Ball of Nothing

Two days later, the long-awaited punishment was finally being carried out. With everyone well-rested, things started falling back into place with some semblance of normality in the abyss.

It was weird to finally be back at Endow Hill. Although Zero was extremely curious about how things were back at the village, he didn't attempt to run off in order to satisfy his curiosity. As agreed, the small party included Qin Yun, Hua Tuo, Baal and Ruth. Schaf was being pushed along whenever his vampire guard decided he was deliberately tardy. Zero didn't blame the soon-to-be goat beastman. There was nobody who would look forward to punishment.

Hades and Kerberos were already waiting and Zero could see them from quite a distance. After all, there was nothing concealing the cave that led to Sleepy Cave's entrance. Once they were closer, the young doctor noticed that Merlin was also present. His heart raced at the thought of being able to see Truen but plummeted when Mii informed him that she didn't sense the wood elf in the area. A sharp glance from Baal made the young doctor straighten up. He couldn't afford to be seen behaving childishly in front of the two felons.

Qin Yun looked considerably better ever since she returned to Earth. It made Zero think about how Schaf would cope with the biological changes after his punishment. It wouldn't be easy for the goat demon who'd never been anything else his entire life. Unlike the fox spirit, he had no experience about the way of life in the material plane. It would be a struggle but Zero didn't pity him. It was punishment after all.

"It's good to see you again, Zero." Hades smiled. "Have you been doing well?"

The young doctor returned the smile warmly. Today, the God of Death wasn't in his scary skeletal form. Hades looked a little too pale as usual but he seemed genuinely happier. Kerberos didn't look menacing. In fact, the young doctor wondered how such a large hound could transform into three adorable puppies. They wagged their tails sadly and peered up at the Great God with the saddest looking eyes. Zero wondered if it was illegal to have eyes like that. It made people want to forgive them for any wrong they committed. That was simply unfair but Zero couldn't say he disliked them.

"I'm good. Is everyone else doing well?"

They exchanged pleasantries and Baal slid up to Merlin's side. "This is it?"

The Wizard God nodded. "It's not active at the moment but there's no telling. Kerberos should be fine. He has his master's blessing."

The Demon Lord nodded. It wasn't common knowledge but Sleepy Cave was marked as one of the most dangerous and unpredictable portals between dimensions. After many years of existing as a death trap for travellers who fell victims to the random opening and closing of gates, their trapped spirits conglomerated and fused together as one massive ball of consciousness. Their lament, regrets and loneliness created a monster almost as powerful as a God. Sleepy Cave created its own existence and it was something that not even the Great Gods could explain. To prevent its power from growing, they had the Eternal Dragon guard Endow Hill and this dangerous monster. Merlin was in-charge of maintaining its barrier and this arrangement worked out perfectly for many years...

Until the Living Dungeon ate its protector.

It wasn't known exactly how or when it happened but almost at once, Hua Tuo volunteered to check on the situation. Merlin's barriers were still in place on Earth so the situation was under control. The doctor isolated himself there for a few centuries while waiting for the new guardian to be born. As fate had it, Zero turned up to adopt the new guardian before it was time. That messed up every plan the Sage Gods had, much to Hua Tuo's initial frustration.

"I'm so glad Sleepy Cave has a new guardian, no offence to Hades."

The God of Death blinked at Baal and shook his head. "None taken. I will visit Kerberos regularly so that he wouldn't be too lonely. It was a century of guarding last I heard. Is Zero alright with the arrangement?"

"The Eternal Dragon would have to return to Endow Hill eventually. For now, I think it's alright if they use this hundred years to explore Earth to their heart's content," Merlin replied.

The Demon Lord didn't say anything. He watched as Zero exchanged words with Kerberos from the sidelines. As they concluded their discussion, the teenager walked up to the waiting Demon Lord.

"I'm ready. How are we going to do this?" he asked.

Baal jerked his chin towards Hades who had Kerberos' original collar in one hand and three dog tags in the other. Zero could guess what they were going to do with the dog tags but the collar?

"I'll be leaving his original collar with Hua Tuo," Hades explained. "It would allow Hua Tuo to break my binding spell on Kerberos in case there is an emergency. To reduce his power, I've separated him into three puppies but they are still not to be taken lightly. Ker still retains his curse ability, Ber has his magic abilities although it has been significantly reduced and Ros can easily smash a large tree over with a swipe of his paw."

The physician accepted the collar while Hades placed the dog tags on each puppy with their respective names. Zero noted how there was a flash of light before the oversized dog tags shrank to fit snuggly around each puppy's necks. Once that was done, Hua Tuo, Merlin and Hades escorted them to Sleepy Cave.

Zero was about to follow them when Baal grabbed his arm. "We have other business to attend to."

Zero looked at the vampire and goat demon. That's right. The punishment wasn't solely for Kerberos.

"How do we proceed?" he whispered to Baal.

The Demon Lord snapped his fingers and two magic contracts materialised. The teenager understood at once. He decided to keep Ruth's contract for later. First, they had Schaf to sign his.

"Schaf Schafkopf, prepare to receive your punishment."

The goat demon didn't react immediately. Instead, there was a flash of rebellion in his eyes. He spat onto the ground when Zero brought the contract over. Seeing red, Ruth smacked the small demon mercilessly with his superior strength. Zero was startled and shot a warning glare to the vampire before rushing forward to help the fallen demon when Schaf yelled out. Ruth didn't flinch. His gaze was cold and nobody punished the vampire for his actions.

"Don't touch me, you filth!" Schaf screamed and Zero pulled away as if he was scalded. The hatred radiating from the goat demon shocked the young doctor who was only trying to help.

Ruth wanted to permanently silence the goat demon but held back at Baal's oppressing aura. The Demon Lord wasn't too pleased about what Schaf did but if he wasn't making a move, the vampire was in no position to do so either. They waited for Zero to make his decision.

Calmly, the young doctor met the fuming criminal's gaze. Zero knew it would be too easy to forcibly erase Schaf's sins and have him accept his fate. Unlike the more powerful beings in existence, Freya's Charmer blessing would have no effect on Schaf not that Zero required it. He was slightly nervous at facing someone who disliked him without the wanting to kill him. There was a strange and unpleasant feeling in his chest when Schaf looked at him as if he was the worst person in the world. Zero didn't blame him. It might just be true. However, he couldn't allow the goat demon to continue on his path of destruction because it would hurt many others including the ones he cared for.

"I'm sorry," he apologised.

Schaf was slightly surprised by the sudden apology but it didn't do anything to diminish the hatred he felt. If anything, the goat demon felt mocked by the genuine apology. He was fully aware of the consequences when he did what he did. He didn't need or want charity from some stranger who thought it was alright to save people as a pastime.

The ex-manager expected for the young doctor to convince him that he'd be fine or something along that line but Zero did none of those. Instead, the kind and annoyingly concerned expression hardened over to morph into something Schaf was very familiar with. He took a look at Zero's business mask and swallowed. Apprehension filled his blood as Zero motioned for him to sit. When had the table and chairs appeared?!

"Have a seat," the teenager stated and the goat demon's body stiffened like breadsticks. Before he knew it, his stubby legs carried him over as he plopped his butt onto the lavish chair.

That smile on Zero's face made Schaf shudder. It was so professional that the ex-manager couldn't help but respect it. It wasn't filled with malice or false intent. In fact, Zero's intentions were so thoroughly concealed that the goat demon had to wonder if this was the same person less than a minute ago. If he was anyone less experienced, he would have let his guard down. Schaf almost relaxed and fell back into his routine to mirror the young doctor's smile as if entertaining another client. That was too close for comfort.

Noticing that Schaf wasn't speaking and that his hatred had somewhat mellowed, Zero was secretly pleased that it worked. Lilith's advice about dealing with cornered and abused animals proved to be brilliant for this tense situation. In order to gain the trust of someone who distrusted easily, indifference and honesty was the best way to throw them off. Seeing how Schaf was so attached to his previous job, Zero thought that the best way to disarm that hatred was to create a familiar environment that the goat demon was confident in.

Keeping the act together, Zero calmly shuffled through the documents and observed for any signs of bolting in the goat demon. When he was confident that they could talk without Schaf going all vengeance-mode on him, Zero pushed the documents towards the ex-manager's way.

Schaf studied the documents thoroughly and his eyes narrowed slightly. Why was Zero letting him read an employment contract instead of his verdict? The goat demon heard the warning bells in his head come to life and with trained eyes, he read through every line of the contract, taking care to read what was in between them as well.

After re-reading it twice, the goat demon couldn't find anything wrong with the document. It was a legitimate employment contract with Baal's magical signature. Whatever company Half Moon Trading was, Schaf had no doubts that the pesky half succubus was involved. She was his direct superior-to-be after all.

"What is this?" he finally asked Zero who was uncharacteristically patient with him. He expected for the vampire to rush him into signing it but nothing of that sort happened. Only the painful piercing of their stares affected him while he was analysing the document. All else remained quite civilised.

"It's an employment contract. I value talent greatly and it would be a waste to let all that experience go to the void. I am not all-generous to forgive the people who wish harm upon those I treasure. However, I'm not unnecessarily merciless. The abyss might have been a harsh place and mercy might be a foreign term so feel free to think of this as a business transaction. I know not about your history with Mammon but as he is Baal's friend, I will make an exception. I hope that you won't repeat the same mistake twice for his sake."

Schaf didn't say anything, still adamant about not accepting the contract.

"I would rather die," he told the omnipotent being before him.

Zero sighed dramatically and looked away. "That's a shame. I was going to leave you in charge of coordinating Mammon's logistics division seeing how you are one of his closest aides."

Schaf froze. He was about to rip the contract when Zero said that. Half of him wanted to call Zero out for lying but the more logical part of him insisted that he should be prostrating himself and asking for Zero's forgiveness.

Zero sensed the demon's conflict and threw in a little more to sweeten the deal. It was true that he wanted to forgive Schaf but he wanted to also find a way to bring him into the camp. Half Moon Trading might be a promising startup but it could thrive with strong connections and capable employees. While Coux was a capable and reliable person with strong figures backing the business like Baal and Mammon, Zero wanted to ensure there was a someone capable of pulling the common folks together. What better way to bridge that gap than to have someone in the limelight for that position?

Schaf might not be a very famous figure before the trial drama. However, Zero understood the power of rumours. Coux taught him what marketing meant. Truth be told, Schaf was the best candidate after considering the bond he shared with Mammon. His special punishment only solidified how important Schaf has become. It was almost as if the goat demon's fate was a turning point for Hell itself. Much has happened with Zero's intervention and the young doctor knew that change would not be easy. It would be difficult to convince the demons that their harsh and barren lives would soon transform into one filled with flower fields and peaceful days.

The aspiring doctor knew that for such a plan to succeed, careful management and perseverance with unwavering faith is necessary. He foresaw his inability to monitor the ground situation closely with his desire to go on adventures. For the time being, thanks to Kerberos, Bob was able to accompany him and Truen on their adventure on Earth. Sadly, the same couldn't be said about the terraforming project. Even if Robo Mike was attending to it, the social and political implications of maintaining such a farm required careful management. Coux wasn't a native in the abyss and Baal wasn't the most well-liked Lord. The small fires of rebellion could easily go undetected and it would be too late if someone infiltrated their inner circles. Mammon wasn't capable of sieving through every single detail with his busy schedule so Zero thought about a certain someone whom Mammon could entrust with this responsibility.

Schaf studied Zero's expression. Nothing betrayed his thoughts and the goat demon relented. As a true businessman, he couldn't pass up an advantage when he saw one.

"What's the catch?" he asked in defeat.

Zero smiled. "You have to discard your identity as a demon and live in Half Moon village. You don't have to get along with anyone there although I highly recommend you do so. They wouldn't ask about your identity so it is up to your discretion how you wish to lead your new life. Other than that, I expect absolute professionalism with the new job offer. Unfortunately for you, resignation is not an option after signing this contract. It's magically bound to Baal who is the owner of Half Moon Trading."

Schaf remained silent. That employment contract was a nicely packaged term for a lifetime's worth of corporate slavery. No sane person would agree to such mistreatment but Schaf was nowhere near sane as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Nobody expected for the goat demon to grab the feathered pen lying on the table and scrawl his signature at the bottom of the scroll.

There was a flash of light before the scroll disintegrated leaving Zero looking rather surprised. Schaf smirked at the doctor's widened eyes. No matter how professional the teenager was, he was still wet behind the ears compared to the ex-banker.

Satisfied that he finally got a reaction out of the brunet, Schaf didn't resist anymore and allowed them to proceed with the sin redemption. Zero wasted no time and proceeded as planned. Baal silently wondered how his friend was able to convince someone who hated him to switch sides so quickly.

Maybe, just maybe... Zero might have a hidden talent that belonged solely to himself.