Max: What do you mean...??
Knightley just snickered again, and this was getting on his nerves. Max slammed the table losing his cool.
Max: Stop laughing!!
Knightley: My, my. You clearly are him, but like....way immature!
Max took a huge breath in and sat back down. He breathed out, calming his anger and annoyance with the old lady.
Max: Fine...can you tell me anything...or not?
Knightley's eyes widened. And she had a tiny smile in her face. She was clearly surprised about his sudden change in behaviour.
Knightley: Okay...since you asked nicely....the man you saw, didn't really exist there...treat it more like a vision.
Max nodded. He did sort of put together that the angel-like man was in fact unreal. The fact that he had the same type of eyes, that Albert had mentioned was an unique feature of the incarnations.
Max: So...who was that guy...? Who was that in the vision?
Albert interrupted him, with his own answer.
Albert: I'm pretty sure she just stated it. That what you saw was the vision of the first Avatar of the God of Perseverance.
Max: No, I KNOW that!! I wanna know why I can see him. Care to explain, Miss Knightley...?
Knightley suddenly burst out laughing. She started rolling on the floor. It was highly comical and something odd and none of them had ever seen a person do something like that.
Sachika: Yo, granny. You okay???
Knightley: Yeah...yeah...I'm fine...it's just...no one has called me that...for a very long time. Brought me memories.
Albert: Someone called you that....
Max: Let me guess...it was the First Avatar, the Silent Angel...?
Knightley: Nope. Not at all! Silent Angel was mute. He can't speak. Why do you think he was called the "Silent" Angel??
Max: Come on!! How am I supposed to know that??
Knightley started laughing again, but for some reason Max felt pain in her laugh. Like a longing for something. He also felt a strange kind of friendship. A vibe only he could sense.
Sachika: Wait...you are telling me that the literal incarnation of God...was MUTE??!?! HOW is that possible??
Knightley responded to her query with a smirk.
Knightley: Well, every incarnation of God has have had some sort of disability with them, when they are born...
Max was confused with that response.
Max: Is that true...?
Albert: I guess...my Master, the Ninth Avatar, was a dwarf-sized human...not larger than her...
Max: Ohh..
Knightley: Oh your master was the Ninth?? Man...I never got to meet him!!
Hershel butted in to the topic for the first time. Being an android, he barely had personal interests.
Hershel: You wish to have met him....implying you have met other incarnations? Am I right?
Knightley: You are indeed right to assume that....whatever you are. I have met...two...no, THREE other Avatars.
She then looked at Max and smiled.
Knightley: You are the fourth one!
But Max still had other things occupying his mind.
Max: Wait, every one of us had disabilities??? What is mine??
Albert: A brain disability maybe..?
Max immediately punched Albert's knee, causing him pain. Max was annoyed.
Max: I'm not stupid!
Sachika: You sure?
Max: You guys have literally known me for less than a week. And you literally met me today!!!
Sachika just laughed at him, and even Albert smiled. For Albert, this was the first time in years, for him to be actually happy.
Soon they heard a soft thud on the table. They turned to see Knightley hold a deck of cards and setting it up on the table.
Knightley: Wanna have some tarot card reading done, Maximus Augilleris Steefan?
Max: Wait, you know my name??
Knightley: I can see through YOU.
Knightley pointed at her green glowing eyes.
Knightley: We Ameliorates are often granted single powers, dubbed Factors. They work like Blessings, if you know what it means...
Max: Ya I know what that is...but Factors?
Knightley: Think of it like...fake Blessings. I recieved a Factor from my Maker, which allows me the power of clairvoyance. I can see truths. But only when it's visible to me.
Sachika: Wow...that's actually cool!!!
Albert asked her about his suspicions.
Albert: Why are you, an Ameliorate, helping us?
Knightley: I was one of the first ever Ameliorates made! Right in that Tower. But you see....I'm a failure, as I can actually age...so I was cast away a long time ago. I've been pretty chill with humans since then..
Hershel: You can age in the sense...?
Knightley: I can age...not all of the Ameliorates can. They stay the age they were made in. I for one, am still immortal until if I'm killed, but I still keep rotting despite being unable to die..
Albert: That's just...sad...
Albert sympathized with her for some reason. Max was still pre-occupied with his thoughts.
Max: Wait! If you can see the truths, can you see where my family is????!??!
Knightley: I'm afraid I can't do that unless I have your family in front of me. Which is not something you can do, because you want me to find them in the first place!
Max was saddened by this revelation. He finally thought he found a reason, a pathway to them all. But it sucked.
Sachika: So..your powers are just...telepathy??
Knightley: Nah. There is a difference between my ability and telepathy. I can see objective truths, not thoughts!
Sachika: Okay....I can't understand that anyway.
Max lowered his head, still kind of hurt, knowing his hope had been demolished. Knightley took notice of this and tapped his arm. Max raised his head to look at her.
Knightley: It might not be much, but do you want me to look into your future..?
Albert: You can do that??
Knightley: Well, I lived for almost two thousand years. It's a technique I learnt. But it's not a definitive prediction. My cards will show what his future will look like. Atleast hints to it.
Max just nodded at her.
Max: Please do!!
Knightley pulled out their cards, and surprisingly these "tarot cards" had nothing on them.
Sachika: Hey, they are all blank. What??
Knightley: That's my specialty!! My tarot cards will reveal themsleves when I'm done!
Max just simply waited for her to do what she could. Knightley waved her hand and did a ritualistic pose and slowly set three cards in front of Max on the table, face-down. She then joined her palms together, into a praying mode. Her eyes started glowing. And then she was done.
She slowly removed the card on the left. It had the picture of a stylized version of the number 66.
Max: Okay...what does that even mean..?
Knightley: Something huge...is going to happen in 66 days...its the prediction of the near future. This was the farthest I could see...
She slowly moved to the next card- the middle one and opened it. It showed the picture of a man in robes with a clock.
Knightley: I don't understand. The second closest encounter in your future will be with....this Time God??
Max gulped. He remembered Mr. Time from a few days ago. He remembered that he did give the statement about when God would take over his body. It was something he couldn't remmeber. He didn't know why, but he couldn't remember the exact number of days left, but he wondered if it was 66.
Since he wasn't talking she opened the last card on the table. And it showed the symbol of a Christian cross, but stylized. It was an odd symbol, and the cross was covered in thorns, like the thorns from rose bushes.
Sachika: What does that mean.
Knightley: This is his nearest future. Something to do with Thorn. A person named Thorn. They are going to destroy your lives.....
Knightley had a look of pure terror, as if the tarot reading itself ensnared her.
Hershel: Thorn? I remember someone who introduced me with that name...-
Albert and Max: Ruby....Thorne!!