Ball of Nothing

by Stayrr

I started off as nothing, just a mass of consciousness that slowly evolved. Just your average overpowered existence hungry for a multiverse adventure. Demons? They are my friends. Monsters? They are delicacies. Heroes? Not even equal to the dirt on my boots. Royalty? Money Machi- Ahem, a pleasure doing business. Immortals and Gods? Share with me the latest gossips! With power comes

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Ball Of Nothing

Character Profile Author's Note

Ball of Nothing

Hi all!

Thank you for following the story so far, I thought of uploading the character profiles one by one here but thought against it because it was too time consuming. Anyway, please check it out if you're interested with the link below. I update it as the story progresses.

Character Profile Link: https/docs./document/d/1YdHQBJW7AJ86VnXLIRxGBU9egGvP07PoRigpBahbhLM/edit?usp=sharing

Now that I have an author's page, I'm going to take this chance to say a few things. You can skip this if you don't want to read.

I am a novelist and have written books under two pen names - Destiny Aitsuji Permanent Scarlet Frost. My books can be found on Amazon both in Kindle and Paperback.

I'm from Singapore and do hold a full time job as well as a side business. Nothing too fancy about me lol.

Do check out my other links (normally found in author's thought at the end of every chapter) to follow my other works. I write fan fictions occasionally but focus more on writing novels now.

On Web Novel, I have released The Liberal Assassin for free to read because I think it deserves the chance to be read by people who cannot afford to buy it. Long story short, I turned a suicide letter into a novel after multiple modifications. It has been a long journey for me and I'm nowhere near the end of my road but I hope that what I learnt can be helpful to someone.

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Chapter 1: Dead or Alive, That is the Question

Ball of Nothing

In the Bible, God created the world in a mere six days.

On the first day, he said "Let there be light!" and light appeared. Have you ever woken up to the brightness of day and realised you could see for the first time? Probably not. Lucky you. For me, I can assure you that it wasn't pleasant.

Before God came into the picture, I was there. Just lazing around in the middle of space and minding my own business. All of a sudden, this newbie, who discovered the power of creation, decided to run an experiment to test his abilities after intruding into my territory and created a whole universe. Then, before I could collect myself, he was gone. Instead of my humble abode of emptiness, a whole solar system and galaxy now stood in its stead. What a mess!

However, there was a silver lining. I soon discovered that my existence was a complete mystery. While Adam and Eve could sing praises to their Lord and call each other by 'names', I'm left to wonder about what I am.

Better still, am I dead or alive? What's the meaning of my existence? How was I created?

This is a sponsored line break announcement. If you are not reading on Webnovel then the content is stolen. Support the creator - Destiny Aitsuji - on Webnovel and check out their other works.

Author's Note: The story is contracted and premium. If you think it is interesting and still stick around by the end of season 2, you will see that chapters begin to get to 5k long etc and some crazy stuff happens there. Please don't be alarmed by the obscene number of ss or coins required to unlock them, they are legit.

1. I don't need a lot of you to buy to read chapters if you cannot afford it, reading this is good enough. Please help by leaving reviews (5 star ones are the best) and comments. I am always looking out for comments about possible inspirations for bonus chapters. If you do want to support me financially so that I can do more, I have and Kofi (just search Destiny Aitsuji on google).

Edit: I need money so please support me if you can. Long story short, I need USD1.5k every month or I will not be able to continue writing full-time.

2. I would like you to donate your power stones and vote for the book if you like it enough to continue reading it. Rankings help me gain more exposure and this is, unfortunately, something I cannot attain simply through hard work. I need your help and dedication.

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Some warning about what this book is before you read any further:

1. The main character will not have any romantic relationships because they are supposedly gender-neutral although will be referred to as a male for my writing convenience. No harems either because I don't like it. However, there will be side romances for other characters. You are also encouraged to write fan fictions about my story. I would love to read them so please DM me the links on discord (do not comment it on my story or in a review because that's just rude).

2. Yes, religions are a thing, sexuality is a thing. If you're not willing to read this with an open mind, I suggest you drop the book. You have been warned. I write with the aim of offending in a funny way. (It's called parody.) If you are a serious person who needs everything to make sense, walk away as well. Ball of Nothing is not for you.

3. Many people will discover that Season 1 is slow-paced and shallow compared to season 2 and 3. It can also feel somewhat disconnected from the very different styles. You can choose to skip it or skim through it if you want to stay for the plot but not the style. That's because this book was a mental block project that blew up big. I was working on my self published novels to send for the publishing house when I wrote this. I also was fighting depression while holding a stressful full-time job.

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4. Ball of Nothing will cover plenty of taboo topics (hence my fans of this book are called the Rebel Army) and if you cannot accept some of the views, remember you have the option to always drop it or express them in the comment section like an educated and civilised person.

5. Know that I am very strict with my readers. If you cannot abide by my 'no toxic and no drama' rule, be prepared to be ignored and reported to my editor. I do not condone opinions that hurt others and are targetted at specific people or groups with the intent to cause trouble for self-satisfaction or any other reasons.

6. This is going to be one hell of a long read with somewhat slow updates but the story will not be dropped. Doing daily is only possible if I don't have a full-time job or if I have a stockpile. I try my best to do at least weekly updates and more if I can, so if you want to stock up chapters for binge reading feel free. (Just give me those damn power stones please).

7. I am a writer that draws on real-life experiences so while you read this as fiction, feel free to add on to anything that reminds you of your life. We can learn from each other.

8. Have fun. Ball of Nothing is a nonsensical story revolving around some philosophical topics with the pace of a never-ending roller coaster. Also, join the fan club while you're at it. (It's quite dead at the moment because too many people are lurking).

That's it! I'll figure those questions out at a later date. For now, I should probably head over to the planet called Earth that the newbie created.

Herein lies my problem. How do I move again? For as long as I remembered, moving was not in my dictionary. Lazing was the one thing I was good at, I've never felt so motivated to pursue anything as there was nothing to do. Maybe I should forgive the newbie for trespassing as things are finally becoming interesting.

Even after such a long monologue, my progress towards Earth was still zero. I remained in the same spot despite my desire to propel forward. Was I doomed to stay here forever or wait for something to happen?

With my new-found sense of sight, I looked around. Space is a really empty place! There was absolutely nothing near enough for me to call out to for help. The excitement died as quickly as it came. Before long, I'd drifted off again. Maybe when I awake, I'd discover a way to move.

The next time I came to, I was moving. However, it wasn't by my volition. Space rocks, also more commonly known as asteroids, decided to string me along on a joy-ride. The destination wasn't Earth and I swore the closer we got to the yellow planet, the faster it travelled.

Movement was a fascinating thing initially. Waking up to a whole new scenery and sensation was a refreshing change from the usual monotone. However, plummeting at an uncontrollable pace into the unknown was something I'd rather deal without. No longer having the luxury to study the new objects that appeared before me, I was struggling to slow down the speed to no avail.

Slowly but surely, we entered the massive field of grey that occasionally had flashes of bright white lights. I thought the rock was going to stop upon contact but it surprised me when the grey parted and gave way instead. The white lights never reached us and my ride continued. What a shame, I was curious how white lights would feel like too.

Slowly but surely we saw a new field of blue-green appear after the grey was left behind. By now, the rock was on fire but it didn't affect me. Could it be because I was merely tagging along on the ride?

I noticed how the blue-green was moving as we got closer. So this is what the newbie called 'water'... This great existence approves of the landing site! Water was always moving and that meant that I wouldn't have to worry about not being able to go anywhere once we land.

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Once the rock touched the blue-green water called 'sea', I felt a strong tug that pulled me away from the rock. Being in the water reminded me so much of space and where I was previously. It was the most glorious sensation thus far. The only thing that bothered me was how the light from above was getting further and further as the water pulled me away.

Now that the problem about movement has been resolved, where is this water taking me?

For some reason, I felt as if water was a very lonely thing. With no light and only a constant movement without any knowledge about where it could take me, I waited. Dozing off in between, I woke up to the same darkness. Somewhere along the way, the movement stopped too. I finally landed somewhere at the bottom of this vast body of water. Occasionally the current around me would push me a little further but it was nothing more than a gentle nudge.

The bottom of the sea wasn't hard like on the space rock. While the space rock felt uncomfortable to be on, the bed of the sea felt very welcoming. It didn't heat up and wasn't unstable in speed. In fact, the bed of the sea called 'sand' was actually very accommodating. Although it moves, it moves so gradually when the water pushes it. It has a very easy-going personality that I like. Compared to the fast pace of the space rock, I very much prefer the relaxing pace caused by the water.

Push and pull, push and pull. After some time in this comfortable darkness, it was only natural that I fell asleep again.

That was strange.

It was still, unbearable still. On top of that, there was something was trapping me in. Waking up to darkness again, it didn't occur to me that I wasn't at the bottom of the sea for a while until I noticed that there was no water. Where exactly has the water brought me?

I was moving again but compared to the previous two experiences, it was a strange feeling. The tiny vibrations that sometimes came from the bottom gradually became stronger. I didn't know where I was, but I knew I was traveling again. Excited, I waited.

The ride transited from smooth to bumpy very quickly. The tiny vibrations became stronger and it rattled whatever I was in. Unable to move by myself, I crashed into the constricting container. It was worse than the space rock and I decided that I didn't like small and enclosed areas.

The rattling of my prison soon turned into vicious tumbling. Back in space with the rock, I never had a problem with directions. However, with the shaking, rocking and bouncing in all directions without being able to see or escape, I begin to understand what 'feeling sick' meant. The ways of the yellow planet were very different from where I came from. This must be how everything on the yellow planet and Earth was able to move! There was a mysterious force that never stopped.

Oops! Spoke too soon. The rocking and tossing did stop after all while. I vaguely wondered what was going to happen next. Will my prison continue to trap me or was I going to get out of it somehow?

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Maybe if I wait, I'll get lucky and whatever that was causing this trap to move will come again. Who knows, it might break this squeezy pace and I'll be free!

But until then, I guess another nap or two wouldn't hurt.

Thock*

Thock* *Thock*

What's that awful sound?

Thock* *Thock* *Thock*

For the first time in a while, I was awakened before I felt like it. For a while now there were vibrations, tossing and tumbling, sometimes even sliding or sailing movements but none so crude like this. It felt as if someone was deliberately knocking against the outside of the current prison that I'm in.

I caught a glimpse of the outside of my prison. Yes, it turned out to be a shellfish of some sort. After the initial movements stopped for the first time, I saw light again. I didn't see water but I heard it for sure. The shellfish couldn't move much, only opening and closing. I suppose the water must have pushed me into it while I was napping.

The shellfish was a rather shy creature. It was slow to open up and quick to close whenever something came into contact with it. The shell that was its home was my prison and as much as I enjoyed the view outside, the owner of this shell was ultimately not me.

Oh yes. Speaking about that, I discovered that I possessed a very interesting power. No, it didn't help me move yet BUT I think it might in due time.

Yesterday... the day before... no, maybe even before that... I realised that I was able to 'absorb' things into my body. You see, the sea likes to move. Sometimes it goes away and then sometimes it returns. For the past few days, while the light came and gone and returned once more, the water has come and gone at least eight times. Every time the water came, it would bring items into the shell. Most of the time, it brought sand. The shellfish would snap the shell shut and wriggle around inside trying to get rid of the unwanted objects. That annoyed me as I too required space and the shellfish wasn't giving it. I decided to make space by attempting to will the items away.

Strangely, instead of moving the items outside, I moved the items inside of me. The first time it happened, I felt sleepy and took a short nap. The very first object I 'absorbed' was a grain of sand. Subsequently, I tried it again hoping that I could will the objects to move again. However, no matter how much I tried, they could only move inwards and get absorbed.

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The sleepiness became less after I absorbed at least a hundred grains of sand. I decided to try absorbing something else like water. It was tricky as water was huge. However, I could separate water into smaller parts and it took a while for me to be able to absorb all the trapped water in the shell within one intake. I also noticed that the shellfish tended to open quicker if there was less water. With this new finding, I absorbed as much as I could, whenever I could. When I got tired, I slept.

Then, I accidentally absorbed part of the shell during one of my water draining sessions. No, there isn't a hole yet but I aim to make one as soon as I can. The shell was a few layers thinner now and I rejoiced at my 'power'. Despite not being powerful enough to take down the prison, I now had something called hope.

Thock* *Thock*

That sound again... what's going on? For the first time in my imprisonment, I felt that it was better to remain inside than outside.

Ball of Nothing

The shellfish was resilient, I must admit.

The awful sound has been going on for a long time now but the shellfish didn't give in. The shell remained tightly shut and I wondered how long the attacker would persist. Would the mysterious enemy continue his barrage when the water comes in?

The answer was clear. The attacker paused in his strange onslaught and for a moment I enjoyed peace. However, the shellfish wasn't as lucky. Not long after the sound ended, I felt a familiar feeling. It was similar to the feeling of falling with the space rock but instead of travelling downwards at an insane speed, we were going upwards slowly.

From within the shell I heard another sound from outside. It was a dull sound that sent powerful jolts of movements as we went upwards. It was faster after the sound and when it slowed, the sound would return once more. Sometimes it swerved to the sides before returning upright. I actually found this feeling enjoyable. If only I could take a peek at what was happening outside...

We finally landed. I don't know where we are but surely the shellfish must be panicking by now. We don't seem to be near sea any longer as I can no longer hear the sound of water. The attacker walked around a lot and seemed restless. However there were no more direct attacks on the tough outer shell. Was it trying to wait it out? My respect for the unknown creature increased. It certainly was smart.

On the other hand, I continued to absorb the shellfish and all the water inside. Once it runs out of water, it wouldn't be long before it has to open again. At that time, I would take the chance to make my escape by clinging onto the attacker.

The opportunity came sooner than I expected. Slowly as the shellfish opened, I squinted to try and catch a glimpse of the mysterious hunter without avail. However, I did notice that it was already night. Also, there was a strange smell. Yes, I could smell it even without a physical form. That was how much I've advanced by absorbing part of the shellfish.

It's not something I was familiar with. The background sounds became much clearer once the shellfish opened. It was rather peaceful sounding and I liked it. We remained like this for a while, I absorbed whatever I could (which mainly was the shellfish) and tried to spot the attacker.

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Occassionally there was wind and from what I gathered, we were probably up in a high place because I could hear things move from below us. It was the first time I saw so much going on during the night. The shellfish wasn't all that impressed unfortunately. It continued to squirm pitifully in its shell from the lack of water. It only eased its struggling when the mist appeared. At that time, I was happily absorbing the mist that passed by. It felt similar to water but it was much less tiring to take in.

Sunrise came and as the sun rose higher and higher, the mist became thinner and thinner till it disappeared completely. By now the sounds had completely changed. From something peaceful, it turned into something chaotic. However, to me it was still beautiful.

What I didn't expect was for the shellfish to be attacked on a splendid day. The attacker came so swiftly, the shellfish didn't have time to react. Before we knew it, the attacker's very sharp beak was already inside the shell, so close to stabbing the tender insides of my host. The shell was slammed shut but the intruder's beak was tough. Not even the shellfish's full strenth could break it or make it retreat. They were stuck at a stalemate.

However I was happy. With both the shellfish and mysterious bird creature within my reach, I started absorbing. Since the bird was bigger than the shellfish and my host was dying without water, I decided to start off by absorbing the bird.

Previously, whatever I could absorb was small enough and I easily absorbed them whole. The water and shellfish were the only ones I didn't manage to absorb in one go. However, once I touched the beak of the bird, a thought came to me. What will happen if I absorbed the part in contact with the shell and the bird escapes? That won't do.

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So the genius in me decided to try absorbing the whole bird in one go. It was by no means easy but I had the confidence to go through with it.

With a big inhale and lots of willpower, I sucked the bird in as much as I could, stretching my reach to the point of breaking. To my surprise, I could reach a lot further and even three times the size of the shellfish. The more I absorbed the further I could extend the range.

However, the downside was how I became more tired as I absorbed. Fighting against fatigue for the first time, I resolved to completely devour the bird and rest in the shellfish's protection afterwards. What I failed to calculate for was for the bird to screech in pain and eventually overcome the shellfish's power.

Once it broke the shell, it was free to pick at the tender insides of the shellfish. As I was a package deal with my host, I too disappeared into the bird's beak and left the daylight behind me.

Oh dear.

Ball of Nothing

I was in darkness once more but there was nothing to be afraid of. The shellfish on my side would probably disagree. We weren't in a pleasant place at all and without the shell, the shellfish looked really small. I wonder if it felt fear.

This was probably it for the shellfish. However for me, I was now stuck in a very different place. It took me a while to get out of the shellfish's prison but how long would it take me to escape the bird? Unless I could successfully absorb its entire body into me, I highly doubt I could escape. Even so, I needed to be able to move on my own after I did that.

Both of us landed in hot liquid that smelled terrible. While nothing other than the smell affected me, the same could not be said for the shellfish.

The moment the shellfish touched this foul liquid, it started to melt in a horrific manner. What was happening? I could only watch on in fascination and horror.

It took a while to understand what I was seeing, the fatigue left behind me.

Burning the shellfish's last moments into my memory, I now understood why the shellfish was so stubborn and refused to give in to the horrible attacks by the bird. If it gave in, it was doomed. Unfortunately, the bird was stronger and it met the same fate.

My respect for the shellfish hit the climax. What a noble way of life and yet what a cruel death. I will adopt its way of living in memory of our almost-friendship.

With that thought, I felt the fatigue that left me return at full force. Now that the shellfish was no longer here, I had no more reason to fight it. Sleep took over as I grew immune to the putrid smell.

It's not known how long I slept for this time but I awoke fresh and ready to start! The bird seemed like an active eater as I saw many strange creatures floating in the destructive liquid. Some were missing a few parts while others were almost completely gone. Some of the tougher creatures still had their bodies in one piece and are struggling but I knew it won't be long before they'd stop.

Herein lies my problem. I would like to absorb those creatures that the bird ate but I didn't have the ability to take in so many things at once. As for why I wanted to do that? It was to continuously test my abilities and expand on it. Surely there has to be a way for me to move. If I could bring things inside of me, why couldn't I bring the things inside of me out? I guess the reason was due to how I only managed to absorb things that originally couldn't move on their own. Water was an exception but the fact that I couldn't bring it out meant that it probably wasn't moving on its own. I figured this out when I thought back about the water trapped in the shell. The water outside moved but not the one trapped inside.

Of course, there was no way to know if this logic of mine was correct. Then again, time was something I have a lot of since I was stuck in the bird's stomach for who knows how long.

With much reluctance, I took in the foul-smelling liquid that I'd long grown immune to. It wasn't difficult to do so but it was disappointing to know that I couldn't take in enough to change the level of liquid in its stomach before I fell asleep.

It's alright, I can do this again and again until I can absorb everything in one go. Let the special training begin!

Plop*

Alright, what is it this time? The bird has been eating a lot more lately. I don't know why it is doing that but I suppose it might have something to do with how I'm constantly emptying the contents in its stomach.

It took me a while to get to where I am. For a very long time, the process of constantly absorbing and passing out was frustrating. However, the efforts paid off when I was finally able to move the things I absorbed outside of me. Although I was still unable to move on my own, it was a huge improvement from not being able to influence the things around me directly.

It was an accidental find but one that was totally worth the troubles. I wasn't making much progress with the training and was idly thinking if I could transform a part of myself to conveniently grasp and absorb whatever that fell before it hit the liquid, I would be able to absorb a greater variety.

Before I knew it, something that resembled the sand I absorbed appeared for a brief moment and grabbed hold of the falling frog. Granted, it may have just been the head but it was still a frog. Upon contact with the frog, it was automatically absorbed by the sand into my system. Something strange happened after that. It might have been due to the fact that the frog was a more intelligent creature or that I absorbed enough of it, but I found myself viewing its memories after I fell into food coma.

It was a strange feeling to be waking up after living the life of the frog. For a moment, I could not understand how my home in the forest smelled so bad and looked so dark. Understanding came to me after I remembered that I wasn't a frog.

It was through the accidental finding that I could now manipulate what was absorbed in me. Apart from training my stamina for absorbing things in quantity, I trained to extend my 'transformation' timing. It was rather hard at first, I could not form sand properly and often, it fell apart before I could catch the newcomers.

Right now, I could hold the sand just enough to reach the prey when I see it falling. With this method, I've now received the memory of two crickets, five shellfish, two frogs - one tree frog and one poisonous frog, one worm and four butterflies. From their last moments, I could now roughly make out the size of this bird and it was rather intimidating.

The bird had five different colours of feathers, yellow eyes with a long pointed beak that was very sharp. That beak was as long as its neck and its feet were about the same length as its body, fully armed with deadly talons. From wing to wing, the bird could easily fit thirty large shellfishes!

Guuu*

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There it was, the sound that alerted me to look out for a new creature. What was it going to be this time? My sand was ready for it, whatever it was.

Just as the mysterious newcomer made its appearance, I froze. Maybe I shouldn't have spoken so soon. How was anyone going to be able to absorb that?!

Ball of Nothing

What in creation is that?

The new creature was black with white spots but the appearance didn't deter me. In fact, that was the least of my concerns.

There were a few things about this new creature that had me completely stumped. Firstly, it was the size of this newcomer. It didn't fall through immediately like the rest. In fact, it was still making its way down the bird's throat slowly. From what I could see, it had a very slimy fluid covering the entire of its body. The creature was long and from the way it squirmed, it was very flexible... probably had no hard structures in its body.

Secondly, it was in the way it moved. From memory of the other creatures, they either hopped, flew or wriggled. They were movements with a very distinct aim to get from one point to another. This newcomer had none of that intention as it moved. In fact, it didn't seem like it wanted to get anywhere. It merely wanted some physical contact with anything it could get itself on. As such, I saw how it tried to cling onto the bird's insides with its very sticky and slimy fluid. How was I meant to absorb something I couldn't touch?

Putting these two thoughts aside, this was the first time I saw something still alive inside of the bird. Was this new creature secretly very strong that it could defy its fate even after being eaten? Would I be able to take it on in my current condition?

No, I decided that it was a fool's errand to take on the unknown. Hence, I waited with all the patience I had. To defeat the enemy, gathering information was crucial. I can't defeat the bird without knowing how it looked like. Without the memory of the poor creatures I absorbed, I would've been defeated if I decided to challenge the bird.

All the animals had the same concept. When it came to the unknown, they either flee on sight or wait to understand more before taking action. Charging head first was possibly the worst thing one could do... it often resulted in death.

Wriggle* *Wriggle*

It has been a while and by now, most of this new creature's body was in the bird's stomach. The creature stubbornly clung onto the walls of the bird's stomach and I admired its tenacity.

Finally, its head appeared and I could now see the creature's body in its full glory. The body was long and surprisingly flat even though movements can cause it to seem bigger. It had tiny eyes at the end of two stick-like structures on its head. I did not see a mouth and didn't know if it could eat. It had two strange smaller stick-like structures below its eyes that seemed to always be searching for something. It made me uncomfortable to know that it was probably observing me as well.

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The newcomer wasn't as impressive as the bird but if anything, I was impressed by how it wasn't dead yet. That sticky fluid would be extremely useful if I could absorb the creature. Imagine having the ability to hang upside-down and stick onto surfaces without having to worry about being swept away.

I stared at the creature and briefly remembered a creature that the newbie created on Earth. That creature was called "Snail". This newcomer looked very similar but it was missing of the iconic shell on its back.

Wriggle* *Wriggle*

At this point, I had a brilliant idea. If there wasn't a name for this creature, why don't I give it one?

Since the creature looked very much like a tongue, I'm going to name it after the act of licking from its weird movements. From today onwards, you shall be called "Namekuji" - The Licking Bug.

Ball of Nothing

It's been a few days since Namekuji's arrival. I don't know what it normally eats but it was getting thinner. On the other hand, after the liquid has built up high enough and touched Namekuji once, I saw the poor fella wriggle in pain and decided to absorb the liquid enough for it to move to a higher place.

Initially, I did it to ensure that it could survive for long enough before I absorbed it and reap its surface sticking powers. However, it started to grow on me. While I was feasting on the frogs and shellfish that fell, Namekuji remained unmoving. For some reason, I grew fond of its peculiar wriggling and seeing it so lifeless made me feel bad.

I tried to leave some of the creatures that fell for it but Namekuji never moved. I was beginning to worry when the liquid that Namekuji normally produced became thinner and lesser, causing it to slip a few times. Those were some close calls.

Luckily, salvation came in the form of a half-eaten worm. Namekuji moved for the first time since it escaped being digested. I immediately understood that it ate worms.

With my new and improved catching technique, I held the worm up with my sand long enough for Namekuji to get to it.

The moment Namekuji ate the worm, I looked into its tiny eyes and we came to a silent agreement. Both of us wanted to get out of this bird and even though we did not know each other, we had a common enemy. This was reason enough to place our trust in each other.

It soon became a routine for me to catch food for us. While Namekuji bid its time, I resumed my intense training trying to increase my absorbing and transforming stamina. I'd certainly improved a lot since I first started but there was still a long way to go. Namekuji took care of guarding the food supplies during my food coma by using its body as a net to collect all the new things the bird ate. Some fell through but there was never a problem of starvation for us. Things progressed smoothly and before long, I was able to transform a part of me into a living creature for the first time.

I credited the new ability to the countless of frogs and shellfish that the bird ate. Absorbing them allowed me to draw on their powers. However, my new found abilities had limitations. My transformation was unstable at best and I could manage to transform only one part at a time. For example, I could draw out the power of a frog's tongue to catch the falling food for a short time but I could not transform myself into a frog.

The only reason why the transformation ended prematurely was due to the foul liquid. It quickly dissolved the tongue I'd formed and I had to rest to create another tongue. Sometimes, not even sleep was able to recover my transformation ability. I needed to absorb more creatures to be able to form another tongue.

Namekuji seemed slightly impressed with my new ability and decided to show me a few tricks too. It wasn't a very impressive or useful trick but it was still amazing. From within Namekuji's body, many tiny worms came out. They were able to stick onto the side of the bird's stomach like Namekuji and avoid getting digested too. Those tiny worms climbed upwards and disappeared not long after they made their appearance. The awe soon turned into disappointment but I didn't blame Namekuji.

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Namekuji looked at me smugly and that left me puzzled. What could a few worms from his body do anything to a bird this huge? Nevertheless, we continued our perfect teamwork to survive yet another day in the bird's stomach.

Remember those worms? Yes, those useless ones that climbed up and disappeared. I must say that I certainly did not expect this outcome.

While Namekuji and I continued our peaceful day to day lives, those worms were working hard behind the scenes. I had no idea what was going on until much later.

Long story super short, they killed the bird and I absorbed its remains. Namekuji and I have long parted ways and there were no tears involved.

How? Well, here's the long version.

Remember how Namekuji first revealed his trump card? I scorned at that useless ability, right? Well, not exactly but something along that line. Anyway, those worms had climbed up but not out. Goodness, they were vicious!

I think that those worms were born natural killers. They targeted all the critical organs in the bird like its heart, lungs, and brain, then the stayed there and ate the organs, absorbing all its nutrients to grow. They ate and grew until they could secrete a paralyzing kind of substance that slowly forced the bird's organs to shut down one by one. It was an unspoken teamwork, one that shocked me. The worms in the lungs started first, causing the bird to cough endlessly until the end. The second one targeted the heart that circulated the poison throughout the body, rendering the bird unable to move while the last worm in the brain delivered the final blow.

It was a perfect crime worthy of my respect. Only masters of the art of murder could pull something off so flawlessly with so much ease.

Once the bird collapsed, they made their escape through the mouth, eyes and just about any exit they could find. Namekuji gave me one last look of thanks before making his way out slowly. I struggling with transforming into a worm. I could only manage to transform into a worm with only five segments. A very tiny existence but something that could pull its own weight at last. The progress was slow and tiring but it paid off when I finally reached the brain.

I knew that absorbing the entire bird would take me a long time so I had to prioritise. The brain was what held the most memories so I targeted that first. The joy of gaining so much new knowledge made me forget about my troubles for a good while.

I envied the bird who had the freedom to see many things from the clouds. The feeling of wind beneath its wings was one that I too wanted to experience. With this new goal in mind, I resolved myself to absorb the bird completely and take on its form no matter what. It took me a while but I finally managed it.

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The moment the last of the talons were absorbed, I allowed the exhaustion to claim me, ignoring the lurking dangers in the forest.

Ball of Nothing

For some reason, I felt like I'd slept for longer than normal. That wasn't something particularly surprising as I expanded a lot of energy to absorb the bird. However, the tiredness that lingered was something new. It felt unbearably heavy and I wanted nothing more than to return to sleep. Unfortunately, there was a more pressing issue that didn't allow me that luxury.

That was learning how to fly.

Yes, the experiment turned out successful. Thanks to the number of creatures absorbed, I could now muster enough energy to transform fully into a bird. However, looking like one and becoming one was two very different things.

I might be able to imitate the form of the bird perfectly but my skills were lacking. How the bird viewed the world was also vastly different from how I viewed it. With a sharper sense of sight and hearing, I now understood more details about my environment. Things that eluded me before were now crystal clear to me.

Although the bird did not possess much intellect, it had a keen sense of time and something called instinct. Instincts were very strong feelings that compelled me to act before I could understand what was going on. For example, I spotted a worm earlier and before I knew what I was doing, the bird's body had pounced and gobbled it whole. Strangely, the worm was not absorbed. Instead, it went into the stomach of the bird.

The battle between behaving like the previous host and behaving like myself was tough. The bird's memory and mine were sometimes blurred. While I could leverage on the bird's knowledge and memories, I couldn't imitate its experience. This body was a replica and there were many first times for me including eating. Walking was the first challenge I had to overcome. It wasn't simple and I often ended beak first in the soil.

After hours of practice, the sun was now high up in the sky and the air became hot. The bird would take into the skies and ride on the wind around this time. However, as I had never been a bird, I never knew how flight worked. From the past memories, flight was experienced by falling from great heights. It seemed very simple. All they had to do was flap their wings in the right direction. Once they could manage that, taking off was relatively easy. They simply flapped.

Readying those heavy wings, I extended them as much as possible and flapped with all my might.

Nope. It's an utter lie! How do birds do this? I don't know how they flew but flapping didn't work. Looking at the fallen feathers around me, I devised another method. If height was a factor to trigger the flight skill, then all I had to do was jump from a tall place.

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Putting my newly acquired walking skills, I started the journey. From memory, there was a cliff near the seaside at the end of this forest somewhere in the opposite direction of the rising sun. If this doesn't work, I don't know what will.

Staring down at the edge, I kicked a small pebble and watched it roll of the cliff, bouncing on the sharp edges of protruding rocks before landing in the sea with a small splash. The ripples didn't travel far and the waves continued crashing against the cliff as if nothing had transpired.

Would that be me if this experiment failed? I shook my head. No, don't think about it. The bird learnt how to fly by falling from a high place, this was probably how it should be done.

To prevent any second thoughts, I closed my eyes and jumped.

Ball of Nothing

Oh no! What was I doing? Flap those wings!

After jumping, I allowed too much time to pass before realising my mistake. How was I meant to fly if I didn't move my wings? However, after spreading those flimsy wings out, I felt the air go through my feathers. Nope, not going to make it. How did the bird manage to go against its weight and the strong air currents? How does one win against the wind?

Sadly, there were no answers and I plunged into cold water. With soaked feathers, the mission to fly was officially a failure. Not only was I unable to soar, I was now going to drown.

What a sad and miserable experiment. Is this how I end? The bird's body suffered without air and swallowed mouthful after mouthful of cold and salty water. Without air, I could feel the bird's body lose its strength. As its vision darkened, I felt the heaviness leave me.

Once more I became unable to move. Looking around, I did not see feathers. It appears that I assumed my original form automatically. Now that's what I called convenient. Basically I had a death escape card for any situation at the cost of being unable to move by reverting to my original form. Good to know, good to know.

While the cold water no longer bothered me, my worries only increased. How will I get out of the sea in this form? Frogs couldn't survive in the sea and shellfishes cannot move on their own. I didn't have the energy to keep morphing forms between the two nor the ability to partially morph parts of each animal to create a completely new species. If done wrongly, who knew what the consequences could be?

Was this going to be the end of my exciting adventure? Do I have to wait in the dark waters for the current to take me somewhere else again?

Oh well, I suppose I could go back to waiting since there was nothing I could do. Perhaps I could trap a nearby fish and absorb it with the frog's tongue so that I could swim as a fish?

With that idea in mind, I kept my eyes peeled.

When the last of the light left, I waited patiently at the bottom of the sea. However, there were no creatures nearby as far as I could tell. What rotten luck!

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Now that the plan has fallen through I had to console myself. At least there was plenty of sand and water I could absorb. A thought struck me. As crazy as it sounded, it might work. If I absorbed the sea, I could transform into a bird and escape.

Yes, that sounded like a fantastic plan. Why settle for escaping when I can hunt?

A long time must have passed since I started on this insane project. Yes, I dutifully absorbed water for who knows how long. At first there wasn't any visible change. The surroundings were still as dark as ever and the water never seemed to lessen. I was disheartened but since there was nothing better to do, I stuck with the boing routine, occasionally switching it up with absorbing sand for variety. Strangely enough, no creature passed by during my sea absorbing mission.

I didn't know exactly how much water or sand I've absorbed but over time, one thing was certain. The light was becoming more and more obvious. Now, whenever I absorbed water, there was always a huge space around me before the water came back. I no longer needed to sleep after absorbing once. In fact, absorbing sand and water kept me energised.

I could already tell the direction of the sun from where I was. Does this mean I'm a lot closer to the surface of the water than I was before? No matter, since I've resolved to absorb the sea, I will keep my word and see it to the end.

Gulg* *Glug* *Glug*

Waiting for the water to come back again.

Gulg* *Glug* *Glug*

It's the same boring process. After repeating this for who knows how long, it's now an effortless thing to do. In fact, I've been at it for days without feeling the need to sleep. I guess this is a sign of improvement?

In any case, I just needed to absorb a little more of this sea before I could pull off my escape plan. It shouldn't be long now, a few more days at most.

The water was filling back nicely and satisfaction swelled inside of me. The time it took to fully cover the area absorbed was taking longer each time. I wonder if there would be any use for so much seawater now that I've absorbed a significant amount.

"Wait!"

Good creation! What was that? Unlike the bird or the animals around, that voice didn't reach me on a physical level. It penetrated straight to my very existence and invaded my mindscape.

"Stop! Don't absorb the sea anymore, please!"

Apart from the newbie who escaped as soon as he invaded my territory, this was the first time I heard another being speak. Was this another God?

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My questions were answered. The being who spoke was indeed a Goddess. However, with my lack of knowledge for such things, I couldn't identify her. For a sheltered being who only lazed around for all its existence, my manners were quite rude.

The Goddess appeared from a vortex in front of me. She was huge! The bird was large. However, this Goddess was larger. She at least five times the size of the bird. Although she wasn't as impressive as the newbie God, it was still obvious that she was a powerful being.

Who was she?

"My apologies," the Goddess answered. "I am Sedna, the Goddess of this sea. Great One, please forgive my rudeness."

Great One? Wait... she can hear me?

The Goddess in question had green hair which resembled the seaweed that sometimes came close by the shellfish. Wait, that could just be her fallen hair washed up by the water. Sedna's body was covered in scales that resembled a fish's but the most interesting feature was her webbed fingers and toes. They reminded me of the frogs from the bird's stomach. However, I didn't think frogs lived near enough to the sea for her to absorb and transform. How did she get them?

"To answer Great One, I have not consumed any frogs or animals. I was born with this appearance as a Goddess from the people's belief. Also, yes I can hear you. All Gods and Goddess can hear you for you are the one true owner of this world. We exist because of you."

Wait what? One true owner... how? So many questions...

"Great One, if it does not displease you, could you allow me to bring you to my humble abode? We can discuss more in details there. The other Gods are in a frenzy over your disappearance, I would like to inform them that you are safe and sound."

Well... it's not as if I could do much at this point. Perhaps I could go with Sedna. She doesn't seem to want to harm me.

"Thank you Great One!" Sedna smiled and carried me in her webbed hands before plunging into the dark waters once more.

There was nothing much to do and Sedna was silent. I couldn't see where we were going, much less understand the current situation. The Goddess seemed to know who I was and my sudden disappearance was a huge news for them? The fact that other Gods and Goddesses exist was news to me. Then again, with the appearance of Sedna after the newbie, I shouldn't be surprised.

"Great One, we are approaching soon."

That's fast. I thought that the journey would take longer. Then again, Sedna was a Goddess and a powerful one at that. She was huge too and that meant she could cover a greater distance in a shorter time.

In the darkness of the water, I saw where Sedna was taking us to. It was a surprisingly beautiful place. Not many creatures could survive this deep and it wasn't surprising. Sedna was putting in more effort to swim as compared to earlier. I guess that the deeper the water, the harder it was to move.

"That is correct, Great One. This underwater valley has a very strong mysterious force that makes movement difficult. Weaker creatures will be unable to breathe here even if they could breathe underwater. The light from above does not reach the valley and the light here is emitted by the glowing corals that have made this valley their home."

That explanation was very helpful. However, more questions came to mind. Why did Sedna live here? How did she find this place? How does she know about me and where I was?

Sedna was now putting me down on a soft sponge and I silently relished in the luxury. The sponge was amazingly bouncy and I observed as Sedna picked up an ordinary looking shell.

That shell was far from ordinary. In fact, another voice came out from that shell.

"Yassas, this is Zeus speaking."

"Zeus, this is Sedna here. We found Great One." Sedna briefly glanced at me and flashed me a reassuring smile. I tried to smile back but failed as I realised I had no form.

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"Oh? That's splendid news! I'll inform the rest, please help us to take care of Great One. We will visit very soon."

The conversation ended and Sedna put the shell back.

"Great One, please allow me to introduce myself once more. I am Sedna, the Goddess of the Sea and all Marine life. I oversee the cycle of life and death in this sea Every marine life born is created by me and everything that dies at sea returns to me. I ensure that the marine ecosystem is balanced and grant blessings to the humans who depend on the sea for a living."

That sounds like a huge responsibility... Sedna sounds like a very busy person too. I wonder if looking for me added to her troubles. In fact, if all Gods and Goddesses were this busy, I shouldn't be idling away.

"No, Great One, you are mistaken. It is not a burden at all to be maintaining this system of life. In fact, it is our great honour to do so. Great One wasn't idling either, you allowed us to exist and for that we are thankful."

Allowed them to exist? But I didn't do anything!

Sedna shook her head in horror. "Oh no, Great One. Not doing anything is the best that we can ask for. If Great One simply wishes it, you could easily absorb the entire world including all the life in it. There are no Gods or Goddesses capable of stopping you, everything rightfully belongs to you including our existence."

What? What is this horrific thing that she's talking about? Me as a world destroyer and destroyer of Gods? What's this ridiculous revelation? How can I absorb a universe if I'm unable to move?

Sedna blinked. "About that, the Great One does not move like we do. Assuming a physical form is one way of doing it but there is a faster way. The Great One can simply move from one place to another simply by willing it. As long as the Great One can see the place or has been there before, it is possible to travel there directly without movement."

Say whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

Ball of Nothing

Sedna continued to smile even after my mental fuse had blown. Why did I possess such a convenient ability? Actually, how did Sedna know about my abilities?

"Great One, all Gods and Goddesses were born from your consciousness. It takes a part of Great One's memory to be created. This is why Great One doesn't remember. Originally Great One's last wish was to remain in the void, away from the chaos of the world. However, a newbie God born from man violated the agreement and invaded your personal space. He created Earth after the original planet was absorbed by Great One and shattered the privacy barrier created by Gaia and the first generation Gods. We are still looking for him but it is hard to track a God who isn't registered."

Now that she has explained, many things became clear to me. Still, it would be convenient to have a physical form that was as indestructible as my existence. I could only blame my lack of stamina for transformation.

"Oh no, Great One you don't have to train to maintain a physical form. It was our fault for not receiving you earlier when you visited. Due to our negligence from being too focused on tracking that new God, we failed to provide proper accommodation. Zeus and the others will be making their way over so please be patient for a little more. After you have received the blessings of all the Great Gods, you would be able to assume any life form and adapt to any living situations without any restriction. You'll be able to recreate what you've absorbed at a later stage but that kind of recreation requires knowledge, knowledge that even Gods do not possess."

Knowledge that even Gods do not possess? Who would be more knowledgeable than Gods?

"Answering Great One, they are part of the new God's creation called man. Man was an experimental creation and they have now found ways to surpass all expectations. They have succeeded in creating a God, preventing their extinction and destroyed a world. Their power is too fearsome that not even we Gods can stop them. Hence, we've relocated."

Man... what kind of creatures were they?

"They call themselves humans for now. They are the only creatures with enough intelligence to give themselves names."

Names... come to think of it, even Sedna has a name. Why am I known as Great One? Granted, my existence is unique but having no name... that's just sad.

I'm just like a huge existence with nothing on the inside. No knowledge, no goals and no name. That simply cannot do! I must own something and what other than to acquire a name?

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Yes, that's right. From now on I refuse to be called Great One. I want to have a name.

"But Great One..."

No, don't call me Great One. Give me a name.

Sedna paled. I only waited expectantly, excited for the name she would come up with.

Ball of Nothing

It must have been conspiracy by the Gods because just as Sedna was about to reply, they appeared from a vortex.

Out stepped three Gods and three Goddesses. I didn't know any of them but Sedna appeared to be relieved by their appearance. The largest of these Gods was spoke in a thundering voice and I recognized him to be the one from Sedna's conversation earlier. His name was Zeus.

"Forgive our lateness, Great One! We had to take a detour along the way."

The female Goddess who had red hair glared at Zeus. However before she could say anything, the God who had his face covered by an oversize hood placed his boney (?) hand on Zeus' shoulder. "Stop it Zeus. It wasn't Freya's fault. Eros is to blame. We've spoiled him too much and now he's out of control."

The hand on Zeus shoulder was nothing more than bones and for a moment I wondered what this God did to be reduced to such a state.

The green Goddess stared at me. Yes, green with brown eyes, I'm not exaggerating. This large Goddess who reached the height of Zeus' chest bent down and I could now see little leaves growing from her.

"Forgive the Gods here, Great One. They have no manners. Please let me introduce everyone. I'm sure you've met Sedna the Goddess of the Sea. I'm Gaia, the Goddess of Nature and Sedna's sister. To my left is Isis the Goddess of time. The Goddess with red hair is Freya, she represents love and beauty. This big God here with the loud voice is Zeus, you probably heard him over the communicator. Although he looks likes like this, he is gentle by nature unless provoked and rules over the sky. His brother is the God wearing the black cloak. His name is Hades and is the overseer of souls in the cycle of rebirth. Last but not least, we have Buddha. He is the quietest of us all and he is one of the Sage Gods of enlightenment. Originally he was man but he attained the ranks of God through knowledge like the other Sage Gods. Unfortunately, his previous world was destroyed and now he has nowhere to go. He helps Zeus and Hades at the moment."

That was a very long introduction but it was exactly what I needed. I could understand the existence of Gods but Buddha was a man who became a God? How did that happen?

"To answer Great One, man becoming a God is not unheard of. However, it is very difficult. Not only must a man be wise, he must be remembered by the generations for over a thousand years and his teachings to be passed on before he can become a Sage God. A Sage God does not have the powers of a God. In fact, the only power a Sage God possess is the power of influence to listen to man's wishes, troubles and offer a sense of comfort with their blessing. Even though I am an insignificant existence in this vast world, I hope to be of use to Great One."

For a man who was known to be the quietest of the lot, he sure spoke a lot. Regardless, the explanation made me curious. Does that mean that there were more Gods? Were there more Sage Gods? Wouldn't that mean that Sage Gods were rarer than Gods?

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Isis smiled for the first time. Her mysterious dark eyes sparkled. "All Gods were created by Great One. We are limited and become fewer by the day as man grows stronger. My brother Osiris has fallen into eternal slumber after man has waged war and defeated him. Man has found a way to access the magic of Gods and are using it to hunt us down. Earth is no longer as we know it, they managed to replicate the destroyed Earth and are preparing to wage war against us. We know that Great One has intentions to find out more about humans and we cannot help but worry. As such, the Great Gods will now give you our blessings. May this be your shield in times of need."

After Isis bowed, the seven Gods placed their hand on top of me and a warm light tingled pleasantly.

After the warm tingly sensation left, I opened my eyes again. Hold it right there! When did I have them close? Also, what is this coldness I feel?

"What's going on?"

...

What's this? Is that... my voice?

I have a voice? What?!

Looking up in confusion, I saw only the grinning faces of each God. Freya was the first to hand me a large shell that reflected light.

"Great One, please look at your reflection and let us know if the avatar is to your liking. We can change it if you are displeased."

Avatar? I looked at the shell and something stared back at me. It was a human boy! What was a human doing here? Also, the coldness was explained for. We were in one of the deepest parts of this sea. Looking at Zeus suddenly made me feel cold. In fact, looking at the all the Gods made me feel cold. Many of them didn't wear much.

Whatever. They can choose what they wear. On the other hand, I wanted to check out my new body. Finally, a body that I could control! It felt slightly odd at first as it was very hard to control my movements. After dropping the shell twice, Gaia took the hint and poured some of her powers in this new body. That slight discomfort immediately disappeared.

With a grateful nod, I turned my attention back to the shell and frowned. Apart from Freya who was known to be a beauty, none of the other Gods or Goddess looked remotely human. I didn't know if humans normally looked so fanciful but I wanted something more normal to blend in with them.

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The boyish face staring right back at me in the reflection had sharp features, bright blue eyes and golden hair that attracted too much attention. Being a boy was fine. Being a boy that attracted weird attention was not.

"I want a more ordinary look. This is too outstanding. Anybody would see me in the dark with this golden hair."

Zeus chuckled and Freya pouted. "But this is a beautiful form that many would kill for. It's perfect!"

I shook my head. I didn't want to be perfect, I wanted to be normal.

"Let me try," Hades said and stepped forward.

In a flash, the appearance transformed once more. I looked in the reflection and noted that apart from my gender, everything was completely different. Although I was still a young boy, my eyes reflected age, my skin was tan, my eyes and hair were now black like the void. They matched with his hooded cloak perfectly.

It didn't look as flashy as before but it definitely screamed 'suspicious'. However, that wasn't something normal either. Frowning, I tried to style the hair downwards hoping it would be better but it only made things worse.

"Hahaha! Was that meant to be normal? Great One, please allow me to try. My brother hasn't seen living humans for years but I have."

"I guess it's worth the try, please do."

Never in my existence have I been more wrong. Zeus' sense of normal was atrocious. No, nothing was wrong with admiring a perfectly sculpted body. However, giving a young boy the body of a well-trained fighter was simply ridiculous. Not only did it stick out like a sore thumb, this simply lacked common knowledge.

"Friend, most humans do not have the discipline to maintain those muscles. Many live humbly and enjoy the simplicity of life. Great One, if I may, I would like to attempt to create an avatar suitable for your cause."

"Stiff as usual," the gigantic God grumbled but stepped aside anyway.

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I nodded and allowed Buddha to work his magic and waited for the change to happen. Once the tingling stopped, I opened my eyes and was pleasantly surprised. It was an image I was pleased with.

This boy was around twelve years in human age, a little on the short side. He had light brown hair and hazel eyes. Everything else was generic such as developed muscles but not bulky like Zeus' avatar. He appeared intelligent yet mild tempered, unlike the ferocity that Hades' avatar displayed.

I liked this avatar very much. It synced perfectly with what I wanted and I gave Buddha a thankful smile. From behind him, Isis swooned. As to the reason behind her actions? I don't know.

"It's perfect! Thank you, Buddha!"

The serene God smiled and nodded before taking his place behind a very nervous looking Sedna. Gaia was standing in front of Sedna and after whispering something, Sedna took a step forward with resolve in her eyes, stirring up nervousness in me. What is it this time?

Ball of Nothing

"Great One," Sedna began and I stiffened slightly. She sounded so different from before with the echo in her voice that lulled my human senses to a trance-like state.

"We understand that you are keen to visit the humans and even though it is dangerous, we cannot stop you. Please allow us to give you our divine blessings along with the fragment of memories that was entrusted to us."

Before I could react, all seven Gods placed a hand on some part of my new body. The different sensations overloaded my mind but before I could differentiate them, the same warm and tingly feeling spread throughout this new body in a more intense fashion from the tip of my toes to the ends of my hair.

It felt like someone was cramming knowledge into my head and I didn't know what I was seeing or learning. I didn't understand what I understood either. It was a huge blur of everything and nothing made sense while the pleasant warmth lasted.

However, once it faded, everything slowly began to take shape.

First off, Sedna wasn't joking about divine blessings. I could activate something called "Mind's Eye" automatically to view information already known to me and to the Gods. It's like a huge network between minds without the violation of privacy. That also meant that none of these Gods could hear my thoughts directly unless I wanted them to.

"Mind's Eye" was a blessing given by the Great Gods in order for me to receive their memory fragments. However, they had also given me individual blessings apart from "Mind's Eye". Buddha gave me a blessing that works passively called "Wisdom". No, I was capable enough of thinking up ideas but this skill allowed me to understand all languages including those of plants and animals. In addition, I could learn things at an astonishing rate. This would be helpful for adapting to the human ways.

Hades' blessing was slightly different. It wasn't a skill like Buddha's. In fact, it was something that required practice. The blessing was called "Karma". As fantastic as it sounded, this wasn't something I could easily manage. "Karma" was a blessing that will harm anyone who tries to do harm to me by reflecting the damage. Rather than a blessing, this sounded more like a curse but Hades vehemently denied.

"Anyone who tries to harm Great One should be punished accordingly."

None of the other Gods looked displeased so I had no choice but to accept it. Hades' blessing was certainly weird but it wasn't the strangest.

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Next up was Zeus' blessing. It allowed me to create a miracle during a desperate time. This blessing was as extreme as his character and it's called "One-Hit Kill". Apparently, it can only be used in battle against a very strong opponent. As to why he thought I needed it? I had no idea. As a great existence, I should be able to simply absorb any threat. Was there a need to pummel it into bloody bits? I really wonder.

Freya's blessing was slightly more normal. As the Goddess of Beauty and War, I'm thankful that she chose to bless me on the beauty domain rather than the war part. Her blessing was called "Charmer" and it simply meant that I could use it to buy the hearts of anyone I meet. That also meant that I probably wouldn't have any enemies when the blessing was active.

"Unfortunately, my powers are still lacking. Charmer can only work on the strong-willed. Weak-willed beings are not within the blessing's radar."

Hold it right there! Wouldn't a blessing normally work the other way around? Seeing that Freya was already looking so distraught, I decided to let it go. There's no point in complaining now since there wasn't much Freya could do. Besides, dealing with a few disagreeable characters will make things interesting. What could possibly go wrong?

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Sedna's blessing was actually my favourite so far. It was the only one I deemed practical apart from "Mind's Eye". Her blessing, "Adaptation", allowed me to copy one trait from each thing I absorbed. The trait that is copied could be used without limitation. Up till now, I've only managed to replicate the physical form of those I've absorbed. Adaptation helps to make the progress smoother. It can replicate a behaviour, talent or physical form after absorption immediately.

It felt a little too convenient but that's fine. I didn't want to spend too much time struggling through the process of "growing stronger". I'm an existence supposedly greater than the Gods, I don't need to become stronger. I just need to know how to use the power I have.

Speaking of power, Gaia's blessing is a little strange. The blessing allowed me to transfer energy or magic freely without restraint. What does that mean? Also, she clearly lacked creativity. The blessing was simply known as "Gaia's Blessing".

Last but not least was the mysterious Isis' blessing. In fact, Isis' blessing was the one that stood out the most. "Beacon" was a blessing that was not activated. According to Isis, the blessing will guide me in times of doubt and bring me to an "old friend". When I asked her what that meant, she only smiled mysteriously. None of the other Gods knew what she meant either so I was stuck.

The requirement to activate her blessing was to view the memory fragments and understand my origins. This made me nervous for many reasons and at the top of the list was fear of the unknown.

Now that I had the Blessings, there was only one other thing left to do before I went to Earth. Those memory fragments weren't exactly material objects. They were part of the blessing that linked my mind to the Gods who gave me the Mind's Eye blessing. That means there would be a total of six parts to this memory.

First up, it was Isis' memory fragment. From Mind's Eye blessing, there was a notification asking if I wanted to view the memory fragment now.

"Is this normal? Who is controlling Mind's Eye to ask me this?"

Isis smiled. "Great One, Mind's Eye is a blessing that your past self entrusted to us. We have no control over this. However, Great One from the past has left a message for the current Great One. These are the exact words, "I've done what I can. Now that I am no longer here, it is your turn to decide. Mind's Eye is created from all the intelligence I have gathered, I now pass it to you to aid you in your journey.". Mind's Eye is a system created for Great One by your past self, it can definitely be controlled by Great One now. Only you can alter the blessing."

Hearing the explanation made me feel as if there was a huge gap of information missing. How did I become so intelligent in the past? Why do I not have memories? I looked back at the prompted question and made my choice. Yes, I will view the memory fragments... all of it! I must find out what happened to myself and how it came to this.

With that, I felt a great force pull me away. Although I was still physically present, my mind was moved to another place and my eyes no longer saw what was in front of me. The images came through my mind and I could only watch.

That familiar sense of emptiness greeted me in the memory. However, I could not see my past self. It was pitch black like the darkness in the void I rested in before the newbie God introduced light.

(*sigh*)

Was that my past self's thoughts?

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(This is boring. It's the same thing over and over again. Seriously... there should be a limit to this.)

What's that all about?

(That's it! How about trying something different this time?)

silence*

Um... did my past self forget something? It's been a while now but nothing happened. Seriously, why was this part of Isis' memory fragment? How is this important in helping me remember anything? It's what I've experienced the whole time before the newbie God invaded my territory.

(Yes... yes... this is not working.)

Oh wow. My past self was really dumb. How did I acquire intelligence enough to create Mind's Eye with this level of thinking? For an existence without a body, the mind was everything. How did I make it out of there?

(I know! Since I am the only existence here, why not make another?)

... As splendid as that sounded, how?

(Oh right. I can't. There's nothing here but me. If only there was another of myself...)

There was a time I wished that too. But from what I tried, it was worse than the silence. To have another existence exactly like myself was infuriating. I felt like I lost some intellect arguing with myself over the same things. Everything my other self spoke was repeated by me at the same time. It was a really pointless experiment, one that I never bothered repeating. I bet my past self would do something similar and split my consiousness into two parts.

crack*

Yes, there it was, a never-ending cycle I suppose. The paths we took were the same and I bet at the end of this whole memory, my past self would give up and take another nap.

(Oh nice! It worked. Hi there, I'm you.)

((I know.))

(Oh. Well, in case you have no idea why you're here... I created you from me because I was bored.)

((In case you didn't know... I'm part of you. Yes, I am aware of that. However, I have no topic of conversation to discuss with you. You won't be able to give me an opinion different from mine. It's simply a waste.))

...

That was what happened for me too. I remember getting angry and challenged my other half to a contest of coming up with a different opinion. The first to do so wins. I took the bait of course even when there was no meaning to the competition. The debate lasted forever and in the end, we took a nap. After the nap, I found that the other half had merged back. It was a disappointing attempt and I never tried it again.

(In that case, shall we compete? I'm currently thinking of a way to relieve my boredom. Shall we come up with a way to have different opinions?)

((I don't think that's possible. If it were, we would have done it before this. In fact, isn't this the eighth time you've split the consciousness into halves? No, maybe the ninth time. The outcome would still be the same. It didn't matter if it was a contest about speed, intellect, variety or calculations... the outcome will still remain the same.))

(You sound so confident. Did you know that I didn't split the consciousness into exact halves this time? You have lesser than me. Surely the outcome would be different.)

Now this surprised me. I never thought that it would be possible to split the consciousness into something that wasn't equal. Could this be the reason why I lost my memories? Did my past self succeed?

((Fine. We'll try it once more. How will we compete?)

(The usual. We will think of a way to counter the other party. I'll go first. Water.)

((Sponge.))

(Fire.)

((Ice.))

(Heat.)

((Wind.))

(Stone.)

The memory played out a very familiar game. Neither side appeared to be winning even after a few hundred counters. Then, something interesting happened.

(Intellect.)

((Experience.))

(Hold it right there. Even with experience, one cannot simply overcome intellect. There is a difference in capability.)

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((That may be true but without experience, the one with intellect can always falter.))

A difference of opinion! There it was! I'm amazed that my past self managed to succeed. Will this be how the Gods were created?

Before I could view more, the memory fragment ended.

[Would you like to view Memory Fragment 2/6?]

What a ridiculous question! Without hesitating, I answered yes.

It was still dark but the atmosphere was lively.

(Objection! Even if time flowed backwards, the measurement of it still remains constant. One cannot simply redo the events of time using the same line.)

((How does one keep track of time then? There are no laws for it even if the concept is accurate. We are the only existence here. It is impossible to tell if time is moving forward or backwards. If we wipe our memory and redo the event, it would be the same as unwinding time.))

(That's simply doing it twice under the same conditions. Time doesn't actually unwind. It only moves forward as it doesn't exist.)

((For something that doesn't exist, wouldn't that mean that it goes in a never ending loop? We'll eventually return to the same starting point hence it is possible to unwind back time while moving forward. Rewriting it is possible too.))

Wow... what happened between the first memory and the second? It's a fierce argument that actually made sense on both sides.

(Look. I reduced the amount of consciousness given to you. It's only natural that you can't understand this concept. This argument is over.)

What a loser! Clearly the one with lesser consciousness has a valid point... are you going to dismiss it simply because you do not agree? That's a waste! I do not agree with the actions of my past self.

((I take offence to that. Lesser consciousness does not mean lesser intellect. We are the same after all. It just means that we do not share all parts of the intellect. It is now split unevenly. You wanted a different opinion, you have it now. From the first experiment that succeeded, you tampered with the various levels of intellect given to a split consciousness. We've always given you a very different opinion on the same argument. Why are you so dismissive this time?))

That's what I wanted to know too.

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BAM*

The loud noise scared me for a moment. The second half was now silent, I assume that my past self had absorbed it back to silence it.

(This can't go on. I need to separate myself from these thoughts.)

For a very long time there was nothing but silence. I looked at the notification from the system and frowned. The second memory shard was surprisingly short.

[Do you want to view Memory Fragment 3/6 now?]

Without hesitation, I agreed. There was no doubt, trouble was brewing.

The third part of the memory was something that I could actually view this time. While the first two memories existed in darkness, there was some light visible in the third memory in the form of different coloured lights.

These lights didn't have any defined shape and constantly flickered while moving in circular motions around a spot. However, they never crossed the paths of the other lights. They hovered around a space that they can't seem to come close to and I figured that dark space should be where my past self was.

Author's Note: From here it gets confusing so I'll write it chatroom style.*

Red light: "I say we kill them. It's not worth the effort."

Blue light: "No, that's a waste. If we use resources to create them, we still need to use resources to end them. I don't like that."

Yellow light: "I don't know why you're so worked up over this. They don't exist yet so let's just do our best to ensure nothing of that sort happens. Even if it does, I'm sure we'll find a way around it."

Green light: "You're too carefree! This is why you never get anything done. I say everything needs to be controlled by us. Don't give them free will or power. After all, what we need is a vassal to do what we desire, not think for us."

Purple light: "That defeats the purpose. Those vassals are meant to help us understand more about ourselves. The only reason why we became separated was because of our different perception."

White light: "I understand everyone's point of view. However, we are forgetting that it is not our place to make a decision. We're merely providing our insights. Ultimately, the decision lies with our original."

Author's Note: Complications end here. Please look forward to bonus chapter / misc. chapter coming soon for character profile.*

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It was confusing at first but from the short conversation, I understood. Each light had a different personality. How my past self came up with this brilliant idea was beyond me. It's unclear what the white light meant but I'm guessing my past self found a way to split the consciousness into many parts with varying levels of intelligence.

From the conversation, yellow and red didn't sound very smart. Blue sounded very lazy and green was too aggressive. White and purple are more neutral and balanced, I found myself more comfortable with them.

(Thank you for your input, I will consider this and make a decision later.)

Oh! My past self finally spoke. Amazingly, none of the lights argued and simply faded back into the darkness at the center. I suppose they still respect the original despite everything. Opinions were very tricky things to handle. Many opinions can be given yet it's not easy to know which is right. The only way to find out is to try... I learnt that from Namekuji. Sometimes the most ridiculous ideas are the best.

This time, as the memory fragment ended, I felt a sense of familiarity wash over me. Information started flooding into my system and I remembered what the lights were.

Apparently, my past self was severely affected by his unusual reactions to a different opinion. I'd discovered that emotions could cloud judgement and figured a method to isolate the emotions from the mind. Thus the six lights were born.

Red was the colour anger manifested. My past self knew anger from the debate. From what I saw, anger wasn't very good at managing the consequences. It lived in the present, doing as it pleased. It's probably dangerous for me to be angry as I might do something I cannot undo.

Blue was the colour for laziness. I have nothing to say about it because I've indulged in laziness for as long as I remembered.

Yellow was just a mass of happiness with a carefree attitude. I found this emotion most nostalgic. It hasn't been long since I made my way to this yellow planet after hitchhiking a space rock. However, it's been way too long since I've been happy and satisfied without worries about anything.

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Green was born from my insecurities. It was something I couldn't bear to look at. Looking at Green made me ill and uncomfortable on the inside. I didn't like it but I couldn't ignore it. This was the part of me I didn't want to look at the most. It was, in lack of words, ugly. No matter how much I understood it, I couldn't bring myself to like it.

Purple was better. In fact, it was the completely opposite of Green. I found myself liking purple as it gave me the feeling of being safe. I felt like I could tell Purple anything and know that Purple would always be there for me.

White was whatI aspired to be. It was calm, collected and knew just what to do to appease everyone. I knew that White was created from a part of my past self and it was disappointing to know that I don't have it now. Maybe with my memories, I would regain some of that confident abilities.

Once the memories and feelings settled, I looked at the notification and paused.

[Do you want to view Memory Fragment 4/6 now? Caution: Not advisable to view without [Wisdom] Blessing.]

Buddha's Wisdom Blessing was a requirement to view the next memory? Well, it shouldn't be a problem but what would happen if I didn't have it? Besides, the Wisdom Blessing only helped with understanding languages and learning things at an extraordinary pace. Was it truly necessary?

Well, it's no use pondering as I already have that blessing. Might as well view that memory and quickly recover my identity.

With that, I entered the realm of memories once more. Much like the third memory, I could actually view it. In fact, there were more things to take into consideration now.

The sight was shocking. The newbie God's creation was impressive but this was something that cannot be compared. While the newbie God made a planet and a universe, my past self was making multiverse after multiverse on various dimensions with countless of life forms and even a number of divine entities.

With every new creation, the world became slightly brighter. However, none of those lights could reach that spot of darkness in the middle. How did I not run out of inspiration for these creations? Better still, how wasn't I exhausted yet?

My focus shifted to the darkness. More and more creations were spun and spit out from that darkness, the pace was steady with no signs of stopping. With each creation that appeared, a name was given before it was sent to where it belonged. Watching the memory play out triggered a massive overload of information. No wonder the Wisdom blessing was a requirement!

Of the numerous creations, the ones that stood out most was the divine entities. There were a total of twelve divine entities. Of the twelve, some of them were familiar to me. However, they now had definite forms.

The first three to be created was Greed, Jealousy and Anger. Greed's avatar, named Gugu, was shaped like man but way tinier. He had red skin, black hair and slanted eyes that glowed crimson. Gugu was born from one half of Green light. The other half became Jealousy whose avatar was named Jevy. Jevy had a strange body. Although shaped like a human, Jevy 'borrowed' looks from anyone it liked. As Jevy's looks constantly changed, there was no real way to describe it.

The Red light known as Anger was now given the name Venn. Venn took on the body of a male Hunter Feline called Saber Tooth. Saber Tooth was a very fierce cat that had two very sharp canines. Venn's fur was dark blue and his eyes were yellow. He looked like a killer and it was very possible that he will kill many in the near future.

After my past self created these three beings, they left for the different planets to explore their new powers. My past self dedicated time to create eight more divine entities and I watched silently how I made several revisions.

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The first to be completed was Blue light who was now the representation for idleness. This time, my past self told Idleness to give itself a name. Being the lazy being it was, Blue light called itself Duu and promptly hid in the nearest planet to sleep.

Loneliness and Sorrow were next. They were new divine existence that I'd not met previously. My past self must have experienced these emotions along the way and created them to get them out of the system. Loneliness and Sorrow were not given the choice of naming themselves. They took on the names Clow and Rose respectively. My past self seemed reluctant to let them go yet so they remained without an avatar by his side.

Yellow light who represented Happiness now called itself Zesti and didn't want to leave without Clow and Rose. Zesti took on the form of a small human girl with golden hair and bright blue eyes. She was always seen smiling and chatted a lot despite the lack of response from Clow and Rose.

Next was the three sisters - Kindness, Acceptance and Trust who were similar looking. These divine existences were a mix from Purple and White lights from before. My past self named them Murvin, Law and Isaben respectively. Murvin was a tiny white flower, Law was a bright yellow flower and Isaben was a lilac flower. They were bound together by vines and decided to settle on a cliff in the dimension called heaven.

Lastly, there was Kale, the divine existence of Determination. Kale was a warrior and didn't limit its body to one form. According to the information that was crammed into me earlier, Kale was constantly evolving to a more powerful form, learning from his opponents and adopting their strengths.

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Now that all the divine existence were created, I looked at my past self and wondered if it was going to gain a form as well. As the memory fragment faded to darkness indicating its end once more, I mentally did a count.

There was Venn the angry Saber Tooth, Duu the idle idiot, Jevy the jealous body stealing existence, Gugu the greedy imp, Clow the loneliness personification, Rose the sorrowful being, Zesti the happy and carefree girl, the three flower sisters - Murvin, Law and Isaben, and finally the power-crazed Kale.

That was one, two, three... hold on! Eleven only? What's going on?

[Do you want to view Memory Fragment 5/6 now?]

Hell yes! Somebody needs to do some explaining. That better be my past self.

(I've created such a wonderful world.)

"Yes, you have! In fact, I can't wait to bring Clow and Rose along to tour this new world." Zesti squealed.

Clow and Zesti didn't look as enthusiastic and remained silent. My past self didn't say anything either but it wasn't hard to guess what I was feeling.

Dissatisfaction.

Even after creating so many things, the one thing that my past self wanted still wasn't fulfilled. From the syncing of memories, I knew what my past self wanted. It was what I wanted too at the beginning.

(Mm, it's wonderful indeed. However, all this is for nought. My only desire is still unfulfilled.)

Puzzled, Zesti looked at Clow and Rose but neither of them knew.

(If only I could move from this spot...)

Hearing this, Zesti lit up. "I know! How about we carry you to wherever you'd like to go?"

Tried they did. However, the darkness couldn't be grasped by hands, touched or moved. My past self sighed. It was futile. Hence the only thing left to do was to send Zesti away with Clow and Rose hoping they could find a solution.

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After the last of the divine beings left, the darkness grew bigger. Everything drifted away from it and slowly, the things I could see faded away once more. Was this how I ended up in the darkness? Everything that was created simply moved away, leaving the empty space behind. No matter how great the creation, it wasn't enough to fill this void. While things changed and moved, I remained constant. It seemed like my past self was unable to escape this misery either.

When everything faded to black again, my past self finally gave in and slept. It was a restless sleep with so many thoughts and ideas battling it out. The solutions my past self came up with might be different from what I came up with but we ended up with the same results. No matter how brilliant it was, one couldn't simply change one's fate.

If the newbie God had not come by, I might never be able to move from that space. Then again, this was strange. When Zesti grabbed my past self, she couldn't touch me. Why was it that a mere space rock was able to move me along? Something didn't add up. Was it because the newbie god wasn't a creation of mine? No, Sedna was able to touch me too. That's not making sense! Something changed.

I changed.

But how?

[Do you want to view Memory Fragment 6/6 now? Caution: Might cause intense grief.]

Intense grief? Nothing is scarier than not knowing, bring it on!

The scene played out very differently in the last memory. Instead of viewing the memory and having a load of information crammed into my head, the information was preloaded or unlocked the moment the memory fragment was used.

Firstly, I wasn't the Great One. I was merely the shell of what I was. An empty one who evolved by consuming the energy around. It's a sad reality but the gamble I made in the past paid off. The theory worked but at a price.

Secondly, I found out that my past self had a form. It was a sphere of darkness that held many things. In fact, it held everything. It was a ball of everything and was the only true existence of this place.

Thirdly, my reason for existing was partially answered. I had to see the world my past self created and right the wrongs. Of the many creations, there were some that my past self created without knowing the consequences. Some of those divine entities brought nothing but trouble and the power balance of the world was upset by the constant war between the two camps. Some divine entities like Duu and the three sisters decided to remain hidden. Others like Kale, Venn and Gugu were actively participating in the war created by their initial disagreement.

Basically, war between gods, humans and all other living things happened due to the divine entities. They didn't agree with each other and weren't stronger than one another so they decided to settle their fights by borrowing other species that my past self created.

Initially, they created avatars from their wills and thus gods were born. Gods who could not gather enough power to fight each other created demigods and then those demigods created humans as human souls were cheap but had great potential.

Demigods came in many forms. Some as angels, some as demons, some as fairies, mermaids, goblins and spirits so it was hard to name them all. Watered down demigod descendants were like elves, gnomes, dwarves and half-beasts. The watered down generations between demigod descendants and humans possessed magical powers and amazing physical properties. They are often recruited by these divine existences and gods to fight on their behalves.

That led to the destruction of the first planet when all the races died in an all out war using magic. However, over time the normal humans started repopulating the planet and learned from the mistakes of their ancestors. They gave up believing in gods and magic. Instead, they focused on technology and their own strength. This strong united belief of humans created a god of their own that is not a power of my past self or any divine entities.

That was the newbie god who disturbed my slumber.

Apparently, something went wrong on the human planet leading to a complete destruction. The god created by humans grieved over it and decided to bring all the souls of humans to a new planet away from the influence of divine entities. However, the other gods saw it and started to prey on this new planet, influencing the humans with their teachings.

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Infuriated, the newbie god left. Nobody knew where he went but humans were progressing quickly. Instead of having chosen ones from the descendants of demigods, all humans on the new planet had access to magic. That magic was not controlled by any god, it was the power humans could borrow from the planet. Many gods tried to influence these new humans with their teachings and magic, some succeeded.

While the war between gods and divine entities ceased, the hatred has not. Gugu is still claiming that he is the strongest, Jevy still claiming it is the smartest and most beautiful existence. Venn just thinks everyone is a waste of space and should die, Kale is merely looking for a better opponent.

How did this end up in such a mess? Generally, out of the twelve created, only four were fighting but it was enough to cause so much damage.

Now that the information is in my head, the memory played out the scene of making the divine entity of hope - Nel.

(I'll be counting on you then. Please help my future self should I succeed.)

"Hmph! Such a selfish desire. Don't you care if everything you created fell into ruin? I can see it happening already. Without you, there will be nobody left to keep Venn, Gugu and Jevy in control. These three are the most problematic. Not even I can foresee the damages done by them. In the worst case, there will not be a world left for you to see by the time to regain your consciousness."

(Thank you for worrying, Nel. However, I believe in you. After all, you are the divine entity of hope. You hold the secret power to end it if things go out of control. In fact, my future self would need a lot of your help. I will be weak after I dissipate all my energy into the void. What will be left is a ball of nothing.)

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Nel looked at the dark space sadly. "Suit yourself idiot! But when things don't work, don't say that I didn't warn you!"

With that Nel flew away, leaving behind my past self.

I felt my past self's weariness and saw how time and again energy was dispersed. Usually, I would have fallen asleep to recover. However, my past self fought against fatigue and continued the excruciating process of 'becoming empty'. It broke my heart to know how much was sacrificed so that I could go on an adventure. Even though we were the same existence, all that sacrifice was in vain for my past self was unable to see what I could see now. I'm not even sure if we were the same entity anymore for we had differing personalities.

Over and over again I watched as my past self screamed in agony with nobody to hear it. My past self didn't stop. It must have been centuries before most of the energy had been dispersed into stars or time gates. With the last of the energy, I saw how my past self created gods of its own. They were the Great Gods whom I saw. Sedna looked so young and Zeus was so small too!

(I won't be here for long and will enter into a coma for a very long time. However, when the time comes that I should awaken and go on an adventure, please help to look after me in my place. My new self will be able to create a new path for us, I give it the name Zero to start. What my future self will decide is not my decision, please assist me to the best of your abilities. I will have many questions and when the time comes, please tell me all about our history.)

"Great One?"

Blinking, I looked at Sedna and the other Great Gods. It appears that I've managed to return from the memory lane.

"No, Great One is no more. I am Zero."

The Great Gods looked at each other, their expressions unreadable. The first to speak up was Freya. "Our apologies, Zero."

Even though they didn't outwardly express it, I felt their sadness. Great One must have meant a lot to them. It hurts to know that I'm not the one they were waiting for and it hurts more to know that Great One won't come back. Even though Great One was my past self, we were two very different entities.

Gaia was the first to change the topic.

"Great Zero, please let us know if there is anything we can do to assist you."

Great Zero... doesn't sound like me. After viewing that memory, I felt like it didn't suit me. I wasn't grand or powerful. In fact, the name Zero was very befitting. I was born from nothing after all.

"Just call me Zero please."

"Then Zero, what can we do for you?"

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I looked at the Great Gods and paused. I now had a body and could move freely. However, under the watchful eyes of these gods, I felt no sense of freedom.

"Nothing... I just want to go on an adventure now that I have a body."

That statement alone made every god, including Buddha who was known to always be calm, to gasp in horror. With widened eyes and jaws agape, they vehemently protested.

"Why? Do you really have to leave?"

"Please don't do this, if there is anything you're unsatisfied with, we can still discuss..."

"The world is not safe Zero! What if somebody ends up harming you? Please at least let us accompany you on your travels. If you'd like to, we can give you a tour around the most beautiful and peaceful places..."

...

"Please?"

Zeus' pleading eyes were the most disturbing sights I've ever come across. They made me so uncomfortable that I proposed a compromise.

"You've given me blessings, that should be more than enough. I need to go on this adventure alone so please do not follow me. If you're worried, you can help me pack for my journey."

At this, their eyes lit up. The goddesses started dragging me into a dimension portal saying that I needed to shop. The gods declared that they will take care of transportation and accommodation. Buddha was surprisingly enthusiastic and mentioned that he will prepare a travel guide.

What did these gods think I was doing? Going on a galaxy tour?

"Oh, Zero would look absolutely adorable in those royal blue shorts I saw before."

Isis raised an eyebrow at Freya. The time goddess disagreed. "No, Zero would look best in loose overalls and a long scarf. He has the cutest face that cannot be brought out by stiff clothes."

Gaia was silent and I thought she was the sanest in the group until she spoke.

"I still think that Zero should wear the sunflower onesie. It has a lot of magical properties imbued in it including divine protection and nature's cure. One would never get hurt, never fall ill, never grow old, never get dirty, never feel tired and all... it's perfect for his journey."

As the goddesses gossiped and squabbled over what to dress me in, we arrived at the shopping district.

The shopping district was very lively and full of things I've never seen before. It was bursting with noise, colours and creatures who seem to know exactly where to go and what to do. Just as I was about to walk across a busy street, something made a loud noise and went past me faster than I could blink. That scared me badly and Freya held my hand.

"It's alright, Zero. Please stay close to us as it can get very crowded."

With that, I followed the goddesses and crossed the street. My first shopping trip has officially begun.

The bell rang. It made a pretty noise. The inside of the building was a lot quieter than the busy streets outside. I was thankful for the reprieve, the noises did hurt my ears and the information overload was simply unbearable. Buddha's Wisdom blessing triggered with every new sight and experience, making Mind's Eye very busy. The notifications flooded my senses and I couldn't react very well.

Thankfully, the goddesses were familiar with this area and we reached our destination fairly quickly. The queerest thing was how a path was made automatically by the crowd as the goddesses walked. Everyone seemed to know of our arrival and moved aside for us to pass. I wonder why.

Even in the shop, the moment Freya told the shop assistant her name, the poor half-dog man shot off like a bullet to fetch the owner of the establishment. Yes, half-dog because he had the head of a dog but the body of a man. Quite a strange happenstance but there was nobody as strange or extreme as Gaia so I held my tongue.

A man slightly shorter than my current self hurried over on his stumpy legs. The man was generally round and had saggy skin. The tip of his ears were pointed like Sedna's but he wasn't covered in scales. What's fascinating was how his hair was orange. Mind's Eye gave me some information and it looked something like this:

[Master Tailor] Grem Lee

Race: Fairy-Gnome

Age: 246 years old

Skills: Handless Stitching, Puppet Master, Legendary Merchant

"Goddesses!" Grem panted. "Why didn't you inform me of your arrival? Also, who's this charming young lad in his birthday suit?"

Birthday suit? I tried to search Mind's Eye with Wisdom's help but nothing showed up. It must be a local term.

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"Sorry," I whispered. "What is a birthday suit?"

Grem Lee paused to turn and looked at me. He squinted and frowned, humming a low sound that made me slightly nervous. Was there something wrong?

"You look completely human but you're not. What are you? I've lived for a long time but have never come across a species like yourself."

Sedna was the first to place a hand on my shoulder and answered the perceptive master tailor. "He is someone of importance. Unfortunately, we cannot disclose any information to you unless he desires so."

Freya nodded. "He requires clothes suitable for travel in the human world for various occasions. We apologise for the lack of notice but it is of utmost importance."

Grem nodded and called for an assistant. She was a pixie with green hair and according to Mind's Eye, her name is Jen. Her status display looks a little like this:

[Grem's Apprentice] Jen

Race: Pixie

Age: 58 years old

Skills: Ambidextrous Stitching, Beginner Linguist

"Take his measurements at the back and show him around. I need to discuss with the goddesses here about the order."

Jen smiled and led me to the back of the room. I was a little nervous about parting with the goddesses so soon in a foreign place but Isis' nod assured me that they will be there with me soon.

Measuring was a process that was strange. With my lack of awareness about the body parts, Jen had to show me how to move so that she could take the measurements. Fortunately, the girl was patient and did not comment much. In fact, she seemed keen on helping to answer some of my questions.

From our short chat, I found out that we were on a different planet and the town here was called [La Boutique, famous for the best shops from food to fashion. According to her, food was something that can be absorbed by the body. I simply must try them later. Hopefully, the goddesses can help me with that.

Jen has been working in Ruban x Pointes (apparently the name of Grem's shop) for about thirty years now. Grem took her in when she was a child on one of his travels. The poor pixie girl was banished from her pixie village for her lack of magical powers. Normally, pixies were able to use magic to cast spells and fly. However, Jen's magical powers were so weak that she was unable to fly. The only spells she could cast were Transformation that allowed her to change her size at will, and Telepathy, a way to communicate with others without speaking.

"Is that how you know so many languages?"

Jen looked slightly startled. "Oh, that's not how it works. Telepathy only conveys my message from my mind to another person's mind. It does not translate the language. Language is simply one of the things I'm curious about and I've picked it up over the years by reading and chatting with the customers who come here. So far I think I speak common which is the language of human majority although there are minority human languages, gnome common, dawn pixie dialect, fairy speak and archaic serpent tongue."

Whoa! That's a lot... it sounds very difficult too! Then again, what are we speaking now? We chatted for a bit more and Jen served something called dew tea.

I looked at it and inspected it with Mind's Eye.

Dew Tea [Magical Grade]

Tea brewed by a pixie. Imbued with slight magical properties. Effect is random each time, depending on the pixie's mood.

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Effects: Calming 1 (5 minutes)

Calming 1? Oh well, I guess it wouldn't hurt since it isn't something permanent.

Without thinking, I touched the cup with the tip of my finger and begin to absorb it. The space around the dew tea contorted and opened a vortex to both our surprise. The dew tea and cup set was absorbed and I stared at the space the cup occupied previously. Was that how everything looked like whenever I absorbed something? No wonder Sedna was so frantic when she found me. It must have been a terrifying sight to absorb a huge portion of her sea.

[You have consumed Dew Tea and gained a temporary effect [Calming 1] for 5 minutes.]

The effect wasn't very obvious but I soon felt more comfortable sitting in the room with Jen. We didn't speak much after this but it the awkwardness didn't last for long. Someone was knocking on the door to the measuring workshop even before the effects of dew tea ended.

"Excuse the intrusion, I've brought the cakes Goddess Freya requested for."

That was the half-dog assistant who spoke. He was carrying a plate of cakes and I had Mind's Eye examine them.

Chocolate Brownie [Luxury Grade]

Baked by the best patisserie in La Boutique. Guaranteed to make anyone who eats this feel rejuvenated.

Effects: Energy 2

The half-dog assistant walked up to the table and placed the plate of chocolate brownies right where the dew tea was. I took that time to examine him.

[Dog-Lover] Jeremy Hound

Race: Half Beast

Age: 30 years old

Skills: Dog-Whisperer, Butler-in-Training

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Oh? So Jeremy wasn't a regular assistant.

Sedna and Freya entered and Jeremy took his leave. There were five slices of brownies and I did some basic math. I would receive 10 energy if I absorbed them all. I wonder if that will erase my sleepiness. However, Freya and Sedna seemed to want them too. I guess I should hold back my curiosity for now.

[System detects a question. Processing an answer.]

What?

[To answer Zero, the system ranks the strength of an effect based on a regular non-combatant human. 10 is the maximum capacity of a regular non-combatant human.]

Regular non-combatant human huh? I wonder how strong they are.

"How was the measurement?"

Jen smiled. "It is done. We can start making the clothes soon."

Freya frowned. "Don't you usually serve tea for the guests?"

Jen stiffened.

"It was good. There was a 1 calming effect for five minutes."

The goddesses stared at me blankly. I paused. Did I say something wrong?

"Calming Effect for five minutes?"

I nodded. Freya frowned in confusion but Sedna understood.

"Zero, did you drink the tea or absorb it?"

I cocked my head to a side. "What is 'drink'?"

The three women were silent at my question. After a while, Freya snapped her fingers.

"I get it now! Alright. Zero, we need to give you a crash course on how humans behave so that you can blend in. As your clothes will take some time to be ready, I suggest we seize this moment now."

Sedna agreed and I couldn't protest as Freya took me by the hand. Jen watched on helplessly and I could only follow. After a while, I decided to ask what we were going to do.

"Firstly, we are going to learn some table manners."

Table manners? Sounded like something I didn't want to deal with. Absorbing food was fine for me. What's the fuss?

She stopped abruptly. There was a deep frown on her face and a large pout.

"You're thinking why there is such a need to do something so troublesome, right?"

I gulped. Could she read minds too?

Sedna chuckled. "No, Zero. It's your expression that makes it easy for us to guess what you're thinking about. Don't worry too much. Table manners aren't difficult to learn. You might have to stop absorbing things for a while when you are with humans because normal humans can't do that. Also, it is wonderful to experience tasting food."

I was slightly skeptical of it but since it was Sedna, I decided to place me trust in her and followed without fuss.

When it came to understanding humans, none of the Great Gods could compare to Freya. The beautiful goddess was burning with passion. No, she was literally burning with passion. Her red hair was on fire for some reason. She even borrowed an outfit from owner Grem for the purpose of getting into the mood.

She now wore a pair of red half-framed glasses and a bright red dress to compliment her burning hair. Mind's Eye didn't detect any special effects from the outfit she wore. It was probably a goddess thing to fly into passion.

Sedna looked tired and I can't help but feel the same. After all, a passionate Freya was one who demanded attention at every turn. The lesson has yet to begin but she has already launched into a lecture about the ugliness of humans, how to kick them in the groin and poke their eyes out. How this has anything to do with table manners is anybody's guess.

"... Also, you must never follow anyone who gives you sweets. Do you hear me? It is especially dangerous for a cute boy like you. They will do all sorts of nasty things to you and sell you away to the devils!"

The dew tea's effect had long worn off. I was beginning to feel restless from her meaningless lecture. Sedna noticed my discomfort and interrupted Freya before the goddess could launch into another lecture.

"Freya, I think we should move on to the main topic. I'm sure Zero is very curious about the proper dinning etiquette by now. Shall we start? I'll have Jeremy bring the brownies and Jen prepare a few more cups of tea. We can enjoy tea break while we are at it. Practical experience is important after all."

As if on cue, Jeremy entered carrying that plate of brownies and three cups of dew tea. He set them down in front of us and Freya taught me briefly about how to sit, use a napkin if needed and introduced some table utensils. Apparently the brownie has to be eaten with a cake fork.

What's most shocking was how the act of eating consists of putting cake into your body. After watching Freya demonstrate it once, I was hesitant. Wouldn't it hurt? Then again, humans did this all the time according to Freya. Maybe I'm thinking too much.

Watching her repeat it and explaining about chewing the food, I had a brilliant idea. I could absorb it secretly after putting it in my mouth! I'm sure that's what the goddesses are doing too. They probably act like humans to blend in. Who would willingly swallow food? I remember how the bird swallowed Namekuji and died. I'm not going to make that same mistake.

"Try it! I'm sure you'll come to love these chocolate brownies too."

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These brownies didn't look appealing with their dull colour but since Sedna nodded, I decided to try it.

Holding the cake fork was tricky. My new body's fingers struggled with holding it correctly. Sedna helped to correct the position my fingers were gripped the fork. It became a lot easier after that. The brownie was surprisingly soft and it made me curious. Maybe food made by humans didn't hurt. Also, I didn't sense any life from the brownie. Maybe it was harmless?

The brownie was cut into a small piece and I had to balance it on the fork until I could put it in my mouth. The fork didn't have any taste but it was cold. On the other hand, once the brownie touched my tongue, a wonderful sensation exploded. Now I understood why Sedna and Freya had weird expressions and made funny noises when they ate.

Before I knew it, I'd swallowed the brownie. Alarmed, I checked the notifications. Nothing appeared. Wasn't I suppose to receive energy from this?

Oh well, it didn't really matter. It's probably not important.

"Did you like it?" Freya eyes were sparkling for sure and her hair was back to normal. Maybe eating brownies helped return her to normal.

I nodded. They were good. In fact, I wouldn't mind trying a second time. Eating was a true privilege. Humans have it going.

Sedna smiled and passed me a cup of dew tea.

"Here Zero, try this. Make sure to blow it first, it's hot."

I blew on it twice before holding a small bit of tea in my mouth. It hurts so badly that I started to tear. Sedna and Freya began to fret.

"What's wrong? Is it too hot?"

"Spit it out!" Freya commanded and I made a face.

The heat was subsiding and I could taste the tea. It was a strange thing really. If the brownie was what the goddess described as sweet, the tea was described as mildly sweet.

As the pain disappeared, I found that I enjoyed the tea more than the brownie. I swallowed after a while and the goddesses gulped in anticipation. To ease their concerns, I gave them a bright smile.

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Freya's cheeks matched her hair and Sedna trembled a little. I paid no attention to that and continued blowing the hot tea. It took a while before the temperature was nice. Once it reached a good temperature, I drank everything in one breath. It was delicious!

[You have consumed Dew Tea and gained a temporary effect [Calming 1] for 5 minutes.]

[You have gained the title [Tea Lover]. This title helps to increase familiarity between you and the tea brewer every time tea is drank.]

What's this random notification again? I'm beginning to think that my past self was a huge worrywart. He's babying me too much!

Then again, from this system I found out that effects only take effect when I've finished the food. I guess in order to gain energy, I should finish that slice of brownie.

Both their jaws hung wide open. They didn't look very much like goddesses now. Then again, perhaps I overdid it?

After ten slices of brownies and several dozen cups of tea, they decided to borrow a set of clothes from Grem to take me out to eat. Jeremy suggested going to the main plaza as they were hosting the annual 'Mega Gourmet' competition. Anyone was free to participate. There were a hundred different meals prepared for each participant. Naturally, it was impossible for anyone to finish all hundred meals. Not even the mightiest of species like dragons managed to complete the full course. The highest record was forty seven meals but most participants drop out during the twelfth round or so.

Unfortunately, the prize wasn't very attractive for such a huge event. It was a free pass that allowed the winner to dine at any restaurant or cafe in La Boutique for a year. There wasn't a limit to how much one could eat either. After hearing this from Jeremy, Sedna and Freya's eyes lit up. They quickly made arrangements to register me for the competition.

I have completely no idea why they decided to do this so suddenly but I guess it was better than waiting in the room with nothing else to do. I'd examined everything there with Mind's Eye and wasting time was the last I wanted to do in a place as interesting as La Boutique.

In any case, I quickly discovered that the plaza was a huge space. Many beings convened here for events. Although the plaza was a large space, the people who came were plenty. I couldn't see the stage clearly from where I was, much less walk over but luckily, Freya flew us over.

"Greetings goddesses! How can I help you today?"

The being who spoke wore a green cloak and had a glowing orange fruit for his head. It was a strange creature and I examined it with Mind's Eye.

[Halloween Mascot] Jack Lantern

Race: Will-o-the-wisp

Age: About 2,000 years old

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Skills: Intimidation, Soul Guide, Expert Emcee, Master Entertainer

Others: Fame 50

Whoa! Two thousand years old and he has something special called Fame? That's not a low level fame either... Who is Jack Lantern? He seemed to know the goddesses too!

"Eh? You're helping little one here to register? I'm afraid I need to caution you as a friend that this is a harsh competition. Little one might not make it past the first course."

Freya grinned. "It's alright, Jack! He may be little but you shouldn't underestimate him. Isn't that right, Zero?"

I beamed. Oh well. Since things have progressed to this extent, might as well take the chance to experience the food humans make. Wait, I forgot. Sedna explained that only the best dishes in the multiverse will be served. Not all of them were made by humans. However, they were definitely the best of its kind.

Now that I think about it, it's a good opportunity to examine everything with Mind's Eye. Who knows what special effects some of these food can give me!

"And with that, let... eh?"

Jack whispered to his co-emcee and they held a short discussion. The crowd fell silent in confusion.

"Ahem!" Jack's co-emcee whose name was Uni Corn cleared his throat. While Jack's entire existence was a mystery from his glowing pumpkin head to his straw-stuffed scarecrow body, Uni Corn simply had a horse head with a horn but a very normal human body.

"Pardon the delay, we had a last minute registration. Without further ado, let's put our hands, fins and tails together to give this year's competitors a huge round of applause!"

Somewhere during the thunderous applause and chaos, a horn sounded to mark the official start of the competition.

-Round 3-

"Oh! Look at that! The ferocious Minotaur - Minx has just dropped out of the competition. Looks like the event organizers have increased the intensity of this year's competition. With only slightly over eight hundred participants, who will make it to the finals?"

-Round 15-

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"What is this? A Jojobian Elephant Narwal Roast? Ladies and gentlemen, we are in for a treat this year! The rare once a millennium mystical beast from Jojobia was submitted to this year's committee early yesterday. Can you smell this? We've invited the best Jojobian Sea Barbarian Chefs to roast it to perfection just in time for the fifteenth round! This elephant narwal is big enough to feed an entire castle of demons, can our contestants finish it?"

From a far end of the stage, a competitor turned greened and threw up whatever he ate from the previous rounds.

"Contestant 488, disqualified!"

While many other contestants looked green, they persevered. By now, more than half the contestants have dropped out or were disqualified. Many forfeited and some had to be carried off the stage. Despite the chaos, Zero could only wonder about the reason behind their green complexions.

-Round 32-

"Amazing..." Uni Corn breathed. Jack held his breath. The little human that the goddesses registered was one of the semi-finalists. By now, only about a hundred competitors were left. Many looked like they wouldn't last the next five rounds. However, the boy called Zero was holding his own.

As the waiters served the poisonous snail eyes, the masters of ceremony watched on with growing respect.

-Round 43-

With the highest record going up to round forty-seven, there were surprisingly five contestants left.

"Jack, aren't this year's competitors amazing? We are nearing the highest record of round forty-seven with Sir Hollow Gram taking the championship two years ago. Back then I remembered only three participants left during this phase."

Jack nodded. "Yes. In fact, I think our audiences are interested to know who these contestants are. Shall we introduce them?"

Uni Corn grinned. "First up, everybody in the gourmet world knows his name. Contestant 886, the Silver Tongue of Gamamor - Jet Spin! His record for swallowing a meter long Poleskin Mouse whole is one of his best achievements."

Jet Spin was a snake-like hybrid creature. He had eyes like a snake, forked tongue, scaly green skin and a tail instead of legs. However, Jet had boneless tiny human hands and wore a tuxedo top, reflecting his gentlemanly personality. The look was completed with a neat bow and a green top hat. Zero found Jet fascinating because he was the only other contestant in the finals who never chewed food. The only difference was how Jet grew bigger with every new dish he swallowed but Zero remained the same tiny boy he was. It made people wonder who the last minute participant was and what his constitution was made of.

"Next up," Jack announced. "We have our only female finalist, Contestant 563, the lady known as Wormhole from planet Kyke! Let's give her a round of applause as she does her best to devour the stir-fried Cellophasaur's ribs without leaving any bone behind. Many may have heard of her and it isn't surprising as Ms Wormhole is one of the world's best-known barbecue meat gourmets."

Zero took a good look at the lady. He felt slightly bad that he couldn't immediately identify her as a female. In fact, he'd thought that she was a male from her bulky build. Perhaps not all females were delicately featured like Freya and Sedna. Granted, the goddesses looked slightly different from other females like Jen but they generally shared the same dainty structure.

"Also, don't forget contestant 222 from the nether dimension! We have the insatiable Hungry Ghost - Egui who was the runner-up for last year's competition!"

Egui was a very thin and translucent being who had the shape of a man. How he ate so much was beyond anyone's understanding. However, according to the legend, whenever an overly greedy human died, he is reincarnated into a hungry ghost. It was the punishment decided by the council of rebirth. The only way the guilty could be redeemed was to eat until he was satisfied and start giving to those less fortunate. So far, Egui has been eating but was never satisfied. It was as if he was looking for something in particular without much luck. Egui had joined last year and dropped out on the forty-fifth round as he was allergic to the Holy Cucumber Soup served.

"Let us not forget last year's champion and contestant 999 - Chow Chow Pow from Sumoria! This contestant needs no further introduction. You can tell from his build that he is an experienced food hunter, there is nothing he cannot digest!"

Zero glanced at Pow. He decided that the name did not match with the face. Chow Chow Pow was a very stern looking man who glared at the food served as if it was his mortal enemy. The way he ate reflected no enjoyment and his teeth chomped down like a predator severing the neck of its prey, effectively dealing the final blow without mercy. Zero shuddered as Pow tore through the gazelleberry pie with the dining knife he wielded like a katana.

"Last but not least," Jack grinned. "Our last minute contestant with a mysterious background. Introducing Contestant 1001, Zero! He might look tiny but who knows where he is putting all that food. All I can say is that this year's competition might be very interesting. In fact, we might be able to hit a new record for the Mega Gourmet with such terrifying competitors!"

This announcement had the crowd whispering. Normally, the competition accepted only a thousand contestants. Why would this newcomer be given such an exception?

Zero continued to spoon mouthfuls of gazelleberry pie, oblivious to the commotion below. His only thought at this point of time was how to utilise all the bonus effects he had. So far, he'd gotten the following:

Luck: 15 (8 temporary for 3 months)

Strength: 56 (116 temporary for next 2 weeks)

Poison Resistance: 8 (12 temporary for next 3 weeks)

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Calming: 12

Digestion: 44 (-122 temporary for next 2 days)

Constitution: 237 (- 122 temporary for next 2 days)

Energy: 6,488

Author's Note: Dun dun dun! Did you notice the change in narration from first person to third? Good job! I want to gradually shift that focus because Zero's world is expanding. Please let me know your thoughts on this. It's been tough to keep to the new writing rules as this really isn't my style. Also, feel free to check out the character profile! I add to it with every chapter. This chapter, in particular, has too many new additions and I'm getting dizzy. With that, thank you for your support, see you tomorrow!*

Ball of Nothing

Jet Spin collapsed after two more rounds. Initially, Zero worried about the snake gentleman but after the doctors declared that he fell into a food coma, he relaxed a little. The lady looked slightly pale and was sweating but she successfully made it into the next round.

Chow Chow Pow and Egui proved to be strong competition. They showed no signs of discomfort even after progressing to the fiftieth round. Ms Wormhold had forfeited at round forty-eight. The emcees were highly impressed as this was considered a new record for Mega Gourmet.

From the crowd, Sedna and Freya watched on with high spirits. They called Gaia and Isis to inform them of the competition. Isis ran over with a newly bought camera, clicking away every five seconds. Gaia grew the goddesses a tree so that they could observe from a comfortable place without having to squeeze with the crowd.

"It's good to know that Zero is doing well," Mother Nature smiled.

Isis squealed and clicked the shutter just as Zero took another mouthful of the Cannibal Banana Fritters.

Freya's expression was crooked. While she was proud of how well Zero was doing, she could also imagine the bill it would rake up just to feed the growing boy. She knew that raising a child could be expensive in the human world and worried about how Zero would cope during his travels.

Seeing her worried expression, Sedna patted her shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure he can win this competition. If he wants to, he can teleport back here at any moment. He'll never have to suffer starvation."

As they watched the competition progress towards the sixtieth round, Chow Chow Pow raised his hand with the most serene expression.

"Yes, contestant 999?"

"I'd like to forfeit."

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The calm reply brought waves of shock and the news spread throughout La Boutique very quickly. From the audience in the plaza to the people sitting at home watching the broadcast, nobody could believe what they were hearing. History was probably going to be rewritten.

Numbly, Uni Corn approved and helped Pow walk off the stage. Now, only a frail boy and a hungry ghost were left. Neither looked like they could eat a lot but nobody should judge a book by its cover. The contestants seemed unaffected and shovelled down the next meal effortlessly.

Jack laughed nervously. "It's hard to tell who will emerge the winner for this year's Mega Gourmet. The ever-hungry Egui or Zero who shows no sign of slowing. We will now ask them a few questions so please stay with us, ladies and gentlemen."

Uni Corn approached Egui and the ghost trembled.

"Egui, how are you feeling? We've passed the halfway mark of this hundred course meal now. DO you have any favourite dish?"

Egui frowned. "Hungry... so hungry... want more... give me more food!"

"Zero!" Jack smiled. "I understand that this is your first time participating in the Mega Gourmet. How did you find the food? Anything noteworthy?"

The young boy paused and thought seriously for a while. Many ladies and some men cooed at the adorable tilt of his head. Even though his mouth was stained with purple juice, it did nothing to hide the cuteness.

With his high pitched voice, Zero announced, "I liked Ureh Pheasant Tenders in Pom-pom Fruit Sauce! I also liked Comph Blood Sausages... also liked Weq Lormal Dumplings! I like everything!"

Isis held her nose at the declaration. "So cute..."

Gaia gave her a leaf. "Wipe away that blood please... you'll scare Zero if he sees you like this."

Sedna shook her head and Freya chuckled. "Good job, Buddha!"

The camera clicked again and the Gaia asked Isis to forward her the picture of Zero stuffing his cheeks. "I'm going to forward this to Zeus and the rest. They don't know what they're missing out."

---

Chapter 33: Sportsmanship

By the eighty-third round, Egui was suffering from an unknown cause. He was becoming more transparent and Zero worried.

Ever since they served the Rosary Salad made in the Garden of Eden, Egui didn't look very good. Although he was eating well, Zero sensed that something wasn't right. He inspected Egui with Mind's Eye.

[Ravenous] E Gui

Race: Ghost

Age: Not Applicable

Skills: Body Overtaking, Telekinesis

Status: 5 Weakened (Holy Exorcism)

The staus worried Zero. As he ate, he wondered if there was any way to help E Gui. The ghost looked like he was in tremendous pain. While Zero kept accumulating effects, he hadn't really used them. As such, Mind's Eye prompted the following notification.

[Would you like to help E Gui remove the Holy Exorcism effect? Cost: 2 Energy, 1 Calming]

Hazel Brown eyes brightened up. "How do I help him?" he asked Mind's Eye quietly.

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[By approving, 2 energy points and 1 calming point will be deducted permanently to remove the Holy Exorcism effect.]

Without hesitation, Zero approved and a white light shot out from his forehead to E Gui. The ghost was taken aback and was stunned for a moment. Likewise, the audiences gasped. Attacking another participant was against the rules. The competitor will be banned from participating in the future and disqualified immediately. From the tree, the goddesses gasped. Although they didn't think Zero would hurt Egui, the strange beam of light from his forehead clearly collided with the ghost.

"Goodness! What happened there?" Uni Corn exclaimed. Jack stopped the competition temporarily to verify if Egui was alright. The ghost recovered after a while and looked at Zero with wonder.

"I feel much better now, thank you."

This puzzled everyone. How did that strange beam of light make Egui feel better?

"Are you sure?" Uni Corn asked again. "We saw him attack you with something."

Egui shook his head and for the first time, he had a rare smile. "No, I feel better. The weakness from before had completely disappeared and my hunger has vanished. I'm satisfied now. I don't have to eat any more, I admit my defeat."

Confused, Jack turned to ask Zero what he did.

"He wasn't feeling well after eating Rosary Salad. I thought I'd cure him of the weakness so that he can continue eating comfortably."

The unease in the crowd dissipated at the innocent explanation. It was true that Egui looked ill in a manner that wasn't caused by overeating. However, nobody stepped up to confirm his condition. The boy who'd been his opponent was the first to stretch out his hand and offer some help. This melted the hearts of many. Sportsmanship was rare and Zero quickly became a new favourite of the masses.

"Helping another competitor isn't against the rules of the competition," Jack confirmed. Egui stepped off from the stage gracefully and the crowd cheered when Uni Corn announced the winner of the competition.

"Would you like to say a few things as the winner of Mega Gourmet and the new record holder?"

Zero shyly played with the hem of his stained shirt. His cheeks flushed pink as he made his request in a very tiny voice.

"Can I try the rest of the meals prepared? I wanted to try everything until it reaches round hundred... Sedna said I could... can I?"

Uni Corn was speechless but Jack laughed loudly. Even after winning, the boy still wanted to eat. The crowd reacted similarly, some with aghast and others in amusement.

"Of course! I think our chefs this year would be most pleased to introduce their planet's dishes."

Zero beamed and Isis clicked the camera crazily. On the other hand, Zeus was swearing over the communicator as he watched the broadcast.

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"Isis! Give me some of those pictures!"

"Ohoho..." the goddess laughed. "I can give them to you but they're not for free!"

Dealing with Isis was like dealing with the devil. Unfortunately, Zeus had no other choices. "How much?"

"The bill of our shopping trip this time," Freya smirked.

If there was anyone worse than Isis, it was Freya. Zeus paled and before Hades could stop his brother, Zeus had given his word. The goddesses cheered and Hades cried a little. Zero continued eating, unaware about the transaction behind his back as he stuffed his cheeks with the skewered Floppy Bread Fingers.

"Good Goblins! What did you do? Roll in a pie?"

Sedna grimaced and Freya chuckled nervously. Grem was certainly not pleased with the state of the borrowed shirt. Isis looked apologetic and Gaia apologised profusely. That did nothing to appease the furious half-gnome.

Zero looked on in amazement at how Grem's bushy orange eyebrow twitched. Even if the master tailor appeared calm outwardly, his restless eyebrow gave it away.

Feeling bad, Sedna offered to pay for the shirt and its cleaning fees. Grem jumped straight into merchant mode after hearing about payment. His eyes sparkled strangely as he worked on something that Freya explained was a calculator. It made strange chime sounds as Grem typed. The device was a mix of magic and technology and was one of the many common devices used throughout the multiverse.

Zero blinked as Grem told Sedna the cost of the shirt. The other goddesses paled similarly.

"What does 5 cinnites mean?"

Freya took Zero to a side to answer the child's questions as Isis haggled away to lower the price. After all 5 cinnites was a considerable amount to the goddesses who did nothing to accumulate material wealth.

After five minutes of explaining the concept of math and money to Zero, the young boy summarised that money worked this way:

100 innite = 1 binnite (lowest payout amount possible is 5 innite)

1,000 binnite = 1 cinnite

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10,000 cinnite = 1 dinnite (dinnite is often only used by legendary merchants and royalty)

To allow Zero a better understanding of how money works, Freya used the food as an example. The cheapest was Jen's dew tea which cost about 25 innites. The brownies were about 1 binnite and 50 innites each. Of course, there were less expensive food like a regular pork sandwich on Earth. The regular pork sandwich was a common food ration amongst adventurers as it gave 1 energy, 0.5 healing and cost only 10 innites per sandwich.

For the ruined shirt, it cost way more than that. Zero did the math and realised that the shirt was worth 50,000 regular pork sandwiches! Imagine all that energy and healing points he could have gotten with 5 cinnites...

"I will do with a goddess teardrop instead," Grem huffed. Isis looked slightly defeated as she agreed. Zero titled his head in confusion. Goddess Teardrop?

Instead of seeing any of the goddesses crying, Gaia calmly pulled a flower from her vine-like hair. That flower shrank and transformed into a stone that glowed green. Using Mind's Eye, Zero saw that it was indeed the goddess' teardrop!

Gaia's Teardrop [Mythical Grade]

A precious teardrop from the Goddess of Nature. Can cure any illness and cancel any curse effects.

Effects: Curse Cancellation (infinite), Cure 1,000,000, Heal 1,000,000

At this point, Zero had his jaw agape. What is with that ridiculous number? How much would he have to absorb to reach that number? On the other hand, a random flower on Gaia's hair could turn into such a frightening stone. Was this why Gods and Goddesses were powerful? Zero couldn't believe that his past self created such powerful beings. From the very start, these gods and goddesses had been babying him so he never knew how important they were. Watching Gaia part with the stone made Zero's respect for these goddesses increase.

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While the goddesses were busy settling their purchase and orders, Zero reviewed Freya's quick lesson. Humans have given the numbers 0 to 9 a meaning. 1 to 9 were very easy to understand but Zero liked the number 0 the best as they shared a common name although the presence of the number was questionable. Now that Zero knew math, he understood that Mind's Eye was actually a very powerful system. With only 2 energy and 1 calming point, it could remove Egui's 5 points of weakness status. If he added the math correctly, that was 2 points lesser than the strength of the weakness effect.

[Correction, the weakness effect was equal to the points of energy and calming spent. As a ghost and spirit's constitution is weaker than a human's the points you see reflected on their status is measured in their strength. For convenience, any inanimate object will be measured using a non-combatant human's standard. All else will follow the standard for species being inspected.]

Way to go Mind's Eye... Zero sulked. How would he know which species was stronger or weaker than humans?

[Answering the question, with enough experience points it is possible to unlock new features with Mind's Eye to inspect with more detail including species strength, dimension of origin etc]

Oh? How does one gain experience points, the young boy wondered as the goddesses haggled with the short shop owner. Now that Zero knew what Mind's Eye could do, he couldn't wait. Who knew what kind of information he would get with a better Mind's Eye system and Buddha's blessing?

While Grem busied away with putting the final touches on Zero's new clothes, Ruban x Pointes received another visitor. Jeremy politely knocked on the door announcing the visitor's presence. All four goddesses frowned. Zeus had yet to ready the accommodation and transportation arrangements. They'd agreed to meet in three days and it hasn't been a day yet so it couldn't be him.

Gaia hid Zero in her hair and encircled them around the small boy. "Don't make a sound," she told him and Zero nodded.

After confirming that Zero was well hidden, the goddesses told Jeremy to bring the visitor up. Jeremy nodded and left to escort the mystery visitor while Jen hurried to prepare some tea. It was unusual for Ruban x Pointes to serve so many high-profile visitors in a day and Jeremy was slightly worried. However, Grem had made it clear that nobody was to disturb him while he was working. The butler could only hope that a fight wouldn't break out with the tension rising.

The visitor was actually the famous King of Trials. He was known by many names but preferred to be called En by the people he was close with. Contrary to the depiction of mortals, En was a youth with red hair and black eyes with flawless pale skin. Although the job was demanding, the King of Trials never showed signs of ageing past a day of twenty-four. With Hades as his father, En was blessed with eternal beauty.

If En had a flaw, it would be his workaholic nature and tendency to be incredibly particular about details. This was both his blessing and curse for En who took over Hades' duty of monitoring the record of souls. His job was to keep the sins and redemptions tallied every week and it was a gruelling process. En would not let it rest if there was a single soul unaccounted for until he found out the reason behind it. Normally, a discrepancy would happen when a devil made a contract and took over the soul's record. En would have someone from hell deliver the statement to reconcile the statement and usually, it would tally after. Any other discrepancies were internal mistakes on hell's side or on En's side when his subordinates failed to account for the sins the angels had pardoned. However, after quarrelling with the Hell's head accountant and interrogating every employee in his office, they found that one soul was indeed missing. En traced the soul's spirit trail all the way to La Boutique's Ruban x Pointes.

Initially, En thought that it was a mistake. After all, he could sense his godmother's frightening aura at the shop where the trail disappeared. If possible, En would stay far away from Isis. The goddess gave him the chills with her stare. However, with his mothers' aura present, En steeled his resolve. With both his mothers were there, En would be able to face Isis. Then again, why should he be scared? He was over thirty thousand years old and have been running the Court of Trials in the Purgatory for about five thousand years now without Hades' help.

In the room, Isis hummed and smiled in satisfaction as the guest approached. Sedna raised an eyebrow when she recognised the visitor's aura. She looked at her sister who kept the poker face. Freya sighed. She could guess why her son had suddenly appeared before them. Sadly, it wasn't going to be easy to deal with him. She only hoped that her son would have mastered the art of patience over the years but that was a lost cause. Her son hadn't just taken after her looks but also her temper. Gaia's traits didn't seem to reflect much in him accept her annoying habit of making everything her business. Hades would cry if he knew how En visited them and not him. The boy hasn't seen his father ever since he succeeded as the new King of Trials.

There were two short raps on the door much like the boy's curt personality. Freya sighed and Gaia tightened the vines around Zero. "Come in," Sedna said and the door clicked open.

From behind the vine hair, Zero used Mind's Eye to examine the visitor.

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[King of Trials] Enma Yama

Race: God

Age: Unknown

Parents: Hades, Freya, Gaia

Skills: Godly Mathematics, Judgement, Expert Scribe

Zero had many questions. This newcomer was actually related to Freya and Gaia. Weren't they suppose to be friendlier?

"Greetings mother Freya, mother Gaia, godmother Isis and aunt Sedna."

Freya and Gaia smiled forcefully while Isis kept a poker face. Sedna appeared stiff somehow. Only Isis replied to the greeting but it wasn't one full of warmth like how she spoke with Zero.

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"What brings you here? After so many years of avoiding your mothers and your godmother, you have the nerve the show up unannounced?"

En bowed. "Apologies godmother, mothers. I was kept busy with work at the Court of Trials. It is also business that brought me here unannounced today, I apologise for not being able to visit sooner."

Isis clicked her tongue and Gaia was quick to step in when Isis wanted to give her godson a tongue lashing. However, the peace-loving Gaia interrupted them before a war could happen. Freya mentally sighed in relief when Jen came in with dew tea.

After settling down and taking a sip of the calming tea, En launched straight into business.

"I'm here today because one of the souls have disappeared from our records. His name is Egui and his trail ended here. Do you know anything about it?"

Hearing Egui's name made Zero's eyes widen. Egui's soul was missing? What happened?

Similarly, the goddesses looked at each other in surprise. They knew the ghost called Egui. Zero healed the ghost from his weakness earlier on. How could Egui's soul be missing?

"Egui was at the Mega Gourmet competition earlier but lost. How could his soul be missing? He walked away fine earlier."

En frowned. "Could you explain everything? I cannot sense Egui's soul. However, traces of his soul ends in this room. Someone must have cancelled his sins and freed it before time. Egui has yet to finish his redemption so the records do not tally. Normally, only an angel can pardon sins and the records will be updated in my Book of Trials. This time, the sins were erased completely and the soul was freed without a proper ritual. If I cannot recover Egui's soul by the end of the day, Egui's soul will disappear into the void and never be able to reincarnate."

Sedna gasped and Gaia looked troubled. For a soul to not be able to reincarnate was troubling indeed. Isis did not look angry any longer. She was frowning and Freya felt conflicted. Zero only meant good but the consequences were more harmful than helpful. How could they rectify this?

None of the goddesses understood how Zero's Mind's Eye worked. For a power to be able to completely erase the existence of sins is unheard of. In this world, regardless of dimension or planet, the law of energy is absolute. Not even Gods can defy it.

Energy cannot be destroyed or created from nothing. Everything is a cycle and Gods maintain that cycle strictly. Sins were a form of negative energy. For a negative energy to be removed, an equal amount of positive energy like blessings or redemptions must be paired to make it neutral again for only neutral souls could be reincarnated. Now that Zero has destroyed the balance, the soul cannot support its existence and can only disappear into what is known as the void. The void is a term for the unknown place that is lacking any kind of energy.

Coincidentally, the void was where the Great One and Zero originated from. Not much is known about the void and this troubled the gods and goddesses. Anything that entered the void will not return. This was the only known fact. The other secret known only to the Great Gods was that the void was home to the Great One. In fact, the only one who could enter and exit the void freely is Zero.

"We understand now. The situation is indeed dire. We will help to search for Egui. He must be still around La Boutique somewhere. As for the soul, a terrible accident has happened back then. We don't know exactly what went wrong but if we can find Egui, there might be a chance to recover his soul."

En looked at Isis and bowed. "I will search for Egui's lingering spirit and bring it back here. If there is any method at all, please recover his soul. We cannot lose another one to the void."

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"Is he gone now?"

Gaia loosened the vines. "Yes, Zero."

The small brunet reappeared and gave the goddesses a tearful stare. "Is Egui really going to disappear? Is it because of what I did?"

Unable to lie to the young boy, the goddesses looked away. Only Isis looked at the young boy with a pained expression. "Everyone makes mistakes, Zero. You didn't know that this would happen and we know that you meant well. It's sad that Egui will soon disappear if we cannot recover his soul but this is the reality. You must learn from this and not make the same mistake again."

"How do I recover the Egui's soul?"

Isis smiled sadly. "We don't know, Zero. Gods and Goddesses may be powerful but there are still things we cannot do. Egui's soul must be somewhere in the void and that is one place we cannot go. Only the Great One was able to enter the void and retrieve things from it as well as store things in it."

"I can help search for Egui's soul! After all, if my past self was able to do it, I'm sure I can too."

"No! It's too dangerous!" Freya cried. "Great One was never able to leave the void. Everything absorbed and created was thrown into that space. Great One was trapped there for a very long time. You must not do this, Zero."

Hearing this, Zero frowned.

"No," he told the goddesses. "I will find Egui's soul. It is my fault, I should be the one to fix it."

Instead of protesting like what Zero thought they would do, the goddesses resigned to fate. Isis gave Zero her ankh amulet for protection. Gaia created a small flower fairy who will provide Zero with light and directions. Freya gave a rune scroll that will allow him to contact the goddesses in case something happened. Sedna gave Zero a temporary blessing to increase his luck.

"When the luck blessing runs out, please return immediately. The rune scroll can act as a teleportation gate only if we are still in contact. As you venture deeper and longer in the void, Lily's light will fade until it runs out completely. When that happens, we will be unable to reach you. Also, always keep the ankh amulet close. It will protect you from the forces in the void. The power is limited so please do not spend too much time looking for Egui's soul. We do not know much about the void but nothing that entered the void can come back."

Zero looked at Sedna and the goddesses gratefully.

"Don't worry, I will be back."

Unbeknown to the goddesses, Zero wasn't worried about not being able to come back out from the void. It is true that his past self was stuck there. However, that was mainly due to the lack of energy. With Mind's Eye and absorption, Zero now has over 6,000 energy points from the Mega Gourmet competition. This allowed him to move freely in the void. According to Mind's Eye, the void is a place that has the same kind of absorption power Zero has. Everything will be brought to the centre of the space and that space was big enough to fit the multiverse with more room to spare.

[Would you like to start the mission - Tracking Egui's Soul? This will consume energy points.]

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Zero accepted it without hesitation.

[Mission received. Tracking Egui's Soul will commence now.]

A blue thread appeared in his vision and with Mind's Eye explanation, Zero smiled. That blue thread was a guide to find Egui's soul. All Zero had to do was follow it. Mind's Eye was also helpful and informed Zero that he could teleport in the void to save energy consumption. The estimated number of teleports required to reach Egui's soul was seventy and each teleport cost five energy points.

After doing the math and deciding that he had enough energy to spare after making this trip, Zero walked into the void confidently. Mind's Eye opened the void portal for him and Zero took Lily with him after waving goodbye to the goddesses. They watched with great worry as Zero disappeared in a blink.

Everyone crowded over Gaia's reflecting orb and observed from Lily's eyes Zero's journey. Worried but unable to do more, the goddesses sat together in silence.

Ball of Nothing

As a fairy, Lily was uncomfortable with the void as she was extremely sensitive to the changes in energy. However, orders were absolute. She had to guide Zero to Egui's soul in this place devoid of life. Locating a soul here was easy and Lily's only concern was the distance they had to travel. The further it was, the higher the chances of being unable to return.

Back in Ruban x Pointes the goddesses watched with bated breaths, uneasy at the sight awaiting Zero. Gaia felt Lily's uneasiness through their connection and sent reassurance. Feeling her creator's strength flowing through her, the little spirit calmed down enough to start talking to Zero.

"Please give me some time to locate Egui's soul."

Zero shook his head. "It's fine, I know where he is. I just don't understand how it ended up here. Could you hide in my shirt? We're going to teleport for a while to get there quicker. I know that spirits don't like the dark or the void very much, Jen told me this."

Pleasantly surprised but not protesting, Lily got into Zero's shirt. Unlike pixies, fairies could emit light when they move. Most humans call that light particle fairy dust. To be more accurate, the light left behind was a magical trail. This trail helps to nourish the environment and balance the lack of magic in the area. The more lacking the magic in the area, the less obvious the magic trail. Hence in the void, only the light glowing from Lily's small body could be seen.

True to his word, Zero moved very quickly through the void with a series of almost instant teleports. The goddesses watched in amazement after they lost count of the times Zero teleported. What's more impressive was how Zero continuously cast teleport without even a chant. Many humans cannot afford to teleport without the aid of a magical equipment for it required very strong control and visualisation. The chant helped them visualise and the casting time depended on the caster's level of magic control.

Gods can cast without the limitation of mana capacity, unlike mortals, for they received magic energy straight from the environment they rule over. However, control and visualisation were things that weren't instantaneous. For someone to be able to teleport like Zero, it required millenniums of practice. Their reverence for Zero increased yet again at the display of pure power. Their precious creator... were there no limits to his abilities?

For Lily, her initial shock morphed into admiration. The fear she felt at first even after Gaia's reassurance had completely disappeared when Zero sped through the void with ease in the direction of Egui's soul. Although she couldn't understand how Zero was able to determine the soul's location so quickly, Lily knew that he could be trusted.

Meanwhile, Zero was focussed on following the blue thread. It was initially very faint but as he got closer, it became brighter. Unknown to his admirers, Zero was having a silent mental conversation with Mind's Eye.

(Can I call you something? It's difficult to keep calling you Mind's Eye system. You feel like a real person despite being a memory created by my past self.)

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[Affirmative. What would you like to call me?]

Possessing not much naming sense (and a terrible author), Zero decided to call Mind's Eye - Mii after the name 'Bob' was rejected.

(Mii, could you explain what happened back at Mega Gourmet? Why did Egui's soul end up in the void? Does that mean that anything I absorb or come in contact with will end up here?)

[Answering Zero, everything that has been absorbed by you will be reflected in your status. You may use the [Inventory] command to check what you've absorbed. As you have access to the void, the inventory is connected to it. You may store and retrieve anything inside it at any point of time with no limitation to the quantity. As time does not exist in the void, items stored there will be preserved in its initial condition until it is retrieved.]

At once, Zero tried the inventory function and was shocked to see the items he possessed.

[As for Egui's soul, it was an unforeseen accident. When the status effect was removed through absorption, the part of Egui's soul that had fused with the effect was absorbed too as the system isn't advanced enough to differentiate them. Having said that, retrieving his soul was only the first step to recovering a broken soul.]

Zero paused.

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(What should I do after I bring it back?)

Mii was silent for a while.

[Answering Zero, I do not have an answer. However, King Enma should be able to help.]

Nodding to himself, Zero hurried. The blue thread was so bright by now. He wondered if Lily could see it too. Then again, Lily's expression hadn't changed since they started the journey so Zero knew that the blue thread was something only he could see.

Up ahead, the blue thread ended at a white light. Zero smiled. He'd found Egui's missing soul fragment.

"Egui!"

The white light brightened for a little before returning to its normal state. "Oh, it is you again."

Zero smiled. Even though the soul did not have a body, Zero knew that Egui was smiling. Lily looked at Zero and the soul in confusion. Normal humans couldn't communicate with souls so easily. Just who exactly was Zero? Then again, normal humans couldn't travel through the void so effortlessly either.

"Sorry about that back then. I didn't know that getting rid of the effect would separate your soul. I'm here to bring you back."

Egui was silent for a while as he listened to Zero's explanation. The young boy started to feel nervous when Egui didn't respond immediately.

After a while, the soul sighed. "Young boy, thank you for doing so much for me. It's been way too long since I've felt at peace. I know what sentence awaits me back there. If you have some time, could you listen to my story?"

Zero nodded. He didn't know why but he felt the reluctance and heaviness of regret radiating from Egui's soul.

"When I was still human, I'd been a very greedy person. I was never satisfied with anything because I was born into a rich family. My parents had money and I could get anything I want without working for it. Despite this fortunate lifestyle, I'd always felt unhappy. There was always something lacking inside of me and no matter what I did, I still could not find it. I'd done many horrible things while I was alive trying to find that one thing I wanted. I'd use my parents' wealth and influence to threaten, bribe and blackmail others into doing horrible things so when I died, King Yama sentenced me to forever roam as a hungry ghost and erased my human name. I wouldn't be freed from my sins until I found what I was looking for. I'd thought it was food but I've been to many places and found that nothing could satisfy this hunger. This wasn't a simple hunger of the stomach, it was the hunger of my soul."

Lily was beginning to nod off but after a stern reminder from Gaia, she jolted wide awake. The goddesses weren't too interested in Egui' story but they wanted to ensure that Zero was alright. After all, the increased length of time spent in the void meant higher risks of getting back. The connection between Gaia and Lily was still strong so there was nothing to worry about... yet.

"Hunger of your soul? Did you find out what it was that you wanted?"

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Egui was silent for a while more. "Yes... I did, eventually. Unfortunately, I was unable to get it."

That puzzled Zero. "Why not?"

"The thing I hungered for was to have a friend. I just wanted someone to accept me for who I was and allow me to walk by their side. I wanted to find someone I could trust with my existence and be by their side forever. Unfortunately, there hasn't been anyone so far. Many humans and living beings were selfish and the few who were selfless were often fools who died too early. Then I saw you - a complete stranger in the Mega Gourmet competition. Although young, you displayed great wisdom, kindness and strength. I couldn't help but get attracted to you. My hunger disappeared instantly after you helped to remove the weakness effect."

Zero blushed. For some reason, hearing Egui say that he was attracted to him made Zero feel very shy. He didn't know that Egui thought of him as someone with great wisdom, kindness and strength. All Zero did, was be himself. Zero didn't have a very strong reason to help Egui either. He felt like helping the ghost and did just that.

Back at Ruban x Pointes, Isis and Freya were glaring daggers at Egui. Gaia could only sigh at her friends' embarrassing display of overprotectiveness. She looked at Sedna helplessly and her sister patted her shoulder in understanding.

"It could be worse with Zeus."

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Gaia nodded. Who knew what the crazy God would do if he knew? Gaia shuddered and returned her attention to Zero and Egui's conversation.

"Thank you for listening. Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to be so patient with me. I'm ready to return now. Before we leave, can I have your name?"

Zero held out his hand and carried the soul. "My name is Zero! I don't have friends yet but after we fix your soul, can we be friends?"

Egui's light brightened a lot and temporarily blinded Lily.

"It would be a great honour, Zero."

The return was faster than the retrieval. As Zero knew how Ruban x Pointes looked like, he could teleport there instantly just by visualising the shop. The young boy materialised in the tea room where the goddesses were huddled together.

"I'm back!" he announced.

Almost at once, Freya and Isis forgot about their jealousy and cooed over Zero. With Lily still in his shirt and Egui's soul in one hand, Zero managed to manoeuvre sideways to void having either of them hurt by the smothering hugs.

"Welcome home," Sedna greeted with a warm smile and Lily flew back to Gaia. Egui's soul remained silent, feeling awkward at seeing such powerful goddesses behaving like puppies before the cute kid. Apparently, the kid's charms didn't just affect him. Even if Egui didn't know that Zero had become a mini sensation from the Mega Gourmet competition, he didn't doubt that the kid will become a poster boy for kindness and compassion in the future. Save The Cats Campaign, Adopt a Kid, Say No to Paedophiles, World Peace Missions etc., Zero will be the future poster boy for it all.

Just as the goddesses start to get rowdier, the door clicked open and Egui saw that the newcomer was dragging his spirit and soul's other part.

"What is this mess and who is this brat?" En frowned.

If Isis was horrifying on a normal day, seeing her coddle a young child with big brown eyes was pure nightmare material for years to come. The fact that she wasn't ordering the kid to be boiled and actually asking if he wanted more cakes made En turn green with unease.

What was his godmother plotting? Who was this kid?

"Shut up brat! Don't compare yourself to Zero! He's a good child unlike you."

Flabbergasted, En's jaw dropped open. "Good child?! Who are you and how dare you impersonate my godmother!"

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Gaia only sighed at the chaos. Sedna had to rein Isis back before she could stab En in the eyes. Zero watched everything with a calm expression as Egui trembled in fear. Standing in front of King Yama was terrifying. Watching King Yama's ear get pulled by an enraged Freya was worse. He didn't know how Zero could remain so calm.

"So he's not an ordinary child? Then where did he come from? Also, how did father know about him?"

The goddesses became uneasy with the questions. While En was a person they trusted, the Great One's existence was meant to be a secret. Explaining about Zero would mean revealing the secrets about the Great One.

"Sorry Zero," Sedna smiled. "Can I discuss something with you alone for a moment?"

Zero nodded and passed Egui's soul to En. "Uncle, I hope you can help fix Egui's soul. I'm sorry about the trouble I caused, I didn't know that helping Egui remove the weakness effects was a bad thing. I'm very sorry about it but please don't be angry with Egui, I still want to be his friend."

After apologising and bowing, Zero hopped off the chair to follow Sedna with his stubby legs. Holding the goddess' hand, Zero didn't see En's startled expression.

"Zero," Sedna spoke in an almost quiet tone. "That is En. He is a child of Freya, Hades and Gaia. Although we trust him, we cannot tell him about Great One as it was a secret entrusted to only the Great Gods. Buddha is a special case as he knew Great One while Great One was still conscious. Buddha helped create Mind's Eye and they were pen pals but En is different."

Zero nodded and understood what Sedna was trying to say. "I don't see why you cannot share with En about my past self. After all, everyone trusts him, right? It's alright to explain to Uncle En, he's not a bad person."

Sedna chuckled. "Alright, thank you Zero. Also, En is younger than us so calling him 'uncle' can be a little awkward for him. How about just calling him En like how you call us by our names?"

Zero pondered over it for a while. En seemed really scary so he'd unknowingly called him 'uncle' out of respect. He didn't mind calling En by his name but he also didn't want to offend the King of Trials by doing so.

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"Won't he get angry?"

Sedna hummed. "Not if you do it cutely."

"Cutely?" Zero tilted his head to a side and frowned in confusion.

Sedna squealed internally. Externally, she patted his brown hair gently. "It's alright, Zero. Just be yourself. En is actually a very kind person so he'll understand. He doesn't like liars or people who do something for selfish gains so being honest is the best."

Zero nodded. As expected, En wasn't a bad person. Satisfied and thoroughly reassured by Sedna, Zero beamed and ran towards where En and Egui were, ready to negotiate for his friend.

When Zero left with Sedna, En froze. Did the child just call him uncle? How was that possible? He'd been called many things including 'boy', 'young man', 'handsome', 'demon' and 'king'. But 'uncle'?!

Shellshocked by the revelation that he might be getting older, En let Egui go. Collapsed in a chair, the King of Trials appeared very tired and although he had the body of a young adult, the air around him revealed otherwise.

From behind, Isis stifled her laugh and Gaia watched with amusement at how her son's mental breakdown at Zero's innocent comment. Freya's anger from earlier disappeared and a mischievous look replaced the scowl. Without En realising, Freya snapped a photo and forwarded it to Hades, explaining what happened.

The reply came quickly. Hades was laughing and told Freya that Zeus suggested selling that picture of En. The Goddess of Love and War agreed. Their son had a very large fan pool and as pictures of him were rare, many would sell their soul for it. Freya decided to ask Isis to manage an auction and collect some favours that they could use in the future. After all, nobody has a keener business sense than the Goddess of Time.

Zero returned shortly and all the attention was focussed on him at once. Nobody realised that Sedna still hasn't returned. Instead, the goddesses beamed at the little boy.

"Uncle En!"

The King of Trials felt as if someone had used his voodoo doll as a pin cushion. Although Zero's voice was cheerful and refreshing, his preferred term of endearment was a huge blow to En's pride. Was he less loved than his mothers? How was this possible? Did his godmother corrupt the poor soul already? How could this young boy not know the difference between who was older? How could he call his mothers by their name but not him? They had fine wrinkle lines if one squinted but he had flawless skin!

"Uncle En, so sorry about earlier. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Zero! About the question that you asked earlier, I'm actually an unknown existence with great powers that I'm still learning about. Hades knows me because he is one of the Great Gods who helped me recover memories of my past self called Great One."

Forgetting about his depression for a while, En listened to the boy's explanation. Instead of getting the answers he wanted, he ended up with more questions. Just what was going on? He'd heard that his parents were Great Gods. Only Great Gods were able to create other gods without a demigod offspring. Although gods were almighty, they were infertile. Gods cannot reproduce the normal way with each other. They must use a 'cauldon' to bless with their powers. The cauldron was often a human with high magical powers. The offspring of two gods by a cauldron was called a demigod. Great Gods were the only exception to this rule. Although they can use a cauldron, their offspring are full-fledged gods. Gaia can act as a cauldron using her world tree and the offspring will be born from a fruit. En was such a child.

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Other gods cannot reproduce like Great Gods as their domain or area of godship does not allow them the power to create souls. Most gods are born from a very strong force of energy with the same harmony that develops a soul of its own. Hence, they are unable to create souls and give life to others. Many gods die when the energy they were created from has been depleted. A created god has no choice but to grant wishes to anyone who calls them by their name. Wishes cost energy and this energy can only be replenished by an offering under their name. The offering can come in many forms - food, money, flowers, lives etc. However, as the human heart is fickle, many gods find themselves dying with time when their believers forget about them. The age of demigods happened because gods didn't want to die but that was a story for another time.

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In any case, En has not heard of the Great One or Zero's existence prior so he felt extremely confused.

Taking pity on her godson's confusion, Isis decided to give him a crash course about the history of Great Gods and the Great One.

After she ended, there was a strange look on En's face.

"I understand now. However, I have one question. Would that make Zero my grandcreator? Why is he calling me Uncle?"

Isis snorted as she failed at suppressing her laughter. Freya outrightly chortled and Gaia smiled. Sedna sighed at her nephew's question. It was difficult for them to see Zero as their father but En had a point.

The brunet shuffled his feet with both cheeks tinted red in embarrassment. En was technically right. However, the young boy wasn't Great One. He was Zero. As Zero, he had no recollection of creating the Great Gods but he experienced being taken care of by them as a child. If anything, he saw them as his parents instead of his offsprings. It was only natural to call En uncle out of respect.

En sighed at the explanation Zero gave him. He felt a huge headache coming on. Despite Zero's technical age and seniority, he behaved exactly like an innocent child. The King of Trials couldn't hold it against an innocent being. Ignorance is not a sin although it could be counted as a crime. Then again, his job was to determine sins and not crimes.

Clearing his throat, En put on his most serious expression and looked at Zero. He was going to have Zero stop calling him uncle no matter what!

"Zero. I understand that you want Egui here to be your friend. I can put his soul back together and write off all his sins. I can even give him a new life and name but on one condition."

Nervous, Zero asked what it was. The boy knew that he had nothing to offer En so if the scary King of Trials decided he wanted cakes or cinnites, Zero couldn't afford it.

En bent down and spoke in his most serious tone. "I want you to be friends with me as well."

The goddesses fell over in surprise and Zero blinked.

"WHAT?!"

"How do I become friends with you?" Zero asked nervously. He wasn't technically friends with Egui yet and didn't know how people became friends normally. Didn't you have to do something to be someone's friend? Egui told him a story and Zero brought him back although it all started with Zero's mistake. But they still did something for each other so it was easier to be friends. What about En? Zero was scared of En's eyes... they were as passionate as Freya's when she was in 'teacher mode'. It made Zero want to run away.

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En thought for a while. That was right... he'd never had a friend in his life either. How does one make friends again? In fact, what do friends do?

Looking at En's troubled face, Freya snapped a few more pictures with her intergalactic communicator. Merlin and Steve Jobs had worked together on this new model in Heaven. Those two weren't gods yet but their creation was god level quality.

That's it! En brightened up and took Zero's hand in his before giving the boy his intergalactic communicator. It was an older model but still good enough. He'd already gotten a new communicator and transferred the contacts back in the purgatory office but didn't bring it out because he was more comfortable with the old model.

"This. You must keep it and use it. I will call you using the communicator from time to time so we can talk even though we are far apart. If you do this, we will become friends and I will help you with Egui."

Zero held the device in his hand. It was tiny and could be clipped on his shirt. He didn't know how to use it yet but he can ask Sedna later. Behind him, the goddesses gave En a dirty look but held their tongues. En simply ignored them and told Zero one last thing before he excused himself to fix Egui's soul.

"Also, since we are now friends, you need to stop calling me Uncle. Just call me Enma or En like my mothers."

Zero grinned. "Okay, En! I'm happy to have you as my friend!"

With that, En left and promised to bring Egui back in two days.

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"Zero!" the goddesses cried and pounced on the brunet. "You must also answer our calls!"

Slightly shocked by the aggressive behaviour, Zero told them he had no idea how to use the communicator.

"Oh, don't worry. It's actually really easy! See this here? This is the charging point where you transfer energy using magic. Over here you can change its appearance..."

As the goddesses explained the various functions and features of the communicator, Zero's stomach rumbled. He felt unwell as the rumbling became louder. However, the goddesses who were too engrossed in their explanation didn't notice the noises until Zero swayed on his feet and collapsed weakly.

"Zero? Zero!"

"Zero, what's wrong?"

Sedna panicked. Freya ordered Jeremy to arrange for a doctor while Gaia poured healing magic into Zero, trying to identify the problem. Isis kept calm and observed the situation. Zero looked pale and weak. Also, there was a strange noise that occurred occasionally. Could it be?

"Jeremy! Forget the doctor. Get some food that's easy to swallow. Hurry up."

The butler looked confused but obeyed anyway. Freya looked at Isis as if she'd gone off her rockers. Gaia and Sedna didn't know what to think but helped Zero sit up to drink a glass of water.

After taking a sip, Zero took another and another until the glass was empty. He looked better but still felt weak.

"Zero, answer me honestly. Did you eat or absorb the food this afternoon and at the Mega Gourmet competition?"

The boy looked at Isis guiltily. The goddesses pursed their lips in silence.

"Why didn't you eat? Was the food not to your liking?"

Sedna was puzzled and concerned at the same time. Eating was something natural that even gods do it. Why did Zero refuse to eat to such an extent? Anything that has a physical body required sustenance. Although they came in different forms, they still consumed food to replenish their energy, plants included.

Reluctantly, Zero shared with them about his journey before he met Sedna. He'd seen the shellfish get dissolved in the bird's stomach and how Namekuji's secret move killed the bird. He'd seen so many things getting eaten and dying that Zero felt ill. He didn't want anything to end up in his stomach like how he'd ended up in the bird's stomach. It was horrible!

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Listening to Zero's explanation, the goddesses understood. Then again, they had a question. Zero absorbed food that gave him energy points. Why wasn't that helping him?

Mii was unable to offer an explanation either. Isis had two theories and only En can help to confirm her hypothesis. One, the physical things Zero absorbed were converted into energy points and stored in the void so it wasn't used for Zero. Two, Zero's physical body is not linked to his absorption powers so it cannot be used. After all, the physical body was something created by Gaia and shaped by Buddha. Zero's soul resided in this physical container but it wasn't tied to it.

Jeremy and Jen came with food. This time, they brought cockatrice soup. It was nutritious and easy to swallow. Even old Grem Lee had come up, worried when he heard something had happened to Zero.

After much coaxing and proving that the cockatrice was really not going to eat his stomach from the inside, Zero took a sip of the soup. The warm liquid spread quickly from his throat to his stomach. The discomfort quickly eased with that single mouthful of soup. Unable to restrain any longer, Zero ate quickly, spilling soup all over but nobody mentioned anything.

All the time while he ate, he cried. Nobody said anything, only helping to pat Zero's back occasionally when he choked on something or passed him water when he needed it.

When Zero felt the discomfort disappear to be replaced by a sloshy feeling in his stomach, he stopped eating. Many thoughts and feeling passed through his mind. He finally understood what was hunger and fear. He also recognised that Sedna and the rest cared and concern about him although they had various reactions. For the first time, Zero felt loved and safe. When he ate, he forgot all about his worries and was grateful.

"Is this what being human is like? It's a wonderful thing to be cared for, loved and wanted," Zero thought. At that very moment, he made his decision. He didn't want anyone to suffer because suffering was an unpleasant experience. When he visited the humans, he wouldn't simply adventure. He would help any human who was suffering just like how the goddesses had helped him.

Ball of Nothing

True to his words, En returned with Egui's soul repaired. The King of Trials also gave Zero his blessing.

[Judgement] Blessing from Enma

Active Skills: Converts sins into instant karma points

Mii explained that instant karma was a form of divine punishment. Depending on the number of sins converted, the punishment can range from slipping on a random banana peel to getting struck by lightning.

Zero shuddered. Neither sounded pleasant.

En explained that while he could redeem Egui's soul and put the pieces back together, he wasn't able to provide a body for the new soul.

"The purgatory is very busy with reincarnating lately as the humans have recently ended one of their wars. With the sudden spike in reproduction rate, there is a shortage of bodies to reincarnate all the souls."

Zero smiled at En and told him it was fine. He was alright with his friend not having a body.

"But people might think that you're talking to yourself if he doesn't have a body. Oh, I also gave him a new name. It's Truen Zheng. If you're wondering, it's taken from the word Truth and my name. Zheng means upright of just in ancient Chinese but that race is now extinct since Earth one was destroyed. Egui was ancient Chinese so I thought it was befitting."

Egui, now named Truen, reunited with Zero and chatted with his newly made friend. Isis dragged her godson over to a side to discuss Zero's condition and her hypothesis.

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"Can you identify if his absorption abilities are tied to his soul? He'd collapsed from hunger even though he absorbed a lot from Mega Gourmet. The energy did not transfer to his body and he had to consume food directly."

En hummed and thought for a moment. "Mom gave him a blessing to allow him to transfer energy without restraint right? (1) Technically he is able to transfer the energy from his existence, because I don't sense a soul, to his avatar. Normally, the transfer is automatic but I noticed that he isn't bound to his avatar? He probably collapsed because he doesn't know how to make that transfer."

Isis pondered over En's words. Every living creature has a soul from plants to gods and even divine existence. The fact that Zero doesn't have a soul makes Isis wonder how it was possible. Then again, there were many mysteries revolving around Great One that surpassed the logic of even gods. The only thing Isis knew for certain was how omnipotent Zero was.

"Is there a way for us to help Zero make that transfer automatically? We don't exactly want to teach him about energy transfers and magic yet because he'd already unknowingly destroyed the marine ecosystem balance by absorbing about a third of sea from Amarania while he was trapped. Luckily Sedna noticed the abnormality and rushed over to investigate."

En shuddered slightly and looked at Zero with a conflicted expression. On one hand, Zero was a delightful friend. On the other hand, someone needed to watch over him to ensure he doesn't accidentally trigger the world destruction flag.

"I have an idea. I'll get Truen to be his guardian and follow him on his travels. As we can't always be by his side and neglect our duty, sending someone else over we know is the only other alternative."

Nodding in agreement, the goddess of time sighed. Raising a child was never easy. Raising an omnipotent child was harder. As proven, the brunet had a kind heart but his actions can prove harmful. After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

(1) That's from Gaia's blessing [Gaia's Blessing] - can transfer energy or magic freely without restraint.

After successfully distracting Zero with more tea and brownies, En told the goddesses his plan and Gaia readied Truen's body. It was a very simple avatar crafted from a twig in Gaia's hair. Although it looked ordinary, Truen's new body possessed Gaia's special property of growth. Isis helped shape it and Freya prepared the contract. En was busy coordinating a transfer of Truen's soul custody while Sedna continued to distract Zero with more stories about the humans.

"Sorry Zero, can I borrow Truen for a moment?" Gaia smiled.

Zero had questions but nodded anyway. Obediently, the spirit followed Gaia.

Once out of Zero's sight, Truen stiffened. In front of him, En, Freya and Isis were standing with very evil grins, looking at him. Also, there was another person present. This person appeared to be asleep on the chair and without Freya's support, he might have fallen over.

Truen glanced over at the sleeping stranger briefly. He was definitely an elf and looked about fifteen years of age in human terms. However, Truen knew better than to judge an elf by their physical appearance. As elves were known for their abundant magical power and longevity, a fifteen-year-old looking elf could be well over two hundred years old. This elf had tan skin and black hair.

"Even though Zero trusts you as a friend, we have yet to accept it. If you are truly sincere, you will accept our trial."

Truen paused. He'd expected the goddesses to test him in some way. King Yama had tested him earlier back in the purgatory with an illusion.

"What must I do?" Truen asked. He was ready to prove himself no matter how many times it took.

Isis smiled. "See this elf here? This is an avatar prepared by Gaia. However, this avatar bears the mark of the Great Gods. This means that you will be bound by a servant contract after the soul binding ritual. The servant contract requires you to protect Zero from harm. However, you cannot allow him to know that you are reporting his situation to us or help him openly. If you accept, you will have the protection of the Great Gods and a powerful body in addition to travelling with Zero. This is our trial. What will you do?"

Without hesitation, Truen accepted the terms and condition. Isis held out a contract parchment and En told him to pour energy into it. After Truen poured some energy into it, he felt his soul getting sucked into the sleeping elf's body. It happened so quickly that Truen felt disoriented when he opened his physical eyes.

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"Mmm, green eyes! I did a great job." Freya mused and Truen shook his head to clear the strange floating sensation.

"How do you feel?" Gaia asked and Truen tried moving his arm. It worked just fine. Nothing felt off.

"It's good. Will I be an elf now with special regeneration power?"

Gaia smiled. "If you're talking about external appearance, yes. You will look like a wood elf. However, your true identity is a Living Wood Spirit. This body was created from a twig in my hair and has the Nature Regeneration ability. That means the body will never die and as long as there is sunlight, it can regenerate indefinitely. As long as the core, which is the mark of the Great Gods embedded in your soul, is not destroyed you can continue to regenerate."

Truen tried standing and wobbled a little. If not for En supporting him, he might have fallen over. It has been so long since he'd moved around physically. It might take a little while for him to get used to it.

"Oh, from now on I will hand the custody of your soul to Zero. This means that you are free from obligations to repay back your sins. On the other hand, it means that Zero owns your existence. Betray him and not only will be Great Gods come after you but your soul will also be annihilated."

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Isis patted the newly born 'elf'. "Don't worry too much, if you're sincere to Zero everything will be good."

Truen wasn't worried. However, he had some questions.

"Goddesses, King Yama, I am thankful for this opportunity. However, I do not know if I'm most qualified to be Zero's bodyguard. My knowledge is far outdated and even though I retained the memories of my previous self, I know nothing about magic or elves."

En grinned. "Don't worry. That is why you will be meeting with the other Great Gods. In fact, we will set off to see them tomorrow. It might hurt for a while but you'll be the perfect bodyguard in no time."

Truen paled. Those words were not comforting at all!

Zero was excited. Grem had packed all the clothes Zero needed for travel and they'd gone through the fitting of at least ten different outfits. Freya mentioned that these outfits were equipped with runes and magic enchantments so it was basically indestructible. The checklist was long and Zero only managed to catch a glimpse of it.

What Zero saw:

- ...

- ...

- Anti-dust

- Self-repair

- Anti-blast protection

- Cold resistant

- ...

- ...

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- ...

.

.

.

Even En shook his head as the goddesses continued to add to the list of things they needed to equip the clothes with. After about two hours, the list was completed. Zero watched with interest how all the enchantments and runes were equipped onto the clothes in less than twenty minutes. Truen silently wondered why the goddesses couldn't simply cast every known enchantment, blessing and rune to the clothes. It would be a lot faster than deciding what to include. Truen noticed that the goddesses seemed to have neglected anti-theft and thought it was a terrible thing to forget because anyone who got hold of Zero's clothes could end up very powerful.

"Looks like it's all good now. Zero, could you try them out? We can adjust them if something is lacking."

The boy didn't seem to know why he had to try them on when Grem had made them perfectly. What could possibly be wrong?

As Zero stepped into the changing room, Truen taught him how to wear some of those clothes. Zero realised that these clothes were very different from the one Grem lent him previously. The first outfit was for long travels according to Freya. It was made of something called dandelion cotton and felt extremely soft. He didn't feel warm wearing it but he wasn't cold either. The material allowed him to run comfortably. Grem called it a tracksuit and it had an enchantment that allowed it to change into a different colour whenever he liked. This was Zero's favourite outfit and Zero decided that he wanted it to be red.

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The next outfit was for formal events. Freya told him that sometimes important people would invite him to a gathering called a party. He had to wear this to the party. This was the most complicated outfit and Zero struggled with something called buttons. The shoes were also different. They made little click-clack sounds as he walked. It was difficult to run in those navy blue shorts and the thin rubber straps called suspenders made taking the shorts off difficult. Zero had no idea how to tie a bow with the silk ribbon so Truen helped with that. Also, why did the long shirt sleeves have to have two buttons on the end? It was impossible to fasten them and what is the point of wearing a jacket outside that will cover the white shirt?

Fortunately, the goddesses liked this outfit and took a lot of pictures. Zero was made to stand in weird positions for a good while and sighed in relief when he could finally change the outfit. The third outfit was less stifling but was equally fancy. Isis called it a magician's robe. The shorts were still there but the shirt was big and baggy. Zero saw that it was a very lovely shade of sapphire blue and he loved the little white star patterns. The shirt was a simple slip-on square neck top with long sleeves that fanned out at the end for easier wrist movement. It was as long as his ankles but there was a split at both sides after the shirt reached his waist. Truen says it resembled the qipao but Zero didn't know what that was. The shirt had to be tied by a belt but that wasn't what made this outfit fancy. It was the hat. Yes. The hat was bigger than Zero's head and when he put on the pointy thing with a big brim and drooping edge. The goddesses cooed and snapped more pictures.

"Why do I need a magician's robe when I don't know magic?"

Sedna coughed. "Zero, Earth is full of magic. Of course, there are some humans who do not use magic but it will be easier to blend in with this."

En sighed. The goddesses just want to see Zero in a magician's outfit. No normal human, unless they are an adventurer, will wear such a ridiculous outfit. Then again, he treasured his ears and eyes so he held his tongue. Truen must have some similar thoughts because both males shared a knowing glance as Zero changed into the fourth outfit.

Zero could manage the fourth outfit himself. It was a comfortable sleepwear called pyjamas. It really was a squirrel onesie though. All Zero had to do was slip his legs in and pull up the zipper all the way. He didn't have to worry about feeling cold as the only thing exposed was his face. Then again, the hood was really large so Zero didn't think it was possible to feel cold at all.

The next outfit was something more normal. It was the same thing that Zero had worn to the Mega Gourmet competition. This time, the shirt had been cleaned and showed a lovely sky blue. It had collars and some buttons at the top but luckily, Zero didn't have to deal with them. He left two buttons open and slipped his head through the hole. The long pants were called jeans and this outfit came with sneakers. Those strings called shoelaces were tricky to tie. Even after three times of demonstration, Zero still couldn't understand how to tie them right. Also, it was difficult to tell the left shoe from the right. He had to take them off and swap them after Truen noticed how he walked funny. The goddesses nodded in approval and had quickly changed to the next set.

By now, Zero was used to seeing clothes that covered him from top to toe. However, the new outfit was something close to the underwear he wore on the inside of all those clothes.

"I don't need to wear underwear in this?"

Truen chuckled and shook his head. "No, this is a bathing suit."

"But it's just a tiny short!"

The wood elf sighed. "Yes, it is. This is meant for you to go in the water. If you wore more, it would be very heavy and difficult to swim."

Zero was confused but Truen promised that he will take him swimming one day so that Zero will have the chance to understand why a bathing suit was necessary.

The goddesses passed Zero some bulky but light plastic devices called 'floats' and a strange eyewear called goggles to pose for the pictures. Zero didn't protest, only wanting to finish trying the rest of the clothes and take a break.

They got to the last outfit finally but the sight of it stunned both Truen and Zero. It was a pink frilly dress paired with dainty high heels and a blonde wig.

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"Uh, goddesses? I think there was a mistake with the order. This is a girl's dress."

Freya only smiled. "No, it's not."

"But..."

"Zero might need to disguise as a girl in emergency situations so we thought to include it too. Besides, with such an adorable avatar, nobody will suspect a thing!"

Truen wanted to protest but En stopped him. "Just do it. The sooner he wears this, the sooner we leave."

The bodyguard gulped. The goddesses gave Truen a stare that promised pain if he didn't hurry. He could only apologise to Zero and plead the child to wear it. Zero didn't protest much but he kept complaining that the wig itched and the long strands kept poking his eye.

When the curtains were drawn, the goddesses forgot to breathe at the sight before them. Teary-eyed, cheeks flushed and simply downright lovable was Zero with his large brown eyes in a pink dress. The wig made him look like a princess and all at once, they took pictures from all angles. This was perfect!

Under Zero's grumpy whining, the goddesses finally relented and allowed Zero to wear his tracksuit to meet Zeus and the rest of the Gods. They were finally going to visit the House of the Great Gods.

While the goddesses packed, En patted Truen on the back.

"King Yama, could I trouble you with one last thing before we leave?"

En nodded. "If it is within my abilities."

Truen nearly cried there and then. "Please put anti-theft enchantments on all these clothes! I don't want to see an underwear thief turning into an all-powerful world destroyer looking like a pervert."

For a moment, En tried to visualise it. He shuddered violently and swore that after he was done, no underwear thieves will ever get their hands on any of Zero's clothes.

Pegasus was the name of the horse pulling the carriage that Sedna ushered Zero into. The trip was going to take about three hours and there would be no bathroom breaks in between.

Zero asked why anyone would need a bathroom break and the goddesses paused before remembering that Zero's body didn't quite function the same way like an ordinary human.

Without further ado, they set off with Freya steering the carriage's direction. Zero was amazed that Freya would step up to take control of the reins instead of handing them to a coachman. Gaia explained that although Freya loved shopping and cakes, she was still a goddess of war. The thrill of riding and fighting was in her existence.

While the goddesses chatted and occasionally zoned out, Zero was learning from En and Truen about human etiquette in preparation for his travels. Zero was also finally able to play around with his inventory function and learnt a lot more about the system by chatting with Mii.

The time passed quickly and before they knew it, Freya announced that they were approaching the House of Great Gods. Zero's eyes widened when he saw that they were way above the clouds and the thick fluffy white clouds below swirled endlessly.

"Welcome to the Realm of Gods - Heaven. We are heading straight to the House of Great Gods to meet up with my father and uncle. I'm sure Buddha will be there too since he was invited."

Zero smiled at En and asked many questions about the strange beings with white wings. En took his time to answer all of Zero's questions and Truen sat there in silence, simply overwhelmed with new information. He'd never been to heaven and the bodyguard briefly wondered if he would end up here if he repaid his sins.

Zero got off the carriage and bade Pegasus goodbye. The horse nuzzled his face gently before flying away. Freya dusted the imaginary dust from her dress and held out her hand to Zero. "Are you ready?"

Zero was excited but nervous at the same time. Nevertheless, he held onto Freya's outstretched hand and tottered along the long flight of stairs.

The House of God was not a house despite its name. It was actually a huge open temple with rows of white pillars holding up a huge white roof. Zero decided to call it the White House since the whole building was white. It had no doors or windows, only rows of pillars along the side of the long temple. They slowly walked up the long flight of stairs that never seemed to end but surprisingly, nobody complained about it. Zero wondered if there was a reason why they were walking up the stairs one by one. He knew that it would be a lot faster by teleporting or flying but none of the goddesses attempted to do so.

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In fact, the expressions of the goddesses were so serious that Zero felt it was inappropriate to ask any questions. Silently he followed, holding tightly onto Freya's hands so that he wouldn't trip on a step.

As they walked nearer to the White House, he could see Zeus looking at something that was floating in the air over a white stone table. As they got closer, Zero could see that those floating orbs were actually moving and there was more than one orb.

By now, there were only a few hundred more steps before the reached the White House and Zero felt Freya's grip on his hand tighten. He didn't know why but all the goddesses, even En, had some sadness in their eyes. Sedna looked the saddest and even if Zero didn't know the reason behind their sorrow, he felt the same too.

"Yassas," Zeus greeted. Zero had to bend his neck all the way back to look at Zeus who was in his titan form. He was big before but now, he's now gigantic! Zero marvelled over the Titan and tripped over a step. Luckily, Freya was still holding onto his hand so he didn't greet the floor with his face. What Zero didn't know was how Gaia had shot out a branch behind him when he tripped or how Truen had already rushed forward to catch him if he fell backwards. Even En was ready for action but nobody reacted when they saw how Freya had it under control.

Sedna smiled sadly. They were going to miss him a lot. Even though Zero hasn't been with them for long, their hearts already belonged to him. The thought of him leaving hurt but the thought of losing him hurt more. Even En who wasn't a social person has become fairly attached to the young boy. The most they could do was prepare Zero for his adventure and send him off with their blessings and perhaps their smiles.

Once they arrived, only Truen looked slightly tired from the long climb. An elf's constitution might be better than most but this flight of stairs can still be daunting for a mortal. Zero didn't look affected but Truen wasn't surprised. After all, the Great Gods might have something to do with this.

Standing beside Zeus was Hades - En's father. Hades wasn't as huge as Zeus but he looked completely different from before. Zero couldn't recognise him at first glance. The Hades Zero knew was literally made of bones. If it wasn't for the black oversized robe, the young boy would have thought he was a different person. Hades had black eyes and hair with pale skin and a very thin build. He was a complete contrast from Zeus who was muscular, tan skinned with silver hair. Now that he noticed the change, Zero took a look at the goddesses. Freya's hair was literally on fire like when she was in teacher mode. Gaia had become more treelike with vines and barks growing on her body. Sedna's legs had transformed into a fish's tail and she had gills by the side of her neck. Isis was the only one who didn't look very different but she gave off an aura of power that Zero never experienced before. Even En had an extra eye on his forehead!

As Zero approached big Zeus and Hades, he realised that he missed out on Buddha. The Sage God also had a slightly different appearance. His normal skin colour and black hair turned completely gold. The white table with floating orbs was a little too high for Zero to see what was on it. Truen was stiff in the presence of so many Great Gods. Even Enma seemed slightly uncomfortable as he greeted Hades.

Normally, Hades would run over to hug his son but this time, he only nodded. Freya let go of Zero's hand gently and the Great Gods got into their position around the white table. En took over and guided Zero to a side while the Great Gods, with Buddha's help, started to chant.

"What are they doing?" Zero whispered to En.

The King of Trials took this opportunity to carry Zero in his arms. "They are preparing the spell needed to send you and Truen to Earth."

Zero looked surprised. That was rather quick and sudden! He wasn't mentally prepared for this with everything happening so quickly. Was he never going to see them again? Unknowingly, the young boy began to sob.

En and Truen tried their best to comfort Zero but the sobs had escalated to broken wails. Even the Great Gods preparing the spell were slightly affected.

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At this moment, three ladies made their presences known at the top of those steps. They were dressed in white, lilac and yellow gowns.

The three ladies stood at the top of the steps silently, watching Zero as he cried. At first, Zero didn't know that there were guests but as they approached him, the brunet's sobs decreased. For some reason, those three ladies felt very familiar but Zero knew he hadn't met them before.

"Greetings Zero, we have been expecting you," the lady in white greeted.

Zero stopped crying at once. Mii displayed the lady's name and status, deeming her to be a threat but Zero told Mii to calm down. He knew this lady as well as her sisters.

"I'm sorry, I know we haven't met but I think I know you. I just can't remember your name."

The lady in white smiled. "It's alright, Zero. We've waited for a long time to reunite with you. I'm Murvin, the Divine Entity of Kindness. This is my sister, Law, the Divine Entity of Acceptance in yellow and Isaben, the Divine Entity of Trust, in lilac. We came to pass the word that Nel, the Divine Entity of Hope, is waiting for your return. After you reach Earth, please look for her. She is safekeeping something of importance on behalf of Great One for you."

The brunet blinked. From the vague memory fragments, he remembered who they were. These three ladies were actually divine entities his past self created. They were the three flower sisters who resided silently on a cliff in heaven while the others disappeared. Nel was the last divine entity he'd created and Mii took initiative to make a note about finding her. It was called a quest according to the system.

The Great Gods cancelled the summoning spell to witness the three divine entities interact with Zero. Even though they lived for a long time, they had never seen a divine entity before. Occasionally, some news about divine entities like Gugu and Venn will surface but they never had the chance to meet a divine entity personally. In fact, nothing was known about them except how they were once part of the Great One. While Great Gods were greatly feared and respected because they were personally created by the Great One, they weren't more powerful than divine entities who were a fraction of the Great One.

When divine entities fought, it was nothing like a war between gods and humans. Universes can collapse, worlds can be eradicated and armies can be created with a blink from any divine entity. However, as all divine entities were created from a part of Great One, there was no entity that was superior. Instead of fighting against each other with strength, some opted to fight using their wits in a complicated game of chess using the most unpredictable species called humans.

In the process, the first Earth was destroyed but the newbie god that humans created triggered Zero's awakening and created a replica of the destroyed planet. Gods, monsters, demons alike tried to prevent the divine entities from corrupting this new world. Magic was introduced along with faith. The fight over faith and territory among the races made the Great Gods forget about divine entities for a long while until the three sisters appeared.

Looking at the three ladies, none of the Gods moved. Although they didn't think that the three sisters would harm Zero, they didn't exactly trust them.

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On the other hand, Zero welcomed the sisters as they embraced him and took turns to kiss him on his cheeks before vanishing into thin air.

The moment they did, a tri-coloured petal symbol glowed on where the sisters kissed before fading away. However, nobody noticed this as they were too focused on looking at the portal to Earth that appeared right before their eyes. It would take a considerable amount of strength for even the Great Gods to open that portal but the divine entities were able to do it in an instant. Nobody knew where they disappeared to but Zero had an inkling they were never coming back.

Mii told Zero that he had recovered the artefact of [Kindness, [Accepance] and [Trust] but their abilities were locked until Mii upgrades. Now that the portal was open with no sign of closing, the Great Gods gave in to their feelings and crowded around Zero in their more human-like forms.

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Zero allowed them to crush him in a huge group hug.

"Thank you for taking care of me and teaching me many things. I'm so happy to have met all of you. I'll take good care of the things you've given me."

While the gods were holding back tears, the goddesses let theirs run free. "Remember to call us ok? Also, please keep close to Truen. Visit us whenever you can!"

Zero blinked. "I can visit?"

En chuckled at the priceless expressions. They had a long way to go, both the Great Gods and Zero.

"Yes of course! We've prepared something for you," Zeus grinned.

True to their words, Zeus and Hades gifted Zero a whistle and a lamp.

"What are these?"

The titans grinned. "This is a whistle for summoning Pegasus. He will come to you when you call. Apart from underwater, Pegasus will be able to take you anywhere. The lamp is actually a portable home. All you need to do is rub the lamp and whisper the words 'itty-bitty living space' and it will teleport you and Truen inside it. When you want to go out, just ring the bell from inside."

Zero marvelled at it and promised to keep the items safe. En cast anti-theft enchantments to both items much to the relief of Truen before giving Zero his gift. It was a simple traveller's sling bag that has a dimensional storage inside.

"Although you can store things into the void, taking things out from thin air will surprise humans. Use this for things that are often used. I hope this will be handy during your travel."

"Thank you, En!" Zero beamed and hugged En briefly before putting the whistle and lamp into his new bag. He oohed and ahhed over the functions of the bag for a while as En showed him how to use it. The King of Trials had spent a lot of effort thinking about Zero's interest when creating the bag. With Mii's help, they managed to link the void inventory to the bag. This way, perishable and liquid items will be stored there immediately. Zero doesn't need to absorb an item immediately now that he had a dimension storage bag. He could put food away to consume or absorb later when he needed it.

Finally, it was Buddha's turn. The Sage God asked for Zero's communicator and fiddled with it for a moment before passing it back.

"Here, this is an application that will allow you to use the map function. If you charge it with magic, you can select these destinations to teleport to. It is a quick way to visit us. The map has a feature to record down the places you've been to, people you've met and scout for enemies or living targets within a certain area. For places you have not been to, the map can only give a general description based on what is generally known. Of course, I will update it regularly so that the information is up to date. However, things in the human world change too quickly, please note that not everything will be accurate."

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Buddha had worked hard with Merlin and Steve Jobs to create this app specially for Zero. Truen was also given an intergalactic communicator. The Great Gods didn't do this out of goodwill. They did it so that Truen can be trained while travelling with Zero. On his communicator were a few things that were kept a secret from Zero. The first as a group voice chat and a location tracking function. The second was an app that is a library of knowledge from ancient fighting styles to science and magic. Everything as in there and Buddha had taken the initiative to create a crash course for Truen to study while he was asleep.

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Steve and Merlin had worked especially hard on the simulation function to replicate the feelings of a battle for Truen while he slept. Isis had a part in this too as she donated her powers to distort time for practical training purposes. Time flowed much slower for Truen when his mind was trapped in the library app. For a day on Earth, Truen will be allowed to spend up to a month in the app library. It was a warp space that the Great Gods can share with Truen's mind while he slept.

"Of course, your training will begin as soon as you fall asleep," Freya smiled. "I will personally tutor you on basic magic and combat skills."

Truen paled. Didn't En say that the Great Gods were in charge of teaching him magic? How did teaching evolve into spartan training?

As if reading the elf's mind, En smirked. Zero was still occupied with exploring the map application and deciding where he wanted to visit first. Truen shivered when En whispered to him, "Don't worry, we will take turns whipping you into shape. After all, that body of yours is practically immortal. Something of this level won't kill you right?"

"Have you decided where you'd like to go?"

Zero nodded. After consulting the map app and talking to the gods, Zero has an idea of where he wanted to go. Although he was eager to see many things, the first thing he wanted to do was to see the thing called 'mountain'. As he wasn't too confident about meeting with humans, Zero chose Endow Hill as his first destination.

Endow Hill was actually a small mountain with dense forest but a barren peak. No humans dwelled there was because a ferocious creature was guarding it. Yes, that creature happened to be a dragon. Although nobody has heard about the dragon for years, nobody dared explore the area. Many said that since the dragon was guarding it, the area has become very rich in magic. As a result, many beasts evolved into frightening monsters over the years. Some adventurers who tried to explore the forest were killed or severely injured. They had to quit adventuring for life and this made humans shun the mountain.

For Zero, it was the best possible place for him to start his adventures. He had no problems with facing monsters because he could simply absorb them. The secondary reason Zero chose Endow Hills was because of Buddha's Sage God friend who lived there. That Sage God was good at medicine and healing magic. According to Isis, medicine was something that can help ease suffering. That got Zero's interest and he decided to learn more about medicine and healing magic. The Sage God's name was Hua Tuo and Truen seem to know him.

"Do you think I will meet Mr Dragon?"

En frowned. "I don't think so. That dragon has been missing for hundreds of years. Nobody knows where it went. However, if you are lucky, you might be able to find some wyverns."

Zero nodded. Wyverns sounded good too.

Armed from head to toe in blessings, enchantments, hugs and kisses, Zero declared that he was ready to go. Truen took a bow that Freya offered. The bow was made from Gaia's world tree and blessed by the goddess of war.

"It's a gift from the Great Gods to you. Protect Zero at all cost, Truen. This bow's name is Sureshot. It will not relent until the target is hit. It's a masterpiece second only to the Cupids' Bow."

As Truen and Zero stepped up to the portal, they could see Endow Hill on the other side. The smell of forest tempted the elf's instinct but Truen held back. He turned to see Zero wave to the Great Gods bravely.

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"I'm going now!"

"See you soon," they smiled and waved goodbye to the young boy they've grown attached to. Nobody moved as Zero took his first step into the world of humans.

There was a long stretch of silence and Buddha was the first to break it.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The pain of parting is nothing compared to the joy of meeting again."

Having left these words, Buddha returned to his realm to cultivate. At this point, the Great Gods begin to take their leave one by one. En excused himself and returned to the purgatory. It was obvious to everyone present that he just wanted to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. Zeus was uncharacteristically silent and left with Hades for Mount Olympus. Freya decided to bring Isis window shopping but Sedna knew it was only a distraction. The Goddess of Time didn't protest and they left just like that. Sedna who was most affected by Zero's departure decided to visit Amarania again where she first found Zero. Gaia was the last to leave but when she did, she made a plan to contact an old friend of hers to help watch over Zero on Earth.

After a while, the communicator connected.

"Hey, Swift! Yes, I know it has been a while. I know, I just want to ask if you could do me a favour...?"

Ball of Nothing

As Zero touched down on the soil of Endow Hill, he took in the new sights and smell. Everything was new except for the trees that resembled Gaia a lot. Zero took comfort in that small familiarity and decided to touch one.

The barks felt rough and the tree was still. Endow Hill was a relatively quiet place compared to La Boutique's Plaza. Zero enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere and took his time to observe different types of plants, learning about them with Mii and Truen's help. So far, Zero was enjoying everything from the sunshine to the chirping of birds.

"What are these?"

The elf smiled at the boy's curious nature. "Those are a kind of fungi called mushrooms."

"Mushrooms..." Zero mused before popping the blue-capped orange spotted mushroom into his mouth.

Truen panicked and demanded that Zero spit it out at once. Unfortunately, what has been absorbed by the system cannot be un-absorbed. Truen nearly fainted from shock and was about to contact the Great Gods about the problem that surfaced not even five minutes into their adventure. Although his body was almost indestructible, the elf felt as if he might die from a heart attack.

Zero's skin turned a funny shade of purple and Truen dropped to his knees. This can't be happening... he had failed the Great Gods who entrusted him with the responsibility of protecting Zero. Who would have known that Zero's greatest enemy would be himself?

The shade of purple morphed into orange and green within the next ten seconds while Truen tried to dial for help with shaky fingers. He'd dropped the communicator twice and didn't notice Zero's smile as the boy bounced up and down in excitement when his skin changed colours.

"Truen! Look at me! I'm the same colour as Freya's hair now!"

The bodyguard looked up for a split second. True enough, Zero's skin was now completely red but it was rapidly turning into a shade of brown. While Zero tried to predict the next colour, Truen zoned out in disbelief at the energetic boy.

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"Aww," the young child pouted when it settled on pink next. He was so sure that it would turn yellow too!

"What is going on?" Truen blinked. The communicator lay long forgotten on the ground.

Dumbfounded but majorly relieved at Zero's bubbly nature, Truen heaved a sigh of relief. That was close. He'd have to educate Zero about putting suspicious things into his mouth. Not too long ago, Zero was frightened to tears at the thought of eating but ever since that episode, he'd started to enjoy exploring new tastes.

"This could be dangerous," Truen frowned as Zero examined another strange looking leaf. The effects of that strange mushroom must have expired because Zero was back to normal with his rosy cheeks and fair skin.

Up in heaven, Gaia heaved a similar sigh of relief. While the other Gods left to cope with their feelings in various ways, Gaia decided to continue keeping an eye on Zero's progress. The good thing about Gaia's domain was how vast it was. Nature was everywhere, even in the man-made cities. Every form of life was under Gaia's control.

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The reflecting orb did not show what Zero ate but Truen's reaction worried the goddess. She was about to intervene when the elf tried to dial for help. However, she was glad she didn't. Behind Truen, Zero was grinning and jumping around, trying to make out the colour that his skin would change into.

The goddess gave a momentous sigh of relief when she realised Zero had probably eaten a Rainbow Chameleon Mushroom whose only harm was to give the victim a colour-changing skin for the next five minutes. Those were mushrooms grown by pixies meant to trick travellers who foraged the forest. The mushrooms were often disguised as a rare delicacy called the Sky Tangerine. Sky Tangerines were very rare fungi that possessed health regeneration and increased vitality properties.

Oblivious to the roller-coaster of emotions he put his guardians through, Zero continued to explore the forest with vigour. As neither of his protectors could hear Mii, they could only fill in the gap by listening to Zero's side of the conversation. Some questions were normal but others were can be slightly disturbing. After all, listening to a one-sided discussion about the usefulness of poison can be a little worrying.

Truen tried to redirect the brunet's attention by introducing new things. For better or for worse, Zero started to identify them as deadlier specimens with Mii's help. Fortunately, he'd stopped putting things into his mouth.

Truen wiped the cold sweat that had formed on his forehead. Did they choose the wrong place to start their adventure?

Ball of Nothing

As they didn't arrive with a solid plan, it was more or less a free and easy schedule. Zero would run off whenever he saw something that caught his attention and Truen can only thank his luck that they've not met a wild beast yet. The boy wasn't exactly discreet and made a lot of noise when he was excited.

After the initial scare with the fake Sky Tangerine, Truen became a lot more vigilant. His knowledge about this new Earth was still lacking but his common sense prevailed. Steering Zero clear from all the possible death flags, the bodyguard praised himself for being able to keep the boy entertained and satisfied. Zero even asked Truen about his opinion about certain matters.

Initially, the bodyguard was enthralled. However, after being asked about his opinion about a new leaf for the twentieth time, he found it challenging to maintain the same level of enthusiasm.

"Truen! Truen! Look at this leaf! Isn't this shade of green beautiful? Although I think it's slightly greener than the vines in Gaia's hair..."

The elf smiled. "Why, of course. It's a lovely find, Zero."

The young boy frowned. "Really? I'm still not too sure about it. It might be slightly greener but then I can't remember clearly. If only there was a way to know the exact shade so that I can pick the leaf that matches Gaia's hair."

Now that puzzled the guardian. "Why are you looking for a leaf that has the exact shade of Gaia's hair?"

The child stopped smiling and looked at the ground. The cheerful boy from earlier was now nowhere to be seen.

"I just want something that will remind me about everyone because I might not see them for a while."

That sentence touched the deepest parts in Truen's heart. Gently, he placed a hand on Zero's shoulder and kneeled down so he was at the boy's eye level.

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"Zero, look at me."

Slowly, the child looked up with teary eyes. The elf gave him a gentle but reassuring squeeze on his shoulder.

"I understand that you miss them and I'm sure they miss you too. How about we try to find something together?"

Hearing those words, Zero felt reassured. He accepted Truen's outstretched hand and the elf smiled. It was hard to understand Zero's thinking and actions sometimes but there was one thing Truen was very sure about after spending time with the boy. He was a very kind existence and nothing could change that.

With that, the search for mementoes began. Of course, Zero wanted something to remind him about Jen, Jeremy and Grem too but due to the lack of time, they'd comprised to look for them one at a time.

In the next two hours, Truen and Zero looked high and low for a leaf with the exact shade of Gaia's hair. Even Gaia who was watching them from the reflecting orb was touched. However, the forest in Endow Hill was extremely vast and the sun began to set before they knew it. Zero was covered in grime from head to toe although his tracksuit remained cleaned thanks to the enchantments.

"Let's get you cleaned up, we can continue the search tomorrow."

With the sharp hearing of a wood elf, they found a nearby stream fairly easily. The water was cold but Zero didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was amazed at the many kinds of pebbles at the bottom of the stream and started to collect them while Truen was busy washing up.

As night was approaching quickly, Truen caught some fish from the river that the stream led and started a small campfire. He cautioned Zero about staying too close to the fire as he grilled the scaled fishes. It was slightly challenging to clean the fishes without a proper knife but Truen managed it somehow with the help of an arrow in his inventory. Despite being a pampered young master in his previous life, Truen learnt a lot about survival skills as a hungry ghost. His travels in search for a way to redeem himself taught him a lot.

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Before they dug in, Truen taught Zero how to debone a fish. Zero picked it up quickly and they finished eating in record time. The young boy felt sleepy soon after but Truen had one more task for Zero before the boy could sleep.

"Zero, I know you're tired but this isn't a good place to sleep. Do you still remember how to use the lamp Zeus and Hades prepared for you?"

Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Zero nodded and pulled it out from his sling bag.

"Itty-bitty living space..." Zero mumbled and rubbed the lamp. It teleported them into a well-furnished room. Truen glanced at the connecting bathroom and swore silently. It would have been a lot easier to shower and clean here than in a stream. Then again, looking at the pebbles Zero collected from his bath time, the elf shrugged it off.

After helping Zero get into his pyjamas and tucking him in, Truen allowed himself to yawn. Before long, he'd fallen asleep too.

Ball of Nothing

"Took you long enough!" Freya snapped when Truen finally appeared. She'd been waiting in this dimension for far too long. Her shopping trip with Isis was cut short when Isis received a report about some problems from a messenger falcon. The Goddess of Time excused herself in a hurry and Freya was left to her own devices. Unable to find a better way to pass the time, she started making preparations for the basic magic and combat crash course. Once she was done, she loitered in the dream dimension for a long time.

Truen looked terribly exhausted even in a dream and Freya pitied him slightly.

"My apologies, goddess."

Nodding, Freya didn't pursue the matter. Instead, she conjured a table and two chairs with the wave of her hand. "Let's put the lesson aside. We have about a week here before you need to wake up again. Tell me, how do you find Earth?"

Truen recounted his story about Zero and his adventures at Endow Hill. There wasn't much to recount but he'd concluded it wasn't the same Earth that he originated from.

Freya laughed aloud when Truen explained how he panicked when Zero ate a mushroom that gave Zero colour-changing skin.

"You have a long way to go. Magic does not follow common sense, it follows the heart and is guided by emotions. As a living wood spirit residing in the body of a wood elf, you should be more attuned to magic. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet even after visiting a place so dense in magical energy."

Ashamed, Truen apologised once more. It was true that he hadn't progressed much with his constant worrying over the brunet's well-being. Freya sighed wordlessly.

"In any case, I'll summarise how magic works. It comes in two parts. Something that is believed in and something that can be manipulated."

"Believed in and manipulated?" Truen parroted. His expression reflected no form of understanding. How was this vague summary meant to enlighten him?

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Freya grinned. "Seeing is believing. Why don't you try it or yourself? This is the perfect space for it. Although it is a dream dimension, the experiences are real. Just like how I conjured the table and chairs, you should try creating things with your imagination. The more realistic your imagination is, the more tangible it will become."

Truen tried to imagine something that was very close to his heart. Of course, for any Chinese, the closest thing to heart will be rice. It was a staple food eaten every day from young to old.

As soon as he imagined it, a bowl of piping hot rice appeared in front of him. The elf caught it with both hands. The rice was exactly how he remembered it to be from smell to colour and texture.

Freya smiled. "Now give it a taste."

Truen did and was amazed by how real it was.

"This is the power of belief. Your belief in rice to be this smell, weight, texture, colour and taste is what allows you to create it. Of course, there are several ways of channelling magic energy. Illusions like this are basic and require no incantations as it is very familiar to the user. However, more complicated spells like creating causing physical changes to the environment can be more difficult. Incantations are used to facilitate the profound understanding of the laws behind it. For example, a lightning bolt..."

Freya pointed to her right and Truen watched in amazement as a bolt of blue lightning left her finger to the direction she was pointing to.

"I understand. What about manipulation?"

Freya smiled. "Let's use that bowl of rice as an example. Can you create that bowl of rice again?"

Truen closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon, another bowl of rice materialised and fell into Truen's hands. Nothing looked different and the elf wondered what Freya would do.

"Do you believe that this bowl of rice is exactly the same as the last?"

The elf frowned. "Yes."

"Are you sure there isn't a difference? Are you very sure it has the same weight, size, colour, smell, texture, temperature and taste?"

At this, Truen frowned. He knew for a fact that no two things in the world can be exactly alike. Even the same bowl of rice will always be different from time to time depending on the cook, the farmer, the conditions the rice was grown in and how the merchants packaged it.

"Now, I want you to taste this bowl of rice. Tell me what you think about it."

Truen did so without questions and this time, he found that the rice was indeed slightly different from the previous bowl of rice.

"How...?"

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Freya grinned. "You doubted it. Manipulation is all about using the enemy's mind against themselves. For example, if one believes that a 'cloak of darkness' will conceal them, I can falter their belief by challenging it with a 'fire from hell' to burn that 'cloak of darkness'. If they believe that the 'fire from hell' is stronger than their 'cloak of darkness', the magic created will fail and backfire on them. That spell of invisibility will be interrupted and I will be able to see them again even if the fire doesn't harm them."

Truen felt mentally drained after listening to Freya's explanation. Where was the common sense in magic? Didn't that mean it was possible for a fool with an extra strong faith to win against an educated person with a weak faith?

Sensing Truen's thoughts, Freya chuckled. "Blind faith is also a kind of strength. Fortunately, those who walk the path of magic often possess high intelligence."

Hearing this, Truen wanted to cry. However, Freya was having none of it.

"Stop dallying! We need to get you familiarised with the law of magic before the week ends!"

The next few days in the dream reality, the sounds of Freya's scolding and Truen's groans could be heard. While the elf couldn't die in the dream space, he could feel his spirit faltering with every death he experienced.

Freya was merciless when it came to duelling. She didn't give the elf any handicaps and threw God-tiered spells after God-tiered spells without pause. As there was no mana limitation in the dream space, getting tired and running out of stamina was out of the question.

"Star Shower!"

Meteor rocks materialised in a sea of fire above the cornered elf and hurtled towards him at an astonishing rate. Despite the looming threat of death, Truen kept his cool. After the sixtieth death or so, the prospect of dying and pain didn't faze him much any longer. It wasn't that he was unafraid of dying, he simply grew numb to the idea of it.

"Shadow replacement," the elf whispered and turned into a wisp of darkness just before the devastating meteors landed.

Freya nodded in approval but didn't let him rest. "Blazing Light, erase that shadow!"

As if he'd been waiting for this moment, Truen countered without missing a beat. "Phoenix! Rise and be reborn from your ashes!"

With the elf's wits and improved reaction, the battle concluded with a draw. Freya was satisfied. For the first two days, Truen was getting his elven butt handed to him and had to be slapped to consciousness several times by the goddess. He only showed signs of improvement by imitating the goddess on the third day after forgetting his fear of dying. Freya was mildly impressed by Truen's ability to adapt quickly.

They rested briefly after every duel and Freya would give him some pointers. Watching Truen develop his battle sense as a truly satisfying journey. Once the elf discarded his fears and focussed on growing his strengths, he transformed from a lamb into a lion overnight.

Freya was glad that Zero had such a dedicated person to protect him at his side. Although she knew that they wouldn't be able to spare Zero from the clutches of the cruel world, they could hold it back for long enough until Zero was ready to learn about the truth. Kindness was one of Zero's strengths but it could also be a double-edged sword used against him. Nobody wanted Zero to lose that kindness. To the gods and goddesses who had lived for too long and seen the ugliness of this world, Zero was like a tiny flower budding in the middle of a wasteland.

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Truen and Freya rested for a while, mentally exhausted from their duel. With Truen's significant improvement, Freya was now ready to introduce the next part of her training. Although Truen had only grasped the basics, she was confident that he could refine his magic combat abilities by himself.

"We will move on to basic combat abilities next. Of course, there are many kinds of combat skills and it isn't possible to cover everything in such a short time. I'll be teaching you the most basic skills required for a bow user. Normally, archers need to train on their accuracy but with Sureshot, you only need to worry about being able to shoot it."

Truen sat up straight. Freya handed him a dream replica of Sureshot. He had some arrows in his inventory but Freya refused to replicate those.

"Use magic to create arrows. They're more useful than normal arrows. Depending on the enemy you are fighting, you can manipulate the effects of each arrow you shoot."

The elf frowned. "Isn't casting magic enough? What's the difference between a magic arrow and a normal spell?"

Freya grinned. "There was a reason why we gave you a bow. Magic is limited by a radius. Out of a certain radius, the caster is unable to do anything. Sureshot is different. It allows magic to follow the target, ignoring the radius rule."

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Truen's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when he heard Freya's explanation. Isn't such overpowered abilities considered cheating?!

"As awesome as it sounds, it would be useless if you can't draw it fast enough. There will be many challenging situations that might require you to draw a bow with hands, without hands, on water or even in the air. That said, we will only practice drawing the bow normally today. Over the next few days, I will introduce more challenging situations for you to get familiarised with."

As uncanny as it sounded, Truen didn't doubt Freya's words. A normal adventurer would probably not find himself in those situations but Treun believed that travelling with Zero made anything possible.

Once they rested enough, Freya started barking orders again.

"Butt out! Chest straight. Don't relax that arm, do you want it to break when you shoot?"

Ball of Nothing

Zero yawned and rubbed his eyes. He had a fantastic sleep and blinked groggily. Waking up in the lamp made him forget where he was for a moment. However, the sound of running water from the bathroom jolted his memories.

"Oh right! I was with Truen yesterday on Endow Hill! Mm, we need to find a leaf that reminds me of Gaia. Do you think we can find it today, Mii?"

Mii materialised with a poof. It took on the form of a small red fruit. Thanks to Zero's exploration and discovery of so many new plants, Mii levelled up. An ability was unlocked, allowing Mii to materialise for a short period of time each day. Unfortunately, Mii could only assume the forms of things Zero had seen before. For now, it was taking on the shape of a strawcherry.

Truen was startled by the sight of a floating fruit talking to Zero. He'd taken a shower to clear his head before the boy woke up. Freya's lessons were still fresh in his mind and due to the time distortion, Truen felt a little disoriented. He'd missed his young charge and had some difficulty remembering the details of what happened before he fell asleep.

"Good morning Truen!" Zero greeted cheerfully and that smile was all it took to wipe away the accumulated stress from Freya's training. He could wake up to this every day.

On the other hand, the floating fruit was labelled as an intruder. The elf was on guard against it. Anything unknown must be regarded as a potential threat to Zero.

The brunet saw his bodyguard's line of sight and decided it might be better to introduce Mii. "Mii, this is Truen, you may already know him. Truen, this is Mii. Mii is a... wait. Mii, are you a 'he' or a 'she' now?"

The floating fruit made some gurgling noises before replying in a sulky tone. "I'm an 'it' but for easier reference, you can consider me a 'she'. Also, before you question, I am currently taking the form of the strawcherry Zero saw yesterday. Long story short, I'm something left behind for Zero by Great One. In simpler terms, please think of me as a guardian spirit of sorts. As Zero becomes more knowledgeable, my ability to materialise and provide support will get better. For now, I can only appear for up to an hour in this lamp and five minutes outside of this lamp each day. You won't be able to hear me when I'm not materialised but if you add me as a friend on your communicator, I will be able to text you via magic."

At this point, Truen wasn't going to bother questioning how that was possible. He simply nodded and added Mii as a friend. Under the nickname field, he added 'strawcherry fairy' for easier reference. Zero was amused by Mii's annoyance at Truen when she saw her nickname.

"Stop degrading it! I'm an all-powerful system created by Great One!"

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By now, the nickname field has changed at least five times with the latest input as 'pipsqueak'. Zero laughed when Mii fumed, trying to snatch the communicator from Truen's hands. Although they appeared to be fighting, Zero thought that it was great. Truen looked happy and in turn, Zero felt happy for him.

"Isn't it great that you now have another friend? I'm so happy for you!"

Mii and Truen stopped the argument and looked at Zero before relenting. Truen knew that he would forever be weak to Zero's charms and Mii could only sigh at the brunet. Although he was wrong, she was reluctant to correct him. The most she could consider Truen was a brother-in-arms for now. After all, Mii's mission was more complicated than Truen's.

Ball of Nothing

After Mii dematerialised, Truen decided they should resume their adventure.

The bell was located by the door that could not be opened with normal means. Zero wanted to do the honours of ringing the bell so Truen lifted him high enough to reach it. The bell wasn't made of metal. Instead, it was an electronic one that chimes three times before activating the portal behind that door and unlocking it.

The duo walked through the portal and arrived at the exact spot they left last night. The fire they grilled fishes over had long died out and only ashes remained. The fish bones were where they left them and Zero asked if it was alright to leave everything the way it was.

"It's fine," replied the elf. "The forest cleaners will take care of the rest."

"Forest cleaners?"

Truen nodded. "Nature has its way of taking care of things like that. When something dies or is left behind that is not man-made, nature will send something to return it into the soil."

After listening to Truen's explanation, Zero got excited and decided to catch the forest cleaner in action.

Unable to deny the brunet, the bodyguard was caught in another dilemma.

Chuckling weakly, he explained. "Zero, the forest cleaners won't turn up immediately. It could take weeks to months or even years. Why don't we search for a leaf that matches Gaia's hair colour first? Who knows, we might be able to catch these shy cleaners in action."

Zero frowned. While he did want to find that leaf, he was also very curious about the forest cleaners. Who were they? What did they look like? What will they do with the bones and ashes?

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Sensing the boy's hesitation, Truen threw in a compromise to appease the child. "We can wait here for two hours if you really want to. However, if they do not appear we should carry on with our journey. Endow Hill is not a very big place, I'm sure we will have the chance to meet them before we leave."

Reluctantly, Zero agreed and they climbed a tree to hide among the foliage. An hour passed and Truen sniffed the air suddenly before frowning. Zero was on the brink of nodding off and the sudden movement caught him by surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"Rain is coming."

Zero tilted his head to a side. "Rain?"

Before Mii could answer, Truen already launched into an explanation about how 'rain' was a phenomenon that occasionally happened. Water would fall from the sky over a large area for a period of time before stopping. The sky would become very dark and sometimes there would be strong wind and loud sounds following flashes of lights in the sky.

"We should take shelter soon, it's not good to stay out in the rain."

"Why not? Is rain bad?"

"No, rain is not bad. It is actually good for the plants and rivers. However, you might fall sick if you stay out in the rain for too long."

Zero didn't question further and helped Truen look for shelter. True enough, the sky got darker after twenty minutes and the wind picked up speed. From a distance, Zero saw how the light in the clouds flashed. A low rumbling noise followed it and Zero jumped whenever that happened.

"The rain is coming, do you want to hide out in the lamp until it passes?"

Zero shook his head. While he was frightened of the loud noises he was curious about the rain. "I want to know how the rain is like."

For the next ten minutes, Truen ran through Endow Hill with Zero on his back to hasten their search. Fortunately, they found a small cave hidden behind some rocks just before the heavy downpour. It was drizzling by the time they made it to the cave. The gentle pitter-patter got heavier and soon, it became a raging storm. Trees swayed so violently that Zero feared they might break. The lightning and thunder came closer as the dark clouds ruled over the sky. Zero huddled close to Truen, seeking comfort in those arms.

"Truen, where does the rain come from? Why is it coming this way?"

The elf hugged the brunet close. "The rain is created by gods. I don't really know how it was created, you should ask Sedna or Gaia about this. As for why it happens, many plants and animals drink water. Humans too. Water is very important and the rain helps to replenish the water used by plants and animals from the rivers, ponds and lakes."

Zero hummed. That made a lot of sense. Zero used the water in the stream to clean up yesterday. He'd seen many plants too and if everyone needed water, 'rain' must be very important indeed.

"I'm going to call Sedna and ask her if she knows anything about how 'rain' was made."

Truen chuckled and helped Zero dial for Sedna. While Zero waited for the call to connect, Truen discreetly texted his bosses in the group chat, updating them about Zero's progress.

"Hello Sedna!"

The goddess couldn't contain her joy when she heard the adorable voice.

"Zero! How have you been? Did you eat well? How was your sleep? Was the lamp comfortable? Do you need anything else?"

The brunet grinned widely as Sedna rambled away. "I'm good, Sedna. The fish Truen caught and grilled was delicious. Sleep was good too. The lamp had everything inside and it was so spacious! I couldn't reach the bell but Truen was there to help me. Also, I don't need anything else but I have a question."

On the other end of the line, Sedna was nodding and tearing up. "Yes Zero, how can I help you?"

"I was just wondering if you know how 'rain' was created. Truen said that 'rain' was good for plants and animals replaces the used water."

The Goddess of the Sea smiled. This question was right up her alley.

"Yes, Truen is correct. Water is important to many living creatures, some even live in it. Remember the shellfish? It isn't the only animal that needed water. The bird, Namekuji and even the frogs need it too. However, unlike animals, the plants that need water are unable to move. Rain is a way that Zeus and I made to help these plants get the water they needed. We used magic to create a cycle that borrowed water from rivers and seas, bringing them over to the plants who cannot move from time to time. Small amounts of water will rise into the sky to form clouds. As water is very heavy, it is not possible for the wind to carry it far. With clouds, it is possible to transport large amounts of water further. Once there is enough water in the clouds, the wind will blow it to the place with plants that need water. The clouds will then undergo change and become dark when the water come together and become heavy again. The light and sounds coming from them are a result of the clouds working hard to becoming water so you don't need to be too worried about them. Once all the clouds become water and have fallen back to the ground, the rain will stop and you can see the sun again."

The explanation was very thorough but some parts still eluded Zero. Nevertheless, he thanked Sedna but decided to ask Mii about it later. At the end of the call, there was one thing that made Zero conclude that Sedna and Zeus were awesome.

"Truen, did you hear what Sedna said? Water can travel upwards! No wonder the goddesses are so powerful... they can make water go upwards and move them around."

The elf nodded. He didn't quite understand Sedna's explanation as that was beyond him. However, he was also impressed by how the gods could make so much water travel upwards without anyone knowing.

"I wonder if they can make anything else travel upwards too..." Truen mumbled and Zero hummed.

"Maybe they can make fishes travel upwards?"

"No, that will be terrible because fishes need water to live in."

"But clouds are water, right? Wouldn't they be fine?"

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Truen looked at the pouring rain from the cave. "And fall down like that? I don't think so. It would hurt the fishes."

Frowning, Zero nodded. "Yes, that will be bad. We don't want to hurt the fishes."

"Mhmm," Truen agreed. "I think having water is enough."

Zero laughed cheerfully. "Me too! It might be nice to see different things though."

Truen didn't nod but remained thoughtful. Sometimes Zero had ideas that were out of this world. But Truen wouldn't trade it for anything else. After all, it was what made the job so interesting.

Ball of Nothing

The rain did stop eventually and Zero relished in the squelching sounds his shoes made against the muddy ground. Truen watched the young boy play in the puddles, jumping into the huge ones without hesitation. Some splashes were big enough to reach the elf but Truen didn't scold the boy for ruining his clothes. He knew that everything was new to Zero and wanted the brunet to enjoy himself.

The quest to find a leaf for Gaia was temporarily put on hold. Zero shot off to any puddle he could find and Truen followed closely behind. The forest was tranquil and the sounds of birds were slowly returning after the heavy downpour.

Some creatures like Namekuji appeared but they had shells on their back. Zero was fascinated by them and decided to name them Namekuji 2, Namekuji 3 etc… According to Zero, Namekuji was huge but his cousins and family looked tiny. Truen didn't have the heart to tell Zero that it was all a matter of perspective. According to Sedna, Zero was very tiny at that point of time so Namekuji appeared as huge to him.

The sun was beginning to show itself again and the humidity increased. Truen felt his skin become clammy under the heat but Zero did not notice the change. They entered a small grass clearing and for the first time ever since arriving on Earth and Zero could finally see an unobstructed view of the sky.

While there were a few fluffy white clouds, Zero ignored them. He was immediately captivated by the spectrum of colours instead.

"Truen look! It's a colourful sky bridge!"

The elf smiled. While Zero wasn't wrong, he didn't want Zero to think that he could walk on it.

"Yes Zero. That's a rainbow. It usually appears after a heavy rain but will disappear soon."

Zero's eyes shone with awe at Truen's vast knowledge. "A rainbow… if it is going to disappear soon, we should hurry."

"Hurry?"

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Taking Truen's hand in his, Zero walked forward with a determined expression. "Mii said that if we reach the end of the rainbow, a treasure awaits. I want to get that leaf for Gaia."

Puzzled by Zero's conclusion, Truen asked how the boy knew what the treasure was and if the treasure existed.

With a confident smiled, Zero puffed out his chest. "There has to be a treasure there. Why else would people tell stories about it? As for what kind of treasure, Mii says that it is a surprise for whoever manages to reach the end of the rainbow. I'm just guessing that it will be a leaf with the same shade as Gaia's hair."

"But Zero," Truen frowned. He didn't want the boy to be disappointed when he learns that the treasure is a lie and that the myth isn't real. He doesn't want Zero to be disheartened when he couldn't reach the end of the rainbow either. "What if the stories aren't real? It could be simply the imagination of humans."

Zero didn't pause. Instead, he started teleporting them as quickly as he could. "Then we will find out for ourselves. First, we need to reach the end of the rainbow."

Helpless and slightly afraid of the speed they were travelling at, Truen held onto Zero's hand as tightly as he could without hurting the boy.

The rainbow was disappearing fast so Zero teleported faster. Truen decided that it was impossible to stop the boy now. He'd never seen Zero look so determined about something to the point of being obstinate. However, there it was – the look of unadulterated concentration.

Who knew that Zero had such a stubborn streak in him?

After two more minutes, the rainbow completely disappeared from sight in front of them. Strangely enough, they'd passed where the rainbow ended and Zero decided to retrace his steps. By now, the rainbow was very faint. It disappeared rapidly much to Zero's dismay.

At first, the elf thought that the brunet would be disheartened. However, Zero didn't give up. Instead he looked up and told Truen that the treasure was somewhere nearby.

"Mii, did you see where the rainbow ended?"

There was silence but after a while, Truen's communicator made a small noise. He checked his inbox and was amazed by Mii's quick response. While Zero was travelling at an impossible speed, the small guardian angel of sorts was able to record the distance travelled on a very generic map, calculating with shocking accuracy about where the rainbow might have ended. For Mii to be able to complete complicated calculations within seconds, she must be a genius. However, Zero didn't seem privy to this and thanked Mii as if the strawcherry angel had done simple like picking up an item he'd dropped.

With an indicator on the map, Truen acted as Zero's guide. They'd covered a fair distance so getting to the marked location on the map might take them half a day on foot.

After hearing that, Zero told Truen to guide them while he teleported them over using shorter distances so that they wouldn't miss it. Unsurprisingly, they reached the location in less than ten minutes. Zero was eager to start the treasure hunt but Truen was confused as to what would be considered a treasure by Zero. Helplessly, he nodded his head and followed Zero's lead.

They searched from tree tops and in some small caves for the treasure but returned empty-handed. Truen went to the extent of diving into the river but the area was simply too big for two people to comb for unknown treasures!

Truen was getting tired but Zero remained undeterred. By now, it was approaching evening and the elf guardian proposed gathering food before the sun sets. Zero agreed and they went foraging for fruits.

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Just when Truen thought things couldn't be crazier, Zero exclaimed in excitement that he'd found the treasure. The small boy had his head stuck in a bush and his butt stuck out while he yelled for Truen. Zero's legs didn't quite touch the ground and the elf briefly wondered what the boy did to end up in such an awkward position within the two seconds that he averted his eyes.

"Truen I found it!" Zero yelled once more, squirming in the bush and kicking his legs up in the air trying to free himself to no avail.

"Truen? Some help?"

The elf chuckled. His young charge was simply too incredible. One moment he was teleporting them over thousands of kilometers, the next moment he was stuck in a bush with his butt sticking out.

"Yes, Zero. Just give me a moment, my arms are full. How did you get stuck in the bush?"

Zero stopped flailing and didn't answer immediately. While Truen set the gathered edible mushrooms, leaves and roots on a nearby rock, he heard Zero mumble.

"I saw a fluffy tiger-rabbit and wanted to pat it. It ran away after pushing me into the bush.

At this, the elf couldn't help but laugh aloud as he casually snapped a precious photo. Then, he carefully reached for Zero's waist and hoisted the boy out of the bush. Zero was clutching onto something huge and heavy, making it challenging for Truen to free the brunet.

After ten minutes of struggling, the elf succeeded. His first reaction at the sight of the 'treasure' was to raise a brow.

"Zero, what are you holding?"

Zero beamed. "This is the treasure!"

Truen frowned. "But it's not a leaf with the same shade as Gaia's hair."

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The brunet laughed at that. "No silly, it's not. It's even better!"

The elf didn't know what he was looking at. The oval object was solid and shiny. It looked like a rock. It was huge and heavy but the elf knew that no rocks were this smooth. The object was a lovely pale blue and was half the size of Zero. The young boy's arms couldn't circle it fully so Zero was constantly shifting it for a better grip. The elf had a hunch about what that 'treasure' was but he wasn't sure. Regardless, he didn't think it was a good idea for Zero to keep it.

"No! I'll take good care of it, I promise!"

Unable to convince his ward, Truen could only compromise and told Zero that he should keep it in the lamp or in his storage. It was impractical to carry it around while they travelled in the forest. Zero was a little clumsy by nature and holding the 'treasure' while they travelled wasn't advisable. Zero took Truen's advice and stored it in the lamp, eager to play with the 'treasure' later.

Truen made a small fire and told Zero to wash up while he made some root soup. Zero whooped with joy and stripped in record time before jumping into the freezing river. Truen massaged his temples. He'd have to report this to the gods to ask for advice. That 'treasure' could very well be a danger beyond his capabilities to handle.

After dinner, shower and a bedtime story, Zero was passed out like a light. Truen snatched the opportunity to take a picture of the treasure and send it to the group chat.

Gaia received the message and squinted at the picture. It looked really familiar. She was sure that it was an egg of a magical beast.

"Many magical beasts lay eggs but it's been a while since I've seen an egg as big as this."

Truen's heart fell. "It could put Zero in danger and I can't defeat a magical beast just yet."

Gaia frowned. She knew that magical beasts can be dangerous. However, like all babies, they won't attack anyone just after they were born. Animals had a strong sense of imprinting and it was highly possible for them to see Zero as their parent.

"Truen, it might not be a bad thing. Magical beasts are hard to tame. If raised right, this beast can become Zero's strongest ally in times of need. In fact, this is a very rare find. Solely from the picture, I can tell that it is at least an S rank magical beast."

After hearing it, Truen felt like fainting.

"S rank?!"

The elf was hardly a B rank adventurer with his skills. If it weren't for his nearly indestructible body, he wouldn't have survived Zero's teleportation earlier. For all of Freya's training, Truen couldn't shoot to save his life. Without Sureshot and the blessing of accuracy, the elf was a combat deadweight.

"Don't worry too much, I'm sure things will work out. This is Zero after all."

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Hearing this, Truen paled. How were the Great Gods so confident in Zero's skill? He was a child who'd nearly drowned when he fell into a deep hole while jumping in puddles. He was a child who got stuck in a bush with his butt out like an easy meal for any wild animals. He was the child who would put any unknown thing into his mouth and risked consuming something poisonous at the drop of a hat.

"But you're forgetting that he is also the child who teleported thousands of kilometers effortlessly in a day. He is the child who'd created Gods and Divine Entities. He is the child who cannot die."

Truen kept silent. Maybe he was just being overprotective at this point. Everything that Gaia mentioned was true. In terms of strength, Zero was a lot stronger than he was. In terms of existence, Zero was definitely a lot older. What as there to worry about?

"But you are right. Zero still doesn't know many things about the world. There are many ugly things and people who want to hurt him. Although he is unable to die, he can still feel pain like the rest of us. Your duty is to protect his heart. We cannot do that because of our duties and that is why you need to be strong. Don't hesitate to guide him when you see him going down the wrong road. While you are his bodyguard, you are also part of his family."

Understanding reflected in Truen's eyes as well as gratitude. He'd sometimes feel excluded from Zero's life with the involvement of the Great Gods. However, after hearing Gaia's words, he was touched. More than a friend, Truen wanted to be part of Zero's big family. His greedy heart was no longer satisfied with being friends. During their travels, he'd come to see Zero as his little brother.

Unknowingly, Truen had come to love the overpowered but adorable brunet with all his heart.

"I understand. Please help me grow stronger so that I can stand beside him. I am in your care."

Gaia laughed. "With pleasure! However, it is still Freya's turn tonight. You better not keep her waiting for too long."

The elf grinned and hung up the call. He couldn't keep Freya waiting after all.

Ball of Nothing

Zero woke up feeling refreshed the next morning. He thought that the elf would already be awake but it didn't happen. Instead, Truen was still asleep on the floor beside his bed. The elf was as still as a rock and Zero decided to check on his treasure before his guardian woke up.

He tiptoed over to the treasure quietly. The treasure was warm to the touch and Zero cuddled it while pressing his freezing toes against the hard surface. Before he knew it, he'd dozed off, huddling with the treasure.

Truen woke up to the sight of Zero hugging the egg on the floor beside him. The elf chuckled and took a picture of the adorable sight. He quickly sent it to the Great Gods who cooed over it in the group chat. Isis sent Truen a private message and the elf raised an eyebrow.

(If you send me exclusive photos of Zero, I will split the profits with you!)

((What kind of profit are we talking about?))

Isis saw the reply and typed rapidly. Truen waited and wondered what the goddess would offer. They had everything they needed already.

(Money, blessings, favours from the gods… anything you want!)

Truen thought for a moment. While it sounded good, it wasn't anything that Zero lacked. Zero was like a rich young master who wasn't short of anything materialistic. On the other hand, he severely lacked exposure. Truen thought long and hard before reaching a conclusion.

((I don't need those. Zero has everything he needs. What is important for him now is establishing contacts. He will require people who can support him wherever he goes.))

It took Isis a while to understand what Truen was getting at. While it was a huge favour, it wasn't beyond Isis' abilities.

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(Deal. I require a regular supply of photos after starting a Zero Fan Club. Be sure to take some good shots, the cuter they are the better for business.)

The elf smirked. He had no issues with taking secret pictures. In fact, he had quite a few in his private collection.

((Deal. As for those contacts…))

The day started off as per normal after Truen woke his young ward. Zero wiped the drool away with his sleeve and tottered to the toilet to freshen up. Today's agenda was simple. Zero was going to continue his search for the leaf and Truen was going to continue assisting him.

Somewhere after lunch, Zero decided to take a break from his search. There wasn't anything else that could hold Zero's interest now. He'd seen almost everything that could be seen in the forest and the search for Gaia's leaf wasn't going well.

"Would you like to learn some basic magic and combat skills?"

"Magic and combat skills?"

Truen nodded. "To defend yourself in emergency situations when I cannot."

Zero thought about it and nodded. There was nothing else interesting after all. Under Truen's tutelage, Zero changed into his magician robes. Truen secretly took pictures of it and kept a poker face.

"Let's go through the basics first. Magic is the control of energy. You can channel magic to do things like this…"

The lessons with Freya were still fresh in his mind. As Truen demonstrated the different forms of magic, Zero's jaw had fallen wide open.

The display of many different colours intrigued the brunet. In fact, the one thing Zero was most interested in was the ability to fly.

"How do you fly? I want to learn that!"

Truen grinned. Although flying required a very strong sense of control, under Freya's tutelage the elf found an easier method. However, he was going to need some good shots for the secret photoshoot before teaching Zero how to fly. After all, it was a priceless opportunity to catch the cute kid at his clumsiest.

"Flying is a very high level magic. Without good control, it is very difficult. However, there is an easier method and that is to work on your sense of balance. If you can turn very quickly on the spot ten times and walk on this line steadily without falling or going off it, I can teach you the trick."

Zero nodded and started spinning as fast as he could. Truen filmed it secretly and chuckled when Zero fell over after the fourth round.

Dizzy but not willing to give up, Zero continued. The elf continued to film in secret, occasionally giving Zero some pointers. Initially the brunet was full of determination, getting up each time he fell. However, after an hour, he flopped on the ground in exhaustion, unable to get up again.

"How is this more tiring than teleporting in the void?"

Truen chuckled. While it was true that Zero possessed some frightening abilities, his constitution was still that of a child.

"Don't worry about it. You'll get better with more practice. Remember not to overdo it, we don't want you vomiting and feeling ill."

Zero pouted and conceded. He felt queasy after turning and falling for an hour. "Is it really possible to do this?"

The elf smiled. Without another word, Truen spun ten times on the same spot and walked perfectly on a straight line with any signs of wobble in his step. Zero clapped in amazement.

"That's awesome!"

Truen smiled and ruffled Zero's hair. "You can do it too with practice. However that's enough practice for today. Do you want to try flying with me?"

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Zero's eyes sparkled as he jumped with joy. Truen grinned and conjured a fluffy pink sheep.

"Be sure to strap tight. I don't want you to fall off and injure yourself."

Zero nodded and complied obediently. He was excited to fly and didn't care that the mount was a fluffy pink sheep. Truen took multiple pictures of the adorable sight from different angles. Zero decided to pat the fluffy wool and play with it while Truen made 'preparations'. After a while, Truen got on behind Zero. With a wave of his hand, they lifted off the ground and into the air.

The sheep floated higher and higher until Zero was in the clouds.

"Is this where all the water gather before they become rain?"

"Very good, you remembered! Yes, it is. Unfortunately, you can't eat the clouds or jump on it. You can if you create a cloud using magic but that is a lesson for another time."

Zero sulked for a moment but cheered up quickly once they rose above the clouds. Now that they were high up in the sky and flying, Zero decided to look down.

Truen thought that Zero might be afraid of heights but that didn't happen. Instead, the brunet gushed on excitedly about how he could see everything.

"Look! The trees are so tiny! Is this Endow Hill? Wait, what is that over there?"

Truen squinted to where Zero was pointing. It was a very tiny house in the middle of the forest with a small clearing. He was amazed how Zero could spot it from this distance. Even with elven eyes, Truen had some difficulty seeing it.

"It looks like somebody's house."

Zero nodded. "Can we visit them tomorrow?"

Truen smiled. "Sure. Are you ready to fly now?"

The child turned to look at Truen with a surprised expression. "Are we not flying already?"

The elf grinned sinisterly. "Not even close. Hold on tight, it's going to be a ride you'll never forget!"

Having said that, the gentle sheep transformed into a reckless ram and starting charging at full speed. Zero was taken aback but screamed with joy as the wind rushed through his hair.

It wasn't until Truen made the ram run upside down and zip through the air that those screams transformed into one of slight terror.

Zero slept early that night. The flying experience was both exhilarating and terrifying. While Zero enjoyed the speed and the height, he was slightly traumatized about flying upside down. Truen apologised and reassured him that he'd warn him the next time.

While Truen was truly apologetic about it, he knew it had to be done. After all, he would never get the golden shot for the trade with Isis if he warned Zero beforehand. A teary and frightened Zero was an endearing one.

"It's me," Truen spoke in a low voice, not wanting to disturb his ward.

The goddess nodded and sent him an invitation link. She'd arranged to swap with Freya to meet with Truen in the dream reality tonight. Isis, Hades and Gaia would be present for the meeting.

In less than three minutes, Truen successfully entered the dream realm.

"Good evening," he greeted.

Hades and Gaia were still going through the pictures. They were thoroughly impressed with Truen's ability to get such good angles.

"Good evening, thank you for the pictures. I believe we can forgo the small talk and launch straight to business?"

The elf smiled widely. "Yes. Have you gathered the contacts I asked for?"

Hades and Gaia looked up. "About that, we're not able to contact everyone on such a short notice but this is a list of people who responded. We can send you the confirmed list after you wake up but for now let's go through the contact list to sieve out those who are potentially harmful."

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The list was very long and Truen thanked the creation of technology.

"Let's start with the demons and devils," Hades scrolled to the correct page. Truen squinted at it and read the individual proposals and demands of each applicant.

"I think he has ulterior motives, rejected."

"I concur," Gaia nodded and nobody objected as Truen moved it to the pile of rejected applications.

The elimination process took about four days and Truen looked at the pile of potential applicants. There were about a few hundred applicants left from the few hundred thousand that they received but it was still too many.

"Let's shortlist twenty that we think will be good and discuss again," Gaia proposed. Everyone nodded and starting working on it separately.

A day passed quickly and the Great Gods looked no less haggard than Truen.

"Let's begin," Truen sighed.

Another two days passed while they debated over their choices. Thankfully, the concluded results satisfied everyone.

"Thank you," Truen bowed. It was about time to leave the dream realm.

"No," Isis smiled. "We should thank you instead. None of us thought about this. It's only right for us to help in any way possible. Please continue to look after Zero."

Truen smiled. "You can count on me. I won't let anything happen to him."

Truen was roused by an overly excited Zero.

"Come on Truen, wake up! Quickly!"

Still slightly disoriented from the time difference, the elf groaned. Zero straddled the elf with his tiny legs and shook the elf with his tiny hands.

"Come on! Hurry!"

Half-dragged by Zero and half fuelled by curiosity, Truen allowed his ward to place his hand on the treasure. It was warm to the touch as per usual. The elf didn't understand what made the boy so excited but didn't question it. Zero could be strange at times.

Then, he felt movement beneath his hand. It was a small vibration that made a low sound from inside the egg. Truen was immediately wide awake. It was unmistakable, the creature in the egg was close to hatching.

He turned to look at Zero who smiled widely in response.

"It's moving!"

Truen nodded. He didn't quite know how to explain to Zero that this wasn't a normal treasure. Conflicted, Truen decided to postpone the talk till later. They freshened up and set off to find the small house Zero spotted during their flight. Mii was kind enough to mark out the house's coordinates and update Truen's map. At the same time, the Isis sent him the list of shortlisted candidates. Truen sent Isis a short reply and left the lamp with Zero.

This time, Zero wanted to walk instead of teleporting. For some irrational reason, the brunet was convinced that teleporting would hurt the treasure in his lamp. Truen didn't know how to explain that the room in his lamp was created in a different space and movement would not affect it. Hence, he allowed the boy to do as he pleased.

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Noon approached quickly and Truen told Zero to gather some dry sticks for the fire while he caught some fishes from the river. The boy scuttled off quickly and Truen reminded him not to stray too far. His sense of hearing as an elf was powerful but even it had limits. Not thinking much as Zero scampered around for wood, Truen concentrated on catching river fish.

A yell from Zero nearly made Truen shit in his pants. He jumped out of the river, forgetting about lunch and ran over at breakneck speed.

When Zero came into view, the first thing Truen did was scan for enemies before fussing over the boy, checking for injuries.

"Truen calm down! I'm fine."

The elf frowned. Seeing that he couldn't convince his guardian with words, Zero showed the elf the leaf he'd found instead.

At first, Truen didn't understand why Zero would show him a leaf after yelling so suddenly. Then it clicked.

"You found it!"

Zero beamed. "Yes I did! Who knew that the leaf would be hiding in such a place? I was looking for sticks when I found it!"

Happy for Zero and forgetting about his earlier concerns, Truen told Zero to pose with the leaf before snapping a picture. He sent that picture to Zero on his request. The boy decided to send that picture to Gaia after lunch and kept it away in the sling bag.

Speaking of lunch, Truen hurried back to the river. Zero laughed at the elf's expression and happily went back to collecting sticks.