"Power. Blinding. Addictive.
Everyone chased it, desperate for even a flicker.
But I'd stopped dreaming of that light long ago."
Zero had been walking through dead grass and skeletal trees since sunrise. After half a day, the landscape began to change. The trees grew thicker, their branches heavy with leaves. The grass turned from brown to green, spreading across the path like a carpet.
Maybe there really is a jungle at the far south, he thought.
He looked up. The sun was drifting toward the west, painting the sky in shades of orange. It would be dark soon. Not that darkness bothered him—his eyes worked just fine in the black. But his legs were another matter.
When he'd started this morning, he'd felt invincible. Forty silver cogs waiting at the end of the road. But the enthusiasm had bled away with every step, replaced by the ache in his calves and the blisters forming on his heels.
Zero gave in to his exhaustion and stopped to rest.
He sat with his back against a hard bark, the map spread across his knees. He traced the route with his finger—past the fork in the road, straight to Namar.
"Not much longer," he muttered.
Another hour, maybe two. Then he could find the doctor's boxes, rest for the night, and start the trek to Kodir in the morning. Forty silver cogs. The thought made him smile despite his aching feet.
I walked too far and too fast. He thought. He was supposed to be in Namar by midnight, not nightfall.
He let himself relax for the first time all day. Rolled his shoulders. Stretched his legs. The sun was warm on his face, and the mismatched collar kept the wind off his neck. For a moment, he almost forgot he was in the Gray Zone.
That's when he noticed.
The birds had stopped singing.
Zero's hand froze on the map. He listened. No chittering. No rustling leaves. No branches creaking in the wind. Even the insects had gone quiet.
Silence. Complete silence.
His chest tightened.
Too quiet.
The air felt heavier, like the forest itself was waiting for something to snap.
Zero folded the map slowly, careful not to make a sound. His eyes scanned the trees on either side of the road—nothing moved. But something was wrong. He could feel it, the same prickling sensation on the back of his neck that had saved him during the hunt for Conor.
He stood, movements deliberate and unhurried, and drew his short sword. The rasp of steel leaving the sheath seemed deafening in the stillness.
Zero shifted his weight, ready to move.
The forest held its breath.
Then branches snapped from all directions. Four figures emerged from the tree line, surrounding him.
"Well, well. Look what we got here." The front man grinned, revealing a mouth of crooked teeth. "Little Zero, all grown up. Was sure you'd be dead by now."
Zero's stomach dropped.
"Wax."
Wax had been a hunter once—a troublemaker that no one liked. Two years ago, Kade had banished him from Noj. Told him he'd take his other eye if he dared come back. The threat had left Wax with a leather eyepatch over his left socket and a grudge that hadn't faded.
"Yeah, yeah. Happy ya remember me." Wax spread his arms wide, his three goons flanking Zero on either side. "After that incident, I turned my life around. Me an' my partners here work as road guardians now. Makin' sure travelers like you don't get robbed along the way."
Bullshit. You ARE the robber.
But Zero kept his mouth shut. He was outnumbered and surrounded.
"I'm glad to hear that, Wax. I'll let Kade know. He will be overjoyed."
"Yeah, yeah. Do tell him. I'm sure he'd be real proud." Wax scratched his beard, his grin widening. "But guardin' roads is expensive work, see? My boys need money an' food."
Zero started walking slowly, trying to angle past them.
"How much is the toll, Wax?" he asked, keeping his voice steady despite the sweat forming on his palms. The cold wind helped—at least they wouldn't see him sweating.
"That's a nice bag ya got there." Wax pointed at Zero's pack. "That an' whatever's in it should cover it."
Zero hesitated. His food and map were inside, but he could buy more in Namar. His money was tucked safely in his jacket's inner pocket.
"Here. Happy?" He tossed the bag at Wax's feet.
"Very much."
Zero exhaled quietly and kept walking, increasing his pace to put distance between them.
"Nice jacket too," one of the goons called out.
Wax sidestepped into Zero's path, blocking him. They were one step away from each other.
"The jacket's off-limits," Zero said, his voice harder now. He locked eyes with Wax. He needed the jacket—the collar hid his mark.
"Now don't be like that, Zero." Wax's grin turned cruel. "Don't ya wanna stay safe?"
Zero's hand drifted toward his sword. His mind raced. Four of them. One of him. If he ran, they'd catch him. If he fought—
I killed Conor. A kineticist. I can handle this.
The thought sparked something reckless in his chest. For a second, he felt truly invincible.
Zero turned slightly, as if reaching to remove his jacket. Then he grabbed his sword with his left hand and swung.
Wax's eye widened. He'd expected compliance, not resistance. He stumbled backward, but too late.
The blade carved a clean arc from Wax's lower-right stomach to his upper-left shoulder.
But instead of blood, sparks showered the air. Seeing that Zero's feeling of invincibility turned into panic, He had counted on the kill.
Wax hit the dirt, reeling and clutching his chest. The cut had left a deep gouge in the metal beneath his shirt, but no wound.
Voltaic armor. Where the hell did he get high-quality Veidonian armor?
"Take him alive!" Wax roared, scrambling to his feet. "I'll kill this son of a bitch myself!"
The three goons rushed him—left, right, and behind.
Zero spun to face the left one first. He chose to fight, Nows time to deal with the consequences. The goon charged with his sword raised for a downward strike. Zero met the blade with an upward slash. Steel rang against steel. The impact jarred Zero's arm and sent a jolt of pain in his already tired leg, but the goon had overcommitted—his momentum carried him forward, off-balance.
Before Zero could capitalize, movement flashed on his right.
He pivoted, raising his sword just in time to block the second goon's horizontal swing. Their blades locked. Zero pushed hard, trying to create space, but to no avail, and the third goon was closing in fast.
No time.
Zero shoved and leaped left, using the gap between the last two attackers to break through. He stumbled but kept his footing, putting a few steps of distance between them.
His breathing came in gasps. He'd never fought multiple opponents before. Hell, he'd barely fought anyone before. Conor had been his second hunt. His first had been finding a lost child in the woods.
I might die here. There was no trace of his earlier courage. Only fear.
Can I run? No. He was already exhausted. They'd catch him in minutes.
The three goons spread out and rushed him simultaneously.
Zero stepped right and blocked the nearest swing. He tried to pivot for a counterstrike, but his foot caught on a thick root. His leg gave out.
He went down hard.
Before he could recover, one of the goons jumped on top of him and started raining punches down on his face. Each blow rattled his skull. His vision stuttered in bursts of white
Zero threw up his left arm to block, his right hand scrabbling for his sword—but another goon kicked it away.
He watched as his sword stumbled far out of reach. Each bounce was a cut to his hope, body, and mind.
Zero's chest tightened. His vision blurred. Panic clawed at his throat.
I'm going to die here.
"Little shit," Wax spat, limping closer. "Now I'm gonna—"
BANG.
The sound cracked through the forest like thunder.
Wax stopped mid-sentence. He looked down. A hole the size of a fist had torn through his chest, smoke rising from the edges. His mouth opened, but no words came. He collapsed.
The goon on top of Zero froze.
Zero turned his head, blinking rapidly to clear his vision.
A woman stood at the edge of the clearing.
She had black hair tied back loosely, and she wore a deep purple coat fastened with diagonal belts instead of buttons. In her right hand, she held a smoking pistol, still aimed at the goons.
One of them broke and ran.
BANG.
He made it three steps before the hole in his back dropped him.
Veidonian. Only they can use a pistol.
The remaining two goons scrambled to their feet, trembling. They couldn't run—she'd proven that. So they raised their weapons, desperation replacing fear.
The woman tilted her head, amused. She holstered her pistol with a casual flick and drew a dagger from her hip.
With a sharp click and sound of cogs turning, the blade extended into a longsword.
Zero stared, breathless.
Amazing.
No matter how many times he saw it, Veidonian craftsmanship hit different. Maybe that was just the Veidonian in him talking.
The goons glanced at each other, then charged.
The woman moved like water. She sidestepped the first goon's lunge and swept his legs out from under him. He hit the dirt face-first. struggling to stand up, she pivoted and met the second goon's downward swing with her blade.
Their swords clashed once.
Then she twisted, slipped inside his guard, and drove her blade through his chest in one smooth motion. The body fell in two pieces.
The last goon tried to stand. She didn't give him the chance. One clean swing, and his head rolled free.
Zero couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
Such power. Such precision. No hesitation.
She wiped her blade on the dead goon's shirt, then pressed the mechanism. The longsword retracted into a dagger, and she slid it back into the sheath at her lower back.
"Gray Zone's a dangerous place for someone so young," she said, turning to face him.
Zero lay on the ground, staring up at her with wide eyes. His throat felt dry. His mind was still catching up to what he'd just witnessed.
I want that power.
"Kid, you listening?"
"Ah—yeah. Yes." Zero tried to sit up, but his legs and spinning head betrayed him. He collapsed back down with a wince. "Thanks. I… I would've been dead without you.
"Yup. Sure would've." She grinned, and the oppressive aura that had hung around her during the fight vanished. In its place was something light, almost playful. "Where you headed, anyway?" She crouched down to his level, studying him. "You don't look like a hunter."
That stung a little.
I am a hunter. Maybe. Almost. Kinda.
"I'm going to Namar," Zero tried to compose himself. "I have to pick up a package and deliver it to Kodir."
Her grin wavered but came back as soon as it disappeared.
"Wouldn't go there if I were you."
Zero's brow furrowed. "Why not?"
"Ceasefire's got everyone scrambling for territory. Namar's turned into a war zone. Grandmaster Clockworker forgive it, but that town's tearing itself apart. So much… Disorder"
Everyone's trying to make a profit from the ceasefire. What a joke, Ceasefire is creating wars.
Grandmaster Clockworker—that's what Veidonians call their god.
"When is the Gray Zone not chaotic?" Zero muttered, half-jokingly.
"When both sides are literally burning it down," she said without hesitation, More serious. "Give it a week, and you'll have to erase Namar off the map."
Zero's face went cold.
What the hell is happening in Namar? I can't be that bad.
Maybe it was that grin of hers, or he was still in a daze. He had a hard time believing Namar was in such a bad state.
"Is that why you're leaving?"
"Nope." She stood and offered him her hand. "I'm a bounty hunter. Was in Namar tracking a scammer and his little murder crew. Been chasing them for a while now." She pulled him to his feet effortlessly. "You ever hear the name Kenny Emery?"
"Never heard of him. At least not with that name. Is he your target?"
She nodded. "Criminals change names like clothes. You said you're from around here?"
"Noj. Half a day north of here."
"Noj, huh?" She looked thoughtful. "Tell you what—I helped you, you help. You know anyone from Noj that can help me?"
"Ahm…"Zero's eyes narrowed. "I guess you could ask Kade. Just mention how you saved me."
They stared at each other for an akward amount of time
She wants something more?
"And your name is?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Oh—sorry. Zero."
"Zero." She tested the name, then grinned and clapped him on the back hard enough to make him stumble. "Well, look at that. You turned out to be useful after all. For a second, I was thinking of leaving you to your own cogs."
What's the deal with her?
She turned and started walking north.
"Wait—do I get your name?" Zero called after her.
"Nope."
Ouch.
He watched her fade into the distance, then bent to retrieve his sword and pack. His ribs ached. His face throbbed where the goon had hit him. But he was alive.
Zero started walking again toward Namar. Legs sending jolts of pain with each step.
He paused near Wax's corpse and stared at the scorched hole in the Voltaic armor.
"What kind of pistol does that?" he muttered. "Voltaic plates are designed to stop bullets, not melt around them."
He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly exhausted.
"…I should rest first."