Zero appeared in Mia's empty room,walked over to a chair and took his seat waiting as he stared out the window facing him.
Except emperor's quarters he had searched all over the palace for her but she was no where to be found.
The thought of how badly she would freak out on seeing him made him grin to himself,he ached to see the look on her face the moment she opens her door to see him or would she appear instead,that would even startle her the more.
Zero swung his leg,impatiently as he moved his head to the sound he hummed softly.
His mind drifted to the incident the previous day,he had left prince Garrith's wedding without a word and today the emperor didn't bother questioning him,perhaps because he was distracted,even during the morning assembly but what bothered him most was the similarity in his body structure to the assassin he fought.
They had the same height and body build but the eyes...the assassin didn't let him take a good look at them,had he been trying to hide his identity back then?was that why he sealed his mana so it wouldn't be detected?
Could it be..Zero paused and shook his head.
Tyran had an awfully huge amount of mana and was rumoured to be the only commander tier in existence but the last person he would think to follow him around was the emperor and most of the men in black were sorcerers.
Sorcerers were the emperor's subjects who reside in seclusion and preferred not to meddle in the imperial affairs,except the imperial sorcerer Sheba bounded by the vow her ancestors made with the imperial family none would ever serve the emperor.
Dark wasn't followed because the sorceror could only be found whenever he wanted to,in his case he had contacted him through Athena.
Mia suddenly appeared,and froze then her jaw dropped as she took in the features of the semonio before her.
"You!"she finally managed to say with her face contoured with a frown.
"Who else would it be?"Zero grinned widely.
"How dare you!—"
"I would dare—you because you choose not to put up a barrier to prevent outsiders from bargaining in because you intend to keep your mana hidden"zero clicked his tongue."But am not here to fight with you,I just to know why"
"The reason I have told you before ".
"Is it?"Zero raised a brow,his eyes rummaging through her featufrom her reddish brown hair down the flowery dress she wore till it settled on her worn out brown shoe.
She seemed exhausted and from her casual outfit,she had gotten off work earlier and he didn't found her where she was stationed and they had all retired from the day.
"You look tired"he muttered but Mia didn't answer.
She walked over to her bed before taking off her shoes.
Zero eyed her,admiring the way her hair fell down her shoulders as she bent to remove her shoulders as though lost in a daze but when she caught him staring he immediately averted his gaze.
"What are you?...do you charm me without my consent?"he paused to clear his throat before turning her way again,his eyes narrowing suspiciously"you charm men with your abilities to make them do your bidding don't you...well that wont work on me".Mia didn't know when she exploded in laughter.
"I knew it!"Zero pointed a finger her way before his palm struck his forehead.
"You are hilarious"Mia grabbed her abdomen laughing hard now.
"You are up to no good...up to no good at all,how could you use such on me...if you desired me you should simply say it,confess your affection for me rather than do this then I might—i might just accept you and—and..."his voice trailed off after he got to his feet,envisioning what goes after and
He placed a hand to his pounding chest,he could both hear and feel his heartbeat.
"She...she got me!"his eyes widened as he faced the other way,his grip tightening against his chest.
"I shouldn't have come here but come to think of it,if she wants me so badly I could accept one dreamy night,just one would do...yes it wouldn't distract me".
"You're mistaking..if I could do that then I would have bounded Gerald myself and made him fall for me" Mia cut in and Gerald turned her way.
"Then I must see a physician at once".
Mia nodded as she shoved him off with a hand.
"Then get going at once and never come back"
Mia blinked and Zero has faded from sight
"Well that will have to wait,I searched all over for you"he had appeared sitting next to her and was leaning into her face."where were you?"
She quickly moved to the other end of the bed but he followed her, their shoulders were touching now as his face drew in.
Mia covered his lips but he grabbed her arm, slowly pulling it away,his lips curved into a teasing grin, eyes glinting with mischief, the kind of smile that said he knew exactly how charming and how troublesome he could be.
"I find myself curious to know how loud you can scream but unfortunately..my purpose right now far exceeds a woman's pleasure"
He withdrew his face before moving an arm's breathe away.
"Huh!"Was all she could mutter as her mind processed his words,he lips folded in disgust.
"What do you know about the imperial crown prince?"
Mia raised a lash putting on her most puzzled expression.
A lot more than you do,I assure you but he had a lot more questions as well, Unknown to him she had met this special child whose pure aura she couldn't understand,even as a child his abilities had awakened and he could even enhance a person's mana tenfolds.
The cunning toddler could even understand his environment better than any adult back then looking at his eyes sometimes frightened her.
"He's an abnormal child, something eerie and different from us...and prophecy fortells he would wipe delvin from existence"
"What could the emperor's own knight seek to gain by revealing this?"Mia questioned."what is he?"
"I have no idea as well...Some found out about this prophecy and seeked to rewrite the emperor's wrong but Gerald had a lead on them and was killed as a result because he was snooping around"
"You sound as though you know who these people are".
"I do... because I was one of them"
"What!"
"I backed out after they killed him...the guilt of his death has never left me ever since,I was there at the hunt but couldn't protect him".
Mia's face brightened at the intruiging news as a smile broke through her features.
"Isn't this the most wonderful thing I've heard today?"she turned to zero looking interested,her gaze impatient.
"Name them!...I will take them out myself"
Zero shook his head.
"You can't....I can't...they are too strong for neither of us especially the higher-ups whose identity remains unknown to us but my guts tell me the kings and councilmen are part of this".
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because we want the same thing ..."
Mia's brows furrowed.
"Sounds good but what doesnt sound so good is working with a ghost,who exactly are you?"
Zero's face contoured into a frown.
"You must be mistaking this for a favour I could erase them alone—"
"But you need an ally because your enemies are too strong ".
It was Zero's turn to laugh.
When his voice trailed off he turned to her.
"I see what ignites your curiousity but that is something I will never tell you".he yawned deeply before stretching himself.
"What do you intend to do with the emperor's son?it appears you want the same thing they do ".
"I don't want to die,no one does"Zero muttered softly but looking through his eyes,Mia could tell there was more to it.
He crouched before her,grabbed her shoes and began slowly fitting her legs into them.
"What are you doing?"she asked.
The last thing she saw was his smile before she found herself in a field with Zero and another long dark haired,her hair tossed freely behind her in the wind as she stood few paces away in casual attire with a large breast not your usual size.
Mia recognized the female knight who had pointed a sword at her the other day she bumped into Zero.
"The wonderful evening breeze calls for a dance and I have invited you both to this stage"
Mia rolled her eyes before they settled on him.
"Athena was inlove with him as well,just like you she seeks revenge for his death"
"And you pulled me out in the middle of the night to—"
"Spar with me "Zero cut in."You both come at me".
"You must take me for a joke"an irritated Athena said summoning a sword in her hand as she morphed into armour.
"Stay back,he's mine".