Lidien scratched his face while staring at Azer with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Because they trained to use Sparklines like how we use them."
Azer then walked, circling Lidien who watched his every move.
"Have you ever wondered where the verve of a Demon comes from?"
Lidien didn't answer and just stared back at Azer, waiting for his explanation, considering his knowledge regarding the world was lacking.
Azer smirked, as his body exuded a red-like verve.
"I haven't told you this last time when I taught you how to fight, but now... since you will be fighting the Dark Wolf Clan, it's time for you to know what it is that separates us from Humans..."
Azer pounced at Lidien, striking him with a fist. Though Lidien blocked it, he was sent flying from the heavy impact.
As Lidien stood after the dust settled, his hair was already white and long as he stared at Azer with his crimson eyes.
"So, what's the truth behind this form?"
This time, Lidien initiated the attack, slashing at Azer with his black claws, aiming for his neck, but was easily dodged by Azer, who held his arm back and threw him into the wall.
"Do you know the saying... 'The Abyss exists in people's minds, with an entrance hidden deep within everyone's heart'?"
Ptui!
Lidien spat on the ground, his blood mixing with the dirt, then smiled while his fangs stuck out.
"Sounds familiar... why?"
Then Azer raised his hand with an open palm, as the verve congregated suspended above his palm like a vortex. He threw it at Lidien, who was still stupefied by it.
"Urgh!"
Lidien blocked it with both arms, forcefully deflecting it while his feet skidded on the ground.
As the ball of solidified verve passed over him, it exploded upon touching the wall, making him gape at its power.
'Is this a lesson? Or is this muscle-headed brother trying to kill me with that?'
A sound of footsteps woke Lidien from his daydream, as he stared at the towering man walking and smiling toward him.
"Humans become Demons once the corruption in their mind shatters their soul, opening that portal in your heart to supply an Essence that comes from the Abyss... called Intense Emotion... or Profane Essence as the Blessed say."
As he knelt in front of Lidien, he added.
"That is why... no matter how angry you are, no matter how hungry you are... no matter how lustful you are... you will not become a Demon, unless you can open up that abyss in your heart."
Azer grabbed Lidien by the neck, lifting him up as Lidien fought the choke with his claws, clawing Azer till his arms bled.
"And the higher the Rank you hold among the Nobles of the Abyss, the closer you are to it... making you one day live in it... The Abyss Realm."
Azer slammed Lidien on the ground, making him cough up blood, splashing on Azer's face.
Lidien crawled, trying hard to escape Azer, when he felt his abdomen crunch from the kick of Azer, making him roll and skid on the bloody ground.
As Lidien coughed and vomited blood, he thumped the ground, gritting his teeth just to stand.
"S-so, what's the connection of it to how Humans can compete with us Demons?" Lidien said, panting not from exhaustion but from pain.
Azer then got his massive claymore from his space ring and rested it on his shoulder.
"W-what the?"
Lidien's mouth agape from seeing the massive claymore; unlike last time when it blocked the stares of both him and Aria during their heated conversation, it looked more menacing now compared to then.
Its blade was covered with verve, and it seemed like the claymore was crying as ghost-like faces slowly crept out of the blade now and then.
"This is one of the applications of how to use Coreflux, which Humans from the Eastern Continent developed against Magical Beasts and Demons..."
Azer laughed as he stabbed the ground with his claymore, making it stand, and when he removed his hand holding it, it turned back to its normal appearance.
"Martial Artists and Mages call it Coreflux, and it has only one purpose... which is to store Elemental Essence."
Azer then sat in lotus position and pointed to his abdomen three inches below the navel.
"This is where it is placed... and this time, I'll teach you a meditation technique that will let you absorb Elemental Essence."
Lidien scratched his head and stared at Azer with confusion.
"Are you not even going to give me some potion to heal these wounds and broken bones you gave me?"
Azer then tossed him a potion, the same as Lily gave him in the cave, which Lidien immediately drank...
As its efficacy was slowly absorbed by Lidien, his broken bones and wounds slowly healed; unlike last time when Lidien felt like he was reborn, this time it felt like he was just having a hot bath as it quenched the heat in his veins.
Lidien then sat in front of Azer, imitating his lotus position as his eyes studied his every action.
"Relax and breathe naturally... Every breath you take has an Essence; don't try to filter it... absorb... until you feel something heating up in your lower abdomen... as the Verve forms, don't let it dissipate... Hold it, till it becomes your Coreflux..."
Lidien followed every word that Azer said...
He tried to breathe naturally; he also tried to imagine the Essence in the air though he couldn't actually see it... focusing every breath he took toward his abdomen.
Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't feel his lower abdomen heating up; he couldn't even feel the verve solidifying like Azer said.
'Damn this... Why is it so hard to meditate? I don't even know how to 'not think' and 'free the mind' as random things keep filling up my mind.'
Focusing more didn't help Lidien with his meditation, until he surrendered himself and just breathed as he normally would.
Then it came... the feeling that was heating up his abdomen...
but when he became conscious of it, it was gone, like how people think of sleeping and when they know they're falling asleep, they suddenly jolt awake.
'I hate meditation...'