Gladiolus, after sleeping in all day and skipping his patrol the previous day, woke up early with a jolt. Something was off. He immediately sensed an unfamiliar presence lingering near the house. Without hesitation, he sprinted to Maxwell's room and nudged him awake.
"H-huh? It's still early, what is it—" Maxwell said rubbing his eyes, but he immediately could feel it too.
Gladiolus growled softly, his body tensed, but Maxwell pat his head to calm him.
"I suppose I should catch you up about Claude," Maxwell muttered, sitting up in bed and glancing toward the window. He could tell the presence wasn't inside the house, at least. "To keep it short, let's just say Claude is a friend..." Maxwell trailed off, his tone far from convincing.
Gladiolus's sharp eyes narrowed, he let out a low growl, clearly not buying Maxwell's vague explanation.
"I know, I know," Maxwell said. "Look, he's strange at worse. We sparred yesterday, and I think he's trying to be friendly. Just don't attack him outright, okay? At least not yet..." he grinned.
Gladiolus huffed, his posture stiff, but he didn't argue further. It was clear he'd remain vigilant, whether Maxwell trusted Claude or not.
Hours later, Maxwell and Gladiolus went out on their patrol. Thankfully, the town was peaceful, with no signs of trouble. Yet, something felt different—a presence that Maxwell had reluctantly come to recognize.
"Hey, Maxwell!" Claude's voice rang out, cheerful as he approached them with a wave. He looked at Gladiolus, "and what's this monster's name?" he asked.
Maxwell sighed, "Hello, Claude. His name is Gladiolus," he replied. It was clear Maxwell wasn't in the mood for Claude's antics, but he could already tell escaping him wouldn't be so easy today.
Gladiolus growled softly, his sharp eyes fixed on Claude, but Maxwell placed a hand on his side. "Easy, Gladiolus," he muttered.
"I have a proposal, Maxwell," Claude said. "Why don't I assist with these patrols? Just show me the routes, and I'll handle them for the entire day."
Maxwell raised an eyebrow, looking at Claude suspiciously. "While I'd appreciate a break every now and then. I can't exactly do that without Sidgroth's permission."
Claude chuckled, shrugging nonchalantly. "Fair enough. But think about it—less work for you, and more time for... whatever it is you do when you're not patrolling."
Maxwell sighed, "I'll think about it, but don't expect me to agree without Sidgroth's permission."
Claude smiled. "Noted, Maxwell. Just trying to be helpful."
Just as Maxwell was walking away, Claude followed behind him, clearly intent on sticking around. Maxwell sighed accepting Claude's presence.
After a moment of silence, Claude spoke up. "I have a few questions if you don't mind, Maxwell."
Maxwell glanced at him, already feeling the weight of the conversation. "What is it, Claude?"
Claude's tone was unusually serious. "What do you remember of your past life?"
After a moment of thought, Maxwell decided to reply. "Well, aside from the visions I get every now and then, it seems like I was someone powerful and respected—in my previous life, back in that other universe. But honestly, I don't remember much beyond that."
Claude nodded thoughtfully, his expression intrigued. "Interesting. And then there's your Ornament. It's likely your current abilities are echoes of what you could do in your past life. A part of who you were."
Maxwell tilted his head slightly. "You're not the first to suggest that. Professor Juno said something similar before."
"More importantly, why don't you tell me about the organization you're in, Claude?" Maxwell asked.
"My organization is called the Outworlder Society. The founder is an outworlder himself. His goal is to help all outworlders return to their respective universes. But if they choose to stay here, the mission shifts—to help them adapt to this universe. Essentially, the aim is to ensure their energy frequencies align with, or at least resemble, those of this world." Claude explained.
"Sounds like quite a mission." Maxwell said, processing the information.
"It is," Claude said, his tone thoughtful. "I'm still quite new, but I've already seen all kinds of outworlders. Some of them didn't even look human—completely alien."
"I imagine not all outworlders are so peaceful?"
Claude replied his tone serious. "Unfortunately, yes. Some are violent and pose a threat. We have to... dispose of them for the safety of everyone."
"Regarding Malacosteus," Maxwell said, his voice firm, "he's an Outworlder like me, but... Can you leave him to me? I'll have my own way of handling him."
Claude looked at him, the faintest hint of hesitation in his eyes. He crossed his arms and let out a slow breath. "Hmm... very well," he said after a pause. "I'll make an exception and leave him in your hands for now."
It became silent once more as Maxwell and Gladiolus made their way to get something to eat. Claude, on the other hand, didn't touch his food and instead became engrossed in his phone. His concentration entirely fixed on the game he was playing. Maxwell found it somewhat amusing. It was an odd contrast to the calculated and mysterious persona Claude usually projected. He had expected someone with a more serious demeanor, but here was Claude, engrossed in something as simple as a mobile game.
Maxwell couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself.
After a few moments of silence, Gladiolus glanced at Claude, seemingly curious but said nothing.
Mari walked in and immediately noticed Claude, who greeted her with a wide, almost too perfect smile.
"Ah, you must be Mari!" Claude said, his voice smooth and welcoming. "Maxwell's told me quite a bit about you. All good things, of course!"
Maxwell raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slightly. He muttered to himself, "I didn't say a word. He must have done some digging around..."
Mari blinked, slightly taken aback by Claude's forwardness, but she quickly composed herself. "I-It's nice to meet you, Claude. I'm Mari."
Claude's grin never faltered as he nodded. "It's a pleasure, I'm a friend of Maxwell's, and I'm going to help him out on his patrols from now on!" Claude said, his enthusiasm infectious.
"So this is Claude... he's nothing like what Maxwell described. He doesn't seem so bad after all," Mari thought to herself.
"I-I see, well that's good. He could use a break every now and then," Mari said, giving Maxwell a warm smile.
"Uhh, yeah, thanks again for agreeing to help me, Claude..." Maxwell muttered, grinning awkwardly, though he hadn't actually agreed to let Claude help yet. He decided to play along for now.
Claude, seemingly oblivious to Maxwell's hesitation, remained unfazed. "Of course! It'll be way more fun with an extra pair of hands."
Mari laughed, glancing between the two. "Well, if you two are going to be patrolling together, it's bound to be an interesting day."
"Let's hope it's not too interesting," Maxwell said jokingly.
Claude raised an eyebrow, he smirked. "Oh, don't worry. With me around, nothing will go wrong. You'll be able to put your feet up, Maxwell."
Maxwell couldn't shake the uneasy feeling at Claude's overconfidence. "Yeah, sure. We'll see about that."
As they finished eating, Maxwell, Gladiolus, and Claude set out to continue their patrol, while Mari made her way back to the Healers Guild. The day passed by slowly, with the hours slipping away unnoticed by Maxwell. Despite the Claude's presence, it became clear to him that, in his own strange way, Claude was genuinely trying to help.
"So, Claude, I'm guessing you have your own place to stay?" Maxwell asked casually.
"Of course," Claude replied with a smile, though his tone shifted to something more serious. "A man does need his privacy, after all. But before anything else, I should tell you this." His expression darkened. "My Ornament allows me to use dark magic, which grants me the ability to sense Void energy. Since yesterday, I've been detecting the faintest traces of it. It could be residual from the Forbidden that were here in Calla Lily, but it's also possible it's the presence of another Forbidden entirely..."
"Another Forbidden... Thanks for letting me know, Claude," Maxwell said, he was clearly concerned.
"Until tomorrow, Maxwell." Without another word, Claude vanished into the shadows.
Maxwell and Gladiolus walked back to the house. However, far beyond their reach, in Legis, events were unfolding—ones that neither could foresee.
What was about to happen would change everything...