Beyond the open gate was a large giant dressed entirely in golden armor; wielding a golden spear. His eyes blazed like fiery bronze furnaces, and his feet burned with the fire of Hades. From him Mane could feel a pressure of invincibility and absolute power that he hadn't felt from any of the Ancestors outside; not even Ancestor Origin. This giant was clad in an aura of invincibility and power so great that the space around him constantly twisted into black holes before restoring itself speedily. It was almost as if reality was going out of its way to ascertain that such power didn't belong to the realms of the known. This giant was grand, but Mane knew he wasn't the one he sought. For the air around him was not that of a Scholar. Mane sought those who watched the world from the shadows, hidden from the eyes of this World's Will – and any other will for that matter.
"I seek the Watchers," Mane reiterated, his eyes glued to the path beyond the giant that he couldn't see. For the man before him was so large that all that could enter Mane's vision was him.
"What is your name?" the giant asked. His voice was just as mighty as his presence, and when he spoke, Mane felt the constellations shake. Some planets even moved out of orbit due to the sheer power of his will.
"This kind of power, exceeds that of the gods!" Mane was shaken just as cruelly as the stars and the planets. He didn't have the right gauge of a god's power, but he had read quite a bit. And his masters were there as a reference point for him. Mane didn't know what this strange space was, or why it contained planets and stars and didn't seem to have an end. But there was one thing he was certain of: even gods couldn't shake the worlds with nothing but their voice!
"That isn't for you to know," although Mane felt compelled by the power of the giant before him, he resisted with every fiber of his being. With all the strength he could muster, he squeezed an answer through his tightly clenched teeth.
The eyes of the giant which were hidden behind the large helmet that covered his face lit up like burning saucers. They shone brightly like mini stars, and just when Mane was beginning to regret his decision to antagonize the large fellow, he heard the giant's towering voice once again. This time, it was much more pleasant to hear.
"Hmm. You may enter to see the Watchers," the giant moved to the side to allow Mane passage. However, what neither Mane nor Hildegarde saw was that a small light escaped from the hem of the giant's robed armor and sneakily engulfed Hildegarde. The light didn't have any damaging consequences, so none of them detected it. Besides, Mane was a bit thrown off by the unexpected response to his own prior answer. He rubbed his eyes in surprise at the unexpected result of his outburst.
"Just that?" Mane subconsciously blurted out. "You really don't know how to shut up, do you?" Hildegarde chided from atop her high perch. There were beads of sweat running down her delicate face as she endured the gaze of the being before them. Mane smiled bitterly when he heard her words. He had no counter, for he felt that her rebuke was justified.
"Yes," the giant replied coolly. With the passage now opened, Mane could see what was beyond it. There were several more distant planets and countless more constellations. Whatever this place was, it was far above that of a simple Cover Barrier. This so called barrier was the exit of this world! It was a path that led to the Dream Universe – and maybe others yet unknown!
"Thank you Sir," Mane bowed slightly towards the giant and then walked past. The eyes of the giant flashed dully in response to Mane's show of respect. However, he didn't perform any other action. He watched Mane slowly walk into the distance from the corner of his eye. And once the boy's figure couldn't be seen any longer, the giant settled onto the ground with his spear as an anchor.
"Interesting lad," he murmured. "I hope he doesn't infuriate the Watchers – or me," he added before closing his eyes and falling asleep.
Mane walked for a long time. At least he thought he had been walking for a long time. However the time in this place was so warped that Mane, the bearer of True Eyes and a Time Wielder, couldn't discern his own time bearings. Had it been seconds, minutes, hours, days, or weeks? Mane didn't know. All he knew was that the path remained the same.
"What are you going to ask them when you see them?" Hildegarde asked. By now she had regained her sense of self again from having it suppressed just by the mere presence of the giant from before. When that being looked at her, she could see her entire life play out right before her very eyes. She wasn't naïve enough to think that she could hide from the gaze of a being clearly outside the scope of this world. She just hoped that her passive cloak would not be seen as disrespectful. Luckily for her, it wasn't. For not only was she allowed to live, she was allowed to pass.
"I think this is it," Mane stopped suddenly. He could feel three pairs of eyes on him. Each was filled with curiosity and a bit of longing. From them Mane could sense a thirst for knowledge. And they smelt of people who had learned all the mysteries of the Dream Universe and the True Universe. Their knowledge was like an intoxicating fragrance to Mane, and he took a deep breath in to savor it all.
"This is a first"
"Indeed. One this young has never approached us seeking council before"
"Yes, and with such a grim fate too."
"His fate is the least intriguing aspect about him"
"Indeed. Did you realise his identity?"
"I have long since seen through his status"
"I wonder if he will strike a deal with us; handover his destiny"
"I want not the destiny of such a grim fellow. I would rather we aid him for free than take any of that foul presence off him onto ourselves."
"I concur. One with such a twisted fate must be left alone."
"But our fate is entangled with his. Do you see what I see? Will that really be our end?"
Three voices suddenly began to converse with one another. These voices sounded old; archaic; they sounded ancient. And their speech was grating to Mane's young and tender ears; so much so that he knew that he couldn't listen to another second of their 'personal conference'.
"So you are the Watchers?" Mane rubbed his large ears with a grimace. The words they spoke weren't meant for him and sounded like the beating of several insect wings. For they hid their words from him. And that was the reason for his unsightly expression.
"And you are Mane, son of Ray; the one called the Brute King."
"And of the womb of Thrud the Absolute Valkyrie, daughter of Thor, the Asgardian Thunder God."
"Nay, she refers to herself as Alexis now. The people call her the Absolute Queen."
"That indeed they do. The archives have been changed and updated. Settings saved."
Three large pairs of eyes appeared around Mane and observed him like he was a specimen of science, much to Mane's irritation. However, he didn't say anything and allowed them to speak. For this time, their words weren't censored and he could hear every word they spoke.
"What do you seek, Young Supreme?"
Mane's patience paid off. For once they were done deliberating things for themselves, they turned their attention back to him. Mane wasn't surprised that they knew who he was. The Watchers were supposed to know everything in the Universes – including the details of the 7 Great Mysteries. Why? Because it was believed that they were the personal assistants of the Creator! Since the Creator's disappearance, the Watchers had made themselves peak existences of all Universes. And even the Universe Will of these universes – True and Dream – couldn't do anything to them. The good thing was, they were true to their name. They only watched; they never interfered in anything.
"Do you want to know what your fate will be?"
"Do you seek to reverse the pain that will be in your life soon –"
"Yet far?"
"Or do you want to finish your mission, complete your main goal in this Universe and recover your true self?"
"Or maybe you wish to return with all the new friends you have made here?"
"We have all the answers"
"Yet none of the problems"
"All you need to do is to ask, Young Supreme."
Mane's eyebrows kept twitching nonstop as they kept speaking nonstop. For people whose only job was to watch over the Universes, they sure could talk a lot. And Mane was tired of their constant bickering.
"Please, I want none of that," it took all of his patience to squeeze out words that weren't disrespectful or demeaning.
"What I want is simple," Mane quickly added before they could go on once more about what he wanted and list the various options that were available to him. He honestly couldn't handle another minute with these folks.
"I don't want to ask you a question on my fate or on anything else. Those things are fuel for my growth as a Scholar. What I want is something you can give me. And honestly I think you should give it to me."
Mane took a pause here. Hildegarde who knew what he was about to ask gulped a large amount of her own saliva as nervous sweat streamed down her face. Mane took a deep breath before saying what he came here for; the very purpose for his intrusion.
"I want to use your space. I want to use the energy here to break into the Nobility Realm!"