032 - Parting

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A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

( Ecclesiastes 3 : 8 )

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"Hehehe," Ze began to giggle, touching his twisted lips.

It was a laughter that resembled a child who had just received their favorite toy. However, it sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it. Ryker and Fran's minds were shaken by his laugh, their necks feeling cold as fear crept into their hearts. The fear of the unknown was the scariest, as they didn't know what he was or how strong he was.

"It looks like I've been caught," Ze's voice snapped them out of their fear. He smiled innocently before continuing, "Well, I did tell the truth, just not the whole truth."

Ryker tightened his grip on his sword, meeting Ze's gaze filled with uncertainty and fear.

"What? Scared?" Ze asked, "Didn't you come to kill me?"

Ryker's mind cleared at Ze's words as if being doused with cold water. His grip firmed, his sword stopped shaking, and his resolve strengthened. He shifted into a stance to display his sword art.

"Good."

Ryker's aura began to flood out of him like a broken dam, drowning everything around him in crimson. He lifted his sword, the motion slow as if he were lifting a heavy boulder. The crimson aura flowing out of him rushed back, condensing and becoming denser, more destructive. The pressure emanating from his sword cracked the earth beneath him.

"Huuu," Ryker exhaled a mist of red, his evaporated blood. His sword aura stabilized with his breath. Taking a step forward, he unleashed a boom and a zinging sound as the air around him exploded in a sonic boom. He turned into a streak of red light, rushing toward Ze. The ground cracked in his wake.

*Bam*

Ryker took a heavy step and swung his sword, arriving before Ze and causing the ground beneath him to cave in. The long sword felt gigantic as he swung it, its power devastatingly powerful. The crimson light from the sword moving toward Ze reflected in his blue eyes.

"Is that all you've got?" Ze's bored voice echoed in Ryker's ears before his sword struck him, and his crimson aura consumed him entirely. A bright crimson light expanded from the point of collision. All of Ryker's movements took only a seconds.

"Break," a listless voice came from the bright light. The radiant light covering both Ze and Ryker slowly began to crack, break, and scatter around them in silence. The aura around them resembled falling flower petals of autumn, with Ze and Ryker in the center.

Ryker knelt on the ground, his arms missing and blood gushing. Both his hands up to the shoulders were reduced to dust, and his sword suffered the same fate. Ze looked down at him with his cold, deep blue eyes resembling the ocean. Ryker's head hung down, his breathing heavy but silent.

Ze moved his hands, lifting Ryker's face with his pan. Ryker's eyes appeared lifeless.

"You brought this pain upon yourself," Ze said, causing Ryker's lifeless eyes to tremble.

"I will not kill you. You don't deserve the honor of death. It's a respect and honor that I reserve for my opponents." Ze removed his frying pan, causing Ryker's head to hang down.

He didn't care about what Ryker would do from now on. If he became a problem in the future, Ze could simply eliminate his entire family. With no response, Ze turned to Fran. Fran had his eyes closed, and his fist was trembling. Ze began walking toward the barrier. As he passed by Fran, he said a few words to the trembling Elven King before crossing through the barrier.

The butler who had accompanied Ryker was waiting at a distance, wearing a worried expression. Ze paid no attention to him as he teleported away from the barrier to the queen's chamber in the Elven castle. His arrival in the room was silent.

...

The scene before his eyes was peaceful.

Callista sat with the blue-haired elf child, enjoying tea in the tranquility of their room.

*Tap* *Tap*

The sound of his shoes tapping announced his arrival, and everyone's eyes turned to him in silence. Ze slowly took an empty seat at the table, sitting across from Callista and the child. However, they simply watched him in silence.

"~Kyuuun~ (o゜▽゜)o," Ignit floated happily toward Ze.

Ze caressed Ignit as a small smile appeared on his lips. He slowly leaned back in his chair, feeling the fatigue piling up on him. He noticed Callista looking at him with worried eyes, her mouth opening and closing as if she had something to ask but didn't know how.

"Please, ask," Ze initiated the conversation.

"Hmm, well... Did something happen?" Callista asked, her gaze filled with concern.

"Why do you say that?" Ze took a bite of the cookies as he spoke.

Callista's eyes scanned him, causing him to touch his face. It was then that he noticed he was covered in dust, looking like a mess.

"Oh, this? There was a red cat that was causing trouble around. Had to deal with it," Ze explained why he looked that way.

The elf silently poured tea into an extra cup and placed it before Ze.

~Kyunn~ (^◕ ▵ ◕^)

Ignit looked at him worriedly, and Ze simply continued caressing him.

"I am okay," he gave a short answer. Ze lifted the cup and took a sip.

The bitter taste of the green tea filled his mouth, calming his emotions. He closed his eyes as he fully enjoyed the taste of tea and the sense of calmness.

"I am just tired," Ze placed the cup softly on the table.

"O-okay," Callista continued to look at him with worry.

While she was watching him, Ze sent a voice transmission to someone who was the second strongest in the room.

{Nala, protect me}

After giving his order, he closed his eyes and leaned back into the chair. Nala lifted her head to look at Ze upon receiving the message, noticing the tired expression on his face.

{Okay}

She replied before lying back down. Everyone in the room remained silent as he slept. For some reason, they felt that the boy who was resting with a tired expression carried a heavy burden, and his exhaustion was palpable. They didn't want to disturb him.

...

Little did they know that Ze was in a state of unconsciousness different from sleep. He had been drawing too much power from his soul, leading to extreme fatigue. His consciousness entered the world within his mind.

"Zeru," he called.

His voice caused a ripple in the darkness. He found himself back in the mind space. He didn't have to walk far before he spotted a boy sitting alone in the darkness, gazing at the screen displaying memories. It was a projection of their minds and the external views. The projection had stopped at a picture of Callista smiling while holding Zeru.

Ze moved closer and sat beside him in silence. They didn't exchange words, and the projection slowly shifted to show memories of their time in the cold mountains, their solitary wanderings until they met other humans.

"It seems like you're leaving," Zeru voiced without turning.

Ze replied while looking at the projection, "So, you've noticed." He remained calm like a still lake, undisturbed and clear.

"You use power from your soul. I noticed it when you reconstructed my body. Now, you have exhausted much of it." Zeru answered.

"Yes, I will need to rest for a while. So, don't feel lonely," Ze patted Zeru's head.

"Who will feel lonely? You're just a shitty person who won't give my body back," Zeru retorted, pushing Ze's hands away.

"Oh, really? Ye little shit, you've grown, huh?" Ze ruffled his hair.

"Get lost. I'm not a kid..." Zeru tried to argue.

Ze stood up before Zeru could say more and began walking into the darkness.

"I've left some things for you. Get them from Francis," he said as his voice echoed while his body melted into the darkness.

Zeru looked in the direction where Ze vanished, tears welling up in his eyes. Ze had been like a father figure to him in recent years, accompanying him and teaching him things, even though he often acted like a total jerk. He did what Zeru asked of him, despite giving off the vibe of a carefree uncle.

"Ah! I forgot. When you wake up, find some clothes before my shadows melt. That is if you don't want to show your manhood. HAHAHAH,"

While Zeru was getting sad, Ze's words and laughter awakened him.

"YOU SHITTY BASTARD!" Zeru roared at Ze for his crude humor.

Soon, Zeru felt like his consciousness was being pulled by an unknown force. The darkness enveloped him, and silence prevailed. Zeru started to feel things that he had not felt in a long while. He felt the wind caressing his skin, the smell of tea and sweets, and the brightness of the sun through his eyelids. Slowly, his senses began to return, and the weight of his body became apparent.

He slowly opened his eyes and had to squint because of the evening sun shining through the window. His eyes started to constrict and dilate to adjust to the light, and soon he could see. His gaze focused on the table covered in sweets, and the aroma of green tea filled his nose.

He extended his hand slowly to take a piece of honey biscuit and took a bite. The sweet taste of honey filled his mouth, bringing him joy. He immediately realized that he was back and in control of his body.

Seeing the array of sweets before him, he hurriedly picked one of each and started to taste them.

"Hmm," a moan of happiness escaped his mouth.

"Huh!" a shocked voice came.

Zeru lifted his head to notice that many eyes were looking at him—Callista, an elf, a dragon, and a puff of flame. They were all looking at him, at his body. Zeru followed their gaze and looked at his body, soon figuring out the reason.

The darkness was melting and dispersing, causing holes to appear in his dress, revealing his skin. Realizing the reason, he looked up only to notice their contemplative eyes, except for the worried flame.

Zeru sprung up from the chair and ran toward the door. His heightened senses and compressed muscles gave him explosive strength. Unable to stop, Zeru broke through the door. Soon, a roar echoed throughout the castle

"ZE, YOU SHITTY BASTARD!!!"

Zeru was lucky enough to find Fran in his office before his pants disappeared like his shirt. Fran, who immediately recognized that it was Zeru in front of him, helped him by providing some clothes.

...

Zeru was sitting on the sofa in Fran's office, wearing a dress that looked like a kimono with gold embroidery. Fran sat opposite him, reviewing the reports.

"So, Ze left after giving you control," Fran asked, a mixed feeling in his voice as he looked at Zeru.

"Yes," Zeru answered.

Fran twirled the quill in his hands as he contemplated.

"Do you know why?" Fran asked the question that had been bothering him.

"Hmm... Should I say he was weakened? He had used his soul to draw power," Zeru tried to explain based on his understanding.

"Oh, really?" Fran looked into Zeru's eyes.

"It seems so," Zeru replied, not thinking too much about it.

*Swoosh*

A soft gust of wind brushed Zeru's face.

"Hah?" Zeru looked at Fran, who was extremely pale, but he didn't notice anything abnormal.

"Are you okay?" Zeru asked.

"I... I am okay," Fran replied.

Fran had thrown the quill in his hand toward Zeru at high speed, but it was turned to dust the moment it approached Zeru.

Although Zeru's face showed concern, his deep blue eyes, as abyssal as ever, stared at Fran. Fran gulped in fear. He had thrown the quill to test Ze, but the quill turned to dust, and the eyes looking at him were not those of a child.

"Ah! I almost forgot. He said he gave you something to give me," Fran snapped out of his fright and stood up. Changing the subject, He walked up to his desk and opened a drawer. Inside it was a black rectangle that seemed to be made out of the darkness...

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