Zazm got back to his room and sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the floor. His coat slid slightly off his shoulders, but he didn't bother fixing it. Zephyra floated down with her usual lazy grace, landing beside him before sprawling across the mattress. She lay on her back, her hair spilling around her like strands of dark silk.
She tilted her head toward him, one eye half-open.
"What was all that about?" she asked, her voice light, but with a flicker of curiosity hidden behind the playfulness.
Zazm didn't reply. His gaze was fixed ahead, as though his mind wasn't in the room anymore. He looked… lost, but in that same expressionless way he always carried himself.
Zephyra rolled onto her side, propping her head up with her hand.
"He was probably angry for you not using Erasure," she said, testing the waters.
Zazm's reply was quiet, sharp, and flat.
"Not like I can use that."
Before she could say anything else, there was a hard knock at the door. Zazm got up immediately, his movements efficient, unbothered. He opened the door, and Neo was standing there — arms crossed, expression hard, like he'd been carrying his sour mood since the training field.
Zazm didn't say anything. He just turned back as Neo walked inside, the air between them tightening with unspoken tension. Neo sat on the opposite bed, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. Zephyra shifted, sitting up behind Zazm, her eyes narrowed slightly as she watched.
"Why didn't you use that?" Neo said finally. His voice was sharp, impatient.
Zazm's tone was flat as steel.
"Use what?"
Neo clicked his tongue in irritation. "That thing you use to instantly kill someone."
Zazm tilted his head just slightly, his cold eyes locking onto Neo.
"You're talking about Erasure."
Neo gave one short nod. His tone hardened further.
"Why didn't you use it?"
Zazm leaned back, his expression unchanged, his voice like ice. "It's not worth it."
Neo scoffed, his "huh" carrying both anger and disbelief.
Zazm continued, unbothered.
"Erasure bends the space the target exists into nothing. But the more Vana the target has, the more I need to spend to eliminate them. My own power drains faster than anyone thinks."
Neo clicked his tongue again, eyes narrowing.
"So it's a skill that takes alot, huh."
Zazm gave a slow nod.
"At my current level, it's fine to take out multiple two-star threats. Beyond that… it isn't worth it."
Neo crossed his arms, sitting back against the bedframe, his tone heavy.
"So you can't erase Omegas, Zero Stars, or even a single One Star?"
Zazm answered without hesitation. "Not yet."
Neo exhaled slowly, his jaw tight. "I see."
He stood up, the weight of his coat shifting with the motion. His hand started to glow faintly, and a thin panel of light shimmered open in his palm — a message. Neo scanned it, his eyes flicking, and then turned back to Zazm.
"We're leaving."
Zazm raised his eyes. "Where?"
Neo clicked his tongue, annoyed as always.
"Rhyes has asked us to get to Null Fluxx immediately."
He turned on his heel toward the door.
"Change and come outside. I'll be waiting."
The door shut behind him with a dull thud.
Zazm rose, quietly pulling off his uniform. He swapped it for a long black jacket, simple but sharp. As he ran a hand through his hair, Zephyra flopped backward again.
"I wanna sleep unlike you I need sleep and rest."
Zazm didn't even glance at her. He fixed his collar.
"You can stay."
Zephyra sat up, stretching her arms lazily over her head.
"No, I rather don't leave you alone."
By the time he stepped out the door, Zephyra had already flown over, landing on him lightly. Her arms locked loosely around his shoulders from behind, her chin brushing the side of his neck as her hair fell forward. She rested her head there like she belonged.
In the blink of an eye, Zazm disappeared from the dorm. He reappeared outside EIAA where Neo was waiting, dressed in a sleek black coat and straight-cut pants, his presence sharp and imposing.
Neo's lips curled in irritation.
"Let's hurry."
The world folded around them. Both vanished again and reappeared deep within Ashburn Forest. The air here was different — heavy, thick with mist that swirled low around their feet. The branches of the ancient trees groaned as though weighed down by something unseen.
Neo's eyes narrowed at the sight ahead. An old woman stood alone in the clearing, her back bent but her stance unshaken.
Zazm slid his hands into his pockets, unreadable as always. Neo walked forward, his sour tone sharp.
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
The woman lifted her withered face, eyes pale and clouded, yet uncomfortably sharp as they focused on the two of them.
"The souls have brought me here."
Neo's jaw clenched. His irritation sharpened.
"What?" he snapped. "Listen, get out of here."
But the woman ignored him. Her cracked lips parted, her trembling hand rising as she pointed directly at the two of them.
"Both of you… will die."
Zazm's voice was quiet, cold.
"What?"
Her tone carried a strange finality.
"It is a prophecy I am making. Both of you will die a brutal and painful death… unless you stop."
Neo snarled, clicking his tongue, his patience evaporating.
"A prophecy. That's all we needed in our lives right now." His gaze hardened, voice like steel. "Here's another prophecy: you'll die before us if you don't move."
He turned sharply, waving her off.
"Leave her. The beasts around here will handle her."
Zazm lingered for just a moment longer, his expression unreadable as ever. He turned, but as he did, the woman's voice cracked the silence again.
"The girl."
Zazm stopped mid-step. His cold gaze flicked back over his shoulder.
"What girl?"
The old woman's finger trembled, yet her voice was clear.
"The one… sleeping on you. Her head on your shoulder."
But Zazm's eyes didn't change.
"I don't know which girl you're talking about." His tone remained flat, dismissive. He turned back around, walking away without another word.
The woman's withered eyes followed him until the fog swallowed her up.
"Be wary of her because she --."
Zazm had already moved away not caring, his hands in his pockets his face unmoved.
The forest seemed to grow darker as they walked deeper toward the Null Flux Bastion. The air carried weight, pressing down on their lungs. Neo broke the silence, his voice low and sour.
"People like that exist. Pain like that exists. People like those aren't a rarity in a universe this big."
Zazm didn't answer right away. His expression never shifted, but his gaze slid sideways, toward the weight on his shoulders. Zephyra was there, asleep as if the world had nothing to do with her. Her pale arms were draped loosely around his neck, her head tucked comfortably into the curve of his shoulder, purple hair spilling down against his jacket.
Her breathing was soft, steady, and peaceful.
He kept walking, his face expressionless as ever — but his hand inside his pocket tightened ever so slightly.
---
The moment Zazm and Neo stepped inside the towering dome of Obsidian Fang, the atmosphere struck them like a hammer. The air itself carried tension — frantic orders barked across the chamber, boots hammering on the polished obsidian floors, soldiers in combat gear sprinting in every direction with faces etched in urgency.
Neo slowed for half a second, his eyes sharp.
"What the hell is going on?" he muttered, sourness curling in his voice.
Zazm turned his head just in time for a soldier to stumble against him, nearly colliding before straightening and saluting with wide eyes.
"Sir Zazm—it's an emergency!"
Zazm's tone was cold, unshaken.
"What's happening?"
The man barely had time to stammer out a reply before Neo clicked his tongue and cut in.
"Forget him. Zazm — let's go straight to Rhyes."
Without hesitation, they strode through the controlled chaos, each step ringing against the dome's black flooring until they reached the towering doors of the command office.
Inside, Supreme Commander Rhyes stood with his back to them, gazing out from the high obsidian window. His uniform was crisp and immaculate, his long cape flowing behind him like a shadow. His hands were clasped calmly behind his back, posture rigid, hair perfectly set — a picture of authority.
Neo's voice cracked the silence as he entered."What's going on, Rhyes?"
Rhyes turned slowly, his expression stern.
"I called you to arrive over an hour ago."
Neo's jaw flexed, his irritation clear.
"We came as fast as we could."
Rhyes stepped forward, his cape shifting with the movement.
"We don't have time for excuses. Let me be brief."
Neo dropped onto the sofa with an impatient exhale, leaning forward. Zazm remained standing, his hands still buried in his pockets, silent as always.
Rhyes' gaze sharpened.
"On a planet called Uroun, a massive assault has been launched. The population there is nearly four billion… and already, over a million lives are confirmed dead."
Neo froze mid-motion. His face twisted, and before anyone could react, he slammed his fist onto the table. The wood cracked, split, and shattered under the blow, leaving it broken in half.
He shot to his feet. "What the hell have we been doing until now!?"
Rhyes didn't flinch. His voice was controlled, steady.
"We received intelligence only a few hours ago. Even if we had left immediately with warships, it would have taken us two to three days to arrive."
Neo's teeth clenched. "We should have left anyway!"
Rhyes' gaze slid past Neo to Zazm, steady and knowing.
"I believe you already understand, don't you?"
Zazm's reply was calm, cold, certain.
"I can teleport everyone there."
Neo's eyes snapped to him.
"Didn't you say teleporting that many at once is dangerous? Risky?"
Zazm gave the faintest nod.
"I wouldn't teleport them directly. I can open a portal."
Neo turned sharply to Rhyes, his voice dripping with fury.
"So you gambled with millions of lives? What if Zazm couldn't do it?"
Rhyes didn't blink. His reply was sharp as steel.
"My gamble worked. Which means millions more will live."
Neo's glare lingered, but he turned away, his coat shifting as he crossed his arms. Rhyes moved forward, his presence commanding the air. Both Zazm and Neo fell into step behind him as they walked through the grand halls toward the central staging area.
The chamber opened wide — vast, circular, the ceiling stretching high into a dome. Millions of soldiers filled the space, lined in perfect combat formation, weapons in hand.
The obsidian floor reflected the glow of energy cores and weaponry, a sea of gleaming steel and shifting power. Each soldier's armor was different, personalized, but every one of them bore the glowing insignia of the Obsidian Fan.
A woman dressed in a uniform nearly identical to Rhyes' approached swiftly. She bowed once.
"Everything is ready, Supreme Commander Rhyes. All soldiers bearing the AMI mark have been gathered here."
Neo stepped forward, voice sharp and direct.
"Ranks and numbers."
She pulled a holographic panel from her wrist. The light bathed her face as she read.
"Seventeen million, sixty-two thousand, and eighty-eight. Nearly ten million are First Star. The rest are Two Stars."
Neo turned toward Rhyes, his voice low and bitter.
"Would that much even be enough?"
Rhyes shook his head slowly.
"I don't know. But we have Zazm, you, and me here."
He strode forward to the circular platform at the center. As he stood upon it, arcs of light surged upward, and in an instant, a colossal hologram of Rhyes' form shimmered into existence above the dome. His projection towered over the soldiers, and in perfect unison, every soldier raised their head toward him.
His voice boomed, amplified across every corridor, every ear.
"We don't have much time, so I will keep this short."
The room fell silent, millions of soldiers frozen in rapt attention.
"The situation on Uroun is catastrophic. Lives are being taken with every second we stand idle. Our purpose are simple: we teleport there immediately. We will drop from the air—landing directly may prove too dangerous. Use your gear carefully. Save as many lives as you can. Remember — the faster we crush the enemy, the more lives will be spared."
He paused, his sharp eyes sweeping the vast chamber.
"You are wondering how we will teleport. That will be made possible by Zazm Mystic here."
At once, murmurs erupted through the ranks. Some gasps, some whispers, others exclamations of disbelief. The crowd broke into fragmented voices.
"Zazm Mystic? That's him?"
"I've heard of him…"
"He's the Remnant…??"
"He is the one who saved us in the Oryn Campaign."
"I remember him he was on frontlines with front lines in Zeerus attack aswell."
The whispers traveled like wildfire, carrying awe, fear, and reverence in equal measure.
Neo smirked faintly, shaking his head as his sour tone broke through.
"Looks like a lot of people trust you already."
Zazm's reply was low, steady, carrying the weight of his years.
"I've been fighting for almost two years now."
And the chamber hung heavy with silence, millions of eyes fixed on him — the Remnant who would open the path.
It all had started two years ago before they departed for the academy. Zazm told Rhyes that he doesn't need sleep or any other thing.
He asked Rhyes to let him fight and participate in battles while he is in the academy. At first Rhyes wasn't sure but he thought this will be helpful.
Zazm was later introduced as a zero class threat remnant who will be fighting next to humanity.
He was officially crowned as the tenth zero class on humanities side. His existence was kept under the covers only a few soldiers knowing about him.
In the beginning several soldiers were unsure and many hated the fact that a remnant has joined them, many were afraid but as time passed more and more soldiers saw him on the front lines and started trusting him.
He fought in several small scale battles and also fought on front lines but along with fighting he quickly teleported injured to help and because of him many people who otherwise would've died were saved and they had no option but to accept him.
Overtime people started respecting him and he was also provided a position of Commander on the front lines. Although no one outside even knew he existed but the soldiers inside trusted him enough to keep his identity a secret.
For the soldiers who were conscious enough to see him fight, who were drowning in fear and uncertainty, Zazm became something else. Not just another Zero Class. Not just a phantom on the frontlines. He became reassurance. A silent promise that if he was there, they would not fall.
One battle turned into two. Two into ten. Ten into countless more. And slowly, piece by piece, trust grew.
Soldiers who had once clenched their weapons in despair began to steady their hands. Those who had muttered about death began to look toward Zazm as proof that survival — no, victory — was possible. His name spread across platoons, across entire fleets. First as a whisper, then as a murmur, and finally as a banner carried from one end of the war to the other.
And so, through battle after battle, through fire and ruin, through the endless churn of war, his legend grew. What had started as a simple request to fight while still in the academy had transformed into two years of relentless victories — victories that brought not just survival, but hope.
He became the first ever remnant to gain trust and affirmation of humanity and the first in history to not side with his own race.
And that's how inside the obsidian fang Zazm Mystic gained the titles The Betrayer of Blood and The Rejected that was Accepted. They weren't his official titles just was he was being called by soldiers.
Rhyes' voice cut through the murmurs of the dome like a blade.
"Get your gear ready. We leave in ten minutes."
The words rippled through the massive chamber. Soldiers stiffened, boots shuffled, the metallic clicks of weapons locking into place echoing across the obsidian walls.
Rhyes' sharp gaze slid to Zazm, unwavering.
"This will be your biggest battle up until now."
Zazm gave no verbal reply, only a faint nod, his expression as unreadable as ever.
Neo's lip curled in frustration, his eyes narrowing. He stepped closer, his words pointed, almost venomous.
"Zazm, many of these people trust you… but I don't."
Zazm's eyes moved slightly, a tiny shift, but enough for Neo to notice.
Neo clicked his tongue.
"That damn emotionless face. And those eyes. I can't stand them."
Zazm finally spoke, his tone flat. "I can't do anything about my face."
Neo shot back immediately, his voice louder now.
"It's not your face. It's your selfishness. People like you… wouldn't hesitate to change sides if the other offered more."
The words lingered in the air like smoke. Soldiers in earshot froze, unsure if they should even breathe.
Zazm stood still. He didn't answer, didn't flinch. Then he slowly turned his head, his gaze landing on Zephyra sitting lazily to the side. For a moment, it felt as he tried to show something but his face didn't change, and his mind drifted.
He saw the others his friends, his so-called family Ai, Jennie, Nova, Minos, Kiyomasa, Miwa. The faces that made the weight of his choices real.
His voice, when it came, was quieter, heavier.
"You're correct. I am that type of person."
His eyes dropped to his own hands. They looked ordinary, but he saw them drenched in all the lives he'd taken. His voice remained cold and collective as always.
"I've taken countless lives for the sake of the people I call family, and…"
He stopped himself, biting back the rest.
Neo was about to spit another insult, but Zazm's voice cut him off, firmer this time.
"But above all, I'll stand with them. And they want this massacre to end."
Neo clicked his tongue again, but this time he didn't reply. He turned sharply, cloak whipping behind him, and stalked away.
The silence was broken by Rhyes' steady footsteps. He approached Zazm with the same commanding poise as always, but his voice carried something softer.
"You'll need these."
He gestured, and the woman from earlier stepped forward, holding a black steel briefcase. With a quiet click, the locks released, and the case opened. Inside lay two energy swords, their hilts sleek, etched with glowing lines of dormant power.
Rhyes' tone was deliberate.
"The remnants we face may be stronger than anything you've fought. These may come in handy."
Zazm studied them, silent.
Rhyes continued. "We should also make arrangements for you to receive an AMI mark."
Zazm's eyes finally lifted. "Why?"
Rhyes clasped his hands behind his back.
"An AMI mark doesn't just grant abilities. It offers a weapon forged directly for you. A weapon that will grow stronger as you do. It will be useful."
Zazm reached into the case. The moment his fingers touched the hilts, the blades hummed to life. Two arcs of radiant energy erupted outward, shining bright — one violet, one pale white — glowing so fiercely that soldiers nearby shielded their eyes.
Zazm narrowed his gaze.
"They feel… different."
Rhyes nodded once. "They're a special model. Built only for this unit."
He handed Zazm a wide combat belt. "Use it."
Zazm fastened it around his waist, sliding the hilts into the sockets. Instantly, the glowing blades dissolved into light, leaving only the hilts behind, sleek and weightless.
A murmur ran through the soldiers. For some, it was the first time they had seen such technology.
Rhyes' eyes flicked to the woman, who nodded. She raised a small device and pressed it. A shrill ping rang across the dome — the signal.
Millions of weapons clutched tighter in unison. — each soldier straightened, their armor clicking, their resolve unspoken but palpable.
Rhyes opened his mouth to speak, but a voice called out from the side.
"Rhyes."
Every head turned.
From the far end of the hall, Lorriel strode forward, her coat fluttering, her face calm but her eyes sharp. She stopped just short of the platform.
"I've assembled a medical team. Let us come with you."
Rhyes' face tightened.
"It's too dangerous. We can't risk—"
Lorriel shook her head, cutting him off. Her voice rang, firm. "Lives are more important, Rhyes. If we don't go, more will die."
Rhyes held her gaze for a long moment. His eyes softened — barely. Then he turned away.
"Once your team is ready, join us."
Lorriel exhaled and bowed her head.
"Thank you." She turned, already issuing orders to her medics.
Rhyes turned back to his army. His voice rose again, amplified across the dome.
"Everyone — prepare yourselves. We don't know how many of us will die today. We know nothing about the enemy. But that is nothing new… for Obsidian Fang."
The soldiers' breaths caught. Every eye was on him.
His tone sharpened, fueled with fire.
"All of you joined us to protect the innocent. To stand for the weak. To give your lives if necessary — to be the blade between humanity and annihilation."
The words echoed like thunder. The soldiers' spines straightened, their grips on weapons tightening.
Off to the side, Zephyra finally stirred, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She glanced lazily at Zazm.
"What's with all the commotion?"
"We're going to war." Zazm replied flatly still looking forward.
She blinked, then shrugged."Oh. I see."
She curled back into her sleeping position, wrapping her arms comfortably around Zazm . But a beat later, her head shot up, eyes wide.
"Wait. A WAR? What did I miss!?"
Zazm didn't budge, eyes fixed forward.
"You can keep sleeping. It won't bother you."
Zephyra burst into a laugh, she put her head back on Zazm's shoulder and closing her eyes.
"Hah… guess I'll pass then." She yawned again, sinking into her nap as if nothing was happening.
Rhyes ignored the interruption. His voice boomed one final time, louder than ever, carrying both weight and fire:
"MAY YOU ALL SURVIVE!"
The chamber erupted as one. Millions of voices roared back:
"WE'LL ALL SURVIVE — TO HUMANITY!"
The obsidian dome shook with the force of it.
At the center, Zazm raised one hand. A faint glow pulsed at first, then surged brighter, spreading like wildfire. Golden and purple energy swirled together, threads of light unraveling into the air like silk. The glow grew, expanded, until a vast portal bloomed beneath the feet of every soldier. Its edges writhed with glowing filaments, stretching and weaving together in impossible patterns.
And then — the floor fell away.
Millions of soldiers dropped at once, their shouts lost in the storm of rushing air. The portal swallowed them whole, bending space itself.
Rhyes strode to Zazm, his cape snapping behind him.
"Don't close the portal. And change our location to where the highest vana levels are."
Zazm's face remained calm as he gave a small nod.
Without hesitation, Rhyes, Neo, and the woman beside him leapt. Their bodies plunged into the golden-violet abyss.
And in the next instant — they were gone.
They emerged high above the skies of Uroun, the world sprawling below them, its cities wreathed in smoke, its clouds lit with the orange glow of destruction. The wind howled around them as they fell through the heavens.
The air screamed past them as the portal spat them into the open sky of Uroun.
Zazm fell like a stone — arms buried in his pockets, coat whipping violently around him. His expression never shifted, not even with the ground rushing closer. His eyes were fixed, unblinking, as if gravity itself meant nothing to him.
"Can you stop falling and teleport to the ground please? It's hard to stay like this." Zephyra spoke still half asleep but grabbing Zazm tighter to not fly away.
Beside him, Neo's swords flared into existence with a snap of steel. He stretched his arms and legs wide, riding the air like a predator circling its prey. His blades caught the dim orange light of the burning cities below. And then — in an instant — he vanished from sight.
Rhyes was the only one who moved with controlled precision. Mid-fall, his hand slid to the hilt at his side, the obsidian-black blade whispering free from its sheath. His cape flared as he angled his body downward, sword leveled forward, eyes narrowed in calm readiness.
The battle had begun.
_____________________________