Ball of Nothing

Buddha didn't know how much longer he could do this for. When Solo entrusted him with the duty to save his future self, he knew he shouldn't have agreed. Zero may have the Great Gods wrapped around his little finger but Solo definitely has Buddha wrapped around his little finger.

The Sage God had already expended about thirty percent of whatever resources he amassed during his Godhood. For someone stingier than the Scrooge and more calculative than Mammon, that was saying something.

Buddha was hardly rested before the third wave came. Whatever happened inside of Zero's mindscape was something beyond Buddha's control. the Sage God can only continue to provide a short term relieve externally. The first wave was the toughest as it was the fiercest. There was no doubt about Venn's raw power. Of all the Divine Entities, Venn was known to be the most dangerous. The combination of stupidity, a short fuse and uncontrollable power gave Venn an unshakable position in Buddha's rankings for the top ten beings he would run from the moment he saw them.

Sadly, his promise to Solo made this encounter impossible. Buddha would have gladly hidden in his Pagodas if it weren't for the agreement. Instead of taking cover from the walking disaster, Buddha had invited them over to his sacred stronghold just to stabilise the rampant energy. Many of his best disciples have fallen from Hades' rage. More have fallen from the chaos magic overflow in Nirvana. Buddha clicked his tongue. This must be Jevy's energy that Zero was trying to fuse with. Buddha always knew that the Divine Entity of Jealousy had a sticky personality. He hated clingy people who wouldn't stop pestering him but for Zero, Buddha had no choice but to let Jevy's energy use his body as she pleased.

It was unpleasant. Buddha shuddered as Jevy's energy crawled through his chakra channels and settled in his solar plexus to siphon the purified chaos energy. Her touch was incredibly cold and if Buddha hadn't already attained enlightenment or reached the highest form of cultivation, his soul would've frozen over. The rampant energy moved on to Buddha's liver and the Sage God let a low groan when it attacked the organ viciously.

From the portal, Hua Tuo appeared. Buddha didn't spare the doctor a glance, too busy concentrating on stabilising Zero's condition and fighting the pain. He was only vaguely aware of the doctor's movements when he felt a warm flow of energy being transferred into his qi channel. Buddha sagged with relief for a little. Hua Tuo lived up to his name as the God of Medicine and the best doctor of his time.

"How much more till Zero completely stabilises?"

Buddha shrugged. "It depends on Duu after Jevy settles down. Knowing his nature, it might take a while. We could be here from days to years. If Duu doesn't feel like doing anything, nobody can make him move."

Hua Tuo grunted. Buddha's organs were in terrible shape. Jevy certainly didn't pull any punches, taking whatever she wanted.

"You will need to rest in order for your organs to regenerate. Jevy ate out your heart, liver and gallbladder. It's fried beyond saving, we need Merlin to help replicate Zero's new type of healing magic. There's not much I can do here except replenish your qi energy. She sucked you dry there..."

Buddha let his poker face fall and winced. "There is a thousand-year-ginseng that I've been hiding away for times of emergency and an ice toad from your previous world. You can use them to make medicine. I can't leave my position, Zero still has one more trial to overcome."

Hua Tuo didn't say much and went down the hidden doorway that Buddha told him about. It was rare for Buddha to concern himself with others. It was even rarer for Buddha to use his treasures. Hell must have frozen over.

In a certain part of Hell, Shittomi blinked and glanced outside her window before sighing. Looking at the flurry of snow passing by her castle window, the Winter Queen wished it wasn't always freezing in her domain.

Once Hua Tuo had left, Buddha allowed his expression to change into one of pure agony. His facial muscles twisted into something so unrecognisable. It was hard to remember how peaceful he usually looked. Sweat had soaked through his clothing and the Sage God swallowed another mouthful of blood.

"One more to go," he told himself and held steady despite the flickering in his vision.

***

"It's so rare for you to visit me," Sedna blinked in surprise at the sight of her unexpected visitor.

Gaia looked ruffled with leaves all over her face and her hair looking more tangled than before.

"Something's wrong with Zero's body, I can feel it. My magic has been constantly raining at an alarming rate. The rapid healing isn't going to keep up very soon, the body will disintegrate."

Alarmed, Sedna dropped the teapot. "Where is Zero right now?"

Gaia shook her head sadly, leaves falling constantly. They turned yellow and then brown before piling at where Gaia stood. Sedna hasn't seen this happen to her sister in a very long time. Gaia's leaves only fell when she was under duress. Not many have the power to make a Great God feel threatened or stressed.

"Have you talked to Isis and Freya? What about Hades and Zeus?"

"Hades said it was something to do with the Demon Lords in Hell. They decided to perform the ritual to give Zero the memories from four Divine Entities at the same time. Buddha is looking after Zero now according to Hades. He's still livid so Buddha chased him out of Nirvana for putting too many of his disciples out of action. Hua Tuo is there to check on the situation but he hasn't reported back."

Sedna bit her bottom lip and wrung her hands. At this rate, everyone was going to get injured. Zero's body will destroy itself, Buddha might die if he tries to contain all that damage himself. Hua Tuo would be seriously injured trying to save them both and Gaia will wither from overusing her powers. Sedna didn't want her sister to lose her powers and be reincarnated as a human again in order to regain her powers.

"There should still be a way," Sedna swam frantically in circles at the bottom of the ocean. gaia stopped her from doing so with a sad smile.

"Don't do this. You and I both know that I'll return. Of course, nobody wants this to happen but if it does, at least I got to tell you goodbye properly unlike the last time."

Grieved by the devastating news, Sedna broke down and cried. Her tears turned into various jellyfishes that glowed in the dark before swimming away. Gaia wrapped her arms around her younger sister and closed her eyes. Goodbyes were always painful and time doesn't make it any easier.

***

There was rumbling and Mii exchanged worried looks with Bob. Zero told them to stay away but that didn't mean they had to go far. In fact, with Bob's speciality, they were camping just right outside of it in an adjacent room supported by the dragon's magic.

"Do you think it will take very long?"

Mii sighed. Truth be told, she didn't know. She didn't think that Zero would try to resolve the conflict AND bond with them at the same time. Usually, it took years to properly form a bond with a Divine Entity. That was also the reason why Murvin, Law and Isaben's memories were locked. For Zero's well-being, she locked it until Zero was able to handle the brunt of the damage it would cause to both his mind and body.

Sadly, Zero wouldn't be who he was if he was predictable. Mii sighed once more, her shoulders sagging forward. Bob didn't speak. He didn't know the specifics about what was troubling the strawcherry fairy but he had a few ideas. If the violent spikes of magic weren't worrying, he didn't know what was.

While those violent magic signatures grew lesser, Zero's magic grew darker and more hostile. Bob wasn't a genius but he'd lived for a fair bit of time. His guess was that Zero had somehow consumed the source of conflicting magic in order to stop the magic discrepancy. While it was a method that worked, it wasn't always recommended. Often, absorbing a non-compatible magic type will cause the mage to lose their minds. Magic corruption is the term for that kind of insanity.

Bob didn't think his master would become corrupted because he was strong. However, the change was evident. Zero's magic didn't feel as light and warm or sweet like it did previously. There was a sharp tang of bitterness wrapped within a speck of darkness. While Zero's magic was still warm, it wasn't the kind of comforting warm similar to the gentle morning sun. It was closer to the warmth of the relentless mid-morning sun that doesn't allow you to head back to bed and continue sleeping. In a way, the dragon thought that Zero had grown. He didn't know if this change was for better or otherwise although he prefers to think of it as something necessary.

"I think he's almost done," Mii stated and got ready to leave. Bob wasn't far off. He released the spell and the comfortable room fell apart.

The moment Zero's magical energy stabilised, Bob and Mii entered Zero's mindscape.

"Welcome back," the young doctor greeted airily. Nothing much has changed from the outside but Mii knew better. The aura surrounding Zero has changed to something more mature.

"How do you feel?"

The boy yawned and stretched out on the bed. Bob wasn't the only one mildly surprised by the physical changes. Before, Zero only took half of the bed's length. Now, he was close to occupying three-quarters of the space. Mii stared at the familiar yet different boy on the bed. Zero had been growing taller ever since he entered Half Moon village. However, the change was too drastic for anyone to believe.

"I'm so tired, it's unbelievable that I'm still awake," Zero groaned and snuggled into the pillow.

He beckoned for Bob and Mii to join him with a cute smile. Who was Mii to deny him?

Zero grinned when his friends joined him under the blanket and yawned once more before letting his eyelids fall shut.

***

Sedna was prepared for the worst when Gaia's leaves suddenly stopped falling. The sisters exchanged a look of surprise with a myriad of emotions within a short span of time. However, one thing was for certain when they broke into happy smiles and shed tears of relief.

***

Freya was waiting outside Nirvana with Freya. For several days in heaven, Zero's magical energy fluctuated wildly. Although they worried about Buddha after hearing not a single word from Hua Tuo, neither of them interfered. Gaia was already in a bad state and the outcome was anybody's guess.

On the fifth day, something wonderful happened. Whatever that was causing distress to Zero's mana vanished completely without a trace.

"Don't," Freya told Hades. "It's still too early to rejoice." After all, Zero's body was still in Merlin's care in the abyss. They didn't know if the changes in Zero's soul would have any direct impact on the body hosting it or vice versa.

Hades balled his hands into fists but waited with Freya. As Gods, it was unbecoming of them to wish for a miracle. Creating miracles were their jobs but for now, hoping was all they could do.