Home / System / MAXIMUS: System Of The Underdog / Chapter 28: Keys of the Past
Chapter 28: Keys of the Past
Author: Boomtube23
last update2025-09-22 00:42:15

The cemetery was quiet, the kind of silence that presses against the skin like a weight. Marble headstones stood like sentinels, some polished and new, others cracked with time.

Max stood before one in particular, his head lowered, hands tucked into his pockets. The engraved letters—Sarah King—caught the last light of the evening sun. His mother’s name.

The flowers he brought were simple, not expensive—wild daisies and lilies tied with a cheap ribbon. Yet when he placed them down, they looked right. His fingers lingered on the stone, tracing her name like he was afraid to let go.

“Hey, Mom,” he muttered under his breath. His voice was rough, carrying a tiredness that felt older than him. “Things have been… hard. You’d probably scold me for the fights, for skipping school, for everything I’ve done. But—” He swallowed hard. “I’m trying. I swear I’m trying.”

A shuffle of footsteps interrupted him. Max turned.

It was Peter.

The older boy’s presence was unexpected, his school uniform messy
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