Ball of Nothing

"Call..."

Baal checked his hands and threw the cards down. "Fold."

Two days had gone by with no signs of activity from the goat demon. The Demon Lords were bored out of their minds. Coux decided to introduce a simple game of cards and it didn't take long before Mammon demanded they partake in the game. Nobody knew how Lilith was doing it but she was making quite the profit. Mammon was ready to call quits after the Demon Queen won for the third time in a row. There was no such thing as beginner's luck in poker. Mammon didn't believe in it. Lilith had to be cheating.

"For someone with the best poker face, you're terrible at this game," the succubus commented. Mammon glared at her and Baal observed them with amusement.

"Now now, don't flirt in front of me. People might misunderstand something here," he grinned.

Lilith glared at Baal who sat in a special chair raised for his child form. Indeed, it was easy to misinterpret the situation with a certain Demon Lord looking like an innocent child in between two friends who argued like a couple.

They didn't have much time to continue as someone came hurtling through the door, startling them.

"Didn't anyone teach you how to knock?!" Lilith screeched in alarm. The intruder didn't seem to be in good condition and Baal frowned. His castle wasn't under attack so why in all of the abyss was the spider demon wearing armour?

"Ze-" he panted. "Zero's awake!"

All at once too fast for human eyes to see, the Demon Lords teleported to the bedroom that the brunet was occupying. It had been far too long and Baal would have cried if he was a lesser demon.

Mammon and Lilith tagged along, curious to see the being who'd managed to capture Baal's heart. They were pleasantly surprised to see such a frail looking human on the bed. The brunet didn't look older than ten but they knew better than to believe what they saw. The magical energy surrounding Zero far surpassed any ordinary sage. If there was a word accurate enough to describe what Lilith and Mammon thought about Zero, it would be "monster". Mammon was unable to see the end of Zero's potential and that shouldn't be very surprising considering his identity.

"How do you feel?" Baal morphed into his adult form so that he could take faster strides towards the child. Mammon and Lilith kept their distance, not wanting to crowd the bed any more than it already was. On the left was Amaraline who'd stayed to watch over Zero today while Coux and Qin Yun worked at Belles and Begonia. Wiser already assessed Zero's physical condition from the machines hooked up to the brunet to monitor his vital status. It was also the strategist who told Sekkin to deliver the message to the Demon Lords.

"Bell? Did I meditate again?"

The Demon Lord felt his lips twitch upwards. Leave it to Zero to say the weirdest things upon waking up.

"In which dimension do you see me putting in so much effort to create the background when we meet?"

Zero frowned. Background? Baal seemed a little different but he knew at once from the feeling that it was the Demon Lord without doubt. As Zero's senses sharpened with his mind clearing out the sleepy fog, the brunet registered several other presences in the room with some rather familiar ones.

"Where are we?" Zero sat up once he realised that he was no longer in the village.

Baal helped the brunet up and reverted back to his child form before flicking Zero on his forehead without holding back.

"Ow! Why did you do that?!" Zero yelped. The flick stung and he didn't think Baal would ever hurt him intentionally.

Baal snorted and gave Zero an annoyed glare. "That's for all the trouble you've caused, idiot. Stop overestimating your abilities! Divine spells shouldn't be used so casually. It often kills the person casting it and there will always be some form of compensation for using magic. The more powerful the magic, the higher the price to pay."

Zero was wide-eyed. He didn't know why Baal was so angry but he didn't think he was at fault either. Unhappily, Zero sulked in silence. Baal chose to ignore the brunet in favour of cooling off as he left the room but not before telling Amaraline to bring the brunet to the kitchen after he took a bath. Awkwardly, Amaraline wondered why the mood had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. If there was anyone looking forward to Zero's recovery the most, it would be Baal. Nobody expected the Demon Lord to pick a fight with the brunet the very moment he came out of his coma.

Lilith sighed and Mammon took that chance to make his stealthy exit. If there was one thing the succubus learnt from being long-time friends with Baal, it was how emotionally constipated the Lord of Laziness could be. Things could have been easily resolved if Baal expressed how worried he was instead of yelling at the child who'd just woken up. However, Baal was not Baal if he was transparently honest with all his feelings. As such, the Demon Lord didn't have many friends. Lilith hoped that Zero would come to understand this seeing how important Zero was to Baal. She didn't have the confidence to deal with a depressed Demon Lord or the power to suppress one that has fallen into madness.

***

Zero ate mechanically. He didn't even taste the food passing down his throat. Coux and Qin Yun shared worried glances. They heard about what happened in the afternoon. Neither Baal nor Zero would give in to start talking to the other. This made things exceedingly difficult for the peacemakers. Zero insisted that he wasn't in the wrong and Baal blatantly ignored everyone. The only thing that the Demon Lord responded to was news about Schaf's actions from Wiser's report. All else fell on deaf ears much to everyone's chagrin.

For the first time in many years, Baal's castle emitted a sense of foreboding. Many demons kept their distance, not wanting to know the cause for Baal's displeasure. Mammon returned to his office earlier to take care of business but Lilith stayed behind. She was the last flicker of hope that everybody had to help reconcile that fragile friendship.

There was still food on the plate when Zero dropped his fork, alarming the fortune-teller greatly. She'd never seen Zero unable to finish any food before. If anything, he was famous for having an inhuman appetite.

"Zero, are you not feeling good? Should we call Hua Tuo?"

The brunet shook his head. Lilith didn't say a single word, choosing to become an observer. She had to know more about Zero before she could play the mediator's role. It was easier to move the world around Baal than the Demon Lord himself and if it takes moving the boy's heart to save Baal's newest friendship, she would do so.

"I'm alright, Amaraline. I'm just angry."

At a loss for words, the girl merely nodded. She decided that it might be a better idea to put the food away and save it for later in case Zero became hungry again. Zero didn't react even when the plate was taken away. His eyes remained unfocused and Lilith decided to seize the opportunity when there was nobody else in the dining room.

"I heard that Baal was looking forward to the stories you still owe him. Will you not tell him another story ever again if he chooses to never speak with you because of what happened earlier?"

Zero's eyes widened and he shot upright in alarm.

"No! I won't do that! It won't be fair to Bell. Besides, I hate the thought of not talking to him ever again. I'm just angry with him now but it doesn't mean we're not friends. I just... don't understand. Why did he become so angry? I didn't do anything wrong. If somebody had to be in the wrong, I'll blame Count Carrabas for starting that war."

"Who's that? I've not heard of him. What happened previously?"

Zero sighed and explained how the village was attacked. When he got to the part of explaining how Douglas betrayed Half Moon village, Lilith had to stop him.

"You're saying that you used a divine spell to give the traitor a second chance at life with no punishments at the expense of your own safety?"

Zero blinked. "No, that's not what I said. I said I punished Douglas by using a divine spell that grants him the wish of becoming a human. He can no longer call himself a Selkie and descendant of Gaia."

The Demon Queen inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. Baal had every reason to get mad. She was amazed by how her friend hasn't decided to use high-velocity magic to spin the brunet in the air until he grew sick. She would've done it herself.

"You know, Zero... if I were Baal, I would have done more than just flick you on the forehead and yell at you. You are definitely in the wrong here. From the things I heard from my daughter, the village is divided into two camps because of what you chose to do too."

Zero was confused. "Why? I only did what was right...?"

Lilith sighed. "How do I explain this? Zero, the world you imagine isn't the same as the world that you live in. It doesn't matter where you come from be it from the material plane or the Abyss... as long as you are a living creature self-conscience about your existence, the instinct to want to preserve your life and the lives of your loved ones will continue to surpass all else. When you let Douglas go, the villagers feared that he shall one day return and attack the village like Count Carrabas but on a larger scale that they cannot hope to defeat. You put the village in danger when he let Douglas go without assuring everyone in the village that he would do no such things. They have every right to be angry with you. Also, Baal was most definitely angry at you for not only letting the traitor go but also endangering yourself. He took care of you this whole time while you were soaking in the Spring of Vitality to recover your depleted mana. Your mana channels were not fully developed and you could have been sleeping for centuries before you could recover. Magic is a double-edged sword. It can help and harm at the same time. No matter how great of a magician you are, there is always a thing called limit. Once you go past the point of no return, you can never come back to this world. Your soul will cease to exist, you return to nothingness. Not even King Yama can reach you when that happens."

Zero blinked. "But I came from nothingness. It doesn't matter if I return to the void. I'll just need to come back again, won't I?"

Lilith paused. "What are you talking about? The void is the one place nobody comes back from alive. You can die and be reborn but once you get sucked into the void, you will never return. That's the end of everything. Even Gods who are said to be almighty cannot escape the void."

Zero tilted his head to a side. This lady with wings sitting in front of him was saying some really funny things. Zero had been in the void all his existence. He knew best what could and couldn't be done. However, before Zero could say anything and argue further, Mii materialised.

"I hate to break it to you, lady. However, this logic simply doesn't apply to this blockhead here. You see, Zero is a rather special existence that is an exception to that rule. He is the void itself in a way. He owns the void and everything in it. As for everything outside the void... he kinda owns that too but in a different way. Think of it like trust funds. There is currently someone managing the outside of the void fund for Zero until he reaches a certain stage of maturity and qualifies to manage it himself."

Lilith was startled by the sudden appearance of a fairy. However, she was more stumped by the absurd claim.

"I don't understand what you're saying. Besides, who are you? How did you get past Baal's defence?"

Mii twirled mid-air and curtsied. "I'm Mii, Zero's assistant and a strawcherry fairy, for now, at your service."

The Demon Queen felt dizzy. Being one of the most powerful beings in existence, she had seen her fair share of bizarre things. However, everything pertaining to the brunet just threw her off completely. Whatever Zero and Baal shared was clearly not something she could possibly hope to understand.

"Mii, could you at least understand why Baal is feeling so angry with what Zero did back in Half Moon village? I'm afraid I'm not the right person to clear this misunderstanding. If possible, I do not wish to see this friendship fall apart. Baal is stubborn and extremely emotionally constipated but he meant well. He was only worried about Zero's well-being."

Mii nodded in understanding. "You don't need to say more. I completely understand where Baal is coming from. In fact, it's only natural to feel angry, worried and scared. It's only this idiot here who needs a few lessons about normalcy."

"That's mean, Mii!"

The strawcherry fairy face palmed. "Nothing about you is normal... seriously. Nobody would willingly forgive a traitor at the expense of their safety. Your selflessness is on the borderline of idiocy. If I didn't know you better, I would've thought you were trying to become a hero."

Zero was insulted. "I do NOT want to be a hero... they are selfish people who claim that every good deed is theirs without acknowledging the efforts of everyone else who contributed to making it possible for them to succeed."

"There you have it," Mii deadpanned. "Who do you think took care of you when you fainted due to mana exhaustion? Baal wasn't the only one. Who took care of you when you were here in the abyss? It's not the safest place to be in yet people have volunteered out of their concern for you. Yet what did you do? Have you told anyone 'thank you' yet? From what I see, there's only one boy who keeps insisting that he wasn't wrong even though he's the reason for everyone's inconvenience."

Zero wanted to retort but couldn't. Mii's words were like a sharp knife stabbing straight into his heart where it hurt. He wanted to refute and scream that he wasn't at fault. However, it was a fact that Baal took care of him and he was in Hell escorted by some of the villagers. He didn't thank anyone and took it out on Amaraline who was only trying to be nice, offering him food and trying to make him as comfortable as possible in a new environment.

"I'm sorry..." he said in a small voice and Lilith blinked. She didn't think it would be this simple. On the other hand, she was glad the strawcherry fairy didn't sugar-coat anything. Zero might be a child now but he wouldn't be one forever. The society wasn't always black and white. Sometimes, there were things more important than being right in life.

"Don't apologise to me, dummy... however, I forgive you. I am your one and only assistant after all. I'm sure you don't need me around when you're going around making your apologies but if you need anything, you know how to reach me."

Lilith watched as Mii disappeared. She wasn't mentally prepared for Zero to bow deeply and apologise formally.

"I'm terribly sorry for what I've said and done. You were right. I was causing a huge inconvenience for everyone. Thank you for looking out for Bell."

Lilith felt awkward and made a non-committal noise before redirecting Zero's earnest feelings to Baal and the other villagers who followed him to the Abyss.

***

Baal was still seething and sulking when he heard two knocks on his door. The Demon Lord ignored it, thinking that it might be Lilith or one of his faction underlings. He wasn't quite prepared to hear the soft and meek voice. Who knew that Zero would see logic so soon? He'd expected it to take the brunet a few days to stew in anger for a little before taking another week or so to reanalyse the situation before trying to talk to him again. Baal knew that Zero had quite the stubborn streak so this actually made him curious. Did Lilith successfully talk sense into the brunet?

"Bell... can we talk? I'm sorry..."

With Zero's pleading voice, how could Baal deny? Instead, he used magic to unlock the door with an audible click. Zero took that as a sign and swiftly entered.

Baal wasn't expecting for Zero to tackle him in a hug. What's more, Zero was sobbing out a long line of "I'm sorry" while tightening the embrace. The Demon Lord couldn't pry his friend away. Whatever Lilith said must have had quite the impact to shock the brunet into such desperation. Suddenly, the Demon Lord felt slightly bad for leaving the brunet all alone.

Awkwardly, he patted Zero's back and rubbed gentle circles until all he heard were occasional hiccups.

"It's alright, I forgive you. I shouldn't have yelled at you earlier."

"No," Zero shook his head. "It was my fault. I didn't mean to worry you or put everyone in danger. I've inconvenienced everyone again because I wanted to do things my way again. I know that Hua Tuo and Mii have scolded me many times for being willful and I'm trying to improve. I didn't know that using divine spells were going to put me into a coma. I just wanted to give Douglas a befitting punishment and a second chance at life. The world isn't created fair, I know this much from catching a sneak peek into my past self's memories. I just wanted to correct as much of the Great One's errors when I can."

Baal froze. "You've seen the memories of the Great One?"

Zero shrugged. "Only what the Great Gods have shown me. I found out the rest by myself. The first world was destroyed by the humans I helped to create. Even in the second world, not everyone is given a fair chance at life. Truen certainly had it rough when I first met him. You weren't heard for so long in the void. There are many things wrong in this world and it's terrible that I can't fix everything now. I try to do as much as I can but there are just too many things, I can only fix them as I come across them. Sadly, I can't undo what has already happened. The world might collapse."

Baal didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry too. I was only thinking about myself when I yelled at you. I just didn't want to lose you. You're a very important friend. It's easy to forget who you really are sometimes..."

Zero giggled and wiped at his eyes. "Don't worry about losing me, I'll never die. I might sleep for a long time like you but I'll always be back. You'll know when I'm back. Mii says that my stomach could wake the world when it is hungry."

Baal laughed heartily and the ominous sense suffocating the castle lifted. "She's right about that... I guess it's safe to say that we're good now. Just promise me to take better care of yourself. Even if you can't die, I hate seeing you get hurt."

Zero frowned. "I'll do my best to be more careful but I can't promise you that I wouldn't get hurt. I did promise Hua Tuo to become a doctor who will put my patient before myself. Of course, it doesn't make sense for me to sacrifice myself to an extent that I wouldn't be able to save anyone else. I'll be less reckless so please yell at me again when I go too far."

Baal rolled his eyes. "Of course I will. That's the reason why friends exist, no? Also, don't think about running away. You still owe me four stories."

"What?! I only owed you two!"

"Well, you owe me four now. Be thankful I didn't make you owe me six. I had to deal with an annoying uncle while propping you up in the Spring. My arms were aching by the time we could get out!"

"That's unfair!"

Baal snorted. "Nothing is fair. If you didn't overdo it with the spell, you would only have owed me two."

"But..."

"Or would you prefer to owe me six? It can easily be arranged~"

Zero zipped his mouth immediately. Baal nodded in satisfaction. "I thought so too. In any case, it will be a little longer before you can return to the village. There is a little trouble in my territory so these freeloaders are going to help me resolve it before I send everyone packing for home. Feel free to explore town but make sure to take someone who knows the way with you."

Zero hooted with joy and started making plans, much to Baal's amusement.