Chapter 82: Back to Grey–Rock

The Vassals bowed as expected, and Aden leapt down from the elevated part of the cave with a low hum.

He clenched and unclenched his fists with an unreadable expression. Then, slowly, he raised his head to face Zero. He was unaware that the controlled action actually increased the wariness within the Vassals to greater heights.

“Zero,” Aden called out lowly. “Come with me for a moment.”

Lorelei and Aden’s eyes locked for a split second before she averted her gaze. Zero, however, didn’t notice this interaction; he cleanly stepped forward and stood at an acceptable distance from his Master.

Instructing Lorelei to organize a spar with the other Vassals, Aden waved his hand in a circular motion, and the surrounding noise disappeared promptly, as if it had been carved out of that space.

Zero’s expression remained unchanged, his eyes still fixed downward. Aden let the silence stay for two heartbeats before he spoke.

“What did you see when you entered my mind space?”

The question hung like a guillotine over Zero’s head. Invading anyone’s mind space was heavily frowned upon no matter the plane of existence, and for a servant to enter the head of his Master without permission was the highest form of insubordination.

For someone as servile as Zero, that was no less than a death sentence.

“I saw nothing, Master.”

Aden’s eyes bore down on him, sending shivers down his spine. A promise of annihilation screamed in the restrictive atmosphere they stood in. But in the next moment, Aden did something truly surprising.

He smiled.

His left arm placed itself on Zero’s shoulder with a pat. Pleasantly, Zero’s frame had grown sturdier compared to the first time they met, so his shoulder didn’t snap off. Aden noted this quietly as he gripped the shoulder lightly. A low laughter left his lips and echoed round the dome of silence.

“That’s good news, Zero. Very good news,” he finally spoke with a genuinely pleased tone. “I’m also thankful for you looking out for me.”

Throughout this time, Zero’s eyes never left the floor. A slight tremor passed through his body when Aden’s hand landed upon him.

The heaviness that lay within Aden’s bones was still incredible despite the increased stamina Zero had gained over time. He was forced to circulate a bit of Void within his skeleton to ensure he didn’t get buried halfway through the ground, but he nearly lost concentration when the pleased voice reached his ears.

’Master is… happy?’ he thought with a strange expression.

To ascertain he wasn’t misinterpreting things, he forced his head upward. To his greatest surprise, he was met with his Master’s squinted eyes that easily conveyed something close to happiness. But that wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was that words of appreciation actually slipped from his Master’s lips.

Had it been any other person, Zero would’ve taken this development in stride and responded accordingly, but this was his Master. A man who didn’t care for anyone apart from himself; a man who did not hesitate to channel unpleasant sensations of pain through the connection they shared.

Time and time again, he’d pushed them to existence-erasing situations, and although Zero didn’t especially hold any grudges against his Master, he had a faint premonition that if the other Vassals somehow gained a cogent consciousness, they wouldn’t be the most pleased people on the planet.

“Well, that’s all I wanted to know. You and Lorelei should assemble the rest of the Vassals. We don’t have much time after all,” Aden’s voice sounded, snapping Zero out of his reverie.

“U–understood, Master.”

A satisfied hum left Aden’s lips as he tapped Zero’s shoulder a little lighter than before. His hand waved to dispel the barrier, but suddenly, his movement stopped halfway. Confusion bloomed on his face as he and Zero stared at each other.

Silence stretched between them. Obviously, Zero was never going to speak unless spoken to. Aden finally scratched his head with hidden awkwardness.

“How long have we been in here?”

Zero let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. The eeriness he’d been forced to bear so far had caused such a question to sound extremely strange, but nonetheless, he answered immediately.

“We’ve spent approximately two months here, Master.”

Another bout of silence followed. Zero’s face had turned stony as a blank expression resurfaced on Aden’s face, but this time, it didn’t stem from an issue he apparently had no knowledge of.

“The kids…” Aden whispered.

“Master?”

The barrier immediately shattered with the sound of howling wind. Zero didn’t push any further and left the now dissipated barrier after extending a trail of appreciation to Aden’s existence.

Aden remained rooted in his spot, but his eyes flitted to and fro across the cavern as he watched the Vassals assemble in preparation for their departure. Unknown emotions flashed through his eyes before he blinked them out of existence.

The Entity’s voice rose from the depths of Aden’s soul. ’What are you thinking about?’

’Why do you care?’ Aden replied as he turned a large piece of rock into dust with less than a clench of his fist.

’I’ve told you this before. I’m on your side,’ the Entity spoke after a sigh.

’…What are you?’ Aden asked after a brief moment of silence. ’And don’t tell me some cryptic bullshit about how you are me.’

’…You’re still not strong enough to understand my existence.’

The first time the Entity said this, it was intended as an insult towards Aden’s meager strength, but this time, it was more of a reminder of how far behind he still was. And strangely, Aden didn’t take offense at this. Instead, he asked another question.

’Did you see what I saw?’

’…’

’I asked a question,’ his voice had an edge of annoyance to it, or was it fear? Even he wasn’t sure.

’I… didn’t see anything.’

A sigh escaped Aden’s lips faster than he could reel it in. A small smile pulled at his lips before he announced with a booming voice toward his Vassals:

“We head back to Grey-Rock. I have some loose ends to tie up there.”

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