Ball of Nothing

Zero's return to Smargdas was a much-welcomed one. While there weren't any big parties to celebrate his accomplishment as an envoy who returned with Altear's non-aggression treaty, King Brice held a private party when Mitchnew informed him of Zero's return.

Zero couldn't help but smile when he saw Truen and the Humanitarian Guild at the party. If his head butler found out that the King snuck out of the castle again, there would be chaos. Hence, the compromise was to sneak Zero's friends into the castle instead.

"How is the Humanitarian Guild doing?" Zero asked in between bites. The lobster tart was delicious!

King Brice looked at the old general and smiled. "The people were initially frightened of the demons, but thanks to the children Dina gathered, Smargdas has slowly started to accept them as yet another race. I heard what happened in Lycantopia. Misana has been left in charge of settling her beast people in Smargdas. We're currently using the confiscated properties of Duke Connie and Duke Zurich to help the refugees."

That's right! Zero almost forgot about the two dukes. Thanks to all the complicated matters along the way, he decided to delegate most affairs to the people in Half Moon Village. He had faith that they were more than capable of doing a good job.

Itchnew was drinking silently with Desert Lily. Those two have become fast friends, and their relationship reminded Zero about Truen's mission.

Excusing himself quickly, Zero left to find his best friend. The wood elf looked tired, and Zero felt terrible for putting so much pressure on his friend's shoulder. Immediately after leaving Lycantopia, Truen worked without stopping. As Zero played Messiah to the beastfolks, the wood elf ran from country to country, trying to get the information Zero needed before he returned. He understood Zero's impatience to get the last key from Queen Leah and sacrificed his much-needed rest to get all the information Zero wanted.

"Truen."

Zero's gentle voice made the wood elf snap out of his thoughts. "Zero," he smiled warmly.

The doctor looked at his best friend with a guilty expression. He should treat the people around him kinder. As his goals and dreams grow bigger, the pressure on the people supporting him also became larger. Almost everyone in Half Moon Village looked like Mammon. Nobody complained, but Zero knew they needed a break from everything. The world was moving too quickly with so many new orders from the alliance with so many countries. Zero's intention to form a strong alliance to protect the village's safety backfired. While nobody would dare to think about harming Half Moon Village now, the villagers were not as happy as they used to be.

"How about taking a holiday before we search for Queen Leah's key?" he asked, surprising the archer.

"Are you sure?" Truen couldn't believe his ears. "Why, all of a sudden?"

Embarrassed, Zero decided to give an excuse and averted his eyes. "The campaign of acting as Lycantopia's Messiah was really tiring. Hence, I was thinking of returning to Half Moon Village to spend a few weeks before we start looking for Indra Seagloo. Shifu would also be mad at me if I don't check on his hut regularly. The garden fairies who often help to maintain the herb garden must also be very angry at me for not leaving them honey cakes in months."

The reasons that fell from Zero's lips were all minor issues that could easily be resolved. Yet, Zero's insistence on wanting to return made Truen curious. What was going through the doctor's mind this time? It usually wasn't a good thing when Zero started to overthink.

"Alright," he agreed for now so that Zero would stop finding new and more ridiculous reasons. "We can return to Half Moon Village after this. Do you want to check on New Moon Village before we head back?"

Zero beamed. "Yes! Did Monoman and Jermine return safely? Have the villagers completed construction of the farms and houses?"

Smirking, Truen didn't reply. Instead, he told Zero to see it for himself. It has been a few months since Jermine and Monoman returned to New Moon Village. The villagers there worked hard to create a functioning village while fulfilling business orders from Jynx. The Spider Queen Penelope also decided to permanently relocate her nest to settle down in New Moon Village. By now, it has become a small tourist attraction, but Zero doesn't know it yet. New Moon Village was sometimes dubbed Little Smargdas thanks to the variety of cross cultures present.

"Zero! Come!" Old Gary shouted from the other side of the room. His face was flushed from alcohol, and Dina looked embarrassed by her grandfather's behaviour. "Let me introduce the new guild council members to you!"

Looking torn between staying with Truen and meeting the new guild council, Zero hesitated. To help him make up his mind, Truen gave the doctor a gentle push.

"Go," he told Zero. "You're the leader of Half Moon Village, right?"

Truen's reminder about his position and responsibilities made Zero sober. A sudden thought came to him. What would happen to these people if he left this planet for Whiskeria? As long as Zero was still on Earth, he could reach anyone within days on a dragon's back or by teleportation. However, the distance between Earth and Whiskeria couldn't be measured. In comparison, travelling between realms like Heaven and Purgatory was much easier. Once he left for Whiskeria, would he even be able to return?

"Zero?"

The concern in Truen's voice made Zero snap out of it. He brushed the concern off and hurried to greet the new guild council members. Old Gary put together quite a formidable council of equally old men. King Brice gave Zero a brief introduction, and Zero learned how each aged gentleman was once a man of great importance during his father's reign before they retired.

From his solitary corner, Truen watched as the doctor laugh and mingle among the other people celebrating his great accomplishments. To others, Zero appeared to be enjoying life as usual. However, as someone who knew Zero the longest apart from the Great Gods, the archer could tell that something was bothering Zero. It wasn't something as simple as his fear to eat food either.

The wood elf took another sip of wine and sighed. Hopefully, the holiday break will make Zero more willing to talk. Otherwise, he might have to resort force to pry that mouth open. The Great Gods wouldn't forgive him if Zero did something foolish that would put him in great danger again. With the mysterious God lurking somewhere in this universe selling information that shouldn't exist to the mortals, Truen had to keep a closer eye on Zero.

According to the Great Gods, someone was moving the chess pieces behind the scenes to trap Zero. Isis' library was current in disarray, but they decided to keep that news away from the doctor. The hourglass of fate shattered mysteriously, and the sands of time tried to break free. Isis suppressed them with all her powers and locked herself in the pyramid tomb. Nobody, not even Swift, knew what the condition was like inside. They could only prepare for Uriel's prophecy to come true - the end of the world was approaching.