Maximus drifted in darkness.
There was no pain, no sound, no sense of time passing. He simply existed in an endless void, weightless and detached, his mind caught in a dreamlike haze. It was strangely peaceful—no city noise, no rain, no obligations—just silence.
Until a voice shattered the stillness.
"Master! Oh, Master! There you are! Do you know how long I've been searching for you?" The voice was bright and almost too cheerful, with a lilting tone that seemed to bounce around in the emptiness. Whoever it was, he sounded utterly exasperated but not the least bit angry.
Maximus blinked—or at least he thought he did—but he still saw nothing, only the endless darkness. Yet he could feel the presence of someone close by, someone who was both familiar and utterly unknown.
"Really, Master, this is just like you! Disappearing without a trace and throwing the entire Nine Realms into chaos! You always did have a flair for the dramatic." The voice let out a theatrical sigh as if deeply offended, but a teasing note was hidden in his words.
Maximus opened his mouth to ask who this person was, but his voice felt sluggish and heavy as if he had forgotten how to form words. All he managed was a confused, "W-What…?"
"Oh, don't 'what' me!" the voice interrupted, his tone a mix of irritation and genuine fondness. "Do you have any idea what kind of mess you left behind? Do you? Thousands of years, Master! Thousands! I had to keep things together all by myself! If I weren't so loyal to you, I'd have retired ages ago!"
Maximus's mind spun, struggling to make sense of the words. He felt a faint flicker of recognition, a sense that this stranger's voice was important. Still, it was like grasping at smoke—impossible to hold onto. He could remember nothing about this person, who he had been before, or why any of this was relevant.
"Chaos?" Maximus finally managed to mutter, his voice sounding distant and hollow. "What... what are you talking about?"
The voice paused momentarily, and Maximus imagined the unseen figure rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Oh dear... You really don't remember a thing, do you? Of course, you don't. It's exactly as you wanted, after all."
There was a soft chuckle, warm and almost reassuring. "Well, it's no matter. If this is your chosen path, then who am I to question it? You always had a plan, Master—even if nobody else could understand it. But let me tell you, keeping the realms from falling apart without you around has been quite the challenge. I've managed, though! No need to worry about that. I promised I'd keep things in check, and I did. Mostly, anyway."
Maximus's confusion deepened, the words swirling around him like leaves in a storm. "Master? Who are you?" he asked, his voice growing stronger. "What's going on? I don't understand any of this."
"Ah, well... It wouldn't do to explain too much, now would it?" the voice said with a light laugh. "I mean, it's not like you'd remember any of it, and you're not supposed to. No, no, this is your journey, Master, and I'm just here to give you a bit of a head start. Consider it a... favor for old times' sake!"
Maximus wanted to argue, to demand answers, but the words stuck in his throat. The cheerful stranger's tone shifted slightly, growing more serious, though the smile never left his voice. "I know you left everything behind because you were searching for something that made you want to start over. And if that's what you want, then I'll respect it. I always have."
There was a pause, then a soft sigh. "Still, I can't just leave you completely alone out there. That wouldn't be fair, now would it? So, I've decided to help you out. Just a little. A nudge in the right direction, you know?"
Maximus felt a strange sensation wash over him, like a warm breeze cutting through the chill of the void. He still didn't understand what was happening, but something about the voice was comforting, like a friend whose name he had forgotten. "Help... me?" he repeated, feeling dazed.
"That's right! Just a bit of assistance, nothing more," the voice said cheerfully. "I've set up a System for you, Master—a way for you to get the challenges you so desperately wanted. It's linked to that one little memory, that tiny spark you kept buried deep inside yourself—the only piece of you that remains from before. The part that yearns for something more."
"A... System?" Maximus asked, the word foreign yet oddly familiar.
"Yes! A System! You'll figure it out soon enough, don't you worry," the voice said, suddenly sounding like he was in a rush. "I've synced it with your deepest desire, so it'll resonate with that urge inside—the one that keeps pushing you forward. Trust me, you'll understand when the time is right."
There was a playful chuckle, and the presence around Maximus seemed to fade slightly as if the voice's owner was already moving away. "Well then, Master... I suppose this is goodbye for now. Don't mess things up too badly without me, alright? I'll be watching from afar. Oh, and good luck! You're going to need it!"
"Wait!" Maximus tried to reach out, his hand grasping at the emptiness, but the voice was already fading. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"No need to worry about me!" the voice echoed back, faint and distant. "Just focus on finding what you're looking for. And remember, the journey's the fun part!"
With that, the presence vanished, and the comforting warmth that had filled the void around Maximus faded away. The thick and heavy darkness seemed to close in, swallowing him whole.
Maximus felt a strange pull like invisible hands gently guiding him downward, deeper into the endless abyss. There was no struggle, no resistance—only the sensation of sinking into a soft, dreamless sleep where time ceased to matter.
As the last traces of the voice faded, a soft chime echoed through the void. It was a sound unlike anything he had ever heard—gentle yet powerful, a single note that vibrated deep within his core.
It felt like the sound had touched something buried in his soul, stirring a feeling he couldn't quite name. The chime repeated, clearer this time, like a bell tolling far away, its resonance spreading through the darkness.
A feeling of warmth surged through Maximus's chest, filling the empty space inside him with a spark of something new. It was a sense of anticipation, of purpose—like the quiet thrill before the start of a grand adventure. He didn't know what it meant, but for a brief moment, he felt a strange certainty that this was only the beginning.
Then, the chime faded, and the stillness returned, deeper and more profound. The darkness around Maximus grew quieter and heavier until it seemed to press down on him from all sides. His thoughts drifted away, slipping into the vast, soundless void where nothing existed but the echo of that single, lingering note.
The silence settled over him like a blanket, and he sank into it, lost in the unknown depths. All was still.
And then, just before he slipped into complete unconsciousness, a final whisper reached him—a voice, distant and barely audible, like the last breath of a fading dream.
"Good luck… Master. We'll be waiting for you." This time, though, the voice carried a hint of sadness.
The words lingered for a heartbeat, then dissolved into the quiet of the void.
Darkness, complete and absolute, claimed him.
And all was silent once more.