Maverick

After a few more moments of contented silence, enjoying each other's company and the hot waters of the pool, Lucian spoke up.

"So? Is it a good weird or a bad weird?" he asked, curiosity evident as he turned his gaze downward to look at Yue.

"Both," she replied.

Lucian raised his brows at Yue's words, not expecting this. Though, he did not dwell on it as Yue had already mentioned that she, too, did not understand.

Letting out a light breath, Lucian spoke, "Okay, princess, let's go. There is still much to do. We can always come back later," he said, undraping his arms from around Yue's slender body.

Yue seemed reluctant to move from Lucian's embrace, but understanding his words to be true, she relented and began to stand up, making room for Lucian to do the same.

Stepping out of the water and onto the stone floor of the porch, Lucian didn't even need to say anything before Yue used her magic to create a current of wind, drying their naked bodies.

"Thanks, princess," Lucian commented.

Although he had learned to use his magic well in terms of creating energy blasts, he was still quite behind compared to Yue, who could control the elements with ease.

Raising his hands to pull his messy long hair back, Lucian once again began to walk forward, heading towards the slightly smaller white and grey doors at the back of the mansion.

Yue gave a hum of acknowledgment to Lucian's words as she followed closely at his side.

Reaching the doors, Lucian turned the silver handle and walked in, greeted by an ornate medieval kitchen to their left. As he and Yue strolled down the large halls of the mansion, they observed the fancy architecture.

Small purple crystals served as lighting as they approached a grand set of stone stairs leading to the second floor and beyond.

"I am going to head to the third floor; the previous owner of this place left something here for me," Lucian said, his gaze turning to Yue by his side as he continued.

"Why don't you go find us some clothes and meet me up there when you're done?" Lucian offered, his hand moving to brush her smooth blonde hair.

Yue seemed reluctant to leave Lucian's side, even with the soothing caress of his hand on her head. But, she relented, saying, "Okay."

Lucian didn't care either way, but he thought it more practical to divide and conquer. Though, a small, devilishly handsome smile played on his features as Yue obeyed him.

"Good~," he said, patting Yue's head as he began to walk up the stairs, the soft, almost nonexistent sound of his footsteps ringing out as he did so.

Yue wore a small smile at Lucian's head pat, accompanied by his praising voice, as she stared at his retreating back before heading off to look for clothes.

...

Lucian casually strolled down the third floor of the elaborately decorated halls of the mansion, a quiet, high-pitched tune leaving his lips as he whistled a song that no one from this world would ever recognize.

Though his casual stroll came to an end as he stopped whistling, and his gaze settled upon the metal purple and gold doors at the end of the hallway. They opened to reveal a large, darkened throne room.

As Lucian took his first step into the room, the dim crystals that adorned the walls began to emit a purple glow, illuminating the room and providing better sight of the skeleton dressed in a black suit seated upon a gold throne.

'And in the anime, they portray you as a humble man...' Lucian thought amusedly as he took in the sight.

"Did you wait long, old man?" Lucian joked, shifting his gaze down to the complex red magical circle that stained the stone floor just before his feet.

Taking a few steps, Lucian began to walk towards the center of the circle. The magical circle itself seemed to react on instinct as he reached its epicenter, glowing a bright, blinding red before dimming slightly as a blue translucent man appeared where the skeleton sat.

The man appeared to be young compared to his dead skeletal counterpart, with gentle, feminine features and a long, slender build. He wore black-rimmed glasses and had shoulder-length black hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Hey there, mind hurrying this up? I know you want to tell me a bedtime story or whatever, but I just want your magic, and I'll leave," Lucian said, waving his hand at the hologram, even if he knew it could not see or hear him.

After a few moments of deafening silence, as the hologram of the dead maverick and Lucian stood there staring at each other... Well, Lucian staring at the hologram. The man finally spoke up.

"Greetings, my name is Oscar Orcus, the man who built this labyrinth. Congratulations on surviving my trials. I assume the term 'maverick' is familiar to you?" Oscar said, unblinking, as he stared straight ahead at the center of the magical circle.

"It was easy, really. And yeah, you mean the guys who hid from Ehit? I know of them," Lucian replied, finding it surprisingly easy to answer questions from a person who wasn't real.

"I have no doubt you have many questions. Unfortunately, what you are seeing is only a recording. So, I'm afraid your queries must go unanswered. Instead, I wish to impart an important truth, a truth about the history of this war-torn world. One that inspired myself and others like me to stand up and fight for what we believed was right," Oscar continued, oblivious to Lucian's mocking words.

Lucian held up a hand, shaking his head from side to side. "Please don't, really. I'm good," he said, already knowing what was about to be forcefully implanted inside his mind. 

"I don't know who you are or what circumstances led you to pit yourself against my labyrinth. But you fought hard and came far. And so, I shall grant you my power. You may do with it whatever you see fit," Oscar said, with a slight pause in his words before continuing.

"I make but one request: that you not use what you gain from me for evil," he added, another pause in his words as his recording seemed to be contemplating something.

Lucian let out a slight scoff at his words. "Evil shmivl. I do what I want, when I want," Lucian declared, not caring one bit about the request.

He was already dead anyway? Not that him being alive would change anything in Lucian's eyes.

"That's all I have to say; you'll understand more soon enough. May you remain resilient, and may your destiny always be yours to control," Oscar said, his blue translucent form already beginning to fade out of existence before fully disappearing.

"Argh..." Lucian grunted as a sudden surge of memories rushed through him. However, almost as if someone had hit a pause button on a remote, they stopped, and he was sucked into a new scenario.

A world of green stretched out before him, foggy, almost like a vision of a far-off land. Flowers of every imaginable color dotted the greenery, with trees so healthy and tall they seemed to pierce the sky.

At the epicenter of his vision lay a brick house that appeared to be interwoven with the surrounding nature. Lucian's focus, however, seemed to be on the woman sitting in an intricately carved wooden chair on the porch outside the house.

Her celestial blue eyes seemed to lock with Lucian's, a gentle, almost knowing smile playing on her breathtaking face. Long snow-white hair gracefully flowed down her back and over the chair she sat in, resembling a river. Even the loose-fitting white dress that she wore did little to hide the ample curves of her body.

'This is not a part of the script...' Lucian thought, confused.

Lucian felt an odd sense of familiarity as he laid his eyes upon the woman, yet he could not remember her, no matter how hard he tried. Just a lingering feeling that he knew her.

Just as Lucian was about to take a step forward towards the woman, the vision began to fade like a distant memory. The green hue of the grass faded to gray, along with the vibrancy of the flowers and everything else in the world, before it turned to nothingness.