees. There hadn¡¯t been an official war since before they were born but nevertheless the youth around the empire were eagerly signing up. Joining the military wasn¡¯t everything it was cracked up to be. They had been forced to wear a thick chain mail shirt all day. It had terrible ventilation not to mention the fact that it weighed a ton. Although that was also part of their training. A soldier had to have a strong, enduring body after all.


    Sveyn was dragging a long burlap sack behind him. He¡¯d walked all the way back from around the massive ravine. One end was in his arms the other made shallow rivets in the rocky ground.


    ¡°Were the reports true, was there really a body all the way out here?¡±


    ¡°I know right, all the way out here, must have been a rival gang activity,¡± replied Sveyn. Gorn helped load the body onto the back next to the rest of the sacks. ¡°You won¡¯t believe it either but the body was in a puddle of water.¡±


    ¡°What really, that¡¯s crazy!¡± said Gorn with exaggerated enthusiasm.


    ¡°Ok, ok but just listen, the puddle around him was frozen solid, it took me like half an hour just chipping away to get him out.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why you took so long,¡± remarked Gorn.


    Sveyn unsheathed his dagger. The edge was bent at an angle, long scratches ran along its blade. ¡°The lieutenant¡¯s going to give me hell for this.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you do it?¡± said Gorn. ¡°There¡¯s no point in giving a rat''s ass for some nobody, I thought being in the military would be more glorious than this but here we are on cleanup duty.¡±


    ¡°I just think the dead deserve a proper burial. Just doesn¡¯t seem right, you know?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± said Gorn scratching his chin, ¡°I  never took you for that type. My opinion of you has changed a bit.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what was your opinion of me before?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± replied Gorn.


    ¡°You know something though, there was another weird thing, you¡¯d assume the body was placed there in secret but that doesn¡¯t make sense, I checked around and there weren¡¯t any tracks around the body, not a single footstep, not even an animal print.¡±


    ¡°Where could it have come from then?¡± asked Gorn.


    Sveyn looked up at the ravine. the rocky surface stretched further than the eye could see. The jutted out pieces of black rock were as serrated and numerous as the teeth in a shark¡¯s mouth. The scale gave the impression that the landscape was made for creatures much bigger than themselves. The cliff face looked as if it was hewn out by an enormous blunt scythe.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    Sveyn nodded. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Could have been a rockslide or something I don¡¯t know but either way that¡¯s one bad way to go, look at the jagged edges, they¡¯re deadly but one hit might not be enough to end you.  if you¡¯re unlucky you might even be conscious on the way down.¡±


    ¡­


    I¡¯m cold, so cold. His mind had no room for any other thoughts.


    His teeth rattled against each other. It was worse than being in a snowstorm bare chested. He¡¯d once been camping and jumped into a lake in december. The cold had racked his body. It drowned his thoughts and his body had nearly gone into shock. He only barely managed to swim back to shore without drowning. This was far colder than that was.


    Am I dead? He wondered after an eternity and a day. It didn¡¯t feel like it. He would know. He could feel his tired body, sense the aching pain that seeped from his entire being.


    He tried wrapped his shivering arms around himself but found resistance.  He tried slowly making sense of his surroundings. It was pitch black, no not quite. He could see tiny pinpricks of light in the darkness; it was so faint he might have been imagining it. He was encased on all sides, wrapped up like a sardine. It wasn¡¯t hard corners though, it was certainly not a box. It gave in to his resistance but he couldn¡¯t do much more than wriggle- not that he had the strength for that. With great difficulty he was able to move his arms up and around him but they did nothing to warm him up. The goosebumps on his skin was the size of mustard seeds.


    I¡¯m tied up or something. His fingers traced around him. Am I in a bag? His fingernails raked over individual fibers. I¡¯m trapped in here. He started hyperventilating. I want to get out! He heard a rip by his elbow. He froze. His fingers travelled downwards to it. He wedged his fingers in the hole and in his panic had the strength to widen it.


    He stretched his arms and was able to take his head through. He gasped for breath, inhaling and exhaling deeply. A horrendous smell assaulted his nostrils. He gagged on the air and choked back saliva. He ignored it as best he could and crawled his way out like a dastardly large and sickly butterfly emerging from a cocoon. His head smacked into something and he recoiled clutching it. Goddam! What the hell was that, I almost cracked my head open! The dulled down to a gentle throb and he stood up. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Now where the hell am I? He looked around him. A faint white light revealed odd shapes around him. They were brown burlap sacks. They weren¡¯t circular in appearance as one might think but were long with soft edges. They made his stomach queasy for reasons he couldn¡¯t quite place his tongue on. It was one of those that he had banged his head against. It was particularly large and had protruding edges. He could feel wooden planks of the floor digging into his feet. He had somehow lost his shoes.  He was on some sort of plattform.


    ¡°Why am I so cold,¡± he muttered, he wrapped the remains of the bag around his shoulders. It was rough and stained with dark patches of his dried blood but it did somewhat help. He was still in the clothes from that night; although calling the rags of cloth that hung to his body clothes was generous. The memory before felt so distant as if it had merely been a dream but the blood and grime on him reminded him of its very real nature. He opened and closed his hand. He thought he would be more affected by his recent trauma but it seemed strangely foreign. I don¡¯t feel sad, it¡¯s like I have the memory of once being sad but it''s as if it''s not happening to me. My pain, this aching in my limbs, the roughness of my skin, the fresh wounds that litter my insides and out. They don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m in pain, it feels like my body is trying to convince me that I am in pain. It''s distant and removed from me.


    A gust of wind tousled his hair. He was outside for sure, but where? He appeared to be in some sort of alleyway. The moon drifted boldly and alone in the night sky. He stepped off of the cart and onto the cobblestone road. It¡¯s hard surface hurt his feet. A bird cawed somewhere in the distance.


    What was he supposed to do, where was he supposed to go? He was there with ruined clothes, a tired body and a tor burlap sack. He was in a world with nothing to his name, a world where he didn¡¯t know anyone and wounds all over his body. He clutched the burlap sack harder. There was one thing he knew, he wouldn''t be able to call the Vanderbilt household his home again. He walked around to the front of the cart and saw the empty harness. Someone had dropped these sacks here and left.


    He perked up his head in the silence. Somebody¡¯s approaching. He made out two figures walking toward the cart. The one on the left wore a fur vest but it was slightly too small. His hair was unkempt and messy and looked like it hadn¡¯t been combed ever. His face threw Maxwell of at first, it was as if it was made entirely out of right angles.


    The guy on the left wasn¡¯t any different. Maxwell had seen lots of different body types, fat, thin, muscular, some people had long arms and long legs. The closest body type this guy resembled was a full-size boar. He was considerably shorter than the one on the left but his barrel-chest was nearly twice as wide. He scratched His beard lazily with a very short arm. His forearm had more hair than what remained on his head. Aside from some stray single hairs that were uncomfortably long his head reflected the moonlight like a still lake.


    He began walking toward them. They aren¡¯t the prettiest but I don¡¯t judge a book by its cover, maybe I can ask them for help.


    ¡°Hey exc-¡± One of them reached for their side and unsheathed a blade. It glinted dangerously in the moonlight. He stopped and ducked behind the cart. He pushed his back firmly against the side. Shit, they¡¯re bad guys. He tried desperately to calm his breathing. What was I thinking? They look like they punch babies for fun. Why would I think they were friendly?


    ¡°Looks like our luck is turning around, they haven''t moved on with this shipment yet. Let¡¯s get to business,¡± said one of them.


    The other one nodded. ¡°You go left, I¡¯ll go right.¡±


    Maxwell clamped his hands over his mouth. Oh crap, they know I¡¯m here

 018: To Live is to Suffer

    The two men climbed onto the cart daggers raised. They plunged their blades into the thick fabric and slashed it open revealing a face. It had dried blood on its nose and its skin was a lifeless grey. It¡¯s nose was entirely missing revealing the flesh inside.


    Maxwell peeked at them from behind the cart. The sight of a dead person made his stomach churn. If this had been him of just a couple days ago he would surely have vomited but considering everything else he¡¯d seen since then it was¡­expected. He pushed back the memories of his mother¡¯s lifeless corpse on that funeral day.


    Are these people graverobbers? His head was full of questions. The last thing he remembered was his battered body falling and crashing against the rocky face of that cliff. Did all those bags contain corpses? Did they think he was dead? Then again- Maxwell glanced at his beat up body, why would one think any different.


    He didn¡¯t have time for thoughts now. They searched inside the bags. Their faces were twisted in concentration as they searched with their hands as if they were reaching for coins at the bottom of a purse.


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the tall one of them holding up a small pouch. He shook it once. The jingling was heavenly to his ears. ¡°This might be a good haul, I already found something.¡±


    ¡°Just try not to keep it all for yourself,¡± said the short one.


    The other man snickered. ¡°Of course, but you know me, My fingers sometimes have a mind of their own.¡±


    The other burst out laughing too. The stout one stepped off of the cart for a second.


    ¡°How much do you wanna bet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet the pouch,¡± said the tall one.


    He inhaled deeply, tensing his muscles. He slammed his shoulder into the cart sending it rocking forward. It knocked Maxwell forward and slid across the cobblestone road. He scraped the skin of his hands leaving a trail on the ground. It didn¡¯t hurt yet but he knew he would be feeling it if he survived this.


    They both laughed. ¡°Damn I lost, he was knocked pretty far¡± cursed the tall one.


    Dammit, they knew I was here! Maxwell felt fear in his heart. They were talking about me this entire time, they were betting on how I would react. Adrenaline coursed through him.


    He scrambled to his feet and took off. A hand wrapped around his wrist but he shrugged it off. He didn¡¯t have to think about it, it was his natural instinct. He was a deer speeding away at the first sight of danger. He didn¡¯t know he was still capable of that sensation. He was surprised to find he was annoyed. He thought was over being afraid.  I can¡¯t believe it, I still want to live so badly. I don¡¯t want to feel pain, I don¡¯t want to suffer.


    He couldn¡¯t run far. The alleyway was simply a dead end and he pressed his back against it. They would be upon him any second. He had to be ready.


    He poised his hands in front of him. The men were still back in the cart rummaging through the corpses.


    ¡°Ohh, these are nice, ¡°said one of them raising a pair of shoes. ¡°They¡¯re in good condition, Yom will be pleased.¡±


    He tilted his head to the side. Why weren¡¯t they coming after him. He was sure he had felt a hand grab him. He looked at his wrist. He screamed. A half-rotten hand was wrapped around his forearm. He grimaced. Have I forgotten already, just like with my mother that¡¯s no longer a human, there¡¯s nothing left, it¡¯s just an empty husk. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He violently shook it off. They were making a mockery of him. Those twisted¡­He heard them snicker, it wasn¡¯t any innocent snickering of course, it was like bullies in class who managed to get away with throwing wads of wet paper at their victim.


    These men, who he considered no more than the bottom of the rung were leagues ahead of him. They could do whatever they wanted to him.


    They began throwing limbs at him. Arms, legs. He simply stood there tanking the blows. He wouldn¡¯t let them control him. The slurry of blood and and guts rained down. He firmly kept his mouth closed.


    The taller one stepped of. He walked forward confidently.


    Strong arms grabbed him. His feet dangled helplessly in the air. Crap, I couldn¡¯t even react fast enough. In this body he was quite a bit younger and shorter than he had been in his previous life.


    ¡°Man, why is your body so cold!¡± he exclaimed. He brought Maxwell¡¯s ear to his face.


    ¡°Hey you little street rat!¡± sneered the man. His breath stank like dog vomit. ¡° Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing here, you¡¯re here to steal our loot, I don¡¯t know how you found out about this but don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get off easy!¡±


    ¡°Wait, I wasn¡¯t, I don¡¯t know how I got here, I was on the cart,¡± he said waving his arms.


    They roared in laughter. ¡°This kids hilarious, he rose from the dead like Luminus!¡± He nearly dropped Maxwell in his laughter.


    You¡¯re funny, I¡¯ll let you get off easy. Normally I would cut out your tongue, gouge out your eyes as well as both your thumbs for good measure but I¡¯ve decided against it.¡±


    He let go of Maxwell. He sheathed his blade.


    ¡°I¡¯ll beat you within an inch of your life instead.¡± Maxwell stood there frozen. His gears turned how was he supposed to get out of this? He gestured toward Maxwell.


    ¡°Come on, make the first move!¡± he said angrily. ¡°You¡¯re a man aren¡¯t you!¡±


    They were toying with him. He threw a punch but it was easily sidestepped. In the same instant he nailed Maxwell straight in the stomach with a short uppercut. He fell to his knees. He heaved gasping for breath. His vision was going in and out of focus. The coldness in his muscles was slowing down his movements.


    They laughed. It reminded him of hyenas. It was cruel. They were no good bullies. He disliked people like them. Those that took pleasure in others pain.


    He got to his feet. He had a plan. He raised his hands.


    ¡°Ohh, so eager to get beat up again.¡± he said.


    ¡°Not quite,¡± he said. I only have one shot at this, remember how it''s done. I¡¯m not afraid of you, I¡¯ve dealt with far worse. He took a deep breath. He darted forward. The man jabbed a hand straight forward. But he dodged it. You fool, it was easy to predict his strike when I¡¯m going straight.


    He pivoted on his left leg raising his knee and kicked straight into the man¡¯s side. That¡¯s right in the liver! The man doubled over, curling in the fetal position. Maxwell¡¯s foot slipped and he fell too.


    The other thug guffawed, slapping his knee. ¡°He got you got Null!¡±


    Null jumped back to his feet retching. ¡°That was a lucky shot,¡± he panted.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to steal anything just let me go,¡± said Maxwell.


    ¡°Like hell I am! ¡°He shouted. I figured as much, thought Maxwell.


    Null rained blows at Maxwell. He stepped back avoiding some but he stood no chance. One clipped him on the cheek, the other on his ear, another in his nose. He fell to the hard ground. The short one stepped in as well and kicked him in the ribs. He didn¡¯t have time to react. In agony yet again.  It felt like his skin was shifting and twisting. He grabbed the man¡¯s leg. His eyes widened. That¡¯s so warm, He could feel the heat emanating from the man through his pants leg. ¡°Give me that,¡± he growled. Maxwell¡¯s breath misted and crystalised. Ice crept up the man¡¯s leg, freezing him solid.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± shouted Kur. He then stepped back out of reach. But Maxwell was faster. I can¡¯t let this opportunity slip away. An area of sub-zero temperature was forming around Maxwell. It froze the ground beneath Kur¡¯s feet causing him to slip. He was frozen solid too within seconds.

 019: Honor Among Thieves

    He had long hair that moved in the wind in unison with his cloak. A beige bandana wrapped around his head, its folds obscured his eyes. ¡°I sent my subordinates ahead of me, only to find this. Their bodies were frozen mid-action. Their faces twisted in expressions of fear. "They didn¡¯t hurt anyone, they were doing honest work.¡±


    He eyed the new visitor. Honest work? Those guys were pillaging corpses. That¡¯s not exactly honorable. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight, your subordinates attacked me on their own.¡±


    Changes both seen and unseen were taking place in his body. What¡¯s happening to my body? It started acting differently since the event. It¡¯s not light magic for sure. It had been drilled into him so many times. ¡°People only have one magical affinity, you have light magic, the most sacred and divine of them all.¡± This was entirely different. The source of this wasn¡¯t his Insignia. It wasn¡¯t that mark on his chest, where he once could feel the very mana as it was channeled through its markings. This came from deeper within it came from his very core. It came from his soul. Maybe my way of thinking is skewed, is this even magic in the first place? What exactly was it that was coursing through him? The weird energy rushed out of his body. Using his force of mind he was able to calm it.


    ¡°You beat up my subordinates yet you expect to settle this with words. Those are the delusions of a fool.¡±


    Maxwell clenched his fist. This guy won¡¯t listen to me at all.


    With every step he took a slight hiss could be heard.


    Maxwell clenched his fist. This guy won¡¯t listen to me at all.


    The man was calm, yet Maxwell detected intense malice emanating from him. He panted heavily, his entire rib-cage expanding and contracting with each breath. The tiredness was setting deeper into him. I don¡¯t ask for much. Is it this hard to merely want to live? Did he have to struggle and toil so much just to justify his existence to the universe?


    The man was only a few paces from now. Wait a minute, how is he walking normally? Why isn¡¯t it working? He looked over at Kur. His body was entirely frozen. Any contact with the ground should have rendered him frozen yet he was casually closing distance. He peered closer. A trail of unusual footsteps followed the man. Deep imprints through the layer of ice that was forming.


    The man started sprinting forward as swift as an arrow. In that instant, Maxwell had two choices. They were the choices bestowed upon all living things that laboured, that lived and breathed under the harsh sun. He could fight or flee. Maxwell grimaced. I¡¯m tired of running. He lunged forward with outstretched hands. Frost shimmered on his palms. I¡¯ll freeze him solid.


    He was the first to make contact, his fingers wrapped around the opponent''s wrist only for him to grasp at empty space. Maxwell swiped at him again only to come up short. He feinted doing a wide haymaker before punching with his other hand. Why can¡¯t I hit him? No matter what he tried he could not even graze him. Even his cloak was out of reach. The man simply floated out of his grasp. He moved swiftly and with purpose but only a hairsbreadth at a time. It was as if he was trying to catch a feather with a leafblower. His very movies were the very thing that drove him out of his grasp. The man smiled tauntingly.


    ¡°Would you believe me if I told you my eyes were closed.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to fight for your subordinates!¡± shouted Maxwell gasping for breath. ¡°Are you all bark and no bite!¡± he taunted.


    The man simply smiled slyly. Maxwell didn¡¯t like the scent of him. Why is he being quiet now? He wanted to grate that stupid smile off his face using the pavement. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    The man stopped a couple paces back. His cloak flowed violently before being held in place by him. ¡°I have a duty to my subordinates. I gave them my word and I will honor that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s laughable,¡± spat Maxwell. ¡°What reason do thieves have to keep their honor, you¡¯re just fighting for no reason, you cause bloodshed for your enjoyment. Speaking of bloodshed, The way they were desecrating those bodies was shameless. They should have been raised better.¡±


    ¡°I never said they were saints of the church, It doesn¡¯t matter what they did, It¡¯s my duty to take care of them, that includes getting payback for them. Abandoning them and turning tail when their foe stands before me would simply be cowardlyThere are many like them who grew up on these streets. This city is far more grim than its surface gives. Even they glow ever so slightly in the darkness that is this city.¡±


    Maxwell growled. Why won¡¯t this guy just listen to him, who even thinks like this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for whatever moral high ground you seem to think you have.¡±


    He focused on the cold welling up within him. I need to exert a higher output. One that will freeze this guy in a second. He felt it cloud his vision and his senses fading. He blinked it away. It was affecting more than just his body, he could feel his thoughts slowing down as well but he pushed through.  He darted in again with new vigour. His limbs moved noticeably faster than before. The dodges of the man seemed slower too, more predictable. I can do it! He realised. He closed the distance with a burst of speed aiming for the side of the man¡¯s ribs.


    His hand was nearly at the man¡¯s rib. A large blade slashed down nearly piercing Maxwell¡¯s stomach with a massive Shrrrk! The scimitar jarred against the ground sending shards of ice blitzing through the air. Maxwell scrambled backward clutching his stomach. He lifted a blood covered hand from the wound. He didn¡¯t even feel himself getting cut. A layer of ice around his stomach had prevented the blade from penetrating him. It still left a deep cut on him. If I didn¡¯t dodge I would have been dead.


    ¡°My you¡¯ve got good reflexes haven¡¯t you,¡± smiled the man. ¡°Or maybe I simply let you get away.¡±


    He gritted his teeth. Toying with me yet again. He was getting an unusual feeling. He couldn¡¯t let the man set the pace. He was taking control and if he didn¡¯t do anything he would fall into that rhythm.


    I can¡¯t let up my attacks, but I need to use my brain, If I don¡¯t¡­ His wound throbbed. He crouched low, scooping up pieces of ice. He threw them at the man. He simply parried them with his blade. It had continued to form and wrap around the weapon like a sleeve. The man wiped off a piece of ice that had caught the blade. Maxwell rained a volley of hail at him. He avoided all of them except for one. It hit his hand near the hilt of his sword. He shook his hand patting it off with a cry of pain.


    Maxwell smiled. I spotted your weakness. It seemed that things weren¡¯t hopeless yet. He was weak to Maxwell¡¯s abilities and therefore wary. That was something he could exploit. The man darted forward swinging his blade. Maxwell stepped backward. He kicked up particles of ice. The man dashed smoothly backward. At that moment. Maxwell grabbed the blade. The very momentum he was using to step back .Ice formed around his fingertips. He threw the blade to the ground, he took one step forward, pivoting on his heel. His foot connected solidly into the man. It had enough power to knock out a horse. It was the perfect blow, one of the strongest human attacks.


    Why isn¡¯t he collapsing¡­


    The man smiled gleefully, leaning into his ear. ¡°Are you gonna try running now. How unfortunate.¡± His fingers were wrapped around Maxwell¡¯s barefoot. An intense heat emanated from the man¡¯s digits. His foot was sizzling in the sun. I¡¯m melting.


    How? How was he able to touch him? He should have been frozen solid. But he was avoiding my attacks, this doesn¡¯t make sense. Was he bluffing all this time?!


    The man grunted and swung Maxwell up, up so high into the air. His stomach lurched. He still had a firm grasp on his boot. He then proceeded to smash him against the ground. The world gave out for a second.


    It was through sheer force of will that he was able to keep his consciousness from slipping away. He bounced several times before crashing into the side of the cart. All his bones were broken- no he could still move. He turned over onto his hands and feet. I won¡¯t die here. Something was broken for sure. His eyes seethed with rage. Drool ran the sides of his bare teeth before freezing against his neck. Ice crystals crackled in the air. Mist as cold as the dead emanated from his body in violent torrents. The area around his hands and feet were quickly ballooning out in ice.


    The man took a few cautious steps backward. ¡°How troublesome, you don¡¯t even look human anymore. How unsightly.¡±

 020: Its Berserkin Time

    More power, more power. It rushed out of him in torrents. I don¡¯t care about that, I¡¯ve struggled enough to not care about superficial things like that. His back was arched like a hissing cat. A coating of ice enveloped his body, it shimmered in the moonlight. His eyelids were slit and focused solely on his target.


    The man twirled his blade.


    ¡°For someone of such low rank your proficiency is quite unusual. There¡¯s something off about you though, your abilities, they aren¡¯t quite like the icetypes i¡¯ve seen before, are they!¡±


    An animalistic cry burst forth from Maxwell¡¯s maw. Ice forming around his feet congealed and contracted. for a split moment Its solidness seemed no more than a mere suggestion. Intense pressure built up in the substance and he rocketed forward. He closed the gap in fractions of a second. His hands were extended in front of him not as fingers but as icy talons. The man sidestepped the attack avoiding it by a hair.


    ¡°Your attacks are far too basic, really a straight on attack, you¡¯re practically telling me what you¡¯re going to do. Your abilities are the only unique thing about you, but even then¡­¡± He tapped a finger against his chin in thought. ¡° I¡¯ll be surprised if you make it for more than a minute before your body freezes solid.¡±


    Maxwell twisted his body in the air landing hard on all fours. His eyes ever focused on his target.  I can see them. I can see his movements. At first he had been unable to read the movements of the man but this time was different. His effortless graceful movements that left him stumped before were now visible. He was no longer an intangible cloud that floated between his fingers but something that was solid, something that he could grasp, tear at and devour.


    He attacked once more this time he was parried. His arms ached from the repeated blows but he didn¡¯t let up. The man had switched from dodging every blow to now parrying. His claws still hadn¡¯t reached him but it was only a matter of time now. The force of their next strike sent both of their limbs rearing back. This is my chance, he¡¯s wide open.


    Maxwell had two limbs to attack with while the man only had one. He took his free arm back slightly before accelerating forward. He leapt forward into the air. The man¡¯s scimitar was far out of reach, at least twice as far away as Maxwell¡¯s hand was.


    I need to put everything I have into this attack.


    His claws lurched forward. It dinged against the metal. The blue-tinted transparent tips cracked against it before it ate all the way to his fingernail. Damn it, I knew these claws wouldn¡¯t hold up, they¡¯re too brittle. The recoil sent their limbs flying back from the impact.


    In that same instant the man bent at the elbow twisting the blade. It danced a wide arc. The simultaneous rotation in his fingers, wrists, elbow and shoulder and even beyond down to his spine, hips, knees and ankles made the blade shimmer and writhe. The blade dug deep into Maxwell¡¯s side thumping against it.  Ice chips flew and tumbled. The blade rattled and shook.


    Maxwell was sent sideways onto the ice. His feet grabbed the ground and he scraped to a standstill. He pulled up his shirt to reveal a thin line of red. The blade had barely nicked his skin. A thick layer of ice covered his ribs. The blade has just barely made it through. The ice was already forming again knitting itself around the wound.


    The man glanced at his blade. He swung the wiggling mass of ice off it and onto the ground. It squirmed and expanded but for a moment. In the very same instant that he had attacked ice had crept up the blade. If he had held on any longer his sword arm might have been destroyed.


    Maxwell grinned. ¡°How¡¯s that for defenses, not even your strongest attack is enough to hurt me now!¡± it. Maxwell tried not to show any expression on his face. I¡¯m still not able to hit him, he seethed. He wouldn¡¯t let the man read his emotions, if he knew how frustrated he was it might give him an advantage. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    The man replied calmly. ¡°I¡¯ve fought a lot of people in my life, you are far from the strongest.¡±


    A harsh breeze ran down the alleyway. The cloak hugging him wafted unnaturally in the wind. It was moving against it. It then¡­unfurled. What he thought was a cloak croaked. It unwrapped from him extending into wings. But they weren¡¯t the man''s wings. It was on his neck. It had a grey simian-like body and a petite head with large orange-yellow eyes. What Maxwell at first had thought was the cloak was actually the creature¡¯s wings. They were incredibly disproportionate to its body. When fully outstretched its wingspan must have been as long as a bus. It squeaked and croaked into the man¡¯s ear.


    Maxwell stopped at a distance, observing. His breathing was hoarse. The pieces were slowly but surely falling into place. That-thing definitely doesn¡¯t exist in a petting zoo. Is that what¡¯s allowing him to survive the cold? Thinking back, he wasn¡¯t sure what magic the man had used during the fight. Was this his ability? Was he even taking this fight seriously? He pushed the thought away. Even thinking about it was too dangerous. But what if the consequences of ignoring it were even greater.


    It wrapped its wings down his arm joining at the hilt of his sword. The blade emitted a faith glow humming and buzzing before  erupting into flames. Maxwell was running out of time. He could feel the blood in his veins slowing down. If the man¡¯s words were true he really would freeze solid. The man leapt forward, the blade illuminated his tight-lipped face. He cleaved at Maxwell. It was as if it had become daytime.


    The attack nearly took his head off. The flames licked his face singing his nostrils. He flinched even after he had averted it. It was no ordinary flame. It had melted right through his defenses. Those same defences had withstood lethal strikes by deadly blades, blunt force trauma that would have crushed his limbs and blocked against countless other attacks.


    He took a deep breath clasping his hands against the ground. His fingers digging into the layer of ice. Crackling went through his body. He heaved up a large piece of ice building off it until it was larger than he was. He catapulted it at the man. The sheer size of it obscured the man in its shadow. The creature wrapped around him squaked in surprise. The blade sliced the boulder like a hot knife through butter. Ice and water fell to the ground. WHile cutting through the blade has partially liquified the ice.


    Maxwell watched on heaving. That had taken a lot of his stamina and upon the recent sight it had all been in vain. Especially considering how close he was to collapsing all together. His muscles were beginning to palpitate and crystals were forming on the edge of his vision. He had lost feeling in all of his limbs. I need a change of plans, I can¡¯t win if I continue fighting the same way as I currently am. His brain hummed, ideas bubbled forth. He ran not forward at the target but backwards in a beeline for the cart. It was still intact. Its long chassis was made from wood that had been sawed and nailed together. The body bags of the dead were scattered most disrespectfully. A single larger one near the middle was unscathed for the most part.


    Maxwell eyed the sturdy sides of the cart. The planks of wood were long and thick. They were slightly more flexible as it fared better from constant movement. Instead of breaking it would simply bend then snap back into place. He heaved and the wood screamed and groaned. He pried off one of the planks. It was slightly chipped but in one piece twice as long as he was. Using sheer strength would have been impossible even for him in this state. He probably couldn¡¯t have done it at full strength either. He had Forced ice between the seams of the boards. The nifty thing about ice is that it was made of water. Water expands when it freezes. Using those principles the wood popped loose from its restraints. He grasped it tightly. Its surface tinted blue as ice converged through it.


    He twirled the weapon before swinging on end high up and using gravity to aid in its acceleration downward at the head of the man. The man simply raised his sword arm, his blade parallel with the ground. His arm muscles bulged. The creature squeaked slightly. A boom echoed through the streets. The plank ricocheted off the blade backwards. Maxwell didn¡¯t let up, releasing a volley of strikes making sure to keep at a distance. That was the main advantage of such an unruly awkward weapon. He had the reach advantage. Reach advantage is one of the most important things in a fight. He learnt this from Colin on one of their many afternoons. He¡¯d always had an interest in sports including combat sports. Reach is so important because fighting is all about hitting your opponent without getting hit. One can argue fighting hasn¡¯t changed at all throughout the history of mankind. First man fought with fists then with clubs, then with ranged weapons. With ranged weapons one was able to hit opponents from a distance without being hit. Even in modern times using larger and faster missiles that can traverse continents and cause untold damage relied on those very same principles.  With those thoughts in mind Maxwell was confident. I can win this!

 021: Are You a Friend or Foe?

    The man blocked every one of his attacks even still. Worse still the man was inching his way forward. He would consistently take a half step forward after every blow. Time to put my plan into action. Maxwell grabbed onto one end of the board lifting the other vertically. He then proceeded to launch it like a spear at the man.


    In an instant the man changed his stance. He turned his body sideways. His non-dominant arm behind his body. His stance reminded him of olympic fencers. With blistering speed the man annihilated the wooden board as it came within distance.


    There¡¯s no way. With ferocious intensity the plank turned out splinters and sawdust. He was no longer human, right before his eyes the man transformed into something else. He was more akin to a machine, a jet plane, a formula one car. He had power he knew he couldn¡¯t beat. It was such an overwhelming display of not just strength but skill. He never knew scimitars could even be used like that. At the end of it all with a pile of tree dust in front of him, he straightened, shaking off his blade. Why was that so beautiful? He''s trying to kill me. Maxwell snapped out of his awe.This man must have been formally trained. Why is someone like him a thug?


    He flexed his icy fingers. I still have fight left in me. I don¡¯t know much about fighting but even I can tell that you¡¯re incredible you¡¯d have to be blind not to see that. Unfortunately for you, your immense skill will be the very thing that leads to your downfall.


    Maxwell dashed madly forward.throwing icy projectiles. They formed mid-air, their ends sharpening into a jagged point. There were several possibilities for how the man could react. Dodge, block, parry or melt. Maxwell knew from fighting him, the swiftness of his defense, he was damn near untouchable when he wanted to be. Come on now, dodge already! Willed Maxwell. The man¡¯s sword was raised in front of his body. At the last moment he shifted his feet. The projectiles whizzed past him harmlessly.


    Yes! What had seemed like a basic attack was a carefully calculated move. He had stepped back from his former position. Maxwell reached down grabbing a handful of the shredded wood. He formed it in his hands. It froze the wood mixing in with the ice. The limitations of his ice were clear. The man¡¯s flames were far too strong for his ice. He was already close to passing out, he could feel it. Even keeping it up for 10 more seconds felt like an eternity to him.


    The man pranced forward, sword poised. Maxwell¡¯s body was exposed with his arms to his side. It was clearly an opening. Before the sword could strike him. He raised the icy-wooden mass to cover him.


    He¡¯d once had a lecture long ago. It had been a stupid science assignment. It was about Pyrete- hailed as a so-called supermaterial. A material so resilient it could withstand gunfire. Yet unlike metals like steel or titanium it was so light it could even float on water. It had been researched for military use in order to cheaply build massive aircraft carriers that could withstand attacks. But that wasn¡¯t the most shocking piece of information about Pyrete. It¡¯s ingredients, only two materials, ice and sawdust. They say the whole can be considered the sum of its parts but Pyrete confidently defies those words. Using those common everyday materials it had the power to be truly miraculous.


    The sound of the impact was like metal against stone. The ice was formed into a flat rectangular shape. The fire lapped against the surface but it did not penetrate. Maxwell grinned. It¡¯s not melting! It worked so well it barely sunk into the surface at all. I guess the things we learn in school are practical in the real world. Thank you Mr Jenson. Maxwell swung his shield pushing the man back. He reached back to the ground grabbing more splinters. He formed them again, throwing them at the man. THey formed in the air into the same cone structures. The end now deadly points. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The man¡¯s sword danced brightly. He hit the pieces mid air. Sparks flashed with each strike. The projectiles didn¡¯t break apart as they did before when they were purely made of ice. One ricocheted off the scimitar burying itself deep into the ground. It spun for a moment in place before whirring to a stop. He threw another projectile but that one was blocked as well. It bounced off the edge before continuing on its course safely around the man straight toward one of the frozen statues of the thieves.. In that same instant the man reached behind grabbing the projectile with his bare hand. He swatted it into the ground. Maxwell stopped dead, his mouth formed an ¡°O¡±. Blood splattered to the ground.


    ¡°Why would you do that!¡± shouted Maxwell. The man¡¯s hand was gone all that remained was a bloody mass. Loose skin and flesh hung freely. There was no saving that, his hand was gone.


    ¡°Thank goodness,¡± said the man. ¡°Thank goodness none of them were hurt.¡±


    What about his hand? Maxwell features twisted in rage. Why was the man so determined to save his subordinates? It was almost like¡­ It stirred uncomfortable feelings inside of Maxwell. It was almost like he was the villain. But that didn¡¯t make any sense, he was the one being attacked, he was simply defending himself from danger. He clutched his chest.


    His breath caught in his throat. He was reaching his limit. I need to end this quick. He dashed forward covering himself in a layer of pykrete. They clashed against each other. None of them broke away from the attack. Their feet dug into the ground as they pushed against each other. It would be a battle of endurance. He grit his teeth in a final push.


    ¡°What is it, you didn¡¯t think you could actually beat me just because I lost a measly hand!¡± shouted the man.


    The cart exploded, stopping both of them in their tracks. It caught both of them off guard.


    ¡°Artorius!¡± shouted a voice. It was neither Maxwell or the man¡¯s voice. It wasn¡¯t even the frozen bodies of his subordinates. A man dressed in black and grey armour emerged from the ruined cart. A dark mantle fell down his back settling around his feet. He had a mop of black hair and furious eyes.


    Maxwell was bashed backward, tumbling over himself. He had gotten distracted by the man. He had let his guard down.


    ¡°Artorius, where are y-¡± the newcomer paused mid roar. his arms still outstretched. He surveyed his surroundings. ¡°Where the hell am I?¡±


    He dusted off broken planks from his shoulder. ¡°What am I doing with all these dead people? Did I lose that badly, the retrieval squad thought I was dead!¡° he shouted, smashing a fist into the wreckage.


    It was truly a strange day for two people to seemingly come back from the dead on the same day. The strange armoured man scratched his chin. He had a casual air to him but the demeanor of a grizzly bear. He looked at Maxwell and the man.


    ¡°I need to regroup with platoon 12¡¯s surveillance and espionage coordinator,¡± he mumbled to himself. He squinted looking at the man Maxwell was battling. ¡°Sveno the bounty hunter Class C felon. Last seen in the northern Slums.¡± He eyed the creature on him. ¡° Oh, is that also an unlicensed fire drake?¡± The man cracked his neck, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell¡¯s going on, but I¡¯m bringing you in dead or alive.¡±


    He reached a black gauntlet to his hip. There was an ominous metal squeal as he unsheathed his sword. He raised it taking a double-handed stance.


    ¡°Any last words?¡±


    Maxwell was ignored entirely in this exchange; it was as if he wasn¡¯t even there. Sveno simply stood there sword poised, arm dripping.


    ¡°What a drag, I hate silent types like you,¡± complained the man rolling his eyes.¡±I guess you¡¯re prepared to die then.¡±

 022: On Thin Ice

    The fire drake¡¯s wings crawled down Sveno¡¯s arm. It encircled itself around his bloody wrist, tightening around it. The skin sounded like fabric as it coiled and contracted around the stump. The flow of blood dwindled. The bleeding had stopped.


    The armoured newcomer stepped off the cart remains. His blade had a menacing look. THe backside of the black steel was serrated like the teeth of a large animal.


    In an instant they both darted toward each other. Maxwell wasn¡¯t even an afterthought in the fight anymore. Their blades collided, ringing out over the alleyway. Maxwell clamped his hands over his ears at the sound. It was monstrously loud. Each strike sent shockwaves reverberating between the walls and across the cobblestone road. He stared on wide-eyed. I can¡¯t see any of their attacks. All he could make out was flashes of metal before their attacks collided viciously.


    He got to his feet flexing his fingers. I don¡¯t know who this new guy is but we seem to have the same goal. Beat up Sveno.


    Maxwell hurtled forward low to the ground. In the last second he leapt up over the officer. A gauntleted hand grabbed him out of the air.


    ¡°What¡¯s a mutt doing out here,¡± said the man. ¡°Let me go, what are you doing we¡¯re working together!¡± shouted Maxwell, twisting his body. The man scoffed before tossing Maxwell over his shoulder. It was as if he was no more than a kitten. He wasn¡¯t even worth taking seriously in this fight. How had the man even managed to grab hold of him safely? Anything he touched froze solid.


    He knocked backward into a far wall. He tried to stand but his vision blurred. The little pykrete he had left was struggling to stay solid. The ice that kept it together was cracking and splintering from gravity alone. I can¡¯t fight anymore can I? He wondered. He clawed at his chest. A blocking sensation travelled up his throat. He gagged, coughing. A piece of bloody ice splattered to the floor. Did that come from inside of me, he wondered in horror. He was freezing from the inside out.


    ¡°I need to get out of here,¡± groaned Maxwell.


    The two fighters pulled apart.


    ¡°Unfortunately I don¡¯t have time to prolong this fight any longer,¡± said Sveno. At the end of his sentence the fire drake began pulsing, its body glowing a faint orange. Blistering tendrils magma red pulsed, running down through the creature¡¯s wings into the man¡¯s arm into his sword. The drake creature unfurls extending wings. The creature¡¯s eyes glowed yellow like a creature from hell.


    The flames from Sveno¡¯s blade grew several times larger. Pockets of blue snapped open along the Scimitars spine. The ice on the ground melted in a circle around him. Steam rose as the water was then vaporised.


    Maxwell felt a pang in his heart. He wasn¡¯t even going seriously when he fought me, was he? He recalled Julius¡¯s words before. Fire magic is the most developed magic type ever since 100 years ago. FIghting that without magic would be impossible. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    His opponent straightened, twirling his sword before sheathing it. He was giving up. In front of such overwhelming flames what soul wouldn¡¯t. The man tilted forward slightly, sinking into his hips. He crouched, turning his body slightly sideways in a staggered stance. His metal fingers clinked against his sword handle as he wrapped them around the hilt. The man took a deep breath, his eyes were unblinking. Focused on the flames.


    Maxwell watched breathlessly. There¡¯s no way. His cloak fluttered behind him. Buckling and twisting from the heat. A ¡°Y¡± symbol with an extra line rising from the intersection. A three pronged Y. It was encircled by a metallic circle. He¡¯d seen it before. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. It was the mark of an Imperial Knight.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way anyone can cut fire, and with magic, that¡¯s not even possible. Even those Imperial Knight myths are overboard, fighting using close combat alone is idiotic. . THey¡¯re just legends, Did they exist, yes. Were they incredibly strong, yes- but that¡¯s just unthinkable, childish really. Sure maybe they were able to defeat mages in the past using their physical prowess but in the modern age¡­ with the advancements of magic. They wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    A tornado of fire emanated from Sveno¡¯s blade scorching the ground and shooting forward.


    Maxwell didn¡¯t even see the attack.  Thunder split the sky. He tasted blood in his mouth. The ground trembled. His skin crawled.


    It shouldn¡¯t be possible. The soldier stood beyond Sveno. He only noticed he had moved after the incident. A blade clattered to the ground.


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯ve gotten rusty,¡± said the armoured man.


    Sveno¡¯s sword had been split in half, the other half lay on the ground.


    I should probably get out of here, thought Maxell. He scurried along the corner of it avoiding eye-contact.


    ¡°You fought well, Sveno,¡± said the man.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t over yet,¡± said Sveno.


    They didn¡¯t pay any attention to Maxwell¡¯s small figure and he was able to make it out safely. As soon as he made it past the corner he started running. He needed to get as far away from the scene as possible. His feet pounded the ground. His breath was hoarse in his lungs. His limbs jostled and grinded against each other. The remains of the icey layer that once aided him only served to slow him down now. He ran until he couldn¡¯t anymore. Those guys were way too strong for him. Even at his best even with power he never knew he possessed he wasn¡¯t anywhere near close to those guys. He needed to get stronger, a lot stronger. If he didn¡¯t he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive an encounter like that again.


    ¡°For someone of such low rank your proficiency is quite unusual¡±


    What had Sveno meant when he had said that. He had golden eyes, didn''t he? What kind of name was Sveno anyways. He was some kind of bounty hunter. Maxwell clutched his right eye. This can¡¯t be true. He hadn¡¯t even noticed it but his vision had returned. His eye had returned. He¡¯d been so preoccupied with fighting he hadn¡¯t even noticed it. Speaking of change, these ice abilities he had. He had no explanation for them. His affinity was light, it had to be. He went through the entire ceremony in the church for them. He couldn¡¯t make sense of anything that was happening to him. It went against everything he had been taught since coming to this world.


    Ah, that¡¯s right, I have nowhere to go. He was all alone in this foreign world with not a single back to lean on. He rested against a stone wall. He heard laughter coming from within the house. He could sense warmth coming from within it. He sank to the ground. There¡¯s no place for someone like me in this world. I feel I have to fight so hard just to live pathetically. His head slowly tilted backwards, his eyes drooping. His head lolled back until it softly thumped against the wall. I have to get stronger, I have to get stronger. His arms were wrapped loosely around his curled up legs. His world escaped, slipping away.

 023: Starting From The Bottom

    ¡°God, I''m hungry,¡± He had one hand against the wall as he limped through the streets. His bare feet slapped against the ground. When was the last time he had eaten? It must have been when he had been with his siblings during their fun ¡°celebration¡±. His throat was painfully dry when he swallowed. After that fight he didn¡¯t know if he felt better or worse. With great effort he was able to form an ice cube in his hand. He slipped the piece into his mouth. It wasn¡¯t filling or anything but it took his mind off the pain. Somewhat.


    I¡¯m so hungry I can¡¯t think. His stomach growled, begging him for anything. I bet that fire drake Sveno had would taste good. Maybe it¡¯s fire abilities would cook it from the inside. A self-contained food unit. He would kill for something like that. It¡¯s wings are long though. Nah, it would be just like chicken skin. It was his favourite part of fried chicken. The savoury crispy pieces that burst with flavour. He salivated. I can taste the tender flesh, the smell that would make anyone¡¯s mouth water. It probably wouldn¡¯t be very fatty but it would be just fine with some sauteed onions, some garlic and salt for flavour- nothing fancy. You really want to bring out the flavour of the meat. People often over-flavor meats, but that doesn¡¯t make any sense. If the meat is such low quality it needs that many spices to mask its aromas no human should be putting that in their body.


    He stumbled over a step, nearly tripping onto his face. ¡°Where the hell am I even going,¡± he grumbled. He walked up the long stairs of the road. He could hear bustling folk ahead.


    He stumbled forward walking through the small street. Noise and light emanated from ahead. He walked out. The noise hit him like a truck. People walked rapidly by him. There was the chirping and sounds of various animals. Street vendors lined the street. Reins snapped sharply.


    ¡°Move away kid,¡± He turned to find himself face to face with a dinosaur. It was a large lizard, it stood on hind legs and had short tiny t-rex arms. Its face reminded him of an iguana but it had the lifeless unblinking eyes of a fish.


    ¡°Hey, I said move it,¡± said the same voice. ¡°You¡¯re holding up the road.¡± A man behind the strange creature peered down from atop a wagon. Maxwell took quick steps backwards. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    His foot landed in something squishy. It had a warmth to it. A pungent smell attacked his nose. His face twisted in disgust. ¡°Goddammit,¡± he said in a defeated tone. He¡¯d stepped right into dung. It was gelatinous and viscous yet it had a thin layer of liquid that stuck to him. It squelched in between his toes. He scraped it off against the ground as best he could without puking. He¡¯d underestimated how important shoes actually were. Dealing with the world like this with his bare feet was horrendous. He could feel the coldness of the ground more intensely, its unyielding hardness that made the balls of his feet fatigued and his soles scraped and bloody.


    He latched a hand to his forehead. His vision swam. Black spots danced. Damn, I think I¡¯m passing out, not again. As a side effect of most likely overusing his ice abilities his body would get fatigued and he would lose consciousness. Worse yet it seemed to be getting worse. They never happend with so little warning. I need to find a place to lay


    ¡­


    His head throbbed.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°This poor peasant boy.¡±


    ¡°Oh gods!¡±


    ¡°What do we do Annelynne?¡±


    ¡°My I didn¡¯t know the outer city had poor homeless boys sleeping in the parks, we are truly fortunate. No, don''t look at him, he will be depressed that we saw him and try to steal from us out of anger!¡± said the voice hurriedly.


    ¡°Come on ladies, let¡¯s give a prayer to Luminus for this wretched child.¡±


    The woman huddled around the dirty body of the young man clasping their hands together in unison. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Who are you calling wretched? Maxwell¡¯s eyes snapped open. He could smell a barbecue and there was a bubbling of voices. The ground was soft beneath him. He stared frozen at the group of finely dressed women. The one with a manicured finger prodding his cheek recoiled a fragile limb. She had the gracefulness of a swan but she looked as if a light breeze might knock her over. Her flowery orange hair was neatly put up in a bun. Their faces were heavy with makeup. One of them nibbled on some sort of treat. It was made of round dough-like balls. Its round surface was lightly browned and crispy and¡­. God I¡¯m hungry. Despite the food she was eating her mouth never seemed to stop moving while taking those ridiculously small bites, still from the topmost one.


    ¡°By the gods, he¡¯s alive!¡± they exclaimed in unison. Their mouths seemed to all move at the same time as if they had one singular brain. That annoyed him. Several of them had flamboyant umbrellas despite the bright sun. No, he¡¯d heard of this. It was to prevent tanning from the powerful rays. Maxwell crawled to his feet. I must have passed out again.


    ¡°Oh Gods!¡± exclaimed another, a gloved hand at her forehead. Another simply muttered. ¡°I mustn¡¯t.¡± while peeking through her netted fingers.


    ¡°Eek! He¡¯s getting closer.¡±


    One of them fainted on the spot. ¡°Annelynne!¡± they shouted. The constantly talking one fainted from the fact that she fainted, dropping her snack in her shock. The awake ones dragged the unconscious ones away hysterically. It was as if they were dragging their fellow wounded soldiers away from the frontline. Maxwell simply stared at them stunned. What are those weird pretentious women doing?


    His eyes slid to the dough balls skewer on the ground. They were barely touched and the smell wafting from them was heavenly.  Nah¡­ He turned his back to it. It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m going to eat it¡­ Well I might as well see what it¡¯s about. He inspected it. He took a bite. His eyes widened. In the next 0.97 seconds he proceeded to delete it from existence. He wasn¡¯t even embarrassed it was delicious. Dammit, I hate how good that was. WHen I think about what I would do to eat something like that again¡­He vowed to himself then and there. He wouldn¡¯t do anything immoral just because of his circumstances. He wouldn¡¯t steal just because he was hungry or hurt people. He would be no different from an animal then, no different from those that tried to hurt him.


    He walked looking for the exit of the park. His head throbbed again. He rubbed his knuckles against his temple. WIthout looking he stepped into a pond. He extended his hands. Instead of sinking into the pool it froze. He banged his head into it. The ice cracked and he fell soaking into the water. He gasped for breath shooting to his feet. He didn¡¯t know what was worse, the pain or the stares from the families on picnics watching from the grass.


    A heavenly smell blessed his nose. He followed the scent to a giant tree. Its branches stretched out far above him. Vines wrapped around it with beautiful ripe grapes. They were far too high up for him to reach though. But that wasn¡¯t what the scent was coming from. A small stall was at the base of it. The skewered dough balls were lined up in cups near the bearded man.


    ¡°What are those?¡± asked?¡± asked Maxwell pointing at the skewers. The man eyed him up and down. ¡°Caldera, what else does it look like?¡±


    ¡°Caldera,¡± said Maxwell more for himself than to someone else. I knew the snack looked familiar. They¡¯d talked about it while he had received schooling in the church. One of the instructors had said something.


    ¡°Luminus, right?¡±


    ¡°THat¡¯s right, the local cuisine in the town where Luminus and the young emperor met hundreds of years ago. Everybody knows that¡± He looked around. ¡°Who are you with, you¡¯re part of the bloody rams aren¡¯t you!¡±


    ¡°Rams?¡± Maxwell said, taken aback. He pointed at himself. ¡°Me?¡±


    The shopkeeper shook a fist at him. ¡°Don¡¯t take me for a fool, the Blood Rams, you look straight out of the slums.¡±


    Gangs, Blood Rams? I have no idea what this man¡¯s talking about. Here goes nothing.


    ¡°I just wondered if I can work for you?¡± asked Maxwell. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you want, please!¡± he said clasping his hands together.


    ¡°Is that some kind of gang sign, ¡°he said at Maxwell¡¯s hands. I¡¯m just having my hands together? He separated them. Was that bad, is that not the sign of prayer? ¡°I was just begging.¡±


    ¡°See you¡¯re no good.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean begging for a job,¡± explained Maxwell. He did not do well to backtrack out of that situation.


    ¡°A job? You need a funeral, look at the sight of you, you¡¯re half dead. And what the hell is that smell!¡± The man leaned forward grabbing Maxwell by the scruff of his neck. WIth his other he took one of the many thin sticks. Without anything on it it looked far sharper than usual. ¡°Listen here, Kid.¡± He blew his rancid breath when he emphasised the word  ¡°kid¡±. ¡°You¡¯re bad for business, get out of here before I shove one of these skewers up your ass!¡±

 024: Sure It Looks Human but Im Starving

    Maxwell leant back looking at the restaurant in front of him. A table of patrons were just being served. The waiters were smartly dressed with white long-sleeved shirts and dark brown vests. This particular one had jet black hair. It went down to his ears and was as smooth as silk. Despite that, the most striking part of him was his piercing green eyes.


    The man placed a steaming steak onto their table. ¡°Hope you enjoy, this is our specialty after all, tangerine monkey steak.¡± said the server. As he was putting it down it slipped from his fingers clattering to the floor. The steak landed in their lap and they hurriedly stood up.The server stood there like a deer in the headlights.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry sir,¡± said another server. He came over from another table. The man had a head full of strong dirty blonde curls. They bobbed energetically as he frantically helped clean up the mess while constantly apologising. Maxwell watched mindlessly. The only thought on his mind was how to find food. To be frank he didn¡¯t give a damn. At least those people had food to eat. An idea emerged.


    ¡°Uh!¡± he audibly exclaimed. Dumpster diving! The answer has been right there from the beginning. There must be some scraps I can eat. He shook his head as he walked to the back of the restaurant. His former self could never imagine himself being delighted just to go scrounging for scraps. It took some time but by going through a small road on the other side of the restaurant he was able to get behind it. There was somewhat of a raised platform with a ramp going down the side. Beneath the ramps were a couple barrels. He could see a bone sticking out from it. Bingo.


    He scampered over. The food didn¡¯t smell that bad yet, which probably meant it was ok to eat. A door opened above him.


    ¡°What happened back there?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s clearly something, you stormed out of there!¡±


    Maxwell remained completely still. He stood as close to the ramp as possible. Have they not noticed me? Two people seemed to be having a conversation right above his head. They were on the ramp judging by their voices but if they walked to the edge they would easily make him out. He just hoped they wouldn¡¯t be throwing trash anytime soon.


    ¡°I¡¯m just tired, to be honest I don¡¯t want to work here any longer.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve been here a while, you can¡¯t just give that up!¡±


    After a short silence the other man responded in a quiet tone. ¡°It¡¯s stifling, there¡¯s no freedom. My work here is meaningless.¡± There was another pause while the man worked out his thoughts.


    ¡°You know the new guy, just because he''s jade class he gets away with everything. When he messed up in front of customers and I helped him, I somehow found myself getting chewed out!¡± The man¡¯s tone was rising. ¡°In what world is that fair? He¡¯s been here a tenth of the time I have yet he was promoted when I deserved it!¡±


    A silence ensued.


    ¡°Forget it, I know what you¡¯re going to say,¡± said the man. ¡°I¡¯m young and inexperienced. I shouldn¡¯t keep envy in my heart, and I should read up on the scriptures.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I was going to say.¡±


    ¡°What do you think Shay¡¯s DIner is known for?¡±


    ¡°Huh, why¡¯s that relevant.¡±


    ¡°Just answer the question.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s food, the tangerine monkey steak. It¡¯s what¡¯s drawn customers in since it reopened. We¡¯re famous for serving people of all classes. It¡¯s sort of a common ground between the slums and the outer city.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on the right track but it''s more than that. Besides nobody even came here for the tangerine steak ¡®till the upper class started eating here and the amber class followed suit. Tangerine monkeys were considered too ¡°human¡± before that. But that¡¯s not the important part¡± he said, waving the tangent off. ¡°Shay¡¯s diner has always been more than just a restaurant. We sell more than just food.I can¡¯t tell you the details. That¡¯s up to the owner. The more jade class servers we have the more right customers we bring. The better it is for business. That opens up a wider market for us and more profit to be made.¡±


    ¡°What did you mean by more than just food?¡± asked the man.


    ¡°Forget it, you¡¯ll know when you¡¯re ready. I¡¯ll head back before we cause more trouble, come back when you¡¯re ready.¡± A door scraped open before shutting. That was then followed by silence. Maxwell eyed the sky above him trying to peer behind him. Did they both go in? Not to mention what was going on with Shay¡¯s DIner? It can¡¯t be good.


    A flick of a lighter. Above Maxwell he heard the sharp inhale of a cigarette followed by a long breath of air. The smoke trail floated forward.


    ¡°I never thought I would be this unhappy working in a place like this, after I left everything to move to the capital.¡±


    Maxwell scrunched his eyebrows. Who is he talking to? He¡¯s all here alone isn¡¯t he?


    ¡°I thought what a wonderful Idea it would be, what a marvelous idea it would be for people of all backgrounds to be able to share a meal, to laugh and enjoy each other''s company. I¡¯m sorry mother.¡±


    His mother huh¡­ Maxwell stared wistfully ahead. It was starting to feel like he was hearing something he wasn¡¯t supposed to but then again what choice did he have.


    ¡°I thought by coming to Shay¡¯s Diner I would learn what I needed to make a restaurant of my own, one that was a place of equality, where everyone regardless of class could eat together. I¡¯m sorry mother. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to realise our dream. The world you believed in so strongly. If you¡¯re listening to me, grant me the strength to persevere.¡±


    The cigarette fell at Maxwell¡¯s feet and the door closed behind the man. A world where everyone can eat and enjoy each other''s company regardless of class. Maxwell retrieved a bone from the trash. He tore off a small piece of the charred flesh. That¡¯s no small ambition¡­He took another bite. This isn''t that bad. The odds of it being the scraps from a tangerine monkey were very high but god was he hungry.


    He rooted through the scraps. When Maxwell thought of eye color it was simply a characteristic. If someone had a vibrant green eye color he would simply have been envious at how pretty it looked and moved on. In this world he always forgot that it was more than that. In this world eye-color was much more than that.


    He wrinkled his nose skimming the surface of the trash. It had a pungent smell. But his stomach was begging for any morsel of food. It also helped still the eternal coldness he felt within him. He grabbed an apple core gnawing at the small piece of fruit left on the pit.


    He heard a growl in his ears. The hairs on the back of his neck rose.


    He¡¯s right behind me isn¡¯t he. Maxwell slowly turned around. A pack of wild dogs were encircling him. They paced around eyeing him. This is no time for jokes, things are getting serious. One particularly menacing one larger than the rest caught his eye. Not for the right reasons of course. Its hackles were raised revealing large, white canines. More akin to a crocodile than a dog.


    A white dog in the back snarled and the dogs charged him, frothing at the mouth.

 025: He got That DAWG In Him

    They don¡¯t look like they¡¯re willing to talk this out in a civil conversation. Goosebumps tickled his rattling fingertips. The strange power was in reach. Whatever the hell really was. He still had no clue why he even had the ability. He was bestowed with the light insignia and given light abilities. But after the corruption christening performed oh so lovingly by his siblings the Insignia completely disappeared. My Insignia doesn¡¯t exist anymore, it¡¯s just a lump of scarring now. I didn¡¯t even know that was possible. How did Julius even know how to do that? There were too many questions and no answers in sight. It would have to wait for now though. There was one thing he was sure of. If he was going to survive on these streets he had to master this new ability. Everything else rested upon that fact. Whatever it takes I have to survive.


    Maxwell flexed his fingers. The dog charged toward him. This wouldn¡¯t be easy. The impact would rock him. Again he was fighting once more. Fighting for scraps no less. Maybe he could run- NO, he wouldn¡¯t allow that. He had to fight. The footsteps of the dog patted quickly against the ground. Maxwell gritted his teeth, His eyes fixated ahead of him. The smell of the trash was strongly in his nose. They say you know you¡¯re close enough when you can see the whites of your opponents eyes but Maxwell could make out the individual pores on its nose. He willed the ice to come forth from within him. It wasn¡¯t hard. He always felt that numbness within. It wouldn¡¯t go away no matter how hard he tried. It condensed on the surface of his skin.


    ¡°Come on!¡± shouted Maxwell raising his arm. The air was driven from his body not from the impact but from slamming into the wall behind him. The two bounced apart at the same moment. He glanced at his forearm. He took it all in, with every shaky breath he observed the deep tooth marks in the icy layer. The fact it was only a millimetre from his bare skin. The fact that it had all happened so quickly. A layer of deep blue crawled out from his core, moving past his torn clothes and extending to his extremities. Snowflakes shed from his body. If I didn¡¯t have this ability that attack would have killed me. There¡¯s no doubt about it.


    The other dogs weren¡¯t attacking but more barking around him. As long as they were there he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. The black dog reared its head. I swear this thing is part crocodile, that number of teeth can¡¯t be possible. The dog bit him. Maxwell jammed the meat of his forearm into its mouth. A thick layer of ice was keeping it at bay. The dog violently shook its head but he held on. Maxwell grit his teeth. Now my second ability. Ice spread from his forearm growing into a thick ball. The jaws of the beast were slowly forced back. He speedily withdrew his arm. A ball of ice now remained in its mouth. Unable to shut its mouth it sort of looked there stumped. I can form ice from any part of my body. I don¡¯t have much control but it has its uses. His breathing quickened. Why is this draining my stamina so much? It was nothing like that fight with Sveno. Energy had seemed to course through him then but now¡­ Despite his heavy exertion his results were lackluster.


    A sharp bark rang out. Vice Like grips clamped on either side of his arms. The other dogs had clamped to his sides. They wouldn¡¯t let go despite his violent shrugging. The ice crinkled under their jaws. He focused on the ice and the crinkling stopped. It¡¯s so much harder to control my ability. This is a trade off between mental drain and physical stamina. He shook the dogs off. He glanced beyond the three dogs. There was one thing that had caught his mind. The white dog in the back hadn¡¯t moved. It always stayed behind. Is that the ringleader? Maxwell closed his fist around a growing icicle. He swung it at the dog like a javelin. The dog gave a surprised whine of fear. It struck its side, sending it to the ground. Ice spread out from the spot. Don¡¯t worry it won¡¯t kill you. The point¡¯s blunt. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The dogs attacked him again. It was more of a tussle now. A flail of moving limbs, jaws and paws. He delivered blows to the dogs kicking one of them in the nuts. Sorry not sorry.


    The large black dog was next. Maxwell pulled back his arm, his claws extended in fine points from his cold fingers. He paused for a second before closing his fingers and delivering a swift strike to the dogs side. He noted how due to the size of the claws he wasn¡¯t able to fully close his fist. It did lead to some loss of tightness since he wasn¡¯t able to compact his fist fully. You don¡¯t get much power punching with a relaxed hand. The other dogs followed and he was left alone once more in the alleyway. He panted staring down the empty street where the dogs had gone. His icy shoulders rose and fell. Once he was sure they were gone he collapsed on his butt. That took so much out of me. It hadn¡¯t been his toughest fight or most deadly but for some reason it had felt so overwhelming. I feel a coldness inside me. As if its from my very core. It makes the ice that radiates from my body not seem cold at all. But in return¡­ I feel a coldness within that makes my teeth rattle and my arms shiver on an everyday basis. He sniffled. ¡°Damn it, this coldness just won¡¯t go away.¡±


    He rooted through the trash. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of shame. Look at me fighting dogs for somebody''s leftovers¡­Hot tears ran down his cheek. It¡¯s humiliating. He wasn¡¯t doing anything wrong, he was doing what he needed to in order to survive yet why did he feel this way? He dug through the leftover food for another morsel. No piece had much food on it, they were scraps after all. He yanked his hand out of the pile, howling in pain. ON the end of his waving hand was a centipede, its massive mandibles sawing into his flesh. WIth his other hand he ripped it off. It squirmed and wiggled in his hand, its many legs scuttling helplessly in the air.


    ¡°God Dammit what the hell was that for!¡± he shouted, breathing harshly. He didn¡¯t think the trash was old enough yet to have critters mulling about ready to assault him. He held it at an arms reach. WHat the hell am I supposed to do with it now? I feel like if i drop it, it''ll go straight at me. It was still squirming in his grasp and the grease and goop from the barrel it was in made it difficult to hold it still. Damn it, getting this pressured by something smaller than me is reminding me yet again of how weak I really am. The fight was harder than it should have been. I thought it would be a lot easier considering who I fought before. Have I lost so much confidence after one fight?


    His hand lowered to his side despite the critter in it. it squirmed ever more tightly in his ever more tightening grip. His breathing quickened as his anxiety welled up inside of him. He was ever aware of how weak he really was and the instability of the journey ahead. Using my abilities was harder than he had anticipated. He needed to hone his skills. He would need lots of practice and forge himself into an icy lake whose surface would never crack. He breathed a sigh of relief as his panic subsided. He glanced down at his hand. Only a bloody mess remained in his hand; the centipede body was in two mangled clumps. Blue and yellow guts peeked out of the broken carapace. His face twisted in disgust and he wiped the blood of his hands using a nearby wall. He looked once at the barrel of food waste before grimacing and walking away. He¡¯d lost his appetite.

 026: Sharpening My Skills

    A droplet landed on Maxwell¡¯s nose. He looked up at the darkening clouds. ¡°Uhh, its gonna rain. ¡°


    He ran through the streets, holding up a hand to obscure the heavy downfall from his eyes.


    It was the worst part of living in the streets. He never knew how worrying and stressful it would be to not even know where your next meal is coming from. To not know if you¡¯ll find a place to sleep. What if he got sick? What if he ran into someone he couldn¡¯t win against? The toll on his body couldn¡¯t be ignored either. If I stay much longer like this my body will completely deteriorate, and it¡¯ll be something that I can¡¯t come back from.


    The rain kept on pouring down and he was running out of options. Even a ledge in a doorway if he couldn¡¯t find a bridge would do. He¡¯d seen enough survival tv-shows to know that underestimating nature and the importance of finding a shelter are not to be taken lightly.


    There were none in sight. He seemed to be in some sort of residential area. There weren¡¯t any noticeable shops around either. Perhaps they had all simply closed since it was rather late after all.


    He spotted a porch. It was empty and had a roof to keep out the rain. It would have to do. I hope nobodies at home, he prayed while scampering onto the wooden floor. It creaked slightly under his weight but the pitter-patter of rain covered it well.


    There next to a simple chair that stood there he pressed his back against the wall and faced outwards. He sniffled in the cold. Fingers rubbed along his arms in an attempt to heat up even if only a bit. Unfortunately he¡¯d been trying to do that for the past couple of days to no avail. He caught his breath. He materialised an icecube in his hands. He crushed the smooth stone. It turned to snow in his hand, spilling through his fingers. He repeated the action again and again. He frowned. This isn¡¯t fast enough, I need to be able to materialise it with not only more force but be able to use it consistently. This¡¯ll also help me increase my ice output. When reflecting over the fight with the dogs it was clear to him that he was severely lacking in the skill to fight. Everything happens so quickly he wouldn¡¯t be able to think about his ability, maybe with time as he got more used to it both those areas would improve.


    An icy layer covered his hand. It condensed sliding down his hand and forming clunky chunks on his fingertips. He closed his hand, connecting the sharp points. The intense pressure crumbled the tips into blunt points. He reformed them again while constantly pressing them together. They¡¯re too brittle. Is there a solution or is ice simply not a good material for this? It had held him back before when fighting Sveno.


    Even though he had channeled so much magic to create them it had still broken. It wasn¡¯t the reason why he lost. To be honest the way things had gone he wasn¡¯t sure what it would take to beat him. He had thrown everything at him even using pykrete to counteract the brittleness of ice but he wasn¡¯t able to overcome the difference in skill between them. That final fiery attack against the black knight was also beyond anything he faced. Would he have been able to survive an attack like that, would it have melted through the pykrete.


    He studied the claws. Temperature,structure, density; perhaps there are other ways for me to make more durable constructs. Ice doesn¡¯t have a set temperature, as long as it''s below freezing ice will remain. Sword blades are sometimes  made using metals of different properties. A harder, more brittle one for the surface and a more flexible metal for the spine to absorb impact. He closed his eyes for a second. Once opened he squeezed the blade points together. They shuddered and toiled. They snapped bringing his fingers together. A failure it seems. I guess I¡¯ll have to keep on working on that. Fatigueness washed over him


    There in the cold, shielded slightly from the downpour he dozed off with the harsh patter of rain against wood.


    He awoke to the sound of laughter. He opened his eyes slowly. The muffled sounds came from the wall behind him. He didn¡¯t panic, it was still raining and it was late. They had no reason to go out and see him. He still had time. A slight warmth from the wall soaked into his body. Pearls of laughter echoed out. Sounds of commotion as well. Is it a family? He lazily wondered. They seemed to be having fun. Cutlery scraped against porcelain dishes and glasses clinked. His stomach let out a low gurgle. It only lasted for a second before quieting. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Maxwell¡¯s head snapped to the door. It creaked open slightly. He froze. What do I do? Can he talk his way out of it? Out of the small crack slipped out a black cat. Its fur like obsidian, its paws white as snow. Its eyes large and black. Maxwell breathed a sigh of relief. He motioned at it despite his better judgement. Its head and ears perked up at the sight of him. It soundlessly walked toward him. He got up on his knees. It meowed and he petted its soft fur. He smiled. So soft! He looked back at the door only to see a face staring at him. It was the face of a child. No older than 5. The green eyes stared at Maxwell. Maxwell put a finger to his lips. Please don¡¯t make a noise, he silently begged. The kid cautiously waddled outward. Maxwell moved his arms from around the cat. It stared up at him. The kid tried to take it but it protested with soft meows. Maxwell gently lifted the cat and placed it in the kids arms.


    The kid walked off back inside, the door closing behind it. He gave a sigh of relief. That could have gone a lot worse. He swallowed painfully. The future seemed so bleak.


    The door barged open slamming into the wall. He jumped to his feet. A man stood there. He was burly and bearded his green eyes fixated on Maxwell. He had a furious look.


    ¡°What are you doing here!¡± shouted the man angrily. His eyes glared menacingly. His hands were clenched into large fists. Adults were so much larger than he was.


    Maxwell held his hands out in front of him. ¡°Just looking for shelter, I wasn¡¯t doing anything!¡± he said.


    The man reached into his pocket. Maxwell¡¯s eyes tracked the man¡¯s hand. He withdrew a set of spiked brass knuckles. His eyes widened.


    ¡°Wait, wait, I¡¯m sorry!¡± The man charged forward swinging at him. Maxwell stepped backward hitting the post.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll go, I¡¯ll go,¡± he shouted ¡°The man didn¡¯t even hear him out. His fist slammed into the space Maxwell¡¯s head had been a moment prior.


    ¡°That could have killed me!¡± burst out Maxwell.


    ¡°Then good riddance!¡± said the man throwing another blow. Maxwell¡¯s eyes widened, an opportunity revealed itself amongst the chaos.


    His brass fist drilled into Maxwell¡¯s chest. Focus Maxwell! The blow sent him tumbling over the banister. It knocked the breath from his lungs. He landed on his feet before pelting away from the crazy man. His feet splashing in the pooling rain.. He didn¡¯t look back once to see if the man was chasing him.


    He stopped eventually of course. Heaving and gasping, bending over with his hands against his knees. ¡°I thought¡­I was going¡­ to die,¡± he gasped between breaths. He felt his chest. The icy layer covering it was cracked but intact. I¡¯m glad my reflexes were fast enough to put up some protection. He¡¯d never been able to do it that fast before. Then again his survival had depended on it. What was that man even thinking! he scowled.  A part of him was angry. Angry at the man¡¯s complete and utter unwillingness to hear him out. He was in the wrong and he was trespassing but he had no choice. He had to trespass. ¡°A little compassion goes a long way goddammit.¡± He walked again in the rain.


    Did the kid bring the father? I thought he was on my side. He was¡­ hurt. He wasn¡¯t some pest or dangerous animal, yet why was he being treated like one? Being treated like trash day in and day out was something he was beginning to lose patience for. His vision blurred but he blinked it back. A raindrop clinked to the paved ground; frozen solid. Pearls of heaven solidified bouncing against his skin before spilling to the ground. The crystals cried out as they smashed and piled up on the hard ground. I¡¯m not that worthless¡­right?


    A piercing scream rang through the night. Angry voices. Is it the man from before, it couldn¡¯t be, that was going too far even for a man as unreasonable as that. THe voices were getting nearer. He took cover trying to get as far away as possible from it.


    ¡°Hey kid, over here.¡± He scurried to the voice. It came from a small alleyway half obscured by a jutting out section of a building. He wouldn¡¯t have noticed it aside from the voice. He crouched down beside it. The voices came closer before becoming faint at last.


    ¡°Thanks man, ¡°said Maxwell, turning toward the man. He turned to face him. He recoiled. ¡°What the hell!¡± he hadn¡¯t gotten a good look at the man before. ¡°Why do you look like that!¡±


    ¡°If you raise your voice they¡¯ll come back to find you,¡± said the person smiling. That¡¯s not quite right though. A large red smile was painted on the man¡¯s face. They scratched at their neck under the collar of the faded multi-colored clothes.


    ¡°Why are you a clown!¡±

 027: A Cold Sense of Humour

    Maxwell shot to his feet.


    The clown guffawed, slapping his thigh.¡°Did it catch you off guard?¡± he said referring to his cracking face paint. ¡° I don¡¯t bite you know.¡±


    What the hell is wrong with this guy? Maxwell eyed the ragged figure. What the hell is a dusty old clown doing on the streets? Come to think of it this was probably the first time he had seen a clown in person. It was creepier than he had expected it to be but then again most clown¡¯s weren¡¯t this suspicious. The clown whistled merrily his arms behind his head as he leant back against the brick wall. He didn¡¯t seem like he was going to hurt him. He had saved him after all. He sat down again leaving a slight gap between them. He hoped this was more of the family-friendly clown and not the Pennywise clown.


    ¡°Thanks for saving me and also who are you anyways,¡± demanded Maxwell. Of all the things he¡¯d seen on the streets so far this was by far the weirdest.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a rude one!¡± he said. ¡°You can call me Henry,¡± said the man. Henry, huh that doesn¡¯t give me much info and that¡¯s probably not your real name. Maxwell knew better than to completely let his guard down around a stranger.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± asked the clown.


    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± asked Maxwell, narrowing his eyes.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the polite thing to do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for politeness,¡± said Maxwell.


    The clown laughed heartily.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± demanded Maxwell


    ¡°Nothing,¡± said Henry. ¡°Here I¡¯ll show you a trick.¡±


    Maxwell shrugged, folding his arms. ¡°FIne, let¡¯s see how good you are.¡±


    The man coughed violently. His body was shaking. ¡°Are you ok?¡± said Maxwell, he began to reach for him put nervously stopped. Is he all right? Henry raised a hand to his mouth, choking and a deck of cards spilled to the ground.


    The clown straightened. ¡°Tada!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not funny!¡± said Maxwell. ¡°I thought you were serious, I should have let you choke to death. Nowonder nobody finds you funny, your idea of a joke is messed up!¡±


    ¡°Hmmm that usually gets most people laughing,¡± said the man. ¡°How about this,¡± he said, collecting the cards. He shuffled them before reaching out with the deck.


    ¡°Pick a card, any card.¡± His fingers hovered over the worn cards. Perhaps it had once been a different color but now it was merely a faded brown with swirls along it. The edges of the cards were ripped and bent. The cards were worn and well used.


    He gingerly took one making sure to not let him see what it was.


    ¡°Now place it back.¡± Maxwell did so. He shuffled the deck again, his movements were smooth and his fingers flashed in a whirlwind.


    ¡°Is this your card?¡± Maxwell looked at the card pinched between the man¡¯s fingers. ¡°That¡¯s right, the king of hearts.¡± It was his first time seeing magic tricks but it felt a bit¡­ underwhelming.  Maybe it was because he had well seen actual magic.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem impressed,¡± noted the man. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad but you¡¯re not winning any awards with that,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°I guess that was impressive.¡± said Maxwell.


    ¡°Ok then how about this.¡± The man snapped his fingers. ¡°Check your card.¡±


    Maxwell looked down at the card. It was now completely blank.


    ¡°Where did the card go?¡±


    ¡°I wonder, ¡°said Henry smugly.


    Maxwell doubled over coughing. It was hard to get air. Something was lodged in his throat. The clown thumped a hand against his back. Something flew out of his mouth and onto the ground. His eyes widened. No way. He then winced. That¡¯s kind of really gross isn¡¯t it? Who knew where that card had been. Perhaps he was better off not knowing.


    He unfurled the small square. It was the king of hearts.


    ¡°How did you do that!¡± said Maxwell, snapping his head at him.


    The man scratched his chin smugly. ¡°A clown never reveals his tricks.¡±


    ¡°These streets are tough, you¡¯ve done well to survive this long, I can tell you¡¯re not from around here.¡±


    Maxwell laughed bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ve been better. Not a day has gone by where my stomach hasn¡¯t been empty. I¡¯m a dead man walking.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be doing so well yourself,¡± said Maxwell, eyeing the dirty outfit.¡± Does no one in this city have a sense of humour?¡±


    His mouth was agape, staring at Maxwell. His look of shock quickly turned into a grin.¡°My and I thought I was the funny one.¡± he snickered.


    ¡°This is more of a hobby- no more of a dream and quite a selfish one at that but to answer your question. I don¡¯t quite mind living like this, if you¡¯re smart there are ways to get food.¡±He gestured to the jutting out corner. ¡° I have shelter here by the wall.¡± He gestured to Maxwell. ¡°And I have your wonderful company,¡± he finished. ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s more than most people. Sitting right here you¡¯d be surprised at the glimpses, whispers of people¡¯s lives that reach my ears.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± said Maxwell. What is this guy rambling about? He actually enjoys living like this. I¡¯d prefer to not go on living like a beggar. ¡°I see, when you meant your men, is that the circus you belong to?¡± He was wise enough to keep his thoughts to himself.


    Well something like that,¡± said the man scratching his neck. ¡°I¡¯ve been called foolish but they¡¯ve stuck by me and they¡¯re very dear to me. But it¡¯s been rough. One of my men went missing one night during a job when he came back he was all bleeding. Someone really did a number on him.¡±


    ¡°I hope he gets better.¡± said Maxwell. He wasn¡¯t surprised. These streets seemed to be full of danger. ¡°What was it that happen to him?¡± He was sad for him but more than that he felt a closeness. It really felt like everything bad in the city was happening to him but in actuality it only seemed that way. Other people had it rough too.


    Maxwell¡¯s eyes landed on a ring on the man¡¯s finger. It was a fine metal, polished smooth. In its center lay a prominant blue crystal. Maxwell nodded at it. ¡°You got a wife and kids?¡±


    His question left them in silence. The man wasn¡¯t quick to respond, as if he hadn¡¯t heard him at all. Is this a touchy subject? wondered Maxwell. It was a casual conversation type question but the silence seemed to suggest more. He hadn¡¯t intended on asking such a personal question. He knew far too well how uncomfortable that could be. He¡¯d always hated it whenever he was asked about his homelife by classmates.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any kids as for a wife¡­¡± the man stared wistfully. ¡°You could say I did.¡±


    Maxwell didn¡¯t seem to notice the man¡¯s countenance and carried on.


    ¡°I would be careful about having such a ring, someone might try and rob you for it.¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you going to?¡± said the man with a serious look.


    ¡°No, no it''s just I didn''t want you to get¡­hurt.¡± What was he thinking? He was surprised by his own words. He didn¡¯t have time to think of others. He couldn¡¯t even take care of himself.


    The man chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just joking, I¡¯m a clown after all. ¡°Maxwell gave a sigh of relief.¡°That¡¯s not very nice, you know.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your concern but there¡¯s no need to worry, people know better than to mess with me.¡±


    Maxwell wondered what he meant but didn¡¯t probe further. He had a gut feeling it was better not too.


    ¡°That reminds me, I have one last trick to show you.¡± He reached into his jacket. Great what does he have in store for me now. His hand came into view this time clutching a glinting knife. It wasn¡¯t a simple penknife either. A pen-knife might be used to cut a piece of an apple that was more like a bayonet. He flashed a pearly white smile at Maxwell.


    ¡°Give me all your money.¡±

 028: The Way Out is Through

    The blade glinted in his hands.


    The hairs on Maxwell¡¯s neck rose. The knife was long and sharp, like out of a Rambo movie. He never took his eyes off the blade. The clown¡¯s eyes were locked with Maxwell¡¯s. Ice coalesced under his clothes.


    ¡°You smell like someone I can steal from,¡± said the man. ¡°What¡¯s stopping me from taking whatever I want from you!¡±


    ¡°Like I would let you!¡± shouted Maxwell. ¡°Besides look at me, does it look like I even have something!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more that can be taken from you.¡±


    Maxwell¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try!¡±


    The clown put down the knife.


    ¡°Calm down kid, I¡¯m not going to hurt you, I just needed to see what you would do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about to bash your head in, that''s what I¡¯m about to do.¡±


    The man snorted. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would, as for why I threatened you, well it¡¯s important I¡¯m testing you. I wanted to see how feisty you were.¡±


    ¡°Feisty.¡± demanded Maxwell.


    ¡°Appearances are important in the capital, it¡¯s important to look strong- to have a spine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for scaring you, I thought it was nece-.¡±


    ¡° I wasn¡¯t scared,¡±  He said red-faced.


    ¡°When I first saw you you were scampering around like a helpless child, I could see the scared deer in your eyes. You can¡¯t expect people to help you either.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t!¡± he interjected. Maxwell clenched his fists. ¡°I know better than to rely on others, they¡¯ll only end up letting you down.¡±  The memories left a bitter taste in his mouth


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I brought up some unpleasant memories.¡±


    Maxwell thought he had gotten somewhere with this stranger but he was unable to discern if this guy was crazy or not.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually more proud of my other skills.¡±


    ¡°What do you specialise in?¡±


    ¡°Telepathy.¡±


    ¡°Telepathy, yeah right.¡± He raised his arms in exasperation. ¡°Ok then, show me your trick.¡±


    ¡°Close your eyes.¡±


    Maxwell looked at him cautiously before closing them. ¡°This better not be another of those unfunny tricks.¡±


    It had flowers of all kinds floating mesmerizingly in the wind. They stood proud and vibrant. The gentle breeze washed over him and across the light sky. There were mountains around and below him half obscured by faraway clouds.


    The vividness took him aback, he wasn¡¯t aware that he could conjure up an image like that. He sniffed deeply. I can practically smell it, its nothing like the stench of some back alley.


    The clown stared at Maxwell¡¯s relaxed expression smugly.


    ¡°Hmmm, I guess you¡¯re imagining a field of flowers on a mountaintop.¡±


    Maxwell was surprised to find tears in his eyes. ¡°How did you know?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Trick of the trade,¡± he said slyly.


    The clown retrieved a peach-like fruit from his jacket. He tossed it at him. It felt heavy in Maxwell¡¯s hands.


    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡±


    The man stood up dusting himself off. ¡°It¡¯s a tangerine fruit, it¡¯s something called food, you put it in your mouth, chew and swallow it. It makes your stomach feel nice.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Maxwell grumbled, crossing his arms.


    The clown rolled his eyes. ¡°Please, you look like you could use a sandwich. I gotta go meet up with those buddies I was telling you about.¡±


    ¡°Hope the injured one gets better.¡± Maxwell chimed.


    ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you, good luck on the friendly streets of the capital.¡± His cheeky smile and words brought a slight twitch in Maxwell¡¯s lower lip.


    He walked a ways forward before turning back one last time. He smiled at Maxwell, thumping a hand against his chest. ¡°Remember the true battle is here.¡±


    He ate the fruit gratefully. It was cold not that he could tell and its juiciness provided water as well. Finding water was even harder than finding food. The cleanest water he seemed to find was the one that piled in the gutters after a heavy rain although the dirty streets would turn it foul in less than a day. After the last bite he crossed his arms and closed his eyes in contemplation.


    He needed to think. If he walked aimlessly along this world he would die. It was harsher than he had ever thought possible. How long had he even been in this world? A couple days? A week? A fortnight? He wasn¡¯t even sure. He¡¯d had to hide his identity in the beginning but his days were filled with the luxuries of a noble. SInce being warmly welcomed into the real world his days had been filled with misery and pain. He supposed the days would start to blend together with all that turmoil, no wonder he couldn¡¯t recall exactly how long it had been.


    He clutched his heart as the uncomfortableness traversed through his body. Even now recalling those memories I feel pain. I thought I sealed them off, or rather I thought I was beyond that no matter how much agony I go through these feelings won¡¯t go away. They¡¯re too painful to dwell on. I need salvation from them, whatever it takes¡­ Ice formed around his hand spreading over his fingers and around his chest. That¡¯s right, I need to harden my heart, I can¡¯t allow myself to feel anything. I can¡¯t allow those things to affect me. I must be cold, hard and lifeless like this ice. The coldness inside him ever since the day he was betrayed and fell down the cliffside intensified inside him. He took a deep full breath, inhaling completely with his chest and gut fully expanded.


    He then exhaled breathing out a slow, powerful breath littered with frost. He blinked briefly before closing them again. Ok, now for my plan of action. I¡¯ll die if I live on the streets for much longer. It''s too hard to find food and it¡¯s too dangerous to be out here without a shelter. I¡¯ve already been attacked three times and each one could have ended with me bleeding out as my opponent watched me fade away. What are my options now, to get a job? He looked down at his ratty clothes, not a chance. He recalled how the stall-owner from that park had eyed him like some sort of nuisance the second he started talking to the man. The odds were certainly against him but he needed to earn money one way or another. What about stealing? The thought sent chills down his spine. He clenched his fist. He had never thought about it before, he wasn¡¯t that type of person, was he? [Stealing tangent]. Stealing was something only criminals did, people who didn¡¯t know any better. He shook his head. No, I¡¯m deciding now I¡¯m not going to steal, I¡¯m better than that. I¡¯ve lost enough. If I don¡¯t have my morals then what do I have left?


    He considered his job options. Adventurer? I don¡¯t even know if that exists, sure this is a fantasy world but¡­ He went through some possible jobs. Guard? As if, he was scrawny and barely looked like he could take anyone in a fight. Also more pressingly he looked shady as hell, which is the last person anyone would trust to, you know, guard something. Maybe if he went to church? I¡¯m pretty sure they have stuff for homeless people or charity work. I think they mentioned something like that as well. He winced. Who knew how they would treat him now. He lifted his shirt revealing the scar tissue where his insignia had been. It¡¯s probably best to avoid them for now.


    He sighed in an exaggerated tone. He envied the woman from the park that time. The ones who had flocked over his unconscious body like a brood of chickens. Their dainty white fingered gloves and their flimsy summer umbrellas.


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t even any sun or rain, why did they even have them!¡± He had gotten so caught up in his thoughts he had accidentally spoken aloud. ¡°Tsk.¡± . They only know a life of comfort, they¡¯ve never had to work a day in their lives.


    He found himself yawning. Now that his body had a moment of long overdue peace the temptation of sleep beckoned to him. The clown said nobody would approach me as long as i stay here, I still don¡¯t have a clue if I can take his word but I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll have a better chance to slee¡­.


    His head drifted back until it rested against the rocky wall. Before he knew it he was sound asleep.

 029: Broke and Homeless in Another World - It Doesnt Get Worse than this Right?

    ¡°For the last time you can¡¯t be here!¡±


    Maxwell took a deep breath. This was his last try, if he failed this he would be out of options. He clasped his palms together. He stared directly into the stall-owner''s eyes.


    ¡°Please, can I get a job!¡±


    The black-bearded man scowled. He gingerly pinched one of the skewers between his burly fingers. They were speckled with white scars long healed and deeply calloused. They were the hands of a working man. handed one of the doughballs from his side to a customer. A child no older than seven. A dribble of saliva ran down the corner of their mouth as if the lights were on but nobody was home. The stall owner knew a good place to pick, the park had always been populated whenever Maxwell stumbled upon it. The kid was probably from one of the many families that visited the park.


    The stall owner gave a brief smile to them, waving as they left. It was all a bit pretentious considering he had been cussing Maxwell literally the moment before.


    ¡°You¡¯re scaring customers,¡± he seethed from the corners of his mouth. ¡°I told you for the last time go away1¡±


    The man walked out of the stall window. It was more like a kiosk than a stall as it had a door to the side and proper wooden walls. Maxwell could hear scuffling and scraping of perhaps a chair. The man appeared outside. He wore a well fitting yellow robe. Maxwell noted several stitches around the elbows as well as several patches here and there that had been replaced. The stall owner jabbed a furious finger out of the park.


    ¡°Get out of here!¡±


    He proceeded to try and pull Maxwell off of the stall but Maxwell¡¯s vice-like grip had grabbed a hold of the corner. If his situation wasn¡¯t so dire it might have been humorous. The stall-owner had grabbed ahold of his legs and was tugging so hard on them Maxwell was practically vertical. He likened a dog that wouldn¡¯t let go of a chew toy despite any and all reprimands by its owner.


    Dammit why is he being so stubborn, I¡¯m just asking to work for him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go bother somebody else,¡± said the stall-owner, heaving Maxwell''s loose body.. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to be playing games with you!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d do this if I didn¡¯t have to!¡± He retorted. ¡°Ow, you¡¯re gripping me too hard!¡± he complained. ¡°Ease up!¡±


    ¡°Ask someone else for a job, surely there¡¯s something else you can do. How about an apprenticeship, ask an artisan like a carpenter.¡±


    ¡°I already asked around and they said they already had one!¡±. Sweat was slowly building up on his palms making it harder to grip on. The burning in his forearms and wrists weren¡¯t helping either.


    ¡°What about the wheelwright? They¡¯re always looking for someone!¡± the man said before tugging on Maxwell¡¯s tattered pants.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I tried that! They said the same thing as the carpenter.¡± His pinkie fingers had lost hold from the counter. Damn, this guy is strong! He cursed.


    ¡°Stop using me to search for jobs,¡± said the guy. ¡°IS getting a job the only thing that will get you to leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± said Maxwell resolutely.


    ¡°Uggh,¡± the man grumbled. He inhaled sharply before rapid-firing.


    ¡°What about a restaurant?¡±


    ¡°They shooed me off, thinking I was begging.¡±


    ¡°Bakery?¡±Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Said I was too dirty and stunk.¡±


    The two of them were attracting a lot of attention. The weather was pleasant and families with their kids out on the grass were having relaxing picnics. More and more heads in the park were turning.


    ¡°What about a farmer, they¡¯re always looking for extra hands.¡±


    Maxwell¡¯s ears perked up. A farmer? Maybe he could work with that, quite literally in fact. I hadn¡¯t thought of that, of course that would work. Sure it might be physically gruelling but it wouldn¡¯t be any worse than the suffering I¡¯m already going through. Even if it was the same my body is already being chipped to pieces by this oh so lovely city. I might as well get paid for it.


    ¡°Is that true, will they let me work?¡± He said looking back at the man.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± The man grinned. ¡°About a 5 day walk from here you might find an employer.¡±


    ¡°Stop mocking me!¡± shouted Maxwell. ¡°I hope your stupid stall and your stupid dough balls burn to the ground and that you never get another customer!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re called Caldera everybody knows that and how dare you say that!¡± shouted the man.


    Maxwell¡¯s grip finally gave out and he fell to the floor. He groaned, picking himself up to his feet. He dusted himself off.


    ¡°Well, well if it isn¡¯t the little street rat.¡± The voice that said that was certainly not the stall-owner. The tone was more sinister and seethed with ill-will. Maxwell turned to the voice. The two figures instantly sparked recognition in his eyes.Standing there poised like school bullies were two distinct figures. The one on the left was short and stout, a smattering of uncomfortably long stray hairs dotted his shiny dome. The one on the right wore a vest made of some sort of animal hide that wasn¡¯t uncommon in these parts. His face though was entirely uncommon, he had a sharp jawline but it was sharp in three places instead of one, as if his face was entirely made of right angles.


    ¡°You two, those pillaging thugs!¡± Maxwell exclaimed


    ¡°See, I knew you were part of the Blood Rams!¡± said the stall-keeper at the sight of the two men. He wasn¡¯t wrong for thinking that. The thugs looked out of place as well. The men¡¯s clothes looked unwashed and faded. Their faces were bruised and bandaged much like Maxwell¡¯s although they had significantly more redness and inflammation. Perhaps his lower body temperature and ice abilities helped stop it from forming. If there was no heat inflammation wouldn¡¯t be able to form. The fact that the three of them were in a nicer part of the city only served to make them stand out more. Maxwell with his ragged clothes seemed far more similar to the thugs than anyone else there.


    ¡°For the last time I¡¯m not part of them!¡± retorted Maxwell to the guy. So these guys are part of a gang. The blood rams. Aren¡¯t Rams herbivores, there¡¯s nothing really bloody about them. He supposed it made sense for the crooks to be part of a gang. That probably meant Sveno was part of the gang as well. He had said the crooks were his subordinates after all. It was the entire reason why Sveno fought Maxwell after all. They were just doing honest work, Maxwell scoffed.


    ¡°What are you smirking about!¡± said the crooks in unison. The tall one fingers twitched in anticipation. ¡°We¡¯re gonna tear you limb from limb.¡± he grinned.


    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t looking too good either, surprised you got out of that alive. Maxwell retorted. ¡°Thought you¡¯d be dead by now!¡±


    ¡°What can we say,¡± they said again in unison like some abandoned acapella duo. ¡°Margaret fixed us up pretty good!¡± they boasted.


    ¡°Tell her to do a better job cause you look like you were run over,¡± snickered Maxwell.


    The thieves seethed at the comment.


    While speaking Maxwell focused on stopping his voice from wavering nervously. How could he forget how they had toyed with him so easily back then in that alleyway. The last thing he wanted to do was underestimate them. A normal person wouldn¡¯t be fine pillaging dead bodies. He was also in much worse condition now than he was back then. He couldn¡¯t let them know they brought fear out of him. Everything seemed more connected then he initially thought. Maybe it also had to do with why people were so hostile towards him? There were pieces to the puzzle yet to be brought to light. With time he was sure he could figure it out.


    ¡°What are you zoning out for,¡± said one of the thugs. ¡°We¡¯ll be generous, we¡¯ll give you three seconds to run,¡± said the short one.


    These guys have got to be kidding me. Why do they love toying with their victims so much. Why do I have to deal with this, I don¡¯t even know if I can beat these guys now.


    ¡°Come on guys, we¡¯re in a park, are you really going to do this now with all these people? What if Imperial soldiers come?¡±


    They grinned wickedly. The tall one turned to the shorter one. ¡°What do you think? Should we just pack our things and go home?¡±


    Kur scratched a hairy forearm. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right Null, I meeean, If the street rat says so.¡±


    The bolted after Maxwell.


    ¡°At least give me some time first!¡± yelped Maxwell taking off.

 030: No More Running

    He jogged on the grass. The smell it gave of when freshly cut was overpowering.


    He could hear the two men behind him. He ran. He really did have the worst luck for those men to be chasing him now. He smirked that things weren¡¯t the same as they were last time. He exited the park crossing between two houses and into the busy streets. The Carts were lined end to end in the streets. It was a heavy traffic jam. In a bustling city like this it wasn¡¯t uncommon at all. Angry cries and reptilian shrieks replaced the honking horns that would have been present in his world. Glancing up the road the cause of the traffic was clear.  It caught Maxwell¡¯s eyes almost immediately, his gaze drifted to it as he took in his surroundings. A cart- no a carriage for it was much finer than a simple farmer¡¯s cart used for lugging hay and produce was blocking the road. It had two central arches at the back and one at the front. Delicately carved pieces of dark and rich colored wood lay across the scaffolding as if they simply floated down perfectly from the heavens. Metal accents appear handwritten in a flowery language on its surface. The craftsmanship was unreal, as if it was the essence of artistry brought into existence. Unfortunately the beautiful carriage was a great nuisance. All other people busy with their day were forced to go around it like a large boulder diverting water in a river


    He peered behind him seeing the two men red-faced and yelling absurdities at him.


    He darted in between the many wagons. The carts were slow moving and he was able to navigate around them. The cobblestone ground reverberated underneath him as the large wooden wheels rolled over it. He hadn¡¯t fully realised how dangerous it was to be there. He hadn¡¯t thought it would be so akin to running into full traffic as well. Each cart was full to the brim with resources. He narrowly avoided getting his foot crushed by a wheel.


    The thick scent of animals. It was stuffy, and warm. It stunk to high heaven and he hadn¡¯t showered in over a week while sweating constantly, eating trash and sleeping on the streets.  A wagon was off to the side of a road. A wiry man who had seen better days was crouched at the side of it over one of the large wooden wheels. Several of the rough spokes were splintered. The pair of lizard creatures were not even attached to the front but tethered to the side of it. Maxwell saw a chance. If he was lucky the thugs wouldn¡¯t follow him across the busy road. Luck had never been his thing so he had ruled that out. They were particularly determined to cause him hell which meant it was only a matter of time before they found him. One of the lizards snarled at the sight of him, assaulting his nose with its foul breath.


    ¡°Shh,¡± hissed Maxwell, bringing a finger to his mouth. That wasn¡¯t the only stench a pile of dung lay by their feet. It was a weird greenish goop, the longer he looked at it the more revolting it got. He was not going to let a lizard give him away. They looked weirder up close. They resembled velociraptors like from one of those dinosaur movies he¡¯d seen once but they were much larger and heftier. There might have been intelligence in its eyes as it looked at him. He traced a finger in the air, its eye moved in the same pattern, tracing its every move. Why would anyone have these tow carts, they seemed far too predatory? Perhaps there simply wasn¡¯t any other choice.


    He heard heavy footsteps. They weren¡¯t the thugs or the owner of the cart. Armour? Is it a soldier? What for? Were they after him? Possibilities flashed in his mind. He¡¯d gotten into a lot of fights, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were people out to get him. Maybe it was even the Blood Rams, a corrupt officer perhaps? He crouched, readying himself to run as soon as they came into view.


    ¡°Hey there!¡± shouted a serious voice. It wasn¡¯t the greeting of someone reuniting with a long lost friend. A line of sweat trickled down Maxwell¡¯s brow.


    ¡°Your Hadneri are defecating on the Spire River, do you understand that sir!¡± said the man. Maxwell eased slightly, he wasn¡¯t the target. He hadn¡¯t realised he¡¯d been tensing his muscles.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°It¡¯s state property you know that¡¯s a punishable offence. Everybody knows this, this road must remain clean, it¡¯s disrespectful to the emperor themself for you to do this!¡± barked the soldier. Why is this man wearing so much armour? Observed Maxwell peeking over the side. Most soldiers he¡¯d seen had been wearing relatively light, casual armour. A cuirass or a chainmail shirt. Strapped to their waist would perhaps be a sword or sometimes even a dagger. He had also seen the occasional spear, they seemed to be less popular.


    The soldier¡¯s shiny grey armour reflected sunlight along its edges, not a scratch on its pristine surface. There were markings on the surface but the sun made it hard to distinguish its features. From the waist, both a sword and a dagger hung on opposite ends. Strapped to his back a shield could be made out. It matched the color of the armour, the only thing that gave it away was the slight protrusion of the extra layer. The times he¡¯d usually see full-plate armour was when soldiers were stationary, ones most likely sent to stand guard at specific locations.


    ¡°Huhh, nobody told me this,¡± replied the merchant scratching his scraggly chin. ¡°I brought my wares from a remote village. My cart here isn¡¯t faring too well from the long journey. I haven''t found a proper place to let them graze yet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what you¡¯re doing!¡± said the man waving his hands in exasperation. ¡°You could be locked up for this. This is the main road in and out of the city. It cannot and will not be desecrated by some country troglodyte!¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, if this isn¡¯t cleaned up and you continue on your merry way by then you¡¯ll be fined!¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any money, I haven¡¯t even been able to sell my wares yet.¡±


    ¡°Well then we¡¯ll simply confiscate them as well as your Hadneri. ¡°


    ¡°But then I¡¯ll have nothing left what of the enormous carriage taking up half the road,¡± croaked the man gesturing further forward but the only ones to hear those words were Maxwell and the man himself for the soldier had already marched off muttering about ¡°Uneducated folk,¡± and ¡°Desecrating the capital.¡±


    While listening in on the conversation with his back against the rear of the cart Maxwell had stared ahead down the road. The soldier had referred to the road as the spire river and Maxwell could indeed see how it resembled one. A river not made from water and dirt but from flowing cobblestone and bustling people. It wound downwards, meandering lazily left and right. Further down it separated into individual streams. A heavy draft of wind brought cinnamon, honey and barbecuing meats wafting to him. He inhaled deeply. It¡¯s probably coming from the marketplace. The fresh scents washed the putrid smell of livestock from his lungs. It seemed to be the main destination of many in the city. Where farmers and artisans came from all over to sell their wares, produce and craftwork. The farmers who helped me get to Vanderbilt¡¯s Household were probably also trying to make it there. It would explain why they were angry for the detour he made them take. They then proceeded to try and strangle him to death afterwards when the detour had been in vain so He didn¡¯t forgive them of course.


    ¡°Where did that little street rat go!¡± said voice in frustration


    Speaking of people out to get me¡­ Maxwell massaged his shoulders briefly. He brought his hands back to his sides, twitching. Ice crawled down his arm, encircling his tensed fist. Their footsteps approached. He didn¡¯t know if he could beat them but he could send them a message. If they wouldn¡¯t leave him alone, there was no other choice. He would send a little greeting for the pain he could cause them. The pair of footsteps were right around the corner.


    Maxwell inhaled sharply before turning the corner. He reached his arm back leaping forward and clotheslining the tall thug. The guy¡¯s right-angled head caught in the crook of his icy elbow, causing him to pinwheel head over heels before slamming to the ground.


    ¡°Eek!¡± squeaked the merchant. ¡°Help, I''m being robbed!¡± he shouted feebly.

 031: The Almighty Blade

    ¡°Someone help me, I''m being robbed!¡± shouted the cart-owner but the rumble of traffic overwhelmed it.


    Null clutched his throat, coughing. Maxwell knew he had landed a solid hit. He had felt his elbow connect with the man¡¯s Adam''s apple. The crook of his arm even throbbed slightly. The fact that Maxwell¡¯s pain was only a fraction of the amount he delivered brought a smile to his face.


    ¡°Leave me alone,¡± Maxwell spat at the downed man. Null stared up with panicked eyes, not only from his choking but at the violent face that met his gaze.


    ¡°Null are you alright!¡± said Kur, sprinting over. He leaped into the air,  throwing a punch at Maxwell. He turned to face him.  Where there one there more. Shall I finish off this guy too? Confusion crossed Kur¡¯s face.  Why isn¡¯t this guy moving? I¡¯m throwing a punch directly at his face. Kur had fought many street rats ever since he himself used to be one. They were scrawny and weak. You could always tell who would win by looking at who was in worse condition. There was after all no such thing as a fair fight, if one went in with a broken arm it didn¡¯t matter. Maxwell was way more beat up than Kur. Not just that, his fist was hurtling toward this brown-eyed, urchin¡¯s face; even the toughest of opponents would have flinched or done something. They didn¡¯t simply stand there, relaxed.


    Maxwell smirked.


    The guy sent the haymaker against his face. Ice crystals flew from the impact, swirling violently in a churning vortex. Kur jumped back clutching his hand. It was swollen in his hand and his knuckles burned. The skin had been peeled clean off his knuckles, as if he had struck a cheesegrater. Kur grimaced at the revealed bone and cartilage underneath.


    ¡°Ooh,¡± said Maxwell grinning at the sight, his breath frosting as he said it. A layer of ice was wrapped all the way up Maxwell¡¯s spine and cheekbones. He played it cool but on the inside Maxwell was jumping for joy. It worked! A complete success! I was able to stop the blow using my ice! I was right to use it on my neck and lower body as well, the whiplash would otherwise have knocked me out!


    ¡°That must look like it hurts,¡± said Maxwell mockingly.


    He grabbed a fistful of Kur¡¯s collar. ¡°Now get over here,¡± he said, pulling him toward the cart. Unfortunately in a battle of strength Kur still had the advantage. Maxwell¡¯s new body was barely a teenager after all. Ignard was only 14. Kur reared back his head, resisting. Even though he was contracting his muscles as hard as he could, Maxwell was slowly being pulled back. Crap, was I always this weak? He twisted his body while his hand remained fixed before grabbing the collar with his other hand as well. Change of plans, I¡¯ll have to use more than raw power. Maxwell lifted his legs off the ground using his entire bodyweight to lurch Kur off balance. Now off balance he was shoved from behind and crashed head first into the cart. The Hadneri creatures tied to the side, shuffled out of the way, snarling.


    Maxwell gasped for breath. I was trying to throw him to the ground but I guess that works too. He slammed his foot into the ground. Ice emanated outward, crawling forward and even up the side of the cart. They didn¡¯t have time to move and all parts of their body in contact with the ground and cart were painfully stuck.


    ¡°My wagon!¡± exclaimed the cart-owner.


    Maxwell sprinted forward at the immobilised figures. He swung a leg forward, ice already forming.


    ¡°This will take you out for good!¡± Maxwell shouted. His bones already ached from this fight. His muscles were screaming, and the lactic acid was making him lose strength in his limbs.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± wailed the cart-owner.


    Maxwell slammed into the cart where the thugs had been. The wood of the cart splintered loudly. The side was practically caved in, exposing the wares inside. Normally the strike wouldn¡¯t have allowed for it but even the water inside the wood the wall was made out of had expanded, decreasing its structural integrity.


    The cart-owner nearly fainted on the spot when he saw the damage. Dammit, they got away, cursed Maxwell. When the dust cleared, the two goons were standing to the side. Pieces of their clothes still lay clipped to the ice. They had somehow managed to break free in the nick of time. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Tsk, they¡¯re like cockroaches,¡± muttered Maxwell. His eyes searched for something to use. They landed on the cart¡¯s large wheels.


    ¡°Wait, what are you doing¡­¡± said the cart-owner as he followed Maxwell¡¯s gaze. He proceeded to grab its thick spokes and rip the wheel clean off. He hurled it at the pair. They dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding it.


    Null straightened himself to his full height. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve gotten a bit stronger since last time.¡±


    ¡°Psst, isn¡¯t he like way stronger than last time, are we sure we wanna fight him,¡± hissed Kur to Null. ¡°Maybe we should get back up.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± barked Null, his face full of confidence. A dagger appeared in Null¡¯s hands, retrieved from within his vest. Red markings danced along its metallic edge. Hel held it up proudly.


    ¡°It¡¯s  a shame to use this on you really.¡± He began. ¡°This here¡¯s a real beauty, it¡¯s from West District. I''ve been told it¡¯s been passed down for generations as a weapon of death.¡±


    Kur rolled his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s that stupid blade again.¡±


    Maxwell stepped back, eyeing it. Alarm bells were going off in his head. The blade was unknown, It was dangerous. He¡¯d learned the hard way not to underestimate opponents. He¡¯d underestimated Null and Kur the first time he¡¯d fought them, he¡¯d underestimated Sveno as well. Hell, he¡¯d let his guard down by trying to fight him. If he could do that fight again he would have ran. His foolish idea was thinking he could fight Sveno. His foot itched, should he have ran away during this fight? There was still so little he knew about this world.


    Null cackled at the hesitation, waving the blade. ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯d do well to be wary of this blade, boy.¡±


    He dashed forward. ¡°Unfortunately for you this blade yearns for blood. Be grateful that your worthless little life will be the first that Fonos will taste.¡±


    ¡°Oh god, you¡¯ve named it as well,¡± said Kur, slapping a beefy hand against his forehead.


    Maxwell stared wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights at the incoming attack. Dodge or attack, dodge or attack, dodge or attack.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, submit to your fate!¡± cawed Null.


    Even the cart-owner had stopped calling for help as he stared entranced by what the blade could accomplish. Ice enveloped Maxwell¡¯s foot and with great effort he managed to lift it. He inhaled sharply before stomping downwards. His icy foot collided with the blade, it shattered instantly into 472 pieces.


    Null¡¯s mouth formed a large ¡°O¡±. His face was as if everything he¡¯d ever believed in broke along with the blade.


    ¡°Whaa, how weak!¡± exclaimed Kur before covering his mouth. He hadn¡¯t even meant to say it but he was so caught off guard. Kur looked at Null to see if he had heard him but tears were streaming down his face. He held the remains of the blade like a lost child.


    ¡°My almighty blade!¡± he wailed.


    Nice reaction, Maxwell sighed in relief. Moments before he was stabbed Maxwell had formed an icy layer around his foot. The ice was thick but that alone might not have been enough to prevent the blade from hurting him. It had taken him a tremendous effort to lift his foot, the reason being because he had attached his icy foot to a cobblestone brick and heaved it out of the ground. The weight of the block that had slowed its ascent had added to the force of the blow downwards onto the blade.


    ¡°This dagger was supposed to slay dragons,¡± mourned Null.


    It was Maxwell¡¯s turn to laugh this time. ¡°Must be a knock off, the guy you bought it from must have robbed you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not true, maybe the guy did lie to me¡± began Null. ¡°Unless¡­.¡± He snapped his face toward Maxwell in awe.


    Maxwell snorted, Is this guy for real? ¡°If you think I can beat a dragon, then do you really think you guys would still be alive? You would already be dead ten times over.¡±


    Tears welled up in Null eyes. ¡°I was robbed, I robbed it from the guy first but I was still robbed!¡± he said grinding his yellow teeth together.


    ¡°And it¡¯s all your fault!¡± He launched a haphazard punch. It was fueled by nothing but heart-break and was sloppy at best. Maxwell ducked lazily  and the blow bounced off the side of the cart. Null clutched his hand, yelping.


    And that¡¯s two hands down for the count.


    ¡°Damn you and your magic!¡± he cursed. ¡°How is a twerp like you even able to use it so well? That abnormal ice as well. I know what we¡¯ll do, I''ll lock you up in a furnace until you vaporise!¡± he said.


    Maxwell rolled his eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t even use any magic for that. Your punch was way too predictable¡±


    ¡°There is one thing that¡¯s confusing me,¡± asked Maxwell. ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys use any magic?¡±


    ¡°Magic! Are you mocking me!¡± Null scampered back away from the cart like a crab. ¡°As if we have enough mana to do that!¡±


    The thug pulled up the shoulder of his vest, showing it clearly to Maxwell. Tattooed crudely in the skin with scarlet ink was a sheep skull with large twisting horns growing from its head. ¡°Listen here kid, don''t think you can underestimate us. We the Blood Rams never give up, our tenacity limitless and your head will be ours!¡±