After resting for a little while, Maximus eventually got back on his feet, stretching his limbs slowly as he finally turned to look at Stargazer, a soft smile spreading across his face.
"Alright! I'm all ready now!"
Stargazer grinned back, also standing up straight.
"Let's go then Max."
They walked through the town for a couple of minutes, greeting many people they passed by along the way, until Stargazer stopped in front of a house and pushed open the door, calling out to Maximus.
"Come on, don't be so hesitant about it."
Maximus wasn't really used to stepping into other people's homes like this, but after a little bit of persuasion, he walked inside and looked around, feeling a strange sense of familiarity wash over him.
"This house... it looks just like the old place I grew up in, back when I was younger..."
Stargazer looked surprised.
"Oh really? Wow, that's quite something, I guess."
They wandered through the rooms for a little while, until Stargazer called out loudly to someone further inside.
"Quelia!!"
Not long after, a teenage girl came walking down the stairs, wearing clothes that had a classic, old-fashioned style to them, like something from long ago, even if she seemed used to wearing them already.
"Who...?"
Then she spotted Stargazer right away, and hurried down the steps as fast as she could manage.
"Gaze?! Why are you here? It's been... decades since the last time we saw each other."
Stargazer rested her hand firmly on her shoulder for a moment, then let go, her expression calm and reassuring.
"I just wanted you to meet someone special. Someone I care about. Not like that though, it would be wrong to think of it that way. He's just a good companion. This is Max."
Maximus had been looking around the kitchen area while they talked, and now he walked over to stand beside them, still glancing around the house as he spoke.
"Hello, uh... miss...?"
She held out her hand to shake his in a polite, formal way.
"You can just call me miss Quel. Everyone around here does that, but old friends like Stargazer usually call me by my real name instead."
Maximus shook her hand gently, then let go, but his thoughts were already drifting off to other things. He wondered how everyone was doing, including the elf girl he had saved not long ago, and he couldn't stop feeling worried and regretful about leaving her behind while he waited on that dark pit where he had fallen. Stargazer noticed how he suddenly went quiet and distant, so she called out his name to get his attention.
"Max?"
Maximus blinked a few times, shaking his head to bring himself back to the present, and let out a long, deep breath before turning to walk away a little.
"Sorry, I just got lost in my thoughts for a second there..."
Quelia, who had just met him, looked confused as she watched him, wondering why he had stopped like that out of nowhere.
"Eh."
Stargazer glanced over at her and explained.
"Don't mind him. Max here probably has a lot going on inside his head right now, just give him a little time to sort things out."
Maximus looked down at his sword, and realized he hadn't paid much attention to it at all ever since he first met Stargazer. As he stared at it, suddenly a clear image flashed through his mind out of nowhere.
He saw scenes filled with fighting and spilled blood.
In the blink of an eye, that vision was gone, and he was back to looking at the people in front of him. But now his gaze was fixed directly on Stargazer, and his voice was firm and serious.
"I need to go."
Stargazer's face showed worry and confusion all at once.
"What? Why? Why do you have to leave so soon Max?"
Maximus stepped closer to her, and there was so much care and worry in his eyes that Stargazer understood exactly what he meant just from looking at him.
"I see."
Quelia looked even more confused than before, watching the exchange between them.
"What's going on with him Gaze? What's happening?"
Stargazer turned to face her fully.
"I'm sorry, but my friend here says he has to leave quickly right now."
Before Stargazer could say anything else, Maximus was already walking out through the door. He paused for a second to pat Quelia gently on the back as he passed by, then stepped outside.
"I'll see you later, probably."
"In another decade?!"
"Could be, or maybe not."
Stargazer looked out and saw Maximus already walking down the street of Moonlight Town, and she moved to follow him without stopping to catch her breath.
"You move fast Max, always thinking about what needs to be done. You have something really important to take care of, don't you?"
Maximus stopped for a moment to apologize.
"I'm sorry for rushing things like this. I know I only got here just one day ago... but I don't have any time left to waste. I need to find that elf girl I was with."
Stargazer smiled as she walked beside him.
"Knowing how determined you are, I'm sure you'll find her no matter what."
Feeling more and more tense as they went on, Stargazer led Maximus towards a place where she knew he would find her, using the knowledge she had gained from understanding the wishes and needs of others. After walking for a little while, they left the town behind and went deep into the thick, dark forest that surrounded Moonlight Town. Even though Stargazer wasn't entirely sure how the girl had ended up there, eventually they reached a hidden underground sanctuary hidden away within the trees. Maximus knew only one thing for certain now, and that was that he had to get to her as fast as he could, before it was too late.