LOCATION - THE WASTELAND. 2

|Location: Outskirt - Wasteland|

-OMNISCIENCE-

"Well to give you an info dumping answer." She said, rolling her eyes along with a slight degradation of her voice. Before talking she took a long and deep breath, and it was like lighting when she talked. Because she talks fast. Really fast.

"More than a thousand years ago the earth fell into chaos when a sudden energy wave engulfed the earth killing more than sixty percent of the civilization on it, based on the history that was passed down from the survivors of that generation to the present it was the wrath of the gods that destroyed it because of who knows what, yada yada yada." She paused and again took a deep breath once more. Then. "The gods also descended the earth to judge it themselves, well we know how this turned out, then they raised their apostles, and gathered numerous worshipers to erase the remaining survivors."

"Um you can slow down, it's okay to talk slowly you know" '

Zero narrowed his eyes towards the girl, showing his concern. But the girl only shook her head as a heads up that there is still more to what she just said.

"Wait, here's the cliche part of the story." Again, with the inhaling action. "But one day it was said that the people long ago discovered the gods' weakness and at the same time granting them the power to destroy and defend themselves from the gods and their growing army, this is how people manifested strange abilities." Zero saw how repulsive she acted when she said that line.

"Um are you oka-" Zero was cut off when the girl suddenly burst what was on her mind while telling the tale of her ancestors' history.

"Ugh! So cringe. But what can we do, that's the story."

When Zero thought it was over and was about to talk the girl suddenly added. "Oh, I almost forgot. And that's how the new era for the world came to be, they called it the new genesis."

"Genesis" Zero mumbles

The girl gave Zero a hefty explanation with the history he didn't know along with her own narration serving as its cherry on top, Zero started to ponder and came to the conclusion that there are many things he has yet to encounter in the world.

And the word abilities got stuck into his head reminding him of the group he 'saved'. And the 'interesting' phenomenon and traits he witnessed.

"Wait, so to summarize what you explained to me. What you're saying is that the people just randomly manifested and became. Umm, esper-ish?" He said to the girl.

"Well kinda, but it's really a rare phenomenon that even only a few people in our camp have manifested, including my brother and my sister. Also it isn't certified that you'll awaken with a good one."

The girl explained, as she continued her voice gave off a hint of excitement. " But I heard from the elders that if you go far south there's a huge moving city being made and is almost finished. There they gather people who have a chance to manifest and train them to unlock their powers."

Zero noticed the spark of curiosity in her eyes, like cinder that wants to burn. She waved her hand across the sky as she drew the place purely out of her imagination.

"Well, that's a handful of information"

Zero said, still getting his way around the information he got from the girl, yet he still didn't let go of a question he had since he got near these people.

"By the way I was wondering how come you guys have pointy ears?"

The girl was caught off guard from what Zero said, she tilted her head from disbelief. "Huh? Seriously, that's your question? "

She was about to continue but her brother came rushing in with his face full of tears, he shouted his sister's name.

"Dia!" Nuk dashed towards his sister, hugging her tightly, as he tried to silently shed his tears.

"Brother? What's wrong?"

The moment lasted with Nuk telling her everything that happened and tears of sadness soon echoed out like an illness that spread over Dia, with everything that was happening in front of Zero, he couldn't help but walk out from a similar scene once again.

"Twice, every single time. My mind goes blank, unable to understand what I'm feeling right now. Every time I watch them do those actions; my chest always clenches itself. I can't seem to understand what's happening right now and I want to keep it that way. I want to get away from this." Zero gave out a deep breath, trying to calm himself as he walked away.

The time went still for him who listened to the cries of the two siblings. He manages to find a lone rock to sit on as the sky dances south above him.

Guarding over the new horizon he soon heard footsteps walking towards him. He immediately knew it was the siblings.

"Hey! We were looking for you!" Dia said over a distance, Zero turned around and saw Dia and Nuk walking towards some boulders and debris just to reach him.

"Um, thanks again if it weren't for you all of us could have died." Nuk said as he lowered his head.

Zero didn't see the girl from before at least her body that is.

"Aren't you going to bring her?" Zero said, directly talking about their dead sister's dead body.

Nuk and Dia both shook their heads, and both could only swallow their grief with the idea that they can't bring even the carcass of their sister.

Dia mustered courage just to answer Zero, or maybe she just said that to face reality. Telling herself the truth.

"We found a spot to bury her, and we can't bring her back, the dead attract Apostles and worshipers." Dia said, biting her lips afterwards and at the same time holding back her tears from flowing out.

Zero saw this and once more felt the unpleasant feeling, he wanted to wrap things as fast as he could and forget the ache he felt in his chest.

A feeling he could never understand, 'for now'.

"I see, if so then it was a pleasant encounter. I'll be-" when Zero was about to leave, he suddenly heard a ripping sound coming from his already tattered clothes that could even barely cover him.

Nuke suddenly felt apologetic towards Zero.

"W-wait! M-my sister told me to repay you a favor for saving us. I-I don't like the idea since I'm not like my sister but, ask me anything." He averts his eyes and stutters while holding a piece of clothing from Zero's 'garments'.

Zero didn't understand the idea behind their action, especially why Nuk stuttered after his clothes got ripped, but he instinctively denied their intentions.

"No, don't worry. I'm good"

"Nope, tell us our kind doesn't like being in debt to anyone" Dia said, insisting it.

Feeling the need to comply with what they said, Zero thought of the most important thing he needed right now, information. Remembering what Dia told him about the construction of a massive moving city piqued his interest and curiosity, whenever he might meet new people there. So, he needed to know how to get there.

"Then can you show me a map? Just a glance is fine." Zero said, Dia immediately wondered what he meant by what he said.

"Glance. You?" She raised her eyebrows and blankly stared at Zero afterwards.

To justify Zero said with confidence. "Just showing it is fine, I can easily memorize things. And fast"

Dia was confused about what Zero said to her, in her mind how can a person easily memorize a map with a glance and began to look at Zero doubtfully.

But regardless she answered truthfully to Zero.

"Well even if that's the case, we don't have one currently but we can't--" Nuk didn't let Dia finish her sentence and immediately gave Zero his agreement to him, in a way both parties could benefit.

In his mind, a safe return to their camp in exchange for a map is not that heavy for fair trade, but the thought that Zero might be a scavenger never left him.

But he'll trust his dead sister's intuition.

"That's okay Dia we promise, we comply. Zero, was it? How about joining us back to our camp? We have some spare maps over there."

Nuk explained, he grabbed the hood around his neck and gave it directly to Zero. "And here use it for now to cover yourself"

Zero felt really happy when he grabbed the cloak from Nuk.

"Are you really giving this to me? Wow, I never received one before, at least that's what I remember." He placed the cloak immediately on his body, and a smile reached the far end of his face.

"Cool, a cape"

Zero began running around in circles, letting the wind carry the back of the cloak. As it flows through the air and so is Zero's mood.

Seeing this both Nuk and Dia started to have doubts in the back of their heads if Zero could really safely bring them back to their camp or help them.

But to focus on the things at hand Nuk needed to break Zero's fun.

"Zero, it seems we wasted enough time; we should start leaving before the moon reaches its peak" Nuk said and gave a signal to Dia.

"I'll lead the way," Dia said in sync with her brother's intentions.

Zero smiled and began running towards Dia.

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