A diamond hidden within the gray line

Chapter 63: Chilling words, thunderous vengeance and digging deeper.

Narration/15 minutes earlier.

The koopalings, junior, mike, marx, kamek and bowser all follow max as he slowly walks down the stairs. Mike could sense that something was very wrong, and he didn't even need to use aura for that! "Does he have to walk so slow?!" Wendy asked impatiently. "You would too if you were in his place. Especially when i witnessed the aftermath of his nightmare which apparently is connected with what's happening right now." Ludwig hissed at wendy. "You knew?" Morton asked. "What happened..?" Lemmy asked. "Do you really think now is the best time to be asking these questions?" Bowser asked them in a agitated and stern manner which immediately stopped them from asking anything else.

-Bowser pov-

Never once have i seen max look like that during that night...seeing him all pale, shaking, and blubbering that way...and then he says something about burning bodies...was he talking about the guys he killed? It pains to know that his innocence has likely been destroyed...although..i doubt it's completely gone. I would like to hope that's the case...

-Mike pov-

Nightmare...oh, i remember the nightmares i had...it's too bad that i don't know any pokemon who know the move dream eater...that would've been so helpful back then...it took me nearly two years for me to recover emotionally to the point that i could be able to anything. Hm..those were the days before i met max. When i did meet him, he had just jumped out of tree...right in front of me and i uh..freaked out a bit to the point of flailing and almost shocked him in retaliation.

During that time, i could barely use aura and...it's ultimately because of my mom. She was able to use it with such ease that it baffled me, but for dad..it was his lifesaver. She had just begun to teach me before that day. With her, it would've been easier for me to learn to use aura. Since then, i had to learn on my own and while i'm gradually getting better at using it, training myself to use is intensely hard. On the other hand, max appears to be on a different level even though he was never taught. He's able to sense me on his first day with bowser and the koopalings with ease and i still don't know how that's possible...

-Morton pov-

I'm just floored at how max never said anything about having a nightmare...which somehow leads to this! What, did he somehow see the future? Hm..i doubt that...otherwise, he would have said something!

-Ludwig pov-

Had this been just an ordinary nightmare, i wouldn't have cared as much. However, i could tell that this wasn't ordinary...and so did kooky. In fact, he's been on edge ever since max's explained that something is here....knowing how that he's actually from the ancient past, i cannot help but wonder...how is it that he's my alter ego?

-Narration-

They finally reach the bottom floor as a hammer bro and two koopatrol all look on in nervous curiosity while bowser looks on from the bottom of the stairs. He didn't like how he felt very uneasy in the castle he's made his home for over three decades. They all saw max look back at them for a moment before he goes inside the morgue and all they could do was wait. "What could possibly be in there besides fawful's body?" Ludwig asked while crossing his arms. "Hell if i know. That room hasn't been used much anyway." Roy mutters. "You don't think we was scared to go in there, right?" Larry asked.

"Of course he's not scared!" Junior quickly answered. "He is...his aura reeks of it, yet he went inside anyway." Tyson replied. "I think you should all be prepared." Marx suddenly says before anyone could respond to tyson. "For what?" Morton asked. "Well..for the big cheese." Marx simply says. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Wendy asked in annoyance. "Unless marx did something, there's no 'big cheese' to worry about!" Iggy says, wanting to believe nothing is wrong. "I don't know..max sounded serious about it..." Lemmy says worriedly. "Yes...it's something i'm not use to..." Kamek commented. "Me? Oh, my dear friend...this is far beyond my doing." Marx says in creepily serious voice that quickly unnerved even tyson.