Be My Eyes

14 Hours After the Merge 

"…Magic?" Zero muttered, trying to wrap his head around everything. His eyes darted between the red dust still settling in the air and Ozai, who stood calmly in front of him.

"I—I don't understand… What's going on?" Zero clutched his head as a sharp pain pulsed through it. His vision blurred slightly, his thoughts spiraling.

Then came the low growl—distant, but growing closer.

Zero's head shot up. "It's back... another one of those things…" he whispered, voice cracking as his knees threatened to give out.

Ozai, meanwhile, smirked faintly and turned toward the sound.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it," he said, crouching to tighten the laces on his boots. "Vision's not what it used to be though, so I'll need you to watch my back."

He looked over his shoulder at Zero, who was crouched behind a shelf, wide-eyed.

"Be my eyes."

With that, Ozai stepped out of the store. The chime of the door echoed through the silence.

Outside, in the middle of the road, stood a Ragnar—its body ghostly white, smeared with blood and dust. Wedged in the side of its jaw was a fireplace poker, bent and blackened.

It was the same one from earlier.

The moment it heard the bell, its head snapped toward Ozai.

"Hey, you," Ozai said, holding out his hand. A red orb of light bloomed in his palm.

The Ragnar screeched, unfurling its grotesque, flower-like maw lined with dripping teeth. Its flesh rippled as red spines shot from its back, launching toward Ozai.

With a quick motion, he conjured a broad red shield, catching most of the quills. Several shattered on impact—others smashed into the store windows behind him, glass raining down near Zero.

Zero flinched as the shards hit the floor in front of him. His instincts screamed at him to run.

But before he could move, a new sound pierced the tension:

"Fire!"

A barrage of gunfire erupted from down the street, riddling the Ragnar's body with bullets. It howled in pain, its limbs twitching as the lead tore through its tough hide.

Ozai didn't waste the moment. He summoned a glowing red spear above the beast and let it drop like a hammer, crushing the creature and cracking the pavement beneath. The spear dissolved into glowing embers—along with the Ragnar's lifeless body.

Zero edged toward the front of the store, heart pounding, as figures approached Ozai—armed soldiers, rifles drawn.

Ozai waved with a grin. "Hey! Appreciate the assist—!"

"Another freak—take him down!" one of the soldiers barked.

Before Ozai could react, a fresh flurry of bullets tore through the air. He managed to conjure another shield in time, the bullets sparking and bouncing off the barrier in bursts of light.

Zero shielded his eyes from the glare as Ozai moved forward, walking further into the gunfire.

Then—bang.

Ozai slammed his shield into the pavement. It burst apart in a cloud of red sparks, engulfing the soldiers in a red haze.

"You guys have some pretty cool magic," he laughed from the smoke. "Mind if I see?"

There was a blur of movement. A rifle vanished from a soldier's hands, and Ozai melted back into the fog before they could fire.

Panic erupted. Bullets flew into the smoke blindly, chasing his voice. But none hit.

Then—a red flash.

A searing light shot from the fog, striking one soldier clean through the shoulder, dropping him instantly.

"Shit—!"

More followed. A volley of glowing red bullets tore through the entire squad, dropping them one by one. Their armor hissed with steam as they hit the ground.

When the smoke cleared, Ozai stood alone, a glowing red rifle floating beside him. The barrel gleamed with heat.

He looked down at the bodies, expression unreadable. "Not sure why you guys came at me like that… Guess it's too late to ask now."

He sighed, rubbing his temple.

"There I go, being impatient again. Could've disarmed them. Asked questions. But nooo…"

He smacked his own forehead. "Stupid."

Behind him, the bell above the convenience store jingled.

Ozai turned—just in time to see Zero bolt from the store, limping as fast as he could down the road, away from him.

Zero tried to weave his way through the debris, but it was no use. He tripped over a chunk of rubble, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

"Ugh…" he groaned, trying to push himself up. As he looked up—

Ozai was already standing there, staring down at him. His eyes gleamed, the glowing red rifle floating silently beside him.

"Hey, what's wrong—?"

"Get the hell away from me!" Zero shouted, scrambling backwards. He tried to crawl away, but Ozai grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him off the ground with surprising strength and turning him face to face.

"Dude, calm down!"

"Y-you killed those people!" Zero shouted.

"I've done worse! And plus, those guys attacked me first!'

"...Wh-what are you?" Zero muttered. Ozai sighed and abruptly let him drop to the ground.

"Guess there's no point hiding it anymore."

He stepped back slightly. His chest began to glow with a warm orange light. A burning symbol appeared over his heart—an outline of a humanoid figure with three stars across its waist, a line extending from the side like an arm, ending in a curved bow.

"My real name isn't Ozai," he said. "It's Orion. The Hunter."

He paused dramatically, clearly waiting for a reaction.

"…Who?" Zero asked.

Orion blinked, confused. "Uh… Orion? The wanted fugitive?"

Zero stared, silent, shaking his head.

"Dude, c'mon. Everyone in the country of Enmida has at least heard about me. I'm like, suuuper famous… no?"

The two stood in awkward silence.

"…What's Enmida?" Zero asked.

Orion raised an eyebrow. "Uh… the country? I mean, that's where we are… right?"

…

"Dude... this is New Jersey," Zero said flatly, slowly standing up.

"…The fuck is a New Jersey?" Orion muttered, glancing around at the wreckage and shattered storefronts.

"Now that I think about it… how did I even get here?"

He looked up toward the sky, his expression distant.

"Last thing I remember, I was being chased by a bunch of bounty hunters, and then—boom—this weird shimmering thing appeared in the middle of the forest. I thought it was a lingering portal left behind by a mage or something, so I jumped through it…"

He chuckled awkwardly, eyes scanning the ruined street.

"…Next thing I know, I'm here. Wherever the hell here is."

"Magic... and portals—don't exist here," Zero said quietly.

Orion blinked, visibly thrown off. "Wait, seriously?"

Zero nodded. "Those monsters, the 'Regnars',"

"They're called Ragnars," Orion corrected instinctively.

"Right… Ragnars," Zero muttered, shivering as the memory of his first encounter crept back.

"I've never seen anything like them in my life…"

"As I said earlier, they're usually a pretty shy species. Kind of like cockroaches, you guys have cockroaches in New Jersey, right?" Orion asked.

Zero gave a wary nod.

"Yeah, well the dark gray ones—the ones that attacked you—are the more common variation. They always move in packs, almost never fight alone, It doesn't matter how big or strong they are."

"The white ones, in contrast, are sort of lone wolves. At least from what I've seen. On average, their hide is weaker than the greys', but they make up for it with stronger, more versatile abilities. Like the quills." He gave a vague gesture.

Zero frowned. "If they're so shy, then why are they everywhere? Why are they eating... everyone?"

"No, not eating," Orion corrected. "Believe it or not they're actually herbivores. Their claws and teeth are purely for combat."

Zero blinked. "You're saying those things eat grass?"

"Kind of, they eat a very specific kind of plant in Enmida. The more of it they eat, the darker color their hide turns. I learned that in my Bestiology class! Pretty cool, right?" Orion grinned, not seeming to understand the severity of the situation.

"So, what? They're killing people for sport?"

Orion's expression darkened. "Seems like it, yeah. Either that or something's making them behave this way..."

He paused.

"…Or someone."

Silence settled among the two as sharp winds howled through the empty streets.

Zero exhaled, shaking his head. "This is fucking crazy…" he muttered, turning away and starting to walk off.

"Hey! where are you going?" Orion called after him.

"My friend. I'm going to find my friend," Zero shouted back.

"Friend? ---Wait, you're going alone? You'll get yourself killed!" Orion started forward. "Let me come with you, I can help!"

Zero stopped. "Why are you helping me? You don't even know me. And aren't you, like… a criminal or something?"

"N—not for a bad reason!" Orion stammered. "It's… a long story. Look—"

He moved like a blur, abruptly appearing in front of Zero, wind brushing Zero's hair sideways from the sudden burst of movement.

"How about this," Orion offered. "I help you find your friend. And you help me figure out how to get home. Sound fair?"

Zero hesitated. In a world suddenly full of monsters, destruction, and questions he didn't have answers to... there was only one who seemed to know something about what was going on, one person offering him protection.

Was there even anything to consider?

"Deal," he said.