I had slipped up last time. Let the boy know how I really felt.
It won't happen again.
But how do I play the part of the villain without scaring him away?
Look, I'm just as compassionate as the next guy. But the moment I let my guard down, this persona I've created will inevitably come crashing down with it. It takes time build up the kind of reputation that leaves people quivering in fear at the sound of your name. Once I throw all of that away, once they see that they were never truly under my control, it's over. I have nowhere else to go.
Max is not only a child, he hasn't been trained. Asking me to fight him is comparable to asking me to throw a toddler across the room. Under different circumstances, I would love to let him win. Fight with him, give him some experience saving the world, and allow him to live to tell the tale.
But things are different now. They're after me, and I've locked myself in my tower in the sky; I've practically got a bright red target painted on my back. I can't handle a loss right now.
Every little boy wants to grow up to be a superhero, but few are so lucky as to have powers like Max. He should revel in the feeling of flying through the air, without a care in the world. He should feel important, confident.
And yet... he's scared.
And I know it can't all be because of me.
Something's going on down there. Something I can't figure out just by watching the morning news.