Ball of Nothing

Hua Tuo didn't stop his disciple from trying new ways to find an answer after his hint. In fact, his job as a mentor was done. The rest was up to Zero to find his answer and learn by trial and error.

Bob and Mii didn't interfere with how Zero's wanted to test out but they did inform Hua Tuo when the teenager had gone too far. The lungfish experiment robbed Zero of his hope when he found out that paying with insurance didn't work with the Aggression Falls. It was as if the waterfall didn't give a handicap to even marine life. Even as a fish with the ability to breathe in both air and water, Zero stood no chance. He still felt as if the water was trying to drown him in an awful manner that made his brain confused. The teenager spent the next hour recuperating and learning how to breathe correctly before he challenged the waterfall again.

In the end, Zero would often give up on his zany ideas and go back to the usual meditative stance until his brilliant mind supplied him with yet another alternative.

Hua Tuo only sighed when Zero looked like he'd gotten inspiration then run off to prepare something and repeat the process all over again. While he didn't discourage learning and trying new methods, Zero didn't seem to want to accept the idea of simply surrendering control and letting the water take him where it wanted. It was rather sad watching his student struggle in quagmire thinking that it was the right way to get out of it when in reality, he was only sinking deeper into it.

Bob and Mii had given up, they were too tired of worrying for Zero and had gotten used to the routine of calling Hua Tuo in when Zero lost control of himself during an experiment.

The young doctor was also feeling a dreadful sense of hopelessness creeping up on him with every failed experiment with no sign of success in sight. It felt like every step he moved forward was sending him ten steps backwards but Zero still couldn't comprehend why.

Why was it so difficult to win against water? It's not as if that thing was alive. It had literally no power over Zero and the young doctor was contemplating about walking away from the stupid trial. he didn't need to show the water who was boss. Zero was way better than the water who could only frighten the people it came into contact with. Why was Zero struggling so much with an opponent that wasn't even alive?

He simply couldn't see what he was doing wrong. Why was it so important to Hua Tuo that Zero conquered the Aggression Falls? It would be a lot easier to move to the Progression Falls because Zero already had a cultivation base. He brought it up to his teacher once but Hua Tuo denied his request and told Zero that if he didn't conquer the Aggression Falls, he wasn't going to teach the brunet anything more. Zero got angry and stormed away that night, taking to the skies and away from Trigression Falls to reflect. Hua Tuo didn't stop his student who was showing signs of teenage rebellion thanks to the constant influence of the waterfall. Perhaps it was a good ting Zero stayed away from the spring for a while to get it all out of his system and look at the problem with a blank slate of mind.

Zero walked around aimlessly in the forest and even tried to explore some caves to kill time while his mind worked overtime trying to understand the reason for his unhappiness. He was an individual who always stepped up when there was a challenge. Why was it so different this time? Zero didn't like the idea of running away from a problem. However, no matter what he did, the problem couldn't be overcome.

Utterly exhausted emotionally, Zero sat down in the darkness of one of the caves and dialled his best friend.

Truen who was calculating a complicated formula paused and picked up the call when he saw that it was Zero who was interrupting his studies instead of Merlin. The brunet rarely texted him anymore due to his busy training schedule but for him to find time to call the wood elf must mean that Zero was troubled.

"Hello, Zero."

Zero sobbed when he heard his guardian's voice and spilt his story without pause. Truen could only pick out keywords from the babbling. Zero clearly hadn't changed much even after becoming a teenager. he was still very much the inexperienced child and kind soul that the wood elf met at the Mega Gourmet competition.

From what the wood elf could understand, Zero was feeling extremely conflicted at the moment and frustrated with his failures. While Truen didn't know how to help Zero overcome the trial, he was sure that what Zero lacked now was the confidence in himself and the courage to move forward with the risk of losing everything. Zero had gained a lot since his travels to the abyss and held all the precious things tightly to his heart. Truen knew that in order for Zero to surpass himself, he would have to let go of all these precious things and transcend what he was even though he'd come so far. That thought simply frightened the young doctor and Truen had to think of the best way to explain it to his friend.

"Think of it this way," he told Zero in a calming voice. "This is the chance for you to prove to yourself that all the struggles you've gone through are good enough for you to pull through the test. Let the fruits of your past labour carry you through this round, it is not your battle."

Truen's words only made Zero more confused. "Not my battle? But this trial is for me..."

The wood elf chuckled at the adorable tone. A confused Zero was still an adorable one.

"Yes, it is. However, some trials are not a test of personal abilities but for the strength of relationships that the individual has built. Do you know that in some battles, the leaders do not fight? They leave it all to their underlings to win the battle for them even if they are the strongest warrior of their tribe."

Zero was shocked. "Don't fight? I know Zenobia isn't the strongest warrior but even she joins in the battle. Wouldn't the army lose if the leader who is the strongest warrior doesn't join the battle?"

Truen laughed at that. Zero was still rather naive to think that a leader should always lead by example. In the military, having a figurehead to serve as the army's morale was more important than having that talented warrior put to action.

"Have you ever seen Baal go down to belles and begonia to serve the customers?" the wood elf asked. he wasn't very well acquainted with the demon lord but he knew a thing or two from Coux's report. they worked closely after all.

Zero thought about it. It would be weird if Baal actually worked in the cafe. Sure, Baal was a very powerful demon lord but that didn't mean it was a good decision to make him work in the shop even if he wasn't feeling lazy. The customers would be scared of him.

Truen raised a brow at Zero's analysis. Maybe using Baal as an example was a bad move. He tried to think of another example and decided to use a story instead.

"Back in my old world, we had a very powerful general who was leading one of the largest armies. In a one-on-one fight, that general had never lost to anyone. He was also hailed the strongest man in the empire. However, this general was seldom seen participating in the actual wars himself."

Zero listened with interest as Truen told him how this general never once lost a battle even though he was put in extremely bad situations. His army might suffer heavy casualties but they would still emerge victorious.

"One day, the king had an order. He wanted the general to personally lead a high-risk operation consisting of only thirty elite soldiers for an assassination mission. At that point in time, the empire was the biggest and strongest in the whole of China. It was impossible for them to lose any battles given their resources and strength. Since it was the imperial edict, the general couldn't refuse."

Truen left out details about the operation and skipped to the part where the general took a poisoned arrow to the shoulder trying to protect one of his henchmen when the operation was compromised. They managed to take the life of the enemy's prince who was leading the army but didn't manage to escape unscathed.

"The general didn't make it and died on the way back to the capital. The emperor who heard the news was extremely shaken but he didn't let the news spread any further. Within a night, the emperor had someone act as the general who had passed away and the general led the army to many more victories even though he'd already passed away."

Zero was confused. Why wouldn't they announce the death of the general? His question was finally answered when Truen admitted that the fake general was found out. The country grieved the loss of their general and the army's morale plummeted. This change gave the enemies opportunities to attack and reclaim land from the empire.

"Without that general, the empire suffered heavy losses after heavy losses. They were never able to regain their former glory and eventually became wiped out."

Zero and Truen were silent for a while. "It doesn't make sense... why was that general so important? The empire had an army that was strong enough right? Surely they had other capable people who could step up as the next general..."

Truen hummed. "Some people are irreplaceable, Zero. For example, if I were to die one day would you find another wood elf to take my place? I'm sure Gaia could transfer another similar soul into this vessel."

"No!" Zero shouted, utterly horrified at that idea. Nobody could replace Truen for who he was. There was only one Truen Zheng in the entire world and the bodyguard held a special place in Zero's world. His existence was special like no other, there was simply no replacement.

That strong denial was all it took for Truen to know that Zero would be alright. The teenager was smart. If he could understand the significance of the general, he would understand the sacrifice and how somethings cannot be taken away no matter how hard the world tries to change it.

"Remember Zero, not everything is black and white in this world. There will always be a third option regardless of method or result. You might not be able to choose how you do things but you can decide how you want the result to be."

The young doctor listened to his best friend's words and thought hard about it. The Aggression Falls was a trial he must overcome. He had a lot of fear but Truen said to trust in the relationships he had for this trial. If he had to let the water drown him and take away everything he had, then so be it. If he forgot everything he worked so hard for and became lost in the void, then so be it.

"Truen, you'll come and find me if I get lost, right?"

Zero's small voice made the wood elf melt. "Yes, Zero. I will come and find you. It doesn't matter where you are or how long it takes for me to get there, I will find you."

"Even in the void?"

The wood elf didn't hesitate to answer this one. "Even in the void, especially in the void. You're not alone and I won't be the only one searching for you. The Great Gods, Baal, your teacher and even the villagers in Half Moon Village will come searching for you."

Zero laughed a little and teared up. He'd been so afraid of letting go control because the water felt like it was going to strip him of everything.

That was right. Hua Tuo was there for a reason. If anything went wrong, he would be the first to reach out to Zero. Everything would be alright.

"Truen, thank you."

The wood elf smiled. "Anytime for you. Let me know the good news alright?"

Zero giggled and ended the call feeling a thousand times better now that his worries were laid to rest. If being erased was all it took to overcome the trial then Zero would gladly do it. He trusted his teacher and Hua Tuo wouldn't allow anything to happen to him.

Suddenly the brunet felt rather silly for fretting so much. The solution had been right in front of him the whole time and Zero had been going in circles over unfound concerns.

With a new mindset, the brunet walked out of the cave and squinted when the bright sunlight attacked him. The world was much brighter than what he remembered it to be and Zero thought that it might be because he'd been in the dark for too long alone. While the light stabbed his retinas, Zero didn't dislike the feeling. Even if he couldn't see, he could still feel the warmth of the sun.

It would be alright, Zero trusted his friends. Even if he couldn't overcome the trial himself, he could always count on them to give him strength.