Amidst the confusion, Doki brought them directly to Professor Gullingun's office, and he stared at them with no emotion.
"You should've used the door," he said, "What do you need this time?"
"We have it. You have to come with us now."
"Have what?"
"This."
Olivia showed him the Gorudan. His eyes widened, and he dropped the vials he was holding. "You entered the Enchanted Forest! That's impossible!"
"But we did," Max said. "Now keep your promise, and come with us. Please. You're the only one we can rely on to do this."
He immediately wiped his hands, took his coat off, and stepped inside the portal to tend the Chancellor's wounds.
While waiting, the six bearers cornered Max on one side. They crossed their arms like asking for an explanation. Even Minmin had his tablet ready for documentation.
"What?"
"Who was that old man named Kito?" Toki asked. "You know everything that's going on, don't you? Tell us before we lose our minds."
Max furrowed his brows.
"Please."
"You really don't know him?"
"I have a clue, but I'm not sure."
"Then let me confirm your suspicion," Max smirked. "You're right. He's you. You and Kito, are one and the same."
"What?!" They gasped. "How is that possible?!"
"You're the bearer of time. You should know the answer to yourself."
"But I'm dumb, so I don't. Please tell me. I'm begging you."
Max sighed. "The tradeoff was real, and to harvest a Gorudan requires a thousand years of servitude in exchange. That's how it has always been."
"That's what Kito said, but we didn't have to do any of that. Why?"
"You're the bearer of time." Max said. "A thousand years wouldn't matter to you."
"Wha—"
The doors opened, and Professor Gullingun stepped out. Max stood from his seat and approached him.
"I removed the mark, and the Chancellor's in a stable condition now," he said. "You should head inside."
Max expressed his thanks before heading inside and left his friends outside to enlighten their intrigued professor.
The Chancellor was lying in bed when he entered. His face was still pale, but better than how it looked yesterday. He beckoned Max to his side and took out something from his drawers.
"Father, are you feeling better now?"
The Chancellor smiled weakly while nodding. Max stood beside his bed, and he took out six Freso rings. "I requested these rings behind the council's knowledge. Wear them right away."
Max stared at the rings, and he felt a lump in his throat. "Father..."
"I know what you're about to say," The Chancellor turned away. "You're scared, aren't you?"
"I — " he sighed. "Yes. I'm scared to death. These Freso rings, they can't hold my powers anymore. What if I end up losing control? What if I mess up and hurt someone? Or everyone? I'm not ready for this task yet."
"It's alright to feel scared. But for how long, Max? If you don't step out of your boundaries now, then when?" The Chancellor asked him. "That beast grows stronger by the second. Do you know why?"
"Yes. It feeds on other's magical prowess to strengthen itself." He clenched his fist. "The green pigment Olivia noticed on your wound was not poison, but your magical prowess leaking out. Without the antidote, the mark left on your body would remain until that beast has sucked you dry."
"That's right. Whoever set that beast free knew what they were doing." The Chancellor said. "By targeting me, they're completing two deeds at once: Strengthening their prowess while breaking ours."
Max fell silent.
"I hope you decide as soon as possible." The Chancellor smiled. "You don't have to shoulder everything, son. You have friends, and if you lose control for a second, they'll help you get back on track. Have faith in them, the same way they're putting faith on you to lead them."
"Can I really lead them?" Max asked himself before replying to his father. "I understand."
He stepped out of his father's bedroom and found his friends waiting for him with worried expressions. It was obvious they wanted to ask him questions, but didn't.
"Are you alright?" Olivia asked. "The Chancellor, how is he doing?"
"He's fine now." Max smiled, and his friends gasped. "Thanks for helping me get the antidote. I owe you all this time."
He walked away—leaving his friends stunned for a moment before huddling around a circle.
"Did we just see him smile?" Kid asked. "That's odd. He's not an impostor, is he?"
"He might be," Snow said. "This makes the Enchanted Forest incident more suspicious. A smiling Max is not Max. Nu-uh."
"We'll have to keep our eyes on him until we're sure of what happened inside that forest."
"I agree."
***
That night, when the seven bearers finally drifted to sleep, their dreams brought them back to the cave inside the Enchanted Forest.
"Why is it so dark?" Toki asked himself before looking around. "Ah! What are you all doing in my dream?!"
His friends stood behind him, still in their nightgowns, as if someone pulled them straight out of bed in the middle of the night.
"This isn't about you, okay?" Snow rolled her eyes. "It's OUR dream."
"It's a dream come true," Clover smiled at the limited-edition Kewl-aid in her hands. She stashed it from her previous dream. "I'll finally taste you this time."
"Is this really a dream, though?" Olivia pointed at the bright lights approaching them. "Those lights must be us from earlier, and this dream might be the answer to our questions."
Kid glanced at Max. "That's great! I don't have to rack my brain anymore!"
They smiled and turned to watch what's about to unfold next, but an ear-breaking scream greeted them instead.
"AHHHHHH!"
They frowned.
"AHHHHHH!!!"
...
After all the screaming and frowning, things happened as they've remembered. But from a different perspective. Clover dove inside the mist, Snow followed, and then Toki, Doki, Olivia, and Minmin jumped into the mist together.
"No wonder we were so scared earlier," Toki said, "Snow looks like a ghost in her nightgown."
Snow rolled her eyes, and they started laughing after realizing what happened. They followed themselves inside the mist, and the setting changed.
The next scene didn't feel like a dream, it felt like a missing memory finally returned. They were no longer the audience, but the actual flesh talking to an old man. An unfamiliar old man.
"A thousand years of servitude," the old man said. "Take it, or leave this forest."
"I'll do it," Toki said. "Trust me on this one, guys."
Max shook his head. "No. We're doing this for my father. I'll stay."
"Come on, Max!" Toki tapped his chest while his lips trembled. "I'm... I'm the bearer of time. A thousand years wouldn't matter to me. I-I can make it pass in a second."
They looked at one another.
"If you're that great, then let's stay here together," Olivia said. "Besides, it's better to spend every second with your friends."
"What? But—"
"You can do it. You have 31,536,000,000 seconds to try."