Max woke up in an empty forest.
No camp.
No shack.
No Luna curled beside him on the couch, half-asleep and stealing the blanket.
Just tall trees, cold air, and the distant hum of unfamiliar energy.
He sat up slowly, rubbing his temples.
"…How the hell did I get here?"
The last thing he remembered was watching TV with Luna while Hana had already fallen asleep. Nothing strange. No alarms. No magic backlash.
Which meant one thing.
Someone else had moved him.
Max didn't panic.
Instead, he activated his energy sight.
The world peeled back.
Five energy signatures lit up immediately—not human. Too dense. Too refined. Their outlines glowed faintly through the trees.
Two were unmistakably female.
The other three were… harder to place.
"…Wait," Max muttered. "Why does this formation feel familiar?"
The answer came at him in the form of lightning.
A massive bolt tore through the forest, slamming directly into his chest.
Max didn't even flinch.
His body reacted on instinct, absorbing the electricity like it was oxygen filling his lungs. The excess energy flowed through him, stabilized, and vanished.
"…Sorry," Max said calmly. "That doesn't work on me."
He paused.
"…Wait. I'm starting to think."
A blur rushed him from the shadows.
A small figure with white hair and golden eyes.
Koneko.
Her fist flew toward his ribs.
Max stepped back just in time, narrowly avoiding the punch as the ground cracked where he had stood.
"Oh," Max said, dodging another strike. "It's you guys."
A sphere of crimson energy screamed past his head, detonating against a cluster of trees and vaporizing them instantly.
"…Destruction magic," Max muttered. "That means—"
Steel flashed.
A blade skimmed his shoulder as Kiba joined the assault, sword moving faster than a human eye could track.
In his sealed state, Max was starting to feel it.
Dodging was harder.
Reacting took effort.
Still, he didn't draw a weapon.
Anything above C-rank would break the limiter.
Instead, Max fought defensively—redirecting strikes, knocking attacks aside, pushing rather than harming.
He noticed something else too.
Every injury he caused healed almost instantly.
"…They already have Asia?" Max thought. "How?"
The realization annoyed him more than the attacks.
After several minutes, Max exhaled slowly.
"…Alright. I'm bored."
Shadows surged from the ground.
Tendrils wrapped around each attacker in an instant, freezing them in place and pulling them toward him. The forest went silent except for the crackle of fading energy.
Max blinked when he finally saw them clearly.
Rias Gremory.
Akeno Himejima.
Up close, the difference between expectation and reality was… jarring.
"…Wow," Max muttered. "Pictures really don't do you justice."
He shook his head and focused.
"Okay," he said calmly. "Why did you attack me? And how did I even get here?"
Rias shifted uncomfortably against the shadow bindings.
"Well… to be honest…"
"A girl named Luna met us," she continued. "She told us about you."
Max sighed.
"…Of course she did."
"It was her idea to test you," Rias admitted.
"Oh, I figured," Max said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about the shadows."
He released them immediately.
Akeno stretched deliberately as soon as she was free, wings flickering into existence for just a moment.
"I was told my magic wouldn't work on you," she said teasingly. "But I didn't exactly believe it."
Max averted his eyes.
"Yeah. That tracks."
Koneko clenched and unclenched her fist.
"…I didn't feel like you were holding back."
"I wasn't," Max replied gently. "You're strong. Luna told me about you."
He studied her more closely, eyes glowing faintly.
"But what do you sense when you look at me?"
Koneko hesitated.
"…I don't know."
Max couldn't tell if she truly didn't sense anything—or if she was hiding something.
He let it go.
"So," Max said, shifting topics, "why are you here? You're not usually in the States."
Rias nodded.
"We have… personal problems."
Then her expression hardened slightly.
"But mostly because of rumors. World-ending events tied to this region."
"A Sacred Gear confirmed it," she added. "Back home."
Max winced.
"…Yeah. That tracks."
He crossed his arms.
"I'm working on that."
They stared at him.
"But," Max continued, "I don't think you're strong enough for what's coming."
He spoke without arrogance—just certainty.
"Titans. Giants. Gods. Multiple apocalyptic scenarios stacked on top of each other."
He looked at Rias.
"And you've got your own mess to deal with."
Akeno's smile faded slightly.
"Fallen angels," Max added. "Corrupt church factions. Political pressure."
He shrugged.
"I'd recommend going home."
Akeno exchanged a look with Rias.
"…If what you're saying is true, that does sound like the smart choice."
"But it'll take a few days to arrange," Akeno added.
Max nodded.
"Luna can help. She's absurdly gifted with spatial magic."
He pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Rias.
"This is my number. Call if you need help."
He smiled faintly.
"I can handle most things."
Rias accepted it.
"…Thank you."
Then she laughed softly.
"You're not as perverted as Luna said you were."
Max opened his mouth to protest—
And they vanished.
The forest was silent again.
Max stared at the empty space.
"…Really?" he said flatly. "No ride back?"
He sighed and started walking.
"My snacks better still be there," he muttered. "I will be upset."
Then, quieter:
"Wish I got a Sacred Gear. But I don't think I'm human anymore, so that's probably off the table."
A voice echoed behind him.
"Hello, Master."
Max froze.
Slowly, he turned.
"…Oh," he said. "That's new."