the cozy shack on the field

Max gets off the horse.

Max looks at the old house falling into pieces in front of him. the house that has become a refuge to him. the house is in the middle of nowhere, close to a field.

"the hotel wasn't safe anymore. this is our home now, while I try to find a way out of this mess."

said Max with a smile.

Alice isn't sure anymore if he is good or bad. she doesn't even know if she is a prisoner or a captive ally to him.

Alice gets off the horse. she walks towards the house. she stops and turns around. Alice looks at Max, who is standing in the middle of the field looking at a flower.

"are you playing cute or innocent? I mean, at this point is better for you to be your usual self. that is more realistic and less gross."

said Alice.

Max doesn't answer. he kneels. he touches the flower carefully trying to not hurt it. he feels this deep adoration for the flower. he just wants to take his vengeance and then to see, to see what comes after on life.

a man with no deep wishes nor goals. a man with nothing but revenge keeping him alive, that is what he is. that is what his life is meant to be.

"is there anything that you regret."

"not killing you, not always. only when you are annoying."

"I am been serious. is there anything that you regret, from your past before coming here."

"I don't think so. even when my lover betrayed me, I can't deny how happy I was at her side... well probably the only thing I regret is, not going to prison for actually killing someone. and the name of that someone has to be, Jason."

"so, I don't care for a vile dog like you, but out of curiosity. with how many woman had you shared your chambers?"

"before my fiancee, I was what is classified as a player. once I fell for her, I never touched any other woman. after I, after they send me to prison, the first woman I touched after so long was that lady on the restaurant."

"so is she your girlfriend now? I mean, a good dog doesn't drag innocent people to his problems. that is just wrong."

"no, I don't think I will ever be able to trust nor love, not ever again. I don't think I have the heart nor the tolerance, to accept those feelings. the only reason why I tell you all this, is because I felt the need to talk to someone. don't take it personal, because I am not here to be your friend nor for you to be my therapist."

Alice goes inside of the house. Max stays on the field alone.

after some minutes, Max goes back inside of the house with Ramiro behind of him. Ramiro says hello to Alice. she is at first scare of him. he looks like a criminal.

"nothing personal, but I am better than my appearance. I am a good guy. also it is thanks to me that Maxwell didn't kill you."

said Ramiro with a smile.

Alice looks at Max expecting an explanation. Max reminds her of how Ramiro helped them. she kind of apologized to him while insulting him. Alice has a angel like laughter.

"that girl is a devil on lamb clothing."

said Ramiro trembling while feeling shivers.

Ramiro puts his hands on his pockets. he takes some chocolates. he gives the chocolates to Alice. he tells her that he always carries candy for the kids. Ramiro feels sadness when he realized that he use the words 'for the kids.'

Alice is looking at the chocolates. she eats one. she didn't know about such a delicious candy. she loves it and she eats all the chocolate.

chocolate doesn't exist in this world. the way to get it is by buying it to merchants who can legally travel to Eartho. for political reasons only few merchants have the authority to travel to other worlds. they can only travel to get merchandise from other worlds like for example chocolate.

Ramiro with pride explains that the chocolates are originally from Mexico. he also explains that the name on Nahuatl (the native language.) means dirty water. he tells her that it is believe that it was really sacred for the natives.

Alice asks for more chocolate. she just ignored the whole explanation. she is a princess, and as such she must be treated. she takes more chocolate from Ramiro. she smiles. she eats some, and she keeps some.

Max sits down. he puts a cigar on his mouth. he closes his eyes as he thinks of the old days. there is nothing interesting to do while he is running away from the kings. even when many will feel bored, Max feels happy with the little peace he has now days.

"after the mission Ms. Moon went missing. and Raku, the quiet punk has become even more sinister looking than he did before. that Logan boss, he is a pain of Godly levels."

Max liked the information that is given to him. now he knows that Logan is a chaos as a boss. what he was told was good enough to guess that Logan doesn't have the control of his people.

Alice goes to her room. before she closes the door she yields explaining that if any of them tries to enter on her room without her permission, it will end with his castration. then she slams the door.

Max and Ramiro are left alone. Ramiro takes a mug of beer. he drinks as he tries to quench his thirst. he has to leave soon or they may suspect of him.

"before I go. please stay away from places with any kind of population. you are walking at the moment on a thin line that can cost you your life."

said Ramiro in a serious tone.

he takes a beer. he puts a hat on and then he leaves.

Max is left alone. he thinks about the contract that he signed. Max goes outside on the field. he kneels in front of a flower. it starts to rain. he stays in there even when the rain becomes even more aggressive. he doesn't move. he doesn't change his posture.

Alice walks out of the shack. she walks towards him. she asks him for the reason why he doesn't move. she kneels in front of him. she is worry as she asks him to go back inside.

"I can't be inside. I feel in there like in a cage. is here where freedom becomes mine."

the rain is cold and heavy. Max looks at her. his gaze is the gaze of a savage animal who has been trapped for too long and it is finally free.

there is emptiness and solitude on the eyes of the beast to which she is looking at. she wants to say or do something for him. she wants to tell him that he isn't alone.

Alice has felt lonely and empty her whole life. she knows that her dad loved her, but he was never there for her. the reason why she was so mean to everyone was because, she wanted the attention of her dad.

Alice slaps Max. she tells him that everything is going to be alright. she tells him that he doesn't have to worry too much. she tells him that together they will overcome this living hell in which they are.

"thanks. I feel better now with you. I hated you at first, but now I see you as a tiny little cousin. you are really becoming someone who I may respect."

"stop talking you boring and lame old man."

"you little punk, I am not old at all. I am just mature."

Max stands up. he looks at the sky. he walks inside of the shack. he closes the door. Max takes most of his clothes off. he goes to the bathroom to take a bath.

Alice stays outside feeling confuse. she tries to get inside, but the door is lock. she angrily punches the door. she starts to kick the door. she screams and keeps hitting the door. she yields and curses Max in different languages.

inside of the shack; as Max is washing his body, he listens to Alice's screams. he looks at some scissors. with them he cuts his hair short and he starts cutting his beard. he looks at himself on the mirror, he looks so much different from before.

"oh fuck, I think I left the little beast outside by accident."

said Max to himself.

after about twenty minutes Max finally opens the door. Alice was thinking about killing him, but she was shocked by how much he chances with a proper haircut.

"sir, on this past few days I believed that you were an old man. the you before was probably of my dad's age, the actual you is young enough."

said Alice with a cheerful smile.

Max touches his freshly shaved face. he is a man on his mid-thirties, but now he barely looks to be thirty. he just notice that he forgot to put a shirt on.

Alice is having naughty ideas. she looks at the muscles and face of that man. he is just her type. she starts to tell herself that he is a killer and the worst of all, he is the killer of her own dad. she turns around.

"I know that you are full of anger for what I did. I know that on your eyes, I am nothing less of a murderer. I am the man who took the life of your father. I am a vile killer. I am a beast, and you know what? you are right, I am all of that. but I want to help you. not because that is the right thing to do, but because I made a promise to a friend."

said Max looking down at the floor.

Alice goes to her room.

Max takes a beer. he opens it, he starts to drink. then he takes another beer. he keeps drinking like that for some time. he finally stops when he looks at the empty bottles of beer at his feet. he looks at the nothingness for some hours. he stays in there without moving.

Max stands up. he uses the window to look outside. he notices that it is nighttime. he goes back to the chair in which he has been sitting.

Max stands up again. he walks outside of the shack. he looks at the stars and the moon. he lies down on the ground. he can feel the breeze of the air.

.....

on a land far from Martyrium Kingdom. King Thurstan Cromwell is having a meeting with Logan Cromwell. with them are other powerful people who either are on friendly terms with Thurstan, or they hate the Martyrium Kingdom.

for Logan this isn't personal, it is more for fun or to help his brother than anything else. is Thurstan who feels hatred towards the former King Bradley Manley and his children.

"the assassin did his job, but there is a problem. the ring wasn't on the body. I believed that someone took the ring when everyone was distracted for the performance."

said Logan loud & clear.

Logan may be the brother of a king, but on the eyes of the other nobles that are taking part on this meeting, on their eyes Logan is nothing. he is a commoner with power. the only thing left for him to do, is to show respect.

"did you took care of this assassin?"

said someone hiding on the darkness of the room.

Logan looks at this person. he kneels as he is unable to say anything else. all the nobles are talking to each other. there are some disturbing whispers. finally after they all are done talking. there is a new job for Logan. Thurstan asks him to take care of the assassin. he orders him to kill Maxwell and to recover the crowned ring.