Chapter Text
Hazel found Max just outside the entrance to the dungeons, pacing.
Every few seconds, he glanced toward the heavy iron door, only to stop himself before turning away again. His hands opened and closed at his sides, fingers curling into fists before relaxing just as quickly. His shoulders were drawn tight, every muscle in his body coiled as though he were preparing for a battle he wasn’t certain he could survive.
He looked exhausted.
Hazel folded her arms across her chest and watched him for a long moment before letting out an exaggerated sigh. “Seriously?”
Max stopped pacing and looked up. “…Hey.”
Hazel rolled her eyes. “Don’t just ‘hey’ me.”
She stepped directly into his path, forcing him to stop. Their eyes met, and for the first time since he’d returned from the catacombs under the hedge maze, she really looked at him.
His eyes were bloodshot. Dark circles rested beneath them.
His usually immaculate hair looked like he’d run his hands through it a hundred times. The confidence that always seemed to surround him, the smug grin, the clever remarks, the certainty that he was always three steps ahead had completely vanished.
He looked like someone who’d had every certainty ripped away. Like someone who’d discovered the worst possible truth about himself. Like a kicked puppy.
Hazel felt her irritation begin to fade. Not just with Red. Chloe. Not just with the Oraculum. Something had broken him.
“What do you want me to say?” Max asked quietly. Even his voice sounded different, stripped of its usual wit and sarcasm. “I’ve… kind of run out of words.”
Hazel studied him for another second before letting her arms fall to her sides. “I want you to tell me what happened.” She kept her voice steady. “You told me this was supposed to be simple. Go to your father’s workshop. Find the Oraculum. Bring it back. Become a hero and not a villain.”
She counted each point off on her fingers. “So, explain to me how you never came back to the White Rabbits Cottage last night. You somehow ended up with Chloe turning evil…” she paused, searching his face, “…and whatever this is.” She gestured toward him. “Because this?” she said softly. “This isn’t just guilt.”
Max looked away.
Of course he did.
His gaze fixed on a crack in the dungeon wall instead of meeting hers.
Hazel’s expression changed immediately. “…Hey.” This time there wasn’t a trace of annoyance in her voice. She reached out and gently rested a hand on his arm. Hazel was known for tough love.
Normally she’d be telling him to stop sulking, own his mistakes, and deal with the consequences.
Normally she’d be the first person to shove him forward and tell him to face whatever mess he’d created.
But not today. Today… Today Max looked like he was hanging on by a thread.
“What happened?” she asked again, quieter this time.
Max swallowed. His throat suddenly felt painfully dry. “Turns out…” he murmured. “I’m more like my father than I ever wanted to admit.”
Hazel frowned. That wasn’t where she’d expected this conversation to go. “What does that even mean?”
For several long seconds, he didn’t answer. Finally, he spoke.
“When I got to my father’s workshop…” He paused. “…Chessy was waiting for me.”
Hazel blinked. “Oh great.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “What did that deranged kitten do this time?”
No answer.
Max simply continued staring at the corner of the corridor like he wasn’t really seeing it. His mind wasn’t here anymore. He was back there. Back in his father's workshop. Back in front of the Oraculum.
Hazel’s concern deepened. “Max.”
He finally blinked. “Chessy…” he whispered. “…showed me the truth.”
Hazel raised an eyebrow. “The truth?”
“That’s what she called it.”
“And?”
“The Oraculum…” His breathing slowed as memories flooded back. “…showed me things.”
“What things?” she asked. She hated having to dig for answers from him.
“It showed me that my father wasn’t crazy.”
Hazel’s expression immediately shifted. “What?”
“The pocket watch…It was real.”
Silence settled between them.
“And…” Max continued quietly, “…everything he said about it…was true.”
Hazel waited. When he didn’t continue, she sighed dramatically. “You know, this would be a whole lot easier if you actually finished your sentences. So, I can give you advice. I have gotten good at it.”
Max almost smiled. “There was another timeline.”
Hazel’s eyes narrowed. “…Go on.”
“In that timeline…” His heart pounded. If he told Hazel everything… She’d demand answers. She’d want to fix it. Or she’d storm off and try to throttle Red. And Chloe. Neither outcome sounded particularly appealing. She didn’t know about the time travel. She didn’t know that Red and Chloe had changed history.
She didn’t know that in the original timeline…They’d never even met. Never became each other's ride-or-die.
He wasn’t ready to explain any of that. Not yet.
“So?” Hazel prompted.
Max took a slow breath. “My relationship with my father…” His voice became almost wistful. “…was completely different.”
He looked down at the floor. “We weren’t enemies.” A sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “We actually…” His throat tightened. “…had a good relationship. He loved me.”
For years she’d watched Max avoid talking about Maddox unless necessary. Whenever his father came up, Max hid behind sarcasm or changed the subject.
The idea that there had once been another version of reality where they were actually close… She couldn’t even imagine it.
“And…” She folded her arms again. “…what exactly does little Miss ‘Princess with a Dark Side’ have to do with any of this?”
Max finally looked back at her. For the first time since she’d found him…She saw genuine fear. Not fear of his father. Not fear of what was behind the dungeon door. Fear of telling the truth.
Because explaining the Oraculum was one thing. Explaining another timeline was another. Explaining Red and Chloe’s involvement in changing history… That opened a door he wasn’t ready to walk through. And explaining what he’d done to Chloe…That was somehow even worse.
“I took what I saw in the Oraculum…” he said quietly. “…out on her.”
Hazel frowned. “To hurt someone else?”
Max nodded once. “I was angry. I was confused.” He closed his eyes. “And instead of dealing with it…” His jaw clenched. “…I found someone who was already hurting.”
Hazel crossed her arms. “Again,” she said, “you’re being frustratingly vague.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to tell me Red and Chloe had something to do with changing the timeline?”
Max didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. The look on his face said everything. Hazel’s expression hardened.
Without another word, she reached for the hook hanging from her belt and turned toward the dungeon exit. “Oh, absolutely not.”
Max’s eyes widened. “Hazel—”
“I’m going to have a few words with Red and Chloe.” She took another step. “And depending on how that conversation goes—”
Max grabbed her arm. “Please.”
She stopped. Slowly she looked back at him.
“So that’s what Red was trying to tell us before,” Hazel said quietly.
Max nodded once. “Don’t make a big stink out of it.”
Hazel blinked. “…What?”
“I’ve come to terms with it and already forgiven her.”
“You’ve…” Hazel stared at him. “…forgiven her? Them?”
“I don’t blame her.” His voice carried no hesitation. “If I’d been in her position…” He sighed. “…I probably would’ve done the same thing.”
Hazel searched his face. She believed him. Which somehow made this even more confusing.
“And Chloe?” Max closed his eyes.
He could still see Chloe slowly crumbling before him. Still hear her trusting him.
I can see the pain that's been hiding in your eyes
I know how you're feeling, 'cause our feelings intertwine
You seem like you need a friend, and right now, so do I
Still remember convincing himself that what he was doing was justified. “I…” His voice shook. “I made an enchanted bracelet.”
Hazel frowned. “What kind of bracelet?”
“One that amplified emotions.” His stomach twisted. “It didn’t create feelings that weren’t already there.” He looked sick saying it.
You sound so sincere, but it's tough to open up
I'm angry and I'm hurting and it's hard for me to trust
But here I am anyway, spilling out my guts
“It took what Chloe was already struggling with…” His voice broke. “…and made it louder.”
Well, I made you something special, it's gotta cheer you up
Come on, try it on, you're gonna love it, I swear
No, I couldn't, no, I shouldn't, no, I wouldn't even dare
See how it sparkles? It's just like you
A part of me is scared, but I have nothing to lose
Hazel’s eyes slowly widened.
“I knew she was vulnerable.” Each word felt heavier than the last. “I knew she was trying so hard to prove herself. I knew she felt abandoned. I knew she was angry.”
He looked away, unable to bear Hazel’s expression. “And I used every single one of those feelings against her.”
The admission echoed through the empty corridor. “I manipulated her.” His shoulders sagged. “I weaponized her pain.” A bitter laugh escaped him. “One of the only people I actually connected with…”
He shook his head. “…and I turned her into exactly what she was afraid of becoming.”
Hazel stood completely still. She’d expected mistakes.
Bad decisions. Maybe even reckless magic. She hadn’t expected this.
“I hated my father for manipulating people. For twisting emotions. For convincing himself the ends justified the means.” His eyes glistened. “And then…” He laughed bitterly. “…I did the same thing.” The realization still made him sick. “I am just as mad as he is.”
Maybe that was why the Oraculum had hurt so much. It hadn’t shown him that Maddox could be good. It had shown him that Max could become just as bad. He looked toward the heavy iron door leading deeper into the dungeons. His father was waiting behind it.
“I still hate myself for what I did to Chloe.” His voice trembled. “And I am going to fix it.” He swallowed hard. “But first…” His eyes remained fixed on the door. “…I have to face him.”