The Astral soul system-Chapter 127: Dead
Zaine opened his eyes, looking around the dark alley he’d decided to spend the night,or what was left of it.
Theia looked at him like a bit confused.
’He just spent the whole night sitting by. ’Does he really not sleep? But...why?’
Zaine stretched a bit and got up, dusting his clothes.
Alright, now that he’d taken care of that,it was time to get back to his original goal, and to do that, he couldn’t stay in this place, especially the academy. He had absolutely no interest in that place. But where would he go? He scanned some of Zen’s memories and reviewed
’I can’t look for Raven and Crowley,the third one would probably kill me. I have no idea where Gio is,Julian.... just NO. The little hero disappeared with Mordecai and Chelsea’s got personal stuff going on ’
Zaine suddenly touched the ear cuff, caressing it lightly.
’i have no idea how to contact Silver or the rest of them, and...’
Zaine sighed and fell backwards, lying on the ground.
"Three years.... What the fuck, Zen? Everything’s changed. Somehow the government destroyed the organization,then I find out you joined this stupid pointless academy and everyone we ever knew is gone,next thing,we have an ability for some reason and I’ve got our dead mom’s voice STUCK IN MY FUCKING HEAD!"
"Easy Zaine " Freya quickly chimed in, seeing he was loosing himself again. Anger had always been in his nature for as long as anyone could remember. What Zen had done hadn’t helped in the slightest 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
"I’m not dead. I’m still here"
Zaine sighed.
"Where do I go now?"
Theia suddenly chimed in.
"The pool,back in the cave. Remember? It’s also a portal. If you could figure out how to use it then...."
Lilith however didn’t seem very enthusiastic about it.
"You mean the pool the tentacle monster came out of of? I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Besides master,you have no idea where that thing leads, Freya told me about it and it’s completely random"
"Yeah and what if it activates your mark again "
And just like that,that option was out
"We can’t go back to Q. He’ll just lock you up again in that boring schedule"
Zaine, annoyed, yelled, pulling his hair.
"Fine! I’ll just find a random portal to some random planet and find my way from there."
Zaine checked his watch and was suprised by the huge amount of credits,or at least he thought it was huge. He honestly didn’t know how much this was, just like Zen when he first arrived, he’d never needed money before so it was a bit alien, but he felt it should be enough for at least enough for a portal to some low class planet, right?
The only item of value to him was around his neck so he decided to get going right away.
He got out of the alley and was about to start the question about how to find a portal or a shipyard when he felt a mental tick.
"Huh? That’s..."
He suddenly looked back and noticed the same girl he’d fought yesterday, walking towards him with three others beside her ,and in her hands was the bird that helped him yesterday
Zaria immediately lit up when she saw Zaine and she increased her pace.
"Zen, it’s y-"
"What do you want? Leave me alone or things won’t play out like last time"
Zaria suddenly stopped in her tracks, she still wasn’t use to such a harsh voice coming from Zen’s face but she calmed down.
"Zen, it’s okay I just wanted to talk to -"
"Oh it’s the crazy guy"
Diane said, suddenly walking out from behind her
"Hmm,you really do look different. Way less dead than before, still just as crazy though"
Zaine clenched his fist and asked slowly.
"What did you just call me?"
"Oh? Are you deaf too? I said you were crazy"
Zaria quickly pushed Diane back and told her to quit it.
"Zen. Everything’s fine we just want to talk to you"
"Don’t call me that,bitch!"
Maximilian raised a brow, not expecting that from the person he’d spent a month on another planet with.
"You really are different"
"Stop talking like you know me,ALL OF YOU!! Get away before I butcher you all with that stupid chicken "
Diane chuckled, clearly still not seeing him as a threat.
"So we beat his ass now right? You know? "Calmly restrain him"?"
Zaria glared at Diane once more before steadily approaching Zaine.
"Zen, come on. You remember me, right? The garden,we had a talk about... something we share. I know you couldn’t have forgotten that "
Zaine looked skeptical. He tried searching through Zen’s memories to see what she was talking about but it was mostly static.
Noticing the skeptical look in his eyes, Zaria quickly looked at her yang necklace and showed it to him
"You remember this?"
Zaine looked down at his own necklace. They were a perfect match. He remembered something about a late night stroll but that’s all he could get.
"Stop acting like I’m some sick person, and stop calling me Zen."
"Okay then what should I call you "
Zaria asked, slowly approaching. She had no idea what she was doing but she felt she just needed to make him feel safe,it had always worked with her and her condition so why not now?
"It’s Zaine, and you better pack up and leave. I’m not in the mood for whatever it is you’re doing here"
"It just... want to know what’s going on. Maybe we could go back to the academy and talk things out? It’s getting pretty crowded "
Zaria looked around and people were indeed starting to gather.
"No thanks, I’m leaving "
Zaine’s eye glowed as he prepared to fight. This girl had a strange placating effect on him , even more so than Sable, and he wasn’t prepared to trust anyone else.
"Wait... let’s just....."
’oh no, not now, not again! Why now? Is it because he’s dangerous?’
Zaria’s eyes suddenly started glowing golden as her draconic instincts took over again, she looked up at Zaine with piercing gold eyes and felt her body start to move.
Zaine instinctively flinched,an unusual feeling overtaking him
"It’s okay" I’m fine, everything’s fine " Zaria said,a hint of panic in her tone as she temporarily stopped moving and took a deep breath.
"... Just, come with me, please?"
Zaria offered her hand,a gentle smile on her face as the gold in her eyes flickered in and out.
Zaine looked into her eyes.
"I...ugh!!!!"
He suddenly clutched his head,an unbearable pain shooting through his body.
"What did you do?!"
"I...I didn’t do anything,i swear"
"Liar!"
[Soul gun]
He immediately opened fire on Zaria, landing a few direct hits and immediately drawing attention to them, and creating a huge dust cloud surrounding her
"Fuck!"
Maximilian cursed and jumped in. Just when it seemed everything was going to end peacefully.
" Just like i said,crazy. This means we can beat him up, right?"
Diane chuckled, her icy exterior cracking as she went directly for Zaine,not worried about Zaria in the slightest
Neo followed behind.
"This is NOT going to end well"
Diane charged in,her hands transforming into claws as she swiped towards Zaine’s eye, not holding back at all
He was still much faster than her so he just grabbed her hand and put a soul gun straight in front of her face at point blank range.
Diane fell back, clutching her face as Neo immediately took her place."you don’t wanna fight me, Zen,or... Zaine. You know what my ability will do to you"
Zaine ignored this and used charge and dashed, appearing in front of him almost instantly, and before he could react, Zaine threw a punch, striking his abdomen and sending him flying back.
Zaine suddenly felt a hit in his side and saw some of his HP drop, looking back,he saw Maximilian who’d just kicked him.
"Calm down. Let’s just -"
[Soul gun]
Maximilian quickly dodged taking a few steps back to the others
"Well?"
Diane rubbed her face that had a few scratches and said a bit angrily
"I think it’s time we stopped playing with this guy"
Neo touched the spot he’d been hit and grinned.
"He’s too fast for me to hit, but he’s a lot more reckless too. I can work with that"
Maximilian sighed.
"Fine. Don’t hurt him much, just enough "
[New quest received]
[Escape the three threats in front of you]
[Reward: ???]
’Escape? What do you take me for system?"
"Three? But what about?"
He unconsciously looked over at Zaria who was still standing there in that exact position.
’She isn’t a threat?’
Zaine suddenly heard a whoosh and am he suddenly saw Diane in front of him,her fist headed for his abdomen.
Zaine prepared to dodge and counterattack, expecting the damage to be weak so he stood his ground and the punch landed with a thunderous force
[- 20HP]
Zaine’s eyes widened in shock. She was stronger than Bruno!
He suddenly heard another whoosh and suddenly felt a kick land on his head, and although it had much less power than Diane it still stung
[-10HP]
Zaine’s body immediately started healing all the damage he was dealt and he was about to move when someone(Neo) suddenly tackled him from behind. He managed to keep his ground but it had ruined his flow, ending his attack
"Little "
Diane smirked and dashed forward ,the ground beneath her caving in as she tried to get another hit in.
Her biceps bulged as she partially transformed them,her arm getting covered with fur as she struck out, intending to end this at once,the air surrounding her screeching.
Zaine’s eyes widened as he tried to move but was stopped by Neo.
A loud boom suddenly rang out,wind rushing out of the point of contact like a hurricane as dust covered everywhere.
"Tch! Really?" Diane frowned.
Zaine looked at the monstrous gorilla hand that was about to slam into him and felt a cold sweat go down his back as he realized the damage that could have done. He looked strangely at the slender soft hand that held beth in place by the wrist seemingly effortlessly.
He slowly adjusted his view to the side and saw Zaria standing there with her head down , suddenly directly in front of Diane like she’d teleported there.
"Can’t we just talk about this?"
She asked a bit disturbingly as her voice cracked.
She looked up at Zaine.
"Zen...i-"
He suddenly punched her directly in the face using charge to double his stats, not willing to hear any more.
Zaria suddenly stopped, not even flinching from the hit as she sighed
"Fine, just let me do this guys"
Diane pried her hand away from Zaria’s grip, rubbing her wrist as she backed away with the others. She wasn’t interested enough to actually want to keep fighting anyway.
Zaine snarled, his red eye glowing ominously as he threw another punch at full strength.
Raising her hands, Zaria blocked it and immediately threw a hit of her own which Zaine also stopped completely.
Zaine growled and threw another punch , and another and another and another. Zaria didn’t make any big flashy movements but she managed to deflect all of his hits without taking any visible damage.
"Huh?!"
Enraged, Zaine dashed back and preped Zaine’s modified compressed soul gun, making sure he got some distance to charge before throwing it.
Zaria didn’t dodge the compressed attack despite seeing how dangerous it could be and instead outright grabbed it in her hand, crushing it, making it seem like it just disappeared , and all the effect it had was a light burn mark on her palm.
Zaine stepped back, unnerved. The ease at which she was stopping him was disturbing and outright humiliating. Wasn’t he supposed to be strong now? Why was nothing working? In his panic, Zaine had unconsciously relived some unconscious memories and that mental trigger activated something.
His mutated eye suddenly started glowing and reacting to the danger she felt, Zaria’s eyes started glowing a menacing gold.
"Oh no"
A golden glow suddenly covered her entire body, brightening up the entire area until even her figure couldn’t be seen
All Zaine saw was a golden flash and a figure covered in light was suddenly in front of him,her palm on his chest .
"I’m sorry" She whispered.
*....BOOM!*
A shockwave ten times more powerful than the one Diane had caused suddenly spread out, seeming like an actual hurricane as dust spread out.
Out of the dust a body suddenly started flew, rapidly ascending as it crashed into a building and through it, eventually stopping at the top.
The light took a few seconds to disappear completely, making her visible again and she was just standing there with a blank look
Zaria stood in the middle of a ten foot deep crater,her eyes filled with shock and disbelief as she looked at the building, her palm still stretched out.
"Di... Did i just.... No,no,no! He can’t be... Is he...?"
