Element Oasis: Project Zero

Chapter 22

Two Are Better Than One

"I expected to see you sooner, Zero," the boss said as Zero was on his knees with his head down. His long hair covered his brown-skinned face and his eyes were barely visible. "It looks like you may have won the battle against Nikola, but I can see that he won the war."

Zero said nothing.

"Truthfully, I am disappointed in the fact I wasn't the one who broke you. I thought our internal war would be much more interesting, but Nikola took that privilege away from me. All the fight inside of your eyes has left and what remains is a lifeless body and a disgrace to the person you used to be. You're pathetic."

Again, Zero didn't rebuttal.

"My presence is mainly underground so I can't imprison you the proper way, but I believe in an eye for an eye. You killed one of my partners and cut off a huge amount of money for me which isn't good. For his life, I will take yours."

Zero lifted his head but suddenly black marks began appearing all over his body until they reached his neck and stopped. His eyes shifted from dark brown to purple.

"What is your name?" Laros asked in a double voice as he took control of Zero's body.

"You already know it, Zero."

"Zero is gone, only I remain." Two wings sprouted from Zero's back and pushed the two guards standing over Zero away and into some of the large stone columns that kept the large castle from collapsing.

The boss narrowed her eyes. "You've gone insane and that form you have taken is unusual. Explain your insanity to me at once."

"I remember Zero telling you that he is not your servant and will never be such. Regardless, I do not have any gripes or allegiance to you aside from not wanting to die so I'll explain myself. My name is Laros, the god of death. Me and the one you know as Zero share this body for reasons I will not disclose with you and for that reason alone, I ask that you not engage in combat with me."

"Then I will not be punishing Zero if I let you live regardless of what explanation you give me."

"That human was insulting you. I felt how Zero's anger rose as the weakling continued to throw dirt on your name and it reached the point where Zero just attacked."

The boss scoffed. "I know Nikola has been saying stuff about me behind my back but regardless he was a partner and one of my biggest investors. Zero will die today or pay what he owes me."

"Zero killed Nikola so he gained a lot of money from doing that."

"I'll gain the money back with his death. There is nothing you can say to me, Laros, that will deter me from killing him. If you die in the process then you can blame yourself for not interrupting Zero during his blind and fatuous rage." The boss pulled out a staff from her inventory. It was rugged and every part of the staff looked like it would give her a splinter. The weapon looked fragile as well as unsafe to use. The top of the staff was circular with a face on the front that resembled a skull.

Laros looked at her with a sorrowful look on his face. "Don't do this," he said while looking down at the ground.

"I have no choice," the boss said as tons of water began forming around the top of her staff. There was a look of sadness on her face as the water began spinning like a whirlpool.

"I wasn't talking to you," Laros said as suddenly he let out a scream while holding his head. His purple aura had disappeared and the shadow beneath his feet began moving around until hands suddenly began sprouting from it and grabbed onto Laros's ankles and climbed up. "Zero, stop!" he screamed as the hands continued to climb until they latched onto his face.