Reincarnated As The Side Character

Maxwell and Gladiolus were out back in the training area behind Sidgroth's house. The space felt calm and quiet, but Maxwell's thoughts were anything but. He decided to take it easy with the training, knowing he'd only just recovered. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to focus, his mind kept drifting back to his new power and the memories of his past life.

Energy absorption. The words echoed in his head, bringing with them more questions than answers.

As Maxwell swung his mace absentmindedly, his thoughts drifted to an old memory. He remembered the strange device he had messed with when he was younger, a runic tablet that displayed numbers. At the time, he hadn't fully understood its meaning, but he realized those numbers represented a person's battle power.

One detail stood out, he could remember he had the ability to adjust numbers, increasing or decreasing someone's battle power.

With a loud crack, Maxwell's mace collided with the wooden training dummy, snapping it cleanly in half. The two broken pieces fell to the ground with a dull thud, leaving Maxwell standing there. He slowly lowered the mace, letting out a sigh. "Well, that definitely wasn't supposed to happen," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oops. Guess I got a little carried away. I wonder if Sidgroth has a tab for things like this—or if he accepts IOUs from overly enthusiastic trainees," Maxwell said as he leaned the mace against a nearby post and crouched down to examine the splintered remains of the dummy.

"I told myself to forget about my past life, but it looks like that's easier said than done," Maxwell muttered, a small chuckle escaping his lips. He leaned the mace against his shoulder and turned his gaze toward Gladiolus, who was laying down nearby. "What about you, Gladiolus?" Maxwell asked, his tone softening. "You've been with me since the day we both appeared in this world. If anyone might hold a piece of the puzzle, it's you. I wonder... do you remember anything from back then?"

Maxwell crouched down, resting an arm on his knee as he studied the creature's expression. "It's strange, isn't it?" he continued, more to himself than to Gladiolus. "How little we know about where we came from. Yet, here we are, side by side, as if it's always been this way."

Suddenly, Gladiolus perked up, his ears twitching as he bolted toward the training area's exit. Maxwell was momentarily frozen before instinct took over. Grabbing his mace, he ran after his companion. Whatever had spooked Gladiolus, it wasn't trivial.

As Maxwell came to a stop outside, his grip tightening on the mace, the reason for Gladiolus being startled became clear. Standing across from them was Malacosteus. His presence was as unsettling as ever, his piercing gaze locking onto Maxwell.

Maxwell adjusted his stance, "Looks like you couldn't stay hidden for long," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as Gladiolus growled low beside him.

"Now, I'm not here as an enemy," Malacosteus said, his tone unnaturally calm as he gestured. "In fact, I'm here as an acquaintance. Our situations are rather similar, don't you think? Neither of us truly belongs to this universe."

Maxwell tightened his grip on the mace, his eyes narrowing. "Except I'm no murderer like you," he shot back.

Malacosteus let out a low chuckle, "Well, that's one of the few differences between us."

"What are you doing here, Malacosteus?" Maxwell demanded, his tone firm. "You do realize this is Sidgroth's place, right? You're risking a lot just by showing your face here."

Malacosteus smirked faintly, the expression almost taunting. "I'll get straight to the point," he said. "It's come to my attention that you have contact with the director of Regione Novem, correct?"

"Professor Juno? What about her? Why the sudden interest in her?" Maxwell shifted his stance, his eyes locked on Malacosteus, ready for any sudden movement.

"Because I believe we can convince her to benefit us both, to help us return to our respective universes," Malacosteus tone was persuasive. "Admittedly, I stand to gain more from this arrangement than you. She has the capability to gather enough mana for me to reclaim my humanity and then send me back to my universe."

"That's tempting, I'll give you that," Maxwell said. "Unfortunately for you, though, I've already made my choice. I decided to leave my past life behind, along with the universe I came from. This is my home now, whether you accept that or not."

Malacosteus had a more serious expression and tone. "Is that how you truly feel?" he asked. "Even if that's the case, do you honestly believe the remnants of your past life will simply fade away? Your new power is enough proof that your past isn't done with you yet. It's part of you, whether you like it or not."

"Then it's something I'll have to simply deal with," Maxwell replied firmly, though Malacosteus there was unease in his tone. "There's no more to it."

Malacosteus tilted his head slightly. "Oh, but don't you wish to know how you ended up here? What truly ended your life in your previous existence?" His tone grew sharper. "I can feel it, Maxwell. That gnawing sense of injustice, that bitter truth you refuse to face. Your past life wasn't just stolen from you, it was cut short, an unfinished tale. Doesn't that burn at the edges of your mind?"

Maxwell's head throbbed painfully as if Malacosteus's words were pulling memories to the surface. Clutching his temple, he growled, "Shut up... I don't need your help to figure that out." His glare met Malacosteus's piercing gaze. "I have my own way to uncover the truth. I don't need you or your schemes."

"Oh, but they're not schemes at all," Malacosteus said, his voice calm. "I'll admit our first encounter wasn't exactly ideal, but that's behind us now. What I want is far simpler, I wish to be allies. However, I'm not naive enough to think you'll grant me that luxury. So perhaps we could settle for being... acquaintances. After all, we share a unique situation, Maxwell. We're both men out of place, stranded in a universe that isn't our own."

Maxwell narrowed his eyes, gripping his mace tightly, but Malacosteus continued, undeterred. "I simply want what's best for the both of us. Surely you must see the merit in working together, even loosely, to achieve our respective goals. Think it over. When you've made your decision, you can find me in the elemental forest."

Before Maxwell could respond, Malacosteus's body turned translucent until he vanished completely. Maxwell surprised by the sudden disappearance. He spun around, trying to sense Malacosteus's presence, but all he could hear was the faint flapping of wings growing more distant with each passing second.

Maxwell slumped to the ground, resting his mace beside him as he tried to steady his thoughts. Malacosteus's words gnawing at him. As much as he hated to admit it, there was truth in what the creature had said. His past life did feel unresolved, cut short before its time.

However Maxwell did remember something Sidgroth had told him years ago, Aemanil could hold the answers he seeks if he seemed so familiar when Maxwell first came here with absolutely no knowledge of this world.

He clenched his fists, his mind torn between his resolve to let go of his past and the gnawing need for closure. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "I did promise myself I'd let it go... but maybe, just maybe, I'll have to break that promise. The White Trial might be the only way to put this to rest."

Maxwell dusted himself off, "Once Sidgroth leaves, I may have to visit the White Trial."

"I better keep this a secret from Sidgroth," Maxwell muttered to himself, glancing around as if to make sure no one else was nearby. "He'd lose his mind if he found out Malacosteus stopped by for a little visit."

Turning to Gladiolus, who stood nearby his side, Maxwell placed a hand on the creature's head. "You too, Gladiolus," he said, his tone lighthearted. "Not a single word. This stays between us, alright?"

Gladiolus tilted his head, letting out a low rumble that Maxwell chose to interpret as agreement. Smiling faintly, he gave the monster a pat. "Good. I knew I could count on you."

Maxwell continued his training, focusing on refining his skills and understanding his new ability. He practiced with his mace, practicing his swings and footwork, but his thoughts often drifted to his power of energy absorption. The potential of the ability intrigued him, though he found himself at a impasse, there were no energy based attacks around for him to absorb and properly test its limits.

Still, even without practical application, one thing was becoming increasingly clear. While in the state of energy absorption, the ability drained an alarming amount of his mana. The sensation was different from activating his luck Ornament, which he had learned to control. With the luck Ornament, he could regulate how much mana it consumed, making sure he didn't overexert himself. This new power, however, felt raw and unrefined, demanding far more from him than he was prepared to give.

"I'll have to figure out a way to control this," Maxwell muttered to himself. "If I can manage the mana drain, maybe it'll be something I can rely on. But right now, it's more of a liability than anything else."

Maxwell let out a sigh.

"Looks like I got my work cut out for me..."