Maxi ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. His mother was too overprotective. He understood that she cared, that she wanted to keep him safe, but she was holding him back from something he should have received long ago. He knew he was fragile, but that didn't mean he was weak
IT DID
But even so, that wasn't the point. If he waited five more years, he'd be far behind the other children, especially in combat.
Tangen's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"You know… You should ask your mother why. And convince her to let you go through with the blessing awakening ceremony."
Maxi's desire for power clouded his reasoning. Without hesitation, he nodded.
"Yes! I'll go straight to my mother and ask her. Thank you, human book—I'll go now."
He didn't even bother correcting himself on the 'human book' comment. He simply bowed and rushed out, dragging his maid with him, not even giving her time to close the door.
Angelina gave Tengen a certain steer that said. If Maxi wasn't dragging me I would have had some words for you.
But nonetheless, she was dragged away.
Tangen clapped his hands together, laughing as they left.
---
The scene cut to Maxi kneeling, clutching the hem of his mother's royal maid dress. She looked down at him, shaking her head in embarrassment as Maxi's maid stood behind Maxi.
"Mother, please! Let me do the ritual," Maxi begged.
His mother sighed and responded in a soft but resolute voice,
"I won't say this again. No. You are too young."
Maxi's eyes narrowed. "Just say it. Say that I'm weak."
A flicker of sadness crossed his mother's face. Before Maxi could react, she picked him up, cradling him in her arms. She lifted him higher, pressing his small body against her face. Her voice became even softer.
"That's not it. I just don't want to see you get hurt. That ritual… It's very painful. I went through it myself."
Maxi let out a small, unwilling giggle at her warmth. Despite his frustration, her love was undeniable.
"If you went through it, then I can too. You know that, right?"
She nodded. "I know… but can you please wait for me?"
She kissed his forehead gently. Maxi's face flushed, and he hesitated before reluctantly saying,
"Fine."
A bright smile spread across his mother's face. She suddenly tossed him into the air before catching him again, making him laugh.
"Thank you."
As she set him down, the door to the room opened, revealing Techxin standing there.
"Oh, there you are, Maxi. Time for training."
Techxin grinned sharply. His sharp teeth made the smile look more like a predator bearing its fangs. He waved. "Hey, Auntie Ray."
Maxi's mother sighed, gently nudging Maxi forward. Maxi sighed even more heavily. With no other choice, he followed Techxin to the training grounds.
As soon as they exited the door, Techxin grabbed Maxi's arm and dashed off at full speed, dragging him along.
Maxi barely had time to process his disappointment. That went nowhere. But he knew his mother would eventually cave. His mother from his past life always did—no matter how bad a parent she was. Maybe this mother would do the same. Or maybe… that was just a trait of bad parents.
He shrugged as they arrived at the training grounds.
Maxi yanked himself free from Techxin's grip and went to pick up a leather chest plate, a bow, and some arrows. Techxin grinned, selecting his usual wooden sword and axe.
They both took their stances.
Maxi loaded an arrow and fired.
Techxin deflected it with ease and dashed forward.
Maxi suddenly lunged toward him, catching him off guard. Techxin tried to stop, but Maxi jumped again right as he was about to stop, as he kicked and jumped again using Techxin's own neck as a springboard.
Techxin choked on his spit as Maxi soared through the air, pulling back another arrow mid-flight.
With perfect accuracy, he shot Techxin in the exact spot he had just kicked off of.
Techxin collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. His hands clutched his throat as he wheezed, struggling to regain his breath.
Maxi landed smoothly, sliding slightly as a cloud of dust formed around his feet. He placed a hand on his hip, watching Techxin struggle.
Techxin finally took a deep breath, then screamed, "What the in the first hell was that?!"
Maxi smirked.
"My plan."
Techxin staggered to his feet, still rubbing his throat.
"What kind of five-year-old thinks of a plan like that?!"
Maxi pointed to himself.
"Me."
Techxin coughed as he finally managed to catch his breath.
"Wait… when in the 1000 spiraling hells did you have time to think of that? And so fast?"
Maxi grinned.
"I made sure to talk to my mom somewhere you had the least likely chance of finding me. I then used that time to think of a plan to finally defeat you, and once I finally had time to think, it really wasn't that hard. I just had to do something you would least expect, which is act more aggressively."
He paused, realizing something. His mind and thoughts moved faster than they had in his past life. Was this another effect of his new body? If so… his body wasn't as useless as he thought. And why was he only realizing this now... maybe it was because it finally felt the ecstasy of success
Techxin scowled with some kind of crazy joyful grin. , "How on the 1000 spiraling hells did you come up with all that so fast? wait it's gotta be your passive blessing."
Maxi blinked. "I never thought of that."
Techxin burst into laughter. "That's surprising."
Maxi chuckled. "It surprised me too. Oh, by the way—I win."
Techxin's grin faltered. "Wait. That's not fair."
Maxi wagged a finger. "Nope. Those were our rules. If I hit you once, I win—since you're so much stronger than me."
Techxin groaned, rubbing his neck. "Fine, fine. You win. No excuses."
This had been the first time in Maxi's life that he won against Techxin. So Maxi felt a hint of pride at that moment, which made his eyes shine ever so slightly.
For the rest of the evening, Techxin guided Maxi through basic exercises. By the end of it, Maxi was drenched in sweat.
---
That night, Maxi entered his room, took a long bath, and changed into his white night pajamas.
On his nightstand sat a tray of food—vegetables, fish soup, rice, and small green seeds that resembled walnuts.
He smiled as he sat on his bed, placing the tray on his lap. Taking a sip of the fish soup, he was immediately met with a bitter taste. But as he swallowed, the bitterness melted into something savory and delectable.
Maxi's smile widened. This was his mother's cooking.
Her food always started bitter before transforming into something heavenly. It was like going from hell to earth to heaven in a single bite.
As he finished his meal, he set the tray aside and lay down, feeling warm inside.
He thanked his mother for the food.
Then, with a peaceful smile, Maxi drifted off to sleep.