Zero returned to the capital before sunrise.
He didn't go to Tech Genesis.
He didn't go to the War Council.
He didn't tell anyone what had happened in the valley.
He simply returned to his room, closed the door, and sat beside the window.
The city was beginning to wake.
Merchants opened their shops.
Adventurers gathered around guild entrances.
People walked through the streets without knowing that another version of Zero had stood only a few hours away.
Zero remained silent.
His mind kept returning to the same conversation.
I'm correcting my mistakes.
You.
Your peace.
He had fought devils.
He had fought the Emperor of Destruction.
He had stood against Aamon.
He had watched entire battlefields collapse around him.
But none of those enemies had disturbed him the way the other Zero did.
Because there was something he couldn't understand.
Earth Zero wasn't destroying Edolas because he hated it.
He wasn't seeking power.
He wasn't trying to rule.
