Was it a joke or something like that? A worthy seeker of his had followed him unnoticed on his journey and infiltrated the training space as well. Just how was all this possible?
"Hello, special one."
"Who are you?" Roy was the first to speak.
The man ignored the brown-haired boy and moved closer to stand in front of the one he had come for.
"Who are you?" Max asked. He had to crane his neck to easily look at the man that was many inches taller than he was.
"The name's Cecil," The young man gave a gentlemanly bow. "I guess that'll be my introduction for now."
"Cecil...What do you want?" Max asked, keeping on a straight face.
"How delightful!" Max could hear the excitement in his voice.
"It seems the special one is smart. You got to know of your title earlier than I thought you would," Cecil said.
' So he is the special one?' Chase concealed his thought as he couldn't take his eyes off Max.
"Stop beating around the bush, Mr. Get to the point. What's your business with me?" Max asked once again.
Cecil sighed and placed his hands into the pocket of his long jacket.
"I don't want anything from you."
He paused for a while. "I want you instead."
Max was taken aback by his request. This man wanted him?
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"How about I put it this way? I want you to come join my army."
"What army?"
Cecil sighed once again.
"You sure do have a lot of questions, boy. May we talk in private?"
Max's lips paused and he glanced at the others with a nod. This man wasn't here to seek his worth instead he had come up with a proposal.
"Sure," Max replied, returning his gaze to the man.
"Very well," Cecil said and in a jiffy, black smoke swirled around them till they were no longer in sight.
The two appeared in an empty dark space.
"What's your deal?" Max spoke up immediately.
"You're such in a hurry, Max Addison."
Hearing his full name did nothing but leave Max in shock. How did this man come to know him? Besides in the game, he wasn't known as Max.
"How did you..."
"That's not necessary now. Like I earlier said, I need you to join my army. The army formed from a whole new world. Every living being desires a comfortable life and that life is what I want to offer you. Come to think of it, Harbingers Of Death is not a world of peace. What is life here when you have to sleep with an eye open in the fear of getting killed anytime? Not to talk of the human world where you mortals have to till the earth and sweat just to live. You humans have short lives and are prone to diseases. Have you ever thought of a better life? Perhaps when you join me, you can do whatsoever you want to get your old lady to tell you who your father is. You may think of me as the devil but on second thought I do like that name. It gives me unexplainable goosebumps. Feels so good."
All the while his manipulating speech and a mischievous smile played on his lips underneath his mask.
"You're saying you could give me the life I've always dreamed of. No death, no sickness, endless wealth and power to rule within your army," Max said.
Cecil clapped for a brief moment.
"You're just too smart. You see, take a look at what you are..."
A glass mirror appeared from a whim of smoke and stood before Max in the air. Cecil slowly walked behind the boy and grabbed his shoulders.
"So handsome. Have you ever wondered why you have such an eye colour that is so rare where you came from? Unique beings like yourself are born and chosen to rule. Your eyes speak royalty. Do you think you deserve to suffer here or in your world? Give me a chance and I'll show you what life is."
The man acted all nice to him but Max was very much aware of the manipulating schemes he was trying to use on him. There was something this man was after and it seemed he needed Max on his side to make things easier for him.
"Can you get me to the game creator?" Max asked. If the man knew of his identity on Earth and in the game then he would most definitely know something about the game creator. Even his actions proved there were a lot of things he knew.
"That can only happen when you join hands with me. What do you say?" Cecil asked.
"I'll think about your proposal," Max said. He wasn't going to fall for some stranger's deceiving words. The man talked of getting Max to join his so-called army. Was he a rebel just like Melanie? Why would anyone make such a decision of building an army in contrast with the world when the world had the authorities governing everything?
The pieces began to fall in place and started to form a picture. Everything was beginning to make sense. He was the one she had talked about. He was the man that had been banned from the world never to return. Even the powers he had displayed earlier on through infiltrating the training ground and getting them into this space were all linked in similarity to Melanie's dark magic.
Having figured this out, he continued to play along since his thoughts had yet to be confirmed. Just like Melanie, Cecil's stats weren't revealed by the system.
*. *. *.
She slightly coughed as the choking smell of smoke jilted her out of her unconsciousness. Her eyelids drifted open after a long time of rest. Smoke covered everywhere and she could barely see. She tried moving but soon discovered she was tied with lots of ropes to a pole.
"You have awoken," A voice that commanded authority rang in her ears.
"Who's there?" Hillary shouted.
In an instant, the smoke blocking her view withdrew to where it had come from, somewhere she wasn't aware of.
The room she was in was defined immediately by her eyes. Leaves and trees of all kinds wove through the walls built with polished rocks. It was decorated in such a way that befitted royalty.
"Why would you dare interrupt the event for the special one?" was the first question that was thrown at Hillary by the voice from earlier. Its owner was a familiar Beast, a tree woman as Hillary referred to them. The tree woman was seated on a vine-made chair while two other tree women stood at either end of the vine chair with no expression on their faces.
"What special one?! What event?!" Hillary shouted. These tree people were being unreasonable.
"You refuse to speak the truth. Perhaps this will make you talk," The tree woman leader said. With a wave of her hand, a tall bind created from leaves and vines that Hillary had previously thought was a piece of artwork slid open, revealing what was behind it.
"Nicole!" She found herself screaming.
The boy was hung upside down above a pit full of alive carnivorous plants that stretched parts of their bodies in a bid to grab the boy a little above their reach.
"Let him go!" Her voice thundered.
"You find a way to get the special one back and we let the human go," The leader said unfazed by Hillary's reaction. The event of seeking the purple eyes child's worth was never to be interrupted. These humans had done so by sending him off to a place that nobody had access to.
"How do I even do that? When I don't know who or what the hell a special one is?!" Hillary was getting pissed off by the beast's tantrums.
"Botanical beasts can not travel over a long distance as many other beasts. So getting the special one ourselves is not a guarantee," The leader replied.
Hillary burst into laughter to the surprise of the beasts.
"And you expect a mere human like me to do so?"
The leader shook her head in pity.
"You're human with the power of the botanical beasts and soil beasts. Your ability level has the strength to overcome long distances. Remember you aren't a botanical beast."
"And you want me to use my powers to bring the special one to you?" Hillary was amused.
"Yes, or your friend dies," The leader simply said.