Max woke up groaning, with a splitting headache. His eyes slowly opened as he found himself lying on a soft bed with white sheets. His head resting on a small pillow, he found himself covered by a white hospital gown.

Propping himself up with some difficulty, Max looked around. The room looked familiar - it bore resemblance to the medical area he had been taken to after his match with August.

His head clutched and his eyes closed, he felt a flood of information emerge from the internal recesses of his mind. Memories. They were memories about a boy bearing the same name. About how he had lived his life, who he was and how he had died.

As Max processed this new knowledge, his frown became deeper and deeper. These memories merged with his own and answered questions which had been on his mind for some time. He sighed. The Duke, the Duchess and even Amy. It was no wonder he had felt their reactions were off. He understood now. He knew he resembled the first child of the Duke. A child long since thought to be dead. Max clenched his fist. “Why was I given this information? What is he playing at?”

There were a plethora of things he had understood from the entity which had called on him while he was possessed by the Devil. The reason behind his summoning, his role in the war against the Darkness, the truth surrounding his birth and the story behind the Minister’s daughter… He still wasn’t convinced of everything, but he knew that things would only get more difficult from here on out.

“A Nephilim sired by chance…” Max silently scoffed, “Yeah, right!” Too preoccupied, he failed to notice a girl with dark circles sleeping on a chair next to his bed. A feeling of warmth overcame his heart when he finally did.

Looking at Liliana with her eyes closed, Max gently smiled. He gently reached out to stroke her hair, but stopped his actions midway, the smile on his face freezing. He hurriedly turned his head, looking at every nook and cranny of the small room. Brows furrowed, he concentrated on a single spot in the air, noticing the presence of small specks of white lights floating around the room and seemingly phasing in and out of existence. With enough focus, he could see the entire room filled with them, harmlessly moving about in a random manner as if part of the air itself.

Max closed his eyes and extended his senses around the room, only to feel a gentle energy surrounding him and enveloping everything in the vicinity. “So this is mana.” He muttered under his breath. For the first time since coming to Asterisk, he could finally sense it – the enigmatic energy that had allowed mankind to use magic, the people of Asterisk to embark on the path of mages and knights. Max could finally understand what other users of mana felt and sensed.

Feeling better, he opened his eyes to find Liliana staring right back at him, her eyes slightly red and teary. Her scrutinizing gaze left Max awkward and uncomfortable. He hurriedly opened his mouth to ease the tension, only for his jaw to continue remaining open. Max’s words never managed to materialize. Instead, he was greeted with a light slap.

Absentmindedly, he held his cheeks as he met Liliana’s gaze. “Uhm… Lili -”

“Idiot!” Liliana criticized with a small smile, sniffing as she embraced Max in a hug. “Never do that again!”

Max sat with a dazed expression, not knowing where to put his hands, his entire body instantly stiffening in response to the hug. “Liliana… What’s -”

“Shut up!”

“Yes ma’am.” Max obediently shut his mouth. His heart fluttered as he was overcome with a wave of emotion. Since his mother died, Max had always kept people at a distance, not allowing even a single person to come close. Even the people he called friends were kept at arm’s length. However, all of that had slowly changed with time. On Earth, Max had found a true friend in Sam. After coming to Asterisk, not only was Liliana the first person he had met, but she was also his contracted master even if only in name. Over the past half year, the two had grown from acquaintances to friends and it was only now that Max truly realized just how much she had come to mean to him.

Ready to reciprocate the heartfelt hug, Max moved his hands, but was stopped by a knock on the door. It was akin to a small bomb being set off inside the silent room. Faster than the speed of light, the two separated just before Amy strolled in.

Stopping in her tracks, Amy eyed the two suspiciously. She was elated to find Max up, but immediately sensed the weird atmosphere in the room. A mischievous smile crept up her face. The slight red hue on their faces was a dead giveaway.

Despite Amy’s sudden arrival, neither Max nor Liliana greeted the girl. Max was awkwardly scratching his head having ‘found’ something profoundly interesting in a corner of the room. Liliana felt her face burning up and continued to stare down at her knees, hurriedly adjusting her clothes and trying to remove any nonexistent creases. All the while she secretly admonished herself. ‘Damn it! What was I thinking! This is so embarrassing!’ Her heartbeat rose by a few notches and refused to settle back down while the red flush on her face only seemed to increase as she thought back to her impulsive action from a few moments before.

“If this is a bad time, I can come back later.” Amy said with a chuckle.

Max and Liliana cried in unison, “No need!”

Giggling, Amy pulled a chair for herself. Her eyes gently hovered over Max’s face as she asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Fine. Heck! I’d say even better than fine.” Max replied. He wasn’t lying. After surviving through the injury and meeting that man, his mindset had undergone a subtle change as he understood his situation. As an added bonus, he could now even sense mana. “How long was I out?” He asked.

“About two days.”

“And what about the Minister?” Max wanted to know what had happened after the Minister had cleaved a hole in his chest. The fact that he was back in the Academy told him that the once perilous situation had been resolved in their favour.

Liliana and Amy subtly exchanged glances, their expressions solemn.

“What is it?” Max carefully asked as he sat upright. “Did something happen?”

Amy began to explain, describing everything from Liliana’s outburst to how the Minister’s daughter had been secretly manipulating the man from the shadows. In accordance with the Devil-Max’s wish, Amy and Julius had fabricated a believable story by diluting and manipulating certain facts, completely erasing any signs of the Devil’s involvement.

Max silently continued to listen, feigning surprise on certain occasions in order to not evoke any suspicion. It would be strange for a guy who had been unconscious for the past two days to know about the Minister’s daughter.

Towards the end of her recount, Amy voiced her doubts and suspicions. Nobody seemed to know about the mysterious power backing Scarlett. Nor could anyone she asked explain how Scarlett could have suddenly gained the power to cast such powerful magic.

All the while, Amy carefully observed Max for any changes in his expression, hoping to confirm if the sixteen year old teenager truly didn’t know about the entity inside him.

News of what had happened with the Minister had already spread across the Empire. The Royal family was quick to act, promptly seizing the Minister’s assets. They provided treatment for the kidnapped girls, however, most had already lost their ability to use magic and were in a coma.

The entire revelation caused a huge ruckus in the upper echelons of the Empire. Surprisingly, however, members of the royal family didn’t question the Academy’s actions.

It was only a while before Max woke up that Amy had been in contact with her father. The red eyed Max had pointed her in her father’s direction for her answers. But that conversation had been postponed to a later date. The Duke revealed how the Saint had personally stopped the royal family from taking action against the Academy for interfering in Empire matters. This had raised some suspicion among the many noble families, but they knew better than to voice their doubts. The Saint’s words were absolute in the Empire.

Hearing about what had happened to Max, Duchess Sarah had been torn between anger and worry. She wanted nothing more than to immediately rush to the Academy to see how he was doing. Her daughter, however, had a cooler head on her shoulders. Amy, with Kate’s help, managed to persuade her mother to keep herself in check. Sarah’s concern for Max would give rise to too many questions. It wasn’t yet time for that.

After Amy finished, she turned to Liliana who met her gaze with a forced smile. Not failing to notice the silent signals between the two, he asked, his curiosity piqued. “What is it? What aren’t you telling me?”

Overdraw was an ability limited to a few members of the Royal family. The fact that Liliana possessed it was proof of her bloodline, but it could spell trouble for her. The Royal family would never allow a person, especially someone with overdraw to move about without their knowledge.

Liliana had heard about her ability from Amy and had realized the seriousness of the matter. For sixteen years, she had known nothing about her estranged father. Her mother never spoke much about him and Liliana had stopped asking after a certain point in her past. Now, however, the only clue pointing towards her father’s identity had turned out to be an earth shattering revelation. With her heart beating erratically, Liliana had slowly told Amy about what little she knew.

Having heard about Liliana’s background from her mother, Amy hadn’t been too surprised by what Liliana had told her. She had advised Liliana to get answers to avoid any future problems while promising her friend that she would keep silent regarding the matter.

With Max now asking them, Liliana bitterly smiled. In order to learn the truth, she would have to make a trip back home. Only her mother had the answers.

“It’s not that important. Get some rest. I’ll get you something to eat.” Liliana answered and got off her chair only for Max to grasp her hand.

“I’m not hungry. What’s wrong?” Max adamantly asked, realizing that the secret being kept was clearly a troubling one.

“I’ll give you two the room.” Amy suddenly said, “You can talk all you want.”

“Eh?” Max looked at Amy with a confounded expression.

Liliana helplessly stared at her friend, watching her friend leave while silently urging her to explain everything to Max.

Back on her seat, her eyes narrowing, she asked Max with her usual expression, “And just how long do you intend to hold my hand?”

“Huh? Ah…” Max instantly let go and awkwardly scratched his head, clearing his throat and waiting patiently for Liliana to start talking.

“You know how Amy said I had an outburst after I thought…” Liliana paused, “You know after…”

“After I was stabbed through the chest and almost died?” Max supplied the words.

“Yeah… Well apparently it was more than just a regular outburst.”

Seeing Max display an expression of confusion, Liliana patiently explained everything she had come to know about overdraw. “So it turns out that my long lost father might actually be someone really important in the Royal family.” Liliana smoothly dropped the bombshell.

Max’s mouth was left agape as he momentarily blanked and started at Liliana. Something suddenly seemed to click inside Max’s head. The missing pieces of the puzzle had finally been found. To think that Liliana’s mother had been hiding such a big secret. She had reacted to the ‘Walker’ family name. For someone with seemingly no ties to magic, it was weird for her to possess the guardian talisman. Max instinctively looked at his left hand. The mysterious insignia which had been partially responsible for summoning him to Asterisk - the symbol of the guardian familiar - continued to remain plastered on the back his hand.

Thinking back to the time when Isabel had warned Max not to reveal anything about the guardian talisman, he realized why Isabel had posed the request. With Liliana’s father’s identity in question, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to assume that the guardian talisman was unique to the members of the Royal family. It would make sense that Isabel wouldn’t want it to be revealed lest it became a source of unforeseen trouble for her daughter. “So what do you intend to do now?” He asked.

“I…” Liliana hesitated. “I want to know the truth about my father. I have to know why he left my mother. The circumstances behind my birth… I have to know about them because now… they pertain to my life as a mage.”

“I see.” Max knew this was coming. They had to go back to Isabel. “Do you want to leave now?”

“We…” Liliana suddenly frowned. Snorting, she got up and immediately left the room, leaving Max bewildered by the sudden mood swing. “I’ll decide when we leave. You should just shut up and get some rest.” Liliana ordered, showing her face and sticking her tongue out before slamming the door behind her.

Max’s face twitched in irritation. “Even if you want to say no, there are better ways of putting it!”

***

Discharged after another day of rest, Max met Lewis. August and Evangeline had been waiting alongside him. August let out a loud laugh on seeing his rival alive and well. Not wasting a moment, he rushed forward and launched a quick jab, an attack which Max easily dodged.

“What are you doing?!” Evangeline yelled before running up to pull August by the ear. Shaking her off, August stared at Max, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “It’s good that you’re alive.”

Max sighed. “That’s a hell of a way to greet someone. You should listen to Evangeline and keep your excitement in check.”

“I look forward to sparring with you later.” August gave a hearty laugh before walking away. Evangeline let out an exasperated sigh and silently apologized to Max.

Waving it off, Max gently smiled. He didn’t mind. August was a battle freak through and through, but it didn’t’ change the fact that he had genuinely been concerned about Max. Max still vaguely remembered the moments after the Minister had stabbed him. The sight of August going berserk had been engraved in his heart.

Lewis accompanied Max to the hostel. The two talked about a lot of things but, a majority of the conversation dealt with Lewis giving Max a clearer picture. The Minister’s daughter was now wanted for questioning, with even a small bounty on her head.

The Academy suffered no repercussions for sending Julius to deal with the Minister. However, there was still talk among the noble families who criticized the Academy for breaking the pact with the Empire and interfering with its domestic affairs. In response to the criticism, the Empire’s Academy branch had chosen not to respond and continued to maintain its right to silence.

After reaching the dorms, Max and Lewis went their separate ways. Max returned to his room and silently began to pack.

It was dusk when he met Liliana and the others. Despite Liliana acting calm about it, Max knew that she wanted nothing more than to return and speak to her mother. On Max’s persuasion the two decided to leave immediately. Fortunately, the Academy exams were still a few weeks away.

On the next day, bidding their friends farewell, Max and Liliana left, with Amy also deciding to go home. Using the academy teleportation circle, Liliana and Max arrived at the familiar outskirts of the Empire’s capital.

However they didn’t board a train. In the past few months, the Empire and constructed another teleportation circle near Argent village’s vicinity to aid nobles and commoners alike. The Royal family had been steadily going about increasing the number of teleportation arrays for a long time now. However due to the dearth of mages with the required proficiency in space magic, the process had been exceptionally slow.

Luckily, the recently built array had been one that was close to Liliana’s hometown. Even though it wasn’t connected to all the others yet, the matrix could already allow travel between a few locations. The outskirts of the capital were such a place.

Considering the urgency of the matter, Liliana had been too preoccupied to quibble about the amount. The fee paid, the two immediately readied themselves, arriving close to Argent village in moment. Within a day, the duo finally made it back.

Surprised by their sudden arrival, the villagers were excited to see them. Because the village was located in a remote location, they were unaware of Max and Liliana’s exploits and the Minister’s death.

Happy to see her friend after so long, Charlene was jumping and giggling like an excited child. Even the village chief, John Argent, had sent his servants to welcome the two. Clearly, he hadn’t forgotten about his previous bout with Max and was still hoping to make amends.

Seeing the small hut after almost half a year, Liliana was overcome with feelings of nostalgia. She entered the house, followed closely by Max, to find Isabel immersed in cooking.

Liliana smiled as she saw the familiar figure, a sense of intense happiness welling up inside her. “Mom!”

The soft clanging of the vessels came to a standstill. Joy and surprise flashed across Isabel’s face as she came forward and gave her daughter a heart filled hug. She looked at Max who gently smiled and nodded as a form of greeting.

“Come… Sit down.” Isabel gestured to the two before going to fetch a small bowl of food for the duo.

Max was surprised to find Liliana engaging in small talk with her mother, even involving Max in the process. Clearly, she was impatient to find out, but it seemed like the girl didn’t know how to pose the question.

After inquiring about Liliana and Max’s experiences at the academy, Isabel’s expression slowly turned solemn. To not worry her mother, Liliana had naturally not told her anything about what had transpired with the Minister. But, Isabel understood that her daughter’s sudden trip to Argent village wasn’t solely a social visit. She had a fair understanding of the Academy’s schedule. Even though Liliana wouldn’t be missing out on much due to skipping class, knowing how hard working her daughter was, Isabel knew that only a compelling reason would drive her daughter to seek her out in the middle of the academic year.

“Lily, what’s the matter?” Isabel smiled and asked, “Why have you suddenly come to visit?”

Liliana’s expression momentarily froze. She was at a loss for words. Isabel turned to Max for an answer who responded with a shake of his head. A wry smile on his face, he sent glance at Liliana.

Liliana breathed deeply as she kept her mother waiting for an answer. Uncomfortably fidgeting with her hands, she slowly voiced her thoughts. “Hey… Mom…”

“Mmm…” Isabel urged her daughter to continue, secretly puzzled by Liliana’s actions.

“I was wondering…” Liliana paused for a moment, “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Eh?” Isabel couldn’t help but furrow her brows. The question was too sudden and way too ambiguous. She couldn’t make head or tail of what her daughter was trying to say.

Liliana sent a helpless glance at Max. ‘Help me out here.’

The corners of Max’s lips twitched. ‘This is about your dad and you want me to do the talking?!’ His expression conveyed his thoughts. Liliana was like a timid obedient child in front of her mother. She didn’t want to say anything that could upset her and so involuntarily pushed the responsibility on to Max.

Isabel noticed the silent conversation between the two and couldn’t help but let out a small smile. Even though she had no idea as to what her daughter was trying to say, she was happy to see that the two had gotten close to each other in the duration she hadn’t seen them. Initially she had had her doubts about Max, but now she was satisfied in seeing the trust that the two had built.

Max awkwardly scratched his head, all while sending occasional glares at Liliana. “What Liliana actually meant was…” Max said, deciding not to beat around the bush. “Could you tell her more about her father?”

After hearing the question, Isabel’s eyes narrowed as a tinge of displeasure showed on her face. She looked at her daughter whose eyes refused to meet her own. Liliana turned her head away in panic as she inwardly cursed Max for not having any tact. ‘Wasn’t there a better way to ask that?’ Liliana secretly cried in her heart.

Isabel’s expression was grave as she questioned, “Don’t tell me this is why you returned? What brought this up?”

Liliana opened and closed her mouth several times, her words stuck in her throat. Watching her mother eyeing her with that stern gaze, the timid daughter inside Liliana instantly became the dominant personality.

“Liliana Lockwood!” Isabel called out her daughter’s name.

“Yes!”

“If you want to know something, then look me in the eyes and ask me yourself. Why are you suddenly so curious about your father?”

“I…” Liliana’s voice faltered before she finally clenched her fist. I already decided I wanted to know. There is no turning back. “Is my father from the Royal family?” She asked back, her voice firm.

The question left Isabel stunned. She stared at her daughter in complete disbelief. “What?” The word weakly escaped her mouth.

“Overdraw. I can use overdraw. And that’s something which only the Royal family should be capable of using.”

Isabel instantly stood up, trembling from head to toe. She rushed forward and firmly clasped Liliana’s shoulders. “Is what you said true?!” Isabel asked with a serious gaze, panic and urgency in her tone of voice. This was a side of her Max had never seen in the short time he had known her.

“Ye – Yes.” Liliana also appeared shaken by her mother’s reaction.

“Lily! What aren’t you telling me?” Isabel grimly inquired. She was aware about Overdraw and more so, about the conditions necessary for its first activation.

Seeing her mother’s behaviour Liliana hesitated to answer. Isabel’s patience seemed to have run thin. Not waiting for a response, she turned to glare at Max, her eyes clearly screaming, ‘Tell me!’

Realizing that there might be more to this than he thought, Max briefly recounted what had happened with the Minister. With every passing word, Isabel felt her heart sink. Finally, she sighed and sat back on her chair. Her eyes closed, she seemed to be deep in thought, not realizing that every passing second of silence was only worrying her daughter more.

Eventually, her mind made up, she slowly faced Liliana and Max. She could see the determination on her daughter’s face. The truth couldn’t be hidden any longer.

Looking as calm as ever, Isabel smiled. It was a smile as peaceful as any other. But what followed was something neither Liliana nor Max had anticipated.

Mana surged into the room. Like a tsunami, it flooded the space with tremendous speed and force, the likes of which neither of the two teenagers had ever experienced. Eyes opened wide, they shuddered under the overwhelming pressure weighing down on them, staring blankly at the woman sitting before them.

A rueful smile still on her face, Isabel glowed with a blue hue. “How does it feel to see a controlled version of the overdraw?” She asked as she compressed the mana around her and forced the rest to disperse.

The glow around her body starting to subside, she said, “Listen carefully… This story will be a long one.”