"Sh*t!"

Max's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as Sera dragged Lisa into the spirit world. This had to be a nightmare. This wasn't happening.

Max really wanted to get up from this bad dream, but he couldn't because… it wasn't one.

The sound of footsteps entered Max's ear. The guard was getting closer. There was no other option now. He had to get out of here.

Max entered stealth and his steps became lighter. He took a step on the fencing and the next moment, he disappeared like a breeze.

…

Aria walked down the stairs and entered the hall where Elly and Janet were lying on the couch.

"Where were you?" Elly asked as she looked at Aria. She remembered looking in the rooms earlier, but she didn't find anyone.

"I was on the terrace…" Aria replied, trying her best to look natural.

"I went in the room earlier, but Lisa was not in there. Is there any other room in the house?" Elly asked casually.

"No, I remember putting her to sleep in the room." Aria replied with confidence. She remembered putting Lisa on the bed.

"Did you check by the bed, she might have fallen from it in her sleep." Aria further said after giving it a thought.

"True, she was drunk after all…. Well, I didn't check by the bed…" Elly replied as she pulled the blanket above. It was a clear indication that she didn't plan to get out.

Aria smiled as she spoke, "I will go and put her back on the bed."

With that, Aria turned around and went back towards the bedroom. But when she entered the room, she couldn't find Lisa anywhere. She looked everywhere she could but there weren't any signs of her.

'Washroom…' Aria thought as she moved towards the washroom and surely, there weren't any signs of Lisa there as well.

"Where did she go?" Aria mumbled in a worried tone. Now, she was starting to get concerned.

Aria looked everywhere she could but she still couldn't find Aria. In the end, she returned to her room. The last place where she had seen her.

"Just where could she have gone in that state.." Aria muttered with tensed brows when she suddenly felt the cold breeze.

She turned her head to see that the windows were open, "Don't tell me?"

Aria immediately walked up to the window and looked below. It was dark and she couldn't see much. But she was sure that there wasn't anyone.

"There is no way that she could have avoided the guards in that drunken state. She must be here somewhere." Aria mumbled and nodded at her thought. She took her phone from the desk and immediately dialed Lisa's number.

"Beep! Beep! …"

The call began to ring.

Aria immediately stuck her head out of the window trying to see if she could hear the ringtone or not.

"Click!"

The call was finally picked…

"Lisa, where are you?!" Aria asked in worry.

"Grr!"

There wasn't any reply from the other side but Aria could hear a growl.

"Bad Twice! Don't do it.." The next instant, a sweet voice of a child came from the other side.

"Lisa?" Aria spoke again not knowing what was going on.

"Zrrzz!"

Suddenly, something seemed to have happened as rough piercing noises entered Aria's ears.

The noises only lasted for a second or two before Aria heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, It's me…"

"Max?" Aria frowned as she recognised the voice.

….

Max had been quick. He had been keeping an eye on Lisa in the spirit world as he continued to move.

Hence, he reacted quickly when the call came. Still, the gang who were surrounding Lisa in curiosity acted faster than Max and picked the call up.

Max was lucky that by the time he arrived, nothing serious had happened. In the end, he left each one of them with a bump on the forehead except for Sera.

Current situation...

"Just listen to me calmly… Lisa is with me right now." Max replied calmly.

"What do you mean?" Aria's confused voice came over from the other side.

"After you left, she barged into my room totally drunk. She seemed to have misunderstood me as the one you guys. I tried to avoid contact with her but didn't realise that I was getting cornered towards the window, that is until I ended up falling through it. And she jumped after me as well…" Max made up a story and labeled himself as a victim.

"Where are you? I am coming to get you…" Aria replied with a pressing tone.

"I am out of the residential area… I had to leave because of your friend's guards… You don't need to do anything….just take care of the situation for now...I will return with her before dawn." Max replied.

"How can I leave her with you?" Aria's troubled voice sounded from the other end.

"If you inform anyone, I will die. You know it very well. You don't wanna push me to that stage do you…" Max said with a grim voice. He knew that it would be difficult to convince her. He had to take a bit of a different route here.

"What do you mean?" Aria's voice sounded from the other end and it didn't seem that she had taken Max's words well.

"You know it very well, everyone cares about their life. I just don't want anyone to know about this incident. Not even your friends. I don't want to get involved in this. As for Lisa, I guarantee her safety." Max replied with a serious tone.

Max could hear Aria's gritting her teeth. She was still hesitating.

"If I didn't even do anything to you when you were unconscious, there is no way I would be doing anything to her. Besides, she is the daughter of the Mage King." Max didn't realize that his words were just more than a fact here.

"I will come alone…. I promise I won't inform anyone." Aria said with a concerned voice.

"Can you guarantee that you can avoid getting tailed? Even if you can, I won't believe you. I am hanging up. Remember, I don't have any ill feelings towards anyone. But I won't just let someone step on me." Max said as he cut the call and sighed.

He had to stop Aria. There was no way that he could give her Lisa. He himself didn't know how to bring her out of the spirit world.

"Flush!"

Yup, he was on a toilet seat in a public toilet. There was no other place to get peace.

Max closed his eyes and the next moment, he was standing in the spirit world. He switched off Lisa's phone and threw it aside.

He looked towards the Sera and the bunch around her who still had huge bumps on their head.

Max began to walk towards them with heavy steps and each step dug a few centimeters into the ground.

The group trembled as they looked at Max marching towards them in anger. Immediately, the group standing in a horizontal line turned into a vertical one with Sera in front.

Max finally reached in front of Sera and raised both of his hands. The group of beasts behind were shocked. They had always been the one to get hit while Sera watched but was today the fated day.

"Bang!"

Max's knees bent touching the ground and his hand came together striking the ground as Max's forehead touched the back of his palms.

"Please send her back!!!" Max shouted at the top of his lungs, scaring them all.

Sera touched Max's head in curiosity not knowing what was going on.

Max raised his head and sighed, "Sera, we need to get her out fast…"

"But…" Sera looked at Lisa and hesitated.

Max couldn't understand just what she had seen Lisa for her to be acting like this.

Sera walked up to Lisa and Max walked after her as the rest of them followed behind.

Max could see a glow under Lisa's top. It seemed to be at her heart. Just what was going on here. Why did it feel like he had seen something like this somewhere?

Max closed his eyes trying to remember. Something was up here…..

Suddenly, Max brows tightened as memories of the past resurfaced in his mind and some scenes flashed in front of him.

Cerulean Caves, 1021 of Arthrix Calendar, 4th Trial.

"What is this Elder?" A person with green hair and freckles who was covered in plasters asked with curiosity. Even though he looked different, this person was Max. The fourth trial has made him into this person. One with a different identity. He had barely survived a fall from a cliff with broken balls all over the body.

"Oh! That is a book of the crystal heart…."

The scene changed and it was replaced by another one….

It was a mountain which seemed to have been sliced from the middle.

"Don't leave my hand, Qia.."

"Leave me, they will be here soon. Even if I don't survive, you have to, brother." the girl replied.

"I am not leaving you…" The guy with green hairs bleeding from head to toe refused to let her hand go.

The girl looked at his brother with tears in her eyes as she took out her dagger and sliced her wrist off.

"No!!!"

…

Max opened his eyes. There was a drop of sweat on his forehead. He took a deep breath in and looked at Lisa as he muttered.

"Crystal Heart, an Arthirix."