The memories of Paul and his Uncle Jade were warming. What would his life have been like if they had not died? He would never have imagined two separate worlds, so different but yet so close to one another.
So much was lost on the night of the dojo fire, and yet so much was gained. It was the night in Max’s life that began the chain of events leading to who he was today, a life in which his destiny was to defy a God. He had not asked nor wished for such a thing; it was entrusted to him by his heritage.
So many questions swamped the inside of his mind. When would he see his father again? What was his future? And another important question that lingered unanswered; who was his mother?
He shifted in his deep thoughts. He was happy that his friends came to his side in his need. They had shown the courage he knew they had; all his friends who supported him in the end. He wanted to keep his friends safe, never wanting to see Jimmy in such peril again. The breeze wafted through his loose clothing, his armour and weapons lying beside the rock. It was a moment of pure inspiration when Max realised the truth; he had to get stronger, get more in tune with his power. Losing control was unacceptable. If he had an endless amount of power it was his responsibility to harness it.
There was no longer a need to hide his full scars and he could allow them to bear witness to both the Dark Lord and the Ministry. If ever there was a most dangerous time to be, it was now. Not only would the Dark Lord come seeking the boy, he would do so because he was afraid of being overthrown.
Max also feared the Ministry, knowing they would attempt to exploit him for his powers. Max knew that it would not be the Ministry that would defeat the Dark Lord; it would be him.
He shifted slightly at the thought of him; he had power that far exceeded Max’s own. The memory of being powerless surfaced, increasing Max’s determination not to ever feel that way again.
He had plans to form, personnel and equipment to muster, training to be continued. He had learned one valuable lesson from the Dark Lord and that was that he needed followers; he needed to form a brotherhood. A legion of warriors who would not falter, who protected each other, no matter the cost. It was a creed of heroes to enforce that which the Ministry would not; to protect the Nons and users from the wrath of the Dark Lord.
His concentration wavered like a small pebble hitting the water’s surface. Hector raised his head, alerted as he jumped around searching for the disturbance.
A small grin spread across Max’s face as the particles fed him pure information about his surroundings.
“I have changed a lot since our last meeting,” said Maximus, leaving his statement to spread through the warm air.
“Yes, you have. It kind of defeats the whole purpose of my power, don’t you think?” said the invisible man.
Hector howled and growled at the reply, trying to find the source of the voice.
“I think it does. Now, if you would be so kind and reveal yourself,” asked Max, showing him the courtesy of not using his power. Carter obliged with a sigh, coming to terms with how ineffective his power really was, revealing himself as the boy Max had last met at the herb shop. He turned his body to face Maximus but then yelped and kicked out as Hector pounced on him and tore at his trouser legs.
“Hector!” shouted Max, and the animal retreated behind his legs.
“That’s better,” he said, sarcastically.
It was true what Max said. He had changed dramatically in a very short time. From the boy who could barely see him at the herb shop, to the man before him, who could sense he was there even without a visual. It wasn’t just this power he had gained, but also the muscular body and the confidence that oozed from him.
He had matured very quickly, as his worldly smirk confirmed. Carter now had no chance of sneaking up on him; there was no way around the particles, his invisibility now completely ineffective against Max, a thought which made him extremely uncomfortable.
“Now. What do you want this time?” questioned Max.
Carter approached Max with a smile, oozing a friendly vibe as he shook his hand.
“I’m here on a mission,” he replied. Max followed the boy’s gaze towards the small hill. He squinted his eyes against the sun and picked out the four shadows that were silhouetted against the skyline.
In only a few seconds, they had covered the distance between them and stood before Max, allowing him to see them in detail.
The foursome comprised two known comrades; Bill and Chris stood next to each other, together with a girl and a boy he didn’t recognise. They all stood still silently, thinking of the prophecy, and then Bill approached.
“Ah, Maximus. Such a treat.” He spoke softly and everyone listened quietly to his words.
“So, you passed the challenge inside the mountain. Well done, lad. You have exceeded all my expectations.” Bill smiled, observing Max with his blind eyes. He could see the shadow of the Gods lingering in his soul, following the swirling power within, and momentarily lost his chain of thought.
“Thank you,” replied Max, meeting Chris’s gaze.
“However, you must keep advancing if you want a chance to defeat the Dark Lord. You have escaped him twice, but such luck will not last forever.”
“What do you want me to do?” Max was confused.
“Listen, and listen closely. You must be the one to defeat the Dark Lord. Get inside his head, watch and feel how he works, what are his technique and styles. You have jumped many stages to get to where you are, but you must go on if you are to defeat him. Conjure the strength I know you have and fight with every inch of your body to survive.”
Bill looked back towards one of the unknown figures and nodded. Max’s attention shot to the female as she begun rubbing her hands. He couldn’t form a complete picture of her face as his eyes were focusing on her hands, which were now glowing. She advanced towards Max and he unconsciously adopted a defensive posture, ready to push them all away, if needed.
“Do not move,” insisted Bill, seemingly confident in the female figure as she continued her approach.
“What is she doing?” questioned Max, refraining from retreating, but with a struggle.
A small string of light formed in his palm, stretching the distance towards the girl and scattering before them.
“Just remember - don’t die!” shouted Bill over the roaring noise that grew around them.
The string of light twined around him like a tentacle, its coldness making Max start. Such a strange feeling. The string latched over his body, reaching up to his eyes, where it grabbed a hold of his senses, making his vision turn to black as he travelled in time to a new age and a totally new location.
“You are not deserving of the black sword,” whispered the Dark Lord.
Raze had been brought back from the dead by Dartholemue’s power and now he begged for his new-found life, something he had not done since they had first met.
The Dark Lord looked down upon him and Raze searched for the power that lurked deep inside him. The Lord’s hall was quite familiar and he felt the cold marble under his two palms as he crawled for forgiveness.
“I will not let this happen again,” he pleaded.
“No, you won’t,” Dartholemue replied with a small hiss. The reply sent despair through Raze and he realised that his fate had been decided. All the armies he had destroyed, and it had been a boy who had derailed his route to the Great Halls.
“Take care of him,” the Dark Lord ordered.
A hand grasped the black handle of the hovering black sword, dragging the tip down the marble stairs as the figure descended upon Raze.
“Yes, my Lord,” replied Paul carrying out the order without a blink.
Acknowledgments
Maximus Thatcher has been a long and fulfilling journey, from developing the storyline from a snippet of a day dream, to gettting it onto paper and finally into your hands.
This journey could not have been possible if it weren’t for the support of my family and friends. Thank you to: N
athan Taila for the awesome design work at the start of the book; my family and my partner, who have not faltered from my side; Lel and Giles Crosthwaite-Scott from PublishMe for the hard work they have done in editing the manuscript and getting the book to its final stage; the team at Damonza for an excellent job on the internal and external design; my grandad, William Clements, who has been the biggest influence and inspiration in my life and who taught me that I can achieve anything that is set before me. And lastly, to the readers and followers, thank you all for the continued support and I look forward to bringing you more novels in the future.
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