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.
But in spite of Zeke's expectations, the heart just chuckled at his attempt to get out of the situation and replied: "Who are you trying to fool, little human? Do you think I can not feel the space attribute radiating from you at all times? Clearly, you are able to perform some space magic. It would be easy enough to compress my heart to the appropriate size. A dragon heart, you see, is only partially material, it is an amalgamation of the physical, spiritual, and magical. Therefore, it can easily change size. Didn't you ever wonder how dragons are able to shift into human form?"
Zeke was shocked, he wanted to tell the heart that he had not even known that it used to be a dragon, much less that dragons could take human form. But he didn't have the mind to say any of that. Zeke was too taken aback by the heart's revelation. He had never considered the fact that the heart could change its size and shape, and the implications of this realization were staggering. He realized that his attempt to get out of the situation was futile, and that the heart had always been aware of his abilities. He didn't know what to say or do anymore, the heart apparently had it all planned out, and he felt completely overwhelmed by its momentum. Finally, he asked in a defeated voice, "How will you take control of my mind once you are inside my body?"
The dragon spoke, his voice tinged with frustration, "I won't go into any details, but simply put, it is impossible to take over the mind of what you people call mind mages with dragon magic. You mind mages seem to have a natural defense against being influenced by the method we dragons use with our magic. Even at the peak of my power, if I tried to force it, it would just shatter your mind and kill you. But that protection only applies to outside forces, you are, after all, able to use mind magic on yourself. Do you understand?"
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Zeke thought about what the dragon was saying and the implications of his words. He used the knowledge from his [Perfect body control] to simulate what he thought the dragon was getting at. "So, what you are saying is that after your heart has infused enough of its essence into my system to be recognized as a natural part of the body, you will be able to use your dragon magic to control my mind the same way I use mind magic to improve my memory?"
The dragon was surprised by Zeke's accurate understanding of the process and gave him mentally a grudging nod of respect, but still corrected one thing Zeke had said. "It's not exactly the same way you humans use your mind magic," the dragon said, in a low, rumbling voice. "You humans use mind-attuned Mana to cast spells. We dragons, on the other hand, infuse a bit of our essence into the Mana in order to make people obey. So you can say that we dragons don't use mind magic to influence other beings, we simply infuse a bit of ourselves into every word we speak, and by doing so, force our will onto everyone touched by the Mana released by our breaths."
"Wouldn't that deplete your essence over time?" Zeke asked, his curiosity sparked by the dragon's words. The dragon chuckled in response, "You ask if it would deplete my essence over time? Ha! Let me tell you, it's no different from a single hair falling from a human's head. The depletion is so minuscule, we wouldn't even notice it. Even now, as just a fraction of my former self, I still possess enough essence to control a dozen of you. Once a mere 10% of my essence has flowed through your brain, I will have full control of your body. So, if you thought you could overpower me in a battle of spirits, let me assure you, that will be impossible for you."
"Before I agree, I have one final question," Zeke said, as he thought through his options. "How am I supposed to replace my heart? That sounds like an impossible task to me." Despite his words, Zeke was confident that he could perform the operation easily with his [perfect body control]. He didn't even need a heart to function, since he could just pump his blood manually. But he saw no reason to expose this to the dragon.
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.