“Yes,” Dan nodded. “Have you never heard of it before?” Dan was slightly surprised that he knew something that Mane didn’t know, given how much the young boy had learned in his absence. But when he thought about it, it made sense. After all, the legend of the Dark Spear was an Ancient legend. And the fact that it was paired with a legend of himself meant that his people must have been very reluctant to let the other races in on this secret.
“No I haven’t,” Mane admitted. There was no need to lie.
“Well it originated from my race. We believe that it is because of this weapon that the Dark Valley is engulfed in darkness. But over the years many have rubbished it since it hasn’t been found. I have been searching for the spear all this while because my gut told me it was indeed real. And now that I know of Pazuzu, I am all the more confident in my initial assumption.” Dan told Mane what he knew and what he t
“Now let’s get back to the twins and see what they have found,” Mane mumbled to himself and slowly walked back into the city.“Are you okay? You seem awfully stiff.” Mane asked Hildegarde. For the usually talkative fairy had been quiet for a very long time.“I am fine,” Hildegarde’s lost expression was quickly replaced by her usual playful gaze. Her stiff legs started to swing up and down again, and her demeanor changed to what Mane was used to.“It was just that I realised that we are alone again. Like how things were before.” Hildegarde combed her hair with her thin fingers and said.Although to the World of the Three Great Races Mane was only gone a while, he was stuck in the Barrier for a very long time. It was a couple of months at the very least. And in all that time, the Watchers kept their eyes on him. So he and Hildegarde were never truly on their own. And when they left, they left
Lam’s words were like a detonating explosive to Mane’s mind. And he blanked out for a fraction of a second. Yet the words Lam spoke kept resounding in his head. During that brief spell Mane could have sworn that his brain replayed those words at least 5 times. And each time it sounded more unbelievable than the former. “Hold on Lam,” Mane rubbed his temples once he had recovered himself. “What do you mean by ‘all of them are traitors?’” Mane asked. How could every Elemental Ancestor turn their back on the Elementals? “It is exactly as I said,” Lam started before continuing thusly, “When we searched their places like you asked us to we saw all we needed to see. It didn’t even take long. For they didn’t take much care in hiding evidence of their conspiracy. The only home we had to search a little bit deeper was Ancestor Origin’s. But what we found showed that all of them are indeed traitors. The only person who has no idea of this is Grandpa Pier.” Lam sighed a
“That was a long meeting,” Ancestor Ice sighed in exhaustion as she dropped her tired body onto her couch. The large furniture caved in to accommodate the new weight and allow its mistress some much needed rest.“Yeah,” another voice chimed in as Ancestor Storm walked into the room. While he didn’t look as worn out as Ancestor Ice, traces of exhaustion could be seen on his face.Both were in Ancestor Ice’s mansion. They had retreated here, having been dismissed formally by the oldest Ancestor. Ancestor Ice and Ancestor Storm were very close. They had grown up together in their youth and had achieved a lot individually and collectively. In fact, there was a time when their families thought the two were in love with each other because of how close they were. But they weren’t. They were best friends and their friendship extended so deeply into their core that their close relationship remained even after both became Ancestors.
“Now as seasoned warriors and individuals of great understanding, you certainly know what I mean when I say do not get in my way, don’t you?” Mane asked rhetorically. He did still receive an answer.“The Barrier.” Ancestor Ice said as her beautiful face scrunched up into a frown. Ancestor Storm was quick to pick up on what Mane really wanted as well. The young man was asking them not to use their Keys when the time came. As for the moment he needed them to be quiet, it was certainly at the time Mane would be ready to strike.“Yes, the Barrier. I need you to do the needful. Do not invoke the right to your Keys. That’s all I need you to do.” Mane tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair he sat on. His eyes conveyed a calm that put both Ancestor Ice and Ancestor Storm off. For they were not used to having people acting so confidently around them.“And what next after that? If you kill the Ancestors Amalgam
Back in Mane’s room, Sunflower was lying prone on the bed wearing nothing but a large black T-shirt. The size of the attire suggested that it wasn’t hers but was likely Mane’s. But since she was wearing it now, Mane could probably say goodbye to it. For there was no way he was getting it back, and events of the past had proven that retrieving any of his own clothing articles from Sunflower was akin to fighting a Battle God.“I thought he said he would only be out for a couple of hours?” Sunflower furrowed her lovely eyebrows with slight concern showing on her face.The sun had already gone down and the night had come yet Mane had still not returned. Considering that the young man told her that repairing the barrier would not take much time so he would be back soon, this was worrying. For though Mane was strong enough to fend off an Ancestor or two, he wasn’t even at the Pseudo Phenom level. Even as the young Supreme it would be diffi
Two years ago, when he first learned about Pazuzu, he sensed that Ashera was hiding something from him. But when he asked Sunflower about it, she was hesitant. Not wanting to put her in a tough spot, Mane asked her not to worry about it. But now that Ancestor Ice had informed him that Ashera was part of Pazuzu’s requested ‘items’, he had a feeling that it was this information that was hidden from him. What he didn’t understand was why they just hadn’t told him? They had him thinking she was the demon god’s daughter or something. And while Pazuzu treating human beings like property was horrible, it didn’t beat the kind of assumptions Mane had conceived concerning the situation in the past two years.Sunflower was silenced by Mane’s words. And her silence lasted a couple of minutes. Mane could sense several complex emotions running through her mind and flooding her heart. And so he hugged her tightly and said, “I am not accu
Hildegarde looked at Mane’s sleeping figure with a gaze that told of many stories – many unhappy stories. How would her own Tested do when the time comes? Initially she was confident Mane could easily leave this world behind because though he had friends in it, his heart was strong enough to abandon it as long as those friends were well equipped to handle the chaos of this world. It was one of the reasons Mane had helped the twins and Dan to grow stronger. But now what was he going to do? The feelings the boy had for Lily were best described as crushes so though Hildegarde used to tease him about it, she knew it wasn’t going to last. And as Hildegarde correctly predicted, time apart from each other erased those feelings from Mane’s heart. Now he regarded the Elemental Princess like a sister; news that would crush Lily’s heart if she knew since she genuinely was in love with Mane. It was different for Sunflower. With her, Hildegarde could see that Mane g
It was noon when Mane opened his eyes. It took him less than a second to get accustomed to the bright light peeping through the blinds.“How long has it been since I slept so well?” Mane wondered. Since he was young – even during the times it was recommended that he sleep several hours so he could grow properly – Mane hadn’t been one to sleep for long hours. He slept an average of 6 hours each day and seldom awoke after the sun had fully revealed itself. Yet today he had awakened much later than he usually preferred. And he reckoned that he had been asleep for at least 9 hours.“Yes. I was actually quite impressed that you were able to sleep that long.” Hildegarde flew over to Mane’s side with a slight smile on her face. In her hands was a regular-sized lollipop. Of course since Hildegarde was tiny, the lollipop was as tall as she was.“So how was it? Do you feel refreshed?” Hildegarde asked as she sett
“This…is amazing,” Mane’s eyes widened as he took in the sight before him.The young Supreme was seated on Roxanne. The beautiful dark horse had been granted the power of flight by Crystal who had no trouble casting a flight Lease on the lovely beast. While this was not a permanent condition, it would last hours, and that was thanks to Crystal’s expert command over Chaos. Any other person would have been able to cast this Lease for just under a few minutes. Mane was no exception to this. Even if his power was not sealed, he would not be able to use this Lease to liberally. If this Lease was that practical, it would have been popularized.Next to him, Professors Stern and Stanley, and Dean Desmond had smile plastered on their faces as they watched the Supreme’s gobsmacked reaction to the impressive sight before him. Behind the professors were the students, both old and new. While the older students, Kahn, Frost, Bel, and Maia were floating on their own, the new students had to be envel
“What a brilliant welcome,” Poseidon slowly moved towards the teenage looking Zeus and Atlas with a broad smile on his face.The god of the waves floated elegantly upon a bident, his eyes briefly scanning Atlas before finding his brother’s immature figure.“You have grown weak, brother,” Poseidon chuckled as he slowly flew towards his brother.Atlas, who had been on guard since Poseidon’s appearance, frowned upon seeing the god of the waves getting closer to a much weaker Zeus. His figure flashed as he appeared before Zeus, shielding him from the gaze of his own blood brother. “You have fallen low brother. Now, you require the protection of a titan? Hilarious.” Poseidon mocked as he locked eyes with the delicate looking Atlas. “Of course I have fallen. Not only was I betrayed by my own son, but I also almost died. What did you expect will happen when one who is considered as part of the big three of Olympus approaches a fallen god?” Zeus did not mind his brother’s comments.Instead
Days passed and soon it was time for Mane to leave the planet of the Celestial Emperor. Well, he wasn’t the only one leaving. It was time for the professors to return to their academies with their students – both old and new. In front of the portal that could transport them back to their academies, Mane stood with his friends as they bid each other goodbye. Well, something close to that at least. To give them some privacy, the other professors had gone on ahead with the students, standing a few tens of meters away from the Silver Wolves.“Our great Supreme, our captain and leader, the Unbended is finally leaving us. Whatever are we to do?” Abe waved his hands theatrically as he feigned sadness and pain.His words caused Selina and the twins to snicker. Only Aegeus snorted before shooting Abe a deathly stare. As for Mane, he could only smile wryly at Abe’s comments. He didn’t know when it had started since he had been away for so long in the Dreamscape, but Abe had become more easy goi
It took a week for Godking to complete its assignment and soon, Mane was back on Planet Celestial. Walking through the streets of the capital, he noticed that he was receiving a lot of stares. While it wasn’t unusual for people to stare at him given his appearance and his ethereal aura, that was only on Zandor. One could argue that it was because he didn’t look like a Celestial, but that was not accurate either. Since Celestials opened their homes to others who craved entry into the God Academies, they had welcomed several different species into their home world. Mane wasn’t not out of place in this new era, meaning there were definitely staring for another reason.“You have become very popular, young Supreme,” Professor Stern who was walking next to Mane chuckled and said.“Hahaha! The recordings that were taken of you should have spread everywhere by now. Even those who were unable to attend the event know who you are!” Professor Stanley laughed heartily while striking the young Sup
“You are still eating, even after all that happened?” Hildegarde frowned and said.She was looking at the boy who had forcefully taken her with him when he was returning to his realm with a disapproving gaze. They had escaped that world that had been prepared as his burial place. As though it had never happened, they had returned to the exact spot he had been teleported from – the kitchen. Hildegarde was confused about his current reaction.Seeing him biting onto his tuna sandwich caused her eyebrows to lift in frustration. It was the very same meal that Mane had made and had barely taken a bite of when he was transported to another world. And yes, that was not a dream; it had really happened. She couldn’t understand how the Supreme could be so calm after coming out of a life-or-death situation.“What would you have me do then? Toss it into the trashcan? That would be a waste of food.” Mane answered nonchalantly as he wiped some fish from his cheek.“That…” Hildegarde searched for wor
There were many things that could not be understood in this world, regardless of the amount of logic that one’s mind could process at any given moment, there were things that befuddled even the most brilliant minds. One of such brilliant minds – no, two of these – was staring into the sky full of stars with a torn expression on his face. This man – nay, this god – was the trickster and master shapeshifter, Loki. But he wasn’t alone.“What are you thinking about?”“Many things.”“The great Loki has more than one troubling issue? This is interesting. Odin would have laughed at the absurdity of such a statement; but looking at your expression, it seems to be true.”“It is arrogance to assume that one can solve all one’s problems with one’s mind alone. Why do you think I sought you?”“Isn’t it greater arrogance to presume that two would be enough?”“But its not just two is it? One is the mind of Odin and the other is the mind that Odin sought.”“You say you aren’t arrogant, but you do not
He moved quickly, his feet gliding across the floor soundlessly as he reached the Earth Realmer’s unguarded back. He opened his mouth and spat out a dagger, sending it flying towards the neck of his enemy. Before he was spotted by one of the Profound Realmers, his dagger had already pierced the Earth Realmer’s neck, and the latter was grasping at his neck furiously, almost like he could seal the hole and return his blood to his body by doing so.“Intru-“*Puchi*Dan swiftly waved his hands, changing the direction of his dagger and sending it flying into the neck of the Profound Realmer who had tried to sell him out. As he did so he was already sweeping his foot towards the abdomen of another enemy.*Boom*The stunned guard was sent flying into the wall and coughing up blood before he could fully understand what was going on. By this time, the last guard had finally caught up. He dashed towards Dan quickly, drawing his sword in the process. Without any hesitation he swung his blade at
“There really is no one impressive here,” Dragon King Bast stated as his sword sliced through a Noble as easily as cutting through tofu.“I knew he said he will make sure this place is left almost unguarded, but this is incredible,” Captain Hafiz muttered as he watched the disciplined legion of warriors beelining into their path.While he spoke calmly, his rioting aura and the violence being radiated in his eyes showed his eagerness for war. He was not the only one expressing such deathly intent. Every member of the Sun Squad was ready to go wild, their eyes gleaming just as dangerously as their captain.“Why are you people talking so much. Let’s fight!” Monkey King Hanuman roared out and jumped towards the approaching legion.While the others were a bit taken aback that there were none of the Skies here to face them, Monkey King Hanuman didn’t care about that. Last he remembered, several of the Skies had died on his planet, leaving only the strongest behind. Since Loki said he would
Back in the Dreamscape Universe, there was a war raging. While it wasn’t overt, citizens in every world could feel that the drums of war had been brought out. They had not been embroiled in chaos yet, but they knew that soon the drum beaters will strike down, announcing the start of another war, and this world would fall into disorder again.The one who stood at the centre of this war were preparing in their own right. Within the camp of ‘good’, Loki, Ananse, and Zica, gathered allies. So far they had attracted the likes of the Barbarian Primogenitor, Red Rose, and some of the Barbarian Ancestors. Destiny and Pathfinder were here along with a few other unknown ancestors. As if that wasn’t enough, the Barbarian Lord, Magma, and his Flames, had also escaped the confines of their home to join this war. They weren’t the only ones that had stepped up though. The Elementals had not hesitated to send their best as well. Ancestor Spector had arrived with a few other ancestors from Amalgamatio