It was difficult for Truen to part with his charge and friend. Zero was teary-eyed and although he tried to put on a tough front, the cracks in his mask were very visible. It tore at the wood elf's heart but it had to be done. Truen wasn't too worried because he knew that Zero was very safe with Hua Tuo.
"Don't cry, Zero. We'll meet again in two years. I'll be a lot stronger by then so we can travel to different places. It'll be over before you know it."
The brunet sniffled and blinked those tears away. "Can I call?"
The wood elf looked at his communicator and nodded. He taught Zero how to use the communicator for emergencies. Now, Zero's communicator had new contacts including Truen's. Merlin waved his hand and opened a portal.
"It's time," he told Truen who gave Zero a hug before leaving. Truen didn't look back. He didn't want to see the tears that would probably fall as he left. Hua Tuo was there and it put the elf's mind at ease.
Once the portal disappeared, Hua Tuo allowed Zero some time alone to cry. He decided to start by preparing lunch. The physician would show his young student around his workroom later. After all, they had a year together. Training could wait for a bit.
***
Lunch was simple. Some fish soup, mushroom, rice, mountain vegetables and preserved fruits. Zero ate them without tasting. Mii was silent that day, leaving the poor boy alone with his thoughts. When he ran away from Truen, he didn't feel as if the elf was very far away. However, after Truen left with Merlin, the young boy couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness inside. They still had the communicator but knowing that Truen wouldn't be with him at night made it a little harder to smile.
The solemn change didn't go unnoticed by Hua Tuo. The old doctor sighed. It certainly wasn't easy. Parting, regardless of age, is always a sad affair. For Zero who had barely 'lived' a year, having to bear two partings could leave a scar in his heart. Hua Tuo wanted to fill that void in his student's heart but he wasn't Truen or the Great Gods.
"Zero, do you want to help gather food for dinner?"
Hua Tuo's question effectively shifted the focus away from those sad thoughts. Seeing that it was effective to keep the boy busy, Hua Tuo began dishing out chores to be done. Zero didn't know if it counted as training but he did as he was told.
After doing the dishes and cleaning up, it was time to go foraging. Hua Tuo packed some ropes and a small knife in a hand-woven straw basket. He told Zero to follow closely as they went into the forest. The young boy was fascinated as Hua Tuo explained about some plants they passed by, tossing some of them into the huge basket. There were leaves, stems, mushrooms and fungus that Hua Tuo explained were edible. The physician even plucked a few flowers to let Zero try. It had a sweet taste and Hua Tuo explained that they could be used as medicine.
Time passed very quickly when Zero was having fun. Hua Tuo allowed Zero to climb trees and steal eggs. They were chased by bears when they tried to get some honey but Hua Tuo assured Zero that they could try again sometime in the future when the bear wasn't around. The doctor taught Zero how to differentiate the poisonous from edible mushrooms. Although the brunet didn't get everything right, he was doing quite well on the first day. Hua Tuo was pleased that he had such a bright student. When the sun was going down, they started making their way back. Zero was tired after walking for hours but the trace of sadness from the morning was nowhere to be seen.
Hua Tuo readied the bath for Zero while he prepared dinner. It was a fairly simple dinner with fried eggs, mushroom stir-fry, rice and vegetable soup. Zero loved the mushroom stir-fry and Hua Tuo promised that he could learn how to cook in due time.
When bedtime arrived, Zero was surprised that Hua Tuo wouldn't join him in the lamp. Instead, the doctor pulled out the extra straw mattress and beckoned for Zero to sleep with him. Without hesitation, Zero snuggled into the straw mattress. Although it wasn't as comfortable as the bed in the lamp, Zero didn't mind. He liked having company.
Just before he turned in, Zero called Truen. Hua Tuo made an excuse to put away some things outside, leaving Zero some privacy, not that the boy minded.
Three rings later, Truen picked up the call.
"Hello?" The wood elf greeted, sounding deflated. Zero was slightly surprised but shook it off quickly. Merlin must be a really strict teacher for Truen to sound so tired.
"It's Zero!"
Hearing the angelic voice, all the fatigue vanished. Truen smiled as Zero babbled about his day from what he ate to what he did. As Truen listened, he bandaged his arm. Merlin had returned to his lab after ditching him in a dungeon. Truen did everything he could to reach the ancient library that the wizard spoke off. In that library, many books about magic remained. All Truen needed to do was read every single tome in there. Merlin claimed that Truen was able to learn new spells as there were grimoires among those books and the wood elf didn't doubt it. He didn't point out how Merlin was ditching his responsibility as a teacher. In fact, he enjoyed the newfound freedom very much. Truen was finally able to study and develop at his own pace. The wizard merely told him to call him if there was something he didn't understand. However, nobody told Truen that the dungeon would be occupied by vicious bug-like monsters that could spew acid and poison their prey. Truen had to fight tooth and nail using everything Freya had taught him to get past them. He barely made it to the safety of the ancient library when Zero called.
"Truen?"
"Yes, Zero? I'm here."
"I miss you."
The wood elf's heart melted at that statement. Zero's honesty and purity was a combination deadly enough to kill anyone with his cuteness. Instead of brushing it off, Truen smiled.
"I miss you too. I hope you're having fun learning new things from Hua Tuo."
The brunet's enthusiastic answer was enough to put Truen's mind at ease. Then, he remembered something very important.
"Zero, answer me honestly. Have you brushed your teeth before going to bed?"
There was a long pause and Truen frowned. He knew where this was going and it was something he'd feared before leaving. He did warn Hua Tuo about Zero's tendency to squirm away from things he disliked. Truen repeatedly insisted that Hua Tuo exercise firmness when dealing with Zero's tantrums but he didn't know if the physician would actually follow through it.
"Zero," there was a hint of warning in the wood elf's voice and Zero groaned.
"I'll brush them tomorrow, promise!"
"Zero!"
Zero whined and the pseudo mother had half the mind to scour the library for a long-distance teleportation magic just to ensure that Zero brushed his teeth before bed.
"I know..." Zero conceded at last. "I'll brush them now. Hua Tuo has my toothbrush... I have to go to the river so I'll end the call now. Good night!"
Relieved, Truen bade the boy good night and ended the call. It appears as if the first day of separation went well. At least Zero wasn't bawling his eyes out and for that, he had Hua Tuo to thank.
Just before Truen got to reading the books, he sent Merlin a short text to inform the irresponsible magician that he'd arrived. Truen requested for some supplies while he studied from Gaia before texting Isis to put dream training on hold. Last but not least, the wood elf sent Hua Tuo a short message, thanking the doctor and warning the doctor about some of Zero's bad habits like not washing behind his ears during a bath. Satisfied, the wood elf returned to the mountainous task before him.
Standing in front of him was at least a hundred bookcases that towered above him. The wood elf estimated that there were at least fifty thousand books before him. He wondered how long it would take him to finish everything. Taking out the enchanted glasses that Merlin loaned him, Truen walked over to the nearest shelf and picked out the first book.
The journey starts with a single step and Truen started by flipping it open to the first page. The wood elf was sure he didn't know any ancient languages but with the help of Merlin's enchanted glasses, reading Dragon-tongue was no problem.
In less than fifteen minutes, the first book was completed. Although Truen had read it with the speed reading enchant, the new information took a lot longer to process. By the time Truen understood everything in the book, an hour flew past. Shaking his head, the wood elf frowned. Unlike Zero, he wasn't off to a good start. What a mess!