Max joined the sword training grounds early the next morning, well before most campers had fully shaken off sleep. The air was cool, the kind that made breathing feel clean and sharp. A few other campers were already there, sparring lazily or stretching as the sun climbed higher.
He chose a pair of wooden practice blades instead of real weapons. It was safer that way. Less chance of slipping up and showing something he shouldn't.
As he moved, Max felt it again—that overwhelming flood of knowledge resting just beneath the surface of his mind.
"Wow," he muttered under his breath as he swung. "So many fighting styles."
Each movement felt familiar. Too familiar.
Sword forms from dozens—no, hundreds—of Servants layered over one another. Techniques refined across eras, cultures, and battlefields. Saber-class footwork. Lancer spacing. Assassin precision. Berserker brute force held in careful check.
"All the abilities and combat knowledge of every Servant in Fate," Max murmured. "Just… sitting in my head."
He adjusted his stance and swung again, letting instinct guide him.
"So fun," he added quietly.
He made sure his movements stayed reasonable. Skilled, but not impossible. Strong, but not monstrous. He forced himself to hesitate, to misstep occasionally, even though correcting those mistakes felt unnatural.
Control mattered more than power right now.
As he moved through another practice form, something brushed against his senses.
A whisper.
Faint. Almost nothing.
He frowned slightly, slowing his swing.
Then suddenly—
His body locked up.
Max froze mid-motion, muscles refusing to respond. His grip tightened involuntarily around the wooden blade as his breath caught in his throat.
"What—?" he tried to say, but even his voice wouldn't come out.
Panic flared for a split second before he forced himself to breathe.
Not an attack, he realized. This feels… familiar.
From the corner of his eye, he saw someone approaching.
Hana.
She walked toward him casually, hands behind her back, a soft smile on her face. To anyone else, she looked like a normal camper strolling past the training grounds.
To Max, she looked dangerous.
He activated his energy sight—the same one Cole McGrath once had.
Instantly, the world shifted.
Hana's body lit up with flowing energy, but what caught his attention was deeper. Inside her bones. Inside her marrow.
A dense cluster of power pulsed there, spreading outward like branching lightning veins.
Dragon blood, Max realized. Actively circulating.
As Hana drew closer, the pressure holding him eased.
Control snapped back into place.
Max exhaled sharply and lowered his blade, turning toward her with a raised eyebrow.
"So," he said dryly, "you made the deal."
Hana stopped in front of him, rocking slightly on her heels. "Yep."
"That must've hurt," Max continued. "Using an Iris Message and boosting Charm Speak through it."
She shrugged. "Less painful than I expected."
Max studied her carefully. "You were smart about it. Boosted just enough. No brute force."
Hana smiled proudly. "I took precautions."
She tapped her chest lightly. "I can already use summoning magic now. And more importantly—"
She leaned closer. "I've got affinity for lightning, light, fire, and shadow magic."
Max blinked. "…Already?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Way more useful than Issei was at this point."
Max snorted. "That's not even fair."
"I can't try holy magic yet," Hana added thoughtfully. "Pretty sure it'd burn me from the inside out."
She shrugged. "Worth testing later."
Max shook his head in disbelief. "Still… pulling that off through an Iris Message is impressive. Even watered down, it's not something most people could do."
He paused. "And once your dragon blood fully stabilizes with your angel and devil sides…"
He let out a low whistle. "Normal monsters and demigods won't stand a chance."
Hana beamed, clearly pleased. "That's the idea."
Max sat down on the edge of the training platform, resting the wooden blade beside him.
Before he could say anything else, Hana spoke again.
"Oh, by the way," she said casually, "Luna teleported out."
Max stiffened. "She what?"
"She went to meet the Occult Club herself," Hana added. "She couldn't wait."
Max immediately choked on his water.
He coughed violently as liquid spilled down his shirt, electricity reacting instinctively and zapping through the fabric.
"Shit—!" he hissed.
The shock didn't hurt much, but it was dangerous. The last thing he needed was someone assuming he was related to Zeus.
Technically, he was more like an anti-Zeus, but explaining that would not go well.
"Great," Max muttered as he wiped down his now slightly singed shirt. "So they're all going to know about me before I even meet them."
Hana laughed. "Probably."
She leaned in teasingly. "Hope that's not a problem. Because if you can't get your powers under control, you won't be able to take a bath with us."
She smirked. "And that would seriously mess with the real-life fan service you get from having two gorgeous girls."
Max snorted. "That's one hell of an incentive."
He cracked his neck and stood. "I'll manage. Might take practice."
He grinned. "But after motivation like that? No way I don't."
A few hours later, Luna returned.
She didn't bother easing into it.
She nearly tackled Max to the ground the moment she saw him.
"Oof—!" Max barely managed to keep his footing as he caught her.
Luckily, it didn't draw much attention. To anyone watching, it just looked like an overly affectionate reunion.
"I missed you," Luna said simply, clinging to him.
"You were gone for, like, half a day," Max replied.
"Too long," she countered.
They regrouped afterward, eating together at the pavilion. Max experimented quietly, testing skills that wouldn't draw attention.
Minor reinforcement spells. Passive enhancements. Tactical awareness.
He was stunned by the sheer scope of what he could do.
Not to mention the authority and abilities tied to the seventy-two Devil Families—each one offering unique traits, contracts, and influence.
It was overwhelming.
Luna watched him closely.
"Don't rush," she said softly. "Enjoy this."
She smiled. "The unbeatable overpowered characters are always boring."
She squeezed his hand. "You don't need to prove anything."
Max looked around the camp. The sky. The people.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "You're right."
Even if eyes were on him now… even if rumors spread…
He didn't care anymore.
He wasn't alone.
And for the first time in a long while, that was enough.
[Author: Im back and should post in the next day or two the next chapter. Hope you enjoy. Percy is coming soon]