Chapter 499: Finally into the Seeker Rank

“Little Genius, you are all patched up,” the Witch of the North said with a faint, amused smile, the pink hue of the surreal world casting a soft glow on her shadowed face. She sipped her tea slowly, her sharp eyes flickering with a glint of satisfaction.

“Go on and do whatever you want from now on. But—” she raised one long finger, her voice turning serious, “if you ever feel anything strange—if your thoughts feel clouded, if you sense you’re not entirely yourself, or if anything feels even slightly off—you must come to me at all cost. Do you understand?”

Max gave a solemn nod, his expression calm but respectful.

“Good,” she said again, leaning back in her floating chair. “Now off you go. I’ve already wasted a week on you. I have other matters to take care of.” She waved her hand in an almost comically dismissive gesture.

Max gave a small nod but didn’t say much more. Instead, he turned to Lucien. “Let’s leave.”

Lucien nodded and floated beside him, placing a hand on Max’s shoulder. Before they left, he gave the witch a short glance. “I’ll see you later,” he said.

With a blink of light, both of them vanished from the strange, floating world, leaving behind only drifting furniture and soft silence.

The Witch of the North remained still, her teacup hovering before her untouched for the first time.

She gazed at the spot where Max had stood and muttered softly to herself, “Did I do the right thing?” Her voice trembled ever so slightly, almost lost in the quiet.

But then, as if catching herself in a moment of weakness, she shook her head with a bitter smile. “That girl is hell-bent on revenge… so the least I could do for her… is to keep her little brother alive.” Her eyes dimmed slightly, filled with weight far heavier than her playful demeanor ever showed.

***

Max and Lucien reappeared in the quiet room, but it didn’t take long for Max to realize something was off—Alice and Princess Lenavira were nowhere to be seen.

The space was empty, untouched, as if no one had ever been there.

Lucien let out a long sigh and slumped back onto his chair, stretching like someone who had just returned from a long, exhausting mission.

“Now you’re good,” he said, reaching over to grab his VR headset. “I need to play some games. You can go now.”

But Max didn’t move. His gaze remained fixed on Lucien, eyes calm but questioning. “What are you doing in the Lower Domain?” he asked in a low voice. “Why are you really here? In the elf kingdom? I know you—being a guardian of the elves can’t be your purpose. That’s not you. What’s your real goal here?”

Lucien, still half-turned toward his setup, paused for a moment before meeting Max’s eyes.

Then he shrugged with casual indifference. “To keep an eye on Mark,” he said plainly, “and the part of his soul trapped in the tower… that’s all.” With that, he leaned back and pulled the VR glasses over his face, clearly ending the conversation. “Now go away. I really need some refreshing of my own.”

Max stood there for a moment, his expression unreadable. Eventually, he let out a faint sigh, gave Lucien one last glance, and walked out of the room without another word. The door shut quietly behind him.

Alone in the corridor, Max glanced around before muttering under his breath, “Now where is Alice?” His voice held a mixture of curiosity and concern as he stepped further down the hallway.

However, he hadn’t gone far when he spotted two familiar figures walking toward him through the hallway bathed in soft elven glow—Alice and Princess Lenavira. The moment their eyes met his, Alice’s pace quickened.

“Max! You’re here!” she called out, her voice light with surprise and joy. Without hesitation, she sprinted toward him.

Max froze in place, momentarily stunned by what he was seeing. She looked different—ethereal, almost. A delicate crown made of intertwined branches and tiny blooming flowers sat gently upon her head, and her attire was nothing like her usual clothing.

It shimmered with a soft luster, draping her like the robes of the elves, elegant and flowing, enhancing her every movement with grace. She looked like she had walked straight out of a fairytale—like a fairy born from the forest.

“You look beautiful,” he suddenly blurted out, the words slipping from his mouth before he could even think to hold them back.

“I-I am?” Alice blinked, clearly stunned by the compliment, but her cheeks quickly flushed a soft red as a shy smile tugged at her lips.

“Yes,” Max said, smiling back at her, though somewhere deep inside, he noticed something strange. He could admire her beauty—he could acknowledge it, even say it aloud—but he didn’t feel anything. No butterflies, no warm rush, not even the light flutter of affection he used to know. Just a quiet stillness inside.

‘Is something wrong with me?’ he wondered to himself, the thought lingering as he continued to smile gently at her.

“You two didn’t even give it a second before you started flirting again,” Princess Lenavira chimed in with a smirk, arms crossed as she stood off to the side, her teasing tone cutting through the soft moment like a playful jab.

Max glanced at her and gave a helpless shrug, but said nothing, his gaze returning to Alice. “Let’s go,” he said instead, voice calm but firm. “I have a lot to talk about with you.”

Alice nodded quickly, her blush still lingering on her cheeks as she turned to Lenavira. “Big Sis Lena, I’ll be going for now,” she said warmly. “The past week… it’s been one of the best times of my life. Thank you for everything. I’ll see you at the tower.”

Lenavira nodded softly, her royal grace never faltering. “Don’t forget about me just because you’re with him now.”

“Big Sis Lena!” Alice’s face turned crimson, and she pouted adorably at the teasing remark, stamping her foot in mock frustration.

The three of them shared a brief moment of light laughter—one that softened the heaviness of everything they had all gone through recently.

Max, still silent, watched it all with a gentle smile, but inside, the hollowness remained—a strange, quiet void he couldn’t quite put into words.

Still, he extended his hand toward Alice, and without hesitation, she took it. Together, they walked off, leaving Lenavira behind, the faint echo of laughter still hanging in the air.

***

As they walked through the quiet paths of the Tower City, the night sky blanketed above them, dotted with stars that flickered gently, Max finally began to speak.

“I never told anyone this,” he said, his voice soft, almost hesitant. “But if I hadn’t fixed my soul problem… I wouldn’t be here. I was dying, Alice.”

Alice stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening. “What? Max… Why didn’t you tell me? All this time… you were just pretending to be okay?”

He turned toward her, the dim glow of the street lantern catching the sorrow in his eyes. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

“You idiot,” she said, her voice trembling. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”

Max managed a small smile. “I’m fine now. Really. It’s all over.”

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!