He roamed around the moonlight forest, and since he always made sure to be careful with whatever he might bump into, he took his time stepping through the trees. They were elegant things, standing tall and looking so relaxing to be near – every single time his fingers brushed against their bark he felt composed right away, like the tree itself was some kind of calming presence that'd make sure you stayed steady and at peace.
After walking on for a good while, he spotted a small house tucked right in the middle of all the woods. From how it was built, with twisted branches for frames and glowing moss along the walls, it seemed like it'd be an elf's safe spot to hide away from whatever lay outside.
"Huh..."
He was curious for sure, but more than that he wanted to know what kind of challenges this so-called 'Moonlight Forest' might put in his path during his adventures. So he started making his way toward the house slow and quiet – only to suddenly have a lightning-fast beam shoot past his right ear before he could even react.
It cut clean through the invincibility that his mighty sword Eia was supposed to grant him. Maximus crumpled to his knees, clutching his ear as sharp pain shot through his head. And what was worse – the wound wasn't healing like it normally would.
"AHHHH!!!!"
Maximus screamed out loud, his voice echoing far and wide through every corner of the forest until it faded into the rustling leaves and quiet night air.
Once he'd managed to calm himself down just a little, still holding his bleeding ear tight against his palm, he noticed someone standing far off in the distance. The figure looked like an elf – but not the kind you'd see wandering regular woods. This one carried himself different, with a stiffness that said he was always on guard.
But then Maximus realized something he should have noticed the moment he hit the ground.
His back felt way lighter than it had been before.
"Huh?..."
The elf girl he'd been carrying on his back ever since they fell down that waterfall was completely gone. No trace of her anywhere around him.
He tensed up all over, his worry spiking so high he could barely think straight. All he could focus on was what might have happened to her after he'd collapsed like that.
Just then the man started walking closer, his face cautious and his eyes locked onto Maximus with a glare that could cut through stone.
Maximus forced himself to stand his ground even as his head spun from pain. He fumbled into his sack and pulled out the Regeneration orb he'd been keeping there, holding it close to his injured ear. A warm glow seeped into his skin, and little by little the wound started to knit itself back together – soon enough he felt better, more composed than he had a minute ago.
But before he could say a word, the elf spoke first.
"Who are you?... intruder?"
Maximus was about to answer, but he needed just a second longer to let the last of the pain fade away from his ear. That silence must have set the elf off though, because he suddenly shouted out.
"SPEAK!"
Maximus jolted a little at the sudden outburst, then found his voice and spoke up.
"I am no intruder... i haven't got any bad thoughts about doing anything to this forest or whoever lives here..."
The figure just stood there where he was, his eyes scanning Maximus up and down like he was checking every little detail to see if he was lying.
"...Your not an elf."
Without another word he summoned a spear out of thin air, pointing the sharp tip right at Maximus's neck – so close it was almost touching his adam's apple.
"Hey now... can't we just talk for a bit so we can clear up whatever misunderstanding there is here?"
"..."
The elf kept the spear held steady against him, his breathing calm and even like this was something he did every day. After a long moment though, he slowly pulled the weapon away from Maximus's throat.
"...Fine, what is it you want to say?"
Maximus let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding, relief washing over his face. He pushed himself fully up from the ground and looked the elf straight in the eye as he spoke.
"I really mean no harm to this place. I guess i am an intruder in a way, since i just fell here out of nowhere and didn't mean to come. But i swear to you... that i – am not here to do any kind of vile or hurtful thing."
The person standing in front of him seemed to calm down after that, and Maximus could tell he was using some kind of skill to look into him – because after a few seconds the elf nodded like he'd found what he was looking for. He'd seen that Maximus was just a regular human, not strong enough to even scratch someone like him.
"I see. Tell me your name then."
"My name is Maximus. Truth is i don't have any idea what i'm supposed to do here, staying in this really unusual forest full of stars..."
As he said it, a tiny star drifted down from the dark sky above and landed right on top of his head. The moment it touched him, warm energy spread through his whole body – he was suddenly granted full regenerative traits that fixed every little ache and mark he'd had. All his exhaustion was gone in an instant, like it'd never been there at all.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this way. Before he knew it he realized how different he was – he wasn't hungry anymore, every bit of tiredness had vanished, and even the worry that had been weighing on him was just... gone.
"...What, kind of forest... is this place even?"
Maximus asked the figure, his voice full of wonder now instead of fear.
"..."
The man paused where he stood, his eyes drifting up to look at the starry canopy above them before he finally started speaking again.
"This is the Moonlight Forest – like you'd probably guess from the sign that's posted at the entrance if you'd come here the normal way. It's a forest where all kinds of abilities, buffs, traits... even things that should be impossible become real. And no, this isn't some kind of dream you'll wake up from."
Maximus thought for a second, then asked another question that had been bugging him since the beam had hit him.
"How did you get past the immunity...?"
"...What immunity are you talking about?"
The elf said, and Maximus reached down to grab the handle of his sword, pulling it partway out of its sheath so the other man could see it.
"This one..."
"..."
The elf's eyes fixed on the sword, studying it closely and running his gaze over every curve and line of the blade. After a while of just looking, it became clear to him that it was...