Maxi sighed, "Now knowing that I don't really feel that much better."
Techxin laughed, "Why?"
Maxi loudly said, "What do you mean why? We are a bunch of villains. Our people are probably ruled by an iron fist by that tyrant father of ours. Sorry, that last part wasn't very nice."
Techxin laughed so hard that Maxi's mother started to stir from her slumber. Techxin quickly covered his mouth.
After a few minutes, Maxi's mother settled back into sleep.
Techxin sighed, "Phew, that was close. Anyways, you have such a black and white view of villains. Don't you read a lot of books? Oh wait, you haven't read our advanced books." Techxin started muttering to himself, "So I guess it makes sense now. If only there was a way to give you access to the library. I can't ask for it myself, but I've got a way of giving it to you."
"Techxin."
"Huh?" Techxin snapped out of his trance.
"Villains are villains. What else is there? Explain," Maxi said.
Maxi thought, "Unfortunately, that's how it is. People can be misidentified as villains, but at the end of the day, villains are villains. It's sad, but that's how it is."
Techxin shakes his head. "What, so you think a villain is?"
Maxi said, "Someone who does evil things for no reason or for no good reason."
Techxin nods. "Okay. Have you ever thought of why a person would do these evil things? I mean, just think about it from a certain perspective: what someone does may be for no good reason, but from theirs, it's for a totally valid one. It's all about perspective. Take that into mind, Maxi."
¤- Maxi's view of villains cracks slightly; it isn't enough to change his view, but it's a start. -¤
"I guess it is," Maxi muttered.
Techxin nodded. "You will learn more as you read more advanced books. Nearly all of our kingdom's famous books discuss topics like that, so be excited."
Maxi smiled. "I will."
"Hey, Techxin."
"Yeah."
"You're a great big brother."
Techxin smiled. "I know. And you know I always got your back, right?"
"Yeah," Maxi nodded.
"And I, as your big brother, am willing to do anything for you, Maxi," Techxin said with pride.
"Anything?" Maxi asked as he raised his eyebrow.
"Well, let's not go crazy. Anything within my capabilities and the bounds of reason," Techxin said, sweating slightly from the fear of the possibilities.
"Alright, alright, I won't go crazy, but I will for sure hold you to your word," Maxi said.
"You better," Techxin smirked.
Maxi and Techxin continued talking for a while, their conversation drifting from gods to battle techniques, before Techxin eventually left. Alone with his thoughts, Maxi nestled deeper into his mother's embrace. Sleep came slowly, but when it did, it swallowed him whole.
Darkness enveloped his vision, but something was different this time. Instead of the formless black void he usually fell into, he found himself standing in a castle—not his castle, but somewhere unfamiliar.
The stone floor beneath him was an unnatural deep red, almost pulsing like living flesh.
Maxi looked around, but all he could see was the floor; everything else was covered by the shadows.
After a few minutes, Maxi took a tentative step forward. Torches ignited one by one, their flames a pure, hellish crimson. They illuminated a long path leading to a massive, ancient door—one that seemed to be holding back something monstrous.
Maxi's breath hitched. He felt drawn to the door, as if an invisible force pulled at his very soul.
His legs moved on their own.
Step.
By step.
By step.
Minutes passed, yet he felt like he had barely traveled a second. When he finally reached the door, he looked up—and froze.
That symbol.
At the very top of the door was a three-eyed insignia—the exact same one that was on his right hand. The top eye stared straight ahead, unblinking. The right eye also faced forward, but the left eye—the left eye was misaligned, looking off to the side as if it refused to face the same direction as the others.
And below them?
A wide, jagged grin, filled with sharp, menacing teeth.
Maxi's chest tightened. He had never noticed this symbol before or just paid little attention to it. Had it always been there? Had he simply ignored it?
He then looked down at his right hand and saw it below his three-eyed symbol.
Maxi wondered which one of his gods it represented or symbolized.
Was it connected to the Demon King?
The Demon Queen?
Or… both?
It definitely didn't belong to the Outer God of Secretive Planning.
If this represented him, then, from what he could tell from that mysterious being, his smile would be more elusive and mysterious.
His smile wouldn't be like this.
It wouldn't be.
Big enough to show all his teeth.
It wouldn't be.
So shameless, so prideful, so full of itself.
It wouldn't be.
So confident that if it were to face the world, it would win.
His hands trembled as he reached for the door handle.
Then—hesitation.
Should I really open this?
The doubt was immediate, slamming into his mind like a tidal wave. What would happen if he didn't open it?
…Would he ever wake up in the real world again?
…Would he anger the god waiting beyond this door?
Maxi swallowed hard, his mind racing.
Then, finally—he exhaled.
And opened the door.
—
A blast of searing heat rushed out from behind him, forcing the door open with a deafening boom. Maxi stumbled forward slightly, almost losing his balance, his eyes widening as he took in the scene before him.
A throne room.
And on that throne—a figure.
The first thing Maxi noticed was his short, messy red hair.
The second thing—his eyes.
One eye held the gaze of a predator of predators, a being that only hunted the strongest.
They were colored a royal dragon gold that emitted the pride of wealth itself.
The other?
More demonic than anything Maxi had ever seen.
The man was shirtless, his muscular frame leaving no doubt of his sheer physical power. His six-pack was so defined, it looked like something carved from divine stone. Yet… strangely, he had a modern-day red hoodie tied around his waist. The fabric bore black symbols and words that Maxi didn't recognize.
His black baggy pants had pockets and straps, as if designed for utility over aesthetics. There were names of weapons written in some kind of gold on his straps, some written in languages Maxi could barely comprehend, that made his head hurt at even the thought of doing so.
But most striking of all?
The horns.
Two red-and-gray horns protruded from his head, curling slightly, their very presence radiating an overwhelming demonic majesty. The horns were a symbol of his royalty; they were his crown, and had the aura to prove it.
His skin, a mix of gray and white, seemed to shift under the crimson light, and his face looked young, like that of a teenager between 16 and 18, but his body said otherwise.
He sat lazily on his throne, one leg draped over the armrest while the other rested on the floor. His posture screamed dominance, yet also an air of indifference, as if the world itself was merely a game to him.
And surrounding him?
Thousands?
Thousands! of demons.
They stood in reverence, their power immense, each one strong enough to rival a god. And yet, they did not challenge the man on the throne.
They basked in his presence.
Then—they noticed Maxi.
Every single demon turned, their gazes piercing into his very soul.
A violent shiver ran down Maxi's spine.
Then—
The Demon King on the throne moved.
He raised a single hand—lazily.
And with a mere flick of his finger—
Maxi's body moved on its own.
He floated through the air, pulled toward the Demon King without resistance. The demons parted for him, making way as he drifted closer to the throne.
When he finally reached the Demon King—
He stopped.
Then, a gust of hot wind blew him into the air, and he was suspended in mid-air. Maxi found himself eye-to-eye with the monarch of demons.
Then—
The Demon King's lips moved.
But no sound came out.
Maxi sighed. Again.
Just like with the Veiled Man, he was being forced to read lips. But this time… it was easier.
Something had changed within him.
But it felt unnaturally forced, like a seed that desperately bloomed in a last attempt of saving itself.
But he pushed the feeling away for later as he focused—
And read:
"Sorry, kid. I didn't mean for our first… to be like that. But that ... pissed me off. So I wanted to… for using you, when ... I just wanted to show him ... But you're three-fourths of the way there, even though I did kinda ... but still ... no real harm done. But what I did also had consequences ... You won't be able to see her for a while ... or tap into my power ... she will hate me for that ... kind of — but what can you do? All you need… and that ritual, and you're set. But first, let me introduce myself … I am the Demon King of Pride."
As soon as Maxi finished reading—
A sharp pain shot through his head.
Maxi's mouth hung open in a silent scream as he felt as if repeatedly hit by an axe.
And that feeling he felt before of a desperate force seemed to amplify his pain tenfold.
He felt his body rapidly deteriorate as maggots rapidly began being born in his stomach.
It first felt like his stomach acid was burning them, but soon it felt as if there were way too many of them. In the next second, he felt like his stomach was bloating from how many there were.
Then,
they began to eat
through his stomach, through his muscles, and out his flesh.
It felt as if they had penetrated through multiple parts of his body: his eyes, his heart, his legs and arms.
At that moment, Maxi truly seemed to feel what it was like to rot.
All those sensations together, along with the splitting of his head, made him feel so much pain that his body couldn't even know where to begin to react,
leaving Maxi in a stunned state of organizing pain.
He shook, he trembled, his vision was blurry, his head twitched like a broken TV screen.
Maxi looked at the Demon King of Pride with what could be best described as a mix of regret and a broken smile of pure pain.
Maxi wasn't smiling because he wanted to.
No.
Something inside him was awakened as soon as he heard THE NAME of the GREAT FIGURE in front of him.
Maxi could not show pain in front of THIS GREAT KING, ESPECIALLY NOT IN HIS KINGDOM. NO.
MAXI'S PRIDE WOULD NOT ALLOW IT.
HE IS THE BLESSED OF THIS GOD.
HE IS THE TOOL OF THIS GOD.
AND THERE WAS NO FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE THAT WOULD MAKE HIM LOOK BAD IN FRONT OF HIS GOD.
IN FRONT OF THIS GREAT KING.
IN FRONT OF THIS DEFYER.
IN FRONT OF THIS GREAT.
IN FRONT OF THIS BEING OF PURE EXCELLENCE.
ESPECIALLY ON HIS FIRST IMPRESSION.
So he forced all the pain back with all his might,
and nearly dislocated his jaw to snap his mouth shut,
as he managed a single broken smile
and fought unconsciousness as he forced his body to perform a formal bow.
Maxi's vision was nothing but a circular linear path with the edges darkened by unconsciousness.
As he bowed, Maxi heard it.
A chuckle.
Crystal clear.
It was the first sound Maxi heard from this great being.
And surprisingly, it didn't cause him pain.
In fact, the opposite.
It strengthened his pride, giving him more strength to fight his pain back, making his bow more refined, making his smile less broken and more real.
As the Demon King of Pride's chuckle turned into laughter,
Maxi felt his pride and will growing stronger and stronger.
Maxi's pain became completely obsolete and non-existent.
Maxi's bow was immaculate—respectful and deep.
His smile was radiant and humble.
Maxi was now the perfect picture of a humble citizen who was meeting his king for the first time.
The Demon King smirked as he showed off all his teeth.
And Maxi saw it.
His teeth were sharper than anything Maxi had ever seen.
Sharper than Techxin's.
The Demon King of Pride extended his hands, and all the demons in the room immediately bowed.
Then the nobles spoke, all in unison, as if they had lost their individuality and become one hive mind:
"THE GREAT DEMON KING OF PRIDE is impressed with you. He says you have earned your right to formally declare yourself as his blessed."
Then all stare at Maxi expectantly.
Maxi paused for a few seconds as he didn't register what just happened.
Once he did, he chuckled at the madness of this scenario, but then slowly stood up with as much grace as a ribbon.
Maxi took a deep breath in and then smiled humbly as he declared, "Hello everyone, you may not know me, but you shall today."
The Demon King of Pride's smirk turned into a sharp-toothed smile.
Maxi's humble smile mimicked the Demon King's own as it turned into a confident, almost cocky smirk.
"My name is Maxi Blood, and I am the one and only blessed of His Majesty. Anyone who seeks to challenge my position, I humbly welcome them to come to the land of the living and face me personally."
The speech seemed to snap the demons out of their hive mind, as they all gasped at the audacity.
But right as they were about to start an upheaval,
the King raised his hand and put it to his finger.
Then,
in an instant,
quiet.
Silence.
The Demon King of Pride raised his hands in respect—
Then
He pointed downward.
Everything shattered.
The throne room exploded into fragments, breaking apart like glass.
Maxi was no longer floating.
He was falling.
Into an abyss.
And as he fell deeper into it, he felt the emotions he felt before—the strong sense of pride, the unbreakable confidence, and even the small shred of fear—be washed out of his body as he went deeper, leaving him more and more emotionless.
The void swallowed him, darkness stretching endlessly in every direction.
Then—
A spotlight.
It shone on the prestigious coffee table and book, the very same ones from before.
Maxi's heart pounded.
He was surprisingly close.
Maybe this time—maybe this time, he could finally see the rest of the book's cover.
He swam toward it, moving through the air as if pushing against invisible currents.
He was so close—
Then—
BOOM.
A sonic boom rattled his mind.
Shadow hands shot up from the abyss.
They moved at impossible speeds, reaching out with clawed fingers.
Maxi barely had time to process before they grabbed him—
And pulled him away.
He screamed in frustration.
"GOSH DANG IT!"
"I WAS SO CLOSE!"
—
Maxi's eyes snapped open.
His mother's face hovered over him, her expression one of pure relief.
As soon as she saw him awake, she pulled him into a tight hug.
Her voice was soft—filled with worry.
"I am so glad you're awake, my sweet baby boy."
She pulled back, cupping his cheeks with gentle hands.
"Are you okay?"
Maxi sighed, his mind still spinning from the dream.
"As good as I can be."