"You have experienced the power of the Grim Reaper?"
Mane was not just stunned by what he heard, but extremely doubtful. The Grim Reaper's power was beyond anything in this universe or any other. This was someone who stood at the true peak of the realms and continuously grew stronger with every death that took place. Saying he knew how strong the Reaper was was one thing, but to say he experienced the power of the Reaper was something difficult to believe. Because experiencing something meant that you had to be in the midst of that thing. And though Komfo Anokye was strong, the power Mane felt from the older man was several notches below that of the Grim Reaper's.
"I have indeed experienced the power of the Reaper before. In fact, all the remnants of Kerith have experienced the power of the Reaper." Komfo Anokye stated with a small smile.
Mane turned to look at Keira for confirmation. His grandmother had a great aura of purity around her that made Mane confident that she wasn't capable of breathing out a lie. So when she nodded her head, Mane was forced to accept Komfo Anokye's words were true.
"What is Kerith?" Mane asked. It was a simple question, but it caused the atmosphere to change. The air became heavy and the countenance of both Komfo Anokye and Keira grew grim.
"Kerith was our home," Keira sighed and said. "It was the home of every Weapon Master and the tool that allowed us to fully awaken as Weapon Masters."
"But it was destroyed many years ago; when the gods sought to possess the power of Kerith for themselves."
There were several complex emotions in the eyes of the two siblings when they recalled the glory of Kerith. How long it had been since they last saw their home. Now they were wandering citizens of a world that had been lost to the greed of the gods.
"I am sorry," Mane was a bit regretful that he had asked such a question. Although it seemed a harmless enquiry, the rage and helplessness in Komfo Anokye's eyes and the sadness on his grandmother's face suggested that there was no such thing as a harmless enquiry.
"There is no need to apologize. You are connected to Kerith as well." Komfo Anokye's smile was back in no time. "I can tell you about Kerith if you want to hear about it," the one feared by most in this world offered. Mane turned to Keira first to seek her opinion. This was her story of her planet as well. If it was going to hurt her to hear this, he would rather gain his information from another source. Keira saw through his concerns and gave him a warm smile. She was okay with whatever her brother decided. Losing her world hurt, but the pain had grown much duller over the past few thousands of years. Once her approval was given, Komfo Anokye shared his past with Mane.
"Kerith was the name of my world. It was a name given to the planet due to its connection with the Divine Artifact, Kerith. Kerith was a world that was as prosperous as any world could hope to be. It was a vibrant and lively world and though we couldn't boost of having no poor person, we certainly could boost of being the planet with just a few struggling individuals."
"We were a greatly united people, and this unity was because of Kerith. Kerith was a powerful Divine Artefact. It was a tool with the ability to awaken innate skills and techniques of our race. And it was what made us Weapon Masters."
It was impressive indeed that there was a Divine Artefact capable of inducing an awakening in a race, and Mane was intrigued by this. Zandor was a planet Mane suspected was filled with many un-awakened folks. With a tool like Kerith, Zandor could become a powerful planet capable of opposing the gods!
"Weapon Masters have the inherent ability to master every weapon they hold without much effort. Swords, spears, bows, daggers and every kind of weapon known to man – cold and hot alike. There was nothing that a Weapon Master couldn't handle."
"my people were strong because of this. And we drew the attention of the gods. They offered us a contract. We would perform some tasks for them at certain points and they would pay for our services. When there were planets that stepped out of line or people who had forgotten their place, we were the ones who came in to put them back into place."
Mane looked at Komfo Anokye with a questioning gaze. The gods were a bunch of people capable of living forever and ironically, feared death more than anyone else. It wasn't surprising that they contacted a people who could take care of their dirty work. What surprised Mane was that the Weapon Masters agreed to work for the gods. Komfo Anokye came across as an intelligent man, and no Spiritualist had a bad mind. Keira was quiet, but Mane could feel a stubbornness in her that he judged was passed down to his own father. If the people of Kerith were anything like these two, then why did they submit to the gods.
"I know what you are thinking," Komfo Anokye shrugged and said. Mane didn't bother to hide his confusion so it was easy to pick up.
"But this happened way before I was born. Kerith was one of the first few worlds after all. As a primordial world, I have no idea why my ancestors decided to bow down to the gods, but I assumed that it was for a good reason. And I didn't think of changing what had been since before I was born. No one offends the gods and is spared after all."
Mane nodded his head in understanding. His granduncle's words made sense.
"My people – well, they are yours as well – worked for the gods for a long time. They worked for them long before I was born and long after the=at. But everything changed when they discovered the means to our strength. Once they discovered Kerith, their greed grew and they wanted it. They saw the possibility of raising for themselves an army that could topple empires and brings chaos to the universe."
"Naturally we weren't willing to hand over Kerith. So we warred."
"And we lost."