"My ship cost me a fortune. I'll just ignore you. I might destroy it otherwise."
"That's exactly what I thought."
"Just shut up!"
"..."
"..."
A silence fell. Then Zrahel continued:
"Anyway, tell me a bit about yourself, Ashera."
She remained silent.
"I think talking will calm your mood swings."
"You're the cause of them!"
"I've noticed. The loss of my memories has affected you a lot. But I'm trying my best to make an effort."
"It's not—Never mind..."
She stood up, weary, drained by the exchange. Zrahel stood as well.
"Why are you following me?"
"Well, I'm waiting for your answer."
She pinched the bridge of her nose, tired of his persistence. She didn't want to talk; she had no desire to converse with this mass-murdering psychopath. But she was trapped, condemned to his presence, at least for a while.
"Tell me something about yourself instead."
"I thought we were close?"
"Not that close. We were… acquaintances, let's say."
Zrahel nodded.
"Well, as you know, I don't remember much."
"So, what are your abilities?" she asked casually, her mind fully alert.
"I only have one."
"Only one?"
"The Singularity."
She mentally noted the term. Singularity. She knew it. It implied he had the power to generate zones where density and pressure reached infinite values, violating standard physical laws. This type of power included abilities like gravitational manipulation, cosmic waves, telekinesis, matter alteration, and a form of invulnerability.
"Does it have something to do with the protective layer that constantly surrounds you?"
"You know that too? Indeed. The principle is simple. Using neon as an amplifier, my density becomes so extreme that it instantly creates an Event Horizon-like zone."
"A boundary in spacetime, like around a black hole."
"Exactly."
She took control of the dashboard, sat down, and began typing commands. Coordinates appeared in blue on the screen.
"We've arrived in the Nebulous Quadrant."
A message displayed: [Arrival at Gamma-12 in a few minutes]
"And your quantum number?" she asked.
Zrahel stared at her.
"Why do you want to know that? Isn't that kind of personal?"
"It used to be, but these days it hardly matters anymore." she lied.
She swept her hair aside, revealing her nape. The number 88 was visible, though faded. Zrahel observed.
"It's pale. Your job seems dangerous."
She wanted to shout at him, to tell him why she had fewer than fifteen lives left. It was because he alone had killed her nearly forty times. But she stayed silent, gathering every piece of information.
The quantum number had appeared with the mutation of the universe. Every living being possessed one at birth. The lower the number, the greater the talent. In return, the available lives were limited. An individual with the number 88 could only die 88 times before dying permanently. Each resurrection made the number paler. On the surface, a high number like 1000 seemed superior. But in reality, an individual with 100, using barely 20% of their potential, could eliminate the one with 1000 hundreds of times, even if they exploited all their strength.
But all that had changed with the appearance of dark energy. An energy used only by nightmares and The Fool. This energy bypassed the protections offered by the quantum number. A single attack was enough to permanently eliminate an opponent, regardless of their number. This energy had appeared in the third war. Zrahel, according to Ashera, was not yet aware. Due to his memory loss, he might still not know he possessed this power.
"So, your quantum number?" she asked again.
"I don't have one," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"It's been zero from the start."
Ashera felt a shiver. She clenched her hands.
A Quantum Number: Null
That implied an absolute absence of limits in his potential. He could continue to grow, becoming more and more powerful. She didn't even know the extent of his current power, but if he could evolve... Yet, this Quantum Number also meant he wasn't immortal, even if there was a slim chance, he was mortal.
Her thoughts raced. She felt a form of excitement arise. As long as she could hurt him, she could also kill him. She had always wrongly thought he was immortal. The experimental Pulsar weapon had had no effect on him. But now, everything was changing.
"Speaking of which, Zrahel… Have you ever fought someone truly powerful? Someone who could hurt you?"
"I suppose so. The second war was tough." He said thoughtfully, not so sure of himself.
"What method did they use?" she asked eagerly.
"How would I know? But maybe they used the—wait! There's a strange implication in your question. You don't want me to give you a way to kill me, do you?"
"No, no! Just for information. Anyway, we'll make a stopover on this intermediate planet. Fasten your seatbelt."
She flashed a wide smile. The news was good. Finally, hope to gut this psychopath bastard.
Zrahel looked at her for a long time.
He sat calmly, his arms resting on the armrests of the seat. He blinked slowly.
'Is it really normal to be around a bipolar person? She's completely unstable.'
He turned his head and sighed.
"So, what are your abilities?"
Ashera glanced at him sideways. Her mind wandering to the first time they had met. She was naive, less intelligent, less strategic, and much less powerful.
In the end, she had to admit that The Fool had contributed greatly to who she was today.
"Nothing interesting: Just the destructive power of a neutron star." She said proudly.
"Yeah, as you say, it's a bit mediocre."
"..."
She opened her mouth to speak but remained silent for the rest of the journey.
...
When they arrived at the Gamma-12 solar system.
"He should already be here?"
"Who?"
"My sentinels, I asked them to meet me, but they're nowhere to be found."
Ashera frowned, her golden gaze sliding over the holographic coordinates. She reached out to her console and deployed the radar. Apart from Gamma-0 star, planets Gamma 1 to 12, and some trails of interstellar debris floating slowly, there was nothing. The interplanetary route was strangely empty. No trace of the squad of twenty sentinels or the lieutenant she had requested.
"Hmm…" Zrahel, still slumped in the passenger seat, twirled a strand of his hair, uninterested.
"Suspicious… I'll send another signal," she muttered to herself.
She tapped the console.
[URGENCY]
An alarm sounded, the control began flashing red.