The woman on the red couch was as welcoming as always. Kate stood quietly by her side, flashing a smile towards Amy.

Sarah lazily sat up and gestured to the space beside her. Embracing Amy, she kissed her on the forehead. “I missed you so much.”

“Mm... Me too.” Amy replied and reciprocated the hug.

It had been a while since she had felt her daughter’s warmth. Feelings of peace coursed through her body as a smile blossomed on her face. “I know why you’re here, but you don’t have to worry.”

“How can you say that?” Amy asked, her gaze meeting her mother’s. “I can tell. I know what you see when you look at him.”

“Amy…” Sarah sighed and caressed her daughter’s head. “Just how much do you know about Max?”

Amy frowned. Annoyance wasn’t the only thing she felt. “You had him investigated?!”

Kate responded to the question, coming to Sarah’s rescue. The truth revealed, Amy sat frozen, disbelief all over her face. “You’re saying Max appeared in Argent Village only a few months ago?”

“Yes.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense! Max and Liliana have known each other for years.” Amy shook her head and tried to reason. “If they don’t have a history with each other, why would he agree to be Liliana’s familiar? Why would Liliana even want him as her familiar?”

“I’m not sure. Perhaps that is something only those two can answer.” Kate carefully replied, “However, the truth is that they lied to you. When I visited Argent village, everyone I asked confirmed that Max just showed up out of nowhere.”

“Why? The Academy doesn’t care about student backgrounds and neither do I! Besides, this is hardly something worth lying about!”

“You’re looking at this the wrong way.” Sarah interjected and explained, “This is about that girl, Liliana, taking in a complete stranger as her familiar. It’s likely she created the cover story to make it seem like her decision was justified.”

Amy trembled, the turmoil in her heart apparent, her mind flooded by thoughts of a terrifying possibility, a possibility that aroused a vague sense of hope. Empathizing with her daughter, Sarah pulled Amy into another hug. The pair seemed to enter a silent yet comfortable world of their own as Amy slowly felt her emotional state stabilize. In her mother’s arms, she stopped blaming Max and Liliana for hiding the truth.

“Mom…” Amy slowly said, “We still don’t know if he really is -”

“I know dear.” Sarah reassured. “Your father said something along the same lines.”

“And Liliana, she – she’s a good person. Whatever the reasons, you have to promise me that she won’t be hurt.”

Exchanging glances with Kate, Sarah silently reaffirmed her best friend’s misgivings about Liliana’s mother. “Am I that sort of a person?” She laughed and assured, “Don’t worry. No one will bully your friend.”

Max and Liliana hadn’t imagined that their stay at the Walker castle would extend to a little beyond a week. Treated like esteemed guests, they had the full force of the castle’s servants at their beck and call. The level of luxury left them feeling oddly uncomfortable.

Throughout the stay, Max couldn’t remain at ease, continuing to instinctively deploy his senses through the air in search of any more surprise attacks from the Duke’s men. The constant use of his ability left him nauseous and tired at the end of each day, but he kept at it nonetheless. Slowly, but surely, unbeknownst to him, the strength of his ability and, with it, the level of mana in his body began to grow.

Meanwhile, the Duchess wasn’t one to let the duo stay in the castle idly. Arranging for library access and combat training, Sarah brought in specialists to help Liliana and personally stepped in to give Max some pointers.

Welcoming the bonus training with open arms, Max and Liliana dived right into it without a moment’s hesitation. Since the Induction, Liliana couldn’t rid herself of that sense of urgency. Her feelings only grew stronger after the subsequent kidnapping by the Phantom. Max’s desire, however, was fuelled by something else entirely. With a target on his back and thoughts of revenge, he suddenly felt more than motivated to train.

Initially reluctant to hurt Max, Sarah eventually convinced herself that what she was about to do was for the greater good. Only the strong could protect themselves. And so, she brought her A game to the spars.

Tossed around the training room like a ball, Max emerged, at the end of each day, battered and bruised, crawling on all fours, groaning in pain. But there was progress. Each passing day saw his experience grow. Combined with Sarah’s continued advice, Max’s battle prowess soared alongside his ability to withstand greater levels of punishment. Sarah was left marvelling at the breakneck speed of his improvements.

In another room, Liliana’s new mentor was similarly flabbergasted by her performance, his initial prejudice because of her lineage replaced by new found respect. Diligent and talented, she was his ideal student. Gaining near mastery of Intermediate spells, under the Master mage’s guidance, Liliana found that her mental energy had begun to approach the next threshold. All she needed was a little push to breakthrough to the level of a High mage.

***

Finally back at the Academy, the trio were swamped with an unexpected backlog. Prepping for tests and completing assignments, they practically spent their time camping in class and in the library. “So much for not missing out on much.” Max grumbled as he completed the last of his make-up classes.

Two weeks later, on a Sunday evening, Max was on his bed, his thoughts vacillating. “This isn’t like me.” He eventually sighed. His time on Asterisk had changed him even if by a little. “No other way about it.” Max got up and changed, eyes burning with resolve. It was risky, stupid even, but he had made his decision. “I do this and I stop looking over my shoulders for the rest of my life.”

Around midnight, clad entirely in black, Max stealthily made his way out of the dorm. Under the cover of the night sky, he was confident in his ability to step out of the Academy unhindered.

Tossing and turning in her sheets, Liliana groaned, unable to sleep. She felt envious of her slumbering roommate whose snores echoed through the room. Listless and frustrated, she went and sat on her desk, the window curtains opened wide to let the sliver of moonlight in, the cloudy sky only adding to her annoyance.

Her wand in her hands, she was unsure of what she could do with her time until a fleeting shadow swept past the corner of her eyes. On the dimly illuminated street, she noticed a vague silhouette suspiciously creeping away from the dormitory, and although barely visible, the mere sight of the questionable figure presented her with an ominous premonition. Her heart leapt into throat, her instincts screaming – that’s Max!

Slippers on, she reached for her sweater and made haste for the door, the momentary ruckus enough to bring Amy back from her land of dreams. She sat up with apparent drowsiness, staring at Liliana in a daze. “What’s going on?” She managed to mumble, drool on her face.

Bolting out the door, Liliana hastily apologized. “Sorry! Go back to bed.”

Amy grunted and pulled the blanket over her head. At the sound of the door creaking shut, her eyes flew open as she promptly sat back up and realized something was wrong. “What the?” Originally confused, her eyes quickly gained more clarity as her voice transformed into a yell. “Wait! Lily!”

Only operable by faculty members, the Academy’s teleportation facilities weren’t a viable option. The only alternative was the one in the city. Unconcerned about the Academy’s curfew, Max was instead more worried about the Superior Knight manning the Academy’s gates – the only hurdle in the first phase of his plan. The possibility of an unnecessary confrontation left him with a headache.

As a man with little ambition, Lucas was content with his job. A face full of wrinkles, a thick gray beard – he had been at this for a long time. Thirty years. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of his thirty-first year as a guard, and not once during this decade had he faced any form of trouble. The laidback job was perhaps the easiest thing he had ever done, and certainly better than his limited time spent as a member of the army. The good pay and the general lack of danger were a bonus.

“We have a good breeze tonight.” Lucas, with his window open, felt the cool air in his cabin. His eyelids drooped under the comfort of his chair and night breeze, his head bobbing and attempting to fight off the sudden onslaught of drowsiness.

Delivered through the air, the sleeping powder had done its job. Max rejoiced at his decision to illegally purchase it from the Academy’s market. Sticking to the shadows, he chose to remain cautious, staying on all fours and moving along the cabin’s periphery as he made his attempt to leave.

“You’re still green intruder” Max heard a yell as he ducked and rolled out of the way, the sword missing his head by mere inches. His eyes wide open, Max saw Lucas jump through the open window and take another swing at him.

“Wait! Lucas! It’s me!” Max exclaimed, a wry smile on his face.

“Max?” The near sixty year old guard hesitantly came to a standstill. His sword still in the air, ready to strike, he looked at Max with confusion, his senses still dull from the powder’s effects. “What are you doing here?”

Sighing, Max silently apologised to his month old acquaintance. It wasn’t fair, but it had to be done. Launching a surprise attack of his own, Max made quick work of the old man and speedily knocked him out. The innocent guard was propped back against his chair, out cold and still unsure of the reason behind the attack. “I’ll be sure to make this up to you.” Max quietly promised as he left.

Carriage hired, Max used what little money he had to hurry towards the nearest public teleportation matrix. The advance he gave was incentive enough for the driver to speed through the streets without worrying about any consequences.

Preoccupied, Max didn’t notice another carriage quietly following his own. After calmly tipping the driver, he hurried inside a heavily guarded structure. Flashing his identification, he was led to the man operating the array.

The preliminary formalities out of the way, Max silently stood within the teleportation circle, waiting for the process to begin. As the engraved lines began to light up, an expression of fury flickered past his face. Eyes burning ardently with rage, he clenched his fists, prepared for what was to come. “Albert Cross! It’s time we settle our debts!”