Hana and Luna stopped by Max's shack later that evening and immediately treated it like it was already theirs.
Max didn't even question it.
In their past life—whether it had been Luna or Hana in control that day—self-control had never really been their strong suit. Not because they were careless, but because they had been restricted for so long. Watched. Controlled. Medicinally dulled.
In their own words, if you spent your whole life in a cage, you didn't politely step out when the door finally opened.
You ran.
Luna flopped onto the bed without hesitation, stretching out across it like she owned the place.
"Such a nice bed," she said dreamily. "Being able to create stuff like this must be amazing."
Max leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Not really."
She peeked at him, clearly unconvinced.
"It takes a ridiculous amount of magic to create things from nothing," Max explained. "Conversion is way easier. Reshaping existing matter, redirecting energy—that's manageable."
He rolled his shoulders slightly.
"Besides, my body's restricted right now."
That got their attention.
He let a small surge of power leak out—not enough to trigger alarms, but enough to reveal faint spectral chains wrapping around his arms, chest, and spine.
"I'd say most of my skills are capped at high C-rank at the moment," Max said. "The limiter just finished setting itself up about an hour ago."
Hana stared.
"…Damn. Already restricted?"
She clicked her tongue. "No fun."
"I would've done it anyway," Max replied calmly. "I don't want everything to be easy."
He paused, then added casually,
"And magic restrictions don't work on me the way they're supposed to."
Both girls looked at him.
"I can absorb almost any energy now," Max said. "Not perfectly. But enough. Then I convert it into magic."
He shrugged.
"So the chains are more like guidelines."
Hana grinned. "That's more like it."
Max grabbed a bag of chips, tossing one into his mouth as he knelt near the TV stand. He attached a small device—handmade, crude but effective—designed to store excess energy and convert it into electricity.
The screen flickered to life.
"Resource efficiency," Max said. "Camp generators are watched. This isn't."
Luna rolled onto her side, watching him fondly.
"Hey, Max," Hana said suddenly. "Do you have Rule Breaker?"
He froze for half a second.
"…You mean that weird oversized dagger that looks like it belongs in a ritual sacrifice?"
"The most powerful anti-magic Noble Phantasm in Fate," Hana clarified.
Max rubbed his chin. "I think so."
A golden shimmer appeared in the air beside him, light folding inward until a familiar blade dropped gently into his hand.
Hana took it reverently, eyes wide.
"You know," she said softly, "most monsters, gods, Titans—pretty much anything in this world—is made of magic."
She traced the dagger's edge without touching it.
"Best case, this completely destroys them. Worst case… it sends them straight to Tartarus."
"All with a single stab."
The room felt heavier.
Max took the blade back carefully and dismissed it.
"Yeah. That's exactly why I don't want that thing anywhere near us."
He frowned slightly.
"It can sever contracts. Break bindings between masters and servants."
His gaze flicked between the two girls.
"And with you two? With how your souls are linked?"
He shook his head.
"Not worth the risk."
Hana nodded, uncharacteristically serious.
"Fair."
Then she smiled again.
"You're still ridiculous, though."
She wrapped her arms around him suddenly.
"You're basically a walking weapon locker."
Max laughed quietly, hugging her back.
That was when the alarms started.
A sharp, metallic horn echoed across camp.
Max's expression shifted instantly.
He activated his electric sight, vision snapping outward.
At the edge of camp, just past the barrier, a boy lay unconscious—soaked, battered, alive by sheer stubbornness.
"…Percy," Max muttered.
"Damn," Luna said, hugging the oversized stuffed bear Max had made for her earlier. "We missed his fight."
She pouted slightly.
"I wanted to see if we could learn anything from it."
"It's fine," Max said calmly. "We've got a day or two before he wakes up."
He leaned back against the wall.
"And I've got some things to take care of with Luke anyway."
Hana tilted her head.
"Luke."
She frowned.
"He wasn't a bad guy in the end."
Then she smirked.
"Maybe we just… fix everything now?"
Max snorted.
"No."
She blinked.
"No?"
"Let things happen," Max said. "We didn't come here to speedrun the plot."
He turned on the TV, flipping through channels.
"We came for the adventure."
Luna smiled softly.
"Yeah… you're right."
Neither girl made any move to leave.
Max watched them settle in—Luna curled around the bear, Hana stretched across the bed—and sighed internally.
Guess I'm on the floor again.
He grabbed a blanket and lay down without complaint.
Honestly?
He didn't mind.
For the first time in any lifetime, everything felt… balanced.
The hero had arrived.
The story was about to begin.
And Max was finally in a position to watch—not just survive.
Which somehow felt far more dangerous.