Disciple of Zero
Verse 1: Set Out over the Waves
Morning had quite long since it had come around that day. Nil, the kind of person to rise bright and early to immediately get to work at something, would have normally by this point been well out of bed and busy by the time the sun had just begun to peak out over the horizon. Today was not one of those days apparently, because getting out of bed in the position he was now in was, functionally speaking, almost impossible.
This small little house that was nestled away within the coastal region of the Land of Seas was where for the past year, Nil and Zero had hidden away after the failed battle at the Cathedral City. While Zero had pretty much remained mostly cooped up the entire time to recover from her wounds, it had fallen onto Nil to do… well, basically everything over the past year. From hunting to even just keeping the darn place clean, and the occasional trips into a nearby town in order to get supplies they needed he simply couldn't forage.
And on top of that also came with Mikhail. But, the situation with the dragon was a later explanation.
As for Nil's predicament, well, it was quite hard to get out of bed when he had Zero seemingly attempting to turn his waist into powder with how hard she was going at her riding motions. Nil was full well and used to dealing with Zero's utterly endless lust, and if he hadn't been than the past year probably would've been outright torture. But today was one of those days Zero seemed especially bad for whatever reason and had mounted him without another word.
Granted Nil knew why, as for said past year Zero had also been dealing with nightmares, sometimes involving Michael, a loss she was still not completely over… so when that happened, well, the current situation was the usual result.
And being so used to this kind of thing, Nil's mind was usually able to go elsewhere until Zero had cooled herself off. Which finally happened and left Nil covering his ears a bit because Zero was quite loud when it came around to her erotic peaks. Nil let out a sigh as she finally slowed and laid down on his front, her soft body pressed into his as she kept pecking at his neck. Though while this was definitely something he enjoyed, there was another thing that irked Nil as he felt it brush against him, and became clear and visible as Zero sat up.
At some point during this year, out of Zero's right eye had now bloomed a peculiar, pale pink flower. As far as Nil was concerned, the things surprising beauty was lost on the fact of just how it had actually come about. It was something of an annoying sight for him.
"You're being too quiet." Zero muttered, Nil scoffing as he sat up, Zero stubbornly clinging onto him as she put her arms around his neck.
"Well when I wake up and basically get assaulted, 'course I'd be thinking of something else." Nil remarked, Zero whacking him on the shoulder. Though for her, rather weakly as he barely felt more than a tap from her fist. Zero's left arm had long since regenerated from the incident due to her powers, but a black mark where it had previously been lost had remained. Nil couldn't help but put his fingers to the mark. "I'm surprised you actually listened to me when I said you'd be better off letting yourself regenerate the arm rather than using a prosthetic."
"It got annoying." Zero moved her left arm as she spoke, curling her slender fingers a bit as she bent the arm. "I can at least use it as extra armor. But I need some kind of reminder about last year."
"Of course, of course." Nil said, leaning back on his arms. "So how long are you going to keep grinding into my waist like you are?"
"I'm not done, and neither are you." Zero put her right hand down to below her navel, chuckling as she leaned in on Nil as he looked to the side a bit. "So come on, don't sit there."
"I mean aside from the fact I feel mildly numb from how hard you were riding me not a few minutes ago, I do have things I need to do you know… unless today is actually the day you're ready to get going."
"Why the hell do you think we're doing this now huh?" Zero said, Nil shrugging. "Because no shit we're leaving today. It's been a full year. I'm more than recovered by now. Plus, that dragon is at least ready as well."
"Well good to know you actually think that much about Mikhail now." Nil mused, and when Zero herself shrugged, Nil snickered as he saw a sudden chance. With a quick, deft move, Nil grabbed Zero by her wrists and quickly flipped their positions, getting above her instead. "And since I'm clearly not allowed to go anywhere yet, I'm taking the lead from here. And we're not keeping it up until noon this time, since you seem oh so ready to head on out."
"Fine be me." Zero said, licking her lips. When the girl wasn't being, well, a wildly angry and bloodthirsty maniac, Nil had long since found out she was otherwise quite sultry and surprisingly pleasant… best put, a flower with prominently sharp thorns but who still had a pleasant fragrance. "Don't slack off now."
"Hah! Try me. I know everything about you Zero."
"What the hell is this?!" Nil couldn't help but suddenly find himself pulling out of things as that "scene" faded out, looking at Accord with a mixed glare and confused gaze. The glasses wearing girl just looked at him with a casual glance. "Seriously, what, the, hell?!"
"What? That's just part of the story. Stop complaining and keep reading. If you're serious about getting your memories back, then you got to actually read it through."
"Ugh, fine." Nil opened the book back up again, thankfully, the pages filing back to where he'd shut it all on its own, and he felt that sensation of being pulled into it once more.
"So you really are gonna use that as armor huh?"
"Like I said."
Nil hummed as Zero kept flexing her left arm, now clad in black armor that originally was going to be made for use as a prosthetic in the place of the missing limb before she decided to actually let it regenerate. Of course saying the reason why she chose so while she claimed it was convenient would have well earned Nil a whack to the shoulder as was her typical response to his snide remarks.
Both took a moment more to test their weapons. Zero's sword hadn't seen any good use in over a year, but the blade's edge hadn't dulled at all thanks to Nil's care for it, and it gave a nice, small sound as Zero swung it through the air. In the same case, Nil's own black sword was similarly well kept despite the lack of use. But his concern was elsewhere. A flick of his arm caused flames to shoot across the limb and to his hands to form a fireball, then a second made it snuff out, a third then creating sparks of blue lightning over his palm.
"Good, I can still use magic." Nil flexed his left hand fingers as he lowered his arm, Zero nodding as he took a moment to look rather closely as the zero symbol marking Nil's left eye. "What?"
"Nothing. Just be sure to put both to good use. That magic of yours should get stronger as we kill more Intoners too." As Zero went to the door of the house after jamming her sword into the sheathe Nil had made for it, she stopped when another kind of sound carried in past the opened windows. While Nil looked somewhat amused as childish laughter also carried in, Zero looked annoyed downright immediately. "What's that racket?"
"Oh no…" Nil muttered, following Zero out as she threw the door open, and when the two were out on the walkway of the small shack that was their hideaway, they easily found the source of the sounds: A dragon.
While the dragon was around the same size as Michael, this dragon in fact being his reincarnation, Mikhail, this one, who was a pale gray shade with small horns and over all… unimpressive for a dragon. But considering this dragon, who was joyfully rolling around in the mud and giggling with the voice of a child, was only one year old, this could be expected.
"And he's at it again I see." Nil chuckled, an amused smile on his face as he folded his arms while Zero just looked annoyed… though that was her default expression really. Either way, the Intoner didn't look at all amused by Mikhail's antics, unlike her relatively kinder Disciple, tapping her foot as Mikhail sloshed around in the mud, sending it flying everywhere, at which Nil opened a hand and began to count down.
"KNOCK IT OOFFFF!" Zero shouted, Mikhail freezing with his wings raised like as if he was raising his arms in the classic "halt" position, "How many times have I told you… DON'T ROLL AROUND IN THE FUCKING MUD!"
Nil sighed as Zero stamped her foot while she shouted, Mikhail twitching in place… before proceeding to urinate into the mud, much to Zero's annoyance and Nil's exasperation, the two standing in wait… and once the dragon was done, he immediately ran off.
"I'm soooorrryyyy!" Mikhail whined, Nil rubbing the back of his head as he sighed again.
"Come on Zero, he's only a year old can't you be a bit nicer to him?" Nil muttered, flinching after Zero punched his shoulder, "Ow..."
"Don't lecture me about mistreating him when you do nothing but dote on him. Honestly..." Zero huffed, stalking down the wooden walkway, Nil rubbing his shoulder as he followed, rolling his eyes.
"I'm just saying." Nil grumbled, Zero glancing back at him, then rolling her eye and sighing.
"It won't… it won't happen again." Mikhail murmured, looking back at the Intoner and Disciple.
"Mikhail it's fine! Zero is just being crabb-OW!" Nil was interrupted when Zero punched his arm again, "That's my sword arm!"
"Then shut up, and maybe I won't break it with the next one." Zero retorted, Mikhail snickering in amusement as they went over the hill in the small gorge that had been their home for the past year.
"Hey, you're really okay Zero? You're not hurt anymore?" Mikhail asked, Zero nodding.
"Well, it took a year, but yeah, I'm good. Good thing for me Nil was around to make things easier." Zero stated, moving her let arm a bit, the group coming to the tree line on the gorge.
"All I did was help patch you up and keep you from doing anything stupid. And cook. And clean. Basically everything. Wasn't much." Nil replied, Zero giving him a look that outright said both knew better and were just keeping quiet about it around Mikhail.
"Shouldn't you rest some more though?" Mikhail inquired as he continued ahead to the nearby natural wall of the gorge.
"And watch you roll around in shit all day? No thanks." Zero scoffed.
"That wasn't the only thing you did." Nil offhandedly murmured, Zero shooting a glare at him again.
"Your big fight last year was pretty hard, huh?" Mikhail asked, Zero and Nil nodding as they stopped at the small pond Mikhail was in, the dragon cleaning the mud off of himself.
"Yep." Zero stated.
"Like you would not believe." Nil added, "Doesn't help when you get ditched right at the start."
"Are you still hanging onto that?!" Zero sighed, Nil nodding.
"Yeup."
"Did Michael say he was scared or anything?" Mikhail asked, continuing the string of questions, Zero laughing bitterly.
"Are you kidding?!" Zero scoffed, "Hmm, I guess you didn't retain any of his memories, huh?"
"Nope. Still, I can't believe he wasn't scared!" Mikhail chuckled, shaking off the water on him, "That's great, just great! I'm gonna try to be just like him!"
"That's a good goal, right Zero?" Nil chuckled, jabbing Zero with his elbow, the Intoner just glaring at him as they continued along the pathway.
"Yeah, whatever." Zero muttered, and as the trio came out of the gorge, Mikhail took off, sailing out over the open seas in front of them.
"So, Zero, what'd you call Michael?" Mikhail inquired, Nil glancing at Zero as she sighed.
"Uh, 'Michael'?" Zero muttered, a hand on her hip as she and Nil got on a small ridge.
"So why don't you call me 'Mikhail' huh?" Mikhail prodded further, Nil clicking his tongue, "You know, instead of 'dummy' or 'hey, you' or… whatever…"
"He has a point Zero." Nil quipped, letting out a hiss after Zero jabbed him with her left arm… the one covered by armor. "Owwwwww….."
"Oh stop complaining you've suffered worse!" Zero snapped, her hands on her hips as Nil rubbed his arm.
"Yeah but I won't be much use if you keep whacking my sword arm like that! I'm right-handed dammit!" Nil retorted, Zero scoffing as she kept moving forward.
"You're ambidextrous, quit flubbing. I'd know. Now, back on topic." Zero murmured, looking at Mikhail, Nil giving a look that said he caught the comment, "You need to be a full-fledged dragon before I use your name. Now, you see that battleship?" Zero then pointed off over the cliff to a ship sitting in the bay before the group, Mikhail nodding as he swooped by. "Torch it."
"Huh? Why? Can't we just talk to them instead?" Mikhail asked, Zero rolling her eye at the thought.
"Are you kidding? That'd be too much effort." Zero scoffed.
"That and those guys are Five's soldiers… they're liable to try and kill all three of us on sight… probably because Five promised to bust their pelvises if they did as she said." Nil chimed in, Zero suppressing the urge to chuckle in amusement as they got to a better point to view the ship from, Zero pointing at the ship, which was billowing smoke.
"You take out the ship from the air. Nil and me will deal with the trash on the ground." Zero ordered, Mikhail nodding and gliding off.
"Okay." Mikhail responded, Nil rolling his arms before drawing his sword as Zero drew her own weapon.
"Time to get to work again." Nil chuckled, spinning his blade as the gate before him and Zero opened the two already spotting the soldiers on the other side. Nil took the initiative by lobbing a fireball into the group, the exploding bundle of flame sending multiple soldiers flying.
"All right, I'm going after the ship. Be careful, Zero, Nil!" Mikhail's voice came through thanks to the telepathic connection between the dragon and the two on the ground, Zero scoffing in response as she and Nil dove into the fighting with weapons glaring, the white and black blades becoming smeared in blood once again for the first time in a year.
"Worry about yourself dummy. And stay focused!" Zero ordered, kicking a soldier off into the wall of the gorge, Nil leaping out from a group that tried to rush him, roasting them with a line of lightning that shot from his hand with a mere flick.
"We'll be fine Mikhail. Small fry like these guys are nothing but bugs." Nil stated, landing while also impaling two soldiers on his sword, breaking right through their plate armor with the stab, Zero slashing the remaining soldier of the squad.
"So this… is the power of an Intoner…" The dying soldier muttered before his form collapsed.
"Anyone in my way's gonna lose a head!" Zero declared, Nil shooting ahead and dashing past the next squad of soldiers with his blade edged in electricity, each of them dropping like sacks, "Watch it dummy, we're on Five's turf now!"
"You got it." Mikhail responded, the dragon flying past as another group arrived.
"Just keep up alright, that's all ya' need to do." Nil stated, flipping over a knight and kicking him right onto Zero's sword.
"Or else you'll end up dead… by me personally." Zero warned, one massive swing sending the remaining soldiers charging at the two over the cliff, Nil letting out a breath as the sound of metal breaking to the sound of the solders falling onto the spiky rocks below sounded.
"That one had to hurt." Nil whistled, he and Zero continuing to scythe their way through the soldiers trying to rush them along the seaside cliffs, and as typical for them, their banter was anything but regarding the ongoing slaughter.
"Hey, so you Intoners are all sisters, right?" Mikhail inquired, Zero nodding amid the spurts of blood her sword was causing, Nil currently dealing with some archers further ahead by way of a barrage of firebolts.
"More or less." Zero answered giving something of a shrug amid her sword swings.
"Man, I'm jealous. I don't have any brothers or sisters." Mikhail hummed, "What about you Nil? Do you have any siblings?"
"Nope, and kinda glad I don't." Nil responded, jumping back to the ground from having been higher up, matching pace with Zero again.
"Having no siblings beats having a bunch you need to kill." Zero added, Mikhail making an affirming hum in response.
"Uh, yeah, I guess…" Mikhail hummed, flitting by the view of the Intoner and Disciple, "Y'know Zero, I don't think you should kill your sisters?"
"Oh yeah?" Zero responed, Nil rolling his eyes as they pushed further into the ravine, the beachhead leading to the ocean ruins coming into view.
"Yeah! If there's a problem, you should just talk it out." Mikhail stated, Zero giving Nil a "Is he serious?" look, "I mean, that's the whole reason people have voices right?"
"Talking wouldn't do any good Mikhail… that's the sad truth behind Zero and her sisters." Nil stated, Zero nodding firmly to the comment.
"Exactly. Not use in this voice trying to be all nice… they wouldn't listen." Zero bitterly added, kicking a few soldiers off of the cliff to the churning waters below as Mikhail flew by again.
"Is there no way you and your sisters can get along? No way at all?" Mikhail asked, only getting a small, curt answer.
"No."
"What if they say you're sorry… or bring you cake?"
"…No."
"Awwww…."
"Better to just accept it Mikhail… we don't really have a choice in the matter anyway." Nil stated, a look of annoying passing on his face as he caught an arrow from an archer, flicking it around and throwing it like a javelin back at the soldier who'd fired it, the arrowhead piercing through the soldier's mask.
"I still don't get why you and Zero are doing this though." Mikhail added, Zero sighing as she and Nil wrapped up the guards at the gate leading down to the beachhead.
"Look, I want to be the only Intoner in the world." Zero replied, "And that means I have to kill the others. Clear enough for you?"
"No. Not really." Mikhail answered, "And it still leaves the question why Nil is doing this to, he's so nice!"
"I'm Zero's Disciple. Where she goes, I go. Her goals are my goals… and, trust me Mikhail, there's more to this than you think." Nil gave his own answer, the young dragon letting out a long hum again.
"I don't get it… I just don't get it." Mikhail answered, flying off to deal with another battleship, Zero looking at Nil.
"You know we can't tell him the truth." Zero stated, Nil nodding.
"Yeah… you're the one who beat it into my head." Nil stated, the gate then slamming shut behind the two, both Intoner and Disciple letting out long, annoyed groans as they turned to face the new gaggle of soldiers rushing from the other end to face them, more arriving from landing boats at the shore.
"Ugghhh, screw this! Hey, you! Get your tail over here!" Zero shouted, Mikhail gliding over, "Roast em!"
"Okay." Mikhail responded, doing as ordered and roasting the newly arrived soldiers to nothing more than armored crisps, Zero letting out a huff as she and Nil moved through the smoldering wreckage as Mikhail landed, "I'm here if you two ever need me!"
"Damn right you are." Zero stated, looking for a way to get the other gate open that wouldn't involve just having Mikhail blast it apart. "And when you do help, you better not chicken out on me. That means no running away like a crybaby. And no rolling around in your own filth."
"Oh all right." Mikhail dejectedly sighed, Nil chuckling as he also happened to find the lever to open the gate.
"I would make a mom joke about here, but I see it's not needed." Nil snickered, Zero shooting him a mildly entertained look as the gates opened, the girl putting a hand on her hips as the other placed her sword across her shoulders, "And hey! Would ya' look at that, these idiots left some good camping supplies! We're gonna need those. Mikhail, sit still for a minute, you're gonna have to carry the bags alright?"
"Fine by me! Carrying things like this is easy!" Mikhail chuckled, Zero shaking her head as she looked out to the horizon, where they could just see their target location.
"Alright, Five should be at the Shrine of Seas just up there… probably the first time the tramps even seen a shrine." Zero scoffed, being met by Nil's own dry laughter.
"Oh I'm sure she has! Probably a sex shrine dedicated to how much of a whore she is!" Nil quipped, Zero biting her lip as a sound that indicated she was resisting laughter came out of her throat, a detail Nil did not miss, "Caught that! You almost laughed!"
"N-No I didn't." Zero muttered, Nil snickering, stepping back when Zero swung at him.
"Is Five anything like you Zero?" Mikhail innocently asked.
"No." Both Zero and Nil answered with utter disgust dripping from their tongues, which seemingly went unnoticed by the naïve dragon.
"I'm gonna talk to her. Maybe then you won't have to fight!" Mikhail stated, Zero giving a firm look to the Dragon, sighing and moving on. Nil shook his head while also giving a bit of a shudder to the idea.
"Whatever."
"'Cause if she's nothing like you, maybe she'll actually listen to me!" Mikhail state, Nil shaking his head.
"Sorry Mikhail, that's not gonna do ya' any good… just because she's not like Zero doesn't mean Five'll listen. I've met her, I know." Nil answered, looking across the other way, tapping Zero on the shoulder, "Uh… Zero, was there always a shop here?"
"What?" Zero muttered, turning around and raising a brow when she saw the same shop Nil was looking at, the two going over to the currently merchant-less but not empty shop, a note on the table, "What's this?"
"Dear Customers: Welcome to the weapon shop." Nil read, Zero raising a brow, "Unfortunately the owner is away, but we're still conducting business through the mail…"
"Mail order weapons? The heck kinda shop is this?" Zero scoffed, Mikhail curious meandering over as Nil read the rest of the note.
"Please place your orders via the post-mission battle preparation menu, and we'll get the new gear out to you as soon as possible. Sincerely, Accord… the fuck?" Nil murmured, Zero shrugging.
"Eh, let's keep it in mind. Gotta do something with all the gold we're gonna be looting. Not like we need new weapons though." Zero pointed out, Nil shrugging and turning to follow, looking back at the shop and giving a hum.
"Accord though huh? Weird name don't you think?" Nil said, Zero just shrugging. "I mean I thought it was worth commenting on. But, whatever, let's get going."
"Good. Now let's get moving! The Shrine isn't too far away!" Zero declared, already moving up the hill past the gate.
"Right behind you." Nil responded, Mikhail chuckling.
"Roger that!"
"Mail order weapons… we serious?" Nil looking away from the book again and too Accord, who gave a chuckle as she shut the book she herself was reading.
"Well, why don't you take a look at your side now?" Accord pointed off, and Nil set the record down… then hearing a metallic sound from his side.
Now there suddenly, was the same sword the him in the book's record had. Nil reached to the weapon and pulled it from the sheathe, it's black blade glinting a bit as he angled it in the light… even if there wasn't really a proper light source to be found in that sunless yet somehow bright sky coming from the glass ceiling above.
"What the… when did this?"
"It appeared after that Verse ended." Accord said, strolling over with her odd gait, Nil sheathing the sword and glancing at her with a raised brow. "That is part of what you'll need to do. Reclaim your weapon, and reclaim your ability over magic. Once you do that, then you'll need to head into the Library itself. The other Records, if you want to access them and find out what their Branches hold, then you'll need to venture into the Wings and restore their pages."
"Of course it's going to be more complicated than just reading through these things in order." Nil leaned his head back and gave a long sigh, rolling it to look at Accord as she put her arms behind her back. "What's the end goal behind this anyway?"
"Simple." Accord then produced another book, one like the others… only this one was marked with an E on it's clasp. "We're going to make a new Branch. One where the fates of those of you who were trapped in that cycle can break free… that is what you wished for after all."
"What I wished for?" Nil tilted his head then looked back to the A book, picking it up and opening it's covers back to where he left off, looking at the words now appearing on the page where he'd left off, more showing as he scanned over them. "Well, only one way to find out."