Andar’s mouth opened and closed, too much information was coming at him without any respite and it was all he could do to swallow everything new in front of his plate. It was too much and his instincts told him there was more to come. The worst was yet to come and the Watcher had just been laying down the foundations before she hit him with the entire revelation.
"Oh, look at the little Mage," Aeris smirked, "I think you have broken him. You have given him matters of too much import Watcher, and he is unfit and unable to comprehend the seriousness of this matter."
"I don’t think he is broken," the Watcher’s gentle smile remained as she fixed Andar to the spot with her eyes, "none of us could do better than him at this level, even your precious daughter has failed you Aeris, he is perfect. I saw the promise of greatness from the first time I laid my eyes on him, and that promise shines brighter now."
Andar Whispered, "Why me? I am just a talented Mage, any Arch mage exceeds me in experience and power to a massive degree, I have no quality that makes me special... at least not at this time."
The Watcher’s smile deepened at his words at the end, "Oh Andar, your potential is what we need and not your power. I told you how the Mages entered the Material Universe by the actions of your Tower Master. This causes every Mage that was born inside this universe to become one of her children, but when a Mage becomes an Arch mage, they would move their Tower to the Magus Supreme World, thereby severing their connection with this universe.
"At the end of a universe, various phenomena are to be expected, and one of them would be similar to this current environment we have simulated. You have proven that even without any warning or preparation you were able to succeed against great odds.
"There are places only a Child of the universe can reach, and in this entire universe, you are the one with the greatest potential. Andar you are a Rank 1 Mage, but the threshold of your powers has reached the Realm of an Arch mage, do you understand how strong you would become as a Rank 9 Mage? Do not look down on your powers."
She turned and looked at the universe and all the frozen state of the Arch mages here alongside the millions of Mages who came to watch Andar become a Master of the seven Magus Discipline.
"You should know that in this universe alone, there are ten billion Mages, and the people with the bloodline of Mages are 305 billion. When this universe dies, all these souls will perish alongside it. This inevitable fate can only be denied if you can seize the Will of the Universe Andar. If not, only the 45 Arch mages currently existing inside the universe would live, the rest would die... including you.n0ve(l)bi(n.)co/m
"Andar, I have lived for a very long time, and in those endless years, I have come across countless stories, battles, and lives. I have heard grand tales and the pettiest arguments anyone can make for the reasons for their actions.
Andar looked up in horror, his planets and its satellites held a total of fifteen billion people, and his mother had been willing to sacrifice all those lives to ensure he would have a safe passage to leave this universe.
If Silas was aware of his shock it did not phase him as he continued,
"You are an obvious choice for this privilege, and this is the path I choose, Aeris here agrees with me, but the Watcher disagrees. We set about two wagers. A battle between the Arch mages here would decide the future of this universe. We won, her Alchemist are many things but they are not known for their combat prowess, but she picked another Wager with a much stricter consequence for her loss.
"I will not tell you the prize she would have paid if she failed, but she won and her prize was simple, it was for you to make a choice. You can follow her path and fight for the Will of the Universe, you will most likely perish, for the enemies you would face on that road would be Ancient monsters, or you follow the path I set for you and select the door to salvation.
"You and eleven talented Mages would be taken to the Supreme World where you can grow in safety. Make your choice Andar, and understand that the ramifications of your actions will echo for eternity."
With those words, Silas and Aeris vanished, leaving the Watcher behind, her smile now held a note of sadness
"I did not wish to give you such a heavy burden at such a young age Andar, but the measures of a man are known at times like this. I will leave this Time Stop for another hour. Make your decision in its profound silence where nothing in this universe would be able to disturb you. Know that whatever path you choose, I will not hold it against you."
The Watcher vanished as well, leaving Andar behind staring at a frozen universe.
"I can leave this universe safe and sound but the payment would be the death of hundreds of billions of Mages, or I can fight a battle with no assurance of winning, and everyone perish if I lose... what choice can I make?"
Andar cried out to the silent universe, wishing more than ever that his creator was here with him.
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