Although the sun hadn't fully risen, a new day had already began. As others prepared themselves for the events of the day, some were already on the move. Every village, town or city was separated by a huge stretch of land, and this land formed part of the vast wilderness. Currently there were people traversing the vast and dangerous wilderness as they sought to get to Asher City.
Four horses traveled at a speed so fast that the naked eye would only see blurry images of them. Two of these horses only carried luggage, with each of the two carrying two large bags. The other two horses carried people. There were four people in total – three males and a female – and each horse carried two of them. These people were Ivor, Lam, Mane and Lily. Ivor and Lam shared one horse. The large stature of Red Maned Horses made it so that even Ivor's large build was easily accommodated and Lam didn't feel uncomfortable. Mane and Lily shared the other Red Maned Horse. But unlike yesterday, their positions on the horse differed.
Yesterday Lily rode behind Mane. She held onto him throughout the entire journey and it stayed that way until they stopped to set up camp. Today Lily sat before Mane. It was the same for Lam as well. He also wasn't seated behind Ivor today, but rather was seated in front of the big man. This was because both Mane and Ivor were teaching the twins how to ride. They spent the initial portion of the journey today helping the twins to control the movements and speed of the Red Maned Horse, and only stopped with their teachings because they were out of time. However, they didn't return to their prior positions and just let things remain as they were and continued their journey.
As Mane rode the Red Maned Horse, he spoke to Hildegarde about the strange changes he had experienced during the brief period of Enlightenment. Because he was now able to transmit his voice directly to someone without letting another hear what he was saying, it was very easy for him and Hildegarde to hold a conversation even though the Red Maned Horse was moving so speedily. Besides, Lily was already asleep. Although it seemed like she was lazy for falling asleep right at the beginning of the journey, Mane knew that it was because she was tired. Apparently she hadn't slept the entire night because she felt guilty for what she did. So once the horse riding lessons were over, she fell asleep.
"It's amazing. I never thought I would personally meet someone who has been able to combine both elements of Edict and use it as a whole." Hildegarde sighed in amazement as she spoke. Because Lily sat in front of Mane today, she was able to retain her place on Mane's shoulder. Once Mane told her about his inner and outer energy merging together, she was full of admiration and praise for his good luck.
"Yes. I never even thought about it, let alone consider the possibility of merging the two." Mane nodded his head slightly as he spoke. He had never thought about combining the two energies because even his masters didn't have such abilities. Yet his Enlightenment had bestowed upon him such a gift, and he was pleased with the results he had reaped.
"Have there been any who have done something like this," Mane lightly shifted the sleeping Lily into a more comfortable position as she nestled within his arms with a contented expression on her face and asked Hildegarde. He wasn't narcissistic enough to think that he was the first to ever do this. There must have surely been people who attempted to merge inner and outer energy. And he believed that there must have been some geniuses who succeeded in their pursuit.
"There have been others like you," Hildegarde confirmed Mane's suspicions. She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and continued, "All of them were geniuses, and there was one who can technically be referred to as your senior."
"Oh? Who?" Mane was curious to know who this 'senior' of his was.
"The Abandoner," Hildegarde replied.
"The 6th Supreme?" Mane was stunned when he heard her answer. The only person known as The Abandoner was the 6th Supreme. He was so called because he disappeared from the universe all of a sudden, and his disappearance promoted the rampant actions of the gods who no longer had to fear being persecuted for their actions.
The 6th Supreme was a genius. He was a Scholar with high attainments in Energy and Body Wielding as well. He was a powerful God, and the gods and goddesses feared him for they knew that they couldn't stand up to his power. Of all the stories Mane had heard about the Supremes, none of them were as exaggerated as the stories of the 6th Supreme.
The origins of the 6th Supreme were unknown, and many assumed that he was an orphan with tremendous talent; a man touched by the power of fate itself. For which Supreme wasn't fated to be powerful and mighty? It was almost like he appeared out of thin air. Seers didn't foresee his coming, and even Eternals didn't feel his birth. It was only after he appeared and revealed himself to the world as a powerful Scholar, Energy and Body Triple Wielder, that the Eternals grew powerful. But before that, no one knew anything about him. It was said that the 6th Supreme was a refined gentleman who hated resorting to violence. And because of his calm and withdrawn personality, some gods who took him for a pushover, decided to go against the rules he had set. After all, although Supremes were powerful, they weren't invincible. Generally Supremes created alliances with powerful god clans and races to maintain order in the world.
The 1st Supreme exploited Eternals to the maximum and they were a large part of her army. Till date there were some that referred to her as the Commander of Eternals. After the 1st Supreme, the other Supremes all had the aid of the Eternals, but because the population of Eternals had gradually declined over the years, by the time it got to the era of the 4th Supreme, it wasn't enough to have only the Eternals as a fighting force. So the 4th Supreme created an alliance with the Olympians. According to the legends, the 4th Supreme's heritage came from the Mount of Olympus and that was why she sought the Gods of Olympus as allies. In exchange for their help in maintaining order, she expanded their territory and handed over important resources belonging to worlds that had rebelled.
The 5th Supreme allied herself with the Egyptian Gods because she carried their blood and heritage. And it was through their help that she maintained order through the universe. Although the Eternals were still the main support of the Supremes, their population had dwindled over the several years that they had been hunted. Also the numerous wars they had fought under the command of the Supremes had caused their numbers to decline rapidly. So it became an expected, a norm, for Supremes to seek alliances. Yet this couldn't be said for the 6th Supreme.
He was someone who suddenly appeared without any prior notice. The Seers didn't see any visions about him until he made his appearance. It was only after his appearance that the Seers confirmed his identity as the 6th Supreme. Because of this, he had no attachments to any god clans, and so many took him for granted. Added to the fact that he was exceptionally kind and docile, the gods assumed that it was because he was weak and afraid of them. Even after Seers had announced that he was the one meant to rule the universe, no one took them seriously. After all, how was one who didn't have any allies supposed to rule the universe?
So some gods and goddesses went against him anyway. They sought out the encampment of the surviving Eternals and launched a full scale attack, intent on using this opportunity where the Supreme was weak, to kill off the Eternals. Eternals didn't show themselves unless a Supreme appeared. Once a Supreme was born their abilities gradually returned and they became powerful again. But this time, because of the sudden appearance of the 6th Supreme, it left them defenseless and open to attacks. For they had been revealed, yet their strengths hadn't recovered. So this was the best time to kill them off.
But they failed. The 6th Supreme wasn't a pushover. He was a vastly intelligent man with great strength. He pursued the foolish gods and killed them off before they could even lay a hand on the Eternals! His power shook the gods and goddesses who lived. And their fear for Scholars grew, for the 6th Supreme had developed a technique for Scholars that allowed them to sever a god's connection to his godhead! The godhead contained the immortality of a god, and even if a god was killed, as long as the godhead remained, they would recover. But the 6th Supreme overturned the common knowledge of immortality. It was he who gave Scholars the power to see the connection to godheads, and it was he who gave them the power to sever it. Not only was he a powerful Scholar, his attainments in Energy and Body Wielding were just as amazing as his abilities as a Scholar! He had been able to merge inner and outer energy, and his power was atrociously high! He was also the possessor of the True Eyes! The man they thought was weak, was actually very strong.
The gods and goddesses who sought to go against him all perished. And none of them was able to even touch the hem of his garments. He was so insanely powerful that the gods created an organisation and became united, fearing that he would kill them all off. They finally believed that he was truly the one destined to be the Ruler of the Universe.
But things are not always what they seem to be. The powerful Supreme disappeared, and his disappearance caused chaos. The united gods separated. Without a common threat they went back to fighting themselves for territory and resources. The people of this universe who had been given so much hope that the tyranny of the gods would end under the rule of the 6th Supreme, were shattered by his disappearance. They felt hatred for the man who had let them down, and gave him a new name. He went from being referred to as the Destined Supreme Ruler, to being called the Abandoner.
Mane looked ahead calmly as he recalled the history and story of the 6th Supreme. Although the man disappeared, Mane couldn't help but feel that someone who was kind enough to fight the gods for his people wouldn't abandon them for no reason. He felt that there were some things that were hidden; things that couldn't be explained. And Mane was eager to find them out. He clenched his fists and felt the power of Edict flowing through his veins. He admired the 6th Supreme, for the man had the power to do anything he wanted. He was a one man army. And that was the path Mane pursued, albeit with some changes.
"I wouldn't become the only one man army. My friends would be armies of their own as well. And we would hunt down everyone who deserves to be hunted. Gods like Shiva would face their doom. The arrogance of the gods would be no more. Well, apart from that of my family's."