Chapter 52: Not Sky Tangerine

As Zero touched down on the soil of Endow Hill, he took in the new sights and smell. Everything was new except for the trees that resembled Gaia a lot. Zero took comfort in that small familiarity and decided to touch one.

The barks felt rough and the tree was still. Endow Hill was a relatively quiet place compared to La Boutique's Plaza. Zero enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere and took his time to observe different types of plants, learning about them with Mii and Truen's help. So far, Zero was enjoying everything from the sunshine to the chirping of birds.

"What are these?"

The elf smiled at the boy's curious nature. "Those are a kind of fungi called mushrooms."

"Mushrooms..." Zero mused before popping the blue-capped orange spotted mushroom into his mouth.

Truen panicked and demanded that Zero spit it out at once. Unfortunately, what has been absorbed by the system cannot be un-absorbed. Truen nearly fainted from shock and was about to contact the Great Gods about the problem that surfaced not even five minutes into their adventure. Although his body was almost indestructible, the elf felt as if he might die from a heart attack.

Zero's skin turned a funny shade of purple and Truen dropped to his knees. This can't be happening... he had failed the Great Gods who entrusted him with the responsibility of protecting Zero. Who would have known that Zero's greatest enemy would be himself?

The shade of purple morphed into orange and green within the next ten seconds while Truen tried to dial for help with shaky fingers. He'd dropped the communicator twice and didn't notice Zero's smile as the boy bounced up and down in excitement when his skin changed colours.

"Truen! Look at me! I'm the same colour as Freya's hair now!"

The bodyguard looked up for a split second. True enough, Zero's skin was now completely red but it was rapidly turning into a shade of brown. While Zero tried to predict the next colour, Truen zoned out in disbelief at the energetic boy.

"Aww," the young child pouted when it settled on pink next. He was so sure that it would turn yellow too!

"What is going on?" Truen blinked. The communicator lay long forgotten on the ground.

Dumbfounded but majorly relieved at Zero's bubbly nature, Truen heaved a sigh of relief. That was close. He'd have to educate Zero about putting suspicious things into his mouth. Not too long ago, Zero was frightened to tears at the thought of eating but ever since that episode, he'd started to enjoy exploring new tastes.

"This could be dangerous," Truen frowned as Zero examined another strange looking leaf. The effects of that strange mushroom must have expired because Zero was back to normal with his rosy cheeks and fair skin.

***

Up in heaven, Gaia heaved a similar sigh of relief. While the other Gods left to cope with their feelings in various ways, Gaia decided to continue keeping an eye on Zero's progress. The good thing about Gaia's domain was how vast it was. Nature was everywhere, even in the man-made cities. Every form of life was under Gaia's control.

The reflecting orb did not show what Zero ate but Truen's reaction worried the goddess. She was about to intervene when the elf tried to dial for help. However, she was glad she didn't. Behind Truen, Zero was grinning and jumping around, trying to make out the colour that his skin would change into.

The goddess gave a momentous sigh of relief when she realised Zero had probably eaten a Rainbow Chameleon Mushroom whose only harm was to give the victim a colour-changing skin for the next five minutes. Those were mushrooms grown by pixies meant to trick travellers who foraged the forest. The mushrooms were often disguised as a rare delicacy called the Sky Tangerine. Sky Tangerines were very rare fungi that possessed health regeneration and increased vitality properties.

Oblivious to the roller-coaster of emotions he put his guardians through, Zero continued to explore the forest with vigour. As neither of his protectors could hear Mii, they could only fill in the gap by listening to Zero's side of the conversation. Some questions were normal but others were can be slightly disturbing. After all, listening to a one-sided discussion about the usefulness of poison can be a little worrying.

Truen tried to redirect the brunet's attention by introducing new things. For better or for worse, Zero started to identify them as deadlier specimens with Mii's help. Fortunately, he'd stopped putting things into his mouth.

Truen wiped the cold sweat that had formed on his forehead. Did they choose the wrong place to start their adventure?