Mane had no idea how long he slept. But he knew that it was a long slumber. For the Supreme was accompanied throughout his rest. Mane dreamt of many things. He dreamt of Zandor, his home. He dreamt of the people he loved; those he was missing occupied the bulk of his dreams. He dreamt of his mother and father. He saw Uncle Jake's signature smile and though the young Supreme knew that it was just a dream, he was elated to see his former guardian again. He saw his friends – Abe, Jake and John, Selina and Frederick – and even saw the disciple he had neglected since the boy was accepted into his tutelage – Aegeus. Mane didn't know whether it was because he had missed them so much that he saw them in his dreams, but he was happy to see them. But the dreams weren't all good. For the young Supreme saw his enemies as well.
He saw the god who dared place a Universe Level Bounty on his head – Seth. For some reason Mane could see the unhidden features of the Dark God, and though he had never met him before, his Spirit knew that it was him. Mane saw Dominic too. The former Master of the Eastern Empire featured in Mane's dreams and reminded Mane of how far he had come. Mane saw many people. He saw those whose blood he had spilled in his quest to grow stronger when he traveled the realms. And he experienced the guilt of killing them all over again when they stood before him with their eyes gouged out and their intestines hanging loosely. The young Supreme saw many things, but perhaps the most striking thing he saw, was the god of destruction. For the young Supreme saw Shiva.
H saw the god of destruction die a second time in a storm of lightning so strong that even Mane – the one who summoned them – was at risk of a beating himself. He saw the former god of destruction at his weakest. For the young Supreme was the one with Shiva when he gave up the ghost.
"Indra once said that it wasn't his destiny to kill me. I was lucky that time. Now it seems I am not."
Even when he was close to death, Shiva's tongue didn't stop wagging. Mane didn't like the god. For their first few interactions were sour. However he wouldn't interfere with a dead man and his privilege to rumble on and on.
"I can feel a power to devour within you. All I ask is that you find a worthy successor for me."
Devour was strong, and under the influence of the Void, its smell was so strong that even Shiva caught a whiff of it. And he knew that Mane would draw out his power when he was gone. Unfortunately, he could also sense that the young Supreme had no interest in consuming his power. For Mane had so much potential that there was no way he would settle for being a simple god. Shiva knew that the power he was so proud of was nothing to the young Supreme. What he could ask for however, was that Mane passed his power on to one who was worthy.
"After having a Lord like you, it will be much easier to find a worthy successor for this power" was what Mane wanted to say, but he did not. His enemy was already dead. There was no need to taunt him.
"I will," Mane replied at the time. Although it was a bit confusing that when he was dying his only thought was who would inherit his power, Mane gained a bit of respect for his foe because of it. For though the god's life was probably not honorable, his end measured his worth. And Mane deemed him worthy.
Mane's memory of Shiva ended here. But the legend of his feat did not. He killed a gods. The dead god's charred corpse was so deeply engrained in the mind of the Supreme that it would take more than a single long slumber to take away that memory. But who said Mane wanted that memory out in the first place? That was the first god he had killed! And he killed him without relying on his abilities as a Scholar! And that was all thanks to Harch – and Cronos.
Mane hadn't seen the Selfish Titan King in his dreams, but he knew where he could find him. After a short scramble Mane made his way to his Soul Scape, having escaped the confines of the world of dreams and the virtual. This was the benefit of being a Spiritualist. For easily traversing the consciousness of one's mind was not a gift that many possessed.
"You are up," Cronos was seated his throne as usual. His high perch remained as stable as it had always been. But that was the only thing that remained as it was. Cronos's face was visible to the young Supreme now. Having seen the scars and aberrations on the Selfish Titan King's face, the former Monarch of Time saw no need to keep his face hidden from the boy. That wasn't the only change however.
The cracks in Mane's Soul Scape were no longer visible; well, most of them weren't. It seemed that many of his injuries had healed in his slumber.
"How long was I asleep?" Mane asked with his eyes roaming the land that belonged to him and him alone. He spotted Harch above everything else. The large axe gazed upon everything with the superiority of a king. Mane felt that it was asleep, and so were his other Soul Weapons that surrounded Harch. They all seemed to be going through some changes. The battle had clearly been of great benefit to them.
"A few months," Cronos stated nonchalantly, answering Mane's earlier question. To him, several decades were worth less than a second, how much more a few months.
"I see," Mane accepted the news calmly. He had changed a lot since the time he came to this world. Before he saw things as a talented boy with great prospects. Now he saw things as a boy who killed a god! Besides, he expected that his slumber would stretch into the winter. So having slept for a few months was acceptable.
Deeply scrutinizing the area of his Soul Scape, Mane realised that there were only three fissures that hadn't healed completely. These fissures had narrowed considerably, but the scars remained. And there were slight openings in them. They pulsated strongly like beating hearts. And Mane felt that there was something different about them.
"What are those? And why do I feel their pulsations within my very sprit." Mane clutched his chest strongly as he spoke. The pulsations of the fissures were very similar to his own. It was almost as if those fissures represented his heart.
"I think you know what that is," Cronos leaped off his throne and landed right next to Mane.
"The Void," Mane stated with a stern expression on his face. Yes, that was indeed the power of the Void. The darkness that stood in the corner of his Soul Space was no longer there. Rather, it seemed to have engulfed Mane's Soul Space like a membrane. Those cracks were openings for its power to seep through. And Mane could feel the strength in those lines.
"Yes," Cronos nodded his head in agreement. "It is easier to tap into this power now. Although you may want to avoid using it too much." Cronos advised before making his way back to his throne.
"Indeed," Mane agreed with the Selfish Titan King. While the power of the Void didn't feel as threatening as before, Mane could still hear those dastardly voices in his head. They called for him and their voices – though faint – caused him great discomfort. He knew that a slight mistake would lead to his doom. For if he lost himself, the Void would swallow him whole!
"You should leave now," Cronos advised the young Supreme. "There are many anticipating your return," the Selfish Titan King who had proven with his actions that he wasn't so bad after all, closed his eyes once he was done speaking.
Mane nodded his head and proceeded to leave. But right before his body was lost to the light, he turned to face Cronos and said the words that he should have spoken the moment he entered this space,
"Thank you"
And then he disappeared.