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.
"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.
"I have heard the tales of kings, of gods, of Angels and Demons, of Titans and Beasts, and all of them claim to know the reason for creation and the worth of a life.
"I will tell you this with all the confidence I have acquired as the Watcher of Universes… You would never perform a greater service than fighting for the Will of a Universe. Even if you die on this path, you would have achieved something that countless mortals from the beginning of creation to its end would never accomplish."
The Watcher removed her hands from Andar's shoulders and took a step back, waiting for him to digest everything she had said.
"My disciple, heed my words, you do not need to follow this path." The deep voice of Silas Black dragged his gaze away from the enchanting eyes of the Watcher and he looked at this grim figure in black.
"During your battle, another fight broke out here for something else. Do not believe that matters of such import would just be handed to you, a mere Mage and mortal. You were never even supposed to know the fate of this universe. Your potential may be unmatched but it is just potential.
"When I created the Black Tower, I also created the Bloodline of Mages in this universe using twelve drops of blood from the Supreme Magus. The entire Magus Civilization in this universe came from his blood that has been diluted and spread among the billions over the course of four billion years, this blood also runs inside you.
"This universe is about to end, and I don't care about it, so-
called Will, like the Watcher, because fighting for it is incredibly dangerous, and it would most likely lead to your death, but what the Watcher did not tell you is that there is another path. My disciple, I want you to understand this truth; there are many universes in the Great Darkness but there is rarely someone like you in all of existence. You are more precious than any universe.
"I created the Magus Civilization in this Universe, and I can end it. I can collect the twelve drops of blood I used to create it, making twelve doors that twelve worthy Mages would be able to use to leave this universe. This universe has already given us so many Arch mages and it has also given us you. Is it not a waste to allow you to die for such a foolish reason as saving its Will?"
He pointed up to the sky where Andar's world and its satellite hung in place, "To acquire these drops of blood, I will butcher the entire Magus in this universe and merge the blood back together again. Your mother brought your world closer to ensure the first drop of blood falls to you."
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.
