Maxi stirred gently in his sleep.
His eyes fluttered open, staring blankly at the ceiling above.
A long sigh escaped his lips as his thoughts returned all at once—crashing into him like a tidal wave.
He sat up slowly.
Shaking his head, he tried to sort through the whirlwind of memories, but it was overwhelming.
(Gosh, that was a lot,) he thought. (Well… now I've got to deal with all of it and make sense of it. But first, I need a long, thoughtful bath.)
Maxi hopped out of bed and strolled into the bathroom. He took his sweet time, letting the warm water drain not just the grime from his skin but the weight from his mind.
The heat hugged his fragile body like an old friend.
He inhaled slowly, deeply… then let the breath go.
In this warmth, there was no stress, no weight—only peace.
His mind wandered freely, clearly, finally.
(Okay. A lot happened. Time to break it down… One: I had that deep talk with myself. And I needed that. It made me realize—I can't keep using the same standards I lived by as an adult. Especially now that I'm a kid again.)
He glanced at his small hands and slowly closed them into fists.
(But… maybe I should still hold onto some of those values. The morals I picked up as an adult—they matter. Sure, I've forgotten some of them, but if I can prevent myself from relearning painful lessons, I'd rather avoid them entirely. This is a new start. A new world. A new dawn. A new day. I must fit in. I must become a new me.)
Maxi nodded to himself.
(Two: I finally met her. The Demon Queen of Lust herself. Honestly… she wasn't what I expected at first, but she matched what I'd imagined by the end. I thought she'd look like the public image of lust—a seductive, nearly naked woman. But she didn't. She dressed modestly. I mean, she was in a nightgown, but I think that was just because it was nighttime. No guards either… odd. But maybe that's just her way.)
He tilted his head.
(She must represent a different type of lust… not just the carnal kind. Are there different kinds of lust? I'll think about that later. What matters is what she said. She said I was finally ready… that all I needed to do was awaken. And she said I didn't have to worry about my Blessing Awakening because the God of Secretive Planning had it covered.)
Maxi chuckled to himself.
(Well, that's pretty obvious. I mean—it's in his name. But if a god says he has a plan, then he has a plan. So I guess I should expect to awaken my blessing soon. I should be excited, right?)
His chuckle faded into a sigh.
(But… I can't. Because of the last thing that happened.)
He stared at the water.
(That book. It either created an illusion… or really brought me back to Earth. Back to my world. I witnessed my own funeral—like a ghost. But I don't have the book with me now. Does that mean it was a one-time thing? Was it meant to encourage me to go home?)
He looked away.
(If so, it didn't work. It just made me happy… and sad. Happy because I saw them—my family, my friends. They remembered me. I mattered to them. And sad because… they cried. They cried for me.)
He gripped the side of the tub tightly.
(If I went back now, would all that grief mean nothing? Would I just… undo their healing? No. That's not how life works. So for now… as much as it hurts me—and them—I think it's better if I stay here.)
Maxi paused.
(And maybe… if I'm lucky, when they die, they'll end up here too. But maybe that's asking too much.)
By the time he finished sorting through everything, the water had turned cold.
With a final sigh, he stepped out of the bath, dried off, and dressed in something simple—black pants and a crisp white button-up shirt.
Today feels calm, he thought, so I'll match that vibe.
Suddenly, a memory hit him like a slap.
Two lips pressed against his own while he slept.
His face turned bright red.
(Why am I only remembering that now?) he muttered, pulling at his hair in embarrassment.
He ran his fingers through his damp locks and slipped on his glasses.
(I have to confront them. I can't pretend it didn't happen. It did happen. And I've learned this lesson before: holding things in only makes it worse.)
He groaned.
"I'll keep it friendly. They're just kids. Still… kissing me while I slept?!"
Maxi buried his face in his hands, blushing fiercely.
*"If that 'talk with myself' was just my subconscious trying to turn me into a pedophile—I swear—"
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door and the soft voice of Angelina.
"Young master."
Maxi smiled slightly.
He stretched, hopped off the bed, and opened the door.
"Morning, Angelina," he greeted warmly.
She returned the smile. "Morning, young master. I hope you had a good birthday yesterday."
Maxi nodded. "Yeah. It was alright."
She frowned slightly. "Sorry I couldn't come. I don't really like birthdays."
He shrugged. "Understandable. Anyway—where are we going today?"
Angelina sighed. "To Tengen."
Maxi raised a brow. "Alright then. Let's go."
As they walked, Maxi explained everything that happened during his birthday party.
"So yeah… that guy stole my spotlight again. And I wrapped up our little castle exploration with Kate and Gemini."
Angelina shook her head. "Headmistress Ray told me all about it. Sorry, Maxi."
Maxi chuckled. "Thanks. You're being oddly kind today."
"We're here," she replied.
He looked up. "Oh. We really are."
She opened the door, and Maxi stepped inside.
Angelina followed, closing it behind her.
Tengen's room was exactly as he remembered—black walls, red stars painted in shifting constellations and celestial patterns that seemed to move when you changed perspective.
Tengen stood at his desk, cloaked and wrapped in his usual red and purple bandages. He was hunched over, scribbling on a large map.
Maxi blinked. He's actually working?
"Hey, Tengen," Maxi called out.
The older man looked up. "Hey, Master Maxi. How are you?"
"I'm good. What are you doing?"
Tengen shrugged. "This? Oh, just planning your trip. I was supposed to do this like a week ago. But… I got lazy. So now I have to do it today before I leave on a training mission with my totally top-secret organization." He laughed. "Ha! Classic me."
Maxi sighed and shook his head.
"What?" Tengen said.
"Nothing. So… what are we doing today?"
"Nothing," Tengen replied, circling something on the map.
"…What?" Maxi asked, shocked.
"There's nothing for me to teach you," Tengen said casually. "What I do want to teach you is better learned through experience. And you've got actual teachers now. So go to them."
Maxi blinked. "So… we came here for nothing?"
Tengen nodded. "Pretty much."
"Okay… bye then."
Tengen didn't even look up. "Yeah, see you in a couple weeks or a month… I can't remember."
Maxi turned around. "Angelina, let's go."