Rise of the 13th Zodiac

Lev was suddenly awake.

It took him a few seconds to recall what had happened during his meeting with Leo.

Lev frantically looked around. To his dismay, he couldn't see a thing, for he was surrounded by absolute darkness.

Unable to see even his own body, Lev tried patting himself. Yet, there was nothing there. In fact, he didn't even have hands to pat with.

Suddenly, a voice sounded in his head.

[Stop it, boy.]

The eerie voice that came out of nowhere shocked Lev greatly.

"Who are you!?"

[Stop getting agitated unless you want to die, boy.]

The voice sounded nonchalant, but Lev could somehow sense that it was telling the truth.

Lev immediately silenced himself and tried recovering his composure that had been completely shattered ever since Leo manifested in front of him.

[There you go. Settle down, boy. You're barely even a soul now. Don't go dissipating yourself after all that I've done to preserve your feeble existence.]

Shortly after, Lev felt that he had calm down enough.

"Who are you?" Lev asked once again, this time without raising his voice.

[I am Ophiuchus. And in case you're wondering, I'm a Zodiac.]

"What?!"

Upon hearing this shocking revelation, Lev couldn't help but get agitated again. But as he recalled Ophiuchus' warning, he quickly suppressed his agitation.

[Good, you're a fast learner. If you were a dolt, I would have slightly regretted saving you.]

Calming down once more, Lev began pondering over Ophiuchus' astounding identity.

'No wonder his voice sounds familiar. It has similar characteristics to that bastard's voice,' Lev thought.

[Who is this bastard you're referring to? Leo?]

"You can read my mind?!"

For the third time after his awakening, Lev was once again shocked.

[I can. After all, we're now connected to each other.]

"Connected? How?"

[After your soul was shattered by Leo, I gathered your bits and essentially revived you. But this was not something that was easily done even with my powers. I had to transfer a large portion of my divinity to make your soul whole again, resulting in our connection.]

"So is it similar to my previous blessing? Assuming you know about it."

[I do know about it, and in a way, yes it is similar. But what Leo had bestowed upon you was but a meager amount. And his divinity was merely attached to you, unlike mine which has already assimilated with your soul.]

"So I'm basically a half-Zodiac?"

[That is one way to look at it, but I don't think it is exactly as you say. But who knows? This is an unprecedented case after all.]

Lev fell silent momentarily, digesting the Zodiac's words.

"But why are you doing this?" Lev finally asked.

[I've been waiting for you to ask, boy.]

Lev could sense the eagerness in Ophiuchus' voice.

[Let me tell you a story… Eons ago, there were thirteen Zodiacs who were brought into existence. At first, they coexisted peacefully, sharing the wonders of the universe while slowly accumulating divinity.]

[As countless millennia went by, the connate similarities and differences among these Zodiacs became more apparent. Their characters, strengths, weaknesses, and preferences were slowly reinforced. Meanwhile, their harmonious coexistence started to change as they began to collude, scheme, and compete with one another.]

[And during this period, there was none that shone brighter than the serpent bearer. He excelled in many aspects: prowess, eloquence, wits, looks, you name it. However, his brilliance garnered envy from the other Zodiacs, especially from the few foolhardy ones. Eventually, the other twelve Zodiacs put aside their differences and toppled the serpent bearer from his throne, destroying his constellation along with his existence.]

Listening to this part, Lev finally realized what the story was about.

[But little did the fools know, the serpent bearer was way more cunning than they ever expected, for he had long prepared for such a contingency. Therefore, unbeknownst to the other Zodiacs, the serpent bearer was able to survive and has been patiently hiding in the dark, waiting for the day to deliver their retribution.]

[And that's your answer, boy. So tell me now, will you help me?]

Lev didn't immediately reply, for he was reminded of his childhood tragedy, thinking that Ophiuchus' circumstances was similar to his own in the past.

In Lev's mind, the past scene of him pleading for power in front of his mother's grave was juxtposed with the present: a human to a Zodiac, a Zodiac to a human—both asking for help, desperate for revenge.

But at this moment, a thirst for vengeance started to swell within Lev, for what he had deemed impossible was now a possibility. And with this, Lev finally made up his mind.

"I will, since it is in line with my own desire."

Hearing Lev's reply, Ophiuchus chuckled.

[Oh Leo, thanks for the opportunity, you cretin. Anyway, since we've decided to work together, I'll let you know that it wasn't entirely your fault that Leo took back his divinity and killed you. So leave your regrets behind and focus on the future instead, okay?]

"What do you mean by that?"

[Well, you might have made a rather unreasonable oath, but if not for the agreement among the Zodiacs, there would have been a chance for you to fulfill it—a small chance, but a chance nonetheless. Alas, Leo had always known that you were toiling for something impossible, so he might as well retrieve his investment that had already begun to decrease in value.]

"The Zodiacs had an agreement?! Don't tell me…"

[It is exactly what you think it is, boy. The Zodiacs have made a pact regarding their empires, stating that fighting for resources and territories is allowed, but eliminating or subduing one another is prohibited.]

[And that is why your oath isn't actually fulfillable in the first place. But Leo chose to hide this fact from you and had used it to justify the premature retrieval of your blessing, which he could then reinvest into a lot more other people. Such a greedy twat, don't you think?]

"So I was deceived…?"

Instead of feeling relieved, Lev was appalled by this revelation. He had truly been made a fool by his former lord, slaving for years in the frontlines in vain.

If Lev could turn back time, he would rather remain a homeless and ever vengeful brat than become a clueless pawn, stripped from his family at the peak of his happiness.

He had long expected a bitter end for him, as he had killed countless people, but not this way—not by his own lord's deceit and betrayal.

"Accepting a futile oath... Blaming me for nothing… Turning my children fatherless, my wife a widow… All that power but still plotting against me…

"YOU SHAMELESS WHORESON!!!"

At this moment, a tempest of wrath surged within Lev, his soul flickering.

[Oh shit!]

Ophiuchus panicked as his sole means of payback after a seemingly endless wait was in risk of perishing.

[Sorry, boy! I have no choice!]

The flickering of Lev's soul suddenly receded as a dark green aura emanated from within him. Then a streak of green lightning emerged from the surrounding darkness and flew straight into Lev's soul.

As if sparked by the lightning, the green aura turned brighter. And a few seconds later, Lev's soul vanished, leaving behind a total darkness.

Hidden amidst this vast nothingness was a relieved smile.

[Godspeed, my harbinger of vengeance…]

***