Ball of Nothing

At long last, everyone gathered in the biggest room Baal had in his castle. Zero's new body was revealed and Lilith squealed in excitement.

"Oh my gosh... he's so cute! I want to have him," the succubus queen tugged hard at Baal's arm, almost ripping the limb off.

"He's not for adoption. Also, you should stop talking now. Zero might be able to hear you," he told his overly excited friend.

Some of the occupants in the room shot her hostile glares when they heard that. Hades was holding onto Zero's soul and waited for everyone to settle down before continuing what he was about to do.

Yes, it was the day Zero finally returned and everybody was excited about it. Gaia splurged a little when creating Zero's new body. Merlin and Wiser worked hard after hearing from Mii about Zero's special condition. They created a special kind of fabric that Grem Lee used to design the clothes Zero wanted. The good tailor raised a brow at the unusual design at first but commissioned the order without delay.

As Hades lowered Zero's soul into his new body, Baal wondered what happened to Buddha and Hua Tuo who were both absent from today's important gathering. He didn't have to wonder for long because Zero's soul started fusing with his new body the moment it made contact with the vessel.

There was a powerful pull of energy despite Buddha's sealing charm on Zero's soul. Could the charm have broken? Baal had to stop himself from instinctively throwing himself in the direction of his friend's soul. He could see from the side of his eyes how the other Demon Lords and Sage Gods were doing the same. Isis, Freya and Hades tensed when that happened. Usually, it was hard to have any Great God be at the same place at any one point of time. However, due to how risky today's operation was, three out of six decided to attend the meeting.

It didn't take much longer for Zero's soul to settle in its new vessel. The pull disappeared and Baal waited nervously. Normally, he was known to be the most patient person. Laziness had a huge hand in that. However, Baal found himself bouncing on the balls of his feet while waiting for Zero to open his eyes. he knew that there was no way anything would go wrong with so many powerful figures in the room. However, his heart refused to listen to logic, skipping straight into skyrocketing his blood pressure and taxing his body with the amount of worrying it was doing.

It was pin-drop silent and everyone held their breaths, not wanting to miss the moment Zero opened his eyes. Baal certainly wasn't disappointed when Zero didn't do as what everyone expected him to do. His eyelashes didn't even flutter but everyone knew at once that Zero was back.

The teen's sneeze exploded and Baal thought that anyone within half a mile would be able to hear him. Then, he began to choke on the air. Hua Tuo would have facepalmed if he knew what happened. Coux offered some water that Zero drank gratefully.

"Welcome back," the Demon Lord of Laziness said. Zero tried to speak and drink at the same time which resulted in another round of coughing.

"Thanks," he smiled crookedly and passed the now empty glass back to Coux.

"So, what's been going on since I've been gone?" Zero asked as if he hasn't missed out on all the action.

Baal smiled serenely and it reminded the doctor-in-training about Buddha. However, Zero wasn't fooled by it.

Before the teen could react, Baal had already thrown a punch aiming straight for Zero's middle. The teen coughed at the force and had all the air in him forced out. Coux winced but didn't stop Baal. Everyone knew about Baal and Zero's odd friendship after all.

"What was that for?" the doctor-in-training winced and asked after healing himself with healing magic. Merlina and Wiser exchanged proud looks. The special fabric was working well. As long as Zero didn't take go crazy while taking a shower, everything should go very smoothly. With this new type of fabric, Zero doesn't have to wear thousands of magic suppressing devices to keep it under control. Granted, the fabric was slightly thicker and heavier when compared to ordinary clothes. However, this was a small price to pay. Besides, it's not as if Zero wouldn't notice the difference in cloth thickness.

Zero didn't have much time to argue with Baal because when his eyes followed the direction that Baal pointed to, the teen couldn't breathe.

Truen didn't have much time to react when Zero barrelled straight into him. The two boys fell onto the ground in a heap of tangled limbs. Zero was too happy to care. It had been way too long since he'd last seen Truen. Honestly, he missed his friend and guardian more than he thought was possible. It also surprised Zero that the difference in their heights wasn't as much as he thought it would be. Truen was only taller by a head and the doctor apprentice didn't have doubts that he would soon catch up.

Seeing that Zero was doing well, the busier Demon Lords took their leave. Isis returned with Freya but Hades stayed on. Merlin decided that it wouldn't hurt to stay another day in the abyss with his current student. The two boys needed the time to catch up after being apart for so long, especially Zero. In a way, Truen acted as the doctor trainee's emotional anchor. It had been rough with the wood elf by his side and Merlin felt a small sense of pride swell in his chest like a father proud of their children's first successful errand trip to the supermarket.

"Shh, I'm not going anywhere. Don't cry," Truen tried to tell Zero but the brunet continued to sob, turning the tunic Truen wore wet. Despite maturing physically and mentally, Zero was still very much the crybaby and softie inside.

Coux left to tell Amaraline and the rest about Zero's return. There would be a feast for sure and Coux was determined to be able to cater to Zero's black hole of a stomach.

From the corner of the room forgotten by everyone else, Lucifer observed the young doctor with interest. Ever since Baal recommended Zero as a transfer student at his school, the headmaster had been curious. Morning Star Academy only accepted the finest demons who could contribute to research. What could Zero possibly contribute? No matter how he looked at it, Zero was only a child. he might have grown from a hatchling into a chick but he was far from becoming a young rooster. Hua Tuo's testification that Zero was a genius didn't mean much to the Demon Lord. Medicine and magic were two very different things. If anything, Lucifer was keener to enrol Wiser into the Academy. The strategist and inventor had designed many things unheard of. Such talent couldn't possibly be compared to the overly pampered boy called Zero.

Still, Lucifer continued to observe. It was rare for one of his best students to push a recommendation for someone else. Baal was famous for not involving himself with anything troublesome. Maybe it was Lucifer who was wrong.

Zero didn't question the new presence in the room even though that person's gaze has been bothering him since earlier. He just wanted to spend time catching up with his friends. It was very rare for everyone to be together after all. Although nobody mentioned it, Zero could smell food from some corner of the castle. There was definitely going to be a feast of some sort and Zero looked forward to it. Perhaps the person staring holes into the back of his head was an important figure in Hell. Zero would have to be nice to him so that he can be invited to partake in the feast. With that thought in mind, the apprentice turned around to smile at Lucifer politely as a sign of respect.

Baal took that opportunity to formally introduce his teacher and friend.

"Zero, this is my teacher Lucifer. Lucifer, this is Zero whom I spoke about."

Zero took the chance to scrutinise the odd demon. Lucifer was an ageing demon who had grey streaks in his hair. If not for the two curly horns on his head, Zero would have mistaken him for some elderly on Earth. Upon closer examination, Zero found those coal black eyes to be most odd.

"Yes?"

Zero frowned. He didn't know how to ask it without sounding rude so he decided to be honest. "Mister, are you blind?"

Baal stiffened and Lilith stopped chatting with Truen. Nobody moved an inch when Lucifer didn't answer immediately. Zero wanted to reverse time and smack himself for thinking that asking something in such a blunt manner was a good idea. It clearly wasn't. Lucifer would be angry at him for being so insensitive but it was much too late to regret. The doctor's apprentice mentally readied himself for a tongue-lashing but it didn't come.

Lucifer threw his head backwards and laughed. It was no secret that he'd lost his sense of sight. Everyone in the abyss knew that. For Zero to be ignorant about it, Lucifer had nothing to say about that. However, what tickled him was the way Zero looked at him with such sincerity and concern. Even if he lost both his arms and legs, Lucifer wouldn't need the concern of anyone. He was the most powerful demon in Hell, such a handicap was nothing.

Zero was confused when Lucifer started laughing. Was the demon also touched in the head?

"Boy, I may be blind but I'm no handicap."

Zero nodded, unsure of how to react to it. "I'm sure you don't have problems walking without banging into anything but wouldn't it be nice to see again?"

Lucifer didn't think that Zero understood how the abyss worked. He was better off without his eyes. Who in the right frame of mind wanted to look at all the filthiness and ugliness that existed in the abyss? It was a corrupted place, forsaken by everything else. Without the Demon Lords holding it together, the plane would collapse and fall into the void.

"I've lived for a long time, there is nothing more I wish to see."

Zero didn't quite believe that. However, he didn't pry. After inheriting Gugu's memories, he learnt not to meddle too much into other people's business. Often times, nothing good came out from it. Still, he couldn't help but feel that it was a shame. Not wanting to see such a beautiful world? Zero couldn't imagine it.

"Aren't you curious about how I look like?" he asked, trying to reel Lucifer into agreeing.

The Demon Lord of Pride raised a brow elegantly. Did this runt seriously think he wouldn't see through his intention? Healing the eyes of a Demon Lord with his superior powers, Zero could ask for anything in the world. As terrible as demons were, they were creatures of contract. Lucifer wasn't a fool, he wasn't going to fall for that.

"I bet you're only saying it because you haven't seen how awesome my new body looks like."

Zero pouted when Lucifer didn't bite. Baal was sweating nervously behind. What was his stupid friend trying to accomplish by provoking the greatest demon alive?

Instead of taking offence, Lucifer threw his head back to laugh. "And what makes you think that I'm interested to see what you look like?"

Zero thought hard and bit on his bottom lip. It was really hard to get this unsolicited patient to agree to treatment. Demon Lords sure can be stubborn. Zero remembered how difficult it was for him to have Baal agree to have let him cure his sinus issues. Without renewed determination, Zero countered.

"I bet you've never seen a person as ordinary as me before."

That declaration left everyone in the dust. What was Zero talking about? Ordinary? Him?

Lucifer didn't bother to control himself after that statement. Baal watched in sick fascination at how his teacher drooled and snorted after failing to control the laughter tearing him apart from inside. Zero didn't sound like he had any ulterior motive other than wanting to cure his eyes and that in itself screamed stupid or kind. In Zero's case, maybe a little of both.

"Very well," he conceded. "Let's do it. You can cure my eyes. However, if I'm not impressed by how ordinary you look, you will have to attend my school for a week."

The Demon Lord knew that Baal had lost to Zero in a bet and was unable to find a way to get the teen to attend school. Taking pity on his ex-student who now had to become a guest lecturer for his elite classes for a week, the headmaster decided to use this to his advantage.

Zero blinked. He didn't know what school was exactly but according to Baal, it was the worst place in the abyss to be at. Zero didn't want to go there but in order to appease his stubborn patient, the brunet agreed to do a face reveal.

"Deal," he told Lucifer and immediately a magic scroll materialised. Zero signed it after reading the contract thrice and Lucifer did the same. The scroll disintegrated and Zero wondered what he'd gotten himself in.

"You can begin treatment tomorrow. I'll be looking forward to how ordinary you will look like in my castle," Lucifer smirked and turned into a cloud of bats before making his dramatic exit.

Baal sighed. It certainly didn't take long for Zero to look for trouble. He gave Truen a clap on the back as the wood elf worked himself into another frenzy.