Chapter 111 The Doctor Is In 7 (1/2)

Zombies are strangely cheerful beings. Zero didn't know if it applied for all zombies but Manny and Peter were very cheerful. On the other hand, their summoner looked very solemn. Soon was a short man who appeared human but really wasn't one. Zero got a shock when he met the man for the first time because the aura emitted from Soon was very cold. Zero actually shivered when he entered the apartment.

”I didn't think we would be expecting guests, please forgive the sudden attack earlier. I sensed an unusual presence and unknowingly summoned a defensive barrier.”

So that was what the coldness was. Zero didn't know if auras could feel cold but now that Soon had confirmed what it was, the brunet knew better. He didn't know much about magic but it didn't hurt him so it was all good.

”I'm sorry for dropping by unannounced, I'm Zero!”

Soon nodded and Manny laughed heartily before slapping the young apprentice on the back.

”You're a wee fellow, aren't you? Are you even eating enough? You won't grow right if you don't drink milk.”

Peter noticed Zero's discomfort and pried the tall zombie off him. ”Sorry about that, Zero. Manny can be a little rough at times. He's a musclehead with no awareness about the strength he possessed. Not when he was alive and certainly not even now.”

”When he was alive?”

Manny grinned in amusement. ”Did you think zombies were born from zombie mothers or something? We're undead summoned by that grumpy looking shortie over there... Of course, we were alive once. But that was a long time ago.”

Said shortie landed a kick on Manny's bottom and Zero winced. He was surprised to know that Manny's body didn't break like how Peter's did. After all, that kick was nowhere near gentle. Manny didn't seem to feel any pain from the impact, he didn't even budge from his spot. Soon glared at him.

”This shortie is in control of your body. You'll find yourself babysitting the kids if I hear that one more time.”

Zero saw how Manny turned an unhealthy shade of blue and Soon smirked. Peter did nothing to save his fellow zombie friend. Soon ignored them and invited Zero to take a seat while he prepared some light snacks for their guest. Manny didn't argue any further and sunk into the chair unhappily. Peter decided to engage Zero in some small talk while Soon was readying the tea.

”What were you doing back there? It's quite a distance from the clinic...”

Zero blinked. He'd almost forgotten what he was doing just before. ”I was playing tag. I'm still playing tag so if anyone comes finding me, I shall have to run...”

Peter chuckled and promised to let Zero know if there was anyone coming to tag him. Soon who overheard their conversation from the kitchen smiled. ”I'll watch out for Rima if I were you. That girl can sense everyone within an active radius so even if you turned invisible, you can't hide from her.”

Zero made a face. ”That's almost cheating...”

Soon laughed. ”It's not very effective against Leon though. That werecat child has speed and reflexes that can easily escape from her radius. It doesn't help that he has keen hearing. Rima is a bad match against Leon but great against Jacqueline.”

Zero thanked the magician and accepted the steaming mug. He inhaled deeply and grinned. Soon was a fan of Jasmine tea and Zero found something in common with the solemn-looking magician.

”Jacqueline ran off to chase Leon earlier. I doubt they'll be finding me any time soon. Has anyone ever hid in houses during a game of tag?”

Manny who seemed to recover from the threat earlier took a seat across Zero and grinned. ”Nah, they prefer hiding up in the watchtower instead. Jacqueline will catch Leon in no time so I'll say that you'll be safe for the next twenty minutes after she does. That kid is a great runner but not a very good tagger.”

”He could outrun Rima so he could tag her just as easily...”

Peter snorted. ”Him? Perhaps he could if he had half her intelligence. Leon's like an arrow with no direction. Rima is good at hiding and misdirecting him. He'll never find her. Jacqueline may be a quarter mermaid but you shouldn't underestimate her ability to create illusions. It's normally easy to break the illusion but Leon's a little dumb so he'll just continue walking circles for a while before he figures out something is wrong.”

Illusion magic? He didn't think that Jacqueline would be capable of using any magic. Now he was curious to know what Jacqueline could do. His expression must have said it all because Soon smirked. ”Would you like to experience illusion magic?”

Zero jumped at the chance without hesitation.

Soon chanted a short incantation and Zero found the living room distorting into a forest. Logically he knew that what his eyes perceived wasn't real. However, what was scarier was how Zero couldn't sense Soon or his zombies in the same room. In fact, everything seemed so real. Zero wouldn't be able to tell it apart if he didn't know that he was entering an illusion in advance.

”This is a high-tier illusion. It fools all your senses successfully and only those with very keen magic perception or a strong sense of self can see through it. Of course, Jacqueline's illusion can only fool the eyes. You'd be able to tell by touch or sound that something was wrong. Leon the fool couldn't do it, he's a lost cause for magic.”

Zero giggled at Soon's explanation and marvelled at the illusion. Zero noted how detailed the illusion was. The smell of moist earth and humidity on his skin felt exactly like a real forest. There was chirping of birds in the distance and slight breeze that felt all too real to the touch. Every bar had a unique pattern and nothing seemed amiss. It was a perfect illusion.

Then, something touched the back of Zero's neck making him scream. He leapt up onto his feet and spun around only to be greeted by a huge tree trunk. The chair he was sitting on earlier was now a tree stump. Zero frowned. That was clearly something not within the illusion.

”Now then, I heard that you have a gift for magic. Allow me to test your innate abilities. Are you able to find a way out of the illusion or break the spell?”

Zero blinked and then grinned. Soon was testing him and Zero loved challenges. He didn't know much about illusion magic but from what Soon mentioned, it fooled the senses if done right. It could only be detected if one had a very keen magic perception or a strong sense of self. Luckily, Zero had Mii to help him out.

The strawcherry assistant got to work immediately, pulling up the map. Zero grinned gleefully at the thought of being able to escape quickly. His initial optimism faded away when he noticed something odd. There was nobody showing up on his map even though the layout of the apartment was accurate.

”What's going on?”

Mii ran some checks of the apartment again. Nothing changed. The same thing happened earlier when Zero bumped into Peter earlier. The zombie didn't show on the map. Was the map malfunctioning?

”Why can't I detect anyone in the room? Shouldn't the map show me anyone or anything in the selected area? I could use this before to find rare herbs at Endow Hill... does it not work in Half Moon village?” he wondered aloud.

There was silence as Zero tried to figure out what was going on.

”That map you speak of... is that a kind of detection magic?”

Soon was intrigued after hearing Zero's monologue. He knew that Zero might have some tricks up his sleeve but didn't expect for the young child to possess such powerful unique magic. No wonder Hua Tuo was enthralled by the child. According to Lovina, Zero had come up with some rather bizarre but ingenious ideas about using healing magic. The lich wanted to test if that was simply a moment of fluke or if Zero was the real deal who would take the world by storm.