"Eternals are a race of immortals. Unlike other races, they are born with an insane amount of vitality, making it possible for them to live forever, even without any power to rely on." Indra answered. Although he thought it strange that the Supreme didn't know about Eternals, he didn't mind answering the question. Besides, with how knowledgeable Mane was about other matters, the only reason he wouldn't know about Eternals was if someone was preventing him from gaining access to that information. But Indra didn't believe in hiding the truth from Mane. And he reckoned that Ananse didn't mind his words either. If she did, with her powers as a scholar, she would have taken his words out of his mind before he could even speak.
"Indra is right. Eternals are such a race. Normally they are weak. But when a Supreme appears, they grow very strong." Ananse added. Mane was fascinated by what he was hearing. Wielders had a longer than average lifespan because of their dependence on the edict. The average lifespan of a normal Zandorian is 150 years. Wielders were able to live for several millennia as long as they were devoid of any injuries. A mortal realmer has an average lifespan of 200 years; an above-mortal realmer, 300 years; a profound realmer, 400 years; an earth realmer, 500 years. It was basically an extra 100 years of vitality for every major realm before the heaven realm. The last three realms were a bit unique. A breakthrough into the heaven realm provides a wielder with a 1000 years of life. And every stage of this realm provides an additional 100 years. So a First Stage Heaven Realmer would have a 1000 years to live, but a Second Stage Heaven Realmer would be able to live for 1100 years with no trouble. The nobility realm was almost the same. However, instead of a 100 year increase, their vitality was boosted by a 1000 years per each stage. The ascension realm also followed this principle. Contrary to what many people believed, the ascension realm did not provide immortality. The only way to be an immortal was to become a god, gaining the approval and sustenance of a law. Spiritualists enjoyed long lives as well, although no one knew why chaos would be so understanding.
"What are you saying? Are you saying that Eternals are the subjects of the Supremes?" Mane wondered. "That is exactly what I am saying." Ananse's melodious voice confirmed Mane's words.
Mane rubbed his forehead with tiredness in his eyes. He didn't really understand his role in all this. Initially, he thought that the Supreme was a person destined to go against the gods. But as he met some of these gods who were supposed to be his enemies, he found out that they weren't all bad. His parents for starters were gods. He didn't know about all his masters, but he was certain that the 1st was a god. Now the two before him who were feeding him with information were also gods. Granted, he had found out that there were gods after him, but the fact that the gods were divided made him question what his true role in this vast cosmos was. It was like he had been dumped in the gelid waters of a lake influenced by the winter.
"Can you tell me who I am?" Mane asked with pleading eyes. He wanted to know. No, he needed to know. Why his masters and parents thought that it was wise to hide his destiny from him was unknown to him. But he was certain of this- knowledge is power. The more he knew, the greater the power at his behest.
"I was waiting for you to ask" Ananse smiled, relief on her face. As she stated earlier, she wasn't going to tell Mane anything he didn't need to know. But he needed to know who he was. However, that wasn't her decision to make- it was his. Unless he opened his mouth to ask of her what he sought, she couldn't tell him. After all, how would she know that was what he wanted if he didn't say anything?
"But it would have to wait until after my story." She continued. Mane nodded in understanding. He reckoned that the story had a lot to do with him. It would explain Indra's shock a few minutes prior.
"As I said earlier, the two heirs were the First Supreme and the Eternal Slayer. They were rivals, each seeking the downfall of the other. The First Supreme was eager to bring an end to the Chaotic Era. But the Eternal Slayer thrived in such an era. He didn't want anything ruining his plans. It was normal that they wouldn't see eye to eye."
Mane knew the history, but not the characters. The Chaotic Era was the period after the Great War of Order and Chaos. When the gods finally saw an opening to break free of the restraints put on them by the origin divine artefacts, they started a war. This war was later recorded in the annals of universal history as part of the Great War, but it led to the Chaotic Era. After the origin divine artefacts were vanquished and 'enslaved', the gods had to deal with the turmoil caused by the war. The realms were in chaos because of the lack of leadership, and there was no peace. The universe was then split into heavens. God clans were assigned to heavens to rule and maintain order. Although this sounded simple, it took a long time to achieve. After all, there were several races, and most of them weren't willing to submit to the new order.
"What they didn't know was that their rivalry had been set in stone even before they were born. Two heirs of the Origin King, each without the knowledge of how they acquired their powers, were at each other's throats for as long as they lived. The eyes the First Supreme possessed later came to be known as the True Eyes. They were called so because they could see through anything and everything. For some reason, the time eyes of the Origin King underwent a mutation after being transferred to the First Supreme. It wasn't due to luck, but her bloodline. The eyes were capable of growing and assimilating the power of their user. The First Supreme could not only see through the workings of time, but she was also able to see through all illusions and disguises. Of course, her control over time wasn't as exaggerated as that of the Origin King, but it was powerful all the same. This power allowed her to see a lot of things, even her death. A vision that gave her the room to even make preparations for her passing"
"The eyes of the Eternal Slayer were called Eyes of Extermination. Although his eyes weren't mutated like the First Supreme's, they weren't to be underestimated. They had the ability to kill anyone he wished to kill. His mastery over space allowed him to travel between planets like he was strolling through them. And as his mastery grew, he was able to separate body parts without much effort. For instance, he could warp your head off your neck if he wished. In that respect, the power of the Eternal Slayer was almost as strong as the space power of the Origin King. It was almost as if he was more talented than the First Supreme. But that wasn't the true reason"
Mane gulped at the revelation. That kind of power seemed to undermine the power of the First Supreme. After all, from Ananse's words, the Eternal Slayer could kill her by looking at her. It was a fearsome power to possess.
"But there were restrictions to such a power. For starters it takes time to warp space. Plus if the opponent is sufficiently fast, it would be difficult to lock on to his/her movements and deal with them." Ananse announced.
Mane breathed a sigh of relief hearing the goddess' words. "But the Eternal Slayer was no slouch himself. He was pretty fast. And even with the drawbacks of his power, he was still a dangerous figure." Ananse explained.
"You said the Supreme and the Slayer were enemies, didn't you? So in the end, who came out on top?" Mane was knowledgeable about a lot of things, but the information on the Supremes wasn't one of them. It was part of his parents' and masters' idea to keep the topic of Supremes as far away from him as possible. So he didn't know much about his ancestors.
"The First Supreme killed the Eternal Slayer in the end. But she was gravely injured herself. She also died shortly after due to the injuries she sustained in their final battle." Ananse stated nonchalantly.
"So why are you telling me all this? What does this all have to do with me?" Mane had an inkling of what this was all about, but he didn't want to rush into any conclusions.
"Simple. You have inherited the power of the First Supreme." Ananse pointed at his eyes and continued, "Unfortunately, your power hasn't manifested itself fully. But I am sure it will in time."
Mane was calm even after the revelation, mostly because he expected that to be the case. He had theorized that the shock Indra had on his face had something to do with him. And Ananse's story about the eyes of the Origin God gave him a tip as to what that was. It was either he had the Eyes of Extermination, or the True Eyes. Between the two, he was leaning towards the latter. The reason was simple really. He had been capable of comprehending a portion of the time law when he had barely started his wielding journey.
And although he wasn't progressing as quickly in his time law, he wasn't slow either.