"So this is the power of old; power that belonged to my ancestors?" Mane mumbled to himself as he gripped his fists. Yet the only person who could currently answer his question was silent. For Cronos had grown quiet – just as he was all these years. However, Outer Energy wasn't as eager to maintain its silence. It streamed into every corner of Mane's body, perfectly merging with inner energy to create small explosions within his Star Map. These explosions could actually be heard by the triplets, and the small sparks around his fists gave them a clue as to what was going on.
*Boom*
The Water Giant that had now lost its head was reduced into a large puddle all around Daisy. Although she was encased by the giant all this while, her clothes were still tidy and dry. The only thing out of place was her mouth which was wide agape in surprise and wonder.
"What was that? You know you aren't allowed to use skills right" she asked. Although what happened didn't feel like something born from a skill, it was the most logical deduction. Rose and Sunflower both perked their ears up like dogs eager for some praise in order to hear just what Mane's response was.
"It is power born from my bloodline," Mane answered simply. He didn't need to tell them the name of his power or its origins. After all, he still didn't know them that well.
"I see," Daisy nodded her head as though she accepted and respected his decision to remain discrete. However when Mane saw her giving Sunflower a knowing look his eyebrows twitched. And when he saw Sunflower responding with a smirk before winking at him as if to say, "You'd tell me right?" he smiled bitterly and sighed in resignation. Because he could see a lot of himself in her, he found it difficult to hide things from her.
"Yeah, after this," Mane used Lock-On to send her a reply, which caused Sunflower to beam brightly from ear to ear. Rose sighed helplessly as a smile also blossomed on Daisy's face. They all knew that Mane was a Scholar. Mane didn't hide it from them because Ashera already knew this since she was also a Scholar.
"Nice," Hildegarde praised Mane. Mane was seriously confused when he heard her remark. What did she mean by nice? What he didn't understand was that his actions made Sunflower feel special, since she was the only one he was willing to confide in. Of course Hildegarde wasn't going to tell him that. Making the boy self-conscious about his actions may be just the trigger to stop him from ever opening up to Sunflower again.
*Roar*
A loud roar from the other corner of the room where the forgotten Heavenly Nether Beast stood was enough to bring everyone's attention back to the beast.
"I can't believe I forgot about her," Mane smiled bitterly and prepared to jump out of the way. Sasha's Breath Attack was complete, and a huge mass of fiery delight was floating right in front of her. The scorching heat that filled the entire room was enough for Mane to understand that there was no way to face this attack head on. For even from so far away, he could feel his skin burning. And he was a fire user too!
"Where do you think you are going to?" Daisy hadn't forgotten her task. Several water whips filled the room. They were so many that Mane couldn't even count them all. This was certainly the greatest number of water whips Daisy had created by far. Each whip was placed strategically, blocking every possible point of escape that Mane could use.
"Why do you hesitate? Do you not know that you are a descendant of a Titan? Strike a punch into that ball and shatter it!" Cronos's booming voice forced its way into Mane's mind and made him dizzy for a while. That voice was filled with the power of the Selfish Titan King, and though he was present only as a soul, the remnant of his power was still more than what Mane could handle.
"Use your True Eyes. You don't want to use it because it makes you dizzy? Rubbish! Power is meant to be exploited. In time that power will bow to you. Stop bowing to it! Look past the flames and locate its core. For every element based attack has an area of amalgamation. Find it. And break it!"
*Roar*
Sasha's released another powerful roar and finally let go of the Breath Attack. She quickly returned to her miniature size after that. It was clear that it had taken all she had to maintain the attack for so long. It wasn't so much creating it that drained her, but holding on to it for as long as she did.
Mane closed his eyes slowly as the fiery breath approached. He could hear Cronos's words over and over again.
"Stop bowing down to power"
Those words struck a chord in his soul. He was the Supreme! A man born to lead and not follow! How could he be so wary of a power that belonged to him?!
"True Eyes"
As Mane's eyes opened, the world around him ceased to exist. All there was the fiery mass so close to him that his clothes were melting. With his eyes he could see the core of the fiery mass. It was deep within the flames, yet not beyond reach. He looked around, his eyes which were a mix of blue, red and yellow – the colors of his sclera, iris and pupil respectively – taking in everything around him.
Daisy who was quite a distance away from him had a panicked expression on her face. She was stuck in a run, seemingly trying to get to Mane before the fireball got to him. Rose had her hand stretched out with a look of deep concern on her face; the kind that Mane hadn't seen her display before. At least, never towards him.
Sunflower was the most obvious with her emotions. The alarm on her face exceeded that of the others. And she was rushing towards him. There were no elements around her. She was just trying to get to him before the fiery mass of power did. From the corner of her eyes Mane could see the faint traces of tears that threatened to fall, and gratitude filled his heart.
"She isn't just trying to get close to me for her Mistress's sake," Mane knew this, but seeing evidence of it was very reassuring.
"Stop dawdling and get to work!" a cold voice pulled Mane's mind away from his current thoughts and back onto the situation at hand.
"Concentrate. You have been making a mistake all this while by thinking that if you used True Eyes enough, you would eventually be able to get it to obey you; that it wouldn't dare to seize the flow of time. But that is just wrong!"
"You must tell it what you want! Have you forgotten who you are? You are not just your mother's child but your father's child. And that connects you to me. Time is your birthright! And True Eyes are nothing but an instrument of time! Use that instrument to get what you want! Possess it! Why do you think I gave you Devour? To swallow only Edict? No!"
"Take what was given to you and swallow it whole! Devour True Eyes!"
Cronos's words were like a huge tub of adrenaline, and its rush had Mane boiling in expectation. And he proceeded to do just what he was told. He dug deep, feeling the beat of his bloodline. The part of his bloodline that held Time which had been suppressed by his own ignorance roared eagerly, and Mane could feel himself grabbing hold of the pupils that had perplexed him for so long. Devour automatically activated, and he could feel his Spirit taking full control of True Eyes. And Mane could feel a word bubbling from within his Spirit. A word that would allow him to take control of everything.
"Restore," Mane uttered that word, and everything became as it was. A Sundial appeared beneath his feet. The Sundial was the trigger of restoration; the fiery breath approached speedily and the triplets regained control of their bodies, not knowing that time had stopped for a good number of seconds before.
"Don't interfere," Mane mumbled and the actions of Sunflower ceased. Rose only furrowed her brows before continuing with what she was doing. She would rather trust in her own strength than Mane's limited one. Daisy disregarded him as well. In the end it was only Sunflower who made the decision to listen. Although she struggled to do so, she made the choice to trust him. What she knew about him boasted that he never did anything out of arrogance.
"Did you not hear me?" Mane stated and turned to look at both women who were now so close to him. And when their eyes met his, they saw that it was different. All strength left their bodies as they helplessly collapsed to the ground. Both had looks of inconceivable surprise etched on their faces.
Mane didn't use Words of Power for it was useless here. What he did was to slightly mess up with their time and disorient them. In doing so they temporarily lost their connection to Edict and their balance.
"Gather and Shatter – Titan's Fist," Mane commanded and his body's time was increased by a few times, causing him to immediately appear before the fiery hot fireball. By now he had thrown away the rule of only using the elements of those he was facing. Right now he wanted to fully experience the power of Time and Titans. The powerful strength of Titan's Might elevated the power of his fists by a few times, and as Mane's fist approached the core, even the fire gave way.
"Go, my descendant," Cronos's low rumble was the last straw, as Mane's fist struck the core of the Fireball with a recklessly superior amount of power.
*Boom*
The intangible fireball suddenly cracked into several different fragments and fell apart. It grew dull and fell onto the ground like pieces of glass. There was no explosion; no fiery blast to commemorate the victory. For Mane had crushed the source of its fire, and it was nothing but dust now.
"I lost. I used a different element from what was allowed" Mane's voice woke everyone up. The dazed triplets were awakened, and so were Silver and Sasha. And Hildegarde was no exception.
"I'd be in my room," Mane left hastily, eager to maul what he had comprehended cleanly.
"What was that?" Rose asked with some lingering fear. For the first time in a hundred years, she was shaken greatly. Even when she heard of Mane' role in her Mistress's life she hadn't been this moved.
"Was that time?" Daisy asked. "I'm leaving," Sunflower stated and rushed out of the room.
"We must tell Mistress Ashera," Rose stated, and Daisy nodded her head. They left swiftly as well, leaving behind the exhausted and sleeping Sasha and the dumbfounded Silver. Silver rushed to Sasha and prodded her with his huge finger. Then seeing that she was only sleeping, he picked her up and rushed out of the Dueling Room. His destination?
Mane's room