"Your plan to put everything back in working order..." Aladdin was exasperated in his response; he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Even repeating it didn't make it feel any more real. "...is to throw yourself... into the moon... and blow it up?"
"Yeah, that's basically it." Zero was stationed on the couch again, his composure regained from copious amounts of rice bowls. It wasn't his favorite, far from it, but he wasn't going to be particularly picky.
"And that is the best you came up with?" Aladdin asked.
"Yeah, you could say that."
Aladdin fluttered his eyes, staring at the far wall in disbelief before he turned his attention back to Zero. He really was an odd creature—Human, Dragon, Son of a Higher, Son of a Dark Dragon—a being who shouldn’t exist. By the looks of it, many had tried to rid him from this world several times over. And to think he was about to do it himself. Aladdin needed to press more. Hearing that he planned to get people back from the afterlife truly puzzled him, but not as much as the fact he hadn’t thought of any other plan beyond this one. But if part of the plan is to kill himself, it’s a pretty good one.
"You say you plan to bring people back from the dead?" Aladdin asked. "May I ask how?"
Zero uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. "There are three people there I need to bring back." He held up a finger. "One, Princess Varin of Vol. Two." He put up another finger. "Oduduwa, a new friend of ours that my wife killed. And three." He held up a third finger, relaxing them as he leaned back into the couch. "I will be bringing back Queen Máire of Sidra, but I think she will be a lot harder to get than the other two. She made a pact with Death, so I assume that is a little different. But other than that, I have one other thing I need to do."
Aladdin looked at Zero, expecting him to continue, but it was clear that wasn’t how Zero’s personality worked. He very much wanted Aladdin to ask him. With a slight sigh, Aladdin asked, "Besides defying the very laws that stand outside the reach of even myself and the other Old Gods, what is it you plan to do in this afterlife?"
Zero smiled as if he had been wanting to explain such a thing for far longer than they had been talking.
When Zero took on human form, taming his Dragon Soul proved a monumental challenge. The sheer unruliness of his draconic essence threatened to shatter his mortal vessel. Faced with this dilemma, he made a daring decision – to fragment his soul into seven distinct pieces. These soul shards were strategically scattered across Arrithia with the aid of formidable figures known as Warlords. These Warlords, champions chosen from each island, held the responsibility of hidding these precious fragments.
In the wake of the cataclysmic event known as the Ocean’s Wrath, which severed the islands into the Outer Realms and the Great Beyond, retrieving his scattered soul became an arduous task. Gathering the pieces would require overcoming the perilous expanse of the Ocean’s Wrath itself.
In a bold twist, Zero contemplated an unconventional solution – journeying to the afterlife. His plan went beyond self-sacrifice; it aimed to harness the cosmic forces awaiting him in the realm beyond mortality. The audacious act promised not only the liberation of Arrithia from perpetual twilight, courtesy of obliterating the moon, but also the automatic reintegration of his fragmented soul upon his demise.
Zero foresaw the afterlife as a crucible. His goal transcended mere soul-taming; he aspired to break free from the chains imposed by Nix. Redemption fueled his quest, and an encounter with Death itself loomed as the ultimate test. In his estimation, Death stood as the most formidable adversary he would ever face, surpassing even the might of Virgil by an immeasurable margin.
"Have you ever been questioned about your sanity, Zero?" Aladdin inquired, a perplexed furrow marking his brow. "I get the logic behind your plan, considering the circumstances and all, but the sheer alignment of events that makes this possible... it's leaving me nearly speechless."
Rising from the couch, Zero initiated a series of stretches, a prelude to his imminent departure. "Before I take off, Aladdin, give me an answer." His tone gravitated towards a more somber register, his expression morphing into one of resolute determination. "The next time we meet, will I come to owe you the same resolve as I do Lord or have you Old Gods gone your separate ways?"
Aladdin heaved a dramatic sigh that could rival a hurricane. "What do you know of Lord?"
"He's teaming up with Nix, and if her chatter holds water, this Virgil dude is jumping on the bandwagon too."
Aladdin and Zero rose in unison, strolling towards the wall from which they had entered, an air of casual confidence enveloping their movements.
"It’s as if she's assembling a team," Zero mused. His words carried a mischievous undertone, yet Aladdin discerned a tranquil and nurtured aura within them. "So I think I’ll do the same."
Nodding, Aladdin directed his attention to the wall alongside Zero. "You never elaborated on your plan for bringing the dead back."
Zero's words bore a gravity, his tone finely tuned. "No clue, but I bet if I punch Death in the face enough times, he'll eventually tell me."
Aladdin cast a subtle glance toward Zero, who awaited the signal for his departure, an ignorant smile adorning his face as he faced the wall. Meeting Zero in person exceeded Aladdin's expectations. Despite having heard much about him through the channels that traversed Arrithia, witnessing the embodiment of lunacy affirmed every rumor. Zero was undeniably a blindly arrogant fool, embodying every facet of the tales that preceded him.
"Your plan to put everything back in working order..." Aladdin was exasperated in his response; he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Even repeating it didn't make it feel any more real. "...is to throw yourself... into the moon... and blow it up?"
"Yeah, that's basically it." Zero was stationed on the couch again, his composure regained from copious amounts of rice bowls. It wasn't his favorite, far from it, but he wasn't going to be particularly picky.
"And that is the best you came up with?" Aladdin asked.
"Yeah, you could say that."
Aladdin fluttered his eyes, staring at the far wall in disbelief before he turned his attention back to Zero. He really was an odd creature—Human, Dragon, Son of a Higher, Son of a Dark Dragon—a being who shouldn’t exist. By the looks of it, many had tried to rid him from this world several times over. And to think he was about to do it himself. Aladdin needed to press more. Hearing that he planned to get people back from the afterlife truly puzzled him, but not as much as the fact he hadn’t thought of any other plan beyond this one. But if part of the plan is to kill himself, it’s a pretty good one.
"You say you plan to bring people back from the dead?" Aladdin asked. "May I ask how?"
Zero uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. "There are three people there I need to bring back." He held up a finger. "One, Princess Varin of Vol. Two." He put up another finger. "Oduduwa, a new friend of ours that my wife killed. And three." He held up a third finger, relaxing them as he leaned back into the couch. "I will be bringing back Queen Máire of Sidra, but I think she will be a lot harder to get than the other two. She made a pact with Death, so I assume that is a little different. But other than that, I have one other thing I need to do."
Aladdin looked at Zero, expecting him to continue, but it was clear that wasn’t how Zero’s personality worked. He very much wanted Aladdin to ask him. With a slight sigh, Aladdin asked, "Besides defying the very laws that stand outside the reach of even myself and the other Old Gods, what is it you plan to do in this afterlife?"
Zero smiled as if he had been wanting to explain such a thing for far longer than they had been talking.
When Zero took on human form, taming his Dragon Soul proved a monumental challenge. The sheer unruliness of his draconic essence threatened to shatter his mortal vessel. Faced with this dilemma, he made a daring decision – to fragment his soul into seven distinct pieces. These soul shards were strategically scattered across Arrithia with the aid of formidable figures known as Warlords. These Warlords, champions chosen from each island, held the responsibility of hidding these precious fragments.
In the wake of the cataclysmic event known as the Ocean’s Wrath, which severed the islands into the Outer Realms and the Great Beyond, retrieving his scattered soul became an arduous task. Gathering the pieces would require overcoming the perilous expanse of the Ocean’s Wrath itself.
In a bold twist, Zero contemplated an unconventional solution – journeying to the afterlife. His plan went beyond self-sacrifice; it aimed to harness the cosmic forces awaiting him in the realm beyond mortality. The audacious act promised not only the liberation of Arrithia from perpetual twilight, courtesy of obliterating the moon, but also the automatic reintegration of his fragmented soul upon his demise.
Zero foresaw the afterlife as a crucible. His goal transcended mere soul-taming; he aspired to break free from the chains imposed by Nix. Redemption fueled his quest, and an encounter with Death itself loomed as the ultimate test. In his estimation, Death stood as the most formidable adversary he would ever face, surpassing even the might of Virgil by an immeasurable margin.
"Have you ever been questioned about your sanity, Zero?" Aladdin inquired, a perplexed furrow marking his brow. "I get the logic behind your plan, considering the circumstances and all, but the sheer alignment of events that makes this possible... it's leaving me nearly speechless."
Rising from the couch, Zero initiated a series of stretches, a prelude to his imminent departure. "Before I take off, Aladdin, give me an answer." His tone gravitated towards a more somber register, his expression morphing into one of resolute determination. "The next time we meet, will I come to owe you the same resolve as I do Lord or have you Old Gods gone your separate ways?"
Aladdin heaved a dramatic sigh that could rival a hurricane. "What do you know of Lord?"
"He's teaming up with Nix, and if her chatter holds water, this Virgil dude is jumping on the bandwagon too."
Aladdin and Zero rose in unison, strolling towards the wall from which they had entered, an air of casual confidence enveloping their movements.
"It’s as if she's assembling a team," Zero mused. His words carried a mischievous undertone, yet Aladdin discerned a tranquil and nurtured aura within them. "So I think I’ll do the same."
Nodding, Aladdin directed his attention to the wall alongside Zero. "You never elaborated on your plan for bringing the dead back."
Zero's words bore a gravity, his tone finely tuned. "No clue, but I bet if I punch Death in the face enough times, he'll eventually tell me."
Aladdin cast a subtle glance toward Zero, who awaited the signal for his departure, an ignorant smile adorning his face as he faced the wall. Meeting Zero in person exceeded Aladdin's expectations. Despite having heard much about him through the channels that traversed Arrithia, witnessing the embodiment of lunacy affirmed every rumor. Zero was undeniably a blindly arrogant fool, embodying every facet of the tales that preceded him.
