Protos, the Higher of Time and another thorn in Zero’s side, spoke up.
“I see you plan to blow up the moon?” Protos asked.
“I do.” Zero replied. “Word travels fast?” Zero’s face went stoic, almost a bit concerned. “The Warlords don’t know, do they?”
There was a silence for a moment as the three of them stood upon the magic circle, it moved ever so slightly, nothing too major, just when the water droplets would fade and reform underneath it. However, it was slowly lowering itself back toward the ground because of that.
“I’ll take that as a soft maybe.” He looked up at the moon. “They’re probably on their way anyway because of all the darkness and then there was that entire thing with Vol. By the way, how do I get it back?”
Nix couldn’t help but laugh. She truly hated him, but his brazenness was hilarious at times. He was in the presence of two Highers, two Highers who had taken on their true forms. Even below, there was another foe waiting, an Old God, one of the seven creators of Arrithia. Even without Lord at full power, Zero would still struggle to take on all three, even with the help of Maeve and yet, he is making jokes.
“Darling, you… you, you never fail to keep me on my toes. As much as I want to kill you right now, I will tell you this.” Nix’s tone shifted. “Vol is never coming back.”
Zero waved his hand at her, flicking it in a display of nonchalance. “Ahh, I’ll figure it out on my own then.” He looked to the moon again. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing Virgil again soon; I’ll just ask him.”
Zero’s words cut through Nix and Protos, sending a shiver down their forms, causing both to falter. They knew, and even Protos saw the future where he had blown up the moon, and their plans were delayed. But he had not seen how Zero did it; in fact, he hadn’t seen Zero in any of his future visions.
Protos looked at Nix, then over at Zero. “You plan to blow up the moon using your own body as a kinetic rod of sorts?” Protos shook his head as more of the future began to change with this new information.
Protos was indeed capable of glimpsing the future, but the future unfolded before him based on all the information at his disposal, making him one powerful adversary, not a powerful oracle.
“You… You…” Protos struggled to find words as the future rewrote itself, exposing the catastrophic failure that awaited them if Zero succeeded in his plans. “You really do plan to send yourself to the afterlife just so you can fight Virgil?”
Zero bobbed his head back and forth. “I mean…” He gave an awkward smile, sucking air between his jagged teeth. “…that’s part of the plan.” Zero's hands moved around as he talked, emphasizing his words. “You see, it’s a multistep process. First, I blow up the moon, taking Nix, and maybe you and Lord with me – that's still in the works since I wasn't really expecting you two to show up. I will have to draw you in or something. We will figure it out, I'm sure. Second, after I die, I will be in the afterlife, which saves me a lot of time from having to gather up my Soul pieces.”
Nix saw an opportunity and subtly retracted parts of her wings, forcing their matter down her back and into her leg, silently slithering it to the back of the magic circle. It began to come underneath and approach Zero from behind.
“Since I’m in the afterlife, if my Dragon Soul blows up my body, I’m already dead, so I’ll be good. It’ll be like super training or something. But yeah, now part of it is to see how to get Vol back from Virgil.” Nix's slithering matter sharpened to a point as it rounded the underside. “I also have to grab a few people and bring them back, which is a whole other thing, but I think I can solve it if I just punch Death in the face enough. I think he’ll talk then…wait, is it a he? Maybe it’s a she? They? Them? I guess that’s the same huh, Nix?” Zero waved his hand at her. “Eh, don’t answer, you’re busy.”
Nix hid her composure, unsure if Zero knew what she was doing or if it was just his usual self. “But yeah, I gotta bring some Souls back, which I gotta ask, do either of you know if the Soul has to go back in an organic body or can I put it in like armor or something?”
Just as Zero finished his sentence, he teleported in place as Nix’s attack lunged at him, pulling back instantly to her when it missed. Zero let out a hearty laugh as he turned around to where the attack had come from, then back to Nix and Protos.
“Nix, you sly dog, you caught me monologuing!” Zero knelt down, picking his staff off the magic circle. He nodded his head as he rose. “Alright, that’s fair, we’re here to fight, not talk. Shall we?”
With his free hand, Zero snapped his fingers, and the magic circle disappeared, starting his freefall. Nix expanded her wings, hovering in place, and Protos continued to float. They watched as Zero fell, a defiant middle finger pointed up at them.
Protos took another moment to peer into the future, gasping aloud and immediately looking down at Zero, who held a smirk.
“WE HAVE TO STOP HIM!” Protos bellowed as he took off toward Zero. “HE IS GOING TO KILL LORD!”
Nix shot down after him, flying past Protos with astonishing speed. She attempted to tackle Zero, but he teleported away, reappearing behind her. He took his staff and slammed it into her back, standing on her as she rapidly descended. Nix flapped her wings, knocking him back, but with another teleport, Zero was on the ground, directly in front of Lord.
His bo staff transmuted into a dagger. The green hilt covered by his grip and the golden blade slowly forming as the staff shrank, the blue sparks of light blinding Lord for a moment. However, he soon saw what was happening. Zero thrust the dagger forward, piercing through Lord's robes. Just as the tip hit his chest, Zero’s arms were covered in a bright red aura, preventing him from finishing the blow.
“I’m sorry, Zero, I can’t let you do that,” Aladdin's voice called out from behind. Holding his wand, Aladdin slowly walked forward. “He may be a bit of a cunt, but I can’t let you kill an Old God.” As Aladdin approached, he released Zero and pulled him behind him with a forceful grab. Nix and Protos landed behind Lord, everyone locked on Aladdin.
“I still need him.” Aladdin pointed his wand at Lord, who smiled.
“Well, look who we have here, the great Aladdin. What a surprise, finally crawling out of that little hole of yours.”
“Ha!” Aladdin let out a small laugh then his face went stoic. “I just saved your life, show gratitude.”
“You didn’t save it for my benefit, though.” Lord replied.
“You’re right.” Aladdin held his wand up to Lord’s forehead. The tip ignited in the same red aura that had held Zero’s attack and fired straight into Lord’s head, retracting instantly. “Hmph. Should have known you’d have locked it away.”
Lord smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I locked it away because I knew this day would come.” Lord turned around and began to walk away, his body fading into little snowflakes as he walked between Nix and Protos. “You aren’t getting your full strength back, Aladdin. None of us are. This world is in need of a restart.” As the last bits of Lord faded away, he turned to Aladdin, one last glance before he retreated. “And I found the perfect group of individuals to help me do it.” And with that, Lord faded out, leaving Nix and Protos on their own.
Aladdin lowered his wand, looking at Nix and Protos. He asked, “Are you doing this because I didn’t call you my children?”
Nix shook her head aggressively. “WHAT? No, you fool. We are not your children as much as Protos is not my brother. We are empty creations. We don’t even bleed the same as one another. We were nothing more than your slaves.”
Aladdin reared his head back. “Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, but for the sake of your argument, continue.”
Nix sneered at him, then spread her wings. “Like the boy said earlier, we aren’t—”
“Hey.” Zero interrupted, drawing attention toward him. “I ain’t liking the way you keep calling me BOY.” He gestured to himself. “I am a MAN.” His head leaned up a bit, pointing at Nix. “Which you bestowed upon me.”
“Yes, it was supposed to kill you.” Protos replied. “But you somehow managed to split your Soul apart, saving yourself. From there, well, we were all too exhausted from turning you into a Human, we just let you be.” Protos lifted his head, even without facial features, you could tell he was lifting his nose in disgust. “Which was a mistake, because you grew quite powerful.”
“So we made you a puppet instead.” Nix protested. “And now that we have nothing left to do with you, we will finally finish what we started all that time ago. Ridding this universe of Dragons.”
“What?” Zero asked.
Maeve’s eyes widened, but she had no cloak to retreat into. She pulled on Aladdin’s arm. “We need to leave.”
“I beg your pardon?” Aladdin asked.
“Zero didn’t know what happened to the Dragons.” Maeve replied. “He had always suspected my mother, but he knew she didn’t have the strength.”
Aladdin looked at Zero, his body smoldering with black smoke. “And now he understands who killed his mother.” Aladdin nodded. “And now I understand how we all lost our powers.” Aladdin pulled away from Maeve and walked up to Zero, placing a hand on his shoulder. He leaned down to his ear and whispered. “I won’t try to calm you, but I will keep Maeve safe if you want to rampage, I promise you that. And to finish our talk before you were yanked away earlier, I do know where Magic’s End is.”
Aladdin's words resonated with Zero, providing the catalyst he needed. Despite his struggle to contain his emotions, Zero was aware that Maeve lacked a cloak. While she could run, it paled in comparison to the swift elegance of her Shadow Step. Yet, with Aladdin's assurance, Zero felt liberated. The constraints were lifted, and now he could unleash his full power. Adventuring had its challenges, but for Zero, this moment of unrestrained intensity was the pinnacle, and he embraced it wholeheartedly.
"Wukong Style, Gear Acceleration. One through Five." Golden flames engulfed Zero's entire body, his fiery tail swaying with intensity. "Sable Style, Iron Release. One through Eight." A powerful aura shockwave surged from Zero, pushing Protos and Nix back a few meters, though they managed to stay on their feet. The lingering pressure from Zero stung their faces.
"He’s opened every one of his mana channels; he really plans to die," Protos murmured to himself.
Zero dropped the dagger, and it vanished in a cascade of blue sparks. Gripping his fists, he raised them. "Maeve Style. Void Break."
Nix's eyes widened at the words, and she screamed in agony, dropping to her knees. "MAKE IT STOP. MAKE IT STOP."
Zero, blood spilling from his mouth, quickly covered it. "That soon, huh?" Observing Nix's suffering, he noted, "I’ll stop if you release my friends. I can’t kill you with them still trapped in your Void."
The voices of every living and deceased being on Arrithia echoed in her mind, a cacophony of despair. Nix, writhing in pain, screamed her agreement. "YES YES YES YES, MAKE IT STOP, JUST MAKE IT STOP."
As the enchantment lifted, Zero, his flaming tail keeping him upright, began to fall backward. Nix convulsed before finally stilling, lying on the ground and breathing heavily. With a trembling hand, she lifted it and, with a snap of her fingers, released Idris, Menelik, Oiwa, Benny, Taharqa, and Sukki from her Void prison.
Each of them shook themselves, then eyeballed Zero, still propped up by his tail.
“Highers be damned, bro, you looked like fucking shit.”
“Hey Menelik. It’s good to see you again too,” Zero shot back.
Sukki rushed over, trying to heal him, but to no avail. She glanced at the moon, fully shadowed. “Oh no.”
“Hehe.” Zero chuckled. “Yeah, you're like a human without mana at the moment. I'm sorry.”
Sukki looked at Nix and Protos. “Friends of yours?”
“Yeah, you could say that,” Zero replied, turning his head back to the group. “I don’t got a lot of time, about 45 seconds if that, so I need you all to RUN!” With those words, Zero unleashed every ounce of his strength, exploding forward. A fiery shockwave knocked everyone, including Nix and Protos, off their feet. Zero tackled Nix, his grip tight enough to cause the tips of his fingers to bleed. Nix struggled against the fire, but she couldn't break free.
Nix stopped struggling and looked at Zero. “You won’t make it, once again, you’re at your limit.”
Zero grinned. “Ten seconds, bitch.” The fire around him exploded, lighting up Sidra in a golden light. Zero teleported, flesh ripping, scales tearing, hair burning away, face melting into a skull. They rocketed into the moon at insane speeds.
As the moon's gravitational pull yanked them in, Nix smiled inside. Zero's skeleton released her, charring and fading into ash. Her body slammed into the moon with tremendous force, obliterating it and her.
Those below gawked as the moon shattered, sending countless fragments hurtling out of Arrithia's orbit, some colliding with distant suns. The unraveling spell unleashed pure sunlight across the land, banishing the darkness and bathing the Outer Realms in a warm, celestial glow.
The group paused, awestruck by the dawn sweeping across the island.
"That bastard really blew up the moon and saved the fucking day by killing himself," Menelik remarked, his hand scratching his head. He rubbed his ear and glanced down to where Protos stood, only to find him gone. Turning to Idris and the others, he asked, "Now what?"
"You rebuild," Aladdin materialized into existence with a faint red glow beside the group, hands firmly on Maeve's shoulders. "You and Sidra's new King here."
All eyes turned to Maeve, but it was Menelik who voiced his astonishment.
"KIIIIIING??!?!"
Protos, the Higher of Time and another thorn in Zero’s side, spoke up.
“I see you plan to blow up the moon?” Protos asked.
“I do.” Zero replied. “Word travels fast?” Zero’s face went stoic, almost a bit concerned. “The Warlords don’t know, do they?”
There was a silence for a moment as the three of them stood upon the magic circle, it moved ever so slightly, nothing too major, just when the water droplets would fade and reform underneath it. However, it was slowly lowering itself back toward the ground because of that.
“I’ll take that as a soft maybe.” He looked up at the moon. “They’re probably on their way anyway because of all the darkness and then there was that entire thing with Vol. By the way, how do I get it back?”
Nix couldn’t help but laugh. She truly hated him, but his brazenness was hilarious at times. He was in the presence of two Highers, two Highers who had taken on their true forms. Even below, there was another foe waiting, an Old God, one of the seven creators of Arrithia. Even without Lord at full power, Zero would still struggle to take on all three, even with the help of Maeve and yet, he is making jokes.
“Darling, you… you, you never fail to keep me on my toes. As much as I want to kill you right now, I will tell you this.” Nix’s tone shifted. “Vol is never coming back.”
Zero waved his hand at her, flicking it in a display of nonchalance. “Ahh, I’ll figure it out on my own then.” He looked to the moon again. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing Virgil again soon; I’ll just ask him.”
Zero’s words cut through Nix and Protos, sending a shiver down their forms, causing both to falter. They knew, and even Protos saw the future where he had blown up the moon, and their plans were delayed. But he had not seen how Zero did it; in fact, he hadn’t seen Zero in any of his future visions.
Protos looked at Nix, then over at Zero. “You plan to blow up the moon using your own body as a kinetic rod of sorts?” Protos shook his head as more of the future began to change with this new information.
Protos was indeed capable of glimpsing the future, but the future unfolded before him based on all the information at his disposal, making him one powerful adversary, not a powerful oracle.
“You… You…” Protos struggled to find words as the future rewrote itself, exposing the catastrophic failure that awaited them if Zero succeeded in his plans. “You really do plan to send yourself to the afterlife just so you can fight Virgil?”
Zero bobbed his head back and forth. “I mean…” He gave an awkward smile, sucking air between his jagged teeth. “…that’s part of the plan.” Zero's hands moved around as he talked, emphasizing his words. “You see, it’s a multistep process. First, I blow up the moon, taking Nix, and maybe you and Lord with me – that's still in the works since I wasn't really expecting you two to show up. I will have to draw you in or something. We will figure it out, I'm sure. Second, after I die, I will be in the afterlife, which saves me a lot of time from having to gather up my Soul pieces.”
Nix saw an opportunity and subtly retracted parts of her wings, forcing their matter down her back and into her leg, silently slithering it to the back of the magic circle. It began to come underneath and approach Zero from behind.
“Since I’m in the afterlife, if my Dragon Soul blows up my body, I’m already dead, so I’ll be good. It’ll be like super training or something. But yeah, now part of it is to see how to get Vol back from Virgil.” Nix's slithering matter sharpened to a point as it rounded the underside. “I also have to grab a few people and bring them back, which is a whole other thing, but I think I can solve it if I just punch Death in the face enough. I think he’ll talk then…wait, is it a he? Maybe it’s a she? They? Them? I guess that’s the same huh, Nix?” Zero waved his hand at her. “Eh, don’t answer, you’re busy.”
Nix hid her composure, unsure if Zero knew what she was doing or if it was just his usual self. “But yeah, I gotta bring some Souls back, which I gotta ask, do either of you know if the Soul has to go back in an organic body or can I put it in like armor or something?”
Just as Zero finished his sentence, he teleported in place as Nix’s attack lunged at him, pulling back instantly to her when it missed. Zero let out a hearty laugh as he turned around to where the attack had come from, then back to Nix and Protos.
“Nix, you sly dog, you caught me monologuing!” Zero knelt down, picking his staff off the magic circle. He nodded his head as he rose. “Alright, that’s fair, we’re here to fight, not talk. Shall we?”
With his free hand, Zero snapped his fingers, and the magic circle disappeared, starting his freefall. Nix expanded her wings, hovering in place, and Protos continued to float. They watched as Zero fell, a defiant middle finger pointed up at them.
Protos took another moment to peer into the future, gasping aloud and immediately looking down at Zero, who held a smirk.
“WE HAVE TO STOP HIM!” Protos bellowed as he took off toward Zero. “HE IS GOING TO KILL LORD!”
Nix shot down after him, flying past Protos with astonishing speed. She attempted to tackle Zero, but he teleported away, reappearing behind her. He took his staff and slammed it into her back, standing on her as she rapidly descended. Nix flapped her wings, knocking him back, but with another teleport, Zero was on the ground, directly in front of Lord.
His bo staff transmuted into a dagger. The green hilt covered by his grip and the golden blade slowly forming as the staff shrank, the blue sparks of light blinding Lord for a moment. However, he soon saw what was happening. Zero thrust the dagger forward, piercing through Lord's robes. Just as the tip hit his chest, Zero’s arms were covered in a bright red aura, preventing him from finishing the blow.
“I’m sorry, Zero, I can’t let you do that,” Aladdin's voice called out from behind. Holding his wand, Aladdin slowly walked forward. “He may be a bit of a cunt, but I can’t let you kill an Old God.” As Aladdin approached, he released Zero and pulled him behind him with a forceful grab. Nix and Protos landed behind Lord, everyone locked on Aladdin.
“I still need him.” Aladdin pointed his wand at Lord, who smiled.
“Well, look who we have here, the great Aladdin. What a surprise, finally crawling out of that little hole of yours.”
“Ha!” Aladdin let out a small laugh then his face went stoic. “I just saved your life, show gratitude.”
“You didn’t save it for my benefit, though.” Lord replied.
“You’re right.” Aladdin held his wand up to Lord’s forehead. The tip ignited in the same red aura that had held Zero’s attack and fired straight into Lord’s head, retracting instantly. “Hmph. Should have known you’d have locked it away.”
Lord smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I locked it away because I knew this day would come.” Lord turned around and began to walk away, his body fading into little snowflakes as he walked between Nix and Protos. “You aren’t getting your full strength back, Aladdin. None of us are. This world is in need of a restart.” As the last bits of Lord faded away, he turned to Aladdin, one last glance before he retreated. “And I found the perfect group of individuals to help me do it.” And with that, Lord faded out, leaving Nix and Protos on their own.
Aladdin lowered his wand, looking at Nix and Protos. He asked, “Are you doing this because I didn’t call you my children?”
Nix shook her head aggressively. “WHAT? No, you fool. We are not your children as much as Protos is not my brother. We are empty creations. We don’t even bleed the same as one another. We were nothing more than your slaves.”
Aladdin reared his head back. “Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, but for the sake of your argument, continue.”
Nix sneered at him, then spread her wings. “Like the boy said earlier, we aren’t—”
“Hey.” Zero interrupted, drawing attention toward him. “I ain’t liking the way you keep calling me BOY.” He gestured to himself. “I am a MAN.” His head leaned up a bit, pointing at Nix. “Which you bestowed upon me.”
“Yes, it was supposed to kill you.” Protos replied. “But you somehow managed to split your Soul apart, saving yourself. From there, well, we were all too exhausted from turning you into a Human, we just let you be.” Protos lifted his head, even without facial features, you could tell he was lifting his nose in disgust. “Which was a mistake, because you grew quite powerful.”
“So we made you a puppet instead.” Nix protested. “And now that we have nothing left to do with you, we will finally finish what we started all that time ago. Ridding this universe of Dragons.”
“What?” Zero asked.
Maeve’s eyes widened, but she had no cloak to retreat into. She pulled on Aladdin’s arm. “We need to leave.”
“I beg your pardon?” Aladdin asked.
“Zero didn’t know what happened to the Dragons.” Maeve replied. “He had always suspected my mother, but he knew she didn’t have the strength.”
Aladdin looked at Zero, his body smoldering with black smoke. “And now he understands who killed his mother.” Aladdin nodded. “And now I understand how we all lost our powers.” Aladdin pulled away from Maeve and walked up to Zero, placing a hand on his shoulder. He leaned down to his ear and whispered. “I won’t try to calm you, but I will keep Maeve safe if you want to rampage, I promise you that. And to finish our talk before you were yanked away earlier, I do know where Magic’s End is.”
Aladdin's words resonated with Zero, providing the catalyst he needed. Despite his struggle to contain his emotions, Zero was aware that Maeve lacked a cloak. While she could run, it paled in comparison to the swift elegance of her Shadow Step. Yet, with Aladdin's assurance, Zero felt liberated. The constraints were lifted, and now he could unleash his full power. Adventuring had its challenges, but for Zero, this moment of unrestrained intensity was the pinnacle, and he embraced it wholeheartedly.
"Wukong Style, Gear Acceleration. One through Five." Golden flames engulfed Zero's entire body, his fiery tail swaying with intensity. "Sable Style, Iron Release. One through Eight." A powerful aura shockwave surged from Zero, pushing Protos and Nix back a few meters, though they managed to stay on their feet. The lingering pressure from Zero stung their faces.
"He’s opened every one of his mana channels; he really plans to die," Protos murmured to himself.
Zero dropped the dagger, and it vanished in a cascade of blue sparks. Gripping his fists, he raised them. "Maeve Style. Void Break."
Nix's eyes widened at the words, and she screamed in agony, dropping to her knees. "MAKE IT STOP. MAKE IT STOP."
Zero, blood spilling from his mouth, quickly covered it. "That soon, huh?" Observing Nix's suffering, he noted, "I’ll stop if you release my friends. I can’t kill you with them still trapped in your Void."
The voices of every living and deceased being on Arrithia echoed in her mind, a cacophony of despair. Nix, writhing in pain, screamed her agreement. "YES YES YES YES, MAKE IT STOP, JUST MAKE IT STOP."
As the enchantment lifted, Zero, his flaming tail keeping him upright, began to fall backward. Nix convulsed before finally stilling, lying on the ground and breathing heavily. With a trembling hand, she lifted it and, with a snap of her fingers, released Idris, Menelik, Oiwa, Benny, Taharqa, and Sukki from her Void prison.
Each of them shook themselves, then eyeballed Zero, still propped up by his tail.
“Highers be damned, bro, you looked like fucking shit.”
“Hey Menelik. It’s good to see you again too,” Zero shot back.
Sukki rushed over, trying to heal him, but to no avail. She glanced at the moon, fully shadowed. “Oh no.”
“Hehe.” Zero chuckled. “Yeah, you're like a human without mana at the moment. I'm sorry.”
Sukki looked at Nix and Protos. “Friends of yours?”
“Yeah, you could say that,” Zero replied, turning his head back to the group. “I don’t got a lot of time, about 45 seconds if that, so I need you all to RUN!” With those words, Zero unleashed every ounce of his strength, exploding forward. A fiery shockwave knocked everyone, including Nix and Protos, off their feet. Zero tackled Nix, his grip tight enough to cause the tips of his fingers to bleed. Nix struggled against the fire, but she couldn't break free.
Nix stopped struggling and looked at Zero. “You won’t make it, once again, you’re at your limit.”
Zero grinned. “Ten seconds, bitch.” The fire around him exploded, lighting up Sidra in a golden light. Zero teleported, flesh ripping, scales tearing, hair burning away, face melting into a skull. They rocketed into the moon at insane speeds.
As the moon's gravitational pull yanked them in, Nix smiled inside. Zero's skeleton released her, charring and fading into ash. Her body slammed into the moon with tremendous force, obliterating it and her.
Those below gawked as the moon shattered, sending countless fragments hurtling out of Arrithia's orbit, some colliding with distant suns. The unraveling spell unleashed pure sunlight across the land, banishing the darkness and bathing the Outer Realms in a warm, celestial glow.
The group paused, awestruck by the dawn sweeping across the island.
"That bastard really blew up the moon and saved the fucking day by killing himself," Menelik remarked, his hand scratching his head. He rubbed his ear and glanced down to where Protos stood, only to find him gone. Turning to Idris and the others, he asked, "Now what?"
"You rebuild," Aladdin materialized into existence with a faint red glow beside the group, hands firmly on Maeve's shoulders. "You and Sidra's new King here."
All eyes turned to Maeve, but it was Menelik who voiced his astonishment.
"KIIIIIING??!?!"
