Max ran as fast as he could, ignoring the pain as small shards of broken rock and stone bit into the bottom of his bare feet. He wasn't about to risk using his portals as faulty as they were. He might not even make it to the Eliacube alive if he tried it that way.
But he was reaching the end of the chunk he was on, a single floating globe amongst many in the dimension. The closest planet he could reach was still a bound away so he'd have to make a quick decision. He halted at the edge, nearly falling forward. The angry shouts of children was becoming louder behind Max, alerting him that they were failing in keeping Baltazar away. He shook his head in frustration before summoning a pale silver portal and leaping through.
He stumbled onto the next chunk, cursing his fear. He hated using his portals unlike other Eliatropes but he doubted it was for any other reason than his fear of corruption. Watching Yugo for so many years made him realize that power lead to darkness, an inescapable corruption of the heart and mind. Ever since the battle with Nox over twenty years ago Max had begun restraining the power of his portals.
Baltazar's infuriated roar startled Max into running faster with barely enough time to catch his breath. However, relief flooded through him when high stone walls appeared before him on the next planet. They interwove in dizzying passages and many dead ends creating a devastating maze for any but a trained Eliatrope. Luckily one of Max's jobs was to check up on Shinonome inside the Dofus every once in a while. And Shinonome was kept next to the Eliacube inside the maze. Max never understood why considering the fact that Quilby wanted his sister and the cube. If he ever escaped the White Dimension he could find one right beside the other.
Yet the chances of Quilby escaping were few and far between which relaxed the Eliatropes slightly. Either way Max was glad he knew his way through the confusing maze so he was prepared for this moment.
As he laid out the map of the maze in his mind, Max remembered his promise to the others. He promised to make a difference in the World of Twelve, remind them of Yugo's kindness and the hearts of all Eliatropes. He promised to convince all the Nations and Kingdoms to accept the Eliatropes because three rejections had been enough.
Ten years ago Baltazar had claimed that Yugo was ready. The King had gone to a gathering to speak with all the leaders about finally opening the dimension and allowing the Eliatropes through. But the leaders had refused and agreed to meet again in a few years. Even then they had been rejected.
This had been the third time the World of Twelve had claimed to not be ready. It had already been twenty years since the last war with the Shu-Shu and Sufokia Kingdom. Now Max had enough of the foolishness, was ready to try something else even if it went against Baltazar's wishes. He only hoped to find that Yugo could convince the King to allow him to stay.
Max cut around another corner once again hearing Baltazar's furious cries. For an ancient dragon, the beast was powerful and relentless. But Max understood that Baltazar was merely trying to protect him, keep him from the pain of failure. Yet Max was willing to risk everything for his people and was the only one who could do it.
"Do this for all of us, Max," Lily had whispered to him only moments ago. "You're the only one with the heart to do it. Try not to start a war, though." She smiled and pecked him on the cheek, shoving him off as Baltazar turned red and swatted an Eliatrope away.
He reached the center, a place marked with a tall pillar with lines etched onto the surface. Max placed his hand on, taking a deep breath as the lines flashed a brilliant blue. The outline of a door became clear and Max applied enough pressure to open it, revealing a spiraling stone staircase leading into darkness. With one final glance over his shoulder, Max descended.
He dragged his hand along the wall to help guide him until the wall fell away into a wide cavern. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like the teeth of a gaping mouth warning intruders away. In the center of the rocky room were two small towers with fingers of stone, one guarding the pink dragon egg that held Shinonome. On the second tower, the hand clutched the floating Eliacube, forever spinning and twitching with power. The pale blue light from the cube illuminated the tower creating strange shadows along the walls. On the floor around the artifacts were lines dancing between each other creating an assortment of circles and diamonds, squares and dozens of strange shapes.
Max took one step onto a spiral, blue light representing Wakfu leaking from his bruised foot though the eerie design, lighting the room from floor to ceiling. The design recognized him as an Eliatrope like every day, lowering the towers within reach of his short, ten year old height. Max raced to the pillars, jumping up and down impatiently as they sank deeper into the ground. There was a loud crash just outside the cavern, alerting Max to the arrival of his caretaker.
"Sorry Old Master!" Max called over his shoulder. "I have to at least try!"
Max took hold of one of the stone fingers, his Wakfu pulsating through the hand. It jerked, cracking open for easy reach of the cube. A memory halted Max though, a memory of Yugo's fight with Nox. If even the King had trouble taking hold of the Eliacube and stealing its power, how could he hope to in a matter of minutes?
Pushing all doubts aside, Max reached for the cube with both hands, grinding his teeth as sparks flew and painful energy jolted through his body. His pale baby blue hair whipped around him, his dark gray hat nearly flying off his small head. But Max kept trying, pushing through with everything he had.
After one final shove, Max's hands wrapped around the box, even the cube vibrating at the touch. At that moment the red scaled dragon burst into the cavern, Eliatropes hanging from his tail and clinging to his back barely avoiding getting slapped by his puny wings. The dragon's eyes went wide as the room flashed brilliantly, a beam of Wakfu spawning from the cube. A portal began to spiral outwards from the beam, widening as Max concentrated.
"Boy, stop! Look at what you've done!" Baltazar cried out, shaking Max from his trance. He had lost track of how much energy he was using, his skin now pale from using his own Wakfu. Max looked back at Baltazar with an angry blush on his cheeks.
"Sorry Old Master, lost control for a second," he chuckled nervously. "Guess this is goodbye for now."
"Max, you don't know what you're doing!" Baltazar growled. "Doing this could start a war!"
"Or it could give us a home," Max countered with a shrug. "I'm willing to try, take this one risk. I'm sorry Old Master. Farewell."
With a final salute to the loyal caretaker, keeping his promise for so many centuries standing as a model of a brave heart, Max leaped through the portal.
Wind whipped through his bangs, blew in his ears. He felt the Eliacube in his grasp but didn't dare open his eyes for fear of seeing disaster. But startled cries from below caused Max to snap open his silver eyes, his gaze falling to the forest below.
Tall, luscious green trees spanned for miles below him some covered in flourishing vines surrounded by fields of flowers. The tallest of them all had a trunk the width of a planet in his old dimension towering five times the height of an average tree. On a balcony overlooking the kingdom stood a young woman with silky green hair falling about her shoulders in perfect curls, her eyes wide with fright.
That's when Max realized he was falling from the sky, the portal he had opened closing quickly above him. He let out a startled scream, too frightened to summon a portal of his own. He lashed out with his legs in a panic, clutching the cube to his chest with white knuckles.
But a streak of blue light swooped under him, powerful hands catching him before he fell. A series of portals opened as the man who now held him dashed to the ground, skidding to a halt between the trees. The man stumbled but stopped himself before he crashed into a tree.
Max was panting and still shaking from the experience, frustrated that he almost didn't make it long enough to enjoy a day in the World of Twelve. He felt the panting of another against him. Max blushed as he squirmed out of the man's grasp, landing nimbly on the ground.
"T-thanks Yugo," Max stammered only to be answered by a heartfelt laugh.
"Wow, Baltazar must be pissed," Yugo grinned, staring down at the blushing Eliatrope. But Max wasn't looking at his King but instead staring ashamedly at the ground. "Aww, you can look at me kid."
Max bit his lip but was able to force himself to look at Yugo. Even at the age of thirty two, Yugo hadn't lost one bit of his childish demeanor. He was tall with a wiry frame and lean muscles, his blonde hair longer then it had been years ago. His brown eyes still sparkled with mischief his wide smile unequaled.
"You're really scared and for good reason," Yugo said, holding his hand out to Max. "You have a lot of explaining to do."
Max blushed again as he took Yugo's hand, allowing his king to lead him into the large tree. Two guards awaited them at the entrance, their expressions telling the attitude of the Queen. "Queen Amalia wants you in the throne room immediately!" The guards parted to allow the two Eliatropes through though their untrusting stares lingering on Max who still clutched the Eliacube.
"Amalia is going to kill me," Yugo muttered with a shake of his head.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Max asked. Yugo raised his eyebrows at the kid but Max was looking away.
"Amalia invited me for a feast," Yugo explained. "And now my funeral."
They were silent the rest of the way to the throne room, guards halting them once more at the double doors. The guards stared worriedly at the two but parted slightly, just enough to hold the doors open as they walked past. The room was lit with blue and green lights, Queen Amalia pacing back and forth in front of the throne. It was the same woman Max had seen at the balcony. Her beautiful green dress trailed on the floor behind her, a belt of gems around her thin waist. No crown rested on her head at the moment but Max doubted she needed one.
"Send him back Yugo," Amalia ordered sternly, glaring at the Eliatropes.
"Look Amalia, I have wanted this for a very long time," Yugo pleaded. "It took a lot for this kid to be here."
"And why is he here?" Amalia countered. "Ever think of that? He could be here for war!"
"Or here to prevent it," Yugo added. "Didn't give me a chance to ask the kid before you asserted your command again."
Amalia muttered under her breath, dragging her hand down the length of her face in frustration. She paced a few more times before growling, "I need to speak to you in private Yugo. Take the boy to another guest room or something and come right back."
"No, this kid isn't going anywhere with that face," Yugo replied, pointing an accusing finger at Amalia's death glare.
"Okay, but take the kid away and have him give us the Eliacube," Amalia reconsidered. She had a placid expression this time but even Max could tell she was a flip of the coin. Max held to the cube tightly, taking a step back and prepared to run.
"No one trusts you at the moment, Amalia, give me some time with him and then you and I can work things out, alright?"
Amalia stood silently but her breathing came in angry gasps. It was evident she was cooling herself off. Eventually, she huffed out an exaggerated sigh, turning away ferociously. She raised a hand dismissively and said, "Fine, but report straight back to me. You are in my kingdom after all."
Yugo bowed dramatically, a sly grin plastered on his face. He muttered polite farewells in a teasing manner and took Max's hand again, leading the young Eliatrope from the throne room. Once out of ear shot, Yugo cracked up, holding his stomach as he laughed.
"What's so funny?" Max asked.
"Your face the entire time!" Yugo managed between fits of laughter. "I couldn't tell which came first, your blush or the stain."