Darkness. Stillness. His concentration was at its peak.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZONfam7kG
Come to me, Dragon.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NzLDGQM9y
As Zero thinks this, his words echo into the void. No response.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuV6S1vR4r
I know you can hear me. I simply ask that you reveal yourself to me.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡML0TLcNR0k
His words echo in the emptiness yet again, however there is a response.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnbVOaWb9B
Massive dragon eyes appear before him. Although surprised and a little scared, he stands firm.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQtevuVY27
"Who are you, and what have you done to my master?" Says the pair of eyes as the sound of rushing water fills the room. The source of it was the dragon's newly formed snout. The water continued to pass over his eyes and all the way to the end of his tail, creating the rest of his body.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sF8x2naNk
"I defeated your master in-"
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCM1vrc8d0
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" The dragon roars at him, shaking the emptiness surrounding them.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YiWyCls0n
"I am sorry to have angered you." Zero lets out a slight quiver.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZofM0hi8w
"I, Draconis, will only submit myself to those who are strong!” He says with outstretched wings before coming face to face with Zero. “You, however, aren't even as strong as myself, let alone my master."
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSOo4EEYfc
"A few weeks ago, your master was utterly defeated and is no longer able to fight. He lost because he wasn't strong enough. Knowing this, will you submit yourself to me?"
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxs3l2iQXCo
A surge of water envelopes Zero. The water was actually Draconis' body, as he'd just eaten him. Draconis had swallowed him before he could react.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEAUWwtWoF
Zero's lungs began to burn as they filled with water. His skin started to split. He felt like his eyes were about to pop.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNU4vGjU3C
"I will not tolerate this disrespect, especially from someone as weak as you are." Draconis says as he flies, throwing Zero around in his stomach.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTuiebTSan
His consciousness starts to fade.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCZyd9I1Hy
“Zero!”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfRO4AITxx
“Wake up!”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamT2itGQ0F
“You are in danger!”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7j6OIwTD4
He opens his eyes to find himself in his bedroom in Madu's palace, drenched in water.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IhtlqdGTC
"What happened to you?"
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPYM0tfIjv
"Ah, Cem. It appears I've wet my bed."
.
.
.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvI0L6FsnMV
After drying himself off, Zero takes a seat at his desk.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDbTv3qqDi
"I take it this was yet another failure?" Cem says.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCAlhEf60s
"Yes, unfortunately so. However, for the first time since I obtained the ability, I was able to see and speak with the dragon. Progress, sure, but I don't feel like I should continue pursuing it."
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCCqjZJV7K
"And why would that be?"
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvewT50QORW
"Because he almost killed me. I have no idea what happens if I die in there, and I have no intention of finding out. He's probably been in a bad mood since the fall of his master, hence the silence and now, the attack."
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiryMHNds8
"I agree with your decision. Power is meaningless if you die before using it. My only concern is that you're almost at capacity. How are you going to get the other three you're after?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLO3RaKjGx1
"I'm still figuring that out. More importantly, why are you back so soon?" Zero says.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsKwqoIutm
"I gathered enough information on the girl, so I came back to report my findings."
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVnXa0mF6p
"'Enough'? Go on." He says.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWkugqjsSc
"Rose Azor has been traveling to different nations and speaking with their kings, presumably to ask for help with Rahu's current situation. So far, she has gone to Kennis and Raske."
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVpjz7BEeM
"Interesting. That girl might be a problem later… What's your opinion on the situation?"
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqiP8NYiHm
"From what I've seen, I doubt she’ll be able to gather enough support from kings. Kennis and Sepp are the only nations that have a good relationship with Rahu. The only problem with that is-"
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZEf4WJhki
"Lord Tyrol himself.” Zero interjects. “As long as he doesn't get directly involved I have an almost surefire win. As I am now, I don't think I'd be able to win against him in a one on one fight, let alone if Rose fought alongside him. Hmm… If she's leaving Raske, her next stop would be in Rahvas."
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIzXUW2vPZ
"To add to the report, somehow, negotiations broke down and she ended up fighting Lord Therius."
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxMDFnUIkG
"I assume she lost?"
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAmyBYwuoM
"Of course."
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3nabnKrXo
“Looks like this will be easier than I thought. It'll give us a little more time to settle domestic issues.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyTCbrUTsy
“And what might those be?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdx8dCSkqE
“One of them is our unsightly track record, littered with deception and betrayal. We can't fix that one until our showdown in Rahu. The one we can fix at the moment is that accursed research facility.”
.
.
.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwywiT4TYQ
A large sign with the word M.E.R.D. spelled across it sits outside of a massive research facility. The Maduan Ether Research and Development facility, or MERD for short, was a place that existed since the discovery of Ether 150 years ago. The common folk don't have much knowledge as to what goes on here outside of ‘research’, but due to their previous kings’ actions, they are skeptical of it.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7sJc63qSf
Zero walks inside and is greeted by a young man around his age.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0n8bgYVKs
“Ah, Lord Varasta! What brings you here on this fine evening?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWfEcPhpn5
He's new here. I wonder… Is he like the rest of them?
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKw4x2YNEZ
“Nothing special today. I was just in the area and figured I'd stop by to see Dr. Katse.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzE92ijos35
“He's in the back, working with some… um… test subjects. I can take you to him if you like.” He says in a saddened tone.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOzpjov0X4
“Is everything all right? You were fine until I mentioned Dr. Katse.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS34P7WTjF9
“Well Your Majesty… If I may be direct, I don't really approve of Dr. Katse's methods. Initially, I came to MERD because it's been the driving force for ether research for a while. But since I've been here and actually seen what he does to the test subjects… I feel like this might not be the best place for me.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMh2s7NUyfh
He might be worth keeping.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXO0fOIkTvD
“Hmm… I'm sorry to hear that. On the topic of what you've seen here, would you care to tell me what you've enjoyed in your time here?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWu7mcOxqq
The boy lights up instantly.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1e3RuAawQd
“My favorite thing has to be the E.C.D.! One of the other doctors showed it to me and it was amazing! It picks up specific parts in a person's ether and-”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vKQJcUpym
“-and sifts out the part that's unique to that person. Did I get it right?” Zero says with a slight smirk.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvDh1YTz0N
The ECD, or Ether Collection Device, was a research tool that was capable of harvesting a small amount of ether from a person for the sake of identification and allows for extended studies of a specific individual's ether.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrhdbwHUUe
“You know about it too?” He sounds even more excited than before.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnwdLvLLya
“I've used it once or twice. Believe it or not, I used to come here a lot when I was younger.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZ21RJXCyo
“Really? Then let me ask you a question that the other doctors can't answer.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEknojNJz9
“Go ahead.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9DjntsyYIy
“So, if the machine is picking up small amounts of ether that are different between each person, what exactly is it picking up? What makes that ether different?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3cb2hrfpM
I'd rather hide this information from him if I can, but I get the feeling that I won't be able to.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1I3DsdnE4
“Hmmm… I don't think I can answer that one. What do you think it is?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwY4GI2omkz
“I think… It's a part of the soul.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcta3tVBvJM
Zero chuckles and says, “What makes you say that?”.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtOSoavVN8
“Dr. Katse has a file on a few kids… I mean test subjects that monitor the quality of a subject's ether under several stimuli. Whenever they are hurt physically or emotionally, their ether quality dips. However, when I play with them and give them snacks, it increases.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNxEV1Bqgv
“That's quite a find, but wouldn't that connect ether to emotions, or simply their mindset?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbnsPcaNnk
“That's what Dr. Katse says would be the more likely conclusion before dismissing the topic outright. While yes, that makes sense, I believe I'm one piece of evidence away from proving my hypothesis correct. This is another reason why I came to MERD. To find out if I could find that last piece.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjhsXXTCZh
Zero smiles and puts a hand on his shoulder.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlK58jQKfa6
“Go home for the day.” Zero says.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpsoNTpPx9
“But sir, I've only been here for an hour. Is there a reason why?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQgsWqKZfc
“You're getting a promotion to Head Researcher. I'm giving you a little downtime before you take on the workload.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhU6h2W4dgZ
“But isn't that Dr. Katse's position?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUBb51HLL5
“I'm going to talk to him about it right now, not that he'll mind. He's getting old anyway. I'll see you here tomorrow at 9:00 AM sharp.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlibZdb0D8
“O-OK. I'll see you then.” He walks away nervously.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdPFPOokch
“One more thing before you go. What’s your name?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xcVT9r4SO
“Oh, I must’ve forgotten to introduce myself. Everyone here just calls me Uuden.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7509wnOanD
“Make that Dr. Uuden. See you then.” Zero says as he waves and walks down the hall.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IkUmNBYdS
I hope this incident doesn't shake him up too badly. He's a bright guy with a genuine drive for research, and a good enough heart to not let it consume him.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNU6qm6wH7u
After leaving him, Zero continues down the hall to Dr. Katse's office. He sees several windows into the rooms of various ‘test subjects’ undergoing severe mistreatment, and in some cases torture for the sake of Dr. Katse's research.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvR2lBhtKz
There's even more children here now than there was when I was here. This man's lust for knowledge knows no bounds.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWNzAC5JKB
These rooms were the product of a working theory in the Ether Research Community. It states that a person's ability is based on the minute personality traits present at birth and those acquired shortly afterward. For example, a child who cries more would have a water-aligned ability while calmer, quieter children would have earth-aligned abilities. However, some individuals would go significantly longer without awakening one, and at the time of the theory’s initial publishing, 12 years of age without an ability awakening was the longest. Whenever this occurred, the individual’s ability would reflect life-impacting thoughts and events, more often than not resulting in a unique ability. This led researchers to wonder ‘what if we could influence a child's ability before it awakened?’.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbk17JJ9Uy
Each room has some sort of stimulus present at all times. The existence of unique abilities meant that they could attempt to get virtually any ability with the right stimulus.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxiVJKFcP5
Zero activates his ether sight and scans the room. He sees dozens of children throughout the facility. One of them catches his eye down the hall. He approaches a door labeled “DARKNESS”. On the door, there is a piece of paper pinned to the wall. It had a brief description of the child and a log of the times the door had been opened.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjI8XJaS4rj
Name: Twelve. Date of Birth: December 16th, 1212. According to this time log, the last time the door was opened was… two weeks ago? I can see the child is alive, but… to be shrouded in darkness with a glimpse of light every couple of weeks for 10 years… I'm sorry you had to go through this for so long. Your suffering will end soon.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqrk5RfoK9
“Ah Zero, or would you rather me call you Lord Varasta?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWYLqGuPae
“What a dead man calls me doesn't matter.” Zero turns to see Dr. Katse standing at the end of the hallway. He was a tall, lanky bald man, dressed in a long off-white lab coat.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ735Jx31aC3
“A dead man you say? Lots of people call me that but here I am, alive and well.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn71Q9A9DNR
“Not for long.” Zero says while dashing up the hallway and crashing into a young man who had stepped into the doorway.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArwKNzgpNX
Well he’s certainly sturdy.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4QJPMiRuq
“I see you've met Seven. His parents abandoned him, so I did the only reasonable thing and took him in, and now he's our first successful attempt at influencing an ability.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1luWMXKp5
He's part of the same experiment as I once was. I can only imagine what he had to go through.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdut8UrW3FJ
The young man was unfazed. Zero had staggered backwards, but Seven remained unperturbed.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHj3Hiayaht
“Listen Seven. Stand down and I can free you from your situation.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SDiOhARiv
Seven replies by lunges towards him while throwing punches.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KX7nsIz4Z
His fighting skill isn't very impressive, but his ability is a little more troublesome.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdozHOFmalF
Zero dodges each punch, and counterattacks with several jabs of his own. Seven takes each hit as if it never landed and continues his amateurish flurry of punches.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQn8vd6iJU1
“Wow Zero. I see you're no slouch in combat.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfD0sizy6F
“Can you be quiet over there? Two men are trying to fight in peace over here.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMH6H2F400Z
“HA! You have your father's sense of humor.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZ0ZqKmMTx
“Don't compare me to him!” Zero says as he catches both of Seven's hands and throws him to the ground before dashing towards Dr. Katse. Despite Zero’s rush, Dr. Katse still smiles. Zero attacks, but instead of hitting Dr. Katse, he strikes something much harder.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgY9CnCvjY
Ouch! How… How did he make it here in time?
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXKwrAJXQ5
Zero turns to see a large stone where Seven once was. After being thrown to the ground, Seven had created the stone and leapt off of it to intercept Zero. While his head is turned, Seven throws a hard right hook, sending Zero flying across the room.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOhpGRiJZS
“Unlike you, I influenced his ether with brute force. In response to daily beatings, he developed earth ether with a peculiar property: He can take the traits of earth ether and apply them directly to his body. Namely, the sturdiness of earthen constructs, resulting in a hardened body that feels little to no pain at all. Isn't it wonderful?”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20Q8G7v8Lm
“I see your cruelty still knows no bounds.” Zero retorts.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZZVaZVKlX
How does he sleep at night knowing these children are suffering like this?
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMk0nmvD1Z
“Anything for the sake of science. You should know this about me more than anyone else. When you were still a test subject, I had aimed a tad high when I chose an ability for you. I wanted you to have an ability with Madu, or in this case Madu's Crest, at its core.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzH6D1mV8T
That damn snake.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOghkWwSJ2a
“Based on your reaction, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The Ouroboros. Once your grandfather took office, his actions warped its meaning: Madu had become a greedy snake that would consume everything until there was nothing left but itself to devour.”
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7xYuAqomF
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKg39a9oReo
After hearing such a statement, memories of Zero's past come flooding back to him.691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZEQPIDig8
.
.
.
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUgc7rxaZs
691Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpldOOvGHZ
and then Add to home screen.