Ball of Nothing

"Grandma Moppo! Zero! Welcome- who is this?"

Almost immediately a loud smack followed. "Watch your mouth, brat! Is that how you should be treating esteemed guests?"

Zero grinned. Leave it to Clowis and Louis to ease up the tension.

"Zero's back?" a shout from somewhere above the leafy canopy echoed. That was all it took before the word got around. A horn was sounded and Zero knew that was from the watchtower.

The kids came running with Zoe chasing after them. "Zero!" They yelled and tackled him in a hug. By they, it meant Leon and Jacqueline. Rima merely stood by Zoe's side with her eyes shining more than usual.

"I'm sho sowwwy!" the werecat child half hiccuped and have cried with tears and snot running amok. The mermaid descendant didn't say much and just sobbed into Zero's shirt. The young doctor was surprised by how much taller he was now. Leon was slightly below his eye level and Rima was a good head shorter when he was standing. Only Jacqueline was somewhat closer to him in terms of height now. The apprentice wondered how they were able to recognise him with how much he'd changed in appearance.

Zero had a hard time consoling the children. He didn't know what triggered the flood gates to be opened but he didn't mind.

Grandma Moppo had to give the children a stern look before they allowed Zero to leave. Clowis gave Zero an apologetic look that puzzled the brunet. Why did he look so guilty? They had every right to be mad at him for causing such troubles before. Zero had to admit, he would give his past self a tongue lashing if he could. If there was any way to make amends for his mistakes, he wouldn't hesitate to do it.

However, with a clipped tone, Grandma Moppo sent the welcome party packing. Zero recognised the path that they were taking as his teacher followed behind wordlessly. Although the path was a familiar route, the atmosphere was heavy around him. When he was led down this road the first time, the village was bustling with excitement at meeting the rumoured apprentice. Now, they were looking at him with eyes full of apology. Zero knew that he wasn't entirely welcomed after his actions but being young was no excuse for making bad decisions. Even if Half Moon Village decided to ban him from ever stepping foot into their home grounds again, Zero knew he would abide by it with a heavy heart.

The half-dwarf knocked twice on the door causing it to rattle a little.

From inside, a certain warrior chieftess sighed through her nose. So the time has come, what must be done will be done. If it were up to her, she would pass it off as the wrong doings of an innocent child. A slap on the wrist would have resolved it easily enough but the villagers weren't simple folks. With Zero's mysterious background and beyond Godly capabilities, he was no longer regarded as an ignorant child. Funny how the world worked sometimes but reality can be unforgiving even for the young.

With heavy heart, Zenobia walked over to the door to welcome the guests but froze up when she saw a strangely familiar-looking teenager behind Granda Moppo.

"Z-Zero? Is that you?"

The handsome teen smiled with that same soft innocence as he did when he was a child. "Hello, Zenobia... it's been a while, hasn't it? How are you doing?"

The Chieftess couldn't speak, too choked on emotions. Zero... he simply grew up too quickly. Although she wasn't very familiar with the abyss, she'd heard a few things about it from Lovina who was in contact with Coux. Qin Yun returned to the village appearing slightly different as well and although she was tight-lipped about what happened in the abyss, the Chieftess heard that the flow of time was different there. Zero was gone for almost a full month now and many things had changed in the village. It just never crossed her mind that the same would be the same for the doctor's apprentice.

"Well... I've been well Zero. You've... grown?"

Zero laughed in both relief and happiness that Zenobia didn't seem to hate him. In fact, he too was influenced by her emotions and teared up a little. "Yes, my lady. I've been given a new body and should be a lot stronger now. Thank you for taking care of me when I was still a weak and foolish child. I know it hasn't been all that long but I feel old enough to have lived through several lifetimes at the very least... I'm just thankful that Half Moon Village isn't chasing me away on sight with pitchforks."

Zenobia couldn't help but snort a little at that messed up sense of humour. The new Zero was charming in an odd way but she could still see the original colours of the Zero she knew and loved in this teen.

"At least that's something we agree on," she agreed with a small smile. "Come on in, have a seat. How about some dandelion tea?"

Zero smiled fondly, remembering his very first case of poisoning. Once bitten, twice shy. "Of course, that would be most lovely."

Zenobia cheered up a little and tried to offer some frog leg brownies and this time, Zero was wiser and refused them in a cute way. Hua Tuo, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. His teacher shot him a dirty look and quickly swallowed two small pills when Zenobia went to get the water boiling. Grandma Moppo quickly asked for them as well just in case and Zero was simply thankful that he knew just how to cheat now. Apparently graduating from the Morning Star Academy had its perks too.

Once tea and frog leg brownies were served, they decided to tackle the elephant in the room. Grandma Moppo didn't bother beating around the bush and Zenobia averted her gaze.

"Zero, after what you did the village have come to a consensus. You need to make a choice and you only have one chance to redeem yourself."

Zero met the steady half-dwarf's gaze and nodded. Hua Tuo sat upright stiffly. He knew what the terms were but he didn't have faith that his apprentice would agree to it. Zero might be a teen who had somewhat matured with the roller-coaster experience in Hell but a leopard doesn't change its spots. Zero was kind by nature who didn't like a lot of responsibilities. If he was anything like the Great One that Buddha often shared with him about, Zero wasn't a fan of the growing up process.

"We've had strangers forcefully thrown into our care and traitors let loose. The location of our village is compromised and with so many wanted individuals, I speak as the Village Head that your actions have consequences. As a tradition, our warriors eliminate any threat to protect the peace we have. However, I am not foolish enough to try to take down someone with the ability to use divine magic and make friends with Demon Lords. You are powerful with an upright sense of morals so this is my ordinance. Pledge your loyalty as one of us and accept the position as my successor or forever be banished to never step foot on our grounds again."

Zero didn't need to process it. The message was clear as day, become the next village leader or be forever an enemy to them. Hua Tuo closed his eyes, not wanting to see or feel anything. As a doctor who wanted to travel and see the world, it was a tough choice to make. Zero couldn't be bound to one place if he wanted to save the lives of many. Between dreams and responsibility, it was obvious which Zero would choose.

The teenager didn't respond immediately and Grandma Moppo waited with bated breath. Hua Tuo had pleaded and tried to change her mind over and over again ever since she told him of her resolution. The sturdy old lady was immensely stubborn about it. Some of the other villagers also tried to dissuade her when they knew of her intentions. Some thought that she was being too harsh on a child and sided with Zenobia. However, nobody dared to disrespect her decision.

Grandma Moppo wasn't a fool. Zero might be the world's greatest doctor who cured her knees and probably extended her lifespan for another good forty years but she knew that there will come a day when she will leave this world behind. She'd lived a long time to see the fall and rise of her home but she won't get to watch over it forever. As a half-fae, she had an unusually long lifespan but time would eventually run out for mortals and she would return to the cycle of life all over again. When that time comes, she couldn't help but worry about the people whom she would be leaving behind. Zenobia was a wonderful lady but she was too much of a warrior to be the leader spearheading the village into a more prosperous future. If Zero hadn't been here, Grandma Moppo was considering appointing the eccentric human called Wiser. Unfortunately, as a human, Grandma Moppo might just outlive him. So that left little Rima but the girl was too jaded by life to believe in hope and look at the bright side of life. So when Zero came along, she just knew that the boy would be perfect.

Zero didn't know why Grandma Moppo would choose to pass such a harsh judgement but he didn't blame her. From a business point of view, there was nothing but benefit for the village. If Zero had not received the memories of Gugu and learnt from the Demon Lords, he would have never agreed to it. To tie one's future down out of obligation... Zero could never do it. He made a promise after all that he will complete his training in two years then meet Truen and travel together.

Yet... Zero couldn't help but smile widely. It was brilliant! Half Moon Village had a conveniently located portal to the grand business central district in the abyss. The Garden of Roth will be the key driving point towards a better life for everyone in the abyss. He hasn't had the opportunity to discuss building good relations with those in Heaven but Lucifer had given him the option to do so anytime. Schaf was in the village working with Coux closely in Baal's territory and there was the world's best guard dog serving sentence for the next hundred years... he wasn't sure if he would be able to smoothly negotiate terms with the village for his preparation for his travels but with this proposition falling into his lap, there wouldn't be any negotiations required.

"I would like to know one thing before I give you my answer..."

Grandma Moppo was surprised at Zero's cautiousness but agreed.

"Would you be going into retirement immediately after you appoint me as the successor?"

The half-fae didn't know if she should be laughing or pinching that cheeky brat's cheek. "Just because I'm old doesn't mean I'll kick the bucket anything soon!" she fumed. "I'll have you know I can swing a cudgel better than those twigs you call arms!"

Zero laughed cheerfully at the outrage and Zenobia relaxed a little. Perhaps... Zero wasn't going to bid farewell after all!

"Aww..." Zero mock pouted. "I would've agreed to the first condition if you told me I'd have free reign over the village once I accepted... now I'll have to reconsider it."

Grandma Moppo froze. Was this teen being serious? "Are you sure you'll agree to be my successor if I allowed you to have total control over the village developments? You're not intending to do anything like accepting the position and then ditching responsibility by saying that you're appointing me back as the head of the village and running away, are you?"

Zero blinked. "Actually, I think that would've been a better plan. I wonder how I never thought about it but thanks for the inspiration."

"You..!"

Zero laughed at Grandma Moppo's expression in a hilarious mix of disbelief, outrage and speechlessness. Lady Zenobia couldn't help but laugh at the indignant look on the old lady's face. Hua Tuo tried to control the smile threatening to erupt and his lips twitched uncontrollably. Zero had Grandma Moppo where he wanted and it was amazing how much his student has matured. With this much sass, his worries about people bullying and hurting his disciple when he started travelling were finally laid to rest.

Grandma Moppo eventually relented and rolled her eyes. "Fine, you win. Do whatever you want... would it have killed you to make this old lady happy one last time before she kicks the bucket?"

Zero heard Grandma Moppo's grumbling and grinned. He got up from his chair and hopped to the other side of the table before kissing the stumpy old lady on the cheek. "Don't worry, you won't regret this. I'll take very good care of the village. Did I mention that I have grand plans for it while I was still in Hell? I need to thank Coux for giving me ideas."

Grandma Moppo raised a brow. "Did she? I never knew you were interested in business too."

Zero grinned. "Not just business... magic, experiments, agriculture, technological breakthroughs and infrastructure developments. You should've been there to see it too... it was an experience of a lifetime! So many different species coming together peacefully to enjoy prosperity at the cafe. Enemies called a temporary truce over carrot cakes and bitter rivals formed alliances to grab the limited edition coupons!"

Grandma Moppo only looked at Zero with doubt on her face as he gushed on about auction houses, golems with weird names and vampires with severe allergies. She certainly hoped that naming Zero as her successor wasn't going to be the biggest mistake of her lifetime.