Maximus Fell to his knees, his eyes filled with tears. He hadn't seen everything that the Silent Angel had experienced, only the parts that related himself with Knightley. Everything he saw was from the Silent Angel's perspective. He did not feel the various emotions that the Angel had, but he had some of his memories, engraved within his brain. He remembered what Knightley used to look like in her Youth. In fact everything he could remember was about Knightley.
The last thing he remembered was being in a white suit, waiting for Knightley to show up, but a huge burly dude killing him with a mace, and crushing his head. The very last memory he saw was Knightley standing in the distance, with a look of disappointment in her face, dropping the bouquet and walking away, and after that...nothing. He knew how the Angel died, and it messed with his head. He now bad the memories of someone who was not him in his head and it was slowly making him mad. But soon he realised ...that it didn't feel like he lived through his life, but more like saw it. It felt like a movie more than memories. Which was a welcome gift.
Maximus coughed everything out, saliva dripping down his mouth and trying to touch the ground in the endless white, but since a "ground" didn't exist it just continued to flow down to the white abyss. The suddenness of "experiencing" a death was extreme to Max, but soon he started to regain his senses. He slowly got up and looked at The Silent Angel in front of him, who had stopped smiling. He was still flying in the air, his wings flapping to keep him up.
Max: Wh- why would you put me through ...that? Koff...koff
Max coughed even more, and slowly stood up, struggling to do so. Moreover he didn't know how to feel about the entire situation. At one end, he hated feeling the memories of some other person tht wasn't him. He already hated the fact that he had gone into a coma and was cryo-frozen against his will to wake up in a world, where people he knew barely existed anymore. But on the other end....something about it felt..beautiful. It felt like a story. A tragic love story that had a bad ending. It deserved more good in it, and he felt gratitude for Knightley suddenly. She did help him against Sarzar a bit, but seeing her from the eyes of the mute God, made her worth even more. It felt almost undeserving of him to know it.
All that was on Max's head now, was a simple question.
Max: I know you won't be able to talk here....but...what did you want to tell her that day?
Max looked up to the previous incarnation. He started to slowly fade away again, but in doing so he gave him a sheet of paper, which had words written on it. It said
"PLEASE TELL THIS TO KNIGHTLEY WHEN YOU MEET HER. FOR ME. PLEASE: ..."
And there was the message that he had written for her. The letter wouldn't travel with him to the real world, since it was a metaphysical element existing within a mind scape. But Max quickly scanned through the letter, reading the message hoping to relay it to the old Ameliorate. He smiled at it and looked at the Angel that faded away. Soon the whole white world started becoming cloudy and cloudier until he couldn't see his own body anymore. And then he woke up.
****
Max opened his eyes and he was now in the lighthouse room, specifically the one that belonged to Knightley. As he slowly woke up and regained his senses he got up and sat down. He looked around to see a tiny table with a deck of tarot cards. The weird ones. He saw bedsheets lying on the floor made out of our cotton with various intricate patterns, fitting for a home of an Eternal witch. The light was dim in the room thanks to the source of light being fire candles. A tiny window rested beside him that allowed him to see outside and he saw the blue morning sky. Clouds passed through the sky in a violent speed giving the illusion of time being accelerated.
He turned around to see Hersehl beside him, his eyes switched off. He realised that Hershel had a missing arm and was not moving. His missing arm was right beside him on the floor. He called out to him.
Max: Hershel?
No answer.
Max: Yo, Hershel? You there buddy?
And there was no answer again. Max smacked him with his left palm, but nothing changed. He had intended to awaken him by bringing him pain, forgetting that he was a robot with a metal body, and probably didn't feel any pain. He wanted to call him again, hoping for him to hear, but he was stopped by a familiar voice.
Knightley: Do not worry about it. It helped me bring you here to this floor and said me that it would "switch off" due to something called "low bat-teree" or something. He asked me to tell you to "recharge" him, though I don't know what that means...
Max turned to see the old lady walk up to him with a towel and gave it to Max, who was sweating. Max took her offer and took the towel to wipe away all his body fluids.
Max: Thanks...
Knightley: You are welcome...hehe
Knightley snickered in her old woman way, but Max couldn't help but see her as the extremely gorgeous woman from Angel's memories. He immediately lowered his eyes out of shame. Then it all kicked in. Everything that had happened when he was awake. The fight with the three knights and Sarzar. He didn't know how it went with the other teammates. The fact that he was alone in the lighthouse made him uneasy. No one else were here. Knight noticed him being vexed.
Max: What happened to the others?? How long was I out??
Knightley just put the towel on a hangar that was in the corner of the room. She looked at him.
Knightley: You were out for about a few hours. The battle with Sarzar was yesterday night. This is October 17th.
Max sighed but she still didn't clear his doubts on his Troupe.
Max: Knightley.....where is my Troupe?
Max was calm and focused, but was sweating. He didn't want anything to be bad news. Knightley was quiet for three seconds, thinking of a way to deliver the news. Then she sighed and came out with it.
Knightley: Fine. The red haired chic was taken it seems. Along with your brother. That's what the Samurai guy told me when I went into the town yesterday.
Max was absolutely astounded by the statement. He knew that they were there for Melissa based on how they were behaving, but his brother being added to the group of victims made his heart beat faster than ever.
Max: Is my brother....dead? Is Melissa...dead?
Knightley: No they were taken away by those three Knights. But who knows, they might've killed them.
Max was sent into a panic once more.
Max: Who are those three?
Knightley: I don't know.
Max: What do they want?
Knightley: I don't know!
Max: Why did they-
Knightley: I don't know!! You know you are better off asking that Samurai guy than me. He was there at the forefront in the fight.
Max immediately stopped questioning her. He realized that she wasn't aware of everything. He slowly got up, his bones giving off a pop sound due to being in the same position for a while. He got up and wore the T-shirt that Knightley had removed to heal his wounds. Despite that Max knew that his wounds would've healed by itself.
Max: Where is Albert?
Knightley: The Samurai? He is at the library. That young'un Isabella was looking after them all. The kid, the woman who was with you during that fight with Sarzan and the boy with the burn scar. They are all there. Everyone there was injured. The Samurai and the girl have woken up. I don't know about the other two.
Max nodded as he reached the door towards the stairs. Knightley took her seat at the table and started shuffling her cards.
Max: I'll come back for the robot later...
Knightley: you do you..
Knightley avoided eye contact with Max and kept shuffling her cards. Max stopped at the door and turned to her.
Max: I saw him...
Knightley : Saw who?
Max: Abner.
Knighley's eyes widened at the mention of that name. She slowly looked up at Max who stood at the doorway. Her eyes started getting watery, just by the mention of his real name.
Max: I've seen that you always avoid saying his real name despite knowing it. Abner, the Silent Angel. I saw him...in my mind. He...talked to me...kind of.
Knightley sat there silently listening to everything. She slowly started shuffling the cards again as if it wasn't her problem anymore...
Knightley: Oh you met him? Nice.
Max realised that she was trying hard to not react. He turned back to her.
Max: The night he died...he wanted to tell you something, right? He didn't get to say it, but he believes that you'd be agonizing over it even after these many centuries...
Knightley's heart started beating fast when he started talking about it, but she kept her calm.
Knightley: Oh really...I don't rememeber that...I'm sorry.
Max started scratching his head, trying to find the right words to say to her. He realised that this might've been the reason Knightley was waiting for every other incarnation of Abner. She wanted an answer desperately. Max wasn't sure, but he knew how painful these many years would've been for Knightley. And he didn't know how long Abner's would waited to tell it to her. He didn't know why he was special and why he was able to talk to Abner in the first place. That was something the other incarnation weren't able to do probably. Max was already a special case knowing that he was already a person before god possessed him, whereas the other incarnations were just entirely God.
Max: You see....what the Angel....what Abner wanted to say was very simple. He wished he could've said this to you by himself....but sorry it was me. All he wanted to say was that ....he loves you.
Knightley started shaking in her chair, trembling with pure grief. She tried shuffling her cards again, acting as if it wasn't affecting her mentally.
Max: But the most important thing he would've done that day....was proposing you. He wanted to marry you that day...he wanted to spend his entire lifetime with you...and that's what...he told me to pass on to you. I wish this gives you more.....peace.
Max immediately turned away not wanting to see her.
Knightley: Oh I see. Thanks for letting me know.
The voice was devoid of any emotion, but Max knew how she felt. He immediately cleared the room and started walking through the stairs, hoping to give her a space to...let it all out.
As soon as Max exited, Knightleh dropped all her cards on the floor. Her hands were trembling and her wrinkled face tensed up. Tears started flowing through her cheeks as she tried wiping it away to no avail. She felt the same pain she felt when she lost Abner centuries ago. She cried and cried ...and soon started screaming in pain. She was finally letting it all out.
Max who was halfway down, could hear her pure cries of agony. He stopped for a second and but his lip in frustration. Two lovers that could've had a happy life together. But all of it was ruined by the Tower-dwelling monsters. And in a way he could relate to them. He had also in fact lost his lover, Vaishaali due to a random terrorist attack. He didn't know if she existed anymore. And he knew that there was almost no chance he could find her. He understood all of Knightley's pain and desperation. And a moment later, he continued walking down as he had other things to do.
Knightley continued crying looking at her own hands.
Knightley: You took your time, idiot!!! I've waited soooooo long for that. Of course I'd marry you dumbass.....Abner...Abner...I've always loved you...Abner...
Knightley held herself together by squeezing her own frail arms together.. she wanted nothing more than to be with Abner now. With her teary eyes, she imagined a time where everything went well. Where Puppis Naos never found out about him.
Knightley wore the red dress to the restaurant and Abner was waiting for her in his white suit, his wings still hilariously outside. She laughed at it and he gave her his hand as they walked in hand in hand. They sat at the opposite ends of the table as Abner looked at her with dreamy eyes. She handed him the bouquet as Abner smiled. They ordered food and drinks, and Abner being the gentleman, had paid for all of it. He then showed her a ring and got on his single knee. Knightley was shocked at first when he showed her a huge letter. All it said was "I LOVE YOU. WILL YOU MARRY ME, KNIGHTLEY?"
Knightley would scowl at him, acting as if she was not interested. She would've gotten up to leave, but then she would notice that Abner hadn't moved and was still smiling, looking at her with eyes filled with love. He knew that she loved him. He knew that she wanted him. And Knightley smiled knowing that she would've lost to him anyhow and would walk up to him with her palm stretched out.
Abner would slowly put the ring on the finger and would stand next to her, pulling her in for a hug. And then...they would look into each other's eyes for a moment and smile, before closing it to have their first kiss.
Knightley thought of that alternate scenario that should've been true. But it wasn't. But she finally knew. She finally knew what Abner wanted. Her. And that was enough for her after all these years. She cried tears of grief. But then tears of joy. Cause she knew that he loved her just as much as she loved him.
(ARC 3: SEASIDE EDGE ARC - END)
[MAXIMUS AUGILERRIS STEEFAN: 65 DAYS TILL ERASURE]