CHAPTER 32 – Zero

"You…" I say, looking at this illusion of my daughter. "You look pretty."

My daughter forms a huge smile with her cheeks. "Thank you. You already said that, but thank you," she sits down on her chair.

"That was not needed," my wife says.

"I just…" my daughter says, frowning.

My wife didn't exactly like my daughter.

This was obvious of an illusion. This moment…

Everyone just starts eating, with another topic, about our granddaughter, being talked.

If I remembered it right then-

I jolt my head to my side.

"Not tonight," my daughter says, and I turn to find her smiling at me. "Just have your dinner, dad."

…Did she…

"Will this fill my stomach or…?" I ask, looking at the food, and grabbing the spoon properly.

"I don't know… I… can't know."

What kind of an illusion was this? Something to harm me, or…?

"I don't know that either," my daughter says.

You can read my mind?

"I don't know, I guess."

"You both are talkative," my wife says, and she pauses her strict look. "You both do need to talk I guess."

My wife gets up, picking our granddaughter. And along with my son-in-law and his father, they leave, while I wordlessly, and partly, open my mouth and stay paused.

My daughter, who is the only one who didn't leave, just continues eating.

"I'm sorry," I shiver.

My daughter drops her spoon and comes to my side, to hug me. I feel her tears hit my shirt.

"You didn't do anything," she whispers, while sobbing.

"They said I killed you because… you aren't my real daughter," I cry. I cry to let it all out. Illusion or not… I had held on to the guilt and the title-

"-you didn't," my daughter says and looks at me, while still holding my shoulder tightly. "You didn't ever not consider me that way. I never felt it so."

"But they…"

"They didn't know," she says. "I do. So do… I hope the others do too."

"I…"

"You need to leave. I don't know if this place is safe."

"I have you here…" I say, while looking into her eyes.

She laughs, while wiping her tears, and then mine. "We never left your side… you'll see."

I let flames burn and break the red spark in my hand. Other-Being moves upwards, and then towards me but…

"Why?" I ask. "How do you feel to be the frozen one now?"

The flames. The flames in the form of people. They bind him in the air, while he just glares towards them and then me.

"What is he?" my daughter, at my side, asks me.

"I don't know… but he is something more than what I or the others could understand of him," I say.

"You saw something else… when you held that spark, right?" my daughter asks me.

"…he is dangerous."

"Then what is the plan?"

"A word I hate…" I say, and weakly smile.

Other-Being lets his red sparks go wild, and I let flames perceive and burn them. With each spark being caught by my flames, a part of me goes blank.

But I don't stop. I have my daughter at my side.

***

Feeling the presences of the Exterior-Beings and Other-Being; I step out of the room, as everyone hugs Wrap.

"They are coming."

"Yeah… I threw them all at once with all my power, almost breaking my heart. I'll explain later," Wrap says. "Hey, you still got any steroids left on you? I really could use some."

Steroids… could THAT make me powerful? A dream is a dream… who knew for sure if I could defeat this Other-Being here.

As everyone talks, I stare at Other-Being, and it stares back.

Scelesthe steps outside, while carrying Thunder, and everyone else too, together, witness the sight of Other-Being and his army. The place where surely one of us, or maybe all, had to die.

"Is he the leader of Witch's nightmare?" Wrap asks.

"Something of that sort," I say, while glaring at Other-Being.

As an Exterior-Beings pounce towards us, they get thrown away by Psyand and Forcerer's 'fist-clap' that they had planned.

I see Other-Being move his head, sending Psyand and Forcerer into the air. I breath hard for air, as my heart beats faster and faster, seeing this take place.

Indeed… dream was a dream. What was I thinking, to bring-?

Someone races ahead, with their fist up. His fist gets wrapped by layers every second, making sounds like Scelesthe's armour getting bent. And his arm gets swallowed up into the ocean of these layers. Such an arm, sends Other-Being flying, while all it does is stare at Wrap. Wrap doesn't stop, and hits Exterior-Beings too, with his… unordinary-fist.

As one Exterior-Being falls behind him, I rush forward too, to Wrap's side. I step onto the Exterior-Being and take back my stolen self from it. As I run forward, the Exterior-Being at my feet, comes alongside me, and I smash it at Other-Being.

Other-Being puts his hold onto me, and I groan and roar at him.

Wrap comes to my aid and hits Other-Being, making him lose his focus from me.

So that's what it took… that's why it likes staring at people.

"What are you?" Other-Being asks Wrap, as seemingly, its stare doesn't seem to work on Wrap.

Having fed onto the Exterior-Being, and regaining my wits, I tear out of my clothes, while transforming into a wolf… a wolf on its feet. I smash my hands into the Exterior-Being I had drained, and steal its claws, while wearing them at the edge of my paws.

I could remember such a being from my past. Someone who…

I pounce at Other-Being, and rip his body into halves. Red sparks fill in between the gaps, and his body reforms.

I feel dizzy, as my feet burn, after being outside the shoes. Right, Lost-Bird and that Grandpa-guy asked me to be careful… was this why?

I jump past Other-Being, and tear apart two Exterior-Beings and feed on them. While doing so… I get thrown away by Other-Being, while I lose my control. But I reach the ground safely, and transform back in Psyand's mother's arms.

I barely hold on, and walk about, as things just happen around me, and Scelesthe helps me up, whilst still helping Thunder.

And I finally faint at the relief of feeling only two other presences. One here, and the other-

***

"Shield yourself," Arson says to me, and rushes forward.

I leave focus from even the shield covering the stairs, and make as big of a shield I can, around us. Wrap, holds onto everyone, and presses us together, while covering us too, in his kind of shield.

The balloon bursts… at least I know so, as the blast occurs, and the floor below is collapses.

For a moment there, the fire stops, probably thanks to Arson but… we get caught in the explosion, and the ball of force field covering us, gets thrown upwards, crashing through the roof, and out of the building.

"BRACE!" Wrap screams, as we get pushed away from the building, with the fire leading us to some unknown point.

I hold on, and control the field trying to dissipate at this moment.

We hit something, and the shield dissipates finally, and I fall to the ground, alongside everyone else.

"Is ev-… er-… one…?" I ask gasping, and trying to open my eyes, while lying my face to the ground-

***

"They are alive," I say, taking my hand away from the last candidate, Thunder.

Psyand's mother sighs with relief, even with a bruise on her arm, and her hip having cramped.

"Ma…" Psyand, who is the only one not hurt, says, with a sad face.

"I'm fine… it's nothing for a mother," Psyand's mother says, with her hand on her hip, and smiling through pain, while groaning lightly.

"Yeah… ma, ask her to take care of her sister. I'm not a mother. Zero experience here," I say, removing my armour.

"Are you going to call me as 'Ma' too?"

"If you don't mind. Anyway, I don't have a mother," I say, and groan loudly, while cracking my shoulder.

Psyand's mother quietly stares at me.

"No I mean… here. I have a mother somewhere. On my planet. But not here I mean."

"Ah…" Psyand's mother laughs nervously.

"Are you both okay? You both are the only ones awake," I say to Lost-Bird and Edward. "Surprisingly."

"I mean… the heroes did all the work. No wonder," Lost-Bird says, while covering his wounded arm with a handkerchief.

"All I did was throw the phone," Edward says.

"Maybe was helpful. Let's wait," I say, and look at everyone on the ground, and then at the collapsing building. "So that's Arson."

Whatever was happening there… the heat could be felt. The force-field had broken too, definitely.

Who would arise as the winner here?

I look at the only person who could tell without having to look. But even she had fainted.

"Ah… fill them in the truck," I say, while lifting the removed armour.

"Excuse me?" Lost-Bird asks, getting in my way.

"I prefer to see my enemy dying or dead," I say, pushing Lost-Bird to the side.

And I run, without looking back. No one sane would join me.

I jump up the rubbles of walls, while avoiding the fire right ahead of me. But… the fire… vanishes. And only the broken building is left ahead of me. Ashes, but no flame.

I could swear seeing someone but… that was just the fire fading.

I ready my sword and jump mindlessly towards where I had thought I had seen something. No sign of… except-

I follow the smell of flesh, and find weird corpses lying next to each other. That could be anything… but Other-Being and Arson… seemed unlikely.

I just sigh, failing to find anything else in the rubble.

I search until I hear a bike, and then leave the premises and go again to the place with fainted people. Someone comes on a bike, while Lost-Bird follows them on the mini-van.

The person on the bike… the police office… gets down.

"Here," he says, and gives it to me, finding no one else in the condition to accept what he is giving. "I tried giving it to that one after he woke up, but he ran away," he points to Wrap.

The object which had put Witch into that stasis.

The officer takes a water bottle from the bike, and splashes some water at Wrap. Before I could comment though, Wrap wakes up instantly.

"I think water is the cure for your coma," the officer says.

Wrap wipes his face while complaining. "I was not in a coma, either of the times."

"Oh?"

I just dumbfounded-ly look at how that just worked but-

"Please don't splash anyone else," I tell him. "Let them… just rest."

We just stand there awkwardly.

"I'll… take this bike I guess," the officer says, and walks back to the bike. "Oh. And don't worry about the people. Somebody came and helped them like you said they would."

"Was that a guy holding a talking-" Edward asks.

"-y-yes. Please don't remind me of that," the officer says. "He said he'll… call you."

"He isn't coming?" Edward asks.

"No, he said… he had to solve a crime he had done," the officer says. "Said you'd know what that means."

Edward just nods, and the officer goes away.

"Where… will you guys go?" Edward asks.

"Somewhere safe hopefully," Psyand's mother says.

"You sound like you are asking for help," I say to Edward.

"Just… it's too dangerous alone," Edward says. "Even with such a team."

Edward looks at the ground, a little too long towards Aarush.

"Same goes to others like you, so… try to stay with friends in such a world," Edward says, and starts walking away.

"We just… let him go?" Lost-Bird asks.

"We'll see you soon," I say to Edward, and he waves without turning back. "I think we better go to a doctor huh."

"You mean…?"

"Let's go find her. She has stayed alone too I guess. And may be in danger," I say.

The white dragon Rusk had told us about. That could be a start from zero.