A/N: ***** Means flashes

Chapter 8: Meeting the Seer

Max continued to follow the leopard when they reached a hallway filled with candles and understood that he was close to the Seer's chamber. He rubbed his sweaty hands over his trousers, hoping that his nervousness wasn't easily detectable when the leopard suddenly vanished in front of him.

Stumbling, Max looked around for the leopard only for his eyes to land on the small version of the leopard…one that was still a cub. Curious, Max tilted his head before he knelt down and picked the cub up into his arms before he straightened and continued down the candle filled hallway till he reached the large chamber.

There was a large bed in the middle with candles all over the room. There was a large crystal ball on an altar and a large bath off to the side. Max couldn't help but take in the sight when a noise interrupted his musing and he turned to see the Seer make her way into the room.

Max could feel his jaw dropping when he saw her, she had long brown hair that reached mid-back and it looked so soft that he fought to restrain himself from reaching out and touching it just to see how soft it really was. She had dark brown eyes that reminded him so much of melted chocolate and she was small compared to him. She wore a dark red bikini like top and a matching floor length skirt with thigh high splits.

The silver anklet glinted under the candle lights whenever her foot appeared out of the split and she wore numerous of bangles on her wrists with a silver snake like arm band on her left upper arm, a silver toe ring and a waist chain but her necklace was the one that had caught his eyes.

It was black metal with a white symbol on it, the same symbol that was the sign of his home world. It was suspended on a thick black cord and it rested perfectly between her breasts. The Seer coughed and Max's eyes snapped up to meet her amused ones with embarrassment and fear clear in his eyes.

"Welcome Max Evans…or should I say King Zan?" asked the Seer as she moved closer to Max and took the cub into her own arms, smiling at the way the cub purred once it was back in her mistress's arms.

"You know who I really am?" Max stumbled over and the Seer grinned as she gestured toward the bed.

"Please, sit. You have had a long journey," she told him. Max moved toward the bed and sat down on the edge.

"Please, tell me how you know me and where you received the pendant," Max pleaded. The Seer took pity on the young man; it was obvious he was in dire needs of answers.

"My name is Liz," Liz told him. "As you know, I am the Seer." Max nodded while sounding out Liz's name in his head, it sounded familiar but he couldn't place it. "I have always known of you since you had made it your decision to see me. The orb, as you can see," she pointed toward the orb on the altar, "is my source to the outside world. This allows me to be warned of who would seek me out. That is how I know of your inheritance. The answer to how I came about this pendant that is related to your home world, I am afraid I can not give you. I have always had in my possession since I could remember."

"Wow," Max whispered before he looked at the cub that was now battling a paw into the bath water, playing with the rose petals. "What about the leopard? When I first saw it, it was an adult yet when we neared your chambers, it is now a cub." Liz smiled.

"Shalula is only a cub at the moment. My last guardian had died of old age and well…the guardians helps to create an illusion that Shalula was an adult leopard – it wouldn't do if people thought they could just barge into my chambers without passing the last challenge," she told Max in a teasing voice but Max could sense the dangers behind it. Despite the fact that she was a cub, there was a chance she could have been dangerous.

Max just sat in silence for a while as Liz placed Shalula on the ground near the bath so she could play for a while before Liz turned back to face Max and felt her heart become heavy at the look on heavy look on his shoulders before she moved closer to him and sat down next to him.

"Life has been so harsh on you," Liz whispered. Max looked at her but she was staring down at her hands on her laps. "Ever since you came out of your pods, your life hasn't been yours. First you sister and best friend had put restrictions on you despite them doing what they wanted then you have a woman come into your life telling you that your path, future and destiny lies with her," Liz looked up at him, "Your soul is so torn that you have no idea where your future lies and that's why you sought me out," she smiled softly, "You have proven your worth – you looked deep inside of you, made sure you trusted your heart, gut instincts and faith, despite the fact you have a hard time believing in god but you prevailed."

Max stood up, it was undeserving to hear someone else tell him about his life, his feelings before he turned to face Liz, who was still sitting on the bed.

"I never knew you existed until a substitute teacher told me about you. She had always had a fascination with you. There was a story of a man who came before you as he had been in love with someone but his family had wished for him to be with someone else. He came before you to find out where he true path lies and found his answer but his lover was killed after he got the answer he sought," Max told her, Liz looked away. "I figured if that part was true, then there was a possibility that you were real too and I knew I had to face the challenges."

Liz stood up and made her way over to Max.

"Do you really wish to know your path?" Liz asked as she stood in front of Max. "I must ask you the question because once I start seeing your future, there is no stopping it and sometimes…the answers I find are never the ones you seek." Max nodded.

"I came all this way here to find an answer to my destiny, I need to know my path otherwise I fear I will become too lost to ever find my way back," Max told her. Liz nodded.

"I must touch you," Liz told him and Max nodded as Liz lifted her hands and cupped the sides of Max's head before she looked deeply into his eyes only to gasp as the visions flashed before her eyes. Max couldn't help but inhale sharply when he realised that they had connected and he was now seeing the same visions as she was.

*****

Max and Liz kissing, Max pushing Liz back onto the bed, both of them joining as one, Liz gasping in pleasure as Max kissed her neck

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Max driving along the highway, meeting a girl walking along the side of the road, kissing her as he clipped a necklace around her neck

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Max and the mysterious girl, she was far too blurred, in a room, people shouting at them, the girl turning away with tears in her eyes

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The girl and Max fighting and arguing, the girl turning away with Max throwing his fist into a wall, both of them talking and kissing

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The war coming to Earth, Max fighting a dark figure, Max throwing his hand up and a bright blue light emitting from his hand, the war was over, he had won, everyone cheering

******

Max making a choice and turning to the girl once more, the girl nodding as she understood and kissing Max on the cheek, the girl taking his hand and people bowing before them

Max and Liz gasped as they stumbled away from each other, breaking the connection. Liz staggered backward until the back of her legs hit the bed and she sat down on it, trying to shake the fuzziness from her head.

"Wha…what was that?" Max asked, hoarsely, unsure over what he had seen.

"Your future," Liz told him before she looked at him, confused. "You saw it?" Max nodded.

"I'm guessing that's not a regular occurrence?" Max asked, dryly and Liz shook her head.

"No, you are the first that I know of to have shared the vision," Liz explained before she smiled wryly. "Did you get the answer you were seeking?" Max, still confused, nodded.

"It proved that I'm on the right path, that I am not meant to be with my 'destiny' but I am confused to who the girl could be – I couldn't see anything clearly," Max explained and Liz frowned.

"That usually mean that she hasn't been fully formed – that the fates are not sure who the girl will be. They have an idea but they are unsure if it will go that path so they are not showing it clearly in case it might be wrong and has to change," Liz explained before shaking her head. "That was different from what I'm used to." Max nodded in agreement as he kept his eyes averted from her body.

He remembered the vision of the two of them in bed, of Liz gasping and arching herself underneath him in pleasure and wondered if it was just his wistful thinking and imagination or if it would truly be true. Liz was also thinking the same thing, she had been having dreams of the two of them in bed but was unsure if it was just her wishful thinking or if it had been the future.

"Well, at least I know that I will be able to stop our enemies," Max told her before he frowned once more. "But I am curious to how it all will go down as I didn't see a timeline, makes me wonder when my enemy will come down to Earth or maybe I've to go back to my planet." Liz grinned.

"Yeah, one of the disadvantage of knowing your future – you never know when it's going to happen, only that it will happen," Liz told him and Max shot her a half grin before he sat down next to her.

"Your challenges were interesting," Max told her and Liz laughed.

"It wasn't me – these challenges have been around for a while, it was the first Seer who thought up the challenges and it just continued – none of it has really changed except from finding your inner animal, everyone has different ones," Liz explained. Max nodded in understanding as both of them lapsed into silence, wondering what they should say next.

It was awkward being in this situation, they had seen the visions of them in bed together and it was obviously going to happen soon as it had been in the caves but they were unsure if they should allow it to happen or prevent it.

"Anyway, how does one get out of the cave when they have finished the challenges and met the Seer?" Max asked and Liz smiled softly.

"There is a passage that takes you straight back to the jungle, from there you just head back to the village," Liz explained and Max nodded. The visions could have been their own imagination and if it wasn't to come true, then he would be able to leave the cave without any problems. Liz stood up, intending to show Max the way out when something stopped her.

The crystal ball started humming slightly as it started glowing different colours. Liz looked at it, curiously before she made her way over it to. She looked into the crystal ball as the mist changed and gaped at the sight.

"Oh," Liz gasped and Max looked at her.

"What?" asked Max as he moved closer to her and Liz closed her eyes before she looked up at him.

"There's a bad storm outside, you cannot leave until it's finished," Liz explained, understanding dawned on Max then.

"Oh, okay," Max told her before he scratched the back of his head. "Do you know when it will be finished?" Liz shook her head with an apologetic look.

"No, storms are very unpredictable over here – it can last up for two weeks though," Liz told him and Max sighed as he nodded.

"Okay – how will you know when the storm has stopped?" Max asked and Liz pointed to the crystal ball.

"This will let me know, it has a sensor and it will alert me when it stopped, the same way it alerted me that the storm had started," Liz explained. Max sighed as he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it.

"So, what do we do in the spare time we have left?" Max asked, none of them having an answer.

TBC