A few days had passed since Maxwell and Mari's visit to the Elemental Forest. In that short time, Mari had began training her newly discovered Mana Shields. Every day brought progress as she practiced their durability and mastered them. Though she knew there was still room for improvement, she felt a sense of accomplishment in her progress.
It also became a habit for Mari to visit the Elemental Forest. The sudden bond she had with the Fridged Boar had grown in ways she hadn't expected. Despite their rocky introduction, the massive beast seemed to trust her completely. Whenever she visited the forest, the boar would greet her with a mix of recognition and gentleness.
Mari often found herself sitting by the boar, sharing her thoughts as if it could understand her words. On days when she became too busy in her tasks, the Fridged Boar would make its way to the outskirts of Calla Lily, waiting patiently until she arrived. It was an unusual sight for the townsfolk—this enormous creature, behaving with calmness and familiarity. Though some remained wary, others were charmed by the odd friendship.
Maxwell sat on a couch, going through channels on the television in Sidgroth's living room, a breaking news segment caught his attention. The headline read: "Hyacinth Devastated: Battle with Forbidden Nature Leaves Chaos in Its Wake." The footage that followed showed widespread destruction—shattered buildings, uprooted trees, and massive craters. Emergency crews scrambled to aid survivors as the reporter detailed the aftermath.
Maxwell leaned forward as he looked at the scenes of devastation. His eyes narrowed when the footage shifted to the battle itself. A group of fighters was shown taking on the Forbidden. The Forbidden Nature, as the news called it, had nearly destroyed the city.
But what truly caught Maxwell's attention was the group fighting it. The camera had managed to capture a few brief but clear shots of them. The girl and her companions fighting the Forbidden were the same ones he had seen not long ago in Calla Lily. It was unmistakable. It was the same group he had observed during the incident with the Forbidden here.
Maxwell exhaled slowly, "So it looks like the Forbidden are becoming more dangerous by the day," he muttered under his breath. The attack on Calla Lily, though intense, paled in comparison to what had happened in Hyacinth. He was grateful the encounter hadn't escalated to this level, but the sight of the destruction made him realize that the Forbidden weren't to be taken lightly.
Although Maxwell knew the battles with the Forbidden weren't his responsibility, he couldn't completely push the thought from his mind. The destruction in Hyacinth was proof of just how dangerous they were, but Calla Lily was his priority now. He leaned back, trying to shake the uneasiness in his chest.
"This isn't my problem," he murmured to himself.
Sidgroth would undoubtedly handle it. After all, the old man had faced the Forbidden before. Maxwell couldn't even imagine the level of power Sidgroth wielded during the Void War, and that thought alone gave him reassurance.
For now, his task was clear: to protect Calla Lily. He wasn't a hero for the world; his concern was this town and the people within it.
Maxwell got up, stretching, and prepared for his daily patrol. As he stepped outside his attention was drawn to an unusual sight—a hooded figure standing motionless in the middle of the street. The figure's cloak swayed gently with the breeze, their face obscured by the shadow of the hood. Maxwell paused, narrowing his eyes.
"Strange," he muttered under his breath.
For a moment, he considered confronting them, but after a brief glance, he decided against it. People passed through Calla Lily often enough, and while the figure's stillness was odd, it wasn't necessarily threatening.
With a small shrug, Maxwell turned away, brushing off the encounter as another quirk of life in this town. There were more important things to focus on.
Maxwell's patrol was once again the uneventful routine. He walked through town, looking for any signs of trouble, but nothing out of the ordinary caught his attention. By the time midday rolled around, his focus had shifted to lunch.
As he walked toward his favorite spot to eat, he noticed the same hooded figure he'd seen that morning was now leaning casually against a lamppost, their posture relaxed but their presence unnervingly persistent.
Maxwell's brows furrowed, the feeling he'd had earlier—a faint sense of being watched.
"Alright, let me see what this person wants," Maxwell muttered to himself.
Straightening his posture, he headed directly toward the figure. His gaze locked on them as he approached. Whoever this was, he was done ignoring their presence.
"Hey," Maxwell called out. "You've been following me around all day. Care to explain what you're up to?"
The hooded figure didn't respond immediately, their head tilting slightly as if assessing Maxwell.
"You're the one from the other world. Not what I expected—far more ordinary," the hooded figure said, turning to face Maxwell.
"So you know I'm not from this universe," Maxwell said calmly.
"Precisely," the hooded figure replied. "Just like that NULL running loose, you two don't belong here. You're out of place."
"I don't have anything to do with Malacosteus," Maxwell said firmly, his gaze narrowing slightly. "But as for myself, I guess you could say I'm nothing more than a refugee here."
"Is that so?" The hooded figure said. "Let me make it clear, outsider: your mere existence here distorts the balance of this universe. Return to where you belong, or you'll only serve to rip apart the fabric of this world."
The figure's aura intensified, swirling with dark energy, causing the very air to vibrate with its sheer force.
Maxwell's brow furrowed, unfazed. "Distorts the balance? What do you mean?"
"To put it shortly and simply, this universe could collide with the one you're originally from, and while the chances are extremely low, near to impossible in fact. It's not a risk I'm willing to take," the hooded figure replied.
Just as Maxwell was about to respond, he began to remember something, albeit the memory was hazy. Before he was reborn into this universe, he had spoken to someone—someone important, someone powerful. "Goddess of the Universe," Maxwell murmured.
"Ah, there's that phrase again," the hooded figure said, his tone slightly softer. "I stand corrected. It seems you're not a threat in the conventional sense. Instead, you could potentially act as a bridge between this universe and your old one."
"There's a lot I don't understand, but honestly, I don't care. My past life doesn't concern me anymore. My current life is what matters."
The hooded figure slowly lowered his hood, revealing his long silver hair and piercing eyes, they appeared to be eighteen or slightly older. "Know this," he said. "I'm not your enemy. I don't believe in force. The organization I belong to desires peace with outworlders. But make no mistake, if provoked, we will act. And we do so with justification."
"You say all of that, but you sure as hell seemed to be looking for trouble and looked pretty intimidating," Maxwell sighed.
The man chuckled lightly. "How troublesome," he muttered to himself before looking at Maxwell. "Very well, it seems I will have to stay with you, per protocol. Should you cause trouble, the necessary force shall be taken swiftly."
Maxwell narrowed his eyes but didn't rise to the challenge. "Stay with me, huh? I suppose it's better than having someone constantly lurking in the shadows."
"I am simply here to ensure that you, as an outworlder, don't bring unintended consequences to this universe. I am merely a safeguard, not an adversary." The man said.
Maxwell forced a smile. "Well, I guess I can't argue with someone like you, no one I know nothing about. Just don't cause trouble here in Calla Lily."
The man's expression remained unreadable, but there was a flicker of something—an understanding, perhaps. "I wouldn't dream of it, Maxwell. I'm simply here to make sure you don't break something you can't fix."
Maxwell crossed his arms, eyeing the man. "I'm not planning on breaking anything, but I don't need someone breathing down my neck all the time. So, for now, we can pretend you're not here, right?"
He simply nodded, his silver hair swaying slightly. "For now, that will suffice."
As Maxwell was about to walk away, he turned and asked, "What's your name, by the way?"
"Claude Xeranthemum," the man replied, his voice steady.
"Right, see you around, I guess... Claude..." Maxwell said, his tone a bit more casual than before as he turned back around and started walking away.
Claude didn't answer, instead allowing the silence to linger as Maxwell made his way down the street. His silver eyes followed him for a moment before the corners of his lips turned into a unreadable smile. He knew this encounter was only the beginning, not the end.
Maxwell didn't feel like being watched, and he knew that Claude must have some ulterior motive.
For now, though, he had no choice but to push the thought aside. His life in this world, and the life he had built since his rebirth, was the most important thing.
"Maxwell Zinnia," Claude whispered to himself, standing atop a building, his silver hair swaying gently in the breeze. "After observing you up close, I can tell you mean no trouble... but one can never be too sure."
He crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on the path Maxwell had walked moments before. "In our brief talk, I was able to glimpse fragments of your past. How unfortunate... Someone so true to himself, betrayed by those he trusted most."
Claude's expression softened, but only for a moment. "If he genuinely has no interest in reclaiming his past life. If that's the case... perhaps he truly will adapt to this universe. His energy frequency will align with this world's natural rhythm, and the instability he poses will resolve itself."
He closed his eyes, exhaling softly.
"But if that resolve wavers—if the past resurfaces—it could tip the scales. Let's hope for your own sake, Maxwell Zinnia, that you choose to live for the present..."