Ball of Nothing

"What's wrong with him? Truen asked and Bob morphed back to his humanoid form, gasping for air. That was way too close for comfort. A little later and they would be buried beneath the sand. Who knew that sandstorms were so common in the desert? They barely made any progress in their journey and already, this was the second time they had to hide from it.

"I don't really know," Bob admitted. "When I found him, he was staring into blank space. It must be some sort of trap triggered upon his arrival. I sense some very strong and rather ancient magic coming from the ruins, it's almost nostalgic to the old war when dragons were hunted."

Truen examined Zero's condition and was relieved that the doctor wasn't physically hurt in any way although a quiet and dazed Zero was also worrying in its own way. The doctor was under some sort of illusion and that would explain the strange behaviour. While the elf tried to work on dispelling the illusion, Bob and Jermine worked on getting the sand walkers down to safety in the space that Jermine dug. Bob hardened the sand with his fire magic and left the other two men to their own devices. The magic that trapped Zero wasn't a harmful one and the dragon had a feeling that Zero would be able to get out of it faster than Truen can figure out what it was. His master was capable enough when it came to magic and was in no immediate danger. Now that they made themselves comfortable in the shelter, Bob and Jermine decided to resume work on the corpse dismantling.

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The sun and the moon overlapped each other perfectly and the world was bathed in a very strange hue of red. The golden sand was now blood red and Zero couldn't tear his eyes away from the phenomenon before him.

"Halt there! Who dares to trespass the fallen kingdom of gnomes?"

When Zero heard the booming voice, his heart trembled with excitement. The fallen kingdom of gnomes? It really was a gnome city! His guess hadn't been too far off the mark and now that Zero finally had a clue to the location and existence of gnomes, he wasn't going to let this chance slip away.

"Sir! Can you tell me more about gnomes? I'm on a quest to find them so that they can repair a craftsman's tool and save Magnus Hilda!"

The mysterious owner of the voice didn't reply immediately. Normal people would tremble in fear or prefer to fight. Why did this puny elf think that it was normal to host a conversation with an unknown powerful creature posing as God? Perhaps, this young one wasn't here to steal the treasures of the gnomes.

"State your name and business, young one. Only the worthy may pass."

Zero didn't really know that he was caught in someone else's illusion and trap but he breezed through the first trial easily.

"My name is Zero, I'm a doctor with an adventurer's pass. Sir, do you know where I can find gnomes? Magnus Hilda really needs the temple of Freya and only Dorgon can build it because of his blessing from the God of Art. His tool is broken and only gnomes can fix it for him so that he can make that statue. Without the statue and shrine, Goddess Freya cannot bless the land and the paralysis mushrooms will take over the land again."

This young one knew no fear and talked too much. Didn't he understand the meaning of stranger danger or suspicion? The mysterious being couldn't understand what Zero was thinking.

"You said that your name is Zero. Why should I trust you or disclose any information about the gnomes that I have?"

Stunned by the counter-question, Zero thought hard. The solar eclipse seemed to remain eternally in the sky as the doctor thought. Yet, the scarlet hue spread further and more intensely, drowning everything else out until only red covered the landscape as far as the eye could see.

"But the giants will die if I cannot find the gnomes to help Dorgon repair his tools so that he can build the Freya statue..."

"That," the voice said. "Is not really my concern."

Zero didn't know if he was going to cry or blow up the place so that he could take down this arrogant being and subdue it to get Truen to shoot it with his truth arrows for interrogation. Before Zero could make up his mind, the mysterious being changed his tone.

"But if you are truly sincere, perhaps you could come to the ruins after the sandstorm is over and attempt the trials to prove your worthiness. If you pass and clear all the trials successfully, I can let you in on a hint. How's that?"

Zero considered it, not ready to accept it so suddenly. This man was changing his opinions too quickly. Wasn't he playing the role of a bad person who refused to help earlier? In Zero's dictionary, bad people should be punished. However, he was also confused. Maybe this person wasn't truly evil because he learnt his lesson early and was offering Zero a chance to make up for his mistakes. Truen always scolded Zero for being too quick to trust others so he hesitated.

"The deal is not bad," Zero started. "However..."

The mysterious man was suddenly nervous. What more did this adventurer want? Sure, he might look like a child but for a moment back there when he asked Zero that he wasn't willing to help, Zero showed a fraction of his true powers and almost shattered this illusion. The illusion master was terrified. What kind of monster was residing within this innocent elf's body? He didn't know and he dared not find out. However, if Zero was such a powerful person and a kind-hearted person if he was a doctor who cared about the lives of others, he might be the right person to help him out after so many years.

"However, I want you to tell me everything you know about the gnomes. I have to find them no matter what. If you agree, make a binding contract with me with your soul as the price. If you lie or withhold any information from me after I pass all the trials, your soul will be mine to keep."

The man was stunned. His soul as the price for the wager?

"I disagree! The price of my soul cannot be treated lightly!"

Zero smirked. "And the lives of those giants can? I'm a doctor, I make it my business to save lives. If you have nothing to hide and have no ill-intentions, the agreement will be void once the conditions are fulfilled. There is nothing to fear. Unless..."

The illusionscape became shaky once more when Zero exerted his dominance and the master of this space agreed to the contract. Satisfied, Zero made the contract and signed it. The magic contract disappeared once the illusion creator signed the other half and Zero thanked the man for his cooperation.

"Now then, it is time for me to leave. It's dinner time!"

"Wait! I'm not finished yet..."

Unfortunately for the illusion creator, Zero had already forcefully exited the space. As for Zero, he waltzed through the time and space warp without much difficulty. An illusion of this difficulty was nothing if he had Merlin as his teacher. Still, watching the formation of a solar eclipse was very cool and Zero enjoyed every moment of his time there.

Back in the real world, Zero suddenly shot up and his stomach growled.

"I guess I woke up just in time for dinner. Any requests?" he asked as three pairs of eyes were now on him.

Truen sighed. He should have known that the illusion wasn't dispelling because Zero was clinging onto it. If he wanted to wake the boy up, it would be much more effective to put some roast meat under his nose.

"I want some alcohol tonight," Truen frowned.

Zero gave his friend an apologetic grin. "Sorry for making you worry, I'm fine. Oh, I do need to tell you what happened but first, ginger ale or dwarven stout?"