However, it wasn't the recipient of the question who replied, it was Ray. "Mane, allow me to introduce you to my new friend- Indra." Ray smiled slightly and introduced Indra to his son. Indra nodded at the young boy with a smile and said, "How do you do?" He extended his hand for a handshake.
"How do you do, Sir Indra." Mane replied courteously and reached for the huge hand of the god who stood before him. Once he did, he experienced something he had never experienced before.
Mane found himself in a strange place. It wasn't accurate to call it a place. It was more of a space. The entire place was white- as white as the clouds in the sky, with no blemish- and the ground couldn't be seen. Yet even though it seemed like there was no ground to step on, Mane was able to move fine. It was strange, almost like he was walking on cotton. Yet that didn't impede him in any way. He walked around for almost a minute, yet there was nothing in sight. He broke into a sprint. At Mane's current level, it was no problem covering a kilometer in a few seconds. Yet even after running in a straight line for a whole minute, the end of this strange space wasn't in sight. Mane wasn't worried. He couldn't feel any malice, so he wasn't in any danger- just trapped. He reckoned that this was the stranger's doing. But they were in his father's house. Mane doubted that there was anything that Indra could do to him. The powerful god had trapped him here for a reason. If he wasn't wrong, then nothing should have changed in the outside world. But for him to be here meant that Indra needed something from him. Mane didn't know what it was that he could possibly help with. He wasn't a god. He wasn't even a heaven realmer. He had only stepped into the earth realm recently, and was yet to fully understand and solidify his strength at that stage. He wondered what the god needed from him. But he certainly wouldn't find out by aimlessly roaming this space.
"Are you going to keep observing, Sir Indra?" Mane's loud vice reverberated in this strange place. For a while it seemed like nothing had changed, but the boy was unperturbed.
"You truly are keen. I only know your mother through the sagas sang about her. And if they are to be believed, then you inherited her great observation skills." The space before Mane rippled, as a white clothed figure appeared and stood before him. Indra had finally shown himself. When he put Mane here, he wanted to see the boy's reaction. So he hid and observed from afar. He was impressed by what he saw. The boy was calm and composed, and didn't even mind that he had been summoned to a place he had no idea about. And it wasn't his strength that gave him confidence. He was merely an earth realmer, nothing to boast about. It surely was impressive that such a young child possessed such power. But his parents were two powerful gods, each with their own area of expertise. He wouldn't expect their son to be any less of a success. If he knew that Ray and Alexis hadn't been present for most of Mane's life to give him the tuition he should have had, he would be surprised. But this surprise would be wiped away once he found out that Mane still had tutors. Whether he would be impressed by the fact that the boy was able to learn from many teachers, or reprove of that decision is something we would never know. But for now, Mane wouldn't be able to fend off a flick from Indra. The boy's composure came from knowing that he was likely only here in spirit. The boy was confident that Indra wouldn't do anything to him while his parents were there. Only crazy gods and ascenders will kill a child even in the presence of his powerful parents. And Indra didn't seem like he belonged to this category.
"What kind of technique is this?" Mane asked curiously. He kept looking around, fascinated by what he was seeing.
"It's a skill I possess. This skill allows me to create a small world such as this one; a world completely detached from reality." Indra smilingly replied.
"You can activate it upon contact?" Mane wondered. A skill like this was impressive. Indra could literally leave his targets here to roam aimlessly for all eternity. Any sane man would grow mad at the loneliness and detachment.
"Yes and no. The person must look into my eyes as well." Indra explained. He didn't seem to mind the intrusive questions. He answered them all the same.
"Glow or breath" Mane pressed
"Glow" Indra replied. He knew why Mane was asking such a question. Glows were linked to a person's bloodline. It was highly unlikely for someone- no matter how talented they were- to understand and comprehend a person's glow. Even if they did understand the glow, they wouldn't be able to use such power without possessing the bloodline required to manifest the glow. Breaths were different. They were a person's own understanding and comprehensions. They were abilities that weren't tied to a bloodline- yet. Of course over time breaths would be bound to the bloodlines of their users for the benefit of the later generation. But before that, any other person could study it and understand it- and maybe even use it. As expected, Mane was disappointed by the reply. Although he knew that for some reason Supremes could use the glows of others, he wouldn't be able to ask Indra for this favour since he would be revealing a secret about himself.
"Do you know why I called you here?" Indra questioned.
"No" Mane shrugged. If he knew why he was here, would he have bothered to engage in a conversation with his abductor?
"I have a message for you." Indra stated. His words surprised Mane. He had only just met the god. He didn't even know what kind of god this man was, or if he was even a friend or foe. Yet Indra was telling him that he had a message for him. Who could possibly send Indra to deliver a message? After all, this man was a god!