The Envoy of Darkness

Chapter 2 - The Fated Encounter Part 1

After the turn of events last night, Max still vaguely remembered making it home and falling asleep. He had woken up in a strange white room with sparse decorations. At the time, the startling discovery had left Max with a single thought – 'I've been kidnapped!'

While not entirely distressed by the possibility, he had felt immensely annoyed and had bolted right out the door and into a brightly lit corridor. The blinding light had stung his eyes and had left him with minimum visibility.

Keeping up his guard, Max had carefully trotted forward and had eventually heard the faint cries of several animals – clamor which had instantly fueled his apprehensions and had transformed his jog into a sprint.

As the cacophony of sounds had died, Max had heard a mysterious voice whisper into his ears, "My dear child, we shall meet soon."

Max had had no time to react. In the moment after he had heard the enigmatic words, Max had been embraced by a comforting light and had found himself inside a forest.

Standing amidst a bunch of trees, Max took a deep breath as he recalled the inscrutable voice. It had sounded caring and somewhat familiar, even evoking a sense of nostalgia. As his thoughts wandered, his gaze finally fell upon the strange crest etched onto the back of his left hand. It was the same symbol that had previously been on the summoning talisman.

Bewildered, Max hastily examined the red ink insignia drawn into his skin. The emblem composed of a perfect circle with a star embedded inside. A series of what seemed like strange runes took up space in the areas between. He shook his head and scowled, inwardly cussing to vent his annoyance.

"Man... Things just keep getting weirder and weirder!" Max sighed and glanced at the night sky to find a floating blood red moon. His thoughts instantly drifted to a lunar eclipse, but he speedily dismissed the notion. The moon seemed far too eerily sanguine for the event. In fact, the sight made him uneasy and brought about an inexplicable sense of urgency.

After randomly picking a direction, he began to walk. His journey wasn't a quiet one - the fallen leaves and dry branches constantly broke under his feet, making him considerably conspicuous. It wasn't long before his ears pricked up and he stopped all movement while hoping he hadn't misheard the distinct sound of footsteps. He smiled as he began to run towards its source.

Seeing two silhouettes in the distance, Max hurried closer and noticed something peculiar. One was carrying a woman on his shoulders while discreetly talking to the man next to him. Max found it particularly odd that the two uniformed men, clad in metal plates, even had swords bound to their waists. They reminded him of the early age knights.

"Is that cosplay?" The corners of Max's lips twitched as he stopped and observed the duo. With narrowed eyes, he glanced at the young woman in their grasp. While rubbing his forehead, he groaned and silently wondered if he had stumbled onto something nefarious.

"Who goes there?!" The knight carrying the girl boomed as Max's thoughts vacillated. Taken aback by the sudden shout, he stood still while the knights seemed even more surprised. They wore strange expressions as they curiously eyed Max.

Max walked out from behind a tree with a wry smile. He remained on high alert, but pretended to be frightened and at a loss. Hesitating, he said, "Um... Hi! I have no idea where I am and I was hoping you could help."

The knight remained unmoved by Max's insecure demeanor and subtly glanced at his colleague who also seemed to be scrutinizing the young man. With a frown, he tightened his grip around the girl and asked, "Lost? In these woods? How did you get here?"

"That's what I want to know!" Max silently mumbled before awkwardly rubbing his hands. He was disappointed to see that his false pretense hadn't achieved the desired effect. "I'm not sure. I've... uh... I've been traveling for a while now, but got lost on the way."