Chapter 151 : Revelations (2)
“Mmmmm. I said all of that but, I’m at a loss myself.” The dark skinned man seemed lost in thought, presumably as he struggled with where to begin.

“Okay. So, I guess this is safe to explain.” He said after a considerable amount of seconds.

“The place you refer to as the shard world is actually Adventia. Oh, by the way this is all TOP SECRET information so don’t go around telling anyone. Not that they would believe you that much, ha - ha ha.”

“But essentially our two worlds are separated for various reasons. As you can imagine, we don’t want Grimlocks just showing up. That would be a huge hassle, am I right?” The man shrugged.

“So...err? I’m sorry, what’s your name again?” Oliver asked.

“Hmm. You know, it’s been so long since anyone’s called me by my real name that I’ve kind of forgotten. Hmm. Just call me Zero.”

“Okay then, Zero. So, you’re saying that Adventia is much larger than the lands we know of and the shard world is actually a part of it.”

“Correct.”

“How would you know that exactly?” Oliver then asked.

“Because I was the one that created the veil between them.” Zero responded.

“You used a spell powerful enough to create a barrier that separates a single reality into two overlapping layers? One that is constantly active at all times? That’s impossible.” Oliver nearly spat the final two words out of his mouth, such was his disdain for this person’s casual words.

“And yet, it exists.” Zero said with a shrug and a smile.

“I’m telling you, it’s impossible. Do you know the type of energy you’d need to have at your command in order to do something like that? Immeasurable. Unfathomable.”

“Hmmm. So… because you can’t do it you’re saying I can’t do it?” Zero seemed unbothered by Oliver’s flat disapproval of his claims. Oliver’s brows twitched in response to Zero’s rebuttal.

“I’m not saying that. I’m saying no one can do it. It’s theoretically impossible.”

“Improbable. But not impossible. And you’re right. It takes a fuck ton of energy to sustain. Like a lot. But let’s not get caught up on the specifics of something that’s not even important. There’s something much more pressing that you need to understand.” Zero said as he hopped off of the desk and began to pace around the office.

“The creature you came across -- how powerful do you think it was?” He asked next as he gazed at various objects on Vivian’s shelves.

“You said it was only rank 2. So.. I assumed..” Vivian answered.

“You did listen? You’re the best Kit.” Zero said as he clasped his hands together and offered a smile.

*Kit?* Vivian thought inwardly.

“However, because of outside interference the creature you fought was actually a low rank four.” Zero confided in them.

“W-what? There’s no such thing--” Oliver began.

“Vivian, how do you deal with this guy? He’s always going on about what’s not possible.” Zero said as he turned to face everyone in the room once more.

“It is possible. I assure you. I know because I routinely kill rank four or higher enemies so that they don’t murder you in your sleep.” Despite the grim picture painted by Zero’s words the others couldn’t help but shiver.

“Which is what I want to talk to you about. But, I can’t get ahead of myself here. First things first. That Grimlock was highly abnormal. Which means you don’t have to worry about them popping up too often.” Zero further explained.

“The problem is, the fact that Grimlock are being tampered with at all. Forces are on the move, putting into motion events that will force Adventia into a dire situation. Of course, I foresaw attacks on Adventia and put various safeguards into place. But there are a few major problems with what happened today.”

“You can think of the shard realms as a buffer zone between both sides of the veil. You can’t pass into either side without going through the shard realms. In fact, the buffer zone is so harsh that Grimlock literally shave away a considerable measure of their own strength just to punch through. It’s why Grimlock are easier to deal with in Adventia than within the shards.”

“Naturally, there are many adventurers who also destroy shards before they even become an issue. In this way, threats are preemptively neutralized and the Grimlock that do venture into this side are severely weakened. Guardians take care of them, or other adventurers do. That is the normal order of things.”

“Today, you faced a rank two Grimlock in the shard world where it was dozens of times stronger than you were accustomed to. Even then, it would have been a low grade rank three by comparison. What gave the creature such a vast strength boost was this --” Zero flicked his wrist and with a wave of his hand a small baseball sized orb appeared in his hand.

Vivian immediately recognized it as the same energy Zero trapped earlier in the day.

“This is what I like to call Null Energy.”

“This was inserted into a pair of Grimlock and then they were sent into the buffer zone. You remember first hand the result of this.” Zero said as he placed the orb down on Vivian’s desk for all to see.

“When the Grimlock consumed the fused shard core, this energy intertwined along with it. The core allowed the Grimlock to obtain near limitless regenerative capabilities. In addition, the only way to defeat the Grimlock became to destroy the tainted core. The problem is, by doing so you triggered the collapse of a shard core tainted with Null energy. Instead of the normal implosion of the shard world which would have ejected you safely…”

“We almost….we almost..” Oliver’s mouth was now agape as he realized the implications of Zero’s explanation.

“Exactly. You almost. But you did not. Luckily I caught it, thanks to Bracha’s activation of her Guardian mode.” “Good job, good job.” Zero said as he blinked behind Bracha momentarily so that he could properly pat her shoulder.

“Now I know what to look for. However, that poses another problem.” Zero said as he returned to his position near the desk and reclaimed the orb,returning it to his inventory. He returned to pacing about the room as he spoke.

“Something like this can be done again, but it won’t be easy. The amount of energy needed to completely break the veil is massive, as Oliver here pointed out. Which means careful planning will be needed to weaponize this effectively.” Zero said as he patted the elf on the shoulder.

“But, rest assured it will happen again, and most likely sooner rather than later. Which is why, I’m speaking to you now.”

“As much as I like to show off, the forces which are aligned against Adventia are equally powerful. At best, a stalemate is all I can hope to achieve at the moment. But you, adventurers, you’re the great equalizer.”

“I don’t think normal adventurers would be much use against creatures like those, no?” Bracha finally chimed in after her second cup of alcohol.

“That’s true. Which is why, in the coming months you will notice some changes in the way Systema works. But I want you, Bracha here and Oliver to do two tasks for me. If even one of you manage to do one of these two things, our chances at survival will rise tremendously.

Are you ready?” Zero teased as he paused for a brief moment to take in their expressions. When he was sure he’d built up the sufficient anticipation he spoke once more.

“Reach rank 4 and solve the Twilight Quest.” Zero directed his gaze towards Vivian as he spoke, partially to watch for her reaction.

“That’s two impossible tasks! There hasn’t been a rank four adventurer in thousands of years! And no one has ever solved the impossible quest to my knowledge!” Vivian slapped her hands against her desk as she rose to her feet. She was more surprised than angry, all things considered.

“What’s the impossible quest?” Oliver asked as he looked from Bracha to Vivian and back again.

“Impossible, impossible. You all should really wipe that word out of your vocabulary. It’s not impossible, it is improbable. And therefore it means you have just as good a chance as anyone.” Zero offered a smug smile as he said these words, then he turned to walk towards the door.

“Wait! Can you at least offer a hint or a clue?” Vivian asked.

“No worries. I’ll offer you as much help as I possibly can but there are some things you have to conquer for yourself. Besides I need to go have a chat with your so-called ‘Behemoth’.”

“Oh, and Bracha, don’t forget to use that orb on the Scribe and the Succubus. Those black tendrils, I suspect they had traces of Null energy within them. Do it as quickly as possible to avoid any problems.”

“Bye!” Zero said with a wave of his hand, and just like that he was gone.