“Again.”

Jaire took in deep breaths and pushed with all his might. The strain on his body was intense but his strength held long enough for him to rise off the chair in one mighty movement. He let out the breath he was holding as he stood covered in sweat, but he only had a moment of reprieve before Zero’s command came once more.

“Again.”

With a resentful groan Jaire sat back down and tried to rise yet again. Straight after breakfast, Zero put together an “exercise routine” for him to do. It was fairly simple, such as walking in a straight line or standing up without assistance, but even then it took a lot out of him.

“That’s good enough for now.” Zero finally said after he finished five more reps, “We’ll pick it up again after lunch.”

“Alright.” He replied in between breaths as Zero’s footsteps faded away. After the breakfast plate of “Meatball surprise”. he grimaced at the thought of eating more of her home cooked meals. Not like I have a choice in the matter, plus...

*rumble*

Despite his mental adversity to the meals, his stomach seemed to crave without discrimination. During breakfast he had felt a gnawing pit in his stomach, a pain that continued to grow no matter how much he ate, yet would hurt more if he stopped. That hollow pain had continued well into his training and even now he could feel his mouth salivate in anticipation of the upcoming sludge. This is insane, I’ll probably die from food poisoning at this rate.

“You’ve done well so far.” Zero commented as she returned from what he presumed was the kitchen, “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Hungry.”

“Good. It won’t be long now, just letting the stew brew.” He heard a chair pull out as she took a seat across the table from him. “So tell me, do you remember anything else from your trip with Ghost?”

He shook his head. She had asked him twice before already, once right after breakfast and another in the middle of his exercises, but both times he had no recollection. Every time he would attempt to think about it, the hunger would return alongside a heavy feeling in his head that made him feel sleepy. I probably have some kind of brain injury, though that doesn’t explain why the hunger returns as well...

He let out an exasperated sigh. The answers to his condition were somewhere inside his head, but try as he might he could not recall a damn thing. I’m forgetting something important, I just know I am.

“No need to push it,” Zero spoke out, breaking his concentration, “You’re slowly getting better and you seem to be more aware each time, so eventually it will come to you.”

More aware? He frowned. What does that-

*Rumble*

“Ah, food’s ready. I’ll be right back.”

“...Alright.” I guess it can wait until after lunch.

-----------------------------

“Hey Zero?” Jaire called out into the darkness. After lunch they had gone straight to exercising again, and now he laid exhausted upon the floor.

“Just call me Z.” She responded from the right, “What’s up?”

“How come it's always fresh in here?” A soft breeze blew against him, filling him with the sweet scent that dominated the room while cooling his body down.

“Magic of course.”

He immediately shot up and turned towards her voice. “WHAT?!”

His heart began to race as his mind went into overdrive. Magic!? Seriously?! How does she know about that?! What if- can she use it as well?! Is that how she- no wait does that explain- Oh my god this is-...wait...why is she laughing?

“Oookay, did not expect that kind of reaction.” She said in between chuckles, “You okay Jay? If I didn’t know better I’d say you honestly believed me and thought magic was real.”

Ah, she was just teasing me. Jaire deflated as his heart calmed down. I jumped the gun, of course she doesn’t know magic.

“But then again...” He perked up as he heard her footsteps approach, “Perhaps you know something that I don’t? Is there something you’d like to share Jaire?”

“U-uh...” Oh crap. The oath he made to Lin flashed back in his mind as he stammered. I screwed up. No wait, relax, this is fine. She doesn’t know anything, just curious about my reaction.

Clearing his throat, he finally replied, “It’s nothing like that, I was just, surprised, that you’d say something like that, and it shocked me. Didn’t take you for the joking type.”

“Hmm. Right. Well first off, no, it’s nothing supernatural like that. I have a fan in the kitchen constantly blowing. Secondly, really? So what do you take me for? A stuck up bitch? Hm?”

“W-w-what?! N-no! I mean, you are kind of-”

“Kind of what?”

“N-no! Not like that! Just that you are very strict with training and- I was just- it’s because-”

“Oh my god,” Zero chuckled. “Relax Jaire, I’m just messing with you. Man you really do get worked up easily, I didn’t believe it at first but you’re pretty gullible aren’t you?”

He huffed as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Ugh. Well at least my genuine reaction helped make my lie seem real. But I do have another question now… “So how do you keep the fan on all the time? Or the smell of your cooking from seeping out??”

Thanks to Lin’s vast knowledge of Earth, he knew electricity and automated mechanisms existed, but that kind of technology was far beyond Rivivera’s capabilities to duplicate. With the Zvyr threat as high as it was, building an operational water wheel was out of the question, though some of the richer folk attempted to fund one from time to time.

Aside from that, there was a working wind turbine inside the town, but all electricity generated was strictly for government and Institute use, thus regular people like him lived with rudimentary technology. What’s worse however, was the fact that the knowledge of how to generate electricity or any higher technology was kept secret to the public and held strictly within the walls of the Institute of Research. It was this restriction that made his mother, along with many of her colleagues, bitter about the Institute, though that was neither here or now.

“Hm, a curious type as well. Don’t see much of your kind around here.”

What does she mean by that? He thought with a frown. Before he could ask however, Zero was already talking.

“Well to answer your first question, I basically made a crank that slowly unwinds over time, which lets the fan spin until I crank it up again. Lasts about an hour or so. As for the second question, do you know about scented stones?”

His face lit up. Oh! That’s why the scent was so familiar!

Long ago, Jaire’s grandfather Protus came across a cavern up the river during his expeditions. Within it he found rocks that smelled distinctly pleasant, rocks which would hold onto that scent even after they were removed. Those scented stones became an instant hit and the cave was mined until the last scented stone was picked off. However, because of their high demand, most of the stones were sold off to other settlements at a massive markup, while the only ones that remained in Rivivera belonged to the wealthy or the select few who refused to sell. His own house held two, one in the bathroom and one by the sewage hole, though those were gifted to his mom by his grandfather from his own personal collection.

“So that’s all there is to it. However, what’s more fascinating I would say, is how quickly you were able to rise. Seems to me like someone’s been taking their training way too easy.”

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“Uh-” Damn.

“Thirty more reps. Get to it.”

--------------

“Where are we going?” Jaire asked through chattering teeth.

“Stop asking.” Came the annoyed reply.

After the last round of exercise and subsequent dinner, Zero had told him they would be training outside while the sun was still out. He wasn’t keen to walk around in the smelly base, but he couldn’t really argue with her after everything she was doing for him, so he agreed.

Turns out, she had lied.

He went out expecting to face the blazing heat, but instead was greeted by the freezing gust of night air.

“Now listen,” Zero had said as he stood shivering in the cold, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I’m going to take you somewhere close by and you can either let me carry you there, or we go at your pace and arrive an hour or two later. Take your pick.”

Horrendously unequipped for the cold, he reluctantly chose to be carried, which is why he now found himself piggybacking on Zero. This is embarrassing, at least no one should be up by now. Hopefully...

A minute later, he heard/felt Zero tug a door open and they entered a new building. Her steps echoed as she walked, accompanied by a howl of wind somewhere above.

She walked for a few more minutes before finally stopping. “We’re here.”

As Zero dropped him off, he tried to picture in his mind where he was. From the sound of the wind and echoes decreasing, he assumed they were in a large building and had gone into a smaller room, though he couldn’t-

“Take your clothes off.”

He stopped. “W-what?”

“You heard me. Strip.”

What the hell?! His mind rushed to comprehend as he stammered. “I-I, what?? N-no!”

“What’s wrong?” She said, her voice lowering to a sultry tone, “Don’t you like me?”

“N-no! I mean you have been really nice and all but- I don’t even- and- I have a girlfriend!!”

A moment of silence passed, which ended with a burst of laughter from Zero.

“That was better than I thought. Look at you! You’re quivering!”

She continued to laugh as his face flushed with embarrassment and anger. What the hell is wrong with this girl!?

“Relax Jaire, I’m not into you like that. After everything I had to do for you, you’re like a baby brother to me at this point.”

Everything you’ve done!? “Then why would you do that!?”

“Not so stuck up now am I?”

“...” All this because of that? He sighed, “Can we go home now?”

“What? No. We came here for a reason and we ain’t leaving until it’s done.”

“???” Now what?

“Jaire, you reek. Since you seem to be reasonable for now, I think it's time you took a proper shower instead of having me wipe you down every night.”

“...excuse me?”

“You seriously need to shower before I-”

“No not that, what do you mean you wipe me down every night?? I’ve only been here one day!”

“One day?? Jaire you- hm, nevermind I understand your confusion now. What I meant was I wiped you down back in the lab. You would have laid in your own shit and blood for weeks if not for me.”

“...oh.” Well then, this is awkward. He shifted around uncomfortably, unsure what to make of that information. Luckily for him, Zero seemed just fine continuing on.

“And so why we’re in the bathroom house right now. Used to be the old gym back in the day, before the Zvyrs wrecked the place in the raid of ’56. While most of the building was ruined, most of the pipes in here survived so we get to have running water. Light a fire under the heater and presto, you got yourself a warm shower. Well, the baths require some tinkering around with to get working, but it isn’t too hard.”

“Oh, cool...but...couldn’t you have led with that?”

“I could have, but that wouldn’t have been nearly as fun.”

He sighed as a familiar headache returned.“Fair enough. But what about my bandages though? Didn’t you tell me to keep them on?”

“Yes I did, but that’s why we’re out here in the dead of night. Without direct lighting you should be safe, though I would still recommend you keep them closed while you shower. They might have healed by now, but unlike the rest of your body Doc couldn’t just stitch them together, so keep caution.”

“Sounds reasonable I guess.” Another question popped into his mind as he recalled his trouble remembering. “What about my head? How bad was that hurt?”

He heard her hesitate for a moment before she began, “To be honest, that’s a mystery we’re hoping your memories can solve. You see, the damage was concentrated on your body, arms, and legs, but from the neck up you were fine. Well with the exception of your eyes of course. So not only is it odd that your eyes were hurt and nothing else, but the blank memory is very intriguing. But that's for another time, let’s get this over with.”

For the next several minutes, Zero stood in front of him and undid the wrappings as he anxiously waited. Trepidation and excitement crawled over him at the thought of seeing again. On one hand, although it had only been a day, he was already tired of having to rely on Zero to not bump into a wall or stub his toe on the table.

On the other hand however, he was scared to see what he looked like, to see the damage on his body. He hadn’t been able to feel any scars when he ran his hands along his body just yesterday, but he was also too focused on the bony sensation to notice. Now, he would have a full view of just how terrible his body currently was.

Yet, aside from those two emotions, a third rose up in him. Curiosity. He hadn’t known Zero for long, but she had taken care of him, helped me recuperate, and had even seen him in all his glory, yet he had no idea what she looked like.

“There, done.”

Slowly, he opened his eyes. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the soft moon-lit room, but as they did, he focused first on Zero. She stood in front of him in ragged clothing similar to the state of the other’s clothing; however hers consisted of ripped baggy pants that revealed she wore black tights underneath, a loose fitting grey tank top over an undershirt cut above her abdomen, with a shawl that covered her left arm. As for her face…

“What’s with the mask?” he asked. Zero wore a white mask that covered half her face from the cheeks upwards, leaving only her mouth exposed. It was weirdly shaped, with two slightly slanted ovals for eyes, an upside down triangle where her nose would be, and two horns sticking up beyond her head. The horns were curved like the upper part of an egg instead of pointed and both of the eye holes had a fabric woven behind them to hide her face further. Lastly, there were red markings all across the mask, mirrored down the center, and a red ribbon hanging from the left side. If he had to guess, it was supposed to depict a Zvyr, but not one that he knew about. First Ghost and now her. If not for Psyma I’d say all the Sentinel women covered up their faces.

“What’s wrong? Disappointed?”

There was a clear smirk on her lips, which only made him feel exasperated. “Nevermind.”

“Hm. Anyways, behind you is the shower head and lever. It’s the same kind as the ones they use in town so you should know how to use it. Oh, I also took the liberty of retrieving clothes from your place while you slept. I left them in a sack in the next stall over along with a towel. Also, I put a bar of soap and a stool inside this one for you to use if you need it, otherwise just use the handrail. I’ll be waiting outside, just holler when you’re done, though if you take too long I’ll come to check on you.”

He thanked her and she left the shower room. Now by himself, he turned to the shower and looked it over. It was like the one in the Academy’s gym, a small space surrounded by three walls with a drain in the center, though far more rotten looking. The tiled walls were chipped and the metal pipe of the showerhead was completely rusted. WIth a shrug, he turned it on and began to undress. At least it can get warm.

As he undressed, he noticed different shades of skin all along his arms. There wasn’t much light in the room, most of it coming from a large hole near the ceiling, but he could guess what they were. Scars, and plenty of them.

Some were straight and even, running straight down his forearm, but others were random splotches like something had bit him with a ragged tooth. The more he undressed, the more he saw that they covered his entire body down to his toes. Strangely, none of the scars were bumpy or wriggly, all being as flat as his skin itself. No wonder I couldn’t feel them, if not for the coloring I wouldn’t even know I had any.

A thought egged him at the back of his mind, but as he focused on it his head felt heavy again, so he just let out a sigh and began to wash himself.

When he was done and dressed, Zero returned with a roll of bandages and proceeded to wrap them onto his head.

“Can’t I keep them off?” Jaire asked, “I felt fine, really.”

“Too risky. Though if you want to ignore my warnings, feel free to take them off, just know I will not provide for you from that point on.”

He sighed in resignation, unwilling to ruin his own chance at recovery all because he felt like he was being treated like a child.

“Relax, it won’t be long now. If anything, we can come back every night to check your progress.”

“Alright.” Better than nothing I guess.

“Great. All done. Hop on, I’ll take you back now.

--------------------------

It’s time.

“For what??” He asked as he stared into the puddle. The figure that swam underneath him was nowhere to be seen, yet it responded nonetheless.

To awaken. It is time to retrieve the dagger.

“Dagger? What-”

---------------------------

“DAGGER!” Jaire yelled as he bolted upright. His memories trickled into him, spewed out from the cloud in his head. The dagger! How could I forget the dagger!?

“Mmmmm shut up.” An annoyed voice groaned out.

The next moment he felt himself fall backwards as something latched onto his chest.

Panicked, he grabbed the appendage, only to find it to be a human arm. What the hell???

He continually grabbed at the arm until he followed it to the shoulder, and found that the person it belonged to was laying next to him on the bed. Realization dawned on him.

“Grope me and you’ll lose the hand.” Zero grumbled, “Now go back to sleep.”

What the hell is she doing in my bed!? Well technically it's hers but still!! Has she been here the whole time?! Why?!