"I love you...."
Those words stuck with him...He didn't know who this beautiful voice belonged to. But he knew she was important. He could see traces of her presence deep inside him, but couldn't think of a name for this faceless doll. He knew she was stunning, but his memory had given up on trying to recognize her. As instantly within seconds, he started choking, with his eyes closed. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know why he was here. But he did know who he was. His name was Max. Maximus Augilleris Steefan. And he was dying.
As his unexisting memories tried flooding his brain, he was grasping for air. As he couldn't yet control his shut eyelids, he was stuck with the agony of what felt like drowning. He was in water, the sensation being familiar.
And the very next second he heard a few cracks, and it felt like glass. With the glass shattered, the water flowed out, carrying Max along with it. He fell down on his knees and immediately started coughing. His coughs took some time, as it felt like a millennium of being in water. It was only after he emptied his stomach, that he could finally open his eyes.
He was still struggling to breathe, but he managed to open his eyes. Water was still dripping from his eyelashes, making the images he saw in front of him a bit blurry. He couldnt see his own arms that were holding him up from falling down face first. And also he felt cold. Especially his left arm.
???: So....who the hell are you supposed to be..?
A sudden voice startled Max, and it came from behind him. Max could no longer concentrate on getting his vision because he was curios who this raspy voice belonged to. He immediately turned to the owner of the voice and he saw two people in front of him. A man and a woman.
The man was tall, almost six feet. He wore a black leather outfit and wore some kind of blue and turquoise patterned armour. Although the armour only covered the chest, shoulder and knees, he looked like a less glorified knight. He had a Kukris blade strapped to his hips and another in his hand pointing at Max. He looked pissed off at someone, and didn't feel like a guy who would be open to the idea of being friendly.
The woman on the other hand looked kind. She was looking at him intently trying to figure out who Max is. And she had some heavily differentiating features. She had bright red hair, which felt a bit too much. She wore a black cotton outfit that went from her chest to her legs. She was wearing a white overcoat that reached up to her waist. She wore black shoes and a white muffler scarf on her neck.
Max immediately took the chance to scan the area. He was in a room surrounded by what felt like black metal walls. On one side of the room was a table made of wood with something on it. Behind him now was a door which looked locked and footsteps showed that the two people currently in front of him must've come through that place. There were electrical lights in the ceiling, but glowed green. Behind the two strangers were two different upright coffins, with a glass front. It looked like a scientific cryo pod, that he had seen in films.
These pods had nothing in them and was empty. But beside the blue armoured man was another pod, but with its glass broken and water flowing out of it, enough for an entire human being to fall out of. Max quickly put two and two together and realised he must've been the one in that pod, as he was drenched.
???: I'm pretty sure I asked you a question...you mute??
The man growled again, with increasing animosity. Max was still unsure on what to do, so he kept kneeling down. He was baffled with all the events and he couldn't remember how he got here, or anything about his past.
???: Lin, I dont think it's a good idea to threaten someone like him. He looks as confused as we are!
The girl said him in a stern yet kind manner. Max looked at her happily. He was actually happy that someone here would help him.
Lin: That's great moron!! Now you just gave my name away. Hey buddy, listen, this woman is called Melissa!
Lin, the angry armoured guy, snapped at Melissa, the red haired woman, and immediately turned towards Max to state her name. Max had their names, but he knew that it is basic decency to give his own name too, in exchange .
Melissa: Maybe he just doesn't understand our language, so let's go easy on him?
Melissa said that with a clap, smiling at Lin. Max slowly got up on his feet, and looked at them both. Of course he knew the language, and he decided to speak back.
Max: My name is Max. Maximus Augilleris Steefan.
The strangers were startled for a second, and it seemed like they were not ready to hear his voice. Even though they were taken aback, Max smiled to himself and straightened his back.
Lin: So...you can talk!! Then why were you acting mute until now??
Melissa: You have a weird name.
Max: Yeah, don't even get me started on that. I had a really weird dad who was really bad at naming.
The exchange happened in a matter of seconds, making it feel like a quick conversation between friends, which they were not. After being asked about his name, Max had no choice but to sigh and explain himself about his dad.
Wait...dad..?
Max had no idea who he his dad was, but he instinctively knew what kind of person his dad was. It was built in his mind to respond to questions about his family or past without him knowing anything about it.
Max started having a slight panic attack thinking of who he was. Until now he wasn't thinking about his past, and now that the thought had crossed his mind, he strted suffering with an existential crisis. He was on the edge of losing it, trying to figure out who he was.
Melissa: By the way, what's up with your left arm?
Max knew something was wrong with his left arm until now. He knew subconsciously hut had chosen to ignore it. He slowly stared down at his arms. His right arm was perfect, but looked muscular. His left hand on the other hand, was not normal by any means. Stars, like tiny white dots, were all across his black arm. His arm that looked like the starry night sky. No wonder it felt cold. This arm wasn't anything that a would have!
Max started breathing hard. He was panicking now, there was no doubt about it. The two strangers looked concerned about him. The way Max was acting, made even Lin uncomfortable. Max started screaming trying to tear whatever it was that covered his entire arm.
Max fell down and got up again, unable to process why his arm looked like that. He got up and turned to his left, and saw his own reflection on the glass of one of the cryo pods, which acted like a mirror. And now he knew, that there was many things wrong about him. But he recognized the face in the mirror. It was him. His own face, only a bit older....