Zero was nowhere to be found in the forest, however his trails would reveal where he had arrived and departed. Upon closer inspection, one could see these points might show the way to another realm.

In this realm known as Miltia where Zero and Kuro resided in had magick, monsters and technology. Moreso than the one Yejix and Stiles lived in.

The following days since his lovely encounter with the Aesir warrior, he went into seclusion without leave from his commanding officer of the corps responsible for managing monster populations on Miltia.

On the day Yejix was seeking him out, he had remained in seclusion still. In fact, as if to underline it all, he was in the heart of the supposedly most hostile Magicite mine that was situated upon one of the major Magicite veins throughout Miltia.

Zero sat in a glowing cavern, cross-legged with his eyes closed, breathing in and out slowly as if he was in a deep sleep. Like always, he wore white clothing in the form of shoes, neatly creased pants, and a T-shirt with an open buttoned overshirt. Like Stiles, he was bald, having a shaven scalp.

The cavern in which he meditated in was part natural and part manufactured, though by the looks of it, the manufactured part was done by the ancients as there were carved reliefs of totems along the cavern walls. It gave off a variety of colors, though greens and yellows were the predominant colors, and created the ever persistent fog of mana that reduced visibility on all levels except those who were finely attuned with this mine and the surrounding veins of Magicite. The fog was highly toxic due to its high concentrations of pure mana, but it quickly flowed out of this cavern into the rest of the mine which attracted all manner of monsters. There were also arrays of various sizes and intricacies all over the floor. Zero happened to be meditating upon a gigantic one that dominated the others upon the floor.

The reason for his secluded meditation was simple: seeking answers to the questions which preoccupied him upon his return. He had made it to the cavern without difficulty despite the monsters, and the reanimated crystallized corpses of monsters and humans lurking within the mine's depths, thanks to his abilities.

A smile crept into being upon his lips as he found the answers to his questions and opened his eyes, orbs of pure black with nary a trace of white on them taking in the pulsing phosphorescent glow of greens and yellows from the walls, easily filtering through the fog of mana that seemed to swirl away from himself into the corridors elsewhere leading into the mines.

He'd sit here a little longer. After all, he liked this place and most of all, he had all the time in the world--or rather worlds--to wait on his quarry to at least meet his minimum standards on matching himself in battle.