Mwahahaahaaaa! I have returned! I felt like i had been away from this place for too long. This is kind of a prequel to "The Forgotten Son" This is the story of Max Caron before he met up with Squall and the gang. It is still in the FF VIII world of course.

First, last, and only disclaimer: I do NOT own Final Fantasy VIII or it's characters. I only own Max Caron.

On with the story!!!

"You, my dear Knight." Cried a women veiled by a large white canopy. "Shall become the greatest of all Sorceress Knights!" She cackled as a young boy of no more than 12 kneeled before her.

"Yes my mother, I shall be the strongest!"

He looked up at her through the canopy, his deep red eyes piercing through the darkness that surrounded them. He stood and bowed his head, his short black locks moving with the movement.

"I must leave, Mother."

"Just a moment my son."

He bowed again. He placed his hands behind himself on his lower back in the parade-rest position and clanked as he did so. He wore simple shoulder armor and a metal sleeve on his left arm. His leather shirt and pants seemed a little too big for the young boy as they hung slack on him. The katana on his back fit his size however, unlike the rest of his garments. He kept his eyes focused on the spot in the canopy the woman's voice came from.

"Yes?"

"I felt as if I should give you a gift."

A dark red aura surrounded the young boy as he lifted from the floor his arms outstretched. He strained a bit, but then let the "gift" flow freely into him. He had never felt so much power before.

"There you are. Now my son, go off and become great."

"Yes mother." He bowed once again and turned leaving the room.

As he left the chamber the large double doors closed behind him and he headed out across the bridge that connected the tower with the rest of The Castle. It had been at least ten years since his mother gained Sorceress powers. He was just a little boy then, but once she gained the powers, she changed her name from Julia Caron to the name he had become accustomed to calling her, Ultemicia.

"Mother, I will make you proud. I, Maxamillian Caron, will be the greatest of Sorceress Knights. No one will stop me!"

He continued down the winding staircases of The Castle and out to the front foyer. He passed the Sphinxaur as he walked out the gigantic double doors and down the main stairs. He breathed in deeply as the smell of blood wafted up to him, how he loved that smell. The SeeD's had been trying to fight his mother for years now, and had yet to succeed. Wave after wave came at them, but he simply disposed of every SeeD that came with a smile on his face. There was one in particular that he had had a difficult time with, some boy named Cid Leonheart wielding a Gunblade. He had potential to be a great swordsman and actually put up a valiant effort to stop Max, but alas his skills were not enough to stop the Castle guardian. Ultemicia told him, before fighting the boy, that his father would be a threat in the future but not to dwell on it during the battle.

"I wonder why she told me that."

He sat upon the steps and sighed. He needed more SeeD's to "practice" with. Someone to fill his lust for blood. As if they had heard his thoughts, a wave of 20 White SeeD's approached him, various weapons in hand. He smiled as they drew near and stood, ready to take down every last one of them. He drew his sword and charged at the group of SeeD's smiling the whole while.

"Now you all die!" He said with a maniacal laugh.

With his weapon in one hand he rushed at them and punched the first SeeD after dodging his sword attack. The next SeeD attempted to hit him with his nunchuk but he jumped over the attack and stabbed downward through the attackers head. As a spear wielding SeeD attacked him mid-air, Max fell to the ground missing the attack, and in one smooth motion brought his sword up to slice him in half. The rest of the group backed off and surrounded him

"What's the matter?!" His voice had become more hoarse, and yet psychotic at the same time. "Are you afraid of me?! Come on, I challenge anyone to fight me!"

He stood and placed his sword back in its sheath on his back. He then lifted from the ground and began to chant.

"Fatum, sparsum, quod intereo!"

He raised his hand and focused his energy into a small black baseball sized orb. He smiled as he flung the ball into the ground beneath him. The SeeD's stepped back, but since the ball had disappeared, they continued to move towards Max, who still smiled.

"You SeeD's never learn." He paused for a moment. "Erumpo!!"

The ground below the SeeDs trembled slightly, then after a few seconds it exploded and engulfed them in black flames. Some of the remaining SeeD's not hit by the spell tried to down the flames with water, but that had no effect. Everything they tried only fed the fire.

"You idiots! Anything you try is futile! Your friends will die and soon so shall you." He cackled even louder and flew at the rest of the SeeDs and took each down in quick succession. He took a few minutes to breathe in the fresh scent of blood and sighed happily. The feeling after battle was like a high for Max, and he drank every bit of the power he felt.

"This group," he said after a few moments of taking in the battle. "was actually a challenge. They're getting stronger!"

He cackled as he headed inside once more.

"Mother!" He said with glee as he entered her Chamber. "I took care of the insects. They're getting bigger."

He walked to her canopy and kneeled on one knee, his head down.

"I hope I have met your approval."

"Yes my son." She rose behind the canopy and placed one hand upon Max's head. Her long and pointed fingers riffled through his hair. Even with their outward appearance, they proved to be quite gentle. "You have done well."

And here we are, at the end of the first chapter. I'd really like to know what you all think, and if i should continue this. I hope you had as much fun reading it as i did writing it! Vincent Sekod