"Who is dad with?" Mane asked his mother. His dad didn't have any friends on Zandor. If his father had any friends, they would all be outside this world. This could only mean that the visitor was from another world. So Mane was truly curious about who it was that would come here to see his dad. Not only was this person allowed inside, his father also met with him personally. There was no way this person would be average.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Alexis smiled faintly and replied. After Mane had exited the bath, they had left the basement and were currently in the hall. The seats Mane and his friends chose weren't facing the door. So Mane and his friends had their back to the doorway. They didn't see Ray approach until Alexis spoke.
They turned to look at the Brute King, but he wasn't alone. Butler Fin was with Ray, but his presence was no surprise. The man was his father's shadow, following the Brute King wherever he went. Mane had long suspected that Butler Fin wasn't ordinary. He had no way to prove it, but it didn't tone down his suspicions in the slightest. Whenever Mane performed a scan on the butler, he never received any noteworthy information. The results were always the same- Butler Fin was a normal human with no energy. Mane didn't believe this in the slightest. Even the regular citizens of Zandor had that strange energy in them. It was an energy that the masters could sense, but didn't know what it was. It was the same energy that lay dormant in Aegeus and every member of the Silver Wolves team. The difference between Zandorian wielders and regular people was that this mystical force was stronger in wielders than it was in non-wielders. Mane reckoned that every Zandorian was capable of becoming a wielder with the right wielding manual! It was a terrifying deduction, but Mane was inclined to believe it was true. This made Zandor all the more mysterious. Was this planet truly a lowly planet like he had been told? It sure didn't seem like it. After all, although he hadn't been to any higher world, he knew that not everyone was capable of becoming a wielder. For most planets higher up the hierarchy, even having 80 percent of its people as potential wielders was impressive, much less the entire populace. This was what made Butler Fin stand out. Mane didn't think the man was a Zandorian. If he was, then it was only logical that he also possessed the mystical energy that all Zandorians possessed. For although Mane couldn't say he had met every single Zandorian, all the ones he had come across possessed this energy. It didn't discriminate between the poor and the rich; the young and the old; male and female. It was found in all of them. So if Butler Fin wasn't Zandorian, who was he? And Mane would be a fool to believe that an average man was capable of travelling planets. Plus the look his father always gave Butler Fin wasn't that of a superior addressing a subordinate. It was entirely different. There was always respect in his father's eyes whenever he was addressing the butler. Even when he made demands of the man, his father seemed uncomfortable and apologetic. Mane was sure that Ray hadn't noticed his own unconscious actions. There was no way Butler Fin was normal, especially if he was meant to take the place of Uncle Jake. But enough about the butler. Mane could worry about this strange being another time. It was the man who stood next to the other two that drew his attention.
It wasn't just Mane who was puzzled by this man's appearance, his friends were as well. As regular visitors of Mane's home for the past few weeks, they had toured the entire house. Their fascination with the gigantic mansion had long ended, and they knew everyone here, down to the least of the workers. Yet they had never seen this man. If they weren't wrong, then this was the visitor Alexis was referring to. The man had a strange appearance. He looked like something out of a book. He had long wavy black hair, and piercing green eyes. His eyes seemed to stare into the soul of all who gazed upon them. His emerald eyes were unique, as were his facial features. He was a handsome man, and his presence lit up the room. Selina lightly blushed and turned her head away from the source of her hyperpnoea. 'What is wrong with me today? First Mane, now this stranger too.' She wondered. She was a treasured pearl sought by many. She had seen all kinds of boys- and men. Never had she been smitten by their appearances. Yet in just a day, she had been attracted to two different people- a boy, and a man. She lightly slapped her cheeks to shake herself out of these strange emotions.
Frederick witnessed the entire ordeal. But instead of being worried that the girl he liked was attracted to another, he was relieved. Of course the smart boy saw the way Selina was looking at Mane once the young boy finished his training. Even he had to admit that Mane at that moment was especially attractive. His clothes were in tatters at the time, hence his upper body was laid bare. The previously unimpressive physique was filling up nicely, with muscles taking the place of fat. Added to the sweat that highlighted these bulges and caused his toned abs to glisten like jasper, Mane was especially attractive. Frederick was worried that Selina, whom he had never seen look at any man twice, was finally seeing the beauty of a man in another person who wasn't him. Mane was tough competition. The only thing Frederick could lord over the young boy was his height. But even that would be no advantage in a few years. So Frederick was desperately hoping it was a one-time experience for Selina. Now that she was stunned by the presence of this stranger, he was relieved. Unlike Mane, this man was old. He was possibly Ray's age, or even older. Although he looked young, Frederick wasn't going to judge based on that. After all, Mane's parents looked like they were in their early twenties, but he knew that they were far older than that. It would make sense for Ray's friend to share in their age bracket. Selina being attracted to such a man meant that she hadn't fallen for Mane. It was just a brief period of attraction that had faded. And he knew that she would get over this stranger's looks in no time.
"I have to remind Mane to wear stronger clothes the next time he spars with his father. We can't have him appearing bare chested every time." Frederick thought silently to himself. He made a mental note to himself not to forget this, for it was of great importance to him. After all, he wouldn't want Selina to be drawn to Mane week after week, until she finally fell for the blue eyed pretty boy.
Abelard looked at the stranger with caution. Although he had no idea who this man was, Abelard had a sensitive spirit. He could tell that this man was different. This man felt dangerous. Abelard didn't doubt that even Mane, who was the strongest of the group, would be pummeled to the ground as easily as a man killing an ant, if this stranger wanted to do so. Of course, he wasn't taking Mane's parents into account. There was no way any one would be able to touch Mane with the two around. Still, Abe's senses were screaming at him to be careful of the man.
Jake wasn't bothered by the new presence. He looked at the man with curiosity, wondering who he was. He knew Mane's father was strong. And although he didn't know much about Mane's genial mother, he knew she was strong as well. The man beside Ray seemed to be just as strong as the two. Jake's curiosity lay in the man's origins. He didn't believe that someone like this was Zandorian.
John didn't care about the new addition either. He was busy stuffing his mouth with the pie before him. Although he turned to take a quick glance at the man, he lost his interest in him quickly. He was more fascinated by his snack, than he was about a person he had never met. Besides, he better eat as much as he could whilst the others were still distracted.
"Who are you?" Mane asked the stranger who stood next to his father. It wasn't the man's appearance that impressed Mane. Although he was startled by the man's eye color due to its rarity, he didn't focus on that. What drew his attention was the aura that this man was giving off. Mane didn't bother to use spirit scan, because he could feel the same aura of invincibility he always felt on his parents, present on this man. Spirit scan wouldn't be able to give him any valuable information on this man. It was the same with his parents. Till now, Mane had no idea about his mother's abilities. Not even in the slightest. As for his father, he had only been able to glimpse at his power due to the restriction Ray always placed on himself before their duels. Even then, he couldn't see a lot of things. This newcomer was no different. The man's aura was overbearing, and Mane could smell blood on him. This man had killed many people. Mane wasn't one to judge. He himself had killed his fair share of people and some. But from this man's aura alone, Mane knew that he was at least a match for his father.