Element Oasis: Project Zero

Chapter 16

To Speak from the Heart

Zero and Code had decided to take the first night shift as Valeria and Till slept in so that they could get a bit of rest for the rest of the journey. They were headed to the air region so that they could find Nikola.

"What's the plan?" Code asked as he rubbed his hands above the fire that managed to keep everyone warm.

"Nikola is in the air region so that's where we're headed. We're going to defeat him so that one of the Boss's main investors can be taken down. That will surely put a dent in some of her plans."

Code nodded his head in understanding, but his eyes slowly fell with a hint of sadness in them.

Zero put a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" he asked and the lizard on his shoulder purred softly against his neck.

"You said we'd defeat Nikola, but do you mean we'll kill him or just knock him out?" Code asked. It was a good question that Zero was prepared to answer but he knew that the kid deserved to know. Any answer would have been good enough, but he wanted to be as truthful with the kid as possible. He didn't want to lie to anyone anymore, though lying was inevitable, he felt it was his responsibility to try to be as honest as he could be.

"I don't know," Zero answered truthfully. "I hadn't really thought about it until you asked me that question. Killing him would solve future problems but it would also cause some as well. We also don't know enough information about him to even determine if we'll be able to kill him in the first place. I'm only level 23 which won't be enough to get the job done."

"Then what will we do?"

"I tried to bring us a mage," he answered honestly. "They are the strongest type of adventurer we could have because they can outrange everyone along with doing tons of area damage. They also have tons of defensive abilities as well that we could benefit from. Not having a mage and going up against a bunch of mages would be devastating for us, but we will just have to try our best."

"What if our best just isn't enough?" Code asks with a worried expression on his face.

Zero looked down into the fire and then around the fire. The flames moved while also causing my shadows to move ever so slightly as well. It wasn't a very noticeable move, but the flickering light was affecting the shadows around them.

"If it isn't enough, then I'll do whatever it takes to protect you all. Even if it means risking my life."

Code's eyes widened as a memory flashed in his mind.

Zero noticed the reaction and immediately put a hand on his shoulder once again. He didn't know why Code had reacted in such a way, but he wanted to reassure the kid and let him know that every word he had said was true. Protecting his friends was something he was going to do regardless of what was happening. That was his main priority which he would put over his mission.

Eventually, Code just nodded his head without saying another word. He didn't know what else to say but he didn't believe Zero's words as much as he wanted to. At the end of the day, he wanted to see if Zero's words would match his actions because he'd seen many people lie without even a hint of remorse. It would take him a while to completely trust Zero even if Valeria and Till trusted him with all their might, Code didn't have the same trust.

The night went by quieter than expected even as they camped under the moonlight. The cool night air would send a small chilling breeze through the camp every now and then that made the sleepers cuddle up further in their sleeping bags while also giving comfort to those who were up at night. As the night went on, Code eventually fell asleep as well, leaving Zero to watch over the group for the remainder of the night. Time went slow until the sun eventually came up and Zero smiled.