Chapter 3:

The Null Zone

Lena's Adventures.


"Meow, Meow," Lena voiced to the curious animal.

The cat, neither hostile nor friendly, watched curiously as the girl attempted to communicate with it.

"Meow, Meow..." Lena stretched out a hand, attempting to pet the malnourished cat.

But to her displeasure, the cat swiftly backed away, its movement betraying the terrible state showcased by its profile. 

Then, as if to teach Lena, the cat meowed back to her and stood firmly watching.

Its gaze was empty, neither hate nor love could be showcased by it, a completely apathetic being. Its eyes were watchful. its pupils, dilated. Under the gray sky and withered trees, Lena and the aging cat reflected each other by their gazes. A moment of silence. Lena was amused by the creature, its face reminding her of Octan. While the weakened creature had nothing but its innate curiosity, gazing back at the human that gazed at it.

"Lena, if you don't follow we will lose you!" A voice called.

Lena immediately jumped, the bag to her right picked up in but a moment, and spun around to rush to the voice. She gave the animal one last glance, pitying its appearance, and left it to whatever faith had prepared for it.

As Lena disappeared from the fragile existence's view, it gave out one final weak sound.

"There you are," The nobleman spoke, "Where did you wander off to? Sir Octan almost let you go."

Lena didn't reply to the nobleman, a mere glance, acknowledging his words, and then rushing over to Octan.

Octan, looked down towards the child. Carrying on her back a weight he would've never thought manageable by someone her size, she gazed back at him.

It wasn't unusual for Lena to stare at him for prolonged periods, but still, he felt something different. This time, she wasn't just looking, but rather, studying.

She looked over his face, her eyes darting around in a narrow margin, and then finally nodded to herself.

Wha--... Huh...? Octan was left dumbfounded by the content in the child's mimicking eyes.

Their faces really match... Lena claimed, satisfied with her discovery.

"Aren't you a close pair!" The nobleman said, Closing in between the two. "Back in my adventuring days, I would've paid fortunes for a partner as close as the two of you are!"

Octan glanced at the nobleman. He would've liked to ignore him, as the child had just done--something he felt the child had picked up off of him--But, as the nobleman was his client, he couldn't take his usual approach.

"We will be taking camp soon," Octan said, taking a moment to swallow in what he was about to say. "I... I can hear water running not too far from here."

The noblemen lit up, his interest monopolized by the sudden reveal.

"Water?!" He shouted, closing the distance. Closing the distance. "In here?! The null zone?!!!"

"Yes," Octan said, backing away. "I understand your surprise... but... It could be an illusion." Octan said, his voice distrusting.

"But, it was an observation of yours. Wasn't it, Sir Octan?!" The man said. To Lena, he seemed as if he was moments from floating.

"True..." Octan said. The man had raised a point he couldn't deny. As much as he would hate to admit it, he was not a person capable of wrong.

"Let's confirm it," Octan said, moving towards the sign of life.

Lena followed, as usual, she was quiet. Used to the silence, she found nothing wrong in it usually... But, this time it wasn't so silent.

"Water! In the null zone!" The eccentric nobleman spoke, ridding Lena of her usual world. "If there is water, there will most definitely be life too, Sir Octan!"

Octan remained silent. Deep in thought, he started reconsidering his beliefs. 

Just... What does this mean? He thought to himself. Are you going to finally open up to the world?

As the nobleman continued his unintelligible murmuring, Lena had been able to filter out his voice. Finding a calming abode in the tiny world between her and Octan. While usually, her mind would run blank, this time it was occupied. The cat is a pitiful existence. It's skin was clung to the form of her skeleton. She could imagine no meat within the malnourished creature, but that was to expected. In the null zone, where no life is meant to prosper, that is merely a matter of course.

It wasn't the cat's state that had bothered the little girl, it was the very thing. Lena was not educated, nor was she someone who had time to experience and gather 'Common sense.' Other than her unusual ability to read and write, she was the closest to a baby there was. That's why, even though she knew something was wrong, she couldn't understand what it was.

Was it the unusually gray sky? The withered and aging trees? The animal that should've long met its end? The dried and cracked ground they walked on? At that moment, when only the gazes exchanged by The child and the curious being existed, something was wrong. 

Suddenly, she lost interest. Lena never wondered for long, she never thought and expanded her train and thought for a time. She left things be, she found comfort in that. If it wasn't something Octan had taken the time to teach her, nor was it something that directly affected her, she figured that it would simply deal with itself, or that Octan would.

And then, once again, she was rid of her tranquility.

"I hear it!" The nobleman called, "It's real! Water, in the null zone!" He rushed, sprinting beyond the pair.

"Do not rush!" Octan quickly followed behind him, "It... It might be an illusion!" Octan continued to deny it.

Lena barely managed to keep up, with all the baggage she had been carrying, and her child figure, it was not an easy task. If it wasn't for her experience, she might've tripped. 

As she rushed, wobbling as she ran, Octan's back had disappeared, making her lose her way. Just... Just where was she supposed to go?

She stood in place, taken aback. She felt lost, she felt confused, she felt... lonely. The ground around her was dead, her view blocked by the fog and withered trees. Her world had turned into a literal gray. Amidst the silence, as terror crept up on her, she recalled that moment, as she played cat and mouse with the overgrown plump of meat. 

There, in the nothing, the child stood. She didn't cry, she didn't call, she didn't beg. She simply stood, facing the humid fog. Completely still, in absolute silence, the whole world stood still. To an outsider, she must've portrayed a puppet. 

Terror, fear. Emotions she felt, but didn't understand. Something was telling her to move, to scream, to shout. But, she couldn't understand it. As if a barrier stood between her and herself, She denied her callings, taking abode in the gray silence.

Then amid nothing, she heard it.

'There...' She mumbeled.

Beginning to move again, she had gone back to 'normal.' Losing all the sudden urges, losing all the feelings and emotions she had suddenly collected, she felt calm. This was the normal for her.

Silently, she followed the sound of flowing water.

Eventually, she found the two careless adults.

"I've been keeping tap on you for long," The nobleman said, his voice in wonder. "But, to expect such a discovery... You really are something, Sir Octan."

"I've only been active for 5 months," Octan said, closing into what seemed like a river. "Let's keep away from it for now. Don't drink from it, keep to our containers."

"Poisounus water you suspect?" The nobleman closed in, leaning over the edge. "The color does indeed seem peculiar. An excellent assumption, Sir Octan! I would expect no less!"

Octan pulled the nobleman away and turned around.

He faced Lena, and without acknowledging her efforts to keep up, he simply stated, "We will camp here."

Lena nodded and started preparing.




5 months had passed since the abolishment of the Public Hunting Act.

As a way of living, Octan had become a kind of handyman. Moving from one civilization to another, he would look for requests on public boards. Whether it be finding a pet, or taking out a local terrorizing monster camp, he would pick up whatever he could, whenever he needed to.

It had allowed him to continue his vagabond lifestyle, and that was enough for him. 

He didn't expect many events in his life, but yet, there he was. Crossing the null zone. An area known to be secluded of all. Even winds were supposed to be dead. Experiments yielded by the consortium had publicly announced it as a "Place with just enough mana to merely exist."

He would never consider going through such a place. While people have attempted to conquer it in the pursuit of new trade paths or to monopolize hidden treasure, no one's left to tell of their failures.

During a task to take out a goblin camp, when he returned a nobleman had waited for him instead.

"I want to cross the null zone!" The nobleman stated.

Octan ignored him, as he usually did to demands given by others.

"Wait," The nobleman halted the unenthusiastic tasker. "I will pay, I will pay a lot!"



Having set up camp, with a little help from the former adventurer, she had prepared to cook.

"What will you be making us?" The reliable adult said, sitting across from Lena, in between them the iron cauldron atop firewood. "You do not have to worry about me being a noble and all that, I have eaten my own fair share of dirt during my adventuring days." The man spoke, a hint of sentimentality in his voice. Lena wondered just how connected was he to these days. If it took him to the point of crossing a graveyard, she thought there must've been something that he wasn't publicly announcing.

"I don't know," Lena replied. "The usual."

"Hmm, and what would the usual be?"

"...Food?"

Lena had never considered the fact that food had a name. It was true that ingredients were, but she had always believed it to be only for convenience's sake.

she had a little scenario play in her mind.

How much is the green one?

The ball or stick.

ball.

spicy or sweet?

Sweet.

Big or small?

Big.

Red or ye--

Red.

Out of stock.

Yeah... It's better if we just call them watermelons... Lena appreciated her world.

"If... Sure..." The man chuckled to himself. Ever since disembarking with the two, he had found them an entertaining pair. From the man who seems a perfect human, to the clueless little girl following him around. Not for a moment was his curiosity ever disappointed.

Lena took her time, as she had never been pestered to rush her work before, nor now.

Giving the two men their portions, she then settled with some distance away from the fire. The weather was much lukewarm, thus the fire had been a stronger than-usual source of heat.

"Woah," The man sang to her in awe. "This is delicious! To think we would be able to enjoy such a delicacy in the null zone!"

Octan, as usual, had not commented.

Lena gave a glance to the man, she felt nothing from the stranger. Having met less than a day ago, his words held no meaning to her.




Eventually, they all retreated to their grounds. With nothing but a pillow and a blanket, they had passed the night on top of the dried-up ground. For the first time, Lena had felt a sense of comfort not having to worry about bugs.




The next morning came... Though the word morning was nothing but a formality to them. The usual gray surroundings, they had no idea of light and dark, merely the gray world that surrounded them. Lena, having woken up first, immediately prepared for the move.

Octan sat watching the water flow by. Its purplish color had turned him away from it as drinkable, but the usual calming flow of water was something he couldn't ignore.

Eventually, the client decided to welcome the day.

Octan turns to the side, glancing at the man waking with a hand on his back. Understandably he wasn't used to their usual. Lena sat some distance to his side, replicating his movement.

The man, his back aching, had opened his eyes to two alike bland stares.

He chuckles and starts stretching.



"Let's move, we should be able to leave by tonight. We will get you to Medluica as you had requested." Octan said, turning away from the river.

Lena immediately followed, the baggage carried with her.

The man stayed in place, continuing to stare at the water.

"We need to get moving," Octan said. "Don't you want to tell the tale of the null zone?"

The man stayed, unresponsive, continuing to gaze at the river.

"Lord Ax---" As Octan was to call the man, he was interrupted.

"Sir Octan... I have this belief," The retired adventurer said. "That wherever there is water, there will be life."

Octan turned, facing the man. Silently, he studied the man. A frown growing on his face.

The adventurer turned around with a weak smile on his face.

"What would it take?" He asked.

"This isn't what we agreed on," Octan said. "I'm supposed to simply help you cross to the other side."

"What would it take?" He asked again. His smile grew, his gaze lowering.

"Nothing," Octan said. "I won't do it. The only thing waiting for you at the end of this river is limbo." Octan turned, giving the man a final warning.

"Tenfold..." The man spoke, his tone sentimental. "I will pay you tenfold."

Octan was put to an immediate stop.

Octan faced the man, fog in between.

"Tenfold. I will sign a mana bind this very moment if you wish." 

"..." Octan took in the man's confidence, carefully thinking his next words. "And, what will the new conditions be?"

"Let's simply follow it," The nobleman said, turning around. "The river."

"For a day."

"Huh?"

"We will only follow it for a day."

The man jumped, "Thank you, Sir Octan!" his excitement betraying his age.

Lena had built an image of the man, that of a rich baby.




And, the man's sacrifice was for nothing. A day spent traversing the river's side had yielded nothing. No source, nor end. Neither did it leave, nor enter the null zone. No people, nor animals. Merely fog, and more fog. 

Lena had made a discovery for herself, she remembered that she had read somewhere about how fog is kind of super small water, and she deduced that the fog might be from the river. She left this little mental journey to herself.

"Let's camp here," Octan said, coming to a sudden stop. "I believe you will hold no objections?"

"No..." The man said, his voice much less enthusiastic than morning.

"Good," Octan nodded, crossing his legs and dropping to the ground. "We will still be able to leave tomorrow."

Lena immediately started preparing for the night.




As Lena prepared the night's meal,  the disappointed nobleman gazed at the crackling firewood sitting before her, A voice could be heard.

A call... A call that Lena was familiar with.

Meow

Amidst the fog's gray silence, a cat's call can be heard.

The man jumped, light returning to his eye.

Octan almost dislocated his neck with how fast he had turned it, his calming moments with nature had been disturbed.

"You heard it," The adventurer said. "You heard it didn't you, Sir Octan?!"

"..." Reluctant to speak, denying his senses, he swallowed his logic and said, "Yes, I heard it."

Lena ignored the two men and continued with her cooking.

Meow.

Another, This time louder, much louder. The animal was approaching them.

"This is it, Sir--" The man's excitement was interrupted.

"Do not speak. This might be an illusion. That, or a fake call. We might become victims any moment now." Octan said, picking up his one-handed sword from the ground. Still sheathed, he picked it up by the waist wrap.

"Stand back." Octan gestured to the client.

The nobleman did as such, allowing Octan to pass through the fog.

Lena continued to cook, after all, if she didn't they would've to pass the day with nothing to eat. Her life consisted of only this meal. On rare occurrences, she might get a chance for an early morning one as well, but it was too rare to count on. Merely a whim by the man she followed.

Meow.

Another, this time. It was here, much too close for it to be distanced.

Just beyond the fog wall that covered their vision, was either a dream or a nightmare.

Octan stood, his grip on the sword's handle.

Then, as the tipper-tapping of a miniature animal filled the silence, something came to view.

"It's...!" The nobleman said, excitement covering his being.

"It... It can't be." Octan said, Lowering his weapon. Observing the small, innocent existence.

What came into view was a cat—an ill, scrawny, gaunt cat. Its fur was a bright orange on top, with a clear white underbelly. Its tail wagged in the air as it took slow peaceful steps toward their camp.

Octan stood in shock, he was left completely speechless. On the other hand, The nobleman smiled, broadly; the corners of his lips curling up so high they might've touched his ears.

The cat moved past Octan, and continued towards the camp. Octan turned to confirm his senses. Just how was it? he thought.

The cat moved, its weak paws maneuvering through the terrible ground. Finally, it reached its destination.

Feeling a warm sensation on a leg, Lena glanced down to her right. There, confirming its presence with an innocent call, the cat lay its head on Lena's lap.

"Oh, it's you," Lena said. "Octan cat."

Octan raised a brow to the nickname.

"Sir Octan!" The man jumped, closing in on Lena. "It's a cat! A legitimate cat! A living, meowing, cat!"

"It is..." Octan said, closing in too.

Both of them peered at the purring animal. Stretching its skinny limbs as it rubbed its forehead on the girl's lap.

The nobleman took a step closer, alerting the cat. Almost hissing, it was now glaring at him. 

And not only the cat, as the man had noticed a slight change in the corner of his eye. Lena too, had turned to glare at him.

"S-sorry..." The client said, backing away.

"Well," Octan said, dropping his sword back to where it was. "It seems you won that."

The man chuckled to himself, his eyes deep in thought, he gazed at the cat as it purred on the girl's lap.

He then looked up to Lena, Asking her a question.

"What will be having today?"

"Food." She said, tilting her head. Isn't it obvious? her expression screamed.




Once they were done eating--the cat too--They had once again prepared to head to sleep. Lena was the first. Then the man.

And finally, Octan was left alone.

His thoughts not allowing him a moment of rest.

Just how are you alive, little one... He asked Glancing to the side.

Next to the rock he sat on, the cat rested.

folding itself into a loaf, it sat watching the water flow alongside him.

Octan sat, his back just slightly arched. His elbows resting on his lap, and his face... feeling bland.

As he believed it was time to retire, he got up. The cat meowed beside him, standing. He moved, one step, then another, and a final one. Then stop. Something bothered him, greatly.

He turned around, facing the cat.

An innocent, peaceful existence. A selfish, yet pure, being. An adorable, yet pitiful creature. Its eyes dilated, it reflected Octan within them.

"Octan cat, huh?" he said, finding the similarity the girl must've found.

He crouched down, continuing to gaze at the cat.

He extended a palm, attempting to place it over the little one's head.

The cat lowered its head, closing its eyes. Preparing for what it believed was a well-deserved head pat.

No... He thought immediately pulling away his hand.

The cat raised its gaze to the traveler's face. Truly a being of innocence.

Octan stood up and went to what was his humble abode for the night.

The cat left alone now, followed its nose to where it had first led it. Then laid on the ground next to the girl, sleeping.


That night. Octan didn't sleep.









Lena woke up. Raising her torso, she faced the water. To her surprise, Octan was the first awake this time.

He sat, his back completely arched forward, his right hand grasping his head as his elbow and knee met. His eyes didn't seem to watch the water flow, but rather... curse it.

To the side of her view, Lena could see the pitiful being, curled up on the ground next to her pillow.

Lena watched it, as its weak, fragile, senile, and scrawny body fell completely still. No signs of the livelihood it had shown yesterday, no signs of its constant need on Lena's lap, no signs of its calming purring, and no signs of breathing.

It was completely still.

Lena continued to watch the cat. The remains of the cat. She was not a stranger to the concept before her. During her 2 years with Octan, she had witnessed the end of many. But... Just... A very minimal But... This time, she had known the lost soul, though for what seemed insignificant to an outsider. To her, other than for Octan, this must've been the closest connection she had with someone.

But yet, she simply watched the cat, an unfamiliar sensation welling inside her. Was this grief? Was this sadness? Was this what she felt reading that letter? Was this what a child must've felt losing its mother?

She felt many emotions, but yet her face had betrayed them all. Showcasing only what she had found interesting with the little thing. The expression she had learned from the only person in her life. 

A blank face, as if a cat simply exists.

She had then gotten up, and prepared to start moving again. The cycle must continue, life must go and come. That's what Lena had learned, and that's how she was able to cope with the passing of her little friend.

To the side of her vision, she could see Octan, gazing at her his face... saddened. He turned back to the water, his back arched much further than it ever had.




"Ok," Octan said. "Let's get moving."

Lena followed, her ponytail going over the comically large bag she carried.

"Wait," The nobleman said.

This time, instead of gazing at the flowing water, he gazed at where the cat's remains had now rested. His quick handmade grave was the most he could offer the precious thing.

"What if..." The nobleman trailed off, understanding the ridiculousness of his own request.

"No," Octan denied it completely, "We are not doing this again."

"Tenfold!" He shouted.

"That won't be enough," Octan continued. "That cat was simply a fluke. The thing must have wandered in clueless. It's a miracle that it lived this long."

"No," The adventurer said. "You are no fool, Sir Octan. Both you and I know the properties of this fog. No animal would simply 'wander' in."

"Then?" Octan asked. "What do you think the reason was?"

"Tenfold."

"I'm not taking another tenfold--"

"Not another. But on top." The nobleman said. "I'm willing to pay a tenfold up on the previous offer."

"You..." Octan was left dumbfounded. That thought that someone might even hold that much wealth had long passed his mind. "Can you even splurge that much?"

"You didn't take me up on it before, but I'm ready for a mana-bind."

"..." Octan stood silent for a moment. "...There will be no need for that."

"Bu--" Before the man could refute, Octan spoke again.

"We will go," Octan said. "I'm still expecting that hundredfold.

"Of course!" The man said.

Lena watched the long exchange, having long lost interest, she yawned.



"So," Octan said. "What now?"

"We go through here," The man pointed towards the fog. "Following the water might no lead us to anything, not anywhere close at least. So, we will go to where life had come from."

"The direction the cat had come from?"

"yes..." 

"That... That is just a madman's hope."

"A paying madman."

Octan sighed. "Sure, but this will be our final day, our rations won't even last us the night."

"I have no problem with that." The man claimed, moving into the fog.

Octan then followed, sighing. This had not sat right with him, but the mere thought of a hundredfold the original amount... It was almost mouthwatering.

Lena followed, yawning.




"It can't be..." The adventurer claimed, his senses finding something new. "That... Is that light? Lamplight?"

Within the gray fog, there it was, light. The nightlight of civilization.

Octan kept silent. At this point, he had abandoned all knowledge he held of the null zone. It was clearly worthless. It was many years ago after all... he thought.

"It's light!" The man shouted. "Sir Octan, civilization! Life!"

He rushed in.

"Hey! Wait!" Octan called for the excited man.

Lena followed, a sense of deja vu overwhelming her. This time, she too sighed as she followed.

As they got closer to the light, the fog got thinner, allowing them a much clearer vision for the first time in a while.

"It can't be," Octan voiced ahead of Lena. "The fog is dispersing? What is this place?"

Continuing to rush forward, they finally find the nobleman. Having come to a stop, he stood, staring forward in awe.

He turned around, acknowledging the pair that had rushed for him. His eyes were in awe, his mouth wide open. He turned around, pointing forward.

"I find myself repeating..." Octan said, frowning at the scene beyond him. "But, just what is this place?"

It was what seemed to be a... village. Ruined, and withered, matching the dead remains of nature around it, the village too had belonged to the gray, lifeless, hollow world of the null zone.

But, even in its ruined state, light scattered through it. People were living here.

"There," The prior adventurer said, his hand pointing at a sign, "That, is that a pub?"

"It... seems so," Octan said.

"Let's go."

Octan held his frown, understandably mistrusting of the current situation.

The decaying village had held light, that was without a doubt, but it had also yet to showcase any of its residents. It was what Lena had once Octan described as a "ghost town."

The nobleman opened the door to the 'pub.' Stepping in, he was immediately welcomed.

"Ooh," A weak voice called. "To think that two great visitors would come to us, his greatness must have truly blessed us this fine evening."

"Two?" Octan, who had not yet shown himself to the person within the pub, questioned the man's wording.

"More!" The man wooed in surprise, "What a gift! His graciousness has truly blessed us!" The man fell to his knees.

Octan looked around the empty 'pub.'

Around a dozen roundtables, all withholding what seemed like 3 to 4 chairs. All of them empty, and broken. Except one, at the very back.

A figure rested with his back to them, clad in a dark trench coat that extended to his feet. His long, thick dark hair fell to his shoulders. His build was massive and bulky, almost overshadowing the table in front of him. As he turned his face, Lena caught a glimpse of his bushy beard, which obscured his lips.

The man glanced at the sudden intruders, a melancholic air surrounding him as he held his wooden jug. Then, his eyes fell on Octan, and his demeanor shifted. The melancholy evaporated, replaced by a hint of a grin emerging from within the thick wall of hair that was his beard.

As Octan noticed the person, he immediately averted his gaze as a foreign noise made out of his mouth.

"Geh..." Octan blurted awkwardly attempting to look away.

On the other hand, the unit of a man stood claiming proudly.

"Is that you, my friend?"

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