"Oh? The boy knows his stuff." Komfo Anokye's surprise lasted only a moment. He recovered soon enough and was back to his smiling self. He could feel his soul trembling in excitement. The tremble was slight and almost inconspicuous. But anyone well trained in the art of souls could discern this. And that was why Komfo Anokye praised Mane. For clearly Mane had associated his trembling soul to his bloodline.
Keira was silent. Her eyes were focused on Mane, so much so that the young boy was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. But he didn't want to show his ancestors any disrespect, so he didn't comment on it or show any obvious signs of discomfort. The issue was that Mane was in the presence of one of the greatest minds to have ever roamed the true universe. He stood before the man who had earned Ananse's – a goddess of wisdom's – respect. Komfo Anokye saw right through Mane's discomfort with his discerning eyes and chuckled.
"Forgive us Mane. My sister is a bit terrified to meet you." Basileus explained.
"Why?" Mane wondered. Although his feat of killing a god was amazing, he was standing before two very strong folks. For the first thing Mane did was to scan the three individuals here. Surprisingly, the Matriarch whom Sasha had brought him here to see, was the weakest!
The woman who kept looking at him was at the peak of the Ascension Realm, and the man who was next to her was just as strong. However, of the two, Mane felt that Komfo Anokye was stronger than the lady. The air around him was sinister and deadly, and if Mane had to fashion a guess, Komfo Anokye dabbled in the arts of necromancy.
The point was, neither Keira nor Komfo Anokye was weak enough for Mane to easily handle either one of them. Even with the power of the Void, he would be helpless against those two. And that was why he was startled to hear that Keira was a bit afraid of him.
"They truly are your ancestors," Hildegarde sighed and said. Although she was nowhere close to Mane's power level, she could sense the danger those two posed. Mane could handle the Matriarch if he relied on the Void for she was not yet at the peak of Ascension, but Keira and Komfo Anokye were a different case.
"Indeed," Mane agreed. It seemed that there was no ordinary person in his family.
"Why are you afraid of me?" Mane asked Keira. For her fear was illogical.
"Because she is your grandmother," Komfo Anokye answered in Keira's stead. And the eyes of the woman who raised the Brute King shook with anxiety. She kept her eyes on Mane, wanting to see his reaction. She bit her lips when he remained silent, thinking that he didn't care about his relation to her. However, his next words revealed what his thoughts at the moment were.
"That explains why you share my dad's looks. Or I should say that he shares in your good looks. He got his father's brain but retained your charming looks." Mane's mouth was dripping with honey. His smile was as wide as the boundaries of the sea and his innocence – though feigned – was infectious. Keira couldn't help the smile that found its way to her face, and Komfo Anokye broke into a long raucous laughter. For the Brute King was popularly referred to as an airhead by the older generation for his willingness to fight everyone he met. Mane's words insulted Zeus whilst elevating Keira. Besides, it also revealed how sharp Mane was to so quickly discern that Keira was from his mother's side.
"Hello Grandma," Mane took a large step forward and bowed even more deeply than he did the first time he paid his respects. Keira hastily pulled Mane back upright, her eyes filled with tears. How long she had waited to meet her son. Now her she was, not with her son – but with his grandson. This was a glorious experience for her.
"I am sorry. You have been all alone this time." Mane showed his maturity thus far by gently enveloping his grandmother in a hug. Keira was a strong woman. For it took strength to leave everything behind and pursue a path people had deemed lost. Yet she couldn't help the trembling of her shoulders and the tears that fell down her face. She allowed her grandson who had grown to become a man much bigger than herself, to hug her and accepted his consoling. It had indeed been tough. Komfo Anokye was with her, but nothing hurt more than abandoning one's child.
"It hasn't been easy on you either Granduncle," Mane turned to face Komfo Anokye with his grandmother still in his arms. The arms that were usually for comforting Sunflower were now being used for another. But Mane doubted that Sunflower would mind sharing what was hers with the one whose genes swarm within the genetic pool of her man.
"Hehe. I have had it quite easy compared to my sister." Komfo Anokye smiled pleasantly seeing Mane's interaction with Keira. The boy seemed cold, but his heart was pure. And that was a good thing. The Supreme couldn't be a coldhearted person. That would be a disaster.
"Is she…" Mane turned to face the silent Matriarch with an expression of doubt on his face. He could feel nothing from the Matriarch, but he could never be too sure that she wasn't related to him.
"She isn't your direct relation, but you are related to the Ancients in a way. And this relation is by your relation to us." Komfo Anokye waved nonchalantly, easily disregarding Matriarch Ruth. The twitching of the Matriarch's eyebrows showed just how much she wanted to pummel Komfo Anokye into the ground.
She was the one who called Mane here and she was the one who had been waiting for months to meet the boy. Yet she was being neglected so easily, and even worse, Komfo Anokye didn't seem regretful of his actions in any way.
"I apologize for my negligence, Matriarch. Sasha rumbles about you quite often." Mane however, Komfo Anokye. He paid his respects and conveyed his apologies at the same time.
"It's alright. Our meeting can wait." Matriarch Ruth smiled in a generous manner and walked to the edge of the barrier to give the reunited family members some privacy.
It took some time for Keira to regain her bearings. Once she did, she pulled Mane next to her and both sat down on the ground. Komfo Anokye joined them on the floor as well. The two told Mane their names and soon the three were talking about mundane stuff. Mane let Sasha go so that she could keep Matriarch Ruth company. Silver stayed with Mane, much like Hildegarde.
"I like your fairy. She is lovely. It does prove though that you aren't really hear and that is a relief. This is a dangerous place." Komfo Anokye's eyes shone brightly when he spoke. Keira didn't seem surprised by the revelation, suggesting that she was just as informed as her brother.
Mane furrowed his brows when he heard Komfo Anokye's words. As for Hildegarde she was stunned that Komfo Anokye and Keira could see her. After all, her new cloak had been provided by the Reaper himself! That was a being capable of suppressing the Watchers! Yet for some reason the two standing before her could see through his power.
"Don't be too alarmed," Komfo Anokye shrugged nonchalantly and said. "The power of the Reaper may be vast, but against members of my race, it can be ignored." He added, his words shaking Mane to his very core. For it was one thing to see through the cloak of the Reaper, and it was another to be able to accurately tell that the power did come from the Reaper.
"Surprised?" Komfo Anokye asked with a sly smile. Mane nodded his head in admission.
"I know what his power smells like because I have experienced his power before. I know better than every living man, the true power of the Grim Reaper"