The Ring of Power

6: Disobeying the rules

That night, Max is in his room, trying to sleep, but it was impossible for him to do so.

The full moon dimly illuminated the room through the window that has no curtains.

Every time Max closes his eyes, the same nightmare came back to torment him, as it did every night since he had come to that world to live with the guardians.

Some nights used to be peaceful, others used to be terrifying because of those nightmares that Max couldn't control from happening. As soon as he closes his eyes, everything happens immediately; The same woman asked him for help to rescue her, and she did so with great terror.

Furthermore, he used to see the face of a very pretty woman; white skin, honey eyes, and dark brown hair. Perhaps she is the most beautiful woman Max has seen up to that point in his life. He felt a connection with that inexplicable woman, he didn't know how to assimilate those feelings, Max had a slight feeling that he should help her in any way he could. However, he didn't know how to do it.

It's midnight, Max got out of bed, shaking and sweating heavily. He walked to the window, then opened it to let the cool night air cool his body as he gazed at the natural beauty of the full moon in the sky.

The cool breeze rumbled on the windows of the room, the sweat on his body began to decrease just as the tremor stopped being felt. Max sensed that this connection was due to something more than just rescuing her.

Suddenly, the ring on his finger began to shine with an unusual intensity. He watched the flash, and before he could react, a voice rang in his head; she was the woman.

“Max… Please help me”

She is the same woman, Max was startled, and looked around as if by doing so he intended to find the woman in his room.

But what was different about the situation was that the voice sounded more clearly.

"Who are you? “Where are you?” he asked out loud, hoping the woman would answer him.

Max… Please help me. I need you, only you can save me,” the woman said with anguish.

Max's heart was pounding. He knew that he should help her, but before doing anything, he needed the support, opinion and advice of her guardians. Without their words, Max couldn't do anything on his own.

With her heart still beating fast, Max decided to leave his room to talk to the guards immediately. He quickly dressed in his tunic, the same one the guards wore except for one thing; the decoration, since his decoration was not gold like the guards' robes, but, rather, it was black.

Max hurried and left his room to look at the guards, who were resting peacefully after a hard day of hard training. The halls of the temple are illuminated by torches on the walls that barely illuminated his path, creating shadows that seemed to come to life, but that did not scare Max because he is no longer a child to be scared by such things.

He arrived at the large room where the guardians met there. He pushed open the carved wooden doors and entered, finding the guardians sitting in their respective throne-like chairs, they looked as if they had been waiting for Max for this meeting.

All the guardians looked at Max with the expectation that he would agree with their advice regarding the situation.

“Max, we knew you would come at this hour to ask our advice,” Telón asked.

Max paused in sex, surprised that everyone was there.

“I have to talk to you. It's about the woman who visits me in my dreams. She is in danger, and she is asking me for help,” Max replied.

The guards looked at each other, their faces reflecting concern and anxiety because he wanted to help the woman even if she was a stranger.

Finally, Lyra spoke: “Max, we know about your dreams and the connection you feel with that woman. But searching for it is extremely dangerous. You don't know what dark forces or enemies are involved in this and want to take advantage of your good kindness to harm you.”

Max frowned, since he was waiting for the guardians to support him in his good deed.

“I can't ignore her. “She needs my help, and I feel it is my duty to save her.”

“We understand your concern,” Celen responded, “But our duty is to protect and guide you. We cannot allow you to take risks like that without knowing all the dangers you may face.”

“What if I were right? "And if it is really in my destiny to help her?" Max insisted, "I can't sit idly by knowing that she is suffering."

The guardians exchanged glances again. Finally, Aldrich spoke: “Max, we understand very well what connection you have with that woman. We can perceive it. But you must understand that impulsive decisions can lead us to commit terrible consequences. “We first need more information before we act.”

Max clenched his fists, feeling a mixture of helplessness and determination. He became more resigned, because he knew very well that without the permission of the guardians he would not be able to do anything, and he would not be able to do his things without their permission, it is as if all the control of his life depended on the guardians. . Max was fed up, tired of having to live in that situation. In his life, no one has been able to tell him what to do, his grandmother was never able to do it, much less magical beings who had no family relationship with Max.

Lyra exclaimed. “We can take care of investigating more about the woman and her situation, but doing so will take time. In the meantime, we ask that you do not act on your own. “Promise us you’ll wait.”

Max nodded, although uncertainty still consumed him, and he was not going to obey.

"I promise. But please do it as quickly as you can. “I don’t know how much longer she can wait for my rescue.”

The guards nodded and disappeared.

Max stood there, feeling an uncertainty he had never experienced before.

Max stayed in the room a moment longer, watching the shadows dance in the torchlight. His determination grew stronger. He couldn't wait any longer. The promise he had made to the guardians didn't matter, it didn't hurt Max at all to have to break the rules to save someone's life.

At least, he would do it for a just cause.

Then, he returned to his room with firm steps. He closed the door behind him and approached the small wooden chest in which he kept his things; He put on his warrior's robe, a pair of shoes, he kept in a backpack a jar in which he carried water, a hand sword for defense, and a flashlight because he never knew when he might use it. He slung his backpack on his back, and looked at his ring that was flashing, announcing that the ring was ready to help him.

“If this ring has the power I think it has, then you can take me where I need to go,” Max murmured to the ring.

Then, he took a deep breath, concentrating on the image of the woman from his dreams. He raised his hand with the ring and closed his eyes, feeling the magical energy of the jewel flow through him. The ring's glow intensified, and suddenly, a portal opened in front of him, swirling and rippling like water.

Without thinking twice, Max took a step forward and crossed the threshold of the mysterious portal.