Ball of Nothing

Zero had a great time looking at the Babylon Gardens. Merlin demonstrated how to alter the portal's coordinates to enter his domain.

"We won't use them today because we're seeing Hua Tuo and Truen off in Nirvana. The only portal that leads to Endow Hill is in Nirvana. The other portal is at the House of Great Gods so you'd do well to remember it," the wizard told his student who nodded.

The House of Gods wasn't anything as impressive as the House of Great Gods. From Zero's description, it looked like a very glorified jail cell. Merlin didn't hold back his laughter at the apt description. The House of Great Gods was a temple that didn't have doors or windows. On the other hand, the House of Gods resembled a colosseum with only one way in and no way out.

"It's not that bad," Truen said after Merlin's laughter died down a little. "They have remodelled the insides to be similar to the 7 Virtues Tower."

Zero didn't think it was any better. The 7 Virtues Tower was a round skyscraper that never seemed to end. Sure, they had a very beautiful park outside it with small monuments to uphold the 7 virtues but the small boxes called rooms in that building and tiny desks that these cupids worked in didn't seem appealing to Zero at all.

After getting on a cloud carriage, Truen showed Zero around the rest of Heaven as much as he could. Zero insisted on wanting to see where the Garden Eden was located for some reason and also asked about the whereabouts of Gorgons.

"You'd have to ask Freya for permission if you want to see Gorgons. They're currently locked away in Valhalla like all the other prisoners of Heaven," Merlin told the teenager honestly.

Zero was slightly surprised to learn about the existence of criminals in Heaven. Merlin cringed at Zero's question.

"Heaven isn't exactly guilt-free. There are still conflicts but it's less obvious and more underlying. While the conflicts are more obvious in the abyss, those residing in Heaven are governed strictly by laws. The angels catch those who disobey the laws and will make them work as punishment. Laws aren't going to deter anyone who truly wants to do bad so there are many ploys for the downfall of others even among Gods."

Zero shuddered. Now he knew why he didn't like Heaven. The air here was odd.

"I think I've seen enough for now. Shall we head to Lotus Pier?"

Hua Tuo smiled. "Nirvana is more boring than Heaven. Are you sure you want to head over so early? There's still lots to see."

Zero shook his head. "I think I've had enough of Heaven. Let's accompany Buddha for a while. Besides, I want to spend more time with you and Truen before you leave for Endow Hill. I don't know where Bob is but I don't think I can bring him along for my training with Merlin. Truen, won't you help me take care of him?"

The wood elf patted Zero on the head with a fond grin. "Sure. Lotus Pier is just ahead, do you want to try rowing the boat?"

Zero jumped in excitement and earned himself a tongue-lashing from Merlin for shaking the carriage. The teen hung his head low and apologised miserably. Truen only rolled his eyes. The wizard was taking it out on Zero because he was actually a little afraid of heights. The trip to Nirvana would also be tricky seeing as the magician didn't like boats either.

Lotus Pier was a very small harbour with a few boats of various sizes. With a party of four people, they decided on a small junk boat that could be powered by both mana and physical work. Zero toiled away right from the start trying to get the boat out of the jetty area. He followed Hua Tuo's compass to row it until he was bored. Out in the sea of clouds, Zero couldn't see anything below them. He could not see anything in the distance either and it looked as if the stars were behind them while the sun was always sitting on the same horizon.

"Why doesn't the sun set?" he asked.

Merlin grinned. He liked Zero's curiosity. Having someone who constantly asked questions made Merlin happy. He enjoyed being asked questions because he usually had all the answers. Being alone in his library can be lonely and Truen had changed the wizard a fair bit with his arrival.

"On this plane, there is an eternal equinox where the day and the night never change. This is why it is eternally day in Heaven and Nirvana. However, it will be eternally night at my humble abode - the Arabesque."

Zero tried to pronounce the name but failed miserably the first two times until Truen broke down the pronunciation for him.

Hua Tuo told Zero to take a short nap while they travelled. "It takes about a day on Earth to travel from heaven to Nirvana. There's nothing much to see here, I will wake you when we arrive."

Zero agreed and pulled Truen along. The physician and wizard didn't comment about Zero's incessant chatting for hours until it eventually became silent again. Truen had amazing patience to be able to deal with Zero's hyperactivity. Merlin decided to ask Hua Tuo to learn more about Zero's temperament. Although the physician didn't say much or go into details, Merlin could already guess how much trouble Zero was going to prove to be. Fortunately for him, Hua Tuo had already done the difficult part and ingrained his teachings into the young doctor.

"I didn't want to teach him magic but Zero just wouldn't listen and explored it on his own. He learnt everything from books and experimented a lot. You might find him more advanced in some areas. However, if there's one thing Zero's terrible at, it would be Math. Zero cannot handle Mathematics and usually throws the calculation work to Mii."

Merlin made a face. Mathematics was a basic skill requirement to unlock Parallel Minds. If Zero doesn't want to do it, how can he create Parallel Minds for more advanced magic?

"Having said that," Hua Tuo continued. "Zero has always found a way to overcome obstacles in his way. He might not be able to perform healing magic in the way I taught him but Zero found his own method of doing so. It's a method that works only for him and it is highly unconventional but I would never doubt his abilities to achieve what he sets his mind to do."

The magician thought for a while. "He's got a more creative streak than logical streak?"

Hua Tuo sighed heavily. "You can say that. Zero exhibits wisdom from an unknown source. I have a feeling this is linked to the past identity that he's lost memories about. He might not consciously know things but when Zero goes with his intuition, he is usually right. It's easy to forget how young Zero truly is because he learns things very quickly and adapts like water."

Merlin noted that down. He wanted to do some tests to see if Zero's past memories could be recovered. He was also very curious about Zero's entire existence. Perhaps he could take their training time together to learn more about the creator and destroyer of this world.

The junk boat finally docked at the small pier at Nirvana. Zero woke up hungry and groaned at the lack of food available. Truen felt slightly bad for not taking that into account before they left. He'd been living on mana pills and energy bars for so long he forgot how normal it was for others to eat regularly. Hua Tuo didn't show signs of hunger and Merlin felt no different from usual. Embarrassed, Zero remained silent and tried to endure it.

Thankfully, he didn't have to endure the hunger for long because Buddha came to greet them at the pier.

"Welcome to Nirvana. I suppose you're all tired and hungry from travelling. Please follow me, some of my followers have already prepared breakfast."

The word 'breakfast' made life return to Zero's eyes. The teenager didn't protest and quickly followed Buddha's attendants to the Hall of Attachments.

When asked about Nirvana, Buddha only looked surprised.

"Attractions? We don't have any."

Zero couldn't believe his ears. How can such a place not have any attractions?

Hua Tuo had to explain to Zero how Nirvana wasn't an actual plane and was something like a tiny island compared to Heaven. "This is a place for Enlightenment and while there are some main places often frequented, they cannot be considered attractions."

Zero shovelled another spoonful of bland tasting porridge into his mouth. "What are the things unique to Nirvana then?"

Buddha smiled. "Other than the Hall of Attachment here used to receive visitors like Hua Tuo who likes to borrow my portal to Endow Hill, we have many lakes around full of mana lotuses. There is one particular lake that's slightly different. It has a very clear surface that reflects like a mirror. We call it the Lake of Enlightenment."

Zero nodded and listened to Buddha talk about a seven storeyed pagoda where most of his inner disciples meditate in. There was also Buddha's personal temple for his cultivation that nobody else was allowed to access because of the chaos energy he used to train with.

"One's mind could be terribly disrupted if the enlightened level isn't high enough to resist temptations and let go of worldly feelings."

Zero nodded. "Is there really nothing else?"

Buddha smiled mysteriously and the teenager chose wisely to not pursue the matter. There probably was more than Buddha wasn't willing to talk about but he would leave it as such. The reason why they ended up at such a boring place was to send Truen and Hua Tuo off. Merlin and Zero would borrow the portal to go to Arabesque after Zero saw his friend and shifu off.

There wasn't really anything much to enjoy for breakfast and the adults decided to give the children some time to say goodbye. Truen gave Zero something that made the teen cry.

"I made this myself with some help. Congratulations on your graduation, Zero. You're going to make a wonderful doctor."

Zero sniffled and accepted the handsewn potpourri sachet that was filled with jasmine flowers. The young doctor didn't know if his friend had deliberately chosen jasmine flowers knowing that they smelled nice and made good tea with some health benefits. However, the gesture touched him. He felt slightly ashamed for not preparing anything to congratulate Truen for his graduation. Learning magic from Merlin must not have been easy.

The wood elf laughed when Zero sulked. "It's alright, I don't need anything. Just seeing you grow is good enough. Next time we meet, maybe you'd be taller than me."

Zero sighed. "I highly doubt it. This vessel doesn't show any signs of growing taller. Still, congratulations on graduating. It must have been difficult."

Truen smiled without answering that. Difficult might be understating it a little. Freya and Merlin were merciless but the fact that Truen survived the training made him proud. That meant that he was at least strong enough to protect Zero from his enemies.

The young doctor surprised Truen by leaning in to give the wood elf a tight hug. Zero then tip-toed and pressed his lips on Truen's cheek making the wood elf freeze for a good while.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get a better gift, this will have to do for now. Thank you, Truen. For being my friend and for always encouraging me during the tough times of my training. It's a shame we couldn't train together but when I complete my magic training, let's go on many adventures together!"

The archer caressed his cheek that Zero kissed with a faint pinkish hue at the tip of his elven ears. How was it that Zero still remained so charming even after he grew older?

"It's a promise. We should head back now, let's not keep our teachers waiting."

Reluctantly, Zero agreed and returned to the Hall of Attachments. Zero held back tears brilliantly and smiled brightly all the way until Hua Tuo and Truen disappeared through the portal. The smile fell almost immediately after they were gone and Merlin worried a little but Zero simply wiped the tears away and took a few deep breaths.

"I guess it's our turn now," he told Merlin with a small smile.

The wizard sighed. He was expecting Zero to cry and act depressed for a little while more but the boy had really matured. Relenting with a sigh, the Sage God of Magic bade Buddha farewell and told Zero to alter the coordinates of the portal.

"I'm done," Zero told Merlin and the wizard checked the coordinates, pleased that Zero got it correct.

"Let's go. To Arabesque!"