Old Man's Identity

"You!"

Zero gripped him even more and squeezed the life out of him.

"Zero!" Baali from the corner of the room mumbled.

With heightened senses Zero heard him and turned to him.

Baali was in a bad shape and they both needed information about who is behind all that chaos.

"Who could it be? I have never heard of anyone with the ability to travel worlds besides the anonymous ability user called 'Saber'." He thought.

Doubt about the device's power Zero devoured, he threw that old man slamming on the floor hard.

That old looking man couldn't even get up.

Baali crawled up to Zero.

Every soldier and delegate in the city arrived at the commotion's place.

Seeing the state of the device and Benard, who was second in command of the city's army, dead... they couldn't even speak.

With doubtful eyes, they stood there and some soldier took Benard's body away.

One of the delegates recognized Baali.

"Are you not Baali right?" He shouted.

Baali turned to him and just stood quiet.

The delegate didn't raise another question and understood the situation.

"Everyone go back to your positions, only four soldiers stay behind. Situation won't go awry, any further." He ordered.

Other delegates were anxious about the person whose aura was definitely different and dangerous.

"But..." One of the old looking delegate among them tried to speak but previous delegate intervened

"Situation is under control. So, please."

Everyone left the building and only that delegate and four soldiers remained behind.

Zero and Baali were watching everything unfold quietly. The old man who attacked Zero and Baali too was shocked about the situation which unfolded.

"How can he be this strong? And yet the device which can even kill the highest rank ability user, got attacked instead."

Due to Zero's increased power, his wounds healed almost quickly and stood ready for any fight to come.

But, the delegate standing on upper floor spoke,

"Don't be alarmed young boy. I don't intend to harm you. But I am very curious about the person besides you."

Zero looked at Baali and couldn't understand his motive.

"How can I trust you after what has just happened?" Zero expressed his doubt calmly.

"Isn't his name Baali, young boy? And if he is beside you then I also want you to trust me." The delegate said.

Baali who was quiet until now stood with Zero's support and spoke,

"General Nil ! I don't think there is anything to talk about after what I saw in the city. The state which we wouldn't have accepted before...."

Baali was cut off in between,

"I understand your feelings but it's also not correct to say that we have totally surrendered. We ARE PROTESTING soon."

Baali understood his words.

"So, you think of plotting against them, with whom you couldn't bare your fangs for the past thirty years. I want to see you try though." Baali thought and with a gentle laugh, he spoke,

"General Nil ! If I am really counted in that plan then you're mistaken. You see-- I am Mercenary, this young boy commissioned."

General Nil, the delegate of the city army, stared at the young boy and remembered that he was misunderstanding the situation.

"Oh! Sorry If I am mistaken then who do I discuss the matter to?" His change in tone was clear and Zero spoke in mana filled dragon voice boldly,

"General Nil ! I want you to forget what happened here and not prepare for the war."

General Nil's eyes grew wide with the aura Zero released. It was something he knew from before.

"It's just like them..."

General Nil smiled and turned back to leave.

"Take them to the infirmary and treat them with utmost importance. They are our VIP's now."

Soldier heeded the order immediately and took Zero and Baali to treat their wounds.

Zero took minor treatment as his wounds were nearly healed fully but Baali took rest after the treatment.

.....

GENERAL NIL'S CABIN

"I was waiting for you....."

"Zero! Just call me that for now."

"Yes! I would seem selfish if I asked you about your origin when your support to come will be a debt to us."

"Oh! So direct to the point huh! Well it depends on the information you have."

Pointing to the corner, where the old man who attacked Zero was tied up, General Nil spoke,

"It will be late if the interrogation is delayed." General Nil lifted his cigar and lit it up.

Zero walked towards him.

That old man was afraid of him but also confident to not reveal any information.

"Hmmm! Still doing the futile effort to stay silent. YOU MAY BECOME REALLY SILENT, think about it."

Zero poured his bloodlust for a brief moment but that old man saw something he only imagined in his life before.

The dragon with fierce eyes and aura which only the emperor would exude.

"D..dragon! How!!!" He exclaimed in shock and looked at Zero with extreme fear.

He was plotting before but his plan didn't seem to work for him.

"Wh...What do you... you want to know.. I will tell everything.. Please just let me live. cough...cough..."

"Hmmm! I do want to let you go but I don't think your body will sustain any longer the way you want."

Zero talked as if he knew the old man.

Old man looked confused and surprised altogether.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh my! Priest of the Temple.... have you forgotten me already. It's just been nine years though."

Zero said with a smile on his face.

Old man's shock and surprise knew no bounds and exclaimed in fear,

"Who are you? How...how do you know me?"

Zero only said one word with uninterested mood,

"Zero!"

Old man's eyes grew wide and looked down at the floor. Eyes twitched left and right. He didn't expect to see Zero here.

But soon realising that he can stand the same ground with the person he was slave to, he became happy about that one thing and looked at Zero with hopeful eyes.

"What are you so happy about?" Zero asked but he was not interested in the answer.

"Tell me how you will defeat them! Please tell me before I die.... I can't see the upcoming days but I would really want to know what would happen." Old man who was a priest from Zero's original world spoke in a creepy desperate voice.

He seemed to have forfeited the hope to live.

"So, you think Zero can defeat them?" General Nil, who stood there silently until now spoke after what that old man was uttering before Zero.

"They have killed one of the ability users who ruled all those worlds and also it's something written in the book, which helps them travel between worlds.

"Demons...cough...cough...cough....!"

Old man dies without even getting a chance to complete the sentences.

General Nil didn't understand what that old man meant by demons but guessed it was no good news to them.

"Zero! What demons?"

General Nil asked Zero, assuming he would know. But,

"I don't know! I have never seen them before and have no information. But now I am curious too."

Zero's voice was clear that he surely understood something from that last word.

General Nil now understood what Zero meant earlier by not to go for war.