Maxi sat in silence for a moment, staring at his mother's worried face.
A strange, heavy feeling settled in his chest.
He had been so caught up in his own suffering, in the chaos of gods and demons, that he hadn't considered what all of this was doing to her.
What if it were his children?
What if his son or daughter were constantly harassed, bled from their eyes, and were forced into terrifying situations beyond their control?
He would be worried as all hell.
But there was a difference.
Maxi didn't know what was considered normal in this world.
For all he knew, it was common for children to go through such experiences. But even if that were true—
It wasn't fair.
And it wasn't right.
He clenched his fists.
He couldn't promise that he would never get caught in dangerous situations—because it wasn't his fault, and he didn't really have control over the situations. But at the very least...
He could try.
For his mother's sake.
For a fellow parent's sake.
He may not be a father anymore, but... he still hoped—no, prayed—that his kids were doing well.
Maxi shook off the thought and focused back on his mother.
He reached up, placing his small hand over hers. He sighed before gently lowering them from his cheeks.
"But overall, I'm fine, Mom."
His mother let out a relieved sigh.
"That's good to hear."
Then her expression shifted slightly.
"Your tutor, Tengen, told me everything that happened. I was so worried, Maxi."
Maxi raised an eyebrow. His voice turned suspicious.
"Oh, did he now? What exactly did he say?"
His mother noticed the change in his tone and hesitated for a second before speaking carefully.
"He said that while he was explaining something to you, your gods... didn't react to it very well."
Maxi's eyebrow lowered back to normal.
At least Tengen had told the truth—well, half of it.
"So, will he be able to teach me today?" Maxi asked.
His mother shook her head.
"No, he's busy. He has to handle the paperwork from the incident that just happened. Your father wasn't very happy."
Maxi sighed.
"You threatened him, didn't you?"
His mother gasped dramatically, placing a hand on her chest as if offended. She turned around, acting as though she had just been accused of a great crime.
A faint blush of guilt crept up her cheeks.
"Why, I never, Maxi Bloodheart! What kind of mother do you take me for? I will have you know that your father got angry out of his love for you and the goodness of his heart,"
she said, her voice filled with mock indignation.
Maxi struggled to hold back a laugh.
"Out of the goodness of his heart, Mother!? Mom, the first word my father said to me when I was born was 'pathetic.' How can a father like that possibly love me?"
His mother's face turned completely red.
She whipped around, looking guilty as charged.
"How do you even remember that?" she muttered, flustered.
She then sighed, crossing her arms and pouting.
"Okay, and so what if I demanded justice for you? Is that wrong? You're my only son! Personally, I think you deserve the best things out of everything in Pelody, not just because I am your mother, but because I love you to the four moons and back."
Maxi smirked.
"Even if my father doesn't agree?"
His mother's teasing smile returned. She reached forward and poked his nose.
"Especially if your father doesn't agree."
Maxi chuckled before stretching his arms.
"Well, if Tengen's busy, I'll just train with Techxin."
His mother gave him a knowing look.
"Oh, Techxin is busy too."
Maxi's smirk widened.
"Wait... does that mean I get to spend the rest of the day with you?"
His mother shook her head immediately.
"Nope. I'm your father's personal maid, remember? I have a lot of work to do. I was only able to sleep with you last night because I was worried and insisted heavily. But now, I have to go."
Maxi's smile faded slightly.
"So what do I do now?"
His mother tapped her chin before answering.
"Read your books. Or maybe get to know your maid. From what she's told me, you two don't talk much. Why don't you try getting to know her?"
She then stood up, brushing off her maid dress.
"But I really have to leave now. Bye-bye, sweetheart."
She leaned down, placed a quick kiss on his forehead, and then walked out the door.
But right as she was about to close the door, Maxi shouted,
"Wait, Mom! Your story—you still have to tell me your story. Please, at least tell me a brief summary of what happened when you were born."
The door stopped.
Then it opened again.
Maxi's mother sighed as she walked back in.
"You're so mean, not letting your mother go back to work."
Maxi chuckled.
"Sorry, Mom."
Maxi's mother walked back to Maxi and sat beside him.
"You're lucky I love you so much."
"I know, I know, I know," Maxi smiled.
Maxi's mother then pulled Maxi onto her lap, hugging him and pressing him against her chest.
"Okay, I can't really tell you when I was born due to my home planet having a different calendar, but just know I was born in a season where flowers bloom more frequently than they already do."
"I was born into a humble family. I was the only child. Your grandpa and grandma were farmers—wait, you probably don't even know what that is since we don't farm in Pelody."
Maxi's thoughts ran rampant.
Wait, they don't farm? Then how the hell do they get vegetables and fruits? I swear I've eaten vegetables at some point... or was that not a vegetable at all?
Maxi's mother continued.
"Farming is basically planting a seed in a controlled area so you can get foods like the greens on your plate."
Maxi smiled and played dumb.
"Oh, okay, so that's what that is. Why don't we farm, Mom?"
Maxi's mother chuckled.
"Well, technically we do—we just don't do it on Pelody. I don't know about the other kingdoms, but the way the Bloodheart and Blossoming families do things is that they have something called branch families, and each one of these branch families has different functions."
"They stay on planets and rule that planet as their home, but they also rule the planets around them so they can act as their secondary producers of their function."
"So if there's a branch family of farming, that branch family will be in charge of producing greens, and they will make the planets around them produce greens as well to help them."
"So my planet was near one of the branch families of farming. My mother and father were farmers, but they were also animal lovers, so we had a lot of pets—some big, some small. But for me, I grew up with this sweet little hydra my grandparents found when it was still a baby, so they gave it to me to imprint on. And it did."
"It was my favorite animal out of all the others, and funny enough, it taught me magic. Well, all the other animals taught me magic as well, but the main spells I use are ones I learned from it."
Maxi's mouth opened slightly.
"Wait, so the animal could talk?"
Maxi's mother laughed.
"No, silly! I learned how to do their magic spells by copying them and having them guide me as soon as they saw what I was doing. You see, the way monsters who use magic usually teach their young is by placing a hand on them and guiding the flow of it."
Maxi's jaw opened a little more.
Maxi's mother continued.
"Even though they tried to do the same with me, it didn't quite work because humans don't use Adrian magic. But eventually, through trial and error, I developed my own way of using it. Because I developed it with the animals' help, I was able to learn their magic spells more easily."
Maxi closed his mouth.
"Wow, so you can, like, spray acid blood and stuff?"
Maxi's mother's eyes widened.
"What? No—theoretically, yes, but no. Why would you think that?"
Maxi blinked twice.
"Isn't that what hydras do?"
Maxi's mother shook her head.
"No, not my hydra. Probably some hydras from the other kingdoms' universes."
"Okay, then what kind of hydra was yours?" Maxi asked curiously.
"Oh, she was a floral hydra, which was pretty common on my home planet. They cast plant-related spells like Living Vines, Sprinkling Fields, and Poison Thorns," Maxi's mother explained.
Maxi muttered,
"Cool."
Maxi then thought,
Wow, looks like I have a lot to look forward to if I ever get the chance to explore this world. It feels like the whole world is waiting for me to explore it.
Maxi then asked,
"Did your hydra have a name?"
"Nope."
"What!?" Maxi exclaimed.
Maxi's mother sighed as she explained.
"You see, eventually, when hydras reach a certain age, they have to leave you, and it happens randomly. Your grandparents didn't want me getting attached, then having it leave and causing a whole scene. I was a bit of a drama queen when I was young."
"So what did you do when it left?" Maxi asked.
"I cried in my room for a few days," Maxi's mother admitted with a blush.
"Oh, Mom," Maxi said as he stroked his mother's arm, trying to soothe her as if it had just happened.
"Oh, don't worry, my sweet angel—it happened a long, long time ago. And plus, after a few years, one of her children came to me," Maxi's mother said with a smile.
"That's amazing! Did you name that hydra?"
"Yes, his name was Lumain, and my gosh, was he a troublemaker. He was both a curse and a blessing. In fact, he's the only reason I managed to become best friends with Techxin's mom," Maxi's mother said.
Maxi's eyes went wide.
"Tell me more!"
Maxi's mother shook her head.
"Nope, nope. You already took up too much of my time. I have to go to work."
Maxi said, shocked,
"You can't leave me on a cliffhanger, Mama!"
"Unfortunately, I have to, Maxi," Maxi's mother said as she stood up with Maxi in her arms.
She then laid Maxi down on the bed as she rushed to the door.
"Bye-bye, my sweet angel."
Maxi watched her leave, then sighed.
Well.
Now what?
—
After taking a warm bath, Maxi changed into black pants and a simple white button-up shirt.
He walked over to his bookshelf and grabbed a book titled The Three Main Continents.
Might as well learn something useful while waiting for the day to pass.
Hours ticked by.
Just as Maxi was starting to lose himself in the book's complex geography and political structures, there was a knock on his door.
A familiar voice followed.
"Young... Master... can I come in?"
Maxi closed his book.
"Yeah, come in."
The door creaked open.
His maid stepped inside.
Her red hair was now curled, cascading gently over her shoulders. Her wolf ears were flat against her head, a clear sign of unease.
She gave him a small, hesitant smile—but there was still a faint shadow of yesterday's trauma in her eyes.
Maxi sighed.
He really should get to know her.
He didn't even know her name.
"Hey, maid," he said casually. "What's your name?"
She hesitated for a moment. Then, slowly, she answered:
"My name... is Angelina, Young Master."