A Flower Blooms - A Prologue To RtW

"What? But if I do that, then he will die!" Zero looked toward the man seated at the front of the room. He was stoic, giving no reaction to Zero's statement that he would soon lose his life.

"Perhaps. Maybe he will die, maybe there will be a way out. But he is fully aware of the risks, and is willing to give up his life. He knows what his role is," Max said. "It is time for you to do your part."

Slowly, Zero walked toward the front of the room. She was trembling, greatly concerned about what she was going to have to do. But it was something that had to be done. She turned toward him, and their eyes met.

As though she was letting out a trapped tide, Zero allowed her magic power to be released. Her ability activated, transforming her into a beam of light which entered into the man.

***

Zero looked around. She was in the streets of the Holy City, though not in any part she recognized. Many of the buildings nearby looked quite different from any she had seen before, though the cathedral in the distance was a familiar landmark.

"So this is what the city looks like…" Zero muttered.

Then, she spotted the man walking toward her. He spoke, allowing Zero to hear his voice for the first time. "Our first task is to ascertain whether there is a method to leave this world. Focus yourself on wishing to exit this place, and return to the room we were in."

Zero closed her eyes, and began thinking of the real world, trying her best to focus on trying to leave, to escape from this place. In front of her, the man was doing the same. Zero desperately wished to leave, so that she wouldn't have to kill another. She fervently clung to this hope, but when she opened her eyes, she discovered that nothing had changed.

"It didn't work," Zero said with disappointment. "What do we do now?"

"Perhaps it may be a spoken command," the man said. "I wish to leave this world."

Nothing happened. Zero repeated after him. "I wish to leave this world." The desperation leaked into her voice, and it was clear that she meant what she said completely.

Still, nothing happened.

"Try to envision a doorway out of this world. I was told that you can make items appear by thinking about it."

Zero tried this as well. She imagined a doorway, one that would lead to the outside. A door appeared in front of her. She opened it, and saw only the rest of the street. After stepping through, nothing had changed. It was nothing but an empty frame.

"It didn't work," Zero said, stating the obvious fact already made known to both of them.

"Then we are stuck here until one of us dies," the man said with certainty. "We will now move on to the next step."

"What are we going to do?" Zero asked with apprehension. "One of us is going to have to die?"

"Indeed, I will die. And you shall be the one to kill me." A dagger appeared in the man's hand. He walked over to Zero and handed the blade to her. "Now, use the dagger, and kill me."

Zero held onto the dagger. She stood silently, not doing anything.

"Your task is simple. Stab me with the dagger," the man ordered.

"I can't do it!" Zero threw the dagger onto the ground. "I won't kill you."

"You must!" the man shouted. "This is your duty, and my duty. You shall kill me, that is what the bishop commanded. Your obedience is required."

"No no no. I won't do it." Zero was crying as she backed away. "I can't. I can't"

Suddenly, a hand grabbed onto Zero's shoulder, preventing her from moving away. "You can do it, and you will."

The man pushed the dagger into Zero's hands and wrapped his own hands around hers, forcing Zero to hold onto the dagger. He lifted Zero's arm up, positioning the tip of the blade over his c.h.e.s.t.

Zero was shaking in fear. Her arms were being moved upwards, and she put up little resistance as the man forced her hands into position. Her eyes were closed and her head was tilted away.

"Look at me!" the man shouted.

Zero jolted to attention, obeying the command instinctively. Suddenly, she felt her hands being pushed forward. Then, the grip on her hands loosened before falling away entirely. Zero felt a warm fluid drip onto her hands. Looking down, she saw that the blood was coming out of the man's c.h.e.s.t, dripping onto her hands.

Horrified by what was happening, Zero let go of the blade and started backing away. However, the body fell over as she released it, toppling forward. The man fell on top of Zero, knocking her to the ground as well. Blood continued to drip onto her body.

After what felt like an eternity, the man finally died. Zero continued to lie on the ground in a daze, soaking amidst a puddle of blood. Then, the body came back to life, and the man stood up once more.

"Get up."

After a few moments, Zero got up off of the ground. She stood silently and gazed toward the ground.

"Do it again, this time by yourself." A sword appeared in the man's hand and he tossed it onto the ground in front of Zero. "Pick it up."

Zero looked toward the sword on the ground and then back up toward the person in front of her. The man's cold, stern gaze continued to put pressure onto her. Finally, she bent down and picked up the sword. She held it awkwardly, not really knowing how to use it properly.

"Now, stab me with it," the man commanded.

Zero walked forward, slowing down as she approached the man. She was now just a few steps in front of him. Finally, she grabbed onto the hilt of the sword with both hands and slowly lifted it up. Though her arms were trembling, Zero forced herself to keep going. Stepping forward, Zero brought the tip of the blade right before the man's gut. Then, she paused.

"Do it. Now!" The man's booming voice knocked Zero out of her thoughts.

Zero closed her eyes. Then, she pushed forward.

Though she didn't see anything, Zero could feel the sword sink into the flesh. Then, the sword was wrenched out of her grip. She opened her eyes and looked. The man had fallen over with the sword still embedded inside his body. He was bleeding out from the gut, but he was still alive.

"Not good enough," the man said with ragged gasps. "Even though this wound is fatal, it will still take some time for me to die. Pick up that sword already and finish it."

Zero picked up the sword. Then, she lifted the blade over the man's neck and cut down.

The blade didn't cut through the neck. It had gotten stuck halfway through as Zero didn't put in enough force to break the spine. Still, it was a fast death as the blood gushed out of the neck once Zero pulled out the sword.

Zero waited.

The man had revived again. "That was better. But this time, stab me in the heart instead. Dying from a gut wound is a terrible way to go." He pointed to a spot on his c.h.e.s.t, right above his heart.

The sword came back up as Zero positioned it where the man indicated. Then, she stabbed forward. The man died as his heart was cut through by the sword.

The man came forward again. Zero was taking in deep breaths. It was getting easier, she thought to herself. Steeling her resolve once again, she stabbed forward again.

The man died once more, and this time it was the end.

***

Maximillian watched as the man's body morphed into Zero after the witch had transformed into the beam of light and entered him. It was a peculiar and someone eerie way for the ability to function. He continued to observe Zero, but the process seemed to have been taxing on her, as she was currently slumped over the table unresponsive as he called out to her.

The memories of that man flooded into Zero's mind. All that he had experienced over many decades, the life he lived, the battles he fought, the struggles he endured, all of it could be seen by her. It was so much, far more than Zero had ever experienced. Absorbing Maria's memories hadn't actually been as taxing. The experiences had been familiar since they had grown up in the same place and done many things together. But this was far different.

There were so many new concepts, ideas, and experiences that Zero could now remember. It was so strange, with most of it being completely foreign to her. It was overwhelming. Not knowing how to deal with the influx, Zero could only let the tide overtake her as she let the new memories settle into her mind.

The man was an old soldier, having been a member of the Judgement Army for most of his life. He had fought in many battles, year after year, holding the line against the demonic beasts. There was also a time when he was part of an army that was sent to put down an insurrection. Though he had never really traveled far from Hermes plateau, it was still far more than Zero had ever seen.

Throughout the course of those many years, he had met many people, most of whom were no longer here. The battlefield was a cruel place. So many of those that fought alongside him have died. One by one they departed. He still remembered them. There were a few of his old friends that had lived. Though with time, they too died, as would he.

These memories became Zero's. It was as though she knew each and every one of them, but at the same time she knew that it was not her that knew them. The memories were there, but it just didn't belong. Perhaps that was the key. There was still a part that was her, and one that wasn't.

The memories swirled through Zero's mind. She saw bits and pieces, not really focusing much on any of them. But she could begin to tell them apart. She focused, grouping the associated memories together. Gazing inside, the distinct experiences of the man she had just consumed could be seen, to be perused by her as she wished. There was a lot, but she didn't need to view all of them. There was the instinctive understanding of what there was and how to go about retrieving it. It was like how one didn't have to consciously search to find a specific memory; it came naturally.

Zero focused deeper on a memory. She saw a tide of creatures approaching. Around her were lines of armed men. They were fighting, as was her - no him. It was his body. The body moved, using the sword to slice apart the approaching creature. It flowed naturally, the memory following its natural course as Zero experienced it personally.

The person next to him fell, his shield broken through by an approaching demonic beast. He turned, a feeling of anger and grief welling up inside him. He struck, cleaving the head off the beast. Another man stepped forward to plug the gap, and the army pushed back against the attacking demonic beasts.

***

Zero broke out of the memory. She lifted her head up, letting out ragged gasps as she looked around. She was back in the room that she had been brought to and now it was just her and Max.

"You have awoken," the bishop said. "Are you ready to discuss?"

"His name was Marcus," Zero aburptly said.

Max raised his eyebrows.

"The man's name was Marcus," Zero said. "He has a life of his own, friends, people he cared about. Why did you have me do this? To take his life?"

"Marcus was a loyal servant of the church. However, his time was coming to an end," Max said. "He was allowed to perform a final act of service, to grant you what he had."

"Do I deserve this," Zero muttered.

"This is not about you, Zero. There is something greater than all of us, that we serve. You received his knowledge so that you may serve with greater ability." Max stood. "Now, I shall assess your ability. Tell me, what new information did you gain from your ability?"

"I have memories of Marcus's life. There are things that I can recall as fact, that I should have no way of knowing before this. Things like the layout of the city, or knowing about so many different kinds of weapons. It isn't something that jumps out at me, but it comes to mind if I start thinking about it."

Max looked pleased with the breadth of knowledge that Zero showed. "Good, so you can acquire quite a large pool of knowledge. How about experiences not strictly tied to memory? Do you have his combat skills?"

"I think so," Zero replied tentatively. "When I think about using a sword to fight, I can imagine certain techniques. There is a feeling that guides me to do what is natural. However, I am not sure if it translates into me being able to use it in real life."

"Very good, Zero. I think that is enough for today." Max said. "Return to your room and rest. We shall continue tomorrow."

***

When Zero returned to her room, she sat down, still in a daze. What she had done was still sinking in. She killed someone, this time knowing full well what she was doing. It wasn't even someone who deserved to die. Yet, that was what she was ordered to do. What else could she do?

She could almost still feel the blood coating her fingers. She wanted to be horrified. However, such a thing seemed so insignificant now. She remembered death, so much death. Great battles where so many had fallen. While some battles had been against the demonic beasts, others had been against humans.

Why must some die? The reasoning provided was that it was for the greater good. Some deaths were necessary, while others were a tragedy. But what sets them apart, that she could not see yet. All she could do was trust that she would be guided rightfully. After all, she could not trust herself.

Finally, Zero slipped off into sleep. It was a quiet night.