Ball of Nothing - Chapter 88
Chapter 88
The stars are twinkling beautifully in the night sky, lulling the world into a gentle sleep . Underneath the blanket of twinkling lights surrounded by the tranquil darkness, one young boy lay awake awaiting an opportunity .
After eating delicious food and having a wonderful nap in the afternoon, Zero was having a hard time falling asleep . Truen was exhausted and snored lightly beside him, his arm draped securely over the brunet who couldn't sleep . Zero wanted to move and explore the wonders of the night in the forest but he didn't want to disturb Truen who needed his rest . The dark elf looked terrible and Zero knew that having to stay awake while feeling sleepy could put anyone in a bad mood from personal experience . A wood elf guardian in a bad mood was not a fun friend to have around .
Zero lay on the ground with his eyes closed, simply waiting for Truen to be truly asleep . Upon the insistence of Isis and Freya, Zero was forced into his squirrel onesie pajamas instead of the tracksuit he loved . After a selfie session, Truen bade the brunet goodnight . It took about thirty long minutes of waiting before the wood elf finally drifted off .
Sparkling with delight at having his patience paid off, Zero stealthily slipped out of the hold . It was his request to sleep out under the stars for a change instead of inside the lamp . Zero wanted to know what the world looked like when it was night time . Mii shared many wonderful stories about how certain animals would come out and how some flowers only bloomed at night . Zero wanted to see the fireflies that Mii told him about . He was curious to know how they could produce light in their bodies . Did they know light magic?
After a two failed attempts, Zero finally freed himself . The air was cool but there was nothing to worry about . Grem Lee's clothes and the Great Gods' enchantments worked very well . The only thing Zero wished could be improved on was how the hood kept falling over his eyes . He had half the mind to throw the oversized cloth back completely but decided against it . Who knew what would happen if he didn't wear clothes properly . Truen was certainly not pleased when Zero wore the tracksuit pants the other way around after his bath . Humans sure have it tough .
The chill air was crisp and had a new kind of freshness to it . The forest wasn't quiet . In fact, Zero wondered who was making all the noises he heard . Some were far away while some were near . For example, he spotted a tiny tree frog making the loudest noise up in a branch . Also, Mii mentioned that there were tiny insects that sang at night . Zero wondered if the occasional strange chirping were made by them . Nevertheless, he had a mission . He was going to find those fireflies and ask them how they can light up in the night .
The first place Zero went to was by the river that they passed by earlier today . Truen caught fishes there for their dinner and Zero enjoyed every moment of it . Truen was a great cook .
The river looked very different from what it did in the day . For one, Zero had a hard time spotting fishes in the water . It was probably because they weren't there . However, upon a closer look, he found some of them hiding beneath rocks . They weren't moving and the brunet wondered if it would be easier to catch them at night instead of the day .
To his surprise, the fishes didn't move even when Zero approached them . Maybe they were sleeping like Truen? Then again, how can they sleep if they had their eyes open? The small boy's mind was full of questions . His eyes would probably hurt a lot if he kept them open while he slept . On second thoughts, maybe it was easier to sleep with open eyes under water . He'd have to try that another time .
There was a low rumble and Zero salivated . The fish was making his stomach growl . Wouldn't it be nice if he could catch a big fat fish? There was one hiding in some river grass not too far from where he was . The water was definitely colder at night but Zero was determined . He would catch a fish by himself tonight .
Catching a fish at night was harder than Zero thought it would be . For starters, the fish woke up and swam away . Sleep made the fish slower than what it could have been but with Zero's short arms and legs, it was difficult to keep up . If Truen was here, he might be able to catch it easily . Unfortunately for Zero, the fish was too formidable an opponent so the brunet had to give up for the night . Zero's stomach wasn't too pleased but there was hardly anything the boy could do at this moment .
As if suddenly remembering his mission, Zero decided to climb up the tallest tree in the area to spot fireflies . If Mii was correct, they tend to be near swamps . Zero wasn't sure if it was a good idea to travel to the swamps alone because Truen mentioned that several dangerous creatures lived there . The brunet was in deep thoughts for a long while before he came to the conclusion that it shouldn't be dangerous at night . Many animals were sleeping and maybe only friendly animals come out at night .
It was a long climb up the jungle tee but Zero was amazed by what he saw at the top . Although it was slightly disappointing that he couldn't find fireflies immediately, he was amazed by how many stars there were in the sky . From where they were, Zero could only see a part of the sky . Up in the tree, the wind was cooler and stronger . There were not many clouds and the sky was enormous! There was no end to what Zero could see and the brunet wondered how many there were . The young boy took some time to appreciate the beautiful creation his past self made . At the back of his mind, he wondered if he would be able to do the same . It's a shame Great One wasn't able to look at all this . Zero was determined to remember this for the both of them . Maybe someday he would find a way back to tell his past self about his adventures!
Deciding that he had enough of the stars, Zero decided to stand up for a better view of the surroundings . He could see where Truen had set up camp for the night with the campfire still burning . Zero wasn't afraid . If he got lost, he could always teleport back even though it might require energy . Mii suggested heading to the swamps to the east and Zero took that advice .
It didn't take long to reach the swamps . Zero decided to take a shortcut and teleported there with Mii's map as a guide . The swamps were very different even though they were a part of Endow Hill . For one, the trees were no longer full of leaves and green . They looked skinny and slightly scary with more branches and roots than leaves . The chirping sounds also disappeared . The swamps were more silent and Zero swallowed . Did fireflies live in such a scary place?
There was a strange hooting sound and occasionally Zero would hear something move . It sounded like wings of a huge bird and Zero didn't know if it was friendly or unfriendly . Zero decided that the frogs were definitely king in the swamps . They were everywhere and Zero didn't know if there was a place in the swamps that frogs didn't sing . They were loud and seem to be in every corner from tree to water . The swamp was a lot darker than the forest they were in previously . With so many shadows, it was difficult to know where he was going .
Still, Zero didn't give up . In such a dark place, surely fireflies would stand out .
"Mii, where do we go from here?"
The strawcherry fairy shrugged . "They could be anywhere . It's easier to see them in an open space with lots of long grass and some water . I see a clearing on the map about ten minutes from here . Would you like to try going there?"
Zero grinned, his heart raced at the thought of meeting these amazing night insects . He had so many questions and couldn't wait to know .
According to Mii, it took ten minutes to get there . However for Zero, it took a lot longer to waddle his way to the clearing in the swamplands . The ground was often soft and unstable . The brunet nearly fell into the cold water a few times as he slipped . No wonder Truen wasn't willing to travel through the marsh! Danger lurked everywhere and it wasn't even the dangers from scary animals . . .
Finally, he arrived and Zero was amazed by what he saw .
Underneath the sky full of stars, he saw thousands and thousands of tiny lights floating about the long grass in the field . The brunet smiled . It was worth the trouble of travelling through the hazardous land . The fireflies looked like tiny stars that he could touch .
Excited, the young boy ran over to the middle of the clearing, ignoring how the muddy ground soaked into his shoes . They auto-clean enchantment will work after a while, he had nothing to fear and Truen wouldn't even find out where he'd been .
Surrounded by thousands of tiny lights, Zero beamed as bright as the sun . "So beautiful," he breathed and held out a hand for some of the passing fireflies . He didn't know what they were all busy about but the way the flew in patterns in the air looked like a dance . Zero knew that he shouldn't disturb them but he wanted to know so badly how they could be so brilliant in the dark .
Then, one firefly took pity on the poor boy and rested on his palm for a while as if to ask Zero what he wanted from them after disturbing their dance . The brunet apologised and explained his desire to know how they could light up in the night .
As if indulging the brunet, the bug crawled onto his finger and turned around, letting Zero have a closer look .
"Oh my! Your butt is lit up! Does it not hurt?"
The bug fluttered its tiny wings as if to chide Zero before flying off . The brunet stood there for a long time, admiring the fireflies as the zig-zagged through the air, minding their business . The brunet didn't get an answer but he was satisfied . Those bugs at night were very busy and Zero yawned . He was getting tired too .
Waving goodbye to the fireflies, Zero teleported back to their camp spot where the fire had started to die out . He slipped back into Truen's arms and snuggled into the wood elf's chest . After a great night adventurer, the young squirrel was ready for bed .
That night, while Truen suffered in the hands of Freya, Zero dreamt about becoming a firefly with his shining butt and flying around in the air at night, greeting the other thousands of fireflies as they flew past him . What a busy night!