Ezekiel stood waiting, his eyes calm without a trace of emotional ripples, watching Gabriel return.
He could see the changes in the young man before him, albeit still not at the level that he would've been satisfied with. So far, he had only focused on the basics and letting Gabriel become familiar with the power by increasing his understanding through practice.
Unfortunately, even he knew that just that alone wasn't enough for Gabriel to surpass the limits. Understanding the Abyss was absolutely necessary, but there was one thing that was even more important... It was the power within...
So far, Gabriel had managed to learn how to use the Abyssal Element from his surroundings.
He could withdraw the purest elemental energy of Abyss, and use it for his advantage. However, there was way more that he needed. And most absolute amongst them was to create an Abyssal Core within him, that could store and create the element without limits.
Everything that he had taught Gabriel so far, was all for the preparation of this.
"I fou-"
"You've surpassed my expectations. I thought it would take longer for you to return..."
Gabriel tried speaking about the strange crystal, but Ezekiel cut him off.
"However this was just the first step... Now we move onto the second step of your evolution..."
Gabriel could only nod in response. He could also feel that he had gotten stronger, but this was not even close to the level he wanted to be at. The training had a long way to go.
"What is the second step?" he asked, only to have Ezekiel point towards his chest where his heart was supposed to be.
"The Source of Power... Heart." Ezekiel stated. "What happens next isn't for you to do, but for me to finish since you aren't strong enough to get it yourself."
"The Heart?" Gabriel frowned, looking at his chest. He had no heartbeat. He had no heart at all, since his heart was pulled out and crushed. In fact he didn't even know how he was still alive without a heart, so he didn't understand what Ezekiel was talking about.
"You will understand very soon."
Ezekiel told Gabriel to follow him, and entered the Inner Zone of the Abyss, which was even more vast than the Outer Zone.
To Gabriel's surprise, Ezekiel didn't stop there at all, and kept going further and further at a speed that was faster than Teleportation. Even Gabriel wasn't able to keep up with him. Fortunately, Ezekiel helped Gabriel to stay closer.
Along the way, they saw many Beasts of Abyss that were stronger than the Beasts of the Outer Zone, but Ezekiel killed them at sight, not letting anyone slow him down.
As they traveled deeper into the Inner Zone, the air grew thicker and more stifling, causing Gabriel to struggle to catch his breath. Even with his familiarity with the Abyss, this was too much for him.
Despite the challenging conditions, Ezekiel seemed unaffected entirely.
"Where are we going?" Gabriel asked Ezekiel, wondering just how far was their destination. There seemed no end in sight, even though they'd been traveling for days.
"The Center of the Abyss... To get a heart for you," Ezekiel responded vaguely, but didn't continue. It was as if he expected Gabriel to understand from just that much information.
"To get me a Heart?" Gabriel frowned in confusion. His heart was already destroyed. How could it be at the Center of the Abyss?
"The Heart of the Abyssal Dragon... Like other Dragons, they are born with affinity for their surroundings. A human heart or a god's heart can never have the same level of affinity with the Abyss as the heart of a Dragon, who are best at it," Ezekiel explained.
"That's why, we are going to get the heart for you... We are going to hunt the Dragon of the Abyss."
"Isn't that... Too big for my body?" Gabriel asked, taken aback. Dragons were giant species. Their heart alone was hundreds of feet tall. How could a Dragon's heart fit inside him?
"Leave that to me," Ezekiel calmly responded, as if he didn't want to bother with explaining. "Just know that it's a good thing that you don't have a heart yet. The process will be much simpler. If you had a heart, I'd have to rip it out to replace it, which would've been much more painful."
"So even though Caen didn't want to, you can say that it's a blessing in disguise for you. And we're going to take advantage of those blessings..." He further added, surprising Gabriel even more.
Gabriel was white taken aback. Just what was he? He had the Skeleton of a True God of Laws. He had the Bloodline of True God of Thunder, he had the blood of Karyk, and now he was going to have the heart of the Dragon of Abyss?
Just one of those things alone was enough to shake the world, let alone all of them in the same person.
Ezekiel continued leading Gabriel deeper into the Inner Zone of the Abyss, their surroundings growing more treacherous and ominous with each step.
The air crackled with volatile energy, and the ground beneath their feet trembled as if in anticipation of their arrival. Gabriel couldn't help but feel a mixture of intrigue and unease, unsure of what awaited them at the center of the Abyss.
He had never seen a Dragon in his life. However, he knew that Dragons were said to be comparable to Gods, if but stronger. The Dragon of the Abyss could've been classified as one of the Strongest Dragon Species since they were born and lived in this brutal environment.
It was said that even in the Abyss, there were only less than ten Abyssal Dragons, all at the top of hierarchy v
As they journeyed through the heart of the Abyss, the oppressive atmosphere began to weigh heavily on Gabriel. It felt as if invisible hands were pressing against his chest, making it harder to breathe.
His vision blurred at times, and the whispers of malevolent forces echoed in his ears. But he pressed on, determined to overcome any obstacle in his path.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the Central Area of Abyss, bathed in a pulsating purple light.
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