How many times had Mane been quieted by the words of another? That he did not know. But it had been happening too many times of late. And today was no exception. It had only been a few hours after his awakening from the land of dreams and unreal into a universe of virtual and spiritual. Yet even in the ever so brief period his heart had been forced to bear many truths that not even his father was aware of. Of course, this was his own doing. For he prodded and forced open the mouth of Komfo Anokye with his passionate pleas and by feeding on the feeling of guilt the old man had towards his abandoned family. Now Mane knew a lot more than he wanted to.
The young Supreme had hoped that there was another with a Universe level prophecy in his time. After all, although there were many prophecies in the Universe, few could push the heart of the Reaper towards them. So Mane hoped with all his heart that the prophecy that had drawn the Reaper to the Weapon Masters was one that spoke of his father or another. Mane hoped to share his burdens with such a man. He hoped to find one who knew of the weight of the Universe crushing down their shoulders and threatening to break them into a million broken pieces. Yet it was he who was at the forefront once again. It was because of him that the Grim Reaper appeared and it certainly was due to him that his grandmother had been spared. And that was all because…
"He wanted to make sure that I'd be born?"
Mane mumbled as he curled up into himself. Hildegarde could feel the turmoil in her Tested's soul. She wanted to comfort him, but she couldn't find the words nor could she piece together the actions that would make all this a bit easier to swallow. For Mane wasn't a typical Tested. She may have had it easy with a great number of Tested. Even with them, it didn't take much to comfort them for many of the things they worried about had to do with their tests. And though she had been with many who had to endure the pain of leaving a family behind, they weren't as difficult to understand as Mane. After all, the source of their sorrow was easy to understand. But Mane was difficult to read. And what was happening right now was an example of how difficult it was to read the young Supreme. For though Hildegarde could feel the sorrow in her Tested's heart, she wasn't sure why it was there in the first place.
Silver was a bit more sensitive to Mane's feelings that Hildegarde was. Plus, it was a beast, not a man. It gently rubbed its furry body against Mane's neck and tried to transmit its warmth. It did help a bit, for the young Supreme fished out a wry smile from his closest to assure the little silver monkey that he was fine. However, the thoughts that run through his head couldn't be erased simply because of a neck rub.
"Do not worry so much," Cronos's cold voice barged into Mane's thoughts with the impudence of one who always got his way. Strangely enough, it was Cronos who understood Mane's turmoil more than anyone else.
"He wanted me alive for a reason. When I met him that time, he reeked of souls. He smelled of blood and disaster. And though he did me a few favors, were they really favors?" Mane's fractured soul cried out.
His meeting with the Grim Reaper was one he wasn't going to forget right now. That being's authority and strength were deeply engrained into Mane's mind and served to push him past his limits each time he bent over to train or stood up to fight. That memory not only kept the favors of the Grim Reaper catalogued in Mane's mind, it also held the aura of the one whose power was comparable to none.
That aura was cold and filled with thirst. It was filled with a million screams and billions of disheartened souls. It wasn't a surprise, for he was the Reaper. His job was to make sure that souls without a home to go to, didn't wander the Universe, and he did this by consuming them. Initially, Mane thought that it was his silky smooth talking skills that had earned Aurora her life and Hildegarde her shield. However, what if that was all a lie? What if the Reaper had done the things he did because he needed Mane alive?
"I know what your worry is," Cronos's voice sought to comfort the young Supreme again; for he understood the young man's confusion. The Reaper wasn't known for his inclination to peace. For many, he was the symbol of death and destruction. Wanting Mane kept alive meant that the young Supreme was bound to cause mass destruction and possibly bring a lot of pain. And that scared and hurt Mane at the same time.
Mane wasn't an idiot. His mother refused to tell him what the prophecies about him were, and his father was very evasive when queried concerning the same matters. Butler Fin somehow always disappeared when Mane wanted answers to the same riddle and even Hildegarde had never given him a straight reply concerning what she heard about him. Odin had gently reminded him not to hate his family. The King of Asgard had besieged the young Supreme to not judge those he hadn't met because they were doing much for him in the background. What were they doing exactly? It didn't take a genius to realize that his fate was dark. These missing people who were 'working in the background' may be looking for ways to reverse his fate. Mane thought of this a lot. Even while he slept his dreams were constantly interrupted by these stray thoughts. And now the conclusion he had been avoiding was staring at him in the face once again.
Cronos had seen these dreams. And that was why he understood Mane's current turmoil. The boy was afraid of what he was going to become. He was afraid of what was going to come.
Asgardians were part of the gods who besieged Kerith. In fact, they led the war.
"In my life I was destined to be ruled by my father, and my brothers shared the same fate. We were all under his thumb. But I rose up and killed him. Schemes, treachery, and actual strength were required for that task was just that great a mountain. Yet in the end I did succeed. What am I trying to say?"
"I am saying that your destiny is controlled by you and you alone!"
Mane's soul shook slightly from the words of Cronos. His destiny was his to control and his alone! This was his life. This was his destiny. Every thing was his to control. Everything was his to hold on to. Everything was his to control.
"If they say you are meant to break the cycle of peace and bring destruction upon the earth, break their predictions and distort their beliefs!"
"If they say you are the beacon of peace and you want to be the bringer of hell fire, do as you please!"
"Don't forget who you are!"
"You are Mane Harbinger!"
"You are the boy who killed a god!"