Max slowed down his pace while running. He knew he had to hurry to save the others, but when he heard the Samurai calling the previous incarnation as his own master, Max had to think. And sometimes, thinking required him to slow down his physical activities.
Max: Your masterrrr??
There were voice cracks that came from the depths of his throat. It took Max a second to process it. The only reason he was shocked was because in the 1800 years since the very first incarnation, Max was the tenth. So it implied that there were nine incarnations before him, all born across different time periods in the new Age. Max hadn't thought of the possibility that the previous incarnation had been alive so recently, that there was a living person who had met him.
Max: How old are you..??
Samurai: I am about 30 years old.
Max: Wait, you aren't even the old immortal types!!
Max growled at him, as if it was his fault for being alive. The Samurai was quiet.
Samurai: I do not comprehend what your disappointment is with me..
Max sighed. The way the Samurai spoke was very formal. Luckily though, his voice didn't possess any intentions of hostility towards him.
Max quietly had to change the topic.
Max: What's your name..?
The most important question that he had forgotten to ask. Whatever the reason was, the Samurai was technically his ally right now. He had to ask that.
Samurai: My name..?
Max: Yes. I'm Maximus Augilleris Steefan.
Samurai: That's a befitting Royal name for a God.
Max: You are the first person to ever compliment that name!!
Max was always bullied for his name. He didn't have any control over it. And the fact that he was a kid, and his bullies being other immature kids, was one of the few reasons he didn't care about it anyway. No matter the time, even if it was weird, he loved his name. He thought it was cool.
At first he used to get bullied for a lot of stuff. And since he was weak, he wasn't able to defend himself. The only reason he could survive middle school, was because his older brother trained him in martial arts, scaring a few people in the process. His older sister, Alicia, although sweet to him, was a scary protective monster to the bullies. And most of all, when he reached high school, most bullies went away after they started to realise that the school heartthrob, Vaishaali, was dating him. Max was an insanely lucky guy to be surrounded by them.
Max: So, your name is..?
The Samurai paused for a second as if he had forgotten his name.
Max: Come on, don't be shy...it sucks that I still call you The Samurai in my imaginary monologues.
Samurai: Albert....my names Albert..
Albert said it in a way, like he was shy to say it.
Max: Albert huh?? Wow. That's the first time I ever met someone with that name, believe it or not!!
Max chuckled. Albert, the Samurai, was not amused.
Max: Man, I really hoped that you were called Arthur, for the irony!!
Albert: Who is Arthur..?
Max: Yeah, you wouldn't know!! Did you get your "Excalibur" from a sword in the stone??
Albert: Well, I recieved it from my master, but there are records stating that the first wielder got it from a stone.
Max: Well he isn't the first...but anyway..
Somehow they reached the edge of the forest from where the lake was visible. They stopped and slowed down. Slowly walking towards the bright blue lake. Looking at it once more, Max realized that this water seemed more and more creepy, and he couldn't believe that he drank it before.
Max and Albert were both sweating, Albert a bit less, possibly due to him being trained.
Max: So, can you sense anyone here..?
Albert: I can use my feet to check the vibrations around me. And I'm sure that there is something like a huge cave under the lake!!
Max was right on the money, when he guessed that Albert can sense with his other senses. Probably like Daredevil.
Max: I meant to ask....why the blindfold though..?
Max and Albert continued walking towards the edge of the lake, hoping to get to the entrance of the cave below. And Max wanted to have more small talk, if he wanted to earn his trust.
Samurai: You really want to know..?
Max: I mean, yes. Like I'm sure you can see well...and that's why I'm curios.
Albert: Well....I'm tired of seeing injustice everywhere I go. And I'm faster without using my eyesight. A swordsman needs to be trained in ways that will progress him into a seasoned warrior.
Max was baffled with the almost irrational answer. He always hated those who trained hard. And the reason was Max himself was a lazy man that hated to work for something.
Max: Really...that's the reason??
Albert: No...I wear it because it makes me look cooler..
Albert turned at Max and gave a soft smile.
Max: So...you can joke too??
Albert, still smiling turned his head around to see ahead. The smile slowly vanished though. Max was surprised in seeing another side to him.
Max: So..you and my previous version...were you close..?
Albert: I was only fifteen when master died. But I remember every lesson he taught me until then. He was kind and gentle. He was old, but he understood me, even as a teenager. He was ....my hero.
Max: I see.
Max honestly couldn't think of saying anything to cheer him up. It seemed like Albert really cherished him.
Max: And you were 15 when you became the new Samurai..?
Albert: Yes. I was young but I tried everything my master would. Of course, my human strength was no match for his Godly power, but I tried.
Max: What part of you was human, exactly..?
Max was honestly giving him a compliment. Max had seen the Samurai do stuff. Inhuman stuff. And he wondered how powerful the previous incarnation was, for him to glaze him this hard.
Albert: You see, I'm still a normal human, despite my feats. All my power is thanks to the Blessing I have in the Excakibur.
Max: A Blessing?
Max had heard it multiple times but had no idea on what it meant.
Albert: Blessings are something we recieve from the Lower Gods or the Abstracts.
Max had heard of the Three Higher Gods, but the Lower Gods and the Abstracts were new to him.
Max: I don't know what any of those mean, I'm sorry.
Albert: So, the lower Gods are beings who have power over anything the represent. They often represent every thing that exists. Like there might be a Wood God or a Tree God. Or even a Leaf God. There are Lower Gods for every single thing in the universe!
Max was astounded.
Albert: And abstarcts are things that technically don't exist, but has a form. Like Age and Time!!
Max then realized that the being called Time he had met earlier might be an Abstract God.
Albert: A Blessing is something a certain God gives to an object or a living being. One person can mostly have one or two Blessings. Any more than that, they would die of over power.
Max was carefully noting it down. He also wondered if he had a Blessing as well.
Max: And, you are telling me that, your sword has a blessing too?
Albert: Yes, indeed. When a God give their Blessing to an object, it becomes a Blessed Artifact. And anyone who uses it can wield that power. My Excalibur has the Blessing of the God of Metal. That's why it is so powerful.
Max nodded in agreement. He had seen how durable and dangerous it was firsthand.
Max: Still, you were impressive man!
Albert: I humbly deny. If anything, that warrior Xi Fei Lin was impressive. He could fight me with no Blessing whatsoever.
Max was shocked that Lin had no Blessing. He wondered how Lin was very powerful. Was it just pure brute strength?
Albert: Although, I wouldn't say the same about the Melissa girl. She used something like threads, it's possible she has the Blessing of the God of Threads.
Max was finally figuring out the power system here. He had seen way too many shows to know that the number one rule to survive a place like this was to know how a power hierarchy works in that specific place. Max had some amounts of confidence cause he was literally a God. And one of the Higher Gods too. But he wondered what the being called Time meant by him being erased in 71 days. A lingering fate of death loomed ahead of him.
But suddenly Albert stopped and raised his arm to tell Max to stop. He then pointed ahead.
In front of him were all the ghosts or spirits that he had seen before. They were the missing villagers that had creeped him out a few hours ago.
In between all of them, the one in the front was the guy in the monocle, Chuck's uncle. They all had their hands behind their backs, and unlike last time they weren't hiding behind trees. They all just stood quietly in front of them, looking at the unlikely duo, as if peering into their very souls.
...