That night at Emma's house, Zero was spending the night with Agnes. Because Louise was staying at Tiffania's house, Zero had lost his normal lodging. In the single common room, Zero and Agnes were sitting at the table. In the bed nearby, Emma was already fast asleep without a care in the world.
Zero looked at her with a warm smile on his face. That was how it should be for her, and he'd ensure that it was how it stayed.
"For someone who's not a human you sure do a good job impersonating one. Hell, I don't think I've ever seen someone look like that at a child not their own." Agnes commented
Zero shrugged as he turned to face Agnes. "Why should it matter?"
"Why should what matter?" Agnes asked, slightly confused, unsure what he was talking about.
"Why should it matter who she is the child of? Is it supposed to be normal to not care about them if they're not yours?" Zero asked, some veiled contempt in his voice.
"I never said it was." Agnes repliled with a smile. "I'm simply saying that with your passion and drive, it is rather hard not to see you as a human even if you're supposedly not."
"It doesn't matter if it's hard to believe, it's the truth. Its why I can't leave with that girl. I can't really defend, not really. The only way I can defend is by cutting before others can strike." Zero said sadly. "And knowing what has happened because of that... I can't inflict that again."
"So, you don't have the ability to protect her?" Agnes muttered after listening to Zero's story.
"No. Not as I am now. " Zero answered.
"But you're unbelievably powerful." Agnes pointed out.
"The power to destroy isn't the same as the power to protect. My partner X would be the one to protect... I'm just a destroyer..." Zero said simply,"I'm sure that the damage that has caused the world to become like this was done by me. That is why I will stay like this, secluded from the world."
After thinking for a while, Agnes asked,"So, you think you were defending Miss Vallière because you were Gandálfr?"
"Probably. Because I was made a Gandalfr, she was my master, and I was bound by some contract to serve her. I really don't see myself as being too happy at finding myself a 'servant' to begin with."
"That's not it." Agnes disagreed, frowning at the reploid who seemed as broken as some of the most bloodied warriors she had ever met. Before now, she never cared enough to say anything about this. Was it because of his temperament and morals?
Zero looked at her, his eyes half closed as he waited for her to finish her thought. "What?"
"It is not the meaning I was implying. It was a question about your will. There is a different meaning between 'able to protect due to being a Gandalfr' and 'protecting due to being a Gandalfr'."
Zero looked at the woman curiously.
"So, who was protecting Miss Valliere? Was it the legendary Gandalfr? Or was it Zero Wily? That's what I want to hear."
"That…I do not know." Zero looked hesitant before answering. "I still can't remember anything."
"It's easy to belittle oneself. It's easy to mutter 'I can't' and give up one's courage. But…" Agnes continued. "To risk your life for someone you care for, is worth a whole life time..."
Zero looked back at Agnes and shrugged. Did he really care for that person?
***Break***
Looking at Leviathan, who introduced herself as a Void familiar, Louise asked,"…Is it some kind of bad joke. How can there be another Void familiar."
"It is up to you to believe or not. You are free to not believe me. It's your choice. Now, be obedient and give me that Founder's Prayer Book…"
Louise responded with a bitter expression,"…And if I would oppose you, you'd kill me with these gargoyles and take it?"
"Not so harshly." the woman giggled as she replied.
"Stop joking!" Louise yelled at the woman as she pointed her wand and unleashed a small explosion towards the woman with the robe. Suddenly the robed was thrown off and a long spear that gleamed in the the night came into view. The weapon spun and seemed to block the spell, absorbing the impact with no issue.
"These are dolls, not gargoyles. There is in fact a difference between the two. It's a special ancient magic item that can take the shape of a person, whose blood they get to drink. This ability… Was used by kings in their wars during times long past. Some noble historians have compared those times to a play, which is likely why my master took such interest in them. So, my master and I would like to thank you for watching our performance. It has truly been an honor, but give us the book." The dolls approached slowly. "Dolls are not useful against swordsmen or soldiers, because they're not exceptionally powerful, but they're wonderful mage killers. Did you know that's what they were called for a very long time?"
Louise again unleashed Dispel Magic at the approaching beings. However… it was a futile attempt of resistance against such overwhelming numbers. A Void spell's power is proportional to the time it takes to cast. Yet… she couldn't make the chants longer. She was defenseless while she chanted, and would easily be caught.
"So, what do you say? Join in the war game! Just think about it! How long can you keep doing those cancellation spells? Although I must say, honestly, if you were Zero's master then I'd have expected you to be a little more powerful!" Leviathan said, not bothering to veil her contempt.
The dolls lunged at Louise in concert. There was nothing she could do about it; Louise ran away.
Leviathan's giggle seemed to chase Louise as the woman taunted Louise from the trees. "Strange! Are you really a Void user? Without your Gandalfr, you can't even chant a spell! Were you really worth anything to him? So weak and useless, it's no wonder he decided to leave you."
Louise ran, trying to escape back to the forest. Behind her, Myoznitnirn's magic dolls followed her. It seemed like they wanted to tease, or maybe measure Louise's ability, since they followed Louise at her own pace.
Her feet stumbled on a tree root and Louise fell down. From the other side, thick shadows and damp footsteps of gargoyles stepping through the forest soil echoed. Fear struck her. Yet… with her mind stricken with terror, what escaped her mouth was not a Void spell, nor a prayer to God, but…"Zero!" The name of the familiar that no longer existed in this world. In a weeping voice, Louise cried, "Help… Help me Zero…" Damp footsteps echoed closer. The rational part of her mind denied Zero being alive. Abandon this belief… Zero is dead. Give up. Give up, Louise. Your familiar is dead! Louise bit her lip."So what?" she mumbled, at the words spoken in her mind. She knew that already. Louise screamed in a broken voice. "So what! So what so what?" She could not allow her mind to whisper about his death anymore. "Everyone keeps telling he is dead, dead, dead… I KNOW that already! He's dead!" Louise stood up. And began to utter an incantation. The ancient words escaped Louise's lips. It was a common magic spell, that everyone with even a spec of talent could use. And she would use it. There would be another meeting, she was sure of it.
"I, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière…"
She knew this was not a spell one should cast at a time like this. What should have been recited were her Void spells. However, she decided to believe in it. And to trust in it. Trust in him With her life at stake… she placed her trust into his name. Louise decided deep inside…She believed. Because, I still have not made you understand those words. Louise recited the spell to meet Zero and shouted. "In the name of the great Five Pentagon Powers! Following my fate, summon a familiar!" Louise lowered her wand.
***Break***
Zero had moved outside to gaze up at the clear sky. He couldn't help but smile a little. Suddenly in front of Zero… the gate opened.
Zero stared at it with blank surprise all over his face. Here it was again, just what was it? "This? I wonder what it is..."
Derflinger said in a casual voice. "…It seems like your fate is to become that lass's familiar after all."
"But…" Zero protested.
"Well, Contract Servant doesn't necessarily succeed."
"Should I really allow myself to become a slave?"
"You don't need to do anything... But if you become that familiar again you will have an excuse to protect that girl, right? You'll be more than just Zero Wily..." Agnes said pointing at the gate.
Louise's scream echoed from the inside causing Zero to stiffen immediately. "Come! Please come! Help! Zero! You promised to protect me!"
"…So, what are you going to do now, partner?" Derflinger asked tentatively.
When Derflinger was finishing saying that… he was pulled up by Zero. Zero then secured the harness on his back and shrugged. "Like I need to be some Gandalfr or whatever to respond to something like that? Just what the hell do you take me for?" Zero demanded as he jumped through the gate, a determined look set on his face. Damn whatever always pulled him into things like this, but if this was how it had to be... He'd face forward, just like he always did.
***Break***
On the other side of the gate, in the darkness, gargoyles appeared.
But, Louise was not trembling.
She was engulfed by a warm feeling. He will come. Zero will come. Because I am about to die… Zero will come and rescue me. He'll come and make a sarcastic remark. Because he's Zero. Axl even said so! X said so too! He had to come! Encircling Louise at the gate the gargoyles were ensuring she had no avenue of escape. Suddenly, one of gargoyles raised a sword.
At that moment… the gargoyle's upper body crumbled down.
The first thing that caught Louise's eyes was a familiar sword.
"So, fashionably late to the party, am I?" Zero asked as he brought Derflinger to rest on his shoulder as his right hand gripped his saber's handle. His hair drifted in the breeze of the moonlit night, giving him a dreamlike quality.
Louise gasped as she saw the blond hair and red armor she had seen so many times…The same things she had waited so long to see again... Louise felt the tears that she was holding back start to flow.
***Break***
The moment when Zero came out of the gate, he was greeted by the sight of a fencer lowering his sword. With an annoyed grunt, Zero avoided the swing and thrust Derflinger forward, bisecting the gargoyle turned fencer with ease. Zero couldn't help but smirk at how weak it was. Suddenly from behind him… he could hear the somehow nostalgic sounds of Louise crying and snarling at the same time. He didn't know how a sound that should have been impossible was nostalgic though.
"W-w-w-where were you!" the small girl demanded, as she looked at her familiar.
Zero had a flash of a memory and laughed. "I had to hide while I repaired myself." He said with a smile as he turned to face her. This was truly a pathetic response, if there ever was one, and he knew it. Then again, that's probably why he had enjoyed that excuse the most. The sheer stupefied look X had when he said that to him the first time was STILL the single most classic awesome reaction Zero had ever had from him.
Louise started pouring out words in a frenzy. "You are my Gandalfr! Don't go anywhere ! You said you would protect me! D-defend…"
Stopping to look at her he just sighed. "Truth be told I don't know who the hell you are, but why the hell are you yelling at me? I just saved your life ya know? Be a little more grateful stupid."
"Who are you calling stupid?" Louise demanded hotly.
"Whatever, its fine now so calm down. I'll take care of this." Zero said as he turned to face Leviathan who pulled out her lance, holding it at ready.
"What is that?" Louise screamed, as she saw the lance with edging so similar to Zero's saber.
From the darkness, Myoznitnirn, Leviathan's voice rang. "Oh my, so the legendary Gandalfr has finally showed up? Its truly you Zero? Aren't you a little late. Where were you loafing? The Zero I know is always on time to foil us! Whatever happened to that whole 'protecting people' thing you were doing in the resistance?"
"I'm not sure what a Gandalfr really is..." Zero replied slowly. Why was she here? He had fought her before and never seen her like this. Was there something effecting her, or was there more going on than he knew? Suddenly a flash of memory made his helmet flare for a moment and he couldn't help but grin evilly as he looked up at the woman who he had fought before. He applied a minor change to the configuration of his saber, adding the anti-virus matrix to it. It would lower the offensive power for now, but he didn't need that for this. He really didn't want to kill her... And if he could say so himself, this was a brilliant idea, if one he found somewhat distasteful. After a few moments he smirked and nodded and continued, "Although I'm fairly certain I never told you to call me by that damned name! Just what do you take me for?"
"Then who are you?" Leviathan asked flippantly, her eyes alight at getting to see Zero up close, even if he was acting a little strangely.
Zero drew himself fully upright and tilted his head down for a moment. He chuckled darkly then looked up at her and swung his right arm out as he said,"Ware wa Messiah Nari!" and laughed hysterically as his helmet started sparking with energy again. He quickly drew his saber, its glow lighting the night in a bright purple cast. Slowly his body was surrounded by a shroud of white energy and a few loose rocks and other debris was pushed away from him.
"Y-you! No! You can't be!" Leviathan said as she looked in horror. She'd only ever heard one being declare that he was the Messiah...The glow of that saber, so like Zero's, still could cause her to shiver. Here he was, that demonic entity, a true monster... "Oh god what have we done master? Have we doomed this world?" She asked, her voice full of anguish.
Zero looked at her still smiling, as his whole body started to glow subtly. "Are you ready guardian? I did not know that you survived my blast... But we can easily remedy that don't you think?"
"T-this isn't over! I'll be back when I'm more prepared Omega! I'll kill you for everything you've done!" Leviathan screamed as she crushed one of her earrings and disappeared. All of the gargoyles fell lifelessly to the ground with the source of their power gone.
Louise looked at where the woman had been, before looking back to her familiar, her face openly confused. She tilted her head as she looked at Zero. "Omega? But you're Zero right? I mean, you couldn't be anyone else... right?" Louise asked nervously as she stepped back from the reploid she had summoned. She had only heard mention of Omega, but Zero said that he had destroyed him... So why was Zero's sword pulsing with a different colored hue than normal? Was this really her Zero?
Zero turned towards Louise and shrugged,"Yeah I'm Zero... But I know her, and I didn't really want to do anything put her in danger until I knew more of what was going on."
"What?" Louise demanded, unsure what was going on, but concerned that another possible reploid from Zero's past was here. One who was now an enemy? And he was concerned about her when she had been trying to kill his summoner?
"I don't have any memories of you back yet... But I do remember fighting Omega...And considering we look and sound exactly the same... I figured she'd be afraid of the person who completely demolished her the last time they fought, compared to the person who spared her time and again... Omega didn't play nice like I do. I'm just lucky that she apparently didn't know that this normal sword I have was used by me, or the purple saber scared the crap out of her that much that she didn't pay attention to it!" Zero said with a laugh.
"You don't have your memories of me? Are you s-s-ss-stupid! Why did you come through the gate if you don't remember me?" Louise demanded as she ran up to Zero, beating on his chest armor as she cried.
Zero shrugged, then looked at the girl,"What else was I to do. I heard you calling for help."
"And just because I needed help you came through the portal? That's all?" Louise demanded.
"Well, what was I going to do? Ignore it and let you die? If you knew me... Then why are you so surprised?" Zero asked suspiciously.
Louise looked at him, tears in her eyes as she choked back sobs. "I'm not surprised...But to have the one I love, the one who I wish to marry appear before me but not know who I am...That's more painful than death!"
Zero looked down at the girl and he felt a nostalgic need to plant his palm firmly in his face. Well, he was a creature of impulse after all, so why fight it?
Louise looked at her familiar as he face palmed. Her tears stopped as she realized this action, one that he had done so often in the past... Meant that he was her Zero. He'd come back to her!
***Author's notes***
Zero has been found! That ends the search for Zero arc! Also, everyone was wrong. Zero came back with two terrible one-liners!
As for the reasons for the regularish gargoyles : She's not facing Zero at the time and doesn't technically want to kill Louise since Joseph needs the 4 void users ALIVE. Almost like there was a reason for Joseph finding out about that. On the other note, Leviathan doesn't use technology, she uses water based magic and magic item manipulation that she combines with her knowledge to create something similar to technology she is used to. Hope that clears that up
The reason behind the purple saber is that the purple saber was used by Zero because it could counter the semi-physical form of the Sigma Virus and act as an anti-virus. Since the Sigma virus could move as a partially physical thing, one has to consider if it was somehow partially in/out of phase with everything else. The Purple saber might have had a different frequency of light, able to interact with the Sigma virus fully, making it a useful tool in destroying the virus. You might lose some of the power of the weapon doing this though, as it would redirect power away from its primary function of just cutting everything to pieces. This makes the most sense to me so its how it works. This also explains why Zero in the MMZ series never modified his saber to do it since the maverick virus was no longer a threat at that point. This also explains why Omega never unmodified it. Omega was a false intelligence that didn't truly understand Zero's body nor its functions.
Oh, and hey, Zero... How is stabbing someone in the stomach nice?
Zero: Stabbing who in the stomach?
...You're really gonna play the Amnesia card in the Author's notes section?
Zero: Hey, you said we were done with this.
Spoilsport...