Zero Langham | Northern Elor | Present Day
Zero slowly opened his eyes, but for several moments he did not move. His vision was blurred, and the first thing he felt was the cold wooden floor against his cheek. His body was stiff from lying in the same position for what felt like an eternity, and his throat burned as though he had been crying for much longer than he remembered. He tried to push himself up, but his arms trembled beneath him, forcing him to pause before finally managing to sit upright.
He looked around the kitchen.
The cabin was exactly as he remembered it.
The table was still where it had always been, the dishes from earlier were still sitting near the sink, and the fire in the fireplace had burned down considerably since he had last seen it. Nothing appeared to have changed, yet something about the room felt different.
It was too quiet.
Zero's eyes immediately moved toward the front door.
"Master Renzo?"
His voice came out hoarse.
There was no response.
Zero slowly stood, using the edge of the table to steady himself as he looked around the cabin. He checked the bedroom, then the small living area, even though he already knew what he would find.
Nothing. No matter where he looked, Renzo was nowhere to be found.
Zero returned to the kitchen and looked toward the window. Outside, snow continued to fall over the island, covering the ground in a thick layer of white. The tracks left by Renzo and the two men who had taken him were still faintly visible, although the snowfall was gradually erasing them.
He stared at those tracks for several seconds.
He had no idea how long he had been unconscious.
The last thing he remembered was watching Renzo being escorted away. He remembered the helplessness that had overwhelmed him, the tears he had tried to hold back, and then sitting down because his legs could no longer support him. After that, everything disappeared.
Zero rubbed his eyes and looked toward the door again.
Renzo had not returned.
That did not necessarily mean something had happened to him. The World Council had taken him for questioning, and Zero knew better than anyone that Renzo was not someone they could simply interrogate and release within an hour.
After all, he was one of the Top Ten, one of the ten strongest Sorcerers on the planet. Although the identities of the members of the Top Ten were hidden, with the exception of Seraphis Valor, Zero had known about Renzo's position before Zero had been hunted. And his history with Renzo meant that he understood the kind of attention the World Council would give him.
They would want answers. They would want to know where Zero had gone, how long Renzo had been hiding him, and whether he had helped him evade the warrant.
Zero knew Renzo well enough to know that he would not willingly give them anything that could put Zero in greater danger.
Still, knowing that did little to calm him.
"He'll come back," Zero told himself quietly.
He wanted to believe it. More than anything, he needed to believe it.
But as he looked around the empty cabin, another thought began creeping into his mind.
What if Renzo didn't come back soon?
Zero's expression hardened.
The twins knew about the cabin now.
They had searched it once, and the only reason they had failed to find him was that Renzo had hidden him inside his dimensional room. There was nothing stopping them from returning once they realized they had overlooked something, and if they came back while Zero was still here, he would have nowhere left to hide.
He could not stay.
The thought hurt more than he expected.
Despite Zero's short stay at this home, this cabin had become one of the few places where Zero had felt safe since everything had fallen apart. Renzo had given him somewhere to sleep, somewhere to recover, and, more importantly, someone he could trust. Leaving it behind felt almost like abandoning the last piece of normality he had.
But staying would be worse.
Zero walked into the bedroom and opened the closet.
The clothes he had were not particularly suited for the Northern Elor. After Zero's recuperation, Renzo had dressed him in house clothes that were unsuitable for the freezing climate of the outer Jorgun islands. But Renzo had a few heavier pieces of clothing that Zero could use.
He found a thick black coat, baggy cargo trousers with a plethora of pockets, navy-blue gloves, and a matte black scarf with streaks of dark-red highlights.
After dressing himself up, he neatly tied the scarf around his neck. Its large size left the end of the scarf loose, swaying with each movement. He tugged the front of the scarf, positioning it to conceal his angular jaw and mouth.
When he finished, he returned to the kitchen and began searching through the cabinets. If he were going to leave, he needed to prepare properly.
He took whatever food he could carry without making his pack too heavy. Preserved meat, bread, dried fruit, and several bottles of water were packed first, followed by a few basic supplies he grabbed.
It was a sharp pocket knife that could shoot open with a click of the handle. It wasn't much, nor would it be useful in a fight against a high- or even mid-tier sorcerer; however, Zero had lost most of his possessions after being rescued by Renzo. So, it was either the pocket knife or nothing.
He saw a set of three fireworks, a bit unusual for a survival item. Nevertheless, he grabbed it.
The last item was a flare gun that came with two flares. He figured it could be used in case he heard people nearby, but he'd have to judge carefully. There was no saying what kind of lunatics he could run into, plus he was a wanted man now.
He added a blanket and another set of clothes before stopping to look at the small amount of money he still had.
It was not much.
Zero stared at it for a moment.
Money had never been something he had needed to think about this carefully before. He had grown up knowing that the Langham fortune was waiting for him, and although he had been forced to live modestly until he turned sixteen, there had always been an end in sight.
After Zero had turned sixteen, nearly four years ago, he inherited his parents' fortune. However, he never had the time to spend it lavishly due to… the unforeseen circumstances.
Now, the name Langham itself was dangerous. He could not walk into a bank and use his real identity. He could not rely on his family's wealth, his Sorcerer status, or anything else connected to the life he had lived before.
He would have to find work. The thought made him look toward the table. A map was sitting beneath several papers.
Zero picked it up and unfolded it across the table. It was old and somewhat damaged, but it was better than nothing. Much of the eastern portion of Veyra Island had been left blank.
Veyra Island, one of the two main outer islands of Jorgun, was moderately populated by citizens who opposed the rule of the World Council. Veyra Island is home to Renzo's cabin, which is ironic considering Renzo's occupation.
Even if these islands were under the authority of the World Council, the people here still found it better, since it was the farthest place from the Central Continent, where most major cities, including the planet's capital, Celestiala, are located.
Looking back at the time, Zero noticed several of the marked roads were little more than faded lines, but he could still make out a settlement not too far from the cabin.
Karsen Settlement.
Zero traced the route with his finger.
It was the closest town on the map.
If I can make it there, I should be able to find somewhere to stay. I can find some kind of work and figure out what to do from there.
He folded the map carefully and placed it into one of the many pockets of his cargo trousers.
His eyes moved toward the notebook next to where the map originally was. For a moment, Zero considered leaving something for Renzo.
He could tell him where he had gone. He could explain that he intended to return. If Renzo came back while Zero was away, at least he would know that Zero had not simply disappeared.
He stared at it for a few seconds before relaxing. He came to the conclusion that leaving a note would be a fool's errand.
If the World Council returned before Renzo did, they could find the note. They would know exactly where he had gone.
Zero did not want to take that chance.
Instead, Zero planned to come back periodically to visit the cabin. If Renzo returned, Zero would be able to find him here. Until then, he had to assume that he was on his own.
He tightened the straps of his pack and walked toward the front door. His hand rested on the handle. He hesitated, his hand momentarily wavering.
The possibility that Renzo could return while he was gone made him pause, but Zero eventually forced himself to open the door.
Cold air rushed into the cabin.
Snow blew across the doorway, carried by a strong wind that made Zero instinctively pull his scarf higher around his face, up to his nose. The temperature was considerably lower than it had been when he arrived, and the forest surrounding the cabin looked almost unrecognizable beneath the snow.
If the climate is this shitty here, I can't begin to imagine Jorgun Island...
Zero stepped outside, his boots sinking into the snow. He turned around one last time and looked at the cabin.
He wanted to remember it exactly as it was.
Renzo had always told him that there would be moments when he had to make decisions without knowing whether they were the right ones. Zero had never understood that lesson completely when he was younger. Back then, he had believed that being strong meant eventually finding the correct answer.
Now he understood that sometimes there was no correct answer.
There was only one choice that allowed you to keep moving.
Zero closed the door behind him.
Then he began walking.
The journey was slower than he had anticipated. Snow reached well above the soles of his boots in some places, and every step required more effort than the last. The wind constantly pushed against him, carrying loose snow into his face and making it difficult to see farther than a short distance ahead.
He kept the map tucked safely inside his coat, checking it whenever the weather allowed him to stop.
After walking for some time, Zero reached into his coat and felt the small amount of money he had left. This realization brought another problem to mind.
Even if he found work, he could not use his real name. Anyone could recognize it. Anyone could report him. The World Council's warrant had ensured that.
Zero continued walking as he thought about what name he could use. It needed to be something believable, something that would not attract attention, and, preferably, a name with meaning to sound real.
Several possibilities came to mind and were immediately discarded.
Then he remembered something. A name he had heard before. A name that held some sentimental value to him.
Zero quietly repeated it to himself as he walked through the snow.
"Yochanan."
The name sounded unfamiliar coming from his own mouth. Perhaps that was exactly what he needed.
Yochanan, the name of one of the last of Father's disciples from the beginning of history. From Yochanan's birth, the Father was already seen as the Creator of Everything; however, Yochanan dedicated his life to further spread the Father's Marion.
Unfortunately, as important as he was, Yochanan was rarely talked about compared to the other disciples.
Nevertheless, it was somewhat a popular name; hence, it wouldn't attract attention.
He pulled his scarf higher over his face and continued toward Karsen. His breathing wavered as if he had a knot in his throat; he spoke quietly, leaving his past self behind: "My name was Zero Langham."
He shook his head, clearing his throat. His strides quickened as he spoke once more, "My name is Yochanan," he said quietly, almost as though he were practicing for the moment someone would ask.
The words felt strange.
He said it again, this time with more confidence.
"My name is Yochanan," he spoke harshly, this time with conviction.
Zero did not know when Renzo would return.
He did not know where the World Council had taken him, how long they intended to keep him, or whether they would eventually discover where Zero had gone.
He did not know what had happened to his former team, and he had no way of knowing whether the people he cared about were even looking for him anymore.
There were too many questions.
For the first time in a long time, Zero had no one around him who could answer them.
He had spent so much of his life surrounded by people. Even when things became difficult, Zero had always had someone to turn to.
Now there was no one.
He looked toward the distant horizon.
For a while, Zero had believed that strength was the ability to protect society. Then, he believed it was the ability to eliminate threats and protect at the same time. Now, another question arose:
What happened when there was no one left to protect you?
He did not have an answer. Maybe he would find one eventually.
For now, he simply kept walking.
The snow continued to fall around him, burying his footprints almost as quickly as he made them.
Behind him was Renzo's cabin. Ahead of him was Karsen.
He was no longer walking as Zero Langham, the heir of the Langham family, a Kuro, or a wanted Sorcerer. For the first time in his life, he was walking without anyone beside him.
Zero convinced himself that this was only temporary. As soon as he regained his footing, he would find a way to regain his past life. To once again go by the name Zero Langham.
However, until that moment came, he was Yochanan.