Chapter 1020 The beauty of friendship
Given a thorough scolding by Naomi, there wasn't much left for Max to save face as the atmosphere kept growing increasingly awkward the longer he stayed in one spot without speaking a word.
" Let's head back inside?" He suggested as a way to get out of this tough situation and thankfully everyone obliged.
" Hahaha-" Max soon heard someone cracking as it was Severus and Sebastian walking behind him making obscene hand gestures to suggest that he was 'Fucked'.
Unlike his familiar bonds, his friendship was not even slightly affected by the long periods of separation as by taking just one look at the faces of Severus and Sebastian, Max knew that those bastards did not give a rats ass that they were meeting almost after a decade.
Although Max knew that he was the butt of the joke, looking at those two laugh he could not help but crack up himself as soon all three of them laughed like fools while the rest of the Rajput family gave them the looks.
"Hahahahaha"
" Pfftt….huahuahua"
" Mohohohoho"
The trio laughed as Max slowed down just enough for those two to catch up before putting his arms over them both in a brotherly gesture.
"Yo- Supreme Lord" Severus said
" Yo- Absent Lord," Sebastian corrected.
" Yo- Assholes" Max responded as the trio started to laugh again.
Of all the bonds in the universe, friendship was the most special bond as it was the strongest bond that a man could form while also being the easiest to maintain.
If Max had to head off to war tomorrow, Sebastian and Severus would march with him, no questions asked.
If Max was absent and his empire needed an administrator, one of them would volunteer.
If Sebastian for some reason died or was harassed, it would be Max and Severus who would avenge him in a heartbeat, yet even if their bond was such, it did not matter if they did not meet for centuries as their friendship would be at the same point as they parted ways even a century later.
Once, long ago, he enjoyed this same warmth with Anna and Asiva too, however, he traded his friendship for companionship which was more fulfilling at times, but definitely harder to maintain.
"How's the church?" Max asked Sebastian who touched his index finger to his thumb and replied "A O.K"
"How's the Saint Maximus clan?" Sebastian asked Severus who mimicked the same action and accent of Sebastian and replied "A O.K" as the gang started to laugh out loud once more.
It was silly, goofy and absolutely unnecessary.
Even the three of them laughing did not exactly know why they were laughing or what exactly was funny but they were.
It was an absolutely important experience for Max as ever since he walked out of isolation the guilt in his heart had been gnawing on him making him feel anxious and it was only made worse by Naomi's scolding.
By laughing with the boys he once again felt socially comfortable and got the strength he needed to face life and his new kids who he would get to know for the first time ever.
Most of them did not like him and his time with them was probably going to be extremely limited, however, Max wanted to form a small bond with them before ascending no matter how insignificant it was.
Unbeknownst to him, the wives already knew that Max's emergence from his training this time around would most likely be his last as just like Rudra he would also ascend soon.
Him reaching the peak of tier8 spelled the end of the journey for him and his wives already knew that.
They had spent countless hours deciding on the best course of action once he re-emerged including on whether or not they should blackmail him to stay longer just like Naomi did many years ago to Rudra.
The wives also wanted their children to form a bond with Max and were trying to tell them how great their father was ever since they were young.
Judas and Gopal had especially grown up listening to Max's tale of heroics from a young age and how he was the most exceptional warrior in the entire universe.
However this imagery of their father did not sit well with the young kids especially when he was not around.
As young kids who had no idea of how high the sky actually was, they thought that the adoration their mother's had towards their father should be only reserved for them as they often made challenging remarks such as " I'll surpass father someday" and " So what if he's strong? Strength isn't everything right mom?"
In their hearts, Max was more of a competitor rather than a protector and it was not something easy to change.
If Max really wanted to, of course he could slowly integrate himself into their lives but he did not wish to spend that time.
Despite wishing to bond with his family, his plans to ascend were not going to slow down and he was probably not going to be around enough to change their mind.
The best he could do was probably leave them with a lasting impression of his true self and how much he cared for them even if he was not around and then just hope that they did not grow to detest him.
As he once again sat on the Rajput throne, overlooking his family from the seat of the supreme lord, Max felt himself staring at his biggest challenge yet which was to make things right with the people that mattered before ascending.
He already knew that because a part of his soul was linked to Mira, she had to be one of his soulmancers, however, Max wished to choose another from the people in this room.
Kartikeya was ofcourse a solid option, so was Sebastian or Hazriel, however, Max decided to delay that choice for a few days and only make it after assessing everyone's progress in his absence.