"I forgot one thing," Mark said at last, wiping a tear of mirth from the corner of his eye. "Humans beco remarkably foolish when they are desperate. And this deal you just proposed, Max… it may be the most foolish thing any of you have ever attempted."
His words struck the hearts of the surrounding leaders like spears. Every one of them flinched. Every one of them stiffened. Yet their eyes remained riveted on Max, waiting for him to answer—for only his response seed capable of anchoring this fragile mont.
Max didn't hesitate.
"Does that an you accept the deal?" he asked calmly.
Mark tilted his head slightly, as if examining an ant that dared to bare its fangs at a dragon. His sneer sharpened again, the derision returning to his face, but there was also a faint undertone—acknowledgnt, maybe even interest.
"Hm. We will see," Mark said, his voice dropping into a growl of quiet threat. "I am curious where this path of yours will lead. Whether to salvation… or the ruin of all of you."
He gave Max one last asuring stare, a stare that lingered half a heartbeat longer than expected—just long enough for everyone to understand that Max had truly gotten his attention.
Then Mark's figure beca hazy.
A ripple spread across the sky.
And in the space of a blink, he vanished completely.
---
The shore grew silent—utterly silent. The leaders who had not dared to breathe while Mark hovered above them instantly felt their legs tremble beneath them. So gasped sharply for air. So clutched their chests. A few nearly collapsed in absolute relief.
Their backs were soaked in cold sweat.
Their faces pale.
Only now, after Mark disappeared, did the reality sink into their minds.
They had stood face-to-face with the crownbearer.
And lived.
----
"Well, this went well," Lucien said with a quiet smile that carried both relief and a trace of lingering tension.
Max nodded slowly as he exhaled. "I was prepared for an all-out attack," he admitted with a small shake of his head. "I walked into this eting expecting chaos, but I think Mark is more desperate than we assud."
The words tasted strange in his mouth. They carried no sympathy, yet they carried the weight of a man trying to understand the nature of soone who once stood on the side of righteousness. Max's eyes drifted across the sky as if he could still sense the remnants of Mark's influence scattered in the air. "He feels cornered. That much is clear."
"Why wouldn't he be?" Lucien replied with another soft smile. "If the planet he is bound to collapses, then what exactly would he remain? What sort of god exists without the world that birthed him?" Lucien's voice carried a philosophical note, but there was no mockery in it. Only curiosity, and perhaps a faint hint of pity for a being who had strayed so far from his purpose.
Max absorbed that thought and let it settle. What he had said earlier about Mark's fate had been little more than an educated guess born from frustration.
Now that he was thinking clearly again, he realized how little he truly understood about what happened to a crownbearer when the world they ant to protect was destroyed.
Was the connection severed? Was the crownbearer dragged into oblivion with it? Or did the corrupted divinity survive in so hollow state between life and death?
Lucien's next words pulled his mind back. "By the way, your strength has reached a level completely beyond the rest of the world. I look at you now and wonder if the gap is still asurable. I genuinely do not know where your limits are anymore." His tone held admiration, caution, and curiosity woven together.
Max released a slow breath as a faint, dangerous smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Do you want to find out? We can spar right now." His battle intent flickered to life the mont he spoke, rising naturally like a starved fla searching for fuel. The space around him vibrated faintly, as if responding to his desire to test the boundaries of his new strength.
Lucien raised his hands in refusal, though amusent flashed in his eyes. "Not today," he said calmly. "But I am certain I will see what you are capable of soon enough. A storm is coming, and both of us will be forced to show our hands whether we want to or not."
Max let the battle intent fade slowly. "Fair enough," he said. "And speaking of storms, I have found a way to deal with the demons. I need a few days to put everything in place. When the preparations are complete, I will contact you."
Lucien nodded and accepted the words without question. He seed to understand that Max did not speak lightly when the survival of the Middle Domain was at stake. "Good. The sooner you act, the sooner we can stabilize this region."
With that agreent settled, Max and Lucien walked together toward the leaders of the Middle Domain. They discussed matters briefly with the assembled lords and exchanged final updates regarding the movent of demon forces and the ongoing threat of the nulls.
The tension among the leaders slowly eased as they listened to Max's calm explanations and Lucien's assurances, for both n radiated the kind of power and certainty that brought confidence to entire continents.
When the discussions finally ended, Max and Lucien parted ways with the leaders. The two of them launched into the sky, drifting apart as they headed toward their respective duties.
Behind them, the Middle Domain watched silently, knowing that the fate of the world now rested on the shoulders of these two unmatched figures who walked paths beyond mortal comprehension.
---
Max returned to the ancestral chamber of the Elven Kingdom after parting ways with Lucien and the leaders, expecting silence and stillness within the sacred halls. Instead, the mont he crossed the threshold, he felt vibrations in the air—bursts of elental energy clashing rhythmically, like two waves crashing against each other in perfect harmony.
He paused, raising a brow.
The normally solemn chamber of statues and ancient runes was lit up by streams of gold and scarlet. The soft glow of ancestral crystals reflected off two figures moving at high speed in the open training space at the center of the hall.
Lenavira.
"She has awakened!" Max was happy for her.
And Alice.
Both were sparring, their movents clean and fluid, their smiles bright and genuine.
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