New Neros wrote:The Fault of Fate
Max the Wanderer
The clothes looked and smelled like something that crawled out of a sewer on the lower east side of Gotham on a bad day, but it was all that could be found in the hustle and bustle of Valentine City, except, that wasn't really it's name. No, no, it's real name was Morningstar City, but it seemed like the residents either didn't care or didn't know, the raggedly clothed man made no insight on which was the appropriate case. The bum walked with an intense pace and a firm look, throwing a glance behind his shoulder now and again, before finally ducking into a public restroom in the middle of a smog-ridden park.
He flipped on the tap and found the murky water running smoothly, and even though it's cleanliness was questionable, the water washed away the dirt and grime on the bum's hands as well as any five star bath would. He went as far as to splash it back in his own face, rubbing it relentlessly as he tried his best to look somewhat presentable. He stopped for a moment, though, as he looked deep into the mirror for a moment, his pupils wildly dilating. He took in all of his facial features, though, a firm look, dirty blonde hair, cold blue eyes, a square jaw, among others, but the reflection he saw in his own eyes troubled him to end...
"You there yet?"
The voice almost startled him, but the bum whipped around and took a look around his area, only to find no one. That was strange, as he was positive he heard someone else talk just a second ago, clear as day. "Oh, it doesn't look like you're all the way there yet." The crusty man realized that the voice was coming from inside of his own mind, and a subtle panic set in as he grabbed onto his temples and dropped to his knees. "No, no, no, calm down, I'm fixing it. Little by little, you should start feeling a little...tingle sensation." Just as the voice described, muscle spasms overtook the bum's body as he entered into what appeared to be a seizure of some sort. His lungs seized up as well, but suddenly, his violent shaking stopped, and he took a massive intake of air like someone who was underwater for way too long.
He breathed in and out rapidly, clutching his chest with one hand as he stared at the floor. "There...Now you should remember." The voice in his head stated, "What all do you remember?" It further asked, the bum unleashing a devastating smirk as it appeared like his entire character shifted radically from one down-on-his-luck hood rat to a nobleman playing dress up. Piece by piece, the madman began to remove articles of soggy, moldy clothing from his body, the voice awaiting her answer.
"Simply put," The man said, reaching his worn and past due undergarments, "I remember my life as this man, and the life I lived before it." Slowly, he slid off the undershirt and threw it into the pile of rotten clothes he was formerly wearing. "My life was rather plain and dry, fairly hard, but riddled with moments designed to return me back to this state. Certain protocols, what have you, but it seems like the only failsafe that worked was you, Ash." He continued, rolling down his last piece of underwear and revealing his nude body to the public restroom's mirror. A man reborn - he held out his palms to the mirror and observed his entire muscle-clad body.
"In one life, I was a street urchin, in another, a King. A God. I'll say this right now, though, I will choose my former life any day of the week compared to this false existence. One that was created to eliminate me from an equation, to inhibit my growth. Fools, the lot of them, the Secret Wars ended only a few days ago and they want to convince me that I'm just a blabbering, street-walking hooligan? They will get what's coming to them." The man saud as he narrowed his eyes and barely focused, his skin melting away as plates of armor rose to the surface. The same armor he wore as the Mad God, the same that would fix this grave mistake in the reshaping of reality. "Because...""...Mad Max is back."
The voice in Max's head mentally grinned. She had not been without interesting things to observe during her time within Max. Amusement one might say. "You are indeed. The Mad God has returned..." Spoke the voice. Ash. It was as good a nickname as any, and the one she had told Max to call her now. In fact that was all she was at the moment. Ash. No direction, little control. All her hopes, faith and her very mind lay in the hands of one man. Her fate was intertwined with his, as was any hope of getting a new body. Being so reliant made her feel... excited for some reason. "No one would suspect I was in your mind. Or that I could restore your memory."
"So. What now?" She asked. "I'm sure you have quite the comeback planned." She grinned again mentally.