Zeke could feel great roars that rose from within, he felt as the dragon struggled and trashed inside him.
Even though he had been studying the Way for a while now, Zeke was never a dragon in the first place.
Therefore, the draconic powers within him naturally resisted.
"Hmph!"
Zeke tried to control the rising urges, a trickle of blood leaked out from his mouth.
Zeke had already taken a severe hit from Kerr and is now struggling with the draconic energies within.
He had to fully absorb the energy, fully incorporate it into his very being, otherwise, he might not see the light of day.
Zeke was on the run, Lightfoot could only get him so far, and Kenzo was still on his tail.
All the while, Zeke summoned every ounce of focus he could to keep the energies in check.
"I have to get somewhere safe, somewhere secret…"
He could feel Kenzo catching up with every step, malice in his pursuit.
Zeke ran his mind through all possible respites.
"There!"
Zeke remembered his initial encounter with the Emerald Serpent.
The beast had burst forth from a waterfall.
Were it to not have initiated the battle, no one would have noticed it.
Besides, the beast itself was massive, the outcrop in which it resided should be bigger.
Zeke, with what he knew, sent forth all his Might, and rushed towards the waterfall.
At this point, his Might started to assimilate the newfound energy, but it was too weak, too slow, he needed to guide it manually.
"Yes!"
Zeke had arrived at the waterfall.
"It's now or never," muttered Zeke before diving in as he felt the cold-water wash over his body.
In an instant, Zeke was hidden. The powerful roars from the waterfall were everlasting, ongoing, deafening.
Whatever Zeke did now, it would be masked by the waterfall's loud gurgles.
It was not long before Zeke heard a wicked hiss.
Kenzo had arrived, his manifestation scanned the land with him.
"D*mn it! Where the f*ck did he go?!" Kenzo furiously cursed.
He was right on Zeke's tail, how could he just suddenly disappear?
"F*ck it, he's still around somewhere.
When I get my hands on him I will skin the c*nt alive!" Kenzo spat.
Kenzo knew the draconic energy needed at least two weeks to fully siphon into oneself, he knew as long as he found Zeke within the month, his prize would be returned to his rightful side.
Zeke sat cross-legged behind the waterfall.
"I invoke the Way, and open my Might out for that which is worthy; draconic energy. Hear me, and return; hear me, and return. One breath, one exchange..."
Zeke chanted his mantra, and fully threw himself into the process.
Zeke knew this mantra well, each time he recited it, his powers grew immensely.
In his previous life, he once had an incredible master, powerful as can be, but paled in comparison to the Way.
Seeing how close he was to improving, Zeke ecstatically chanted. Slowly, he could feel his body fully open up to assimilated the draconic energy.
Under normal circumstances, for one to follow the Way of the Dragon would be incredibly difficult, yet, Zeke differed.
He had just gotten a great boon, and this allowed him to fully achieve his dragon scales — completing his first step into becoming a dragon.