Ball of Nothing - Chapter 149
Chapter 149
"Pinch his nose . I think it will wake him up . "
There was a smacking sound in the background . "You idiot! What if he dies?"
The first voice huffed . Zero knew that there would be a lot of eye-rolling . "He can't die . He's our almighty master . "
The strawcherry fairy made a strange noise and Zero heard Bob yelping in pain .
"Why you puny thing- That hurt!"
Mii snorted . "For a dragon, you're quite weak . How does the dropkick from a puny fairy feel like?"
Bob growled and Zero decided that it was about time he stopped pretending to be asleep .
"What are you guys fighting about again?" he moaned as the light stabbed his eyes . He wasn't unfamiliar with the place . In fact, he visited it very often . What Zero didn't understand was why he wasn't waking up physically .
Mii and Bob stopped their squabbling immediately .
"Zero! You're alive!"
"Master! You're finally awake . . . we were worried when you didn't respond to us . . . "
Zero stared at them dazedly and Mii decided to give the brunet more time to recollect his memories . With so many changes going on in Zero's inner world and outer world, it wasn't surprising that Zero would be so confused .
Zero took a little while to reorganise his memories and when he finished processing everything, he turned to Mii with shock reflected in his eyes .
"Solo . . . "
The strawcherry fairy sighed . Bob only looked between his master and comrade with a curious expression .
"That's not a dream . I don't know what he decided to show you but it was real . However, you should remember that whatever he showed you wouldn't be your reality . The Great One left it to you to finish the story he started . On the other hand, the mana discrepancy is something very real that you need to worry about . Buddha is working his butt off trying to stabilise your condition . Bob and I are doing our best to keep the different energies as far as possible from each other but you need to be the one to sort them out . "
Zero blinked and took a look at the newest addition to their mental space . Usually, it resembled the lamp that Zeus had given him . Both Mii and Bob usually spent their time here when Zero was asleep or meditating . Today, Zero noticed that there were four different coloured mist clouds . Each mist cloud was sealed in a container and placed at the furthest corner of the room . Zero looked at the mist clouds and raised a brow . They looked familiar .
"The blue one feels like Bell," he mused and got closer to it . This mist cloud wasn't very active and appeared to be moving slowly inside . Zero had a strong feeling that it was sleeping .
"What do I have to do?"
Mii shrugged . "Bob and I only sealed them away . If you let them go, they will start fighting in this room again . It was difficult to contain the damage and I would prefer if you didn't free them after all the trouble we've been through . "
Zero squatted in front of the blue one and frowned in concentration . Why would the four mist clouds fight each other? Zero didn't understand what made them unhappy . It was even harder to wrap his head around the idea of two green mist clouds fighting each other . Jevy and Gugu were born from the same light in Solo's memory . Why would they not get along well?
"Mii, can I have both you and Bob to leave for a bit? I'm going to let them out one by one . "
The strawcherry fairy looked scandalised at the idea . "You're crazy! I'm not going to save you even if you called for help!"
Zero grinned and gave her a thumbs-up while Bob gave him one worried last glance before leaving with Mii . Zero knew that Mii was only worried when she said that . He found it incredibly adorable that Mii would never admit how much she worried for him sometimes . Nevertheless, Zero stared at the two green mist clouds .
"I guess I'll start with the simpler ones," he shrugged . What could go wrong?
***
Zero took it all back . It was a disaster . No, disaster didn't even cut it . He should have dealt with the blue mist cloud first!
"It's all because of you! If you didn't steal that diamond to activate the trap, I would've gotten that preserved body!"
"My fault?! Who was attracting all the unwanted attention? If it weren't for your stupid need to flaunt your beauty, I didn't have to dash for the diamond and trigger all the traps . You can only blame your scatterbrain for your loss . "
Jevy's fragment shrieked and zipped past Zero, striking into Gugu's fragment cloud . Sparks flew and something in the room exploded . Zero groaned . He had to fix the mirror again . It wasn't difficult to fix it in his mental space seeing how it was merely a representation of his imagination . However, it was becoming tedious with the violent argument hovering above him .
Zero had to admit . He was intimidated by his divine entity fragments . The poor brunet had cowered beneath the bed the instant they got free . Jevy attacked Gugu viciously and Zero couldn't even speak a peep before they hurled words and magic at each other . He didn't even know why both of them were so mad when neither of them was doing the right thing in the first place .
To make matters worse, their fights rattled the red mist cloud's container . Zero could only watch as the disaster unfolded before his very eyes, powerless to stop the inevitable .
BOOM!
Half the room exploded with red mist and the two green mist clouds fell silent at once . It wasn't as if Jevy and Gugu suddenly learnt what manners were . Zero highly doubt that . In fact, he believed it was the overpowering battle aura was what kept the two rowdy mist clouds under control . As for Zero, he held his breath, not knowing if the red mist cloud was going to be more destructive and twice as obstinate .
"When will the both of you stop acting like children? Have you forgotten our duty?"
Annoyed at Venn's attitude, Jevy was the first to snap . "Stop talking as if you're better than us! You may be older but that's only by a split second! You're not any better . . . going around destroying planets just because you couldn't kill your enemy . "
The red mist cloud thickened around the green mist cloud whom Zero had now dubbed as Jevy 2 . 0 . Gugu remained wisely quiet and watched as his divine entity twin gets overpowered by Venn 2 . 0 .
Jevy 2 . 0's light became dimmer and Zero hesitated . Should he act out? Then again, what if Venn 2 . 0 decides to strike at him? Zero wasn't confident that he could protect himself against a divine entity . The blessings the Great Gods gave him were powerful against normal beings . However, against some divine fragments? Zero didn't want to test the theory out . He knew how easily they could subdue Sedna and that spoke volumes .
"Don't you know that silence is golden? Someone is trying to sleep here . . . "
Zero blinked . He'd almost forgotten about the blue mist cloud who resembled Baal a lot . Thank Solo that Duu 2 . 0 has spoken!
"All of you are being very rude to our host and creator here," Duu 2 . 0 said and Zero swallowed thickly at the redirected attention .
Venn 2 . 0 let go of Jevy 2 . 0 and the energy in the room became less intense . Zero finally allowed himself to breathe again, not that he had to . It just made him feel more relaxed when he did .
"My apologies, So- no . . . Zero . I'm a part of Venn, the Divine Entity of Anger as you might have known already from the snippets of memories . "
Zero crawled out from beneath the bed and nodded in acknowledgement . Jevy 2 . 0 and Gugu 2 . 0 were silent, a stark contrast from the noises they were making previously . Duu 2 . 0 didn't stir in his container . Zero bet that he could've broken out anytime if he really wanted to . It looked cosy in there so Zero didn't exactly blame the blue mist cloud .
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Zero bowed . "However, I have some questions . Would you be able to help me?"
"Of course! We know everything there is to know about the world," Jevy 2 . 0 sounded smug and Zero didn't doubt it . However, before he could get his hopes up, Venn 2 . 0 stepped in .
"There are some things that Solo has forbidden us to talk about until you have acquired a certain power . You'll have to forgive us if your questions fall under that category . "
Duu 2 . 0 didn't say anything but Zero knew the blue mist cloud was silently observing everything and analysing .
"Can I ask if my meeting with Solo was something triggered by inheriting four sets of memories from the divine entities?"
"In a way, it was . " Gugu 2 . 0 answered . "However, it wasn't something planned for . Solo must have felt that you required something to help you along your way so he pulled you over once you have enough energy to support the time paradox . "
Zero nodded . He didn't know what a time paradox was but it certainly was something that required a lot of magic or power to overcome .
"Will I be able to see Solo again?"
At that, nobody answered him immediately . Zero became slightly depressed . Duu 2 . 0 who was watching from the background decided to speak when nobody else did .
"We do not have the answer to that . There is a huge possibility that you will but we don't know when or how it will happen . "
Zero smiled . Leave it to Baal to comfort him when he felt down in a practical way . Of the four divine fragments in the room, he felt most comforted by Duu 2 . 0 .
"What's happening right now? According to Mii, a magic discrepancy happened after I inherited the four sets of memories . I also got a new title and some quests to meet the divine entities in person . Will you be guiding me to them?"
Venn 2 . 0 swirled around Zero and the brunet eased into the warmth .
"In a way, we are compasses to help you find where our original bodies are . However, once the message is passed, we will become one with you, unlike Mii . We will lose whatever consciousness we possess and become a part of your power . "
"However, before that happens," Gugu 2 . 0 interrupted . "You have to find a way to sync and accept us . Unlike the Divine Entities of Trust, Kindness and Acceptance whom you have natural qualities to sync with, you need to develop a bond with the human emotions associated with Anger, Greed, Jealousy and Laziness . "
Zero frowned . "I think I'm plenty of Lazy . I've been doing nothing but sleeping these days . . . "
Duu 2 . 0 chuckled . "That's not how it works . Ever since getting your body, you've been running around exploring everything and sticking your nose into everybody's business . The only reason why you're sleeping so much is because of how you've been neglecting your body . "
Zero looked horrified . "But how will I ever be lazy? There are so many things to do and see . . . people to meet and talk to . . . "
"That," Gugu 2 . 0 pointed out . "Is the purpose of this trial . "
"Why is there such a trial? I don't want to be lazy or angry or greedy or jealous . . . those are feelings that will end up hurting others and inconveniencing them . "
Jevy 2 . 0 laughed . She swooshed in the air and brushed past Zero's cheek . "My dear, do you not think that humans possess feelings like this? Besides, what you want isn't very important in this situation . If you don't accept us and forge a bond with us through these emotions, you'll forever be stuck here . I wonder how long Buddha can hold up to suppress this chaotic energy?"
Zero whipped his head around to stare at Jevy 2 . 0 in horror .
"Buddha? What's going on outside?"
Venn 2 . 0 didn't bother sugarcoating anything . "Buddha is risking his immortality and life to preserve your physical body . Hades won't let him rest until he has it stabilised . However, from the looks of it . . . Buddha wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer . I'll give him two more days in heaven's time before his domain starts to fall apart . "
Zero paled . He thought about using the communicator to tell Buddha to stop whatever he was doing but remembered that this is his mental dimension . Communicators didn't work . Mii and Bob wouldn't be able to pass the message either without being able to contact his physical body . The brunet knew that there were no other options . He had to do this by himself . If this was what Solo wanted . . . Zero didn't have a choice . No wonder Solo had been so generous by granting him an ability to inherit sins . Truen was right, there was no such thing as a free meal in the world .
"What do I have to do to form a bond? I don't know anything about the emotions you represent . "
Jevy 2 . 0 circled the bed and hovered near a mirror . "That's simple . All you have to do is allow us to take temporary control of your mindscape . We'll show you our memory and you will have to live as us throughout the memory . If you can harmonise with our strongest emotions and not lose yourself in it, we can form the bond immediately . "
Zero blinked . Was it really so simple? In the past, he would have readily agreed . However, after being friends with Baal for a while, the brunet started thinking twice . Whatever sounded too good to be true was usually too good to be true . There was always a catch .
Gugu 2 . 0 noticed Zero's silence and decided to try first . After all, the first to form a bond with Zero has a greater advantage . They could choose the space that they wanted to reside in and as the embodiment of Greed, Gugu 2 . 0 just had to have the best spot .
"How about trying to form a bond with Greed? It's something that you're fairly familiar with, unlike Anger and Laziness . Surely you've seen this from time to time . . . For example, how about that time when Count Carrabas attacked the village? He wanted power and fame from defeating the village, didn't he?"
Zero felt a different emotion bubble from within him when Gugu 2 . 0 said that and Venn 2 . 0 made his move .
"That's right . He wanted to kill everyone in the village, all the people whom you love . Amaraline was going to die, Clowis actually died . Douglas was used by him to betray his own kind in the village . "
Thinking back about what happened not too long ago, Zero clenched his teeth hard . Venn 2 . 0 came closer and whispered harshly .
"Think about what would have happened if you've not been there on time . Think about what would have happened if you and Hua Tuo were still back at Endow Hill . . . he would have succeeded . Will Half Moon village still exist?"
At the peak of Zero's emotions, Venn 2 . 0 took that opening and plunged into the depths of Zero's mind . He painted a glorious picture of the villager's death . Everything was dripping in red and Zero could only watch on as Count Carrabas and his army burned the beautiful tree houses . The forest screamed in agony . Grandma Moppo stood on her bad knees with a determined look in her eyes even as the knights raised their swords against her . Zenobia had three arrows sticking out of her body . They were all piercing vital organs but the Chieftess continued to fight, yelling orders as she choked on her own blood .
Venn 2 . 0 felt the anger brew into something darker . Hatred . That was it . Striking while the iron was hot, the divine fragment allowed Zero's emotions to consume him completely .
Zero didn't stop burning in rage until Venn 2 . 0 was completely absorbed . The chaos energy and magic fighting against him were consumed and refined into something that pulsed similar to the void . Yet, there was a tinge of something darker within it .
Duu 2 . 0 watched in silent concern from his prison as Zero returned to normal . The magic spiked were definitely milder now that there were only three other foreign magic signatures fighting within Zero . However, the purity of Zero's mana had been destroyed with Venn's interference . It was a good thing that Zero grew in strength and was now stabilised . However, it was a shame that the brunet couldn't retain the quality of his light . The divine fragment fretted silently as Jevy 2 . 0 and Gugu 2 . 0 made their move .
What if Solo had made the wrong choice?