Plop
Max opened his eyes to find himself in a dark place. "Where am I?"
An aged voice replied. "Your subconscious."
Max glanced toward the source of the voice. It was Frog grandpa.
"It is really dark in here." Another voice remarked.
He turned to his left. Frog grandma was also present.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Max asked. "This is my subconscious?"
"Mn, every living being possesses a spiritual landscape also known as the subconscious. It is where the truth about one's soul and existence lies." Frog grandpa explained.
Max nodded in understanding as he questioned further. "So is it normal for the subconscious to be like this?"
Frog grandma spoke up. "Each subconscious is different, depending on the person. Just as each person experiences and reacts to things differently, the same goes for their subconscious.
"Most times though, the subconscious is a projection of the living being's deepest feelings and thought."
Max furrowed his brows at this. "So the fact that my subconscious is dark…"
Frog grandpa cut him off. "You must have experienced more than your fair share of life, young lad. Makes me wonder how a child like you experienced so much darkness that your subconscious is directly affected."
Max sighed as he recalled a few unpleasant memories. "…I can tell you… you don't wanna know."
The old frogs remained silent, aware that some things were better left alone.
Max felt melancholic for a few seconds before regaining his composure. "Okay, so what now?"
"Now we make our way toward your subconscious related to magic and the fantastical elements of our world." Frog grandma replied with Frog grandpa quickly adding. "Of course, we would need some light if we want to move forward."
"How do we get light?" Max asked.
"It's your subconscious, lad. Just think up some light and let's be on our way."
"Oh okay." Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before snapping his fingers.
The next moment, their entire surrounding was lit up by several flame tongues that danced about them, illuminating the area.
"Let's go."
With the illumination, Max made his way through his subconscious.
Something that was noted after they got some light was that apart from the darkness, Max's subconscious was also filled with water.
Surprisingly enough, the water did not wet anything, it made the old frogs realize just how bad Max had it, but it also got them confused as to how a kid like this had gone through so much.
They silently decided to lay off him a bit, it wasn't a good choice to make things harder for him.
Anyway, after walking for what seemed like several hours, Max soon reached the entrance to a great hall.
Standing in front of the massive gates, he could not help but gulp down saliva. It was indeed an imposing structure that stood tall, its upper limit obscured by the darkness.
Frog grandpa spoke at the side as he knitted his brows. "…I sense a familiar presence."
Frog grandma spoke up as well. "I sense it too… strange."
Max felt anticipation. "Behind these gates is the reason why I can't use magic, if I can get rid of the problem, then my magic will return." he held out hope.
Without waiting for the frogs to speak, Max reached out and placed his hands on the gates. Despite its enormous size, He realized that he was able to push it with relative ease.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed a bit and the gates uttered a creaking sound before slowly opening to reveal a grand hall.
This place was different from the rest as it was lit up with pale orange light and it was occupied by nine pillars situated at the center of the hall.
Max was curious about the peculiar nature of this hall. He walked in and as he studied the walls of the hall, strolled toward the nine pillars.
Meanwhile, the two old frogs seemed to be in deep thought as they remained silent, oblivious to what was happening around them.
Suddenly, Frog grandpa snapped his fingers. "I think I remember now… it should be…" he trailed off as he sensed something.
Max noticed as well as he abruptly stopped walking and looked upward at the pillar he was walking toward.
Surprisingly, he was able to see the top, but that wasn't what caught his attention. All three individuals had their attention placed above.
At the top of the pillar sat a girl. She looked no older than Max with pale white skin and even paler hair, dressed in a short white kimono dress.
Her facial structure could not be seen but her aura was indeed stifling.
Frog grandpa muttered in disbelief. "It can't be…"
At that moment, a beautiful voice was heard. "My, my… it's been a long time since I had visitors."
Max did not know why but he felt a natural inclination to run at that point, his danger sense telling him that the lady up there was able to kill with a glance if she so wished.
Without knowing it, he began to hyperventilate.
The young girl looked down at them and flashed an alluring smile. "So it was just you lot.. and here I was expecting a better group."
Frog grandma was left utterly speechless, unable to form the words that were constantly echoing in her mind as her old body shook uncontrollably.
Just as she was about to voice her thoughts, Frog grandpa yelled out. "It can't be… you are meant to be dead!!!"
The young lady let out a chuckle that contained a hint of disdain as well as natural charm. "…And yet, here I am…"
"Young lad, we need to get out of…" Before Frog grandma could finish her sentence, the young girl leaped down and in a single second, traversed the distance from the top of the pillar to stand in front of Max.
With one foot in the water, Max and the young lady exchanged looks with one another, silence permeating the atmosphere…