Ball of Nothing

Swift was napping and wasn't expecting to receive a call at all. The name reflected on her communicator surprised her a little but she would never reject a call from the interesting teenager.

\"Hello, Zero! What a surprise to receive a call from you. How have you been? I heard some really crazy things about the stunts you pulled.\"

Zero mumbled something over the line that the harpie didn't catch. \"I'm sorry, what was that again?\"

With more clarity, Zero spoke. \"I need an unbiased opinion... It's related to what happened at the Spring of Vitality but also more than that. It's related to Solo.\"

The sleep was cleared from the harpie's head at the mention of Solo. \"I'm listening.\"

In one breath, Zero summarised the fight he had with Merlin and his resolve to create a grimoire to counter Solo's power of creation. Swift didn't comment even when Zero said that he sold his mindscape assistants out in a way to gain more power for that special grimoire. The only person left in the dark about what he was doing was his magic teacher and Zero was currently conflicted about telling Merlin about Solo's involvement. He didn't sound like he wanted to justify his actions but was rather distraught with how Merlin was acting.

\"I don't want to keep secrets but I have a feeling that Merlin will try to meddle if he knows about Solo...\" the young doctor admitted.

Swift didn't deny that. Merlin was like a double-edged sword. While he is very mean to others who he didn't deem worthy of his attention, he was also a very loyal ally who would do everything in his power to help those he wanted to protect. She didn't doubt that the wizard would fly off the handle and work on something that would protect his student if he knew Solo was out to harm Zero even if Solo was technically Zero from the past. Zero's concern wasn't exactly unfounded.

\"I'd give you the reasons that I have and pros and cons from all the perspectives I can see it from,\" she told Zero. \"Ultimately, you need to make that judgement for yourself.\"

Zero agreed and listened carefully.

\"Based on my understanding of Merlin, he can be a very stubborn individual with a tendency to go overboard in his passion. Right now, you are definitely someone he holds as very dear. Merlin is not a very emotionally mature person and would cling tightly onto the things he finds precious almost to the point of suffocation.\"

The young doctor smiled. He couldn't deny it and Swift's observation was very spot on.

\"Now, imagine this. You tell Merlin about Solo and your scores to settle with him. Solo is the Great One who is known to be very powerful. It wouldn't take long for Merlin to understand the relation between Solo and the chaos energy. He might even come to understand why Heaven and Hell fell apart. He would definitely forgive you for acting so recklessly at the Spring of Vitality so your immediate problem would be resolved. But! Knowing his temperament, your teacher would definitely find a way to create something to help you in your fight against Solo. I have no idea what Merlin can accomplish but according to the pattern of his history, it would be something extremely catastrophic.\"

Zero nodded. Swift was right and this was exactly why he was worried.

\"On the other hand, not telling Merlin about Solo would continue to weigh on your heart. Even after you graduate from Merlin. There is no doubt that Merlin would eventually come to know the truth. He is the most curious magician after all and probably the smartest of the lot. You might be able to hide from him now but if you gave him enough time, he would discover it. At that point, I don't think Merlin would sit back and do nothing. Solo will continue to try and attack Heaven now that you've foiled his initial plan.\"

Zero sighed.\"I know. I need to gather more allies to guard against Solo's involvement but not all the gods can be trusted. The Great Gods cannot do much either and none of the angels is reliable.\"

Swift laughed. \"Your words, not mine. However, I will agree that there aren't many trustworthy individuals in Heaven whom you could consider an ally. Buddha will be sitting on the fence when it happens as he had always done since the beginning. Between you and Solo, the Wise One cannot interfere much. Likewise, Isis is in the same boat. In fact, all the Great Gods have their hands tied. The only one you could consider an ally would be Merlin but even he isn't a resident of Heaven. Your teacher spends most of his time if not all his time in Arabesque. Steve isn't even aware of all the undercurrent matters, only focusing on his personal projects while acting as an occasional tea buddy for Merlin. If you really want to find capable individuals to protect Heaven like how the Demon Lords protect Hell's plane alongside the Tree of Life, I would not rule Merlin out so quickly.\"

Zero thought about it. He knew Swift was getting to. In fact, he knew what he had to do even before calling the librarian. It's just that Zero was having second thoughts and his paranoia was acting up, making him doubt himself so badly for the first time.

Swift didn't need to elaborate further. Zero's silence was a good indication of the teen's thoughts.

\"Zero,\" Swift smiled. \"You are the master of your own destiny. Don't ever forget that. You can lose sight of everything and still be able to restart but once you lose sight of yourself, it's game over. Solo lost his way because he forgot who he was and what he wanted.\"

The young doctor let those words sink in and thanked Swift who ended the call. He stared at the grimoire materials on his lab table and blinked.

\"That's right!\" he beamed. \"Everything needs a name. I don't know if there are grimoires with names but I will name you Origin. That way, I won't ever forget what I have to do and who I am.\"

With that, Zero busied his hands for the entire night while mulling over his decision to tell Merlin everything about Solo and his involvement with the destruction of planes.

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Merlin who received the paper pigeon felt his anger simmer and the lemon tarts delivered by Bib made his heart soft. He knew that his attitude wasn't right. However, he was unable to face his student. Zero's recklessness scared him very badly and apart from his worry, he blamed himself for not being able to help Zero when it mattered. The powerful combination of wounded pride and self-blame made Merlin do something he hadn't done in a long time.

The wizard went over to the bookshelf and pushed in a hidden panel that led to a small secret cellar. There, Merlin kept all the prized wines brewed by fairies of the past. As he poured himself a glass, the wizard couldn't help but think back about the strange string of events. Zero wasn't acting very normal ever since he came to Heaven.

Although Merlin wasn't too acquainted with the teen, he had times when he visited the boy back at Endow Hill while he was still under Hua Tuo's tutelage. He would also hear things from the grapevine about what the child accomplished. Back in the abyss, Zero didn't act so desperately even if he did act recklessly. The wizard didn't know what was going on but it seemed serious. Zero was constantly struggling against something ever since he came under his wing. Was he really that unreliable like so many people have told him that Zero could no longer trust him?

With alcohol clouding his judgement, Merlin took out his phone and started dialling one of the few people he knew would listen to his ranting.

\"Mike!\" Merlin wailed into the communicator the moment it connected.

The archangel who picked up the phone groaned. Leave it to the wizard to not understand what resting time meant. He was in the middle of his midday nap when the wizard called. Then again, he didn't sound like his ordinary self and the archangel decided to move to a more private location to talk.

\"What is it this time? You don't sound like yourself at all.\"

Merlin hiccuped. \"Mike... am I really that unreliable as a teacher?\"

Michael didn't answer immediately. Truthfully, he didn't think that the eccentric magician would be a teacher at all. He was way too self-centred. However, after Treun, he saw a huge change in his old friend. Merlin was now more compassionate and understanding of others even if it still seemed like he was a jerk from the way he did things. For the archangel, it was clear how much he came to care for both his students. The old Merlin would never have initiated a meeting and sent out invitations.

\"I don't know about that but nobody starts off as a great teacher. It's all about the experience. Still, you sound off. Is everything alright?\"

Merlin groaned. \"I don't know. For some reason, something doesn't add up. Zero's not telling me something and I still can't bring myself to talk to him after the stunt he pulled at the Spring of Vitality.\"

Michael frowned. \"Did you drink?\"

The wizard laughed and choked on his saliva. \"A little...\"

The archangel sighed. \"I'm coming over. Don't drink too much.\"

After ending the call, Michael headed for the nearest portal and set it to a unique coordinate like how Merlin taught him before walking through it.

In Merlin's private lab, Michael clicked his tongue in disgust at the number of empty wine bottles. It had been a long time since Michael saw the wizard in such a state. Even after the death of his close friend, the wizard only mourned silently nursing a bottle of red wine in his hands. Merlin was red in the face and hiccuped but still reached out for his fifth bottle with unsteady hands. The rim of his eyes was red and Michael knew that was not from the lack of sleep.

\"Why?\" Merlin moaned and sniffed. \"Zero doesn't trust me.\"

Michael sighed and cleared the bottles, removing the one in his friend's hand. \"I'm sure he has his reasons. You should sit down and talk it out before jumping to conclusions. Also, I heard that he has been very busy. The boy definitely sees you as his teacher if he is still struggling with making his grimoire.\"

\"He is?\"

Michael nodded with a smile. \"I passed by his lab downstairs. He has the materials but the glueing of papers to the book spine is causing him some difficulty. He might not be telling you some things but he definitely still sees you as his teacher.\"

Merlin sobered a little hearing that. He looked at the table and turned serious. \"How much do you know about the Great One?\"

Michael wasn't expecting such a huge shift in topic. \"Not much, only what was written in the archives. He created this world, didn't he?\"

Merlin frowned. \"Zero is the Great One but at the same time, I feel like something is not right. Uriel's prophecy never failed. Unless someone changed the flow of events, Uriel's prophecy should come true. You are acquainted with Zero back in the abyss when you had to resolve Arachne's hatred. How was Zero like at that time?\"

Michael paled at the casual revelation. the archangels were still guessing who Zero was but Lucifer had been very tight-lipped about it. Raphael couldn't even get Baal to spill the details before the kid went into slumber and he could finally understand why.

\"Merlin, are you sure that Zero is the Great One?\"

The wizard nodded, not caring that he just divulged the secret that the Great Gods made him swore secrecy. \"However, I cannot understand why Zero will try so hard to try and save the plane even after losing his powers for creation. His power of creation should be returned very soon once he regains his memories. Why did he want to invent recreation magic to defeat his power of creation? It doesn't make sense.\"

Michael paused. \"Merlin, I know you're currently intoxicated but you need to promise me that you won't go around blabbing this to anyone else. Zero's identity is a secret even to us archangels. The Great Gods must have kept it under wraps deliberately because Uriel's prophecy can be influenced. You don't know it but they do. Uriel's prophecy is also known as the fate of the world. In other words, it behaves according to the Great One's desires. Back then, we clearly saw it showing us about Zero being the destroyer of the abyss. Of course, that wasn't true and the abyss was saved by Zero. Do you understand what I am talking about?\"

Merlin paused and tried to kickstart the gears in his brain to work. \"According to the Great One's desires... Does this mean that Zero isn't the Great One? Hold up! Zero is the Great One, how can this be?\"

Michael swallowed hard. \"It's not impossible if Zero is a twin of the Great One. Another Great One other than Zero may exist. It's the only possibility I can think of. Zero's desperation to grow the Tree of Life and revive the Tree of Knowledge is not just because of the three divine sisters' request. I think Zero knows more about who is directing behind the scenes than he lets on. Think about all the things he has done so far.\"

Merlin thought hard. From befriending Demon Lords and saving Hell then smoothing out the animosity between hell and Heaven and finally saving Heaven, Zero had done everything completely opposite of what they had done over the years. The wedge that was driven between Heaven and Hell was so easily removed and healed with Zero's interference. Could it be that Zero was actually the saviour and the Great One who created the world the destroyer who was trying to frame Zero? If Michael's theory of twins was true, everything would easily fall into place.

The look Merlin gave Michael made the archangel nod. \"I only dare to say this because we are currently in Arabesque. Even among us angels, we are divided. Uriel is completely dedicated to the Great One and the one true creator of our world like Raphael is. Gabriel is sitting on the fence much like Mammon while Lucifer and I believe that the prophecies should not be trusted. It was because of a prophecy that Lucifer and I fought. I wanted to prevent the calamities according to Uriel's prophecy but Lucifer wants to fight them. The plane didn't break because of the war, the plane was destined to break according to the prophecy. The sealing of Garden Eden was the first step to that downfall. I tried to stop Gaia from doing it but the death tolls were rising too quickly, the Tree of Knowledge killed. Lucifer wanted to destroy the Tree of Knowledge so I had to stop him. At that time, gods and humans were also getting in our way making everything extremely complicated.\"

The magician swallowed hard. \"Then...\"

Michael nodded. \"Zero might be hiding some things from you because he didn't want you to be involved in the power struggle. He must have known that the Great One wanted to destroy both planes and plunge this world into darkness. Think about it. If Heaven and Hell fell, who would govern the sinners and who would grant prayers?\"

Merlin paled. \"The war will destroy everything if Heaven and Hell fell. Without faith, those negative emotions of humans will only turn into destruction. genocides will happen, planets will be ruined and dimensions will be raided. The balance of the world will tip towards the end, history will repeat itself.\"

Michael nodded. \"I believe I don't have to tell you anymore why Zero chose to keep it from you. You've been there when the world was ending. You should know that if it happens again, you would never be able to sit back and turn a deaf ear to everything. The reason why you're in Arabesque now instead of Heaven is because of it. I suspect that your student understands you better than you think he does. If he didn't think of you as a precious teacher, he wouldn't have bothered.\"

Touched and ashamed of his own conduct, Merlin didn't say anything. Michael took a swig from the half-full bottle of wine and hummed in appreciation. Merlin really did know where to find the good stuff.

\"Mike, thank you. I know what I want to do now. If I had to choose a side, I will stand by Zero. I hope that you will do the same, I don't want to have to fight you.\"

Michael didn't say anything to that, his eyes reflecting conflict. Merlin noticed the lack of reply but didn't comment about it. Sometimes, he wished that he could turn back time and return to the days when he was a lowly court magician together with Arthur and Lancelot, free from the worries of the world. Alas, nothing lasts forever.

Michael stayed for a little longer until he finished off the bottle of wine and excused himself. Merlin didn't see the archangel off and continued to look out of the window at the eternal night sky of Arabesque, weighing his options now that he was one step closer to the truth. The wizard reached out to the box of lemon tarts and was surprised to see a small folded note.

He picked it up carefully and read the note that only contained two words.

[Sorry, teacher.]

Tears found themselves to the corner of Merlin's eyes and the wizard quickly wiped them away and tried to force his lips from becoming a crooked smile. he really had good students despite being such a horrible teacher. There really isn't anyone else more blessed in this world.