Cedric and Blocking

----------

My Dearest Uxas, the one so close to my heart and soul, 

I do not swing that way though~

If you are receiving this letter, it means that I am either dead, trapped indefinitely, trapped temporarily, or captured by someone or something. I cannot write any details as to what happened, but I set my messenger up with multiple safeties in case of anything, one of them being to deliver this letter to you if I was ever to meet you before going missing.

If you are the reason for me going missing, I swear I will haunt your wrinkly a*s till the end of time.

I repeat, I still do not swing that way~

Anyways, please offer a few drops of blood to my messenger every 2 days, else it will be forced to contact others. Since I last met you, my letter to them will contain your name in them, and they will come to you for answers one way or another.

If you want to live peacefully, since some of these people are not my friends, keep my messenger well fed so that my contract with it does not expire and I can use it to either send messages for rescue, escape, or just normally use it once I escape.

However, if you receive another letter from my messenger within 1 week, I request you to pack up your things and leave as soon as the letter arrives. Do not read the letter until you have left Tingen. Preferably go somewhere with a large population so it is harder to single you out and live your retired life there. Backlund might be a good idea.

And please, for the love of all that is sacred, and the horrors of all that is not sacred, do not go to find me or in search of me. I knew what I had signed up for, and was willing to take the risks. I will not bring you or yours in harm's way, ever again.

----------

"What are you reading in my room?" A shadow suddenly covered the light from the gas lamp, and Max turned around trying to hide the letter, knowing it was stupid and that the old man already knew there was something.

"Nothing."

"Give it to me Max."

"…Here." Hesitating for a moment, Max sighed and finally handed the opened letter to the old man, knowing nothing good could come from this. Still, he could not just not give it to him, since he already knew that the old man was a Beyonder, or at least had some characteristics of one. Plus, despite his old age, Max knew the old man would not only be able to kill him very easily, but given a proper sword, he should also be able to easily handle a recently advanced Sequence 9 Beyonder if they did not use guns.

This was just an estimation of the old man's power, but Max was pretty sure it was likely and even possible. After all, most of the Sequence 9, and in fact most Low Sequence Beyonders are not much different than humans, with just some extraordinary tricks up their sleeves.

It is only at the Mid Sequences that we see powers that utterly defy logic and affect the world around people directly instead of having to rely on tricks.

Old Man Uxas read through the paper and as he went lower, his hand began to tremble slightly. Max noticed his eyes were slowly turning read and he could see, under his neatly combed beard, his teeth were clenched.

However, after finished the letter, he just took a deep breath and threw it into the fireplace in the living room that was slowly turning into charcoal. Then he turned back to Max and said softly.

"Max, I know you might be worried, but fret not. Cedric will be fine… Cedric will be back. I am sure." 

The latter half of the old man's words were spoken rather softly, as though a butterfly were trying to speaking using nothing but its wings. Max noticed this, but there was nothing much he could do. However, he soon realised something as a thought struck him.

'If old man Uxas was to go in search of Cedric… I would also end up following behind the old man, or at best, hold back until I was strong enough to take revenge.'

It all depended on the extent to which his emotions controlled his actions. Sighing at this, Max came up with a plan and quickly recalled all his worst memories, no matter how much discomfort he felt, and looked up at the old man with tears in his eyes.

"Old Man, y- you won't leave me behind because of this right? I- I don't have anyone other than you left… W- Where will I go?"

Almost immediately, the train of thought that Old Man Uxas was thinking was broken as he recovered himself and looked over at Max, whose considerably grown face overlapped with a newborn child's and behind him, he saw her. 

The love of his life, and the one who chose her own death over giving away details on Uxas. The one who he had promised to be with till death, and death had indeed taken here away. But he knew, he would never be able to love another like he had loved her, in fact, he had even thought about joining her and his son in the kingdom of Evernight.

But Cedric had convinced him to live on. Saying it was what she would have wanted, somehow bringing him to Tingen to settle down in a café. Suddenly, he looked to the side and saw him. Cedric, his best made from the day they met at the alley as orphans, and battle brother, standing right beside him, patting him on the shoulder with a reassuring smile.

Immediately, any calm he had vanished as he swing his left palm to disperse the image of Cedric he had built in his mind.

'No! You are not Dead! Just you wait. I will find you!'

Max too noticed this burning passion that had replaced the despair, and he could only shake his head internally. His actions had not only failed to stop the old man, but also backfired and had caused the old man to be even more driven.

Old Man Uxas stood up immediately and left the room, heading to the common bathroom in the corridor before the living room, ignoring Max almost completely and before returning in new clothes. Max noticed he was wearing a black windbreaker similar to those that have been described in the novel as the ones worn by Nighthawks. He was also wearing a black buttoned shirt inside and black pants, as well as a black hat, not for fashion but to his most of his face from others.

The old man went ahead to his cupboard and opened it, still ignoring Max, before moving aside all his clothed until the back wall was visible.

Using his bare hands, he pushed one of the planks, causing it to pop out on the other side, and he pulled hard on it until it came out completely, repeating this 3 more times until a brown wooden box was visible on the inside.

After pulling it out and throwing it onto the ground since it was too heavy to lift normally for too long, the old man opened it using a key he had with him, and pulled out many knives and daggers, as well as a gun!

The old man indeed had a revolver with him as well as a good number of bullets. He carefully loaded the gun and made sure the parts of the gun were working before putting in away on his body under his windbreaker, and finally looking at the sword.

However, after a moment of staring at it, Old Max Uxas just closed the box and put it into his cupboard without locking anything.

Old Man Uxas turned around and began walking to the door, and finally, Max decided to ask him. Originally, he was just going to remain silent and allow the old man to leave, preventing him from ever falling into this mess by not knowing exactly who the Old Man was going to fight or where he was going.

Unfortunately, he knew he could not allow the old man to leave without giving him some clue to follow behind him in case he did not make it back and considering the old man did not take his Beyonder Sword, it was likely going to result in his eventual death.

"Old Man!" Max shouted as he rushed in front of the old man, blocking his path as thunder echoed behind him and a storm began to brew in the night sky of Tingen all of a sudden, a rather foreboding sign.