After he was born to his prostitute of a mother, Zero had been given to Dr. Katse from his father, Diono Varasta. Diono wanted nothing to do with the child of a prostitute, but he couldn't bring himself to kill his own blood. He told Dr. Katse to do whatever he likes with the boy, but he could not tell anyone, including the child, about his lineage.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAvELsOYDLwK
After receiving the child, Dr. Katse used him as a prototype for the experiment he was preparing, dubbed Ether Influence. Seeing as he was simply a test for the actual experiment, the boy was given the name ‘Zero’.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAeTupJpL38e
Dr. Katse aimed to create something spectacular out of Zero as far as his ability was concerned. With the Ouroboros as its core, he worked tirelessly to put a plan in place to turn Zero into something truly special. The ability he planned for was named Greed. Since it would be a unique ability, he couldn't be sure of how it would work, but he wanted it to take something. Whatever that something was, they would find out when the time came.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAjeL53ovhOr
The first 8 years of Zero's life was spent cooped up in MERD's facilities. Outside of the ongoing experiment for Ability Influencing, he was used as a subject for any other tests the facility needed to perform.
.
.
.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAdtmfxnpp9e
“Zero, this will be your new home from now on.” Says a young Cem to an expressionless Zero. The petite cabin was situated on the outskirts of a small village surrounded by trees and a single dirt road leading into a likewise small town.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAvVj8UxaXGm
“Go ahead and open the door.” Zero does as instructed and is met by an attractive young woman a little younger than Cem. She was short with (make a description of her. Thinking shoulder length brown hair slim, but figure it out later)
39Please respect copyright.PENANAQAWontP51B
“Oh, I didn't know you were bringing… a child with you.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANA7Kgk4yPFW9
“Cem, who is this woman?” Zero says, beginning to hide behind Cem.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAbe9mWMxoOv
“This is-
39Please respect copyright.PENANAaoLjwukXxW
“My name is Anri. What's your's?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANArCoXSBuAch
“Dr. Katse calls me Zero.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANA9SN4KzV0yM
“Hmm… Why does he call you that?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAm1R9CVta9V
“I don't know.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANA5DxPaXZgUY
“You are quite the kiddo aren't you?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAoqE4U7kHVz
“Kiddo? What does that mean?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANACmO0LZYxdf
She smiles. “It's just another way to say kid. Anyway, are you hungry? I just made dinner.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAqb6frO2leI
“Yes I am.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAE11LR9P8dc
“Great, come on in.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANA4oCZQLsLgA
Zero walks through a modestly furnished living room and into the kitchen, oblivious to anything but the divine scent of Anri's home cooking. Three plates of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and buttered bread sit on the dinner table, still steaming.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAJsbpYDAoAu
Anri was about to say something before being abruptly cut off by a loud stomach grumble.
39Please respect copyright.PENANARKNzrlXdp5
She looks at Zero to confirm it was him, but the look on his face said it all. He was staring at the meal in front of him, mesmerized by the aroma.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAKtHpIjDcdq
“Go on.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAM4zgkp9wv6
He tries to contain his hunger, but he speeds over to the table and sits in the chair nearest to him and begins to devour his plate. By the time Cem and Anri are halfway done Zero had already asked for a second helping. In his eyes, this was the greatest meal he'd ever had. Lab food didn't even compare to the flavors that were coating his taste buds.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAWZxza56sOh
“Looks like you enjoyed it. Did you have enough?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAZg5AY5hXPK
“Yes. It was… good.” Zero says, cleaning his hands on a towel. Anri reaches over with her own towel and gently wipes his face. He looks at her and is met by a heartwarming smile. After she cleans him up, Zero lets out a yawn.
39Please respect copyright.PENANA00VtL7NWgU
“My mother always said a good meal was the best sleep aid. Ready for a nap?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAcNlPvuo5BK
“Yes.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAqmgk14tTIb
“Great. Follow me and I'll show you to a bed.” She says while getting up from the table. Zero drowsily follows suit. As she walks past Cem, she tightly grips his shoulder and looks him in the eye before walking off down the hall.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAaWZvntpy6z
“Here we are.” She says while pulling the blanket back. “Climb on in.”
She creates a small fire at the tip of her finger to light a candle in the room. Zero gets in the bed and she tucks him in, kissing him on the forehead.
39Please respect copyright.PENANA3Tm2M5wiNN
“‘Night.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAge98bOwzAd
“Goodnight. Thank you for the meal.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANApXrr2omrMs
She closes the door and walks back to the dining room where Cem awaits her return.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAopZH2IZ9QS
“I'm sure you know what I'm about to say, so go ahead and explain yourself.” Anri sits back down in her seat across Cem.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAB7XFffGQB9
“So about my friend…”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAvOlIn0yiFd
“Friend!? That's a child!” She says through a hushed shout.
39Please respect copyright.PENANArRMI5kxS50
“Look, I know how you must feel about this, but-
39Please respect copyright.PENANA1ZNbMxwTii
“But what? You said you needed somewhere for a friend to stay for a while, but you failed to mention that it was a kid! Where's his parents? Who are his parents? Do they know he's here? Why was he with you in the first place? Wh-”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAEGb25W4m1l
“Anri!” Cem says forcefully.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAWVd3E18lC2
“You told me to explain myself, so I will. You're upset, and I understand that, however, you have to calm down before I can tell you anything.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANA7j9XEu6MrD
“I'm not upset, I'm just worried, y'know?” She says while tapping her foot and biting her lip. “I just… don't know anything about this.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAXdPDknn1IL
“How you feel is justified. Here's a forewarning: I can only tell you so much about him due to my position as Madu's teleporter.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAKDhwvD7bYP
Her foot tapping slows. “OK, fine.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAstkwdCjk5E
“Now that we have that out of the way, I'll go ahead and start with the big things. He doesn't have any parents, so you don't have to worry about what they might think about his situation.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAouHmVms4uN
“What happened to them? Did they drop him off at your door and disappear or something?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAOZIw9STExX
“No, they dropped him off at M.E.R.D.'s door and disappeared.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAnhHUqag9Vj
“What does-. Just… keep going.” She cuts herself off and sighs, waving him along.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAaeuOufMAQT
“Once he got to M.E.R.D., a researcher performed several tests on him for the last eight or so years. He performed worse than expected, so he was taken off the roster of test subjects and abandoned. That's when I picked him up and brought him here.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAAya09FdziM
“Human experimentation? And he's the product of that? You are really dropping a load on me.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAm8ZHlkjcNH
“I know, and I'm sorry to do it so suddenly.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAMRd6lGa8Co
“So now that I kinda sorta know who’s in my house, how long is he supposed to be staying here?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAF0UesaaHxU
“About that…”
39Please respect copyright.PENANANBIqvg7SB9
“Cem I swear, if you say-”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAHuIryrFvxD
“Permanently.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAeJxOqd6Z5L
Cem teleports over to her and covers her mouth with his hand.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAqINGMHwnIt
She screams something unintelligible before Cem teleports them both outside.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAmqjsJtUbcy
He takes his hand off of her mouth.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAaZwWbWhTld
“Now that you got that out of your system, will you take care of Zero for me?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAUTJjCWs6G4
She steps away from him and stares up at the night sky for a moment.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAReEUlh4kOe
“Fine, but only on one condition. You have to come around to spend time with him too.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANA69BPfTQVhD
“Why? And why me specifically?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAyALpreArMJ
“At the very least, a kid that's been through as much as he has deserves more than one parent. Besides, it looks like he trusts you.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAA533oNDs6x
“When you put it like that, I guess I can't really say no. You've got a deal.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANArtSqchZMV9
“You're lucky I like you…” She mumbles to herself.
.
.
.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAHqQwdC9ugr
“Morning kiddo.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAQ6X4U3jreW
“Good morning Ms. Anri.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAIyLDnxq6mG
“Y'know, it's been six months since you got here. You don't have to call me Ms. Anri anymore.” She says while sliding a plate of food over to his seat at the table.
39Please respect copyright.PENANA4mpot9YWTJ
“What do you want me to call you?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAnDn6cTwqLC
“It doesn't matter as long as it's not Ms. Anri. You can figure it out later, just don't forget.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAzeiEDbCbWE
“Yes ma’am.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAvs8hmzHUFZ
“When you're done eating can you go into town and get some more eggs from Mrs. Jensen?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANA3iwkvJGhjQ
“OK, are you coming with me?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAi9drkgj9yz
“Nope. I've got some laundry to do before Cem gets here, so I'll stay home this time. You should be able to do it on your own. I believe in you.” She says, tapping him on his chest.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAZp19hD5f3V
He finishes eating and heads into town. They had been in town together multiple times before so he knew his way around. Some of the townsfolk remembered his name and even gave him snacks on a few occasions.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAICi5TMwm8J
The walk there was about an hour as per usual. Zero was greeted at the town gate by a few of the townspeople and they pointed him in the direction of Ms. Jensen's farm.
39Please respect copyright.PENANApzcUsMZ4hL
“Thank you.” He says before continuing on to his destination. After another 30 minutes, he arrives at the front gate of the farm. Once inside he walks to the barn situated in the center of her land.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAFFrJqkhL4S
“Hello? Is Ms. Jensen here?” He shouts into the slightly open barn door.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAgY9u0Qe7CX
“Oh my! Is that you, Zero? You scared me!”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAeblFhDP1ol
“I'm sorry.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANATUwwcDKHrB
“Oh it's fine. More importantly, where is your mother?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAdtdpl6SSOv
“My mother? I don't know. I've never met her.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAVCTuLSfhml
“Then who is Anri to you?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAC02fJ90gzP
“My Caretaker.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAaA59MMQNmU
“Really? Well, if you say so. Anyways, what can I do for you today?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAx0WzuQAj7Z
“Ms. Anri said she needs two dozen eggs.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAGwIubGIgHi
“OK, coming right up.” She turns around and grabs two rectangular boxes of eggs out of a trunk and hands it to Zero. In exchange, he hands her four gold coins.
39Please respect copyright.PENANASzZd9GN1Jd
“Thank you.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANABXPqXLm2Pl
“No problem. Next time, tell your mo- Anri to come with you.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAPAU8qt3CcE
“Yes ma'am. Goodbye.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAlIFGpsNVS0
Zero walks out of the barn and starts to head home but stops when he sees an all too familiar face.
39Please respect copyright.PENANA06h2AloRd8
He dashes over to the nearest alley and ducks into it. He can feel himself panicking. He had just started to get comfortable in this town. The people were nice. Anri made the most amazing food for him everyday. Cem came around every so often and trained with him. He actually had a life here and he refused to get wrapped back up with the researchers of M.E.R.D.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAOi5TZryST1
“Ah, Zero! I've been looking all over for you.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAw48fTbzWaO
Zero looks up, horrified. It was Dr. Katse.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAHcu3Zo1pXF
“Come now, let's go. You haven't had a check up in months.” Dr. Katse says, grabbing Zero's hand and pulling further down the alleyway.
39Please respect copyright.PENANA4oeLPxBmsA
He tried to resist, but he couldn't get loose. Dr. Katse's grip was too tight, and at this point Zero was being dragged away. He tried to scream, but was quickly struck in the head, forcing him unconscious.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAYzhioN4QNr
.
.
.
Anri shoves the tavern door open.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAL6BRkdl3B3
“Hey, have any of you guys seen Zero around here? I sent him to get some eggs a few hours ago but he hasn't come back home yet.” Asks a worried Anri.
39Please respect copyright.PENANA000zlO9i7S
“Oh, he got the eggs from me, but I haven't seen him since then.” Says Mrs. Jensen.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAsKpyuS8ORk
“I saw him earlier with a tall older gentleman.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAxW3PPIvEoP
She slams on the table. “Who was that man and where did they go?!”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAIBcUUjNaFf
“Woah there! When he was here in the tavern before that, he said he goes by Dr. Katse. It sounded like he's some big name researcher from M.E.R.D.. They went towards the Southern end of town.” Says the Bartender.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAJt8phcvxPD
“Dr. Katse from M.E.R.D.. This couldn't get any worse.” She mumbles to herself as she sprints through the door of the tavern, now on the hunt for Zero.
.
.
.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAiWybgnK7f4
Zero awakens to a painting of the Ouroboros. Immediately afterwards, he feels his arm and leg restraints chafing his wrists and ankles. He tries to look around the dark room and finds nothing but more images of the Snake.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAVi6gmqYe65
A door opens. A bright light blinds him for a moment. His eyes adjust to see Dr. Katse walking in.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAlHJVI97aLs
“Ah you're awake.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANA66aAcrlJ3Z
“Where's Anri?!” Zero says while glaring at him.
39Please respect copyright.PENANApcC4xGGoKJ
“I see someone's gotten a little feisty since the last time I saw them.” Dr. Katse says with a chuckle.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAnzOPcIX73L
Zero scoots away from him as he walks closer to him.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAoV3AShhXjr
“Would you like me to let you in on a secret?
39Please respect copyright.PENANAnsh7HjQmVp
“Stay away from me!”
39Please respect copyright.PENANArSPsknCjcu
“Well since you're so enthusiastic about it I will. Previously, if a child reached eight years of age without awakening an ability, they would live the rest of their lives without one. However, a young man named Faust Von Tyrol just awakened his ability at the ripe age of 16. Do you know what this means for you, Zero?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANALwFn8o1lzY
Zero’s lip quivers. “I don't… want to leave.” He says, beginning to cry as the few but fond memories of his new life rush into his mind.
39Please respect copyright.PENANA6aQYk1dvAN
“Did you say you ‘want’ to stay here? That's the first time I've ever heard you ‘want’ anything. You must really like it here. Too bad I'm taking you back to the lab with me.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANADd0oKvNgjd
“NO! I want to stay here with Anri!” He shouts at Dr. Katse.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAXhAmwrnLzM
“Again with the wants. This isn't a choice, boy!” He says as he swings, hitting Zero squarely on his chin, dazing him on contact.
39Please respect copyright.PENANADSWxWXHPaa
A muffled woman's voice comes from behind Zero.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAaaYEmd2NcP
“Zero… Zero… Where are you!…”
39Please respect copyright.PENANA4XjNaCtXHL
Still staggered, he lets out a shout. “I'm HERE!”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAfYaERBYA7g
“What are you screaming for? No one is going to hear-”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAFr4zLPV86F
An explosion. It happens a few feet away from Zero, blasting a massive hole through the wall, blowing flaming debris across the room.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAbiCv7TM4jZ
“Zero!? Are you here?” Anri says, stepping into the now burning building.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAojrln2Q4O6
“Ah… you must be… Anri. Dr. Katse says through coughs.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAvguHwAZp8u
“Who are you and what did you do to Zero?” She runs in front Zero and glares at Dr. Katse.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAAHjnH0fPJ7
“Nothing much. Just a little rough-housing. But I'll be taking my leave now. Remember our conversation, Zero. You wouldn't want this precious life of yours to be taken from you.” Dr. Katse says before dashing out of the building and leaving town.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAZ2k8f6LI6F
Anri pulls Zero close to her chest and runs out to the street. Once outside, she burns the ropes off of his wrists and ankles.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAHhQuULQPqy
“Did he hurt you? Do you want me to go hurt him back?” She says while wiping tears and dirt from his face.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAMp1bo5BxuD
“You'd do that for me?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAOSeE2JeRHR
“For my son, I'd do anything.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANACjyDBEd97V
'Son?' Is that… true?
39Please respect copyright.PENANAtZjtFE3mBy
He examines her face closer and sees faint tear stains on her cheeks.
39Please respect copyright.PENANAeq9nUNn66d
Was she crying… for me?
39Please respect copyright.PENANArnB3TFIYGW
“Do you… really mean it?” He says with more tears welling up in his eyes.
39Please respect copyright.PENANALwClfSNf0C
“Of course I mean it. For you, my son, I'd take on the whole world if I had to to see you again. I love you kiddo.” She kisses him on the cheek and pulls him close.
39Please respect copyright.PENANA5IZTOP2t8e
She loves me…
39Please respect copyright.PENANACVCeJstgOm
He couldn't hold it back anymore. He bawls out in his mother's chest, sobbing uncontrollably and hugging her tightly.
39Please respect copyright.PENANABBi6JCYZQu
“I was so scared! Dr. Katse said he was gonna take me away from you!” He cries loudly. “I never want to leave you!”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAq7ewfOjHCL
“Don't worry, I'll never let anyone take you away from me for as long as I live.”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAvXu72qwH6v
“You promise?”
39Please respect copyright.PENANAsK7acBlbr5
“Yeah, I promise.” She kisses him on his forehead.
39Please respect copyright.PENANApBTkCU3PCp
“I love you, mom.”
ns 108.162.216.14da2