Ball of Nothing

Nothing much happened inside the Marrissa. Everyone was ushered to wait outside. Only Zero and Queen Leah were allowed to remain in the sinking ship as they discussed the terms in private. Truen had Bob and the mindscape assistants relay information to him as they waited outside.

Tension was everywhere as Monoman engaged in a staring competition with the elite merfolk guards. Jermine and Ottley were less intense and talked to a few water sprites with ease. Pepper studied Indra Seagloo's structure and started sketching furiously. Thomas would probably regret not coming along when he showed the technician gnome.

Queen Leah set up a sound barrier before negotiations started, and Zero smiled. He knew this was going to happen. Instead of continuing with the farce, he transformed back into his regular appearance.

The change in exterior looks did not surprise the great water sprite. If anything, she simply smirked as if expecting it.

"An elf would never be able to master transformation magic the way you did. Tell me, who are you, and why do you seek the Mermaid's Tear?"

Zero didn't explain much. He simply took out the other three keys from his inventory, and Queen Leah's eyes widened at the sight. It took her a while to get a grip, and Zero didn't rush her. Instead, he wondered if she would believe him if he told her that he was the Chosen One.

"I see that Sylvia entrusted it to you. It must be true then, all the things that I heard. Have you met Fae King Vivian?"

Zero nodded. "I met him at Rocket Mountain. He told me that he would be waiting in Whiskeria for me after I collected all four keys. I need to find Nel in Whiskeria to start locating all the other missing Divine Entities. Can you give me the Mermaid's Tear?"

There was no real reason why Queen Leah shouldn't hand it over. The Chosen One's identity was proven by the three other keys in his possession. The Fae King also informed her a few months ago that the Chosen One would be coming for her key soon, but the water sprite wasn't too willing to simply hand it over. Not after the show they put up. She still had some dignity she needed to uphold.

"I can give it to you but not yet. Since you put up such a great show, we need to act it out all the way till the end. As a royalty, I cannot be made a fool even if you were the Chosen One. I'm still looking for a lover. You need to help me find my ideal type of lover with your powerful transformation magic. You must have heard about my quest for a lover before we met to set up such an elaborate trap."

Zero didn't deny it. He did a lot of research, even if the information they managed to gather was scarce. It was the only reason he designed such a pompous b*stard and spread rumours about himself. He even took Eros' lessons, and thankfully, they were not in vain, although Queen Leah figured it all out before they could get to the good part.

"What should I do to help you?" Zero asked. "Are we still going to sign a trial marriage contract?"

Queen Leah thought about it. She always tried to find someone close to her ideal, but creation was simply too flawed and her tastes too fickle. All she ever wanted was a companion to understand her so she wouldn't feel lonely or bored. Having lived for many years, Queen Leah didn't want to spend the rest of her life sitting on the watery throne of Indra Seagloo. She wanted someone to talk to who would understand her worries as a queen, a woman and a water sprite. Yet, such a person didn't exist and the loneliness she felt simply consumed her.

"That marriage contract," Queen Leah hesitated. "How long can you remain on Earth before you need to go to Whiskeria?"

That little neediness in her tone made Zero hesitate. If it was up to Queen Leah, she might want him to accompany her forever until the end of time. However, Zero didn't want to remain here forever, even if he knew he would come to miss it once he was chasing down his fragmented selves.

"Not very long. I would go now if I could get the Mermaid's Tear to unlock that portal. What's your greatest regret? Perhaps we can work on that to give you closure and the answer you seek. I'm sure you were looking for something in all those ex-lovers."

His words were straightforward, and Queen Leah sulked. Zero wasn't wrong when he said that she needed closure and answers. Why did every relationship she had fail? One moment she was very in love, and the next moment she wanted them fed to the sharks. Why did all her ex-lovers turn into such hateful people? What went wrong? She didn't think she neglected them. However, over time, these people started to change into someone she could no longer recognise.

"Very well. I want to find out the reason why these people changed over time into someone I absolutely hated. I want to know what went wrong. Won't you help me find that answer?"

Zero thought about it. He could already see why the relationship failed. Queen Leah was very idealistic and assertive in what she wanted. Her partners would feel suffocated after a long time when the queen's love and obsession became stronger. However, this was something she needed to learn.

"Deal," Zero agreed. "However, we only have until the end of the year. I cannot stay for too long."

Slightly reluctant that the time was so short, Queen Leah asked if it could be extended until the following year, but Zero remained unwilling to compromise. Hence, the great water sprite signed the contract according to Zero's terms.

"I'm a doctor," Zero told her. "The only two things I cannot heal are foolishness and lovesickness."

Queen Leah blinked. "Can you cure heartache and loneliness?"

Zero gave her a mysterious smile. "I can only try. The rest is up to you."