Chapter 38: The Heart's Desire III.

Chapter 38: The Heart's Desire III.

Zeke was taken aback by the request that the ancient heart had put forth to him. "You want my body? Why, what could you possibly want my body for?" he exclaimed, his voice trembling with confusion and fear. "Didn't you say yourself multiple times how inferior our bodies are to that of your kind?"

The heart replied calmly, its ancient voice seeming to echo through the cavernous chamber. "Yes, that is in fact the case, but after thousands of years down here, I am not exactly at the liberty to be very picky." Zeke felt a chill run down his spine as the heart's words sunk in.

The heart continued, its words filling Zeke with a sense of unease. "Also, don't sell yourself short. I can feel that your body has an incredible ability to adapt and use the power in one's blood. It is, in fact, one of the strongest affinities for the blood arts I have ever felt from a member of the lesser races," the heart said, its ancient voice carrying a note of reverence. "If you transplanted my heart into your body, I am sure that I could adapt to the new body in a very short amount of time and still continue to function normally. That process is unthinkable for anyone with a lesser compatibility."

The heart paused for a moment, as if calculating something in its mind. "Hmm, now that I think about it, it would probably only take me a couple centuries until I would be back in an acceptable condition," the heart said, its ancient voice carrying a note of excitement. "I don't expect you to understand how your body works, but let me just say this: The blood that my heart pumps is automatically infused with mana, and that will, in fact, strengthen your body to the point where I would not have to be too ashamed of it anymore."

Zeke listened to the heart's words with a mix of fear and excitement. He couldn't fathom the idea of having the heart of an ancient being transplanted into his own body, but the thought of the immense power it promised was tantalizing. This could be considered a giant boon if the heart wasn't trying to take over his mind as well.

Zeke had a strange look on his face after the heart said that he didn't know about how the body worked. Didn't [Perfect body control], one of his abilities that he had mastered, give him a complete understanding of every single function of his body? But Zeke had more important things to worry about than to correct the heart's wrong assumptions about his knowledge. It was, now that he thought about it, in his best interest to be underestimated.

The heart finally stopped its musings and waited for Zeke to speak. Zeke then asked the most important question on his mind. "How do you expect me to put your heart inside my body, when it's the size of a carriage? I don't know how you perceive the world around you, but in case you didn't know, you are at least 50 times my volume," Zeke said with a bit of a smile on his face as he pointed out this fact. It seemed the heart didn't think its plan through thoroughly.

The dragon considered Zeke's question for a moment before replying, "You are right, it is an impossible task for a human. But for me, it is a simple matter. I have the power to manipulate my own body and can reshape it at will. With a little of your space attuned mana, I will simply compress my heart to a size small enough to fit inside your chest and then use my magic to fuse it with your body. It will be an almost painless process for you, and it will take me only a matter of minutes to complete. Was that the last of your questions?"

Zeke nodded, understanding the process. With a heavy heart, Zeke replied to the dragon. "Fine, I will agree to your terms. But you must promise me that you will not harm Viola and that you will release her unharmed once the process is complete."

The dragon's voice was overflowing with mirth as he made his vow, "I promise you that the girl will not be harmed, and I will release her once the process is complete. But be warned, if you try to back out of our deal or betray me, I will not hesitate to make an example out of her."

Zeke felt a sense of dread wash over him as he realized the gravity of the situation. He had no choice but to go through with the dragon's plan, and hope that he could find a way to protect himself and Viola in the process.

Zeke got a resolute look on his face and asked what he had to do in order to get started. "Step closer, human," the dragon commanded, its voice rumbling like thunder. "Place your hand upon my heart and infuse it with space-attuned mana. Then, open your chest and prepare to receive me within. Do not attempt to deceive me, or the girl shall suffer the consequences. And fear not, the pain shall be fleeting. Once I am within you, the girl will be freed from my control, and you shall have moments to bid her farewell before I take full possession of your body."

Zeke approached the dragon's heart, his mind set on the task at hand. He knew that any hint of treachery would mean certain death for Viola, so he resolved to be as honest and forthright as possible. With a steady hand, he placed his left palm on the heart and channeled space-attuned Mana into it, causing it to shrink to a manageable size. Without hesitation, he used his right hand to make a precise cut on his chest, revealing his own heart. As the dragon's heart began to enter his body, he couldn't help but wonder how it would fit through the gap in his ribs, but before he could ponder further, a sharp pain shot through him as the heart fully entered his body.

As the heart entered his body, Zeke's body immediately began to heal itself. The cut on his chest closed up quickly, the edges of the wound fusing together seamlessly. And as the last remnants of the wound disappeared, Viola's eyes fluttered open.L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.