"Still think you're a genius?" Grandpa Winks asked cockily. Maia blushed in embarrassment at his words. Her pride was not so hurt after hearing what her ancestors were capable of.
"Back to our story. During the years before the Supreme's birth we hid and cultivated our strength. We rarely came out, making our capture difficult. To many high races, we were extinct. Though some blamed themselves for our extinction, others cared very little. For those who did care, it wasn't an issue of kindness, but one of how to achieve eternal life without the perfect guinea pigs. Without the attention of the high races, we were able to thrive. We grew stronger and stronger. Our population increased. Many were ascenders after about fifteen years, and all the children born to the race were exceptional. Yet we didn't get carried away. We waited patiently for the birth of the Supreme. During our years of hiding, we didn't stay idle. We tracked down her planet of origin- the place she would be born. With the help of several seers, this was just a difficult task, not an impossible one. We lay low on that planet, protecting her family in the shadows. For a race that believed heavily in destiny, there was no way we were going to ignore the reason for our strength. The universe had deemed it fit to pick us as guardians, and we weren't going to disobey the cosmos. It was our calling. And boy did it appear with a bang."
"The birth of a Supreme is unordinary. The labour is three times more painful and twice as long. It isn't a quiet affair either. Ever been to a festival?" Grandpa Winks stopped to ask. Maia nodded her head. Over the years she had been to several cities and empires on the planet. She had seen the quietest of places and the noisiest of areas. Even before the rebellion, her parents used to accompany her to a festival called the 'Festival of Lights.' It was held in the market square of Emperor City. Even though it was long ago, she could still remember the boisterous atmosphere at each of those events. "It's similar to that?" she asked.
"Oh just a tad", the emperor smiled. "But not quite" he continued. "The festivals you have seen are mostly a celebration held by people. This one is a festival organised by the universe itself." He said mysteriously. Maia furrowed her brow in confusion, "What do you mean Grandpa? Can you be clearer?"
"Of course I can little one. And I would." He orated. "The birth of a Supreme is marked by incredible events, events that serve as a welcome to the child of destiny. During the first Supreme's birth, the world saw no darkness for one day and one night. Even stranger was that while the sun shined, the rains fell, yet there was no lightning, there was no thunder." He continued, ignoring the amazed look on Maia's face.
"How is that possible? Everyone knows that those are the laws of the universe. How can there be rain without lightning or thunder?" she asked, hoping that her ancestor would clear her doubts.
"You are right. They are the laws of the universe. They cannot be overridden- by normal means. Consider yourself. The laws of the memory scape no longer hold you captive because of my trivial interference. Do you think it would be difficult for the universe itself to do the same?"
Maia didn't say anything in reply, only gesturing mildly for her ancestor to continue with his story. "At first we didn't really take notice of these signs. To us, the universe was merely rejoicing because of the birth of its child. We weren't entirely correct. The signs were so much more than that. They held the secrets of the Supremes. After millions of years of studying these oddities, we noticed something. Each strange event, was but a depiction of what the Supreme would be capable of doing when he/she matured. The sun that shone even in the night without ceasing and the relentless rain that appeared on the birth of the first Supreme was an indication of the elements she would freely manipulate upon maturity- water and light. Several more years were spent studying the phenomena that preceded each Supreme's birth. And then we noticed something. The phenomena that were witnessed didn't only appear on the day of their birth, but were recorded as far back as two years before."
"Within those few years, several strange things occurred. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but each Supreme is destined to master the four basic elements and then some. The first Supreme for instance, was a master of both light and nature energy. Aside the basic elements of course. Still think you're a genius?"
It was almost as if Grandpa Winks was addicted to mockery. He didn't even spare his great granddaughter his thorny tongue. Maia had a bitter smile on her face. Even getting acquainted with the basic elements was difficult. Those were able to master two elements were high grade geniuses, with individuals capable of calling upon the power of three elements seen as improbables. And here she was, learning that there were individuals born with an inherent mastery over the basic elements. This meant that they were already destined to have control over four elements, and that wasn't even all.
"Under the leadership of the first Supreme, we thrived. We brought peace to several realms and ended wars. And we also made a lot of enemies. Of course at that point in time we didn't care. That was until the Supreme passed away. Eternals have a bitter fate. Without any fatal injuries, we can live forever, unlike other people- Supremes included. When the Supreme is born, we are invincible, and when they are gone, we are vulnerable. Our strengths quickly plummeted. We were hunted down, few of us finally managing to escape. We hid again, hoping for the return of the next child of destiny. It was never difficult to find out when a Supreme was about to be born. As with the first, two decades before their birth our strength would begin to return to us. And so we lived our lives this way. A life hinged upon the frame called the Supreme One, this time careful to be out of sight when the death of the Supreme One beckoned."
"But now that the entire realm had seen what a Supreme could do, we weren't the only ones awaiting their arrival. And yet they weren't friends, but enemies who sought to either manipulate the Supreme for themselves, or kill them to avoid any further problems. But we always stood our ground. We never wavered. And so every Supreme lived under our protection until they were strong enough."
Grandpa Winks finally ended his long narrative. Maia had some of her questions answered, and some compounded in complexity. If that was so, then why did her parents grow so weak? She was strong. So that meant the Supreme was still alive. So why the sudden weakness? Of course she couldn't tell someone from the past that there was a rebellion. Her master had warned her severely that the past should not be changed, or the effects would be catastrophic. Even if she wanted to, she could not. But she was certain the answer had to do with the new Supreme.
"I still don't understand. What does this have to do with the new Supreme? Grandpa Winks, you said that the new Supreme was special. How so?"
"Well every Supreme is born a girl, and matures into a woman." He replied. "Okay? What does that have to do with the new one?" Maia wondered.
Grandpa Winks smiled and said, "Can't you guess? The new Supreme was born a boy."