The first thing Zero felt when he woke up was the smell of medicine.
It was faint.
Clean.
Almost peaceful.
For several seconds, he didn't open his eyes.
He simply lay there, listening.
The distant footsteps of people moving through the hallway.
The soft voices of healers.
The occasional clatter of metal equipment.
The steady rhythm of his own breathing.
He had become so accustomed to the sounds of battle that the silence felt unfamiliar.
Zero slowly opened his eyes.
A white ceiling greeted him.
For a moment, he stared at it without moving.
Then his memories returned.
Aamon.
The Emperor of Destruction.
The Cataclysmic Destruction.
The Unison Raid.
The palace collapsing.
And then—
Darkness.
Zero closed his eyes again.
"So I survived."
His voice came out rough.
A healer sitting nearby immediately turned around.
"You're awake!"
Zero looked toward her.
The woman immediately rushed toward the door.
