Gabriel's mind raced as he weighed the options before him. On one hand, he could accept the Emperor's offer and save Ezekiel's life, granting him a longer life.
On the other hand, he could choose freedom and take Ezekiel away, but it would mean his inevitable death.
The thought of losing Ezekiel was unbearable to Gabriel. It was because of Ezekiel that he had managed to leave the Abyss. It was because of Ezekiel that he grew so much.
Ezekiel was his friend, his teacher and his family. And watching Ezekiel at the death's door was too much.
Unfortunately, he also couldn't ignore the fact that accepting the Emperor's offer came with certain risks of their own.
Gabriel glanced back at Ezekiel, still unconscious but slowly regaining color in his cheeks. It was a miracle, a testament to the power of the crystal and the Emperor's words. But could he trust the Emperor? Could he trust that this offer wasn't just a facade and a trick?
On the other hand, the Emperor was also pulled back by his sister.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked. "You only have ten years of your life left! How can I let you sacrifice more of that for someone else?"
She knew her brother better than anyone else. She also knew that when it came to promises, her brother never broke any.
Her brother was a very stern person when it came to his beliefs. So this deal wasn't a lie! Unfortunately, that also meant that he was willing to sacrifice his own life, which was already very limited.
"If it's just about that person, then I can do it myself! You don't have to make a deal with your life on the line!" Her tone was stern, her hand tightly holding onto the wrist of her brother with a little fear in her eyes clearly visible.
She had already lost her sister. She didn't want to lose more. Her brother was a century older than them. While she had over a hundred years of life left, her brother only had ten years of lifespan left.
They were very young when they lost their parents. Ever since then, it was her brother who took care of the two of them like a father. She understood why her brother was so serious about this matter, but she still couldn't let him do it.
The Emperor understood his sister's concerns. With a tender gesture, he gently placed his hand on her head, his eyes reflecting his genuine kindness.
"I wouldn't if I had a choice. However, as an Emperor, my life belongs to my citizens. And to save them, I'm willing to sacrifice a few years of my life."
"But why do you have to take this route? I can kill that person myself! Why do we even need this man's help? And if it's his help that we want, then we can force him! We can threaten him! We can take so many other paths that don't take your life from you!" The woman exclaimed, her eyes brimming with emotions.
"Little brat, you saw the past in the mirror. Even your sister couldn't do it, let alone you. That man isn't someone you can kill," the Emperor replied, the scene of an Immortal dying still fresh in his mind.
He also hadn't forgotten the words of the Archangel in the Temple. Something was really wrong with Karyk and he was sure. He had a feeling that the more time Karyk had, the more dangerous he was going to become. So they didn't have much time.
If possible, he would've gone after Karyk with all his might. Unfortunately, he couldn't even do that.
****
In the Central World of Upper Realm, Karyk was sitting in the mansion provided to him by Aliac.
His sister was sitting in the distance, playing with a little shadow pet that he had created for her. Alion and the Goddess of Nature sat near him.
The Lord of Upper Realm Aliac was sitting before them. As soon as Aliac regained consciousness, he immediately rushed here to ask Karyk about what happened after he lost consciousness in the other world.
His expressions were still uncertain. He couldn't believe Karyk's description about the events that took place. Although he had seen Karyk prepare the scary attack, it was still hard to believe that he had actually killed the Elzerians.
Speechless and utterly shocked, he struggled to articulate his emotions. The haze of confusion permeated his thoughts, rendering him completely oblivious to Karyk's Questions.
"Are you going to tell me who those people were?" Karyk asked again after his first question was ignored.
"Huh?" Aliac came to his senses this time.
"Those people... They are the reason I can't leave this world. They are the reason I've trapped myself in this world, guarding the Door."
"As you already saw, they are people who can't be understood by the common sense of this world. Their strength, their knowledge, their understanding of this world, it all surpasses ours."
"Why are they your enemy?" Karyk asked. The way those people treated him and Aliac, it was clear that they treated them like enemies.
Moreover, their strength truly wasn't anything to scoff at. Even Karyk knew that he was lucky there were too few Elzerians facing him. Just one attack had exhausted him.
If there were more, he would've had a much harder time in a world where there were no Elemental Aura to support his consumption. .
As long as he was in this universe, he was more confident in being able to protect himself. But in their world, things were much more complicated.
"They are our enemy because I'm the biggest obstruction in their path. I'm the Guardian... I'm the guard who blocks their path that would've allowed them to enter our world with all their might," Aliac answered. "What I'm about to tell you people is something that very few people in our universe know."
****
Back on earth, a man looked at the stars in the sky. "Elzerians, huh. Things are really starting to get complicated."
