Back on Zandor, the war was still ongoing. With the greatest advantage the East had – their superior wielders – now gone after the Tool Of Blessings was stolen, things didn’t seem as bleak as before. Although the entire planet was facing a crisis, people were calmer now. Possibly the calmest group of people were living in the Western Empire. Within the Kingdom of Neces, a family of gods lived. Presently, this family was divided – literally. Alexis was at the North, taking charge of the things there, leaving Ray and Mane behind. Currently at Mane’s home, his friends were speaking to his father.
“So you’re saying that you want to get stronger?” Ray rubbed his chin and looked at the children sitting before him. There were four boys and one girl.
“Yes Uncle Ray. We realized how lacking we were when we got to the East” Frederick said and grabbed the hand of Selina who was sitting right next to him. The two teenager
“Have they left?” Ray stood before Mane’s bed and gazed upon the serene figure that lay on it. That figure was the owner of the room, Mane. His expression as he slept was peaceful. The anxiety that had built up during his battle with the Master seemed to have taken its toll – or had it?“They have” Butler Fin closed the door to Mane’s room and walked to Ray’s side. He also turned to look at the sleeping Mane.“I see. Tell me, what did you tell Mane? For him to have suggested Systema to Aegeus, you must have said something” Ray suddenly asked.“You mean about Aegeus? All I did was tell him that I can sense an enormous amount of power hidden in that little boy’s body” Butler Fin smiled and said.“Oh? It’s that impressive?” Ray furrowed his brows in doubt.“It is. I advised Mane to find a way to awaken the boy for the second time, but that would be to
“Where am I?” Mane walked around with a confused expression on his face. He found himself surrounded by nothing but nothingness. There was nothing around him, only a bright white light. It was identical to the strange space Indra had called him into when he had met Ananse; but it wasn’t the same place. For instance; the space Indra had called Mane into wasn’t as crippling as this one. Indra’s space made it seem like there were clouds everywhere, and that even the ground was made of clouds. The entire space was fluffy and soft like a cloud. One could run around all they wanted, but they wouldn’t get anywhere. This strange space he currently found himself in was similar in the respect that it didn’t seem to record any distances. Just like Indra’s space, Mane had wondered this strange space for a while now, without any tangible results. But that was where the similarities ended – just that one thing. Everything else was different.
“Before I explain how the test works to you, I would like to tell you more about the Dreamscape. Would you like to learn more about the Dreamscape?”The lovely voice of the fairy which was serving as Mane’s chaperone, rang in his mind once again.“I would be grateful if you do” Mane transmitted his thoughts to the fairy. He didn’t know much about the Dreamscape, so any valuable information was welcome.“Very well. The Dreamscape, as I mentioned earlier, is of a different dimension and overlaps with the Ture Universe. Discovered by the Allfather Odin, and modified for the purpose of improving the strengths of Asgardians through tests, the Dreamscape is a world separated from reality. In other words, you can spend eternity here, but the True Universe would be unchanged”“Wait a minute” Mane interrupted. “Are you saying that time doesn’t flow in this world?”“True. Tim
“All of you, be quiet!” the murmuring of several fairies stopped at the commanding words of the fairy who was seated higher than all of them. The meeting room was as bright as the place Mane was stuck in, but it was filled with fairies. All the fairies floated above ground and faced twelves ‘thrones’. The thrones were suspended in the air and were occupied by twelve different fairies. Eleven of these thrones were at the same level, with one of the elevated higher than the rest. The fairy that occupied the highest throne was the one who commanded that the others be quiet.In the dimension called the Dreamscape, this fairy had the highest authority. His authority has granted by the King of the Asgardians, the Allfather Odin. Not only was he the fairy with the most authority in this realm, but he was also the oldest fairy of this realm. He was one of the 12 fairies that had been appointed by Odin himself and had a personal relationship with the powerful A
“Excuse me, 1st elder. What do you mean when you say that the tested may occupy another body? Aren’t we in charge of everything that has to do with the tests?” one of the many fairies asked the question that was on the minds of all the others.“It is exactly as I said. Although we control the tests, that is only true for the first seven difficulty levels, and that is why we usually do not bother to inform you about the other four” the 1st elder was particularly patient and didn’t mind the constant interruptions. Rather, he revealed why the other four levels were hidden from the fairies.“For the first seven difficulty levels, we can choose the setting and starting point, as well as the tested’s goal in order to pass the test. But for the other seven, the Dreamscape takes total control of their test administration process.”“If that is the case, should we really have a lower ranked
“Agh” Mane groaned as he held his head. The splitting headache forced him to fall back onto the bed he so desperately wanted to rise up from. He tried to open his eyes to better understand his situation, but even that felt like a herculean task. Panting heavily from his repeated tries to get off the bed, Mane finally decided to wait for a while until he recovered his fleeting strength. After feeling his strength return to his body, Mane tried to lift himself up again. This time, he succeeded. Instinctively grabbing hold of the bed’s railings, Mane gradually opened his eyes.After his eyes had accustomed themselves to the light, Mane took a good look around. The first thing to register itself was the bed. It was a simple one person bed, and looked too small for even a housecat to fit in with him. Next to the bed was a strange looking table with what Mane assumed as a teapot, placed right on top of it. Light invaded the room from the small window close to the
“Wait,” Hildegarde silenced Mane. “Someone’s coming,” the fairy whispered into his ear.“The person who owns the place?” Mane asked, the volume of his voice reduced to match hers.“Yes.” Hildegarde assented. “He came a couple of times when you were asleep”“Are we related in any way?” Mane quickly enquired. His ‘Status’ showed that he was 15, not 11. It was either he was still in his own body, but in a more matured phase, or he was in another’s body.“I don’t think so,” Hildegarde shook her head. “You’re still using your body. Your growth was only accelerated”“That’s good to know” Mane sighed in relief.“Why do you ask?” Hildegarde cocked her head to the side in curiosity. Unfortunately, Mane didn’t see this adorable action because she was seated on his shoulder. And since he
“Well then, let me leave you to get some more rest. We’d talk more tomorrow morning” Dan released Mane’s hand and stood up. However, as he was reaching for the door, Mane stopped him and asked for a favor.“Hold on Sir Dan. If it isn’t too much to ask, can I get a couple of books to occupy my time?” Mane pleaded.Seeing that Dan was looking at him strangely, he quickly delivered an explanation for his actions. “I think that reading about world history and other things about magical beasts may help me remember something”“I see. Alright, I’d get you some books. No one is reading them anyway and they have longed for the touch of one seeking for wisdom. However, don’t do too much. When you get exhausted, promise me that you’d let go of the books and go to bed. It’s already nighttime.” Dan promised to do as Mane said, but he didn’t do so without leaving several warnings a