Flashback~
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The tale you are about to experience is a short one.
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Zero had first met Akira in the plains of Mount Glenn during the earlier years of his cultivation. The warm climate and abundant plant life in the mountain had made it a haven for wild beasts and cultivators. And the springs in the plains became a regular place for people to be found relaxing.
It was in one such spring that Akira had stumbled upon Zero. And it was also here, that she had first punched Zero.
It didn't help his matter that he was naked.
After an apology from him - though he had no idea what he did wrong!! - the two had continued meeting in the spring.
Firstly every month, and then every fortnight. But before long, it had become an almost daily thing for them to be found walking through the plains together, her hand in his.
She was a princess of a nearby village of cultivators. Her parents were extremely strict and she had been betrothed to be married ever since she could first walk.
It was due to sheer luck that she had first found her way past the village guards and run into the forests hoping to explore a little before she would have to give up her life forever.
And as the days she spent together with Zero became more about enjoying herself and less about simply wanting to know more about the world, she found herself falling in love with him.
And it was obvious that he loved her too.
"Let's run away together"
It was zero that said this one day.
They both sat under a sakura tree, his head resting on her lap with her hands tangled in his hair.
"I know a lot of places out there. I could show you all of them, and you wouldn't have to worry about any of this again"
He tried convincing her of the benefits of leaving the mountains together.
She looked down at Zero with conflicted eyes. This was the first time she had ever heard him sound so serious about anything.
She thought on the offer for a while before sighing and saying:
" But where will we go where my parents cannot find us?"
Her parents were two of the strongest mages in the village, they possessed enough power to drive off any wild magical beast in the area and had managed to do so for close to two hundred years together.
If she tried to run away, her parents would never rest until they found her and brought her back. She also knew they would kill whoever took her as well.
"I know it isn't going to be easy, but we can at least try! I love you Akira and I want you to come with me"
Zero said this while straightening up on the ground
He looked to Akira and saw that she had a conflicted look on her face. It was not easy for one to choose between love and family.
But he was too selfish. He wanted her to be with him
He stood up from the ground while saying:
"I will not make you choose now Akira, but you have to choose. I will wait for you where we first met tomorrow at dusk. I hope you come"
He then left her there with her mind in turmoil.
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...
The next day came and zero went to the spring just before the sun went down from the sky.
He carried with him all his possessions, which were just a few books and clothes sealed in a bag, and waited for Akira.
There was doubt in his mind that she would actually come along with him. She loved her family a lot and it would be very difficult for her to simply let them go
But he held hope in his heart that her love for him was more than that for her family
"I know she'll come. We'll leave once she gets here, and we'll make our way towards the Eastern Tundras. I just know she'll love it!"
Zero said with an excited smile on his face.
And so he waited...
And waited...
And waited...
Zero had been waiting at the spring for two hours now. The sun had gone below the horizon and the mountains were shrouded in darkness
He closed his eyes while biting his tongue in anguish
Akira hadn't come...
"Haiz~ I suppose that's all there is to it. She just didn't love me enough, so it's time for me to go."
There was a cloud of gloom surrounding him as he picked up his bag and turned to leave the mountain
"ZERO!!"
But there was a sudden shout from behind Zero and he turned sharply to it.
And once he saw who was walking towards him with a small bag hanging over her shoulder and her hair tied in a ponytail to keep it from her eyes.
His face split into a smile again
"Akira!! I thought you wouldn't come!!"
Zero shouted
Akira didn't answer him back - she simply kept walking towards him at a slow pace.
"Akira?"
Zero looked to Akira and saw that she seemed paler than she usually was. Her eyes were bloodshot while her steps were wobbled and uncertain.
"Akira, what's wrong!?!"
Zero shouted again, but she still didn't answer him. She walked up to him and suddenly lost her footing, dropping her entire weight on him.
He caught her in his arms and lowered her gently to the ground. There was no light in her eyes, instead, she seemed to be staring past Zero and at something far behind him.
He placed his hands on her head and saw that she was burning up with a fever.
"Z-zero? Is that you?"
"Yes, it's me. What happened Akira? Please tell me what happened"
Akira slowly brought her hand up and lovingly stroked Zero's hair once more while smiling
Though she still didn't look at him.
"I'm sorry Zero, but it seems you'll have to go on this journey alone. Please...forgive me"
"W-what?"
He was confused by what she was saying. This wasn't so funny anymore, she shouldn't be making him worry like this
He placed his hand behind her back to carry her up while saying:
"You're always overreacting Akira, you'll be fine, don't -- what is this?"
Zero brought his hand up and looked at the hand he had placed at her back with wide eyes
Why was there red on his hand? This couldn't possibly be blood, right?
No, it couldn't possibly be blood. There was no way this was the blood of the woman in his hands. Simply, no way.
"Hey Akira, I think you let your paint leak from your bag. But we'll get you some new paint when we leave - right... Akira? Please answer me. Akira! Akira!!!!!"
"She will not be speaking ever again, I suppose"
A new voice spoke up from above the spring.
Zero looked up and saw a bulky man with blue hair and a scar running across his left eye.
The man sat down on the ground while lighting a cigar in his hand.
He took a long drag and puffed it out.
"She did something unforgivable to the clan, so it was only right that her life be forfeit. There is no need to cry over her."
He looked down at zero with impassive eyes while taking another long drag from his cigar.
"What did you do to Akira!!?"
Zero was livid with rage. He looked up at the man with eyes that practically radiated murder.
'The man has the same hair color as Akira, even the attire he wears is a more masculine version of the one I always saw on her. So he must be some sort of relative of hers'
Zero ran through the man's profile while trying to check Akira over for what sort of wound she had.
He turned her over and saw there was a deep stab wound running through her back. The wound didn't affect the spinal cord and it also ran only about two inches deep.
"I can still save her. I just need time and some medicine to work with."
Zero began carrying her again and placed her on his back. He took a cloth and tied her to him so she wouldn't fall off.
While he was doing this, more blue-haired individuals had entered into the scene. They carried bladed weapons and sticks on them, and they all radiated hostility towards Zero.
He glared at them all while standing up and said:
" I don't care what you all think she did wrong, and I'll be the first to say that I don't know anything about your customs. But if you get in my way..."
Zero sneered at them all while releasing the full force of his Soul-Power upon them in a resounding BOOM!.
"... I'll kill you..."
The blue haired men took a step back away from zero in shock. They were not capable of handling someone who had reached the level he had.
"It seems you are already an S-Rank. I guess I'll have to deal with you by myself then"
The scarred man threw the cigar in his fingers into the ground and stomped on it while standing up.
Boom!
The man released his own Soul-Power as well, matching Zero in intensity. His eyes were fixed solely on Zero as they both stood at a stalemate.
Then on some unseen signal, they exploded off the ground
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The two were just blurs as they fought through the forest and down the mountain, tearing up trees and destroying the ground with each punch delivered.
Zero kept his eyes on the man but also allowed his senses to wonder so as to ensure no other person would enter into the battle
'I have to wear him down enough for him to let his guard down. Unlike him, I don't have the liberty of fighting carelessly, not with someone here for me to protect!'
Zero ducked a high kick from the man and lashed out with a punch that drove the air out from the man's lungs
"Grk!!"
"I'm not done yet! Diverging Fist!!"
Boom!!
The man was suddenly thrown back several meters when Zero added a magic skill to the punch delivered.
'Now's my chance!!'
Zero turned and sped down the mountain. He held onto Akira and sped up even more, trying to reach the river surrounding the mountain in order to cross over to the forest on the other side.
'If I can get across that river, then I can easily lose them in the forest. I just have to get to it!!'
He was so close to the river already, he could even see it some distance away from him.
There would be herbs in the forest that he could use to stop the bleeding and heal Akira. He was sure she would be fine, she was a strong woman after all!
But suddenly, Zero stopped in his tracks and found himself incapable of moving forward
"Eh? What...what is this feeling?"
Zero stood still on the ground. He had sweat pouring out of him like rain and his legs seemed to be refusing his orders.
'It feels like I'm being stared at by something much larger than me. Like I'm an insect standing in front of a monster... What is this?'
The feeling of helplessness seemed to be intensifying as time went on. He didn't know what it was, but he knew he couldn't move recklessly.
He tried moving his body again, but the force simply became stronger.
"Hrrgh!!! What the hell is this!!?"
"I had thought the men I sent would be enough to take care of my daughters consort. But it seemed I was to come along after all."
Shink!
A sudden noise ran through the clearing, and Zero looked down to see that he had been run through with a blade
'Is this really happening?'
Zero thought
"Since you love each other so much, then it is only right you die together. Goodbye"
Zero was pushed off from a cliff and both he and Akira tumbles into the raging river below.
Atop the cliff, Akira's father sheathed his sword back and resealed his soul-power before turning to the men behind him.
"Let us return at once. We still have a wedding to plan"
The men all nodded, and in the next second, they were gone.
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The serpent lake bisected Mount Glenn directly in two, running from one side to the other.
The waters were known to be treacherous and dangerous to chart, and the monsters in it were strong enough to have survived in the harsh waters for years.
Zero floated languidly down with the current of the river. He held onto Akira tightly and dragged her along with him.
The waters deposited them on the shores and Zero struggled to pull Akira further away from the currents. There was a tree close by and he leaned her against it with great difficulty.
It seemed he was getting sleepy, his eyes were getting droopy and his body was becoming sluggish. These were all due to the amount of blood he had lost from the stab wound in his back.
He looked down at Akira and saw that her chest had stopped moving completely. But she still had a small smile on her face.
It was the same one she always saved just for him
"Akira? Please wake up...please"
Hic!
"Please Akira! I...I promise I'll be good, I'll train even more for you and I'll never let anything like this happen again. So please..."
Hic!
"Please wake up!!!!"
Zero lay there for a long time, begging Akira to open her eyes, but no matter how much he shouted and cried and screamed there would be no answer from anyone.
The next day, Zero took Akira's body back to the springs where they first met, and he then buried her under her favorite sakura tree.