Maximus's form lay in a vast field of glowing pink grass and gray trees on the ground, their leaves emitting vibrant hues of all colors.
His chest rose and fell periodically, yet despite his vulnerable state, no creature dared to disrupt his rest.
Then a week and some days later, his eyes opened as a whisper sensually crawled through the air, distant yet audible.
It was charice, and his prayer.
Maximus felt his lungs shudder and limbs shake with a sense of immense weight, with an arduous stretch, he slammed his palm into the floor to lift himself – Only for the earth to cave into his touch like soft butter, the weight of his accidental slap leaving behind a crater a meter wide and half as deep.
'Shit… What happened?' Maximus asked himself, any hint of sleepiness snapped out of him by the loud noise of his hand slamming into the earth.
Standing upright with a heavy stomp, he once again caused a shockwave of even greater power than before.
'What is going on?! Was there a car crash nearby or something?'
Then, with a glance down to his arms and slow look at the mess around him, Maximus felt a wave of realization wash over him as he looked on in stunned silence.
He had happened. He did this, impossible as it seemed.
Then, he looked downward. The ground seemed so far beneath him now that he stood tall, in fact, if he and his beloved stood side by side, Charice would just about reach his waist.
The image of Charice looking up at him in surprise, or maybe even hitching a ride on his shoulder, made Maximus sincerely smile.
Then, the image of him accidentaly crushing Charice into a bloody mess snapped into his mind.
The smile vanished.
'I'll have to be careful, or I could hurt him on accident. I should practice before meeting him.'
The colored leafs shimmered as the gray trunks groaned against the wind, the pink grass glistening with a sharpened edge. The air smelled of cinnamon and an aftertaste of sugar, creating a surprisingly likable scent.
'I need to find him first.'
None of those cues helped him to determine where he was at all.
From the looks of it, it appeared to be some sort of dungeon. Yet strangely, he was not at all intimidated, in fact, he was more confident than ever.
His step made the earth tremble, his breaths caused leaves to sway atop the crown of trees, and that's what he has done thus far on accident. What power did this form truly wield?
"Charice?! Anyone!" He shouted, voice carried near and far with a distant echo reaching back for him. After it died down, all that remained was silence.
"...Nothing…" He mumbled, then wrapped his gloved hand around the immense Zweihander on his back, its blade taller than most people, scaled up to match his immense physique. With a satisfying shine, he pulled it from its scabbard and held its sharp edge with another hand.
His black and red eyes reflected back at him, and he couldn't help but flinch for a brief second, seeing just how intimidating they were.
Next, he looked at his waist, where a belt with dozens of various pouches and small vials could be seen. Typical raiding equipment, he even had some rope at his back with a steel javelin at the tip for climbing.
As he put those things away, Maximus finally noticed one last thing.
His armor, brilliant knightly silver with a vivid pink outline framing its edges, had one little thing on it.
At back of his right palm, on his brilliant armor, was a kiss. The soft lipstick, with a hint of lavender scent and the taste of fresh berries in the air, was there for all those years, waiting for him to come back to.
Maximus did not know he was holding back tears, until they trickled down his cheeks and fell onto his lover's kiss.
His mind was a mess of noise and thoughts all clashing to create a symphony so loud, it made him knees shake, but no longer with power, but with loss and grief.
"Fuck… I'm such an idiot…"
If only he didn't - if only that hadn't - so many ifs and whats, yet none of them could reflect the reality in front of him.
It hurt, but Maximus did the only thing he could think of.
He stood up, tightened his grip, and stepped forward with a shaky breath.
His redemption would start now.