In a corner of the woods, a small stream glittered with purity as its water reflected the bright red moon and the starry sky. A small doe peacefully drank the water, completely oblivious to its surroundings.
This picturesque scene was intruded upon by a boy covered in dirt and ash, panting for breath. With a girl in his embrace, he stumbled on the rocks and frightened the doe away.
Max conscientiously checked his surroundings before placing the unsuspecting girl on a soft patch of soil. The water splashed as he greedily gulped down several mouthfuls of the clear, cold liquid. The cool, wet feeling on his face brought relief to his tightened brows as he prepared himself to suffer another backlash. It was almost time.
In the year that his mother died, Max had strangely awakened the ability to control air as he saw fit. With merely his thoughts, he could conjure small storms and generate miniature tornadoes. He could even control the air pressure. As long as Max could concentrate enough and visualize the movement, the air would naturally follow his bidding.
But this inexplicable mastery didn't last too long. For reasons he couldn't fathom, his ability soon began to wane. To make matters worse, every usage was guaranteed to be accompanied by a backlash. Even trivial parlor tricks would eventually result in severe headaches, nausea and fever. Max knew that there would come a day when they would disappear altogether.
What was stranger, however, was that his godfather's presence had always served to encumber Max in his attempt to manifest his ability. He had often wondered if it was psychological and if it had anything to do with their strained relationship.
Max secretly prayed. "I really hope tonight wasn't the last time!"
Ever since his gift had begun to wane, Max had become more prudent in the way he used it. Unfortunately, it would have been nigh impossible to survive the exploding talisman without drawing on all of his power. The ordeal, however, had been incredibly physically taxing and had left him near his limits.
Seconds turned to minutes before Max finally sat up puzzled. A strange glow flickered in his eyes as he wondered why the expected pain and misery hadn't struck. What had changed?
Max glanced at the insignia on his hand before staring at the girl. He scowled in face of the serenity on her peacefully sleeping expression. As he gently brought her next to the stream, he muttered, "I risked my life to save yours. If you're really the reason I got into that mess… You better be worth it!"
With a ton of unanswered questions on his mind, Max flicked several handfuls of water onto her face, and finally got a reaction in the form of a listless groan. The girl lazily rubbed her eyes and awoke to the face of a stranger staring back at her. Panicking, she instinctively swung her hand with all of her might.
"Are you alri – OW!" Max yelped in pain and stumbled backwards while clutching his right cheek. He landed painfully on a bunch of rocks and winced.
"Get away from me!" The girl yelled in alarm and warily backed away. The last thing she clearly remembered was her capture. After the knights had forcefully healed her wounds, she had passed out. Having just regained consciousness, she was startled by the sudden appearance of the boy. Their ambiguous position instantly spurred her imagination as she assumed the worst - that the unknown miscreant was up to no good.
It took her a moment to finally settle down and calmly assess her situation. The cool sensation from the fresh water helped aid the process. After looking around and recognizing the familiar landscape, she quickly gauged that she was still within the forest.
Confounded by the lack of her abductors, she frowned and turned her attention to the strange boy covered in ash and dirt. He seemed to be glaring back at her in anger.
The girl immediately blushed, realizing that the recent slap had been unwarranted.
"What's wrong with you?!" Max scowled as he rubbed his face.
In a bid to cover her embarrassment, the girl tried to apologize, "S – Sorry. You scared me so I just -"
"So you hit me?" Max interjected with evident irritation. So this is the thanks I get for saving you from captivity… Maybe I should've just left you with them.
"It's your fault anyway!" The girl snapped back and instantly shook off her discomfiture. "What were you doing so close to me? More importantly, who are you?"
Max suppressed the urge to abandon the girl. He took a moment to recoup and stood up. Despite their apparent relationship, Max wasn't naive enough to let his guard down. With a slight smile, he said, "My name is Max Walker."
"Max Walker." She muttered and suddenly asked, "Did you see two uniformed men around here?"
"I got lost in these woods and found you when I was walking around, trying to find a way out. So, no! I didn't see anyone." Worried that the girl would bolt if he revealed the truth, Max shook his head and lied. He knew that she wouldn't believe he risked his life for hers without a good incentive. Any sane person would question his motives. Max continued by bombarding the girl with questions of his own, "So what about you? Who are you? And why were you unconscious? There's blood on your clothes. Are you feeling all right?"
"I'm fine and my clothes are none of your business." The girl snorted before jumping to her feet. She pointed at him and skeptically said, "Wait! You – Did you just admit to moving around in this forest on the night of the blood moon? You think I would believe such a stupid lie?"
"I – I'm really not lying. In fact, I – I think I'm not from around here."
The girl took another look at Max, this time taking note of his strange clothes. Though charred in several places, there was still enough of the tracksuit left for the girl to make out its form. It was an outfit she hadn't seen before. Seemingly a little convinced, she nodded and introduced herself. "Liliana Lockwood."
Max awkwardly scratched his nose and responded with a terse acknowledgement. He had a feeling that he would be stuck with Liliana for a long time and it wasn't just because he had been contracted as her familiar.
"Right! Now that that's out of the way, what did you mean by 'you think'? Don't you…" Liliana's voice trailed off as she began to stare, slack-jawed.
Baffled by her unexpected reaction, Max traced her vision to his hand and bitterly smiled. Why does everyone make that expression when they see this thing?
"Imp – Impossible! How can – How is that on your hand?!" Liliana exclaimed after snapping back to reality. Faced with her transparent thoughts and easily visible emotions, Max sighed. "Aren't you over reacting? I mean… You're supposed to be the mage here."
Liliana's gaze remained fixated on the symbol. She speedily closed in and grasped Max's hand into her own. As she scrutinized the tattoo, Max uncomfortably pulled his hand away and said, "What do you think you're doing?"
With her face a few inches away from Max's, Liliana looked him straight in the eye. In response to his question, Liliana countered with one of her own, "First, tell me how you got that mark on your hand?"
"If I knew that then I wouldn't have come to you, hoping for answers!" Max replied with exasperation. Does this gal not know anything?
"What?"
"Look…" Max sighed, "To be honest, the only thing I remember is my name. It's been what – an hour, maybe two since I woke up somewhere in this place. I don't know how this thing landed on my arm or who put it there. In fact, I don't even know how I got here."
Max believed that it was a good decision to don the role of an amnesiac. Since his understanding of magic was severely limited, he could safely ask questions and let people attribute his lack of knowledge to his apparent condition. Once he had found a way home and solved every piece of the puzzle, he could simply proclaim to have 'miraculously' regained his lost memories.
The explanation stumped Liliana into silence. She observed the wry smile on Max's face and timidly probed, "You're kidding! You – You really don't remember anything?"
"Why would I lie?" As Max shook his head, Liliana took the opportunity to indistinctly mumble a quick incantation. The spell instantly came into effect, causing the insignia to flash with a red light. By the time Max had reacted, the light had already disappeared.
Max did a quick and subtle check to ensure his hand was still fine while voicing his annoyance at Liliana's blatant disregard for his limb, "What do you think you're doing? This is my hand! Don't just randomly start casting a spell on it!"
On observing the red light, Liliana's face fell. She seemed to ignore his appeal as she felt immense frustration bubble up from deep inside. While holding back the sudden urge to hit him again, she became teary-eyed and began to tug at her hair. She unhappily cursed as she vented her frustration on the stream. "Damn it! Mom said that the talisman would summon something special. But a mortal?! This is just ridiculous!"
The girl's unexpected reaction instantly quelled Max's displeasure and birthed a certain degree of satisfaction. Though amused by her antics, he didn't dare reveal any emotion and instead chose to be poker faced.
"Ugh!" Liliana glanced at Max and immediately rolled her eyes. "Why is it an idiot amnesiac without an ounce of mana in him?!"
"Hey!" Max scowled and relapsed into a state of vexation. This girl is really testing my patience!
Having eventually calmed down, she suddenly seemed to exude an aura of a dignified noble. She cleared her throat and said, "Henceforth, I shall be your master. I accept the contract and agree to take you in as my familiar."
"What now?!" Max was shocked by the unexpected turnaround. He felt irked by the idea of being a familiar when it came from the girl who had just slapped him. You're annoying! I don't want to be anyone's familiar! What I want is answers!
"Tsk!" Liliana clicked her tongue. "Don't yell. It's not like I want this either but the tattoo on your hand is proof enough. It symbolizes our contract."
"So this thing really is -"