After two days of doing work and a little relaxation, not including some cultivation time, Max was enjoying himself. Having checked with Dr. Malan proved beneficial. The woman thought he didnt care about the place with how little she saw him.
Despite Max being in a Academy in the states, which she did not believe for a moment till now. Enough of the Americans that came with made it very apparent it was true.
Marlize Malan found it ridiculous he did it. But brushed it away. More interested in talking about the terraforming. Everything in the country was going great. And she received some soil samples to help in other regions after testing. But that was not for another 5 years or so.
"Ahh crap." Max stopped as he spotted a few amazons coming his way. Mostly a very angry Grail with Morgen. "Why do I have the feeling they talked about something really.. really.. really stupid."
"I think I will leave you to it." Dr.Malan smirked and walked away. She thought Max was dating Grail on the side and that Morgen found out. Which was ridiculous. The woman had started watching to much American tv with the other scientists in down time. 'I am gonna go and watch some more Days of our Lives. Time for a break.'
"Maxmillion.. mind explaining something to me. In private?" Morgen asked with lidded eyes. Why people always want to say your full name when asking something in a certain tone was beyond him. "Pretty please."
"Sure..." Max rubbed his temples. "This is turning into a really stressful Summer."
.
Inside the Inner Area-
.
Max was siting down once more looking at them. What was odd, the number of people who magicked in. As in... his entire Inner Group. Those in Deep Space viewed from a Mirror and even people sleeping conjured themselves up to be a part of this.
The good news, those in space had know idea what the others looked like. And those in the room, couldn't tell who they were talking to either.
Noveria had spoken to Morgen and told a few secrets of Max's Cultivation Manual. Sin & Virtue had quite a few layers to it. Some she knew about and some she didnt know about.
To make matters worse, the Amazons that were fathered from the invitro process were there. The females anyway. The males just looking in not wanting to actually come.
Morgen started yelling after finding out that Max could do a full switch into One Aspect. Allowing the others to fuel it. As well as that he could get rid of spiritual energy and change it all into magical energy. And vice versa.
The extent of Max's Virtue Aspects scared her slightly. Afraid he would turn into a holy art than thou type. And possibly kill her and those like her. Including her son.
"Morgen, just calm down already." Max said for the umpteenth time in the last few inutes. The others more just letting her vent and enjoying this more than they would admit. Especially a certain Xenos in space. "It is not worth getting in a fuss over."
"Yes it is!" Morgen turned to him. Having stopped pacing back and forth. "Why did you never talk about this?"
"Because it is my decision only. I let know one else influence it." Max shook his head before looking at the others. "My values are my own."
"But the power." Grail looked him over expecting that to be enough. If Max would go into an even higher avenue of power. she could have even more fun with him when fighting. She was in it for the blood and fighting. "Think about what can be accomplished."
A level voice came out in the midst of this.
"What is the downside?" Selina asked. Everyone turn to look at her. "You told me once before it was bad to stop following Aspects. Especially ingrained ones. What happens to.. everyone actually. We all signed contracts of various types. We all are connected to you."
"Every virtuous thing about you. Everything wholesome or cautious will start to fade away." Max stretched back in his chair. Two balls floating in front. A black ball growing larger, as the white one becomes smaller. "Nothing would be safe really. Not until I reign myself in of course. And that is waaaayyy to hard."
"Have you done it before?" Jonah spoke up finding it odd. Hexx was still a straight shooter even after getting remarried. Which was good. Max shook no. "Can it be done?"
"Maybe." Max shrugged. "I know me. And I believe I will fail. To set in my ways currently. Going full "Sin" is difficult with my current set up and image for that matter."
"I think you can do it." Morgen was insistent. But there was no budging. "Help me out here Harleen."
"Umm no." Harleen looked down at her drink. "I would love for the reigns to be free on him. But the cost is not worth it. Max would start sacrificing innocents to fix things. Not counting what he would do to some of "us" if we anger him. We would no longer trust him." She waved her hand off at them. After the wish she made, she was more understanding of what Max would do. Nothing she could stomach here. "That is my opinion anyway."
"I can see that." Big Harvey leaned against the wall and flipped a coin. It spun around utill it landed. It was Tails. "I am against it as well."
"Hmm, I rather err on the side of caution." Edward looked at Morgen frowning. "You should let it go."
"Now hold on a moment." Atlanna spoke up. "Your Virtue is tied to your healing a great deal. As well as establishing rules and law. How much would you lose?"
"All of it. The way I heal with my Cultivation is interlocked mostly. I can cast spells to compensate, but I am better at spirit healing. That is why it touches so much of what I do." Max answered as best he could. It would take to much of a change to go back and relearn the spells. "On a scale of 1/10 it goes to about a 3 really."
"But you are more powerful for offensive. Less lives lost in battle." Nyssa added in. Those of her group looking on intently from their mirror. "More of us that live, the more we can fight back longer."
*Fwooosh!* A burning swirl of blood formed. Some flinched and backed away. While others like Mercy, Claire, and Slade took fighting positions. Max let them know it was ok.
It was Ares, one of the Greek Gods. Coming to talk to Max about something but mindful not to be in his disguise as General Sera.
"Less defense in battle. Less coordination from him while reading the enemy." Ares chimed in. "It would be like.. there was another me in the battle field. But worse. I am sur I do not have to introduce myself to you.. mortals."
"Another you... perish the thought." Donna rolled her eyes at him. One of the amazons that stood in Maxs country. "Max said he is not doing it, so leave it at that. Can we go train now?"
"Yeah." Max stood up and addressed everyone. "Ok. See you all in another 2 months for the actual meeting. Hopefully, things do not change."
Most of them left via teleportation or just dismissed the projection. Mirrors closed after a few more words spoken.
"What are you going to go do again?" Morgen asked before he left. She rather they continued talking about it, but knew when to pick her battles. "Playing with these amazons or something?"
"We do not play... stepmother." Valentine sneered. Stating the words just because it uoset the woman. "Father is teaching us how to fight our Inner Heart Monster."
"I see." Morgen eyes lowered a little. "At least you get along with the test tube chikdren you have. I will attempt to reach out to Modred once more."
In a flash she w a s gone. Max turned to Valentine.
"What?"
"Nothing." Max waved at the others. "Do not break my building this time. I wear it is coming out of everyone in the area this time."
"I told you it was an accident." Cot.Boomerang said. "I didn't know she could get that cold." Killer Drost just looked away. Not meetibg anyone's eyes.
.
Gaia's Dilemma-
.
Gaia was visiting her children in Olympus once more. It was a joyous occasion as she left out any manner of business to discuss.
"I say mother, you could act more .. I don't know... angry." Artemis was beside herself. "Father is so infuriating."
"Maybe. But we worked it out finally. He has his dalliance I have mine. We never tell each about who we are involved with or who we really are." Hera ran her hand through the "pool" below. She stopped the water after a moment. Interrupting the current. "How about you and your brother reconcile?"
"Pass!" Artemis scowled. "He can go and stay with that mortal for eternity for all I care!"
"You need to learn and let go more." Gaia said simply. The other Goddesses turned to her. "Trust me. It will go a long way."
"Is that why you are so miserable grandmother?" Aphrodite asked. But not in a bad way. She felt the pain from Gaia. It as her domain afterall. 'Someone has hurt her. But who could do such a thing?'
"I am not miserable." Gaia shook in disappointment. "Just not wanting to do it." Looking at the Sisters of Fate, she smiled at them. The three were allowed to return to Olympus thanks to her. Which was needed since the Olympian Pantheon needed to be reunited for the future. "You wish to see his future don't you?" The three nodded togethor. "Very well. Try not to die."
With a wave of her hand, Gaia removed the restrictions that kept visions tied to Max from happening.
"Aaahhhh!" The eldest screamed in pain as her eyes she received from Max of all people turned to mush. "So much death!"
The second was next. But she only peaked at it. The youngest did the same as the eldest and fainted from the pain. The three were now all blind once more.
"What did you see truly?" Artemis walked over to them. Not caring for their plight at all. "Speak before you forget!"
"A wave of Death through the Cosmos." The middle sister mumbled. "It is coming... and he cannot help."
"It is starting now!" The eldest clawed at her eye sockets. "Blackest Night is just the Beginning!" All but Gaia flinched at this. "So many will die."
.
Deep Space-
.
A blue skinned man was at work in a part of a dead galaxy. This was the former Guardian turned mad in a way. The one known as Krona of the former Maltusians. Better known as the Guardians of Oa.
Krona had a device that spun madly in place. Gathering parts of the emotional spectrum from across the known Universe. But Krona didn't know about Max and what he has done since arriving.
Not only was time travel altered because of Max, but so was the changing of the Fabric of the Universe. Since that was one of the reasons he was here. To keep the Dimension from collapsing in the first place. The Best way to prevent Dimension Collapse was to stop crap like this.
"What is this?" Krona mumbled from his protective ship. Staring out as his device started to collapse in on it self. "Such weak magic cannot stop me!" As he moved controls to break Max's protective barriers, trouble arrived from deep space.
Several Starships arrived. All of them unmanned but containing large deposits of fuel. But they were to late.
Krona was trying to pierce time once more. His attempt broke a seal. A seal to the land of the UnLiving. The seat of the Black Entity Nekrom's power. A hand made of pure black reached out.
Dead energy and Black Light escaping. Even noticeable in the darkness of space. Reality altered for just a moment. But the ships that dropped in, all exploded at once. Burning Darkness with Light. Each one containing a trace of Max's magic.
"Who did this!?" Krona typed away at his controls unable to do anything to stabilize the situation. But tech lossed to magic this day. He was smart, the same as all Maltusians, but not enough to deal with Max and Nekron at the same time. 'I need to escape!'
*Shine!* A blinding light of black and white engulfed the place. The area went from Dead Space to corrupted space. A path into the Land of the Unliving. But locked by a barrier.
Max's magic activated one last trap to lock the place down. An actual cage that went around for miles and miles. Securing the place from those inside. A small part linking to him. For inside everyone who went a certain route with Gaia, was a part of Tartarus.
Max would not be able to jail the Land of the Unliving within himself. It was to much. Unless he became a Titan of course. And that was far away still.
At the outskirts was a small little light. Inside was Noveria watching what just took place. A look of disgust on her face. She turned to return to Earth. Her thoughts on what to do next.