Ball of Nothing

After a good meal, everyone decided to turn in early. Hua Tuo and Ruth were exhausted. Needless to say, the teen was still bouncing with energy. He tossed and turned for a good hour or so but couldn't sleep. Ruth usually didn't sleep at night but after taking care of baby Seff for a while, the vampire needed time to recover. Hua Tuo was too used to his noisy apprentice and zoned out on the ruckus.

This made Zero unhappy. They finally returned to Endow Hill but he wasn't able to do anything. Zero was brimming with energy. He wanted to do more, learn more and prepare to absorb everything his teachers would throw at him. The young doctor couldn't wait to learn about acupuncture and surgery that Hua Tuo promised he would teach. Also, learning magic-combat from Ruth sounded a lot more fun than doing qi gong daily.

Speaking of qi gong, Zero wondered if he should include Amon's special lessons into his practice sessions. If such simple movements were able to take down strong warriors like Sekkin, Zero had no doubt that it would work on bad people like Count Carrabas. However, he didn't want to disturb his teachers so Zero took advantage of his new vessel and taller height.

Bob and Mii weren't expecting to see Zero so soon in the mindscape. The dragon also didn't expect to see his master in the magic lamp either.

"Zero, do you know what time it is?" the Eternal Dragon asked. Bob wasn't very pleased that the teenager was becoming more and more rebellious. He doesn't listen to adults or did as he was told anymore. Now, Zero was beginning to ignore curfew for bedtime too! It was inexcusable.

The young doctor didn't look apologetic in the slightest. If anything, he had the nerve to reason with Bob.

"But I am resting! I'm just in the magic lamp physically and in the mindscape mentally. I'm just not on a straw mattress but this is still a bed."

Mii didn't look like she had the energy left to argue with Zero so Bob took it upon himself to correct the cheeky creator. The dragon continued to nag at the teenager who snuggled up on the comfortable bed and patted the spot beside him.

"Join me?" he asked coyly and Bob sighed through his nose. The boy had the nerve to completely ignore his lecture and even try to entice him into slacking. Did he understand how much work Mii needs to complete thanks to his whimsical requests? Bob pitied the strawcherry fairy who looked no better than Hades, Mammon or King Yama. Truen and Coux didn't give Mii any breaks either so the strawcherry fairy continued to slog in the never-ending work looking like a zombie.

Bob rolled his eyes and refused the invitation. "You can stay but do not disturb us. We have a lot of work to complete."

Zero nodded cheerfully, happy to have gotten his way. Truth be told, he was actually glad that Bob and Mii would be occupied. He couldn't carry out his plan back at the hut because there were two very wary people who would wake up once they felt foreign mana fluctuating around him. What better way to kill time than to talk to somebody instead?

Hence, Zero decided to bring the meditation session to his magic lamp instead. It was also a safe space to practice secretly. Even if something went wrong, Zero was confident that Mii and Bob would stop him or find the help he needed.

With his mind at ease, Zero snuggled into the pillow and closed his eyes. His breathing slowed as he returned to a familiar scene in his mind.

"Tanya?" he called out. "Tanya, are you here?"

The dark and cold void transformed into one full of lush greenery at the name. The soil beneath his feet was cooling and the forest smelled strongly of earth. There was some river in the background and the image gave a very tranquil feeling to whoever was looking at it.

Zero knew what he was looking at. It isn't very difficult to guess why the person called Tanya had brought him here using their mental connection. Although Zero didn't talk to her as often as he spoke with Baal, Tanya was a close friend he made from one of the listening sessions in the void.

"Welcome back, Zero."

The young doctor turned around quickly and his face lit up with excitement. Tanya was exactly how he remembered her to be. The Dryad Queen was easy to recognise. She had her leaf hair shaped like a tall crown from what Zero remembered and he wasn't disappointed to spot the familiar hairstyle. Apparently, it was now summer because all the leaves were a healthy shade of green. The last time he spoke to her before visiting the abyss, Tanya had red and yellow leaves. Oh, how time flies!

The young doctor also noticed how the Queen of Dryads still couldn't keep the time out of her eyes. Right now, it should be late afternoon because the sunlight in her eyes was dimmer. The young doctor found Tanya's eyes most fascinating to look into. The Dryad Queen could be a very accurate weather forecaster with the ability to reflect the sky in her eyes the literal way. On some nights there were stars, on some nights there was the moon. However, Zero found it most interesting when it was cloudy because Tanya's eyes would constantly reflect the changes.

This time, Tanya was attached to a young acorn tree. It was a long way for her to be travelling from the bamboo grove that they met at the last time. The young doctor swore that the bamboo grove was all the way on the opposite side of the plane. Perhaps the Dryad Queen was on an errand? From what he knew, Tanya never stopped searching for materials and was an enthusiastic hunter.

"It's very far from where you last were," Zero commented. "Have you been busy?"

Tanya smiled at the child and used telepathy to reply. It was the only way spirits could communicate and Zero didn't block her from invading his mind.

"I was looking for a star but I guess I found something better. How are you doing? You seem to have grown quite a bit. Are you doing well?"

Zero walked over and gave Tanya a hug even if his arms went right through her and ended up hugging the small tree instead. Tanya manipulated the branches and made them wrap around Zero slowly to return the warm gesture. The two stayed like this for a while, enjoying each others company. It had been way too long and Tanya was happy to see the bubbly brunet even though he seemed slightly different on both the outside and on the inside.

"What brings you here?" she asked when they parted. Knowing the knowledge-hungry boy, he must have come for information. She wasn't too sure about what kind of waves Zero was stirring in Hell but she knew bits and pieces from her sources. Zero would always be in the centre of all the attention and even without the ability to read the future, she knew it would be the case. The young doctor exuded a certain kind of charm that was unique and separate from Freya's blessing.

Zero grinned. "Remember when you said it was possible to create chakra and meridian channels in a wood-crafted body? Guess what? I think Gaia's new body is just the perfect material for channel crafting! I might be able to link it to my void dimension if it works out but I need your help. Can you help me create those channels?"

Tanya blinked and slowly went back into the acorn tree she was residing in, leaving Zero to feel clueless at being abandoned so suddenly. It happened so subtly that Zero couldn't quite believe it at first. He thought Tanya was merely switching bodies but the Dryad Queen had really abandoned the tree and perhaps even the vicinity. Zero couldn't see her on his mini-map.

"Tanya?" Zero called out hoping that it was all a prank. However, the Dryad Queen did not answer back, having left entirely. Zero sulked and reflected on what he said. Was it the way he phrased things that made Tanya retreat? He was told that he was quite a straightforward person and that often made people shy away from his pushy nature. Then again, he was worse when he was a child and Tanya didn't seem to mind. The Dryad Queen always had plenty of patience that rivalled Buddha's.

Confused about why Tanya would leave without a word, Zero didn't quite know what to do. After deliberation, he decided that it would be better to wait for Tanya to return instead of giving chase in this unfamiliar dimension. Besides, even if he returned now, Zero didn't think he would be able to fall asleep either.

Tanya would be back eventually. The Dryad Queen could sometimes be peculiar. The young doctor also didn't think that his friend would abandon him alone in the middle of nowhere. Tanya was someone with a strong sense of responsibility. She was the kind of person who would take in strays to raise them as her own until they were strong enough to leave on their own.

"Don't worry," Zero told himself. "She'll be back. We just need to wait."

Luckily for Zero, the Natural Plane wasn't anything as dangerous as the abyss. It was the most peaceful plane that existed and the young doctor liked it. It was a nice break away from the crazier activities happening in his life recently.