"Maximus! Maximus! What happened, what's wrong!?"
Regaining consciousness Maximus realized Crispus was shaking him forcefully.
Finally focusing his senses Maximus was first greeted by the bloodshot eyes of Cripus.
"MAXIMUS. CAN. YOU. HEAR. ME."
Vigorously nodding to him, Maximus couldn't muster the courage to overcome the raucous situation.
Finally settling down after seeing his young ward responding, Crispus released Maximus and heaved a sigh of relief.
"I turn my back on you for a few minutes and you start screaming. Tell me what's wrong does your head still hurt, did the wound open up again?"
The look on his face made it obvious he really was worried about Maximus, as he still felt guilty for hurting him in the first place.
" No uncle Crispus I just… It was crazy there was this voice and then I felt this pain in my chest."
Pulling up his shirt Maximus wanted to show Crispus the symbol that was burned onto his chest.
"Look look, can you tell me what this is?"
Staring at Crispus intently and hopeful, Crispus checked his chest.
"Kid there's nothing there, your chest is fine. There is no wound to speak of here. I didn't even strike your torso during training this morning so it can't be from earlier."
Anxiously looking down Maximus could see the symbol that was previously there was gone.
Patting his chest, he couldn't feel any pain either.
"But I felt it, it was just here…"
It was unbelievable how could something that was just burnt onto his chest no longer be there?
He heard Crispus yelling and run in so it couldn't have healed during the time it was engraved, and the time it took for him to get here. What happened to it?
Sighing Crispus felt a pang of regret seeing Maximus like that, as he knew this was partly his fault.
"Look, Maximus today's been rough for you I must've rattled your brains today during training. I'm sorry for that. From here on I'll have one of my friends from my days in the Legion train you, it's clear that I personally can't. I'll supervise your sessions give you any tips, but beyond that we won't be sparing again."
Maximus could hear the grief in his voice as he spoke. Regretting having put him through all this despite Crispus protecting him for years.
"No, no Crispus it's not like that I... "
Crispus cut him off before he could finish. Simply shaking his head. He got up and proceeded to the door.
"Maximus please just rest and heal up we'll talk about your training another day. I have to go there's supposed to be a meeting at the hall. You, stay here and heal."
After saying this Crispus was out the door. Left to his own thoughts Maximus first felt bad beyond anything.
How could he be so selfish and put Crispus in that situation of course he'd blame himself. But what happened to that symbol? The pain he felt was definitely real, and the soothing cool afterwards was real too. There's no way he imagined all that due to his injuries from training. Though he did get hit in the head, he could still remember things clearly so it shouldn't have affected anything his head. Should it?
Shaking his head and steeling himself, he got rid of that thought immediately. Maximus knew he shouldn't dawdle around with this life, this was his new life after all. A second chance, and he certainly wasn't going to waste it. But he wasn't blessed with strength, so warrior training will be out of the question. Maybe he should go seek out an apostate. Whatever that was.
Instinctively reaching down to where the symbol was engraved he cleared his thoughts and his objective became clear. Find out what that symbol was and what it meant. But he wasn't going to make any progress sitting in bed all day.
Getting out of bed he noticed a standing mirror in the corner of the room. Curious Maximus decided to get a good look at himself. What greeted him in the mirror was a young boy thin boy around the age of fifteen with shaggy black hair crudely wrapped in a bandage.
Reaching up and caressing the bandage Maximus remembered before he came to this world he remembered Crispus whacked him on the head. Since he came here via soul wouldn't that mean that the previous Maximus died from that strike to the head?
Not feeling any throbbing pain from it Maximus's curiosity got the better of him and he went to caress the wound. But as soon as his hand came into contact with the wound he recoiled his hand immediately.
"The wound is still sore… I won't be able to do anything heavy until this heals. If I manage to hit my head again who knows if I'll be here anymore."
Shaken by his own mortality for a moment Maximus was determined to live this life to the fullest. But that didn't mean putting himself into danger. Deciding it'd be better to heal up entirely before setting himself on any specific path, Maximus laid back into bed to rest and heal. Hoping everything involving the voice was just delirium.
With those final thoughts Maximus drifted off to sleep.