“What you are asking of me would destroy every bit of reputation that I have built. You are asking for me to smear my reputation for your sake.” Ananse had a huge frown on her face while looking into Loki’s eyes. Even this displeased expression was full of allure, and were this to be any other man, Ananse would have succeeded in beguiling him. Unfortunately, Loki was no ordinary man. Even the charm that worked against gods was useless when placed before him. Casting his eyes away effortlessly and surveying the dangerously sleeping golems that were all around him, Loki nodded his head and said,“I know what I am asking of you is not easy. I understand what it is that I am requesting of you, and it is for that reason that I have prepared a price that I have judged to be equivalent to your sacrifice. The reputation you have built, the good you have done and the relationships you have fortified over millennia; all these you did just for one thing and one thing alone.”“To rack up enough
“What? Did you think your secret was yours alone to hold?” Ananse taunted Loki.“How?”Loki, the man Mane had referred to as Uncle Jake for a large portion of his life, did not deny his identity any longer. He was speaking to one of the most intelligent people in the universe. Ananse had no reason to lie to him, meaning that it was most likely the truth that she had attained her present success by discovering the real meaning behind the prophecies. The Allverse was the only sentience in the myriad of universes that knew everything. At the same time, it knew nothing. It was a contradiction of self that not even Odin could come close to understanding. What they did know however, was that it was the Allverse that rewarded Scholars for their findings. Once truth was given, the Allverse rewarded.“I am not called the Goddess of Wisdom for nothing, Loki.” Ananse shook her head and said.Loki frowned upon hearing her words, but he didn’t push. Just like he had chosen to keep his secrets to h
“You helped the Supreme escape,” the Golden Sky, the very man who had usurped Zica’s authority and now played king in the Dreamscape Universe, accused.He was in a space that was best described virtual, for it was in a realm between realms. It was similar to where Mane had met Ananse. The Golden Sky, the one called the Usurper, was standing before a throne that was higher than any other. He who was seen as the sky was now before the true sky.“First and foremost, I did not such thing. It was you who did that. By allowing the one he loved to kill him, you helped him accomplish his mission. Secondly, what is wrong with that,” the shrouded figure on the throne asked.Seated on the throne was an entity that was greater than any other in the Allverse. It was he who had confined the Watchers, beings of great power, to a liberal prison. It was he who had interfered in Mane’s test and spoken to the Supreme before he left. It was he who had offered the position of Envoy to the young Supreme of
Hearing the word ‘Fenrir’, the Golden Sky’s expression changed into that of shock. As someone who was born and raised in the True Universe during his youth, he was aware of what that name meant, and the prophecies surrounding the one called Fenrir. Fenrir, the wolf of the end who will swallow the world, was a figure of fiction to the Golden Sky, and it had been that way until right now.“Fenrir would swallow the world he originates from first, before seeking the other universes to quench his thirst.” The Reaper guffawed madly, revealing information to the Golden Sky – information that the latter was not privy to.“He is from the True Universe,” the Golden Sky mumbled.The prophecies about Fenrir were endemic only to the True Universe. The other universes did not know of such a being, neither had they heard about the world-destroying wolf. Prophecies of the major universes could only be repeated in other major universes. Minor universes did not have the amount of fate required to drink
“Have you grown lax over the past few years?”*Bang*“Why are you so slow?”*Boom*“Not bad; but that wouldn’t catch anyone off guard. At least, it won’t catch any sensible person off guard.”*Bang*“Did you somehow become stupid in the time I was away? How can you call yourself a Scholar with such silly tactics.”*Boom*“Huh? Are you really my student? And is that pitiful thing the staff I gave you? Do better Aegeus.”*Boom*Aegeus was sent flying backwards as he struggled to stabilize himself. Next to him was Abe. The former prince was wiping blood off his lips with a large frown on his face. His body was riddled with superficial injuries of various sizes, the largest being the one on his abdomen. The depression in the earth he stood on and the Abe-sized engraving in that very depression told the story of what had caused his injuries. While Abe and Aegeus looked miserable, their states were better than the others around them.Jake and John, the ones known as the Hydra Twins, were t
Mane sat cross-legged in his room, his eyes closed and his breathing rhythmic. The ever-chatting masters were silent, giving him some much-needed space. Within Mane’s inner world, a space separate from his soulscape and mindscape, a small token of authority was floating silently. The token was without a true form, for it was a ring at certain times, and at others, it was a bracelet. It adopted the form of a necklace at one point, and at another an earring. It had no definite form, and it had no definite shape. This item was something called a Token of Authority.The Token of Authority was something that every Noble possessed. Once a Noble earned his title and became a Noble, the Token of Authority was formed in their inner world. This inner world was an amalgamation of all their techniques and power, and its purpose was to be fed to the Token of Authority. Years ago – or merely two years ago actually – Ananse had taught Mane about the Token of Authority and the role it played in ascen
“That’s good to know,” Mane nodded his head and rubbed the storage ring Uncle Jake had offered him before his disappearance.This ring had everything, from armour to weapons and even manuals, and the illusions it provided had been greatly beneficial for his growth; but his masters were right. The manuals and other techniques it contained had reached their limit. They would no longer be able to help Mane. If Mane sought mediocrity, he could still use them; but how could the son of the newest batch of gods be satisfied with that much? How could Zeus’s grandson be happy with such a life? There was more to be gained, and a greater harvest to be made; and the Supreme was going to take them all into his bosom so that he will seldom be dismayed.“So now I have two reasons for going to God King,” Mane mumbled, his eyes flashing brightly.“Indeed, and now that you have unlocked that new feature on the ring, you can go to Planet Celestial anytime,” the 2nd said.Mane had noticed a change in his
“A year of monsters huh. Only the idiots from God King would have the audacity to spit out such words.” A mocking voice from the next table butted in, causing Kahn and his colleagues’ expressions to grow sore.Those words brought the attention of the entire bar unto the four who had been previously hidden, undoing their plan of a stealthy time of relaxation.“Are those really students from God King Academy?”“How can that be? Don’t God Academies strictly regulate the ins and outs of their students?”“Well, I did hear that a number of students from the God Academies were visiting the planet for the trials. So, it may actually be true.”“It really is them! Look! The one on the left looks familiar. His horns are like ours, and he bears a striking resemblance to Kahn!”“You are right! It is indeed Kahn!”“Kahn the Great is back!”Many of the drinkers here had attended the last trials and had been privileged to see Kahn in action. So those who had never seen the Greater Celestial before –