The Veilwalker

He ended there, allowing it to sink in.

Alex suddenly had a lot to think about. While he had survived the cosmic mana wave and its displacement, he had no intention of experiencing that again, there was no way to know if he\'d survive again. Of course, the fact that he drew power from the Origin space didn\'t change that.

All of this was a lot to take in. Suddenly being exposed to all this was too much. He needed time to think things through. Naturally, he had some doubts, but so far, his own experience told him that there might be some truth to his words.

He felt like sitting on the floor at this point, but he still needed to keep his guard up. A few seconds later, he asked, "So, are you guys going to abduct me or something?"

Max laughed a bit at his words. He understood where his concerns came from. Even if that was the case, Alex was not ready. The only reason they approached him now was to confirm their theory.

"Oh no. not at all. Things on our part will be confusing now, but you will come to understand them in time.

On that note, there is one more thing I must do to conclude our conversation." He said and suddenly he got serious and disappeared from where he stood.

Alex quickly became alert and prepared for the imminent attack.

Max appeared in front and above Alex with a clenched fist covered in orange lightning. Alex could feel the power behind the incoming attack. He did not wait around to find out and quickly jumped backwards.

BOOM!

The explosive power of his attack created a crater several metres deep and wide, the ripples caused the ground to crack all over, spreading in all directions. Even with such an attack, Alex knew he was holding back.

The power of a Class F awakened was enough to destroy a small mountain!

\'But why suddenly attack?!\' His mind raced several times per second, but just as Max mentioned, nothing made sense. It was in his best interest to fight back if he didn\'t want to get hurt.

"Fight back, Alex. We know you\'ve never gone all out before. I\'m here to gauge your exact level. And use your light ability." Max stated, getting out of the small crater.

Alex breathed in and let to get his bearings. \'He\'s right. This might also give me the chance to test out my ability and get a bit of revenge for this whole mess.\'

He looked at his right palm and then Max. He quickly manifested a long metallic-looking staff, about 2 metres in length and waved it around before getting into a fighting stance. He had studied how to use multiple weapons, and due to his fast learning, he mastered a few. However, his personal favourite was the polearm.

The moment Alex manifested his staff, Max could feel the dangerous vibe coming off the staff. It reminded him of the void creatures he had faced before, but he could also tell Alex\'s own was purer. \'Is this another change that came with his experience?\' he wondered. As someone who had fought void creatures, he understood the dangerous power Alex wielded.

Alex noticed the change in his expression and took advantage of his momentary surprise and closed the gap in an instant, his staff\'s end closing in on Max\'s face.

Naturally, Max saw everything and responded promptly, he dodged the staff and stepped back to make room, but Alex didn\'t allow him to do so. He quickly followed, attempting to hit him just once.

Max evaded every attack with graceful movements as they moved around the area at insane speeds. To an ordinary observer, they would only appear as blurs.

Alex could not touch him, despite pressing his \'advantage\'. \'Tch! He\'s still moving faster than I can.\'

Max then created a wide gap after some time, briefly pausing the fight. He keenly observed Alex\'s weapon with a bit of dread. Every time his staff whooshed past him; the aura of his energy created a paralyzing effect. If he hadn\'t been stronger and faster than he was, he would have been injured by now.

After weighing his choices, he decided to parry Alex\'s attacks. Part of his mission was to test all aspects of his strength. He also created a staff of lightning. The crackling sound it made resonated in the quiet space.

"Let\'s continue, shall we?" he waved his staff around and invited Alex to attack.

A moment later, the duo clashed at the centre.

BOOM!

The force of their clash generated a strong gale, the ground beneath their feet cracked under the intensity of their power. The speeds only seemed to have increased as they whizzed around.

In a few seconds, they had exchanged several attacks, but Max had the upper hand. He could overpower him, but that would be the exact opposite of what he wanted.

\'His strength has already reached the low tier of Class E!\' He was surprised by the power Alex displayed. Once had to know, Max had deduced his level earlier, putting him at the initial stages of a Class F awakened.

\'Amazing! Even in this situation, his skills are still improving! What the heck is with this kid?!\' Surprised was an understatement of what he was witnessing. The being he was fighting didn\'t make sense just like their organization.

\'Tch. This is getting no way!\' Alex was becoming frustrated as the fight prolonged. He accepted the fact that Max was stronger, but he just wanted to test out the effect his ability had on people.

After several minutes of back and forth and practically destroying the area around them, even collapsing some of the buildings the shockwaves of their attacks caused, Alex began to notice his stamina reducing, and the amount of energy he could draw was also reducing. His level as a Class F awakened became a hindrance.

Cracks began to appear on his staff, something Max noticed. "I\'ve seen enough, Alex. You\'re amazing." He said with a smile as Alex\'s staff became weaker and weaker.

"We\'ll meet again. And don\'t worry, no harm will come to your family and friends." Max assured with a kind smile, like an instructor bidding farewell to his student.

After his words, he quickly smashed Alex\'s staff into pieces that turned into motes of light and closed the gap to deliver a powerful blow to the back of his neck, knocking him out.

\'…\'

Max silently looked at the boy now passed out on the ground, letting out a small sigh.

"Come out and let\'s get this over with." He exclaimed.