89 89. Two helping hands

Abraham observed the tense atmosphere. The four from his group were watching him carefully waiting for his next move. Abraham focused on himself and with a little concentration, he was able to just stop the flame around his head.

"Abraham is that you? But how?" asked Robert on seeing his face now clear of the fire.

"I killed the beast and got its power." with a straight face Abraham explain. But for the group, it was a huge shock. Not only was he able to finish the fight so quickly but on top of that he now even had the demon-tier beast fire attribute. What sort of monster was he?

All of them were curious about a lot of things, how the fight went, and what exactly happened inside the shadow dome, but they all kept their thought to themselves. Robert and Gwen having lived closely with Abraham for a small time knew about him enough. They knew that despite Abraham's tremendous power he was a very gentle and kind guy. But they also knew that sometimes it was better to just let people be with their secret and not delved too much into it. If Abraham wanted, he would tell them on his own.

"I am going to deactivate the fire now. But underneath, I don't have any clothes. So, yeah turn around if you don't want to see me naked." chucked Abraham while looking at them, and when Abraham's eyes met those of Happy, the redness on her cheek became visible, and just like the other, she turn. Abraham turn off the fire ability, and just after he opened his shadow dimension and remove a set of clothes from it.

"I'm done. Ok for now we will take a small pause until you guys' stamina are back. Pele and Happy, get in a meditating pose and start circulating your Qi. Robert and Gwen, collect the beast crystals. Take the crystal from the beast that you were fighting for yourself, and give Pele and Happy also their."

The group turn around and then noticed that Abraham was wearing a new set of clothes compared to the previous one. It was still black and had a hoodie, but the style was different.

The costume's primary hue is a deep, matte black, exuding an aura of stealth and intrigue. The fabric is lightweight yet durable, allowing for swift and agile movements. Atop the costume, a hood extends, framing the wearer's face and adding an element of anonymity. The hood can be pulled up, concealing their features and casting a mysterious shadow over their visage. Emblazoned on the chest of the costume is a stylized, emblematic design, representing the persona of the wearer. The symbol in red color had the form of a bat with a dragon in the middle. (image)

After being momentarily mesmerized by Abraham's new look, Happy voiced out."I can't take the crystal, it was you that killed the beasts."

Pele seemed to agree with her while Robert and Gwen were fixing Abraham silently.

"Who do you think is in most need of these beast crystals? I someone who has just killed a demon-tier beast or you guys that were struggling against them some minutes back."

Abraham could just use them to either progress his dragon's evolution or absorb the mana or Qi but for the next evolution, he wanted to try filling them with Dalkis blood. Maybe they would bring a change instead of just using the crystal. On top of that, Abraham could just finish the quest in a matter of minutes if he ever wish to use beast crystals.

"These are some harsh words, but when you are in a life-and-death situation, it is only the harsh truth that matters. I'm not giving them for free, I'm investing them in you. In return I want you all to train and become stronger."

With that, the rest finally accepted the decision and after taking the crystals, they all started circulating the Qi. Their first demon-tier expedition was finally coming to an end.

---

"Oh looked like destiny has shone upon me. Both people that I was looking for are together," said Abraham in a low voice. It was easy to locate them as both of the people he was searching for had much more Qi than everyone around.

Abraham was back on Earth more specifically just near the portal station. Abraham was navigating in between the thousands of tents. Once there did one truly understand the cruelty of war? All these people living in tents are refugees. Some in the past were rich, others poor, and some even had the power to control other people's life, but now they all have one thing in common. None of them has any ability and lost their home to the dalki attack.

"Even as powerful as I am, I can't help all of them right now. Be patient, soon, I will change everyone's life." Abraham could only console himself in this way that the future he was working hard for will bring them help.

The first one to notice his presence was Lucy; Layla's mother. In the canon story, Layla became one of the female lead characters as she married Quinn and had a child together. But for Abraham, Layla was not that important now because the girl was still a child. If possible, Abraham would try to have Quinn and Layla meet again when they get a little older.

As for Lucy, Layla's mother, in the original story, she later joined Zero (Master Sabre Hunt). She was someone who was naturally talented to use Qi and even got to the level of the leader of Earth. Sadly she later had to sacrifice her life in order to save Layla from a fatal injury.

But now with Abraham's intervention, so much has already changed in Lucy's life.

Standing next to her was another woman. She was much younger around the age of nineteen. She had been on the verge of death when Abraham found her, but now she was healthy and strong. Her skin was no longer pale and drawn, but had a healthy glow. Her hair was thick and shiny, and her eyes were bright and full of life. She was no longer the frail and emaciated woman she had been, but a strong and vibrant young woman.

She was the woman Abraham saved from suicide on the day Abraham met with Lucy. Her name was Julia.