As Mane approached the turn his body grew slightly taut. Good enough to prepare his muscles for the job they were about to do but small enough so his state of alertness was not conveyed to his enemies. He was anxious, but this anxiety was kept hidden. Mane had faced many opponents till now. He had defeated foes far stronger than himself. When he was at the 7th stage of the profound realm he was capable of besting Celestials at the peak of that realm. With the combat ability that Celestials possessed, this meant that Mane could go toe to toe with any early earth realm expert belonging to a regular race. He may even be able to give a mid-tier earth realmer a run for his money. Though winning may not be possible, it wouldn't be an issue to escape. It was different now. He always had inner energy. The edict had always been within him ever since he was six. This was the second time he was fighting without it. The first time wasn't so bad because he had a limited but strong connection to

"Arrgh," Mane groaned in pain. His entire body felt sore and he could hardly move. The small groan that escaped his mouth had drained him of all his energy, prompting him to shut his mouth as quickly as he opened it. He could feel his entire body croak as he tried to move. He failed to even lift a finger. He halted all his attempts and accepted his fate, choosing to figure out where he was instead. And he knew just who to ask. "Where am I?" he questioned the 6th. "Can't you tell?" his master replied. Mane tried to feel his body again. He failed miserably once more. "You're home kid." The 6th finally gave his answer upon seeing Mane struggle to even move his toes. Mane was startled by the answer. "How did I get home? What happened to the assassins?" he wondered. "Before that is even answered, do you have any idea what you did there kid?" the 1st asked. Mane responded in the negative, "No, I don't.""Think carefully kid. Try to remember

Mane was startled by his master's words. He tried to open his eyes. The formerly weighty eye lids were not as heavy as before, making his task all but difficult. After a few seconds he finally succeeded in opening his beautiful blue eyes. The piercing light that fell upon his pupils prompted him to shut them again. Spending thirteen days in darkness was enough to make his eyes forget what light was. He prepared himself and opened them once more, this time slowly. As his eyes adjusted to the bright room, Mane turned his head to the side of his bed while waiting for his eyes to adjust to the lights, all the while wondering who it was that was waiting for him. When his eyes finally did adapt to its surroundings, they grew misty. This wasn't because of pain or weariness on their part, but because of the emotions of their owner. Looking at the woman who had fallen asleep beside his bed, Mane was filled with so many complex emotions: love, joy, and some small amount of anger. Yet when he

"Sir, it seems that a bounty has been placed on the young master by unknown individuals." Butler Fin spoke carefully, intent on staying on his master's good side. But the tone of his voice did indicate that his care wasn't because of fear, but concern for his 'master'. "The bounty wasn't limited to just the Bounty Hunters organisation, but every single organisation there is. Mercenaries, assassins, as long as they can be bought with money, all of them have received this information. And all of them would be coming for the young master." Butler Fin continued. His head remained slightly bowed, his focus on the carpet he stood on. The news he had just fed his master didn't do much in revealing who was behind the covers, but it did draw a picture on the magnitude of threats that were coming their way. "My son is a profound realmer at the peak of his level. Any Zandorian who comes for his head would be leaving his- or hers- behind instead." Ray stated nonchalantly. H

Inside the main house, the master felt his hand holding his teacup shake. They trembled as though they had been subjected to extreme cold and the nerves could hold out no longer. He felt his entire being shiver, his entire body seemingly doused in a pond of chilling cold water."What is happening?" he wondered, as he observed his trembling hands up close. Hardly had he posed the question to his brain when he received the answer.*BOOM*A loud bang from outside shook the entire residence. The master rushed to the window to find out what was going on. He watched in horror as a man emerged from the 'big bang'. His horror was from his knowledge. Knowledge that the barrier around the house couldn't even be broken through by tens of peak mortal realm experts. He had heard legends. Legends that spoke of beings with power beyond Zandor. These beings could supposedly turn the world upside down if they wanted to. He had rubbished these 'absurd' theories at the time. His r