Maxi ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. His mother was too overprotective. He understood that she cared, that she wanted to keep him safe, but she was holding him back from something he should have received long ago. He knew he was fragile, but that didn't mean he was weak.
IT DID.
But even so, that wasn't the point. If he waited five more years, he'd be far behind the other children, especially in combat.
Tangen's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"You know… You should what you should do. You should go march up to your mother and confront her about why she didn't allow you to have your blessing powers. Your not weak."
Maxi slowly nodded. "Yeah, I am not."
"Dang straight. Your strong, strong enough to lift this table, flip that chair, and still have enough energy to lift some weights, and your telling your not strong?" Tengen shouted.
"Hell no, I am strong!" Maxi shouted back at Tengen.
"Your strong enough to do that!" Tengen shouted.
"I AM STRONG ENOUGH TO AWAKEN MY BLESSING!" MAXI SCREAMED, as all logic went down the wind.
"OH YEAH!"
"YEAH!!"
"OH YEAH!!!"
"YEAH!!!!"
"OH YEAH!!!!!"
"YEAH!!!!!!"
As the two lunatex screamed at each other, Maxi's maid stared in shock at how fast the scenario escalated.
"SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT HUH? ARE GOING TO GO CONRONT YOUR MOM!"
"HELL YEAH!!!"
"ARE YOU GOING TO TELL THAT YOU DESERVED YOUR BLESSING POWERS!"
"HELL YEAH!!!"
"THEN GO DO SO!"
Maxi's desire for power and lingering masculinety from his past life clouded his reasoning. Without hesitation, he nodded.
"YEAH! I'll go straight to my mother, tell her to her face that I want to awaken blessing and get my powers now. Thank you, human book."
Maxi didn't even bother correcting himself on the 'human book' comment. He just barged through the door and rushed out with nothing but adrenaline and hype ruining thought his vains.
Maxi maid's eyes slowly withdrew from Maxi's retreating form to look at Tengen as he laughed.
She narrowed her eyes at him with a look that borrowed on hatred but lingered in the feeling of annoyance, but it linger because there wasn't hatred. No, it lingered because of fear.
She managed to mutter through her shaky voice, "your junk."
"Oh don't be like that. I was just not in the mood to answer any more, so I just set him off on a little side question, and besides-"
"-becomered to what your going to be doing, this is just stating stars infrount of a baby. What your going to be doing is stabbing it." Tengen chuckled.
Maxi's maid greeted her teeth as she looked down, unable or unwilling to meet his eyes. She didn't dare to stare at the truth.
"And watch how you talk to me. I don't take insults lightly. Even thought I do like jokes, I would recommend make fun of your—" Tengen laughed.
It echoed through the room, mocking her.
"HY MAID CAN YOU PLEASE GO GET MY MOTHER FOR ME!" Maxi shouted from far away.
"Yes... Master Maxi," Maxi's maid muttered.
She then quickly left the room.
Tangen hardee as he clapped his hands together delight.
---
The scene cut
to
Maxi kneeling, clutching the hem of his mother's royal maid dress.
It seemed his confidence had disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
His mother looked down at him, shaking her head in embarrassment as Maxi's maid stood behind Maxi.
"Mother, please! Let me awaken my blessing," Maxi begged.
His mother sighed and responded in a soft but resolute voice,
"I won't say it again, Maxi. No. You are too young."
Maxi's eyes narrowed as he pulled out his side.
He be barredhis face in her dress as he pouted and said, "Just say it. Say that I'm weak."
A flicker of sadness crossed his mother's face. Before Maxi could react, she picked him up, cradling him in her arms. She lifted him higher, pressing his small body against her face. Her voice became even softer.
"That's not it. I just don't want to see you get hurt. That ritual… It's very painful. I went through it myself."
Maxi let out a small, unwilling giggle at her warmth. Despite his frustration, her love was undeniable.
"If you went through it, then I can too. You know that, right?"
She nodded. "I know… but can you please wait for me?"
She kissed his forehead gently. Maxi's face flushed, and he hesitated before reluctantly saying,
"Just a few more years if want to make sure your ready. Okay?" she said.
"Okay."
A bright smile spread across his mother's face. She suddenly tossed him into the air before catching him again, making him laugh.
"Thank you."
As she set him down,
"Now, was that the only thing you wanted to talk to me about?" his mother asked.
"Pretty much," Maxi said.
Maxi's mother then chanted, "asmodate hasihta herita Pelody clock."
As she chanted, she made a hand sigh. She had two fingers pointing up somewhere. Each hand was raised; one was high, then the other.
She then swing her fingers downwards until they passed each other.
She then made a sigh of reserving pease, which in quick succession turn into the in two fingers pose again, but with her hands now lower and her fingers pointing up where they started.
This series of motions happen in such haste and grace that Maxi could bearly keep up, but he managed in the end.
A burst of brown, white, and yellow brust out before the space infrount of Maxi mother imploded. The brown light seemed to have turned into a a guy's of over laying colors that framed the the cracked space behind it in a circle.
The white light seemed to have tuned to thin white pillers. They appear lossesly in the passes Maxi mother's fingers started from and cossed over while chatting.
The yellow light seemed to have turned into stars dotted around the frame of the colored brown gas.
Maxi was in aw as he just watch the lights slowly build it's self into something, revealing a clock with it's inside broke.
Maxi mother shaped her hand as the white pillars span around rapped in a furious pace.
To the point it started to alumante the room.
A few seconds later, the pillers stopped, with the long one pointing at the bottom and the shorter one pointing at left corner.
Maxi mother nodded with a smile as she then made a shu gester.
The thin biller of light, the brown colorful gas, and the yellow stars got sucked into the broken space.
The broken space then fixed it's self.
"Looks like I have a few minutes to spear. Is there anything you want to talk to me about or ask me, Maxi?"
Maxi jaw was still a gape. He shook his head slightly to snap himself back to reality. "I..I would like to take about what you just did, but I feel like we don't have enough time for that."
His mother chuckled as she shook her head. "Unfortunately, my sweet angel, no."
"Okay, understandable. Let me think," Maxi said.
Maxi mother smiled. "How about we sit down?"
Maxi mother then chanted as hmshe made hand sighs.
She made a peaceful hand sigh as she then drew in the air.
"Vines."
It seemed like she was chanting a wau easer magic spell then the last one.
Vines then grew from under her feet as they slowly wrapped around each other to form a chair.
She then sat down on the chair as she picked up Maxi and placed him on her lap.
Maxi adjusted himself on his mother's lap.
Maxi then thought of an idea.
"Hy mother, you know how i been reading books?"
"Yes, I know. It's have been buying those books since the day you could read," she said.
"Yeah," Maxi said as he side eyed his maid with a smirk. "Anyway, I just had the thought I never asked you about your story."
Matter of fact, maxi related he asked about anyone's story in his previous life. It kinda made him sad now that he thought about he didn't know what the people he loved so much went through, nore did he care to ask.
He didn't know what made the people he loved so much themselves.
But he would chang that now. He ask people, and if they were willing answer, then he would.
And he would start with his mother.
Maxi mother was a little surprised. "Oh, my story?"
She went quite for a well. "Well, if you really want to know, then I may as well tell you. It all started, well not in Pelody, but in the universe of the Blossoming kingdom on a planet call Gravaina."
"The Blossoming kingdom's universe?" Maxi said, shocked.
"Oh, your tutor mast have not told you yet. Do you know about the 9 main kingdoms on Pelody?" Maxi mother asked.
"Aaaaa. Vaguely. I heard mentions or references in my books, but nothing more then that," Maxi said.
"Okay, then I don't need to waste time explaining the nine main kingdoms. Your tutor should be teaching you about that soon anyways. All you need to know for now is that I lived in a universe governed by the Blossoming kingdom."
"The Blossoming kingdom rules a whole universe?" Maxi shouted in shock.
Maxi mother nodded. "Each one of the nine main kingdoms do, well except for one."
Maxi eyes raised slightly. "Okay, okay. I need to focus. Let's get back to your story. But my gosh, how much power does it take to rule a whole universe?"
Maxi mother sighed. "Alot, my sweet angel, but I am sure you, when you awaken your blessing, you will have so much power that you will rule over a whole galaxy."
She then chuckled as she squeezed Maxi into a tight hug.
"But as you said, lets not get back yo the story—"
"-The interesting thing about the Blossoming kingdom universe is that one of the rules is that each planet must be named after the most beautiful planet they have, and for my birth planet it was the Gravaina, and let me tell it sure did earn the honor—"
Maxi's mother was interrupted by the door of the room as it opened, revealing Techxin standing there.
"Oh, there you are, Maxi. Time for training."
Techxin grinned sharply. His sharp teeth made the smile look more like a predator bearing its fangs. He waved. "Hey, Auntie Ray."
Maxi's mother sighed, gently nudging Maxi forward. "Don't worry, my sweet angel, we can finish off this story next promise."
Maxi sighed. "Okay then, it's a promise."
With no other choice, he followed Techxin to the training grounds.
As soon as they exited the door, Techxin grabbed Maxi's arm and dashed off at full speed, dragging him along.
Maxi barely had time to process his disappointment. That went nowhere. But he knew his mother would eventually cave. His mother from his past life always did—no matter how bad a parent she was. Maybe this mother would do the same. Or maybe… that was just a trait of bad parents.
He shrugged as they arrived at the training grounds.
Maxi yanked himself free from Techxin's grip and went to pick up a leather chest plate, a bow, and some arrows. Techxin grinned, selecting his usual wooden sword and axe.
"Okay, you remember the drill, right?" Techxin said.
"Yeah, how could I forgot? You only tell everyday we have training," Maxi said, testing his string.
"Okay, but before we start, I don't want to get shouted at again, so from now on one strick to beat the opponent," Techxin said.
"Okay, that sounds fair." Maxi smiled as he thought, "Perfect, looks like my plan is in order. He doesn't suspect a thing."
They both took their stances.
Maxi loaded an arrow and fired.
Techxin deflected it with ease and dashed forward.
Maxi suddenly lunged toward him, catching him off guard. Techxin tried to stop, but Maxi jumped again right as he was about to stop, as he kicked and jumped again using Techxin's own neck as a springboard.
Techxin choked on his spit as Maxi soared through the air, pulling back another arrow mid-flight.
With perfect accuracy, he shot Techxin in the exact spot he had just kicked off of.
Techxin collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. His hands clutched his throat as he wheezed, struggling to regain his breath.
Maxi landed smoothly, sliding slightly as a cloud of dust formed around his feet. He placed a hand on his hip, watching Techxin struggle.
Techxin finally took a deep breath, then screamed, "What the in the first hell was that?!"
Maxi smirked.
"My plan."
Techxin staggered to his feet, still rubbing his throat.
"What kind of five-year-old thinks of a plan like that?!"
Maxi pointed to himself.
"Me."
Techxin coughed as he finally managed to catch his breath.
"Wait… when in the 1000 spiraling hells did you have time to think of that? And so fast?"
Maxi grinned.
"I made sure to talk to my mom somewhere you had the least likely chance of finding me. I then used that time to think of a plan to finally defeat you, and once I finally had time to think, it really wasn't that hard. I just had to do something you would least expect, which is act more aggressively."
He paused, realizing something. His mind and thoughts moved faster than they had in his past life. Was this another effect of his new body? If so… his body wasn't as useless as he thought. And why was he only realizing this now...? Maybe it was because it finally felt the ecstasy of success.
Techxin scowled with some kind of crazy joyful grin. "How on the 1000 spiraling hells did you come up with all that so fast? Wait, it's gotta be your passive blessing."
Maxi blinked. "I never thought of that."
Techxin burst into laughter. "That's surprising."
Maxi chuckled. "It surprised me too. Oh, by the way—I win."
Techxin's grin faltered. "Wait. That's not fair."
Maxi wagged a finger. "Nope. Those were our rules. If I hit you once, so I win"
Techxin groaned, rubbing his neck. "Fine, fine. You win. No excuses."
Maxi smiled. "Wow, that is the quickest fight we ever had, and that's the first time I ever won. It kinda lackluster, but I guess not every great achievement needs an equally great moment"
This had been the first time in Maxi's life that he won against Techxin. So Maxi felt a hint of pride at that moment, which made his eyes shine ever so slightly despite the anti climax.
For the rest of the evening, Techxin guided Maxi through basic exercises. By the end of it, Maxi was drenched in sweat.
---
That night, Maxi entered his room, took a long bath, and changed into his white night pajamas.
On his nightstand sat a tray of food—vegetables, fish soup, rice, and small green seeds that resembled walnuts.
He smiled as he sat on his bed, placing the tray on his lap. Taking a sip of the fish soup, he was immediately met with a bitter taste. But as he swallowed, the bitterness melted into something savory and delectable.
Maxi's smile widened. This was his mother's cooking.
Her food always started bitter before transforming into something heavenly. It was like going from hell to earth to heaven in a single bite.
As he finished his meal, he set the tray aside and lay down, feeling warm inside.
He thanked his mother for the food.
Then, with a peaceful smile, Maxi drifted off to sleep.