The Envoy of Darkness

Chapter 38 - Seeking the Truth

Max woke up groaning, with a splitting headache. His eyes slowly opened as he found himself lying on a soft bed with white sheets. His head resting on a small pillow, he found himself covered by a white hospital gown.

Propping himself up with some difficulty, Max looked around. The room looked familiar - it bore resemblance to the medical area he had been taken to after his match with August.

His head clutched and his eyes closed, he felt a flood of information emerge from the internal recesses of his mind. Memories. They were memories about a boy bearing the same name. About how he had lived his life, who he was and how he had died.

As Max processed this new knowledge, his frown became deeper and deeper. These memories merged with his own and answered questions which had been on his mind for some time. He sighed. The Duke, the Duchess and even Amy. It was no wonder he had felt their reactions were off. He understood now. He knew he resembled the first child of the Duke. A child long since thought to be dead. Max clenched his fist. "Why was I given this information? What is he playing at?"

There were a plethora of things he had understood from the entity which had called on him while he was possessed by the Devil. The reason behind his summoning, his role in the war against the Darkness, the truth surrounding his birth and the story behind the Minister's daughter... He still wasn't convinced of everything, but he knew that things would only get more difficult from here on out.

"A Nephilim sired by chance..." Max silently scoffed, "Yeah, right!" Too preoccupied, he failed to notice a girl with dark circles sleeping on a chair next to his bed. A feeling of warmth overcame his heart when he finally did.

Looking at Liliana with her eyes closed, Max gently smiled. He gently reached out to stroke her hair, but stopped his actions midway, the smile on his face freezing. He hurriedly turned his head, looking at every nook and cranny of the small room. Brows furrowed, he concentrated on a single spot in the air, noticing the presence of small specks of white lights floating around the room and seemingly phasing in and out of existence. With enough focus, he could see the entire room filled with them, harmlessly moving about in a random manner as if part of the air itself.

Max closed his eyes and extended his senses around the room, only to feel a gentle energy surrounding him and enveloping everything in the vicinity. "So this is mana." He muttered under his breath. For the first time since coming to Asterisk, he could finally sense it – the enigmatic energy that had allowed mankind to use magic, the people of Asterisk to embark on the path of mages and knights. Max could finally understand what other users of mana felt and sensed.

Feeling better, he opened his eyes to find Liliana staring right back at him, her eyes slightly red and teary. Her scrutinizing gaze left Max awkward and uncomfortable. He hurriedly opened his mouth to ease the tension, only for his jaw to continue remaining open. Max's words never managed to materialize. Instead, he was greeted with a light slap.

Absentmindedly, he held his cheeks as he met Liliana's gaze. "Uhm... Lili -"

"Idiot!" Liliana criticized with a small smile, sniffing as she embraced Max in a hug. "Never do that again!"

Max sat with a dazed expression, not knowing where to put his hands, his entire body instantly stiffening in response to the hug. "Liliana... What's -"

"Shut up!"

"Yes ma'am." Max obediently shut his mouth. His heart fluttered as he was overcome with a wave of emotion. Since his mother died, Max had always kept people at a distance, not allowing even a single person to come close. Even the people he called friends were kept at arm's length. However, all of that had slowly changed with time. On Earth, Max had found a true friend in Sam. After coming to Asterisk, not only was Liliana the first person he had met, but she was also his contracted master even if only in name. Over the past half year, the two had grown from acquaintances to friends and it was only now that Max truly realized just how much she had come to mean to him.