Kapitel 16: Max's Situation
Darkness.
Everything was darkness.
Harry floated in the void, weightless, surrounded by a lightless expanse that stretched infinitely in all directions. He felt a strange detachment, as if he were drifting between sleep and waking, consciousness and oblivion. His mind struggled to focus, to grasp onto something—anything—familiar.
Then he saw them.
In the distance, two figures, just barely visible in the gloom. A man and a woman, their backs turned to him, slowly walking away. His heart lurched in his chest as recognition dawned.
"Dad! Mom!" Harry screamed, his voice echoing into the abyss. He tried to reach out, to call them back, but they continued moving away, their forms fading into the darkness.
"Wait! Don't go!"
The void around him began to collapse inward, the darkness pressing against him from all sides. Panic surged through his veins as his parents vanished completely, swallowed by the encroaching blackness.
"DAD!"
"MOM!"
"!"
And then, he woke up.
"Huf... Huff..."
Harry gasped for air, his chest heaving as he bolted upright. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear the haze from his mind. His heart was pounding, his breath coming in ragged, desperate gulps. As the remnants of the nightmare faded, he became aware of his surroundings.
He was lying on a hard surface, and as his vision focused, he noticed that his body seemed fine—miraculously healed from the injuries he'd sustained in the battle. No pain, no blood. Just a strange soreness, as if he'd been through an intense workout.
"Where...am I?" he muttered to himself, turning to his right.
"WOAH! Shoot!"
He nearly screamed in shock.
A face was inches away, staring directly at him with an unnerving intensity.
Harry's heart nearly leapt out of his chest as he scrambled back, clutching his chest in a desperate attempt to steady his racing heart.
"Y-you could've coughed at least, you idiot!" he blurted out, glaring at the figure.
The figure, a boy around his age with calm, unreadable eyes, tilted his head slightly. "Why should I do that?" he asked, his voice steady and indifferent.
Harry was dumbfounded, still catching his breath. "I—uh—never mind," he sighed, giving up on trying to make sense of the situation. He studied the boy more closely, his memory finally catching up to him. "Max… thank you for saving me back there," he said, his voice filled with genuine gratitude even though he wanted to give an earful to him.
Max nodded, his expression unchanged. "I had something to ask you, so you don't have to thank me."
Harry nodded slowly, trying to get his bearings. "Alright, but let's talk about what happened first, after I fainted, that is. And where are we right now?"
Max remained silent for a moment, his eyes scanning Harry's face. Then he spoke, his tone calm and straightforward. "I killed the monsters, and with the big man, carried you and the other injured to the other side where people were waiting. Then we entered here."
Harry listened, absorbing the brief but 'crucial' information.
'Is he doing this intentionally or just want to mess with me?'
Harry wasn't sure what to say next, so he sighed and thought to himself that he would hear everything from others later, in more detail.
'But, I got the most useful info with this.'
'That is... We are safe.'
He looked back at Max, taking in his appearance and the calm demeanor that seemed out of place in the chaotic aftermath.
'Haha, he has the demeanor of a protagonist no doubt!'
A smile crept onto Harry's face. "Alright, what did you want to ask?"
Max's face brightened slightly with a small smile of his own. "What is happening?"
"Eh?" Harry raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Not sure I understand what you're asking. I'm not really good with literature and stuff. Can you be more specific?"
Max's smile faded slightly, replaced by a look of genuine perplexity. "Alright, what is happening to me? To everyone? Why did that happen back then after you told me to press yes? Why did I appear at that place? Why did I go through all that? And why am I here now? And-"
"H-Hey, slow down, will you." Harry's smile faltered as he tried to process Max's questions. He wasn't entirely sure himself but decided to address them as best as he could. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'what is happening to everyone,' but I can tell you that we're safe now. As for why things went the way they did... I think that's something we'll need to figure out together."
"Eh, then... you don't know anything?" Max muttered in confusion and disappointment.
'This brat-!' Harry's lips twitched as he heard Max's words. Somehow, he felt his pride took a hit. "What do you mean I don't know anything? Although I'm not that good at academics, I am the best at this kind of fantasy and apocalypse stuff you know!"
Max's mood seemed to lift again, and he started asking questions one after another. "So, why did I appear in that place? Why did I fight with that monster? And-"
"Stop, stop, will you," Harry, feeling overwhelmed, raised a hand to halt the barrage. He looked at Max, taking in his curious, wide-eyed expression.
'Does he seriously not know? His common sense is also questionable... Wait... Could it be...'
"Hold on a minute," Harry said, focusing on Max, his expression and words. "What's your name?"
Max looked puzzled. "Max?"
Harry's gaze sharpened. "And what's my name?"
"You were Harry, right?" Max replied, still looking a bit confused.
'Why aren't you sure?' Harry's lips twitched again, but he pressed on. "Who are you?"
"What do you mean? I'm Max," the boy replied, his confusion evident.
'Calm down... He is just...'
Harry shook his hands, trying to clarify. "Do you know your last name? Where do you live? Who are your parents?"
Max looked bewildered, his face a mask of uncertainty. "Um... I don't know."
'Why are looking at me as if asking 'am I supposed to know'?'
Harry sighed, muttering to himself, "I seem to know what happened to you."
"You do? That's great!" Max's smile widened. "Tell me quickly."
"...You lost your memory," Harry said in a simple way.
Max stared at him, still confused. "Lost my memory? My memory?...Yes?"
"Yeah," Harry said, nodding. "It looks like you've got amnesia or something. That's why you don't remember details about yourself or anyone and anything else."
Max's eyes widened in realization. "Oh..."
'Why do you sound like a baby who discovered what their name is for the first time?' Harry muttered inwardly, watching as Max fell into a trance.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein