****
"Why isn't he waking up?"
Both, Jia and Alion were looking at Gabriel who was lying in the middle of the street, as if he was deep asleep. Fortunately, he didn't seem to be in pain anymore and his breathing was stable.
"He has received too much information in the last five days. He's probably assimilating it all, now that he isn't in pain," Alion explained. "However, it won't be easy."
"What do you mean?" Jia asked, frowning. "Also what memories? You still haven't told me who he is? Why did I feel the same aura coming from him that I had felt when Karyk cast a world level spell?"
"Little girl, you still haven't realized it?" Alion sighed. "You felt the same aura because those two are the same people! You asked me why Gabriel could use Karyk's Origin Staff? That's because they're one and the same."
Alion picked Gabriel up in his arms, who was still sleeping. He didn't move deeper inside the city and instead, started walking back where he came from, as if he didn't want to be in this place when Gabriel was at his weakest.
"Silver hair... Dark eyes... Karyk? He's Karyk?!" Jia exclaimed in shock, chasing after Alion.
Alion didn't answer. His silence was an answer in itself for Jia. She had always been wondering why Alion was so caring toward a young boy, but she finally understood the truth.
However, even now she found it hard to believe. She had always believed that Karyk had died around a thousand years ago!
****
Alion brought Gabriel outside the Abandoned City of Gods, only stopping when they reached the nearest forest.
He placed Gabriel on the soft grass, under a tree before casting a protective barrier that not only protected them but also hid their aura completely from anyone who could've come there to check.
For close to half an hour, Jia sat next to Gabriel in silence, just looking at him. All her thoughts were chaotic.
"Even if Karyk was reborn through some special means, he should've lost all his previous strength. After rebirth, one loses all their previous strength since their souls become impure, unsuitable to carry their divine strength." After a long time, she finally expressed her thoughts.
"If he was reborn, he should've become an ordinary mortal who could never use a single shred of magic in his entire lifetime. So how?" she asked. "Moreover, if he was reborn, the others who tried to kill him should've sensed it as well. So what actually happened in the past?"
"How about you try asking him when he wakes up?" Alion shrugged, not having even the slightest interest in answering the little girl.
"I'm not crazy enough to ask the Death Star." Even though Jia idolized Karyk, but it didn't mean she wasn't scared of him. "How about a deal? If you tell me everything, I'll forgive you for giving me that stupid name? I won't kill you in the future!"
"I can't tell you." Despite what Jia tried, she only received a firm rejection. "What I do know is that it is the most dangerous for him."
"His soul is recovering its old strength that had been sealed for a long time. And with the sudden influx of his memories, it became even more dangerous. One single mistake and he'll either become a bloodthirsty demon, losing his consciousness forever, or he'll end up going crazy, not knowing what's reality and what's a dream anymore..."
Jia gulped down heavily. She didn't want to see what a bloodthirsty Karyk looked like. With the kind of strength this guy possessed, he could become a nightmare if he lost his sanity.
"What are the chances of his failure?" She asked with slight hesitation as she started standing up, as if she was about to escape.
"Are you trying to sneak away due to fear?" Alion couldn't help but find the little girl's reaction amusing. "I didn't know you were such a coward."
"If it was anyone else, I would've happily faced them even if there was no chance of victory. However, when it comes to Karyk... I heard that if one is killed by him, their souls get trapped for an eternity. That's worse than death. So if there's a chance that he'll kill me, I would rather escape."
Alion smirked. "If he really goes crazy, do you think there will be a place where you'd be able to hide?"
The little girl had been chasing her for a long time, making his life much harder. Now that she had an opportunity to mess with her, he took a total advantage of the situation.
Jia stood in her place, scratching the back of her head. For the first time, she was regretting coming to this place!
She also couldn't believe that the first guy she liked turned out to be the Death Star. She didn't know what his attitude was going to be after he woke up, but she really hoped that he could succeed.
"If he fails, we'll die no matter how far we run. So why waste the effort? Just sit here silently and wait for his success," Alion told the little girl.
Unlike the little girl, he appeared more relaxed, eating fruits that he picked from the nearby trees.
"How could you be so relaxed? Does it mean the chance of him succeeding are high?" The little girl asked. She didn't believe that Alion was brave enough to face death head on, if he didn't believe that Gabriel could succeed.
" He has a fifty percent chance of success. Everything after that depends on his own luck." Alion appeared somewhat lazy, as if he didn't care about the outcome. However, Jia didn't know that even he was scared deep inside. He just wasn't showing it on his face.
If anything, he was the most against this plan of Karyk when he was told about it since he knew how dangerous this was. One of the reasons he was avoiding this was also because he didn't want to face this situation without being mentally prepared for the failure.
He looked up, finding a blank faced Jia who was somewhat conflicted.
"How about it? If you stay behind and calm down, I'll give you a hint about one of the questions that's been bugging you," Alion said.
"What question?" Jia frowned. She had thousands of questions in her mind after all.
"You asked why his soul didn't become impure?" Alion responded. "The answer is much simpler than you expect. In fact, the answer has been before your eyes all this time."
