Many sought to destroy him. It had only been ten years, so the search was still as intense as it was when it first began. Yet no one really had any liable information on the Supreme. Not this goddess. She knew who the Supreme was, and she didn't seem to care about his death. From his interaction with her, she would rather that the boy was kept alive. That was why she had sought him out. She wanted the help of a god who felt the same- a god who didn't want the boy dead. She had told him, "Keep him safe- no matter the cost. His destiny is greater than what you think."
So Indra had come to this world. He had found everything as she said it. Nothing was out of place. Her foresight was incredible, for all what she had told him was true. He did what she asked, he observed the boy from the shadows. And with every year that passed, Indra's fondness for the boy grew. It wasn't his amazing progress that stunned the god. Mane was a Supreme. Anything less than what he had accomplished so far would be a disappointment. Although he had surpassed his predecessors when they were his age, he was hailed as the greatest of their species. He was meant to be stronger and laden with greater talent. And with his great talent, came great responsibility, for the voices of his predecessors called for their release. They called for his mighty hand to deal a deafening blow to their enemies. He had to be strong. His rate of progress was what Indra had expected. So he wasn't stunned by that. What amazed him was the boy's mind. The boy was brilliant, so much so that Indra wondered many times who his parents were- one of the few things the god didn't know. He had only seen Mane's parents on the night of his attempted assassination. He was ready to help when the boy exploded with power that he didn't know how to control at the time. And although he realised that Mane's parents were impressive, he didn't know who they were. After all, he was a vagabond. He knew the names of many, but not the faces to go with them. Of course in their haste, the boy's parents hadn't noticed him lurking about. And he used that to slip away. However, fate brought them back together. Fate had deemed him worthy of seeing the boy. Who knew that the person he spied on was Mane's father? Indra's recollection ended when Mane finally asked.
"How many people?" Indra knew what Mane meant. "Three", he answered. Only three people knew who Mane was outside his family and his masters.
"Friend or foe?" Mane pursued. He knew that the number Indra had given was inclusive. So apart from Indra, there were two others who knew his identity.
"Both" Indra replied. Without giving Mane the chance to ask any follow up question, he explained, "She who gave me the information is a friend. She sent me to protect you. Based on how she operates, she hasn't told anyone else, nor does she plan to. So you can rest easy."
Mane nodded at his words. It seemed that Indra and his mystery informant weren't seeking his end. It was the foe that worried him. "What about the other one- the one who isn't a friend?" Mane asked
"He wouldn't tell anyone either. He wants to deal with you himself." Indra answered. His answer didn't ease Mane's worry. The fact that this person was still roaming around safe and sound could only mean he was a god. Mane didn't truly understand the realm of godhood. But from his masters' words, it wasn't easy to kill a god. Defeating a god was once thing; killing them was another. The vitality of gods was as vast as the sand on the seashores and as brilliant as the stars in the sky. Since Indra had let this person go, it meant that this person was a god.
"I know you are worried. But there isn't a reason to. He cannot attack you personally. All he can do is send his minions after you." Indra assured Mane.
"They may be minions to you. But they are definitely more than I can handle right now." Mane's eyebrows twitched incessantly at his words. He called them minions, but Mane was certain that these so called minions were more than a match for him. After all, a god's subordinates wouldn't be average themselves. They would be vastly stronger than himself. Mane was certain that these 'minions' were Heaven Realmers and Nobles. He was even certain that there were Ascenders amongst them. How was he supposed to handle such a group?
"Don't look so glum. He doesn't know your true strength. Use that to your advantage. Besides, he doesn't want the others to know about you, and he wouldn't want to alert them. At best he'd send only a few low class servants under his command." Indra waved nonchalantly as he stated. He didn't seem to care that Mane was staring down the barrel of a gun. Actually, it wasn't that he didn't care. After watching Mane for so long, he had come to believe that the boy would be capable of overcoming any challenge as long as he tried hard enough. He trusted that Mane would be safe. Besides, he was there to take care of the ones that would be stronger than the boy. He wasn't going to tell Mane though.
"These low class warriors…what is their strength?" Mane asked
"Late Earth realm to Heaven realm." Indra answered
Mane sighed and rubbed his head tiredly. It seemed that his days of peace were over. He had to get stronger, and quickly. In his current state, there was no way he would be able to handle heaven realm experts. Even using takeover wouldn't bridge the huge gap between the two realms. And there was no way he would be able to escape from them either. But there was one more thing he wanted to know.
"Who is this god that wants my head?"
"He is pretty popular in all the realms. Though his reputation is for the wrong reasons. His name is Shiva- Shiva The Destroyer."