As Heracles rightly pointed out, the destructive representation of Mane's breakthrough was being felt everywhere in the True Universe. And one of the places where many tethered to the Supreme were, was Planet Celestial.
As the elements wreaked havoc upon infrastructure that stood tall throughout the ages, several people scrambled to safety. The voice of the True Universe's Will had faded only seconds ago, but the awe many felt from hearing that the True Universe finally had a Supreme again lasted briefly before being replaced by panic and fear. For right before the commoners had the chance to rejoice at the prospect of a Supreme returning to put the gods in check, the elements came to announce themselves as well. The excitement of the elements dampened the excitement of the masses a great deal. For who could stand up to the forces of nature when they chose to run rampant?
A figure scurried hurriedly through the streets of the city; the large cloak that covered her shielded her from the powerful rain. A white light shone dimly around her, protecting her from the powerful tornadoes that threatened to carry her away. She moved speedily, occasionally displaying her terrifying awareness by correctly predicting and avoiding the stray bolts of lightning that were blasted from the sky into her path.
*Crack*
*Boom*
The fully clad lady jumped out of the way to avoid yet another bolt of lightning and the flames that were born from it, and dashed into a large hotel. Once she made it inside, she exhaled a huge breath of relief. She gulped large mouthfuls of air as she struggled to catch her breath. Her large hood came off as she bent down in relief, revealing her beautiful features and nation toppling beauty. This woman was the teenage Eternal called Maia. And though her eyes were clouded in exhaustion, and her hair wet with rain, her beauty remained the same.
Once Maia's hood came off, the receptionist offered her a bright smile and handed Maia her key. It was difficult to forget the face of one so beautiful, even if a person was hit in the head with a Divine Weapon – a blunt one of course. Maia smiled back politely at the young lady and proceeded to accept her key, before speedily travelling up the stairs with the energy of an indefatigable person.
Soon Maia was back in her room, and once she smelt the familiar fragrance of the place she had been living in for the past few weeks, she couldn't resist slumping onto the bed.
"What an end to a bizarre day," a white light swiftly formed next to Maia's bed, before a pitch black throne appeared next to the bed. This throne was Reiki, and it was he who spoke.
"It was, wasn't it?" Maia sighed in exhaustion as she slowly sat up.
She gently swept the few strands of hair struck on her face before proceeding to use her inner energy to get dry. Today was a test day, and she had been returning from a rather tiring test when the voice of the True Universe Will reminded everyone that the Supreme was still alive. The test alone was tiring, and though she did pretty well on it, it didn't change the fact that it had drained her a lot. Added to the fact that she had taken the Scholar test after swiftly completing the test for Energy Wielders had added to her exhaustion. And that was before the elements decided to go on their rampage. Luckily for Maia, she was pretty close to her hotel when the entire ordeal started. And Reiki had lent her some of his strength. If not, she didn't know how she would have gotten back today.
The tests Maia had taken were for the God Academies; specifically, God King Academy. So far, everything was proceeding smoothly. And if it all goes as planned, she will be a God King student soon. But right now, that wasn't what occupied her mind. Her pretty head was filled with the words of the True Universe Will, and her thoughts were centered on the one she was supposedly tethered to by virtue of her race. For from the moment she was born an Eternal, she was bound to the Supreme. Her life and her emotions all centered on this person whom she had never met. Grandpa Winks' words concerning the duty of Eternals and what the Supreme meant to them kept ringing in her head as well.
Initially, nothing seemed to have changed much for though she knew about this Supreme, there was no information about this person. But the same couldn't be said now. For this Supreme was still alive. Not only that, he was now a Noble, and his title was one that was above all others. Added to the immensity of the elements reaction to the boy's breakthrough, Maia now understood just how right Grandpa Winks was when he rubbished her talents and said the Supreme was a unique force of nature.
"So that's the power of one meant to rule this universe," Maia sighed with a forlorn expression on her face. If she thought she could escape her destiny at first, she didn't think so anymore. She felt a bit lost, knowing that nothing was really in her hands.
"Do not worry so much. Supremes are not monsters or beasts. Surely they have emotions, but if they were so bad the people wouldn't have been this happy to hear that a Supreme has been born." Reiki sensed Maia's inner conflict. He understood that Maia was opposed to this Supreme simply because she didn't like to have her life held in another's hand. In fact, nobody did. But he felt she was judging the new Supreme too harshly.
"You are right. The reaction of the masses when they learned of the Supreme's breakthrough was unbelievable." Maia admitted. For she had been there to see several hundreds of people burst into ecstatic shouts as they rejoiced in the return of the Supreme. It was almost as though their savior had been born. It was a reaction that was both unbelievable and confusing.
"Their reaction is something I don't quite understand," Maia had her brows furrowed in confusion as she confessed to Reiki.
"What don't you understand?" Reiki asked.
"Is the Supreme's appearance this important? He is just a man, right?" Maia couldn't fathom how people could be so excited about a person they didn't know. For the joy she felt from the people was akin to that of what a poor man expressed when he came face to face with one who could push him into the ranks of the wealthy.
"It is because you haven't lived long enough to understand," Reiki's tone had a slight chuckle in it. "For you to understand just what this means to them, you must know what a Supreme is. My memory is filled with a lot of blanks, but I couldn't possibly forget what a Supreme is" Reiki cleared his throat and spoke with an all-important voice that forced Maia to roll her eyes adorably whilst commenting, "But you can forget your own past". Reiki of course ignored her reaction and her words, and proceeded to explain what a Supreme was to Maia.
"First of all, Supremes aren't mere men. In fact for the longest of times, Supremes were all women. The only exception was the 6th Supreme. And the 7th Supreme is the newest oddity, being born a male as well. Grandpa Winks told you this." Reiki's first task was to address an error, and Maia was quick to acknowledge that she had indeed glossed over that issue carelessly.
"Supremes are strange people. No one really knows how they are born, only that they are. And each Supreme is born with immense talent. They are born randomly, and their places of birth cannot really be predicted. But one thing about Supremes is certain. They are born in a time of crisis. Never has a Supreme been born in a time of peace. And usually those whom the Supremes bare their fangs at are the – well, you already know the answer."
"The Gods" Maia answered.
"Correct. Supremes usually oppose the gods. I say usually because although they normally find themselves on opposing sides, Supremes accomplish their tasks by allying with a powerful God Clan or two. For they cannot do everything with the help of Eternals alone. Plus Supremes hate to put Eternals in danger. They don't consider Eternals as tools, but as family."
"That does reassure me a bit," Maia leaked out a rare smile and said. However, Reiki didn't let her grin for long.
"But, in those cases the Supremes grew up under the watchful care of the Eternals. This new Supreme has been on his own most of the time, so one cannot accurately judge his feelings towards the Eternals. The same way you feel about him, is probably the same way he feels about you."
"Anyway, Supremes are seen as the forces of justice sent to the universe by the Creator. And when they are around, they curb the actions of the gods and bring some normality to the lives of mortals who so often didn't have the right to make decisions for themselves."
"And that is why they were so excited," Maia nodded her head, finally understanding what all the fuss was about.
"Indeed," Reiki assented, before going silent.
"It is hard to believe though that one person can go against the gods," Maia had to admit that she was impressed with what she had learned, especially since most Supremes had been women.
"Well, they always had help – with the exception of the 6th. That guy was so strong that many wondered if he actually needed the help of anyone – even the Eternals" Reiki argued.
"He was that strong?" Maia was stunned. This was the first she was hearing of this. How could one person face the god clans alone?!
"He was. And that was why his disappearance had such massive repercussions. The Abandoner's decision is one many cannot understand till date. He was repelling the gods so effectively that it was only a matter of time before he became the true ruler of the True Universe. And then when things were perfectly poised for him, he disappeared. It is one thing I never quite understood." Reiki confessed. Till date even the gods couldn't understand what had happened for the 6th to leave. They didn't even consider that the Abandoner had been killed or faced a situation he couldn't handle. Such was the strength of the 6th. To believe that there was a power greater than the 6th's was to believe in fairytales.
"Well, hopefully the 6th's successor can make up for his mistakes," Maia voiced out.
"Maybe," Reiki agreed, albeit not convincingly. And Maia could sense there was a little hesitation.
"You doubt the new Supreme," Maia stood up to face the Eternal Throne when she said this. Her squinted eyes proved that she was not going to allow Reiki to lie to her.
"Slightly," Reiki admitted.
"Why?" Maia wondered. If Supremes were good for the universe, why should there be any doubt.
"Because of the prophecies surrounding this one," Reiki confessed. "There were seven of them, yet they all spoke of one thing."
"What?" Maia asked, her interest greatly aroused.
"Chaos"