Ball of Nothing

Chapter 636 - Nel's Message

One amazing thing about faes, Zero discovered, was their ability to empty barrels of alcohol without getting a hangover. He came ready with hangover pills, but the faes were simply back to normal as they cleaned up after the chaotic party. Zero wanted to help, but a dryad informed him that their king wished to see him.

"Go, master. I'll help them out."

Zero thanked Bob and quickly left. Truen was nowhere to be found, but Mii reassured him that Truen was unharmed. If anything, Truen was already waiting for him with Fae King Vivian.

The dryad led the way, and Zero marvelled at how different Mystic Meadow was at sunrise. The fog started to clear up, but there was dew on just about every blade of grass in the meadow. They walked for a long time, and even the Stonehenge couldn't be seen.

"Here we are," the dryad bowed and pointed to the willow trees surrounding a small lake in the distance. "The king and your companion are waiting for you yonder. I cannot lead past this point. Please proceed carefully."

At first, Zero didn't understand why the dryad couldn't progress further until he noticed how the invisible barrier activated and made a floating dandelion bounce off. When they said that Mystic Meadows had a strong defence, Zero didn't think it was true. However, if a barrier could thwart a dryad, Zero could only imagine how much stronger Fae King Vivian's magical array was compared to Queen Leah's underwater defence spell.

Hesitantly, Zero approached the barrier and stuck his hand through it. There wasn't any resistance from the barrier, as if it didn't exist, and Zero quickly jumped through it, half expecting it to activate, but it did no such thing. Slightly embarrassed, he thanked the amused dryad and went on his way.

Mana was always denser in the Mystic Meadows air, but there was no comparing the density outside of this barrier and inside. For Zero, the intensity here was probably three times the density of mana on Endow Hill. Then again, if Endow Hill's mana wasn't already thinning over the years, perhaps it would have rivalled this.

Each step Zero took felt heavy, as if he was walking in mud. The lake and willow trees seemed so far away, and Zero had an idea. He glanced back to ensure he was truly alone before getting ready for his shortcut.

Truen and Fae King Vivian were waiting behind a willow tree. This was where the portal to Whiskeria was. Zero wanted to leave as soon as possible, so Truen suggested that they got over the lengthy process as soon as Zero woke up from the party.

"I'm here! Did you wait long?" Zero chirped and skidded to a halt after cutting off the wind magic to propel him forward.

Truen simply helped Zero tidy his messy hair. The doctor must have come here without brushing his teeth or taking a shower. He still reeked of booze. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good idea to ask Zero to take a dip in the lake now. Fae King Vivian had other duties that took precedence.

"You're here," the fae king noted and started his spell. "Nel left you a message. I thought you might want to see it before you make your decision to leave."

Hearing that Nel had a message, Zero quickly stopped ribbing Truen for patting his head while the wood elf tidied his hair.

The surface of the lake rippled, and Zero closed his eyes as the water splashed, creating a water clone of Nel's appearance in a magnified version. Zero marvelled at this wonderful use of magic that rivalled holographic technology.

"If you're listening to this and watching this playback, you must have already known a few things about Solo. If you still don't know anything about that selfish prick, then don't find me! Humph!"

Zero felt a huge sweatdrop form at the back of his head, hearing Nel's attempt at being arrogantly unreasonable. He could still hear fondness in it. While her relationship with the Great One wasn't the best, she was the last Divine Entity created before he fell into a slumber. Surely, they had something a little more special than the other Divine Entities and Great Gods, right?

"Long story short, if you want to visit me in Whiskeria, you might have to first bring me ċhėstnut cakes and also inform the Great Gods. While those kids might not be as powerful as me, they could stall the annoying fake God for a while until you become strong enough to deal with him."

Zero was confused. What was going on? Only Truen understood a little more of what Nel was referring to. While he didn't know the full history of Gods and the Great Gods, he knew that the library and sands of time were collapsing because of Zero's choices. The frozen time was now unfrozen, and this world was now moving forward again.

"Listen carefully, do not confront him on your own. He is a rogue god born from humans of the old Earth that Solo created and hated. It's a stupid story, but Solo once thought that he could restart his life completely if he erased all his memories as well as those of his friends and children. The Great Gods and Solo once lived as ordinary mortals on Earth, but their actions stirred the hearts of greedy humans. Solo wanted to eliminate them completely, but the humans started a war with the Gods. There were heavy casualties on both dies."

Nel played back the gruesome scenes, and Zero took a deep breath. Was this the war that Hua Tuo sometimes talked about?

"Eventually, Solo and the Great Gods were driven insane. They started destroying everything. Humans, out of desperation, created a god of their own using the power of thoughts. That rogue god was called Null. After Solo destroyed Earth, the Great Gods went to slumber. Solo was also badly exhausted, so he created me with the last of his powers to maintain balance on his behalf. I fought Null as he created the new Earth, destroyed the balance between Heaven and Hell, infiltrated Purgatory to mess the sin counts and threatened the extinction of Star Souls. However, as just a mere fragment of the Great One, I couldn't do much. I weakened him enough to stall him for a while until the Great Gods returned and hid in Whiskeria to recover."

Zero had so many questions. Why did Nel hide the keys to WHiskeria on the new Earth that Null controlled? How did she know he would appear on new Earth or that he would meet the Great Gods?

"I know you have many questions, and I will answer them when you come to Whiskeria. However, know this. Whoever you are now, you're the future self of Solo, who made everything that we now know. His designs weren't without flaws, and he is no longer the almighty creator we know or love. If you decide to look for me, I will take this as your resolve to find all the scattered Divine Entities and recover your powers of creation to face him and destroy his timeline."

Hearing this, Truen became concerned. Didn't Isis talk about time paradoxes? What was going to happen if Zero successfully faced Solo and destroyed him?

"Many versions of yourself have attempted it, but nobody came close to the ending. Are you the one who will finally stop this cycle of destruction and hopelessness?"

Nel's voice sounded broken, and her eyes sad as if she no longer knew what hope was. Zero only stared at the afterimage of Nel as the spell ceased to function, its message delivered.

Fae King Vivian didn't pressure Zero. He only looked at Zero with silent contemplation. Would this doctor become a saviour that the world needed or its destroyer to stop this meaningless cycle?

Zero didn't move for a long time. He had a feeling he knew what he had to do.

Truen remained standing behind Zero. He couldn't see his best friend's expression, but for some reason, he knew Zero's decision and informed Bob to get ready to depart. They didn't have much time.

"Fae King Vivian," Zero's voice was calm. "I would like to ask for a favour."

With a silent sigh, Fae King Vivian nodded. "Understood. What would you like me to do?"

Zero retrieved a letter he drafted back on Indra Seagloo in anticipation for this day. Now that it was finally here, he shouldn't falter. Leaving the coop and parting was always a sad affair, but he wouldn't shed tears this time.

"This is a letter for anyone who comes looking for me. Please let them read the contents but not let them take this. If the letter disintegrates, please tell them these words, 'Wait for me'."

Accepting Zero's last letter, Fae King Vivian stored it safely away before bringing up the portal to Whiskeria hiding beneath the huge lake. Zero finally understood why the mana density here was three times more than Endow Hill.

Without another word, Zero brought all four keys out and jammed them into the right places. It was a no-brainer, and Truen wasn't as mentally prepared as he thought he would be. Thankfully, Bob was already in the mindscape, waiting for further instructions.

The ancient portal activated for the very first time, and Zero read the portal's coordinates.  It was very far, much further than Hyacinth! Time flow might be different there, and after he left Earth, some people like Karris might not be around anymore.

"Let's go," Zero said and jumped straight into the portal, with Truen hesitating for only a second before following after.

Fae King Vivian watched the portal hum twice before deactivating and sinking back beneath the lake as the keys floated back to him for safekeeping.

For centuries, the portal remained dormant all for this moment that lasted less than a minute — what a burdensome responsibility.

"Bon voyage," he wished them and returned.

From this moment on, the story of Zero finding his origin would begin. However, for those he left behind, it was simply a new chapter without the loveable doctor.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Your name may be forgotten, but never the stories you left behind."