Chapter Nine: Fools Errand

  The ash and dust from the fallen clung to Yozora's face and hair, coating him in a gray, haunting mask. The mayhem that had once filled the area now gave way to an oppressive silence. His mind raced, consumed by a single thought: Why hasn’t she shown herself?

  “Why... why... why!” Yozora repeated like a madman, his voice strained with frustration and fury. His hands gripped his face, chuckling darkly as his anger simmered.

  Suddenly, the faint sound of a creaking door broke through the silence. On the shattered second floor of the compound, a door opened slowly, and out stepped Jezebel, her figure almost ghostly in the dim light. A sinister smile curled across her lips as she appeared, her eyes gleaming with sadistic anticipation.

  With a loud, mocking laugh, Jezebel spread her arms wide. "Oh, you poor, stupid boy," she sneered. "You actually came! Ha! HAHAHA!" Her laughter grew louder, her body shaking as she held her stomach, relishing the moment.

  Seeing her, the madness inside Yozora boiled over. His rage flared, and without hesitation, he launched himself at Jezebel like a bullet, his katana gleaming in his hand. "Sutā Geizā Fumi—Form Four: “Yūrei Giri (Spectral Slash!)"

  But Jezebel yawned, utterly unfazed. With a simple movement, she deflected his attack as though it were nothing. In the blink of an eye, she countered, slamming Yozora to the ground and pinning him there with ease.

  Leaning in close, her breath hot against his ear, she whispered, “A big move by the child prodigy. How laughable. Pathetic.” Her voice dripped with venom. “You don’t deserve what you have. Your arrogance... it’s why..." Her words twisted into a cruel laugh filled with malice. "...SHE IS DEAD."

  Yozora’s eyes widened in shock. His heart felt like it had been ripped from his chest. Jezebel continued, her voice a venomous whisper. “Oh, I enjoyed it so much—her screams. Piece by piece, I ripped open her pretty little body." She giggled wickedly. "But don’t worry. I saved her face for last. How she screamed... ‘Zora, Zora, please help,’ blah blah blah. She thought you’d save her, but I knew better. After you found out what mommy and daddy did to you, you’d lose it. And you did... like a moth to the flame. That little power of yours came back, But now fortunately you don’t remember me. The look in your eyes back then was powerful, but arrogant, so blind to those around you. Can you support the weight of the world now? At least the old you might’ve had the skill to realize Mara’s frequency was flatlined."

  Yozora’s heart shattered. The madness that had driven him moments ago evaporated, replaced by a soul-crushing despair. “You’re lying...” he muttered, tears spilling down his face. “S-she... she can’t be gone!”

  Jezebel’s laughter rang out again, colder and harsher. “Oh, look at the baby crying! Hahaha!” She paused, as if a sudden idea struck her, and crept in closer, grabbing Yozora’s face roughly. She licked the tears from his cheek, savoring his pain. "You want proof? Fine. I’ll show you.”

  With one finger, Jezebel pressed down on Yozora’s forehead. “First I’ll show you just how close Mara, T.LAC and you really are.” The ground beneath him cracked from the pressure as his mind was flooded with vivid, memories of the past, Jezebel lay over him laughing with pleasure. “Now the best part, the torture.” Agonizing images—Mara’s screams, her suffering, her torment. Every cruel detail Jezebel had spoken was burned into his memory. Yozora’s body went limp, his tears drying as the weight of the truth crushed him. His spirit shattered.

  “This isn’t some game where you’re the hero and you win.” Jezebel wrapped her hands around Yozora throat. “Your mommy sent you here knowing you’d lose, knowing I would break you. Selene is such a bitch… a bad bitch." Jezebel sneered, stepping back to admire her work. "Oh, and I should mention—Mara chose being Zeroed because she wanted to be by your side. Her and that handsome T.LAC boy. So, in truth, you’re the reason she’s dead."

  Jezebel’s voice twisted into something even more sinister. “Yes, yes, she died because of you. I got to enjoy torturing and killing a Tuner as powerful as Mara... because of you.” She shrugged casually. “I’m sure mommy and daddy didn’t tell you T.LAC and Mara named you Yozora.”

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  Yozora was silent, his mind broken. He lay there, paralyzed by grief, unable to move or speak.

  Slowly, Jezebel stepped away, grinning and laughing at the sight of his despair. “Oh, what fun I had, playing with my toys,” she mused, her laughter filling the air like a twisted lullaby. “But I’ll leave you a little gift—something you won’t ever forget.”

  With a sickening grin, she tossed something toward Yozora. It rolled across the ground, coming to a stop at his feet. Mara’s head. Her once beautiful face now lifeless, a grotesque reminder of the horror Yozora had failed to prevent.

  Jezebel chuckles darkly. “See you around, ki—” she pauses mid-sentence, an unnatural shiver creeping down her spine. Something is wrong. Slowly, she turns, eyes narrowing as an unsettling presence stirs in the air.

  Meanwhile, deep within Yozora’s mind, his consciousness drifts into the furthest reaches of his Toro Subconscious, where long-forgotten memories begin to surface. What Jezebel fails to realize is that her insidious influence has acted as a catalyst, cracking the carefully constructed barriers of repression and forcing hidden recollections to claw their way back into the light. Unknowingly, she has begun to reverse the process of Yozora being Zeroed—an unintended consequence of her interference.

  In that liminal space between waking and dreaming, Yozora navigates a labyrinth of fragmented memories—fleeting moments of joy and sorrow, whispers of betrayal, and images so deeply intertwined with his very essence that they defy simple understanding. These recollections, once buried beneath layers of erasure, now surge forth with undeniable force, demanding recognition. His past, once lost, is reclaiming him, each echo pulling him closer to an identity long suppressed.

  Jezebel’s eyes widen in sudden realization. She has unleashed something she was never meant to. Panic flares in her chest as she spins around, sprinting toward Yozora. "This fucker can’t reemerge—it’s too early! I played with my food too long—fuck!"

  But it is already too late.

  Yozora’s eyes snap open, and in an instant, a colossal surge of raw Hindo erupts from his body, the sheer force repelling Jezebel backward. The shockwave sends cracks spiderwebbing through the ground, distorting the air around him. He clenches his fist tightly, his expression sharp with realization. “I don’t have much time… My Hindo levels and output aren’t anywhere close to what they used to be! I don’t fully understand it yet, but my Toro is repairing the memories and healing the fractures caused by being Zeroed.”

  His gaze shifts sharply toward T.LAC’s location. “Chūseishi no Gyōshi (Neutron’s Gaze)!”

  A sudden clarity floods his mind as his sight locks onto T.LAC’s exact position. His heightened awareness tells him he can sustain this technique only two, maybe three more times before his reserves run dry. His decision is immediate. There is no winning here, not yet. He is nowhere near Jezebel’s caliber at this moment—staying would be reckless. Retrieving T.LAC and escaping is the only viable option. Yozora flings his hand upward. “Acceleration Art: Mu no Idō (Movement of Nothingness)!” Like a guiding star, blinking into place instantly his form distorts, vanishing from Jezebels sight.

  “T? He’s out cold… We can figure out what happened later. Priority is getting out of here.”

  Yozora grips T.LAC tightly. "Acceleration Art: Mu no Idō—Movement of Nothingness!"

  In an instant, they appear at the extraction zone. Without hesitation, Yozora taps into Zephyr’s frequency. "Mission abort, I repeat—mission abort! Zephyr, open the extraction portal now!"

  Zephyr’s response comes immediately. "Port sent."

  As Yozora steps toward the glowing rift, a force yanks him backward. Realizing the danger, he shoves T.LAC forward, ensuring he crosses through the portal before turning to face his attacker.

  A sharp, mocking voice echoes in his ears. “You’re not going anywhere.” Jezebel.

  She slams him to the ground with terrifying force. Before he can react, she’s on him, striking him mercilessly, each blow sending a fresh wave of pain through his body. “You’ll tell me what happened,” she demands, Grabbing Yozora by the collar, she lifts him from the shattered earth, blood trailing from his wounds. “I’ll give you one chance to tell me how you’re regaining memories. If you can’t—” she tightens her grip, her free hand shifting into a razor-sharp, piercing shape, “—I’ll just rip your heart out now and explain why to the Hand later. Five seconds… four… three… two—”

  Time shifts.

  Like a phantom emerging from nothingness, Zephyr materializes. In a single motion, he snatches Yozora away while delivering a devastating backfist to Jezebel, sending her hurtling toward the compound. “Not this time. I’ll protect my son this time…” Zephyr’s rage ignites before he can stop himself. His voice carries a weight of fury, a raw, unrestrained power that warps the very air. "Acceleration Forbidden Art: Ilios Inferno." Above them, a massive sphere of searing kinetic energy bursts into existence, glowing with an intense, golden light. The ground blackens in an instant, and the very air combusts into streaks of plasma, trailing like fiery veins across the battlefield.

  As Zephyr prepares to unleash destruction upon Jezebel, two masked figures emerge from the shadows. “Zephyr!!! Sir, stop! If you use that technique, a war could break out! The Director has ordered a complete ceasefire—Selene is already briefing her on the situation!”

  Zephyr’s fury flickers, then fades. Reality crashes back down on him. "Crap… I lost my cool."

  He exhales, shoulders relaxing as he disperses the attack before it can detonate. He glances down at Yozora, still draped over his shoulder, his expression softening. "Whatever. I got my son."

  Looking back at the masked figures, he smirks. "Lead the way, gents."

  Hi everyone! Noctis Flame here!