Zenless Zone Zero: Immortalized (Male Reader fanfic)
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A/N: This prologue takes place under a couple of POV’s none of them being (Y/N) this is more giving contexts of how Civilians see you or in this case the identity of the masked hero you are and your effects on the world around you. Chapter 1 will have you getting into story events from your/(Y/N) perspective.
It’s not just an OC tagged as X Reader
Wattpad Currently has all the Prologue + Chapter 1 and 2 as well as an attempt at a power set/kit description like agents in the game have.
This is my first time posting any of my written work so suggestions for improvement would be appreciated.
Prologue: Just an Urban Legend
Location: Twelfth Street, Janus Quarter
New Eridu is many things, the last city on Earth, constantly under threat from apocalyptic space time anomalies, but it's also brave, and her people are strong despite the constant threats, standing side by side against the potential end of everything. With every day being more a gift then a promise, one thing the people of New Eridu love is passing on their rich cultures. From recipes, to beliefs, even combat techniques, people made sure to pass knowledge down, to stop them from being lost to time. But an easy favourite were stories, from past times, or just to pass time, Urban Legends, Folk Tales, Comics, and Movies. (a promise of a brighter day some would say)...
Within a apartment complex in the Janus Quarter, under the bright light of a kitchen, as the last hints of sunlight hang in the sky. The sound of typing on a keyboard slows eventually stopping... the man sitting at his laptop ran a hand through his unwashed hair, leans back, and sighs.
"Still stuck?" A soft voice asks, coming from just behind him.
Glancing over at the TV in the living room across from him the man watches the news broadcast. Having been silenced a while ago but the Headline in big red letters was still visible on the screen.
"New Companion Hollow Erupted-20 People Still Missing"
Feeling his wife's arms wrap around him from behind finally gives him the final push he needs to say what he's thinking. "People need hope... I write these articles so that people don't give up... but the more this happens the more it feels like I'm just covering the same points with different words. And each time it gets harder to do."
Taking a deep breathe and resting her head on her husbands shoulder, she took some time thinking of what to say, looking at what her husband typed so far. Urban Legends... "Maybe you just need to take it from a different point of view... give them a story, instead of reiterating the H.I.A. has it under control."
"And how should I go about getting this different point of view?"
"Why don't you go tell Sonya a bedtime story and see how you feel when you come back?"
Taking off his glasses and rubbing his face. "Yeah... I can do that, maybe it will get me out of this rut."
A tired smile graces his wife's face. "Good, having her home from school all day has her wired... so good luck." Giving him a strong peck on his cheek before watching her husband getting up and heading to their daughters room.
Approaching his daughters bedroom he slips back on his glasses as he gets to the door.
"Knock Knock darling." He said while rapping on the door with his knuckles. He heard some giggling coming from her room before his daughter called out. "Come innnnn Papa." With a chuckle he opened the door to Sonya's room.
As he stepped into his daughters room he found Sonya laying on her stomach at the foot of her bed colouring a drawing intently.
"Darling, time to go to sleep , I know you want to finish your drawing but it's bedtime now." His daughters gaze immediately shooting up to him from the page in front of her, a pleading look in her eye. "Sorry Darling but you can finish it tomorrow... on the bright side, I've been sent to tell you a story."
As he watched a big smile break out across his daughters face. "Can it be about The Saint!?!"
He couldn't help the sigh that escaped him... before a mirthful smile graced his face. "Of course it can but you need to get in bed first." Watching as Sonya immediately leapt up from the floor, putting her crayons and drawing on her desk and flinging herself onto her bed as fast as she could.possibly ... now waiting with an expectant look on her face
"Under the covers." He said with a chuckle, as he watched his daughter wriggle herself under her blankets.
"Ok.. good now let's see... last time we did Saint v.s. The Corrupted Subway didn't we?" Looking over at his daughter as she nodded expectantly, he decided to walk over and take a seat at his daughters desk in front of her.
As she held the obviously handmade Saint doll tightly to her chest. "How about... how about instead of Saint v.s. something we do Saint saves the day?"
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Location: Lemnian Companion Hollow, (Unnamed)
Footsteps thundered behind us as we ran as fast as we could, weaving between construction supplies and equipment. Taking a quick glance over my shoulder at my pursuers... "Fuck!!" Eight Ethereals-!? *THUMP* slamming into Jace in front of me, I looked up at the three massive walls surrounding us on all sides... "A Dead End!?! DOUBLE FUCK!!!" I hissed.
"Come on get up!!" Caleb grunted pulling both Jace and I back onto our feet. "We have to get out of here before they cut us off!" He stated, but before we could even turn around we heard it. "RHAAAAH!!!" a screech cut through the air behind us, spinning on my heels I looked back the way we came.
We were already surrounded... "Triple Fuck." Those two words barely left my lips before the first Ethereal charged at us. It was nearly on me in an instant, two bladed arms shooting out at me. For a moment I thought I saw a blurring of movement just off to the right, but it didn't matter, this was it. This is how it ends—
*BANG* The sound rang out louder than a gunshot. In a blur of Blue and Gray the Ethereal was slammed into the wall on my left. Cracks spiralling outwards from the impact. And there, standing in the settling dust was a man clad in Gray and Blue tactical gear. Gray cargo pants tucked into black combat boots, what could only be described as a utility belt with countless pouches on it, a gray armoured vest over some sort of blue metallic shirt, and brown leather bracers.
"You're The Saint." Caleb all but whispered.
"You- you're real?" I stuttered out, more a question than a statement.
"Holy shit." Jace echoed his disbelief.
Everything felt like it was standing still for a moment, the Ethereals processing this new threat as he pulled his tower shield free of the wall he used to flatten the first Ethereal, it was beautiful, shaped like two overlapping wings, a beautiful blue metal. There was barely a second to appreciate the craftmanship before combat erupted again.
An Ethereal with clubbed hands charged and swung wildly at The Saint, moving with practiced ease he weaved under the blow and getting behind the first Ethereal and planting a hefty kick to its back, sending it tumbling to the ground.
Quickly following the first, two Ethereals were already on top of him, parrying one with his shield using its momentum to sling it into the wall on our right, before the third could get close enough to attack, Saint reached behind him, pulling his weapon off his back, it looked like some kind of Drill-Lance hybrid. As it started to spin and shift into gear in his hand, he dashed forward with terrifying speed, driving the lance through the chest of the third Ethereal, with so much force his strike carried them back into the fourth Ethereal behind it, shredding the both of them to bits with the drilling function.
The fifth and sixth Ethereal's barely stood a chance, both charging up Ether shots, bursting against The Saints shield with little effect, neither of them got a chance for a second shot. Saint launched himself into the air with a massive leap, immediately closing the distance on Ethereal #6 and bringing the bottom of his down on its head, crushing it into a burst of Ether energy. Immediately swinging his lance to the left in a wide arc, more akin to a great sword as the spinning body of the Lance chewed into the fifth Ethereal like a paper shredder as it shuddered and crumpled to the ground.
By now both the first and second Ethereal had recovered, the second Ethereal reached The Saint first, using his shield to throw it into the air above him as the first Ethereal swung at his exposed right flank, in a flash of speed he brought up his lance to parry, grinding through the clubbed hands of the Ethereal, following up with a slash parting its torso from its waist, quickly spinning around to the Second Ethereal still laid out on the floor, driving the Drill Lance directly through it and into the ground in an eruption of multicoloured sparks.
We stood there for... a while, slack jawed as The Saint slung his Lance and Shield onto his back.
<\\You kids alright?//> his voice rung out, but it was altered, slightly garbled like a filter had been put on it... a Voice Changer..?
Looking up at him now facing us, finally getting to take in all the details of his suit. The shirt under the vest actually seemed to be some sort of scale-mail, stylized in the shape of feathers, the brown leather bracers covering his forearms and hands seeming to have more advanced tech hidden within upon closer inspection. With him now facing us I could see the mask that covered the bottom half of his face, which must be why his voice sounded odd. But the thing that stood out the most... was his glowing electric blue eyes.
Caleb was the first person to really gather his bearings. "Uh.. yes! yes we're good."
As he walked up to us I took into account just how massive he was, he had to be somewhere around 6'9. Reaching into one of the pouches on his belt he pulled out a pill bottle and tossed it to me. <\\You three have been in this Hollow a while, I suggest you each take two//> he stated.
"These are..?" I asked confused.
<\\Anti Corruption Meds//> He said, gesturing with his hand to hurry up.
"Dope." Jace whispered from behind me.
<\\Hey, that's all of them, right?//> He called over his shoulder to someone behind him.
Shortly after that a Bangboo with an knitted orange scarf came into view.
"Yes these are the last 3, we should gather with the others and make our way out of the Hollow while the carrot is still good." A relatively female voice came from the Bangboo, surprisingly, not using the typical bangboo language.
As we listened to their conversation the three of us took our Anti Corruption medication, which was particularly unpleasant without water, but hey we're alive!
"So- a Bangboo with an orange scarf?" Jace started.
"Don't PubSec and H.S.O. sources believe the Bangboo with an orange scarf belongs to the Legendary Proxy Phaethon?" I asked looking at Jace and Caleb for confirmation.
"So that's how you stay so untraceable within the hollows." Caleb mused, gesturing to the Bangboo. "The Saint and the Legendary Proxy Phaethon are a team."
The Bangboo quickly turned around to look at Caleb, almost in a panic. An impressed whistle left Saints mouth, sounding a little odd with the voice mod on his mask. <\\You put that together fast//> he seemed genuinely impressed.
"That's so Fuckin Cool!" Jace exclaimed, leaping up into the air like an excited kid. The Bangboo chimed in as it waddled up to us.
"While we appreciate the adoration you seem to hold for us, I hope you can understand how dangerous that information is." Now, a much more distinctly male voice coming from the Bangboo. As it looked over at Saint.
<\\Yeah... as much as I can appreciate how exciting it would be to go and tell everyone you know, Phaethon and I operate in the shadows doing this, so the less details the authorities have the better//>
As the Bangboo waddled back over and past Saint, Caleb spoke up. "Because your technically classified as Hollow Raiders right? Unless it's an accident that gets someone stuck in a Hollow, it's only supposed to be Law Enforcement or other Hollow related organizations in here. Which makes you being here a crime."
As Jace listened to what Caleb said he almost looked offended on Saints behalf. "But he's not a Raider, he fights Raiders! And he comes here and saves people! He isn't running a crime syndicate from here! He's more like a Hollow— oh what's the word?" Looking over to Jace I suggest. "Vigilante?"
Jace snaps his fingers shooting me finger guns. "Exactly! He helps people!"
<\\While I may be here to help, your friend is right, we are illegally in this Hollow. So just less details keep it safer for us to do our work. Vague description of features, no mention of Phaethon, etc//>
"Oh of course!! Your secret is safe with us!" Jace exclaimed, a dopey grin on his face and holding two thumbs up.
<\\Good, then we should collect the others survivors and get you all out of this Hollow//> he turned around and gestured for us to follow. <\\Follow me//> Saint called.
"I'm the one with the Carrot here Mr. so your all following me... technically." The Bangboo teased. Seemingly back to the original female voice.
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After about a ten minute walk we reached what seemed to be a small hardware store swallowed up by the Hollow, this is where Saint seemed to have gathered the rest of the survivors to hide, once we had got there, I counted over a dozen people, people that Saint saved.
I watched him move amongst the group of civilians, checking the on children, and elderly, along with any wounded. What caught my attention most though was his movements, they almost felt like a dancer... he wasn't dancing but he moved so elegantly, beyond how a normal person would. Always seeming to be aware of where his big freaking shield and lance were hanging when he turned, and how to not knock into anything or one, but beyond that he moved silently even with all that heavy gear, every move was purposeful and were of his surroundings. Further than that even with all that tactical gear on him, he didn't make a sound when moving, like he could be walking directly behind you and you would never know.
As he finished his rounds checking on everybody he walked back over to Jace, Caleb and I, holding a young boy in his arms, looking at the kid his clothes were covered in dried dirt, the only clean parts of him were his face and his right leg up to his knee, both seeming to have been cleaned with water and a cloth. His leg had gauze wrapped around a lot of his calf.
"How bad is he?" Caleb asked.
<\\He'll be just fine, though he won't be able to walk//> Saint paused, a look almost like guilt flashing across his face. <\\Would one of you be able to carry him? It's best for me to keep my hands free in case we face anymore danger//>
Immediately Jace stepped up in front of Saint. "I can do it, definitely." He said reaching out and scooping up the mostly dirty young boy.
<\\His name is Quinn, watch out for him//> he said a hint of relief in his voice.
With that we all gathered together and followed Saint and Phaethon in the direction they said the exit to the Hollow was.
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As Quinn babbled to Caleb and Jace it gave me some time to think, and that thinking led to so many questions. Saint was walking at the front of the group, not horribly far in front of us, so I sped up a bit to try and talk to him.
As I made my way up beside him, taking a deep breath I asked. "Is it ok... to ask a few questions before we get out?"
He glanced at me out the side of his eyes, before taking a sweeping look at the landscape around us. Maybe looking for threats. <[sighs]> <\\I assume these questions are about the proxies and I//>
As he asked that I glanced back at Caleb, Jace, and now Quinn as well. Seeing how they and all the other people with us were just acting like it was a casual day for a stroll.
"Why keep your existence a secret?" I questioned, deciding to rip the bandaid off right away.
"Look how safe everyone feels with you around?" "We are in a Hollow and nobody is even scared!" "People tell stories about you like they tell stories about Section 6, or- or even the Void Hunters! You give so many people hope... your a hero... but you refuse to even let them know your real." It all came spilling out so fast.
I looked up to find him looking at me... he looked sorry almost. <\\Yeah, that's a fair ask//> As he ran a hand through his hair he looked like I just added an extra hundred pounds onto his shoulders.
<\\I know it looks simple from what you've seen today and the stories that are told... but that's only the surface people know about what we do... and why we do it//> He glanced over to Phaethon's bangboo. It wasn't looking at us, but I can tell it was listening in, it had slowed its pace a small amount to walk closer to us.
<\\We never intended to play hero, saving people from Hollows. This started to find answers to something I can't tell you about. For your safety//> his tone took on a more serious weight then it had all day, he had kept up beat, to relieve us of our worries.
<\\They can't be in Hollows for long, having a low Ether Aptitude, unlike me. So Phaethon focused on learning how to navigate the Hollows, and I took it upon myself to become strong, strong enough to go into the Hollows to gather the information we needed.//> Saint seemed to be struggling to choose the right words.
"You didn't want to be some legendary hero?" I asked.
<\\Legendary is a strong word. But no, the intention was... not this. We set out to find answers to a secret...//> He paused for a moment taking a shaky breath. <\\A secret that looking into already cost people their lives. So we stay in the shadows while we look for these answers... it's safer that way//>
Now I was just confused. "If you aren't seeking to be a hero, or save people—"
<\\Why are we here//> Saint said, glancing at me as he finished my thought.
<\\Because its the right thing to do. We have the strength and skills to help, so when people are in danger we show up cause we can save lives. But there's no hunger for the glory or renown that can come with these acts of "Legendary Heroism"//> Making air quotes with his hands.
I was about to ask another question but Phaethon... or their Bangboo came to a stop.
"We're here." We were stopped in front of a car repair shop, specifically one of its garage doors. Saint stepped up to it, sticking out his hand, as a sound between a rip, and a crackle sounded out through the air, and a fissure appeared. A swirling vortex of mostly different shades of purple, but it had some pinks, blues, and other colours.
"A Fissure!" Someone in and amongst our group gasped.
<\\Looks like we made it folks, if you could all file out in a neat and orderly fashion that would be amazing. Don't want to get injured now that you basically made it out//> And there it was. His cheerful and inspiring attitude was back. As all the survivors slowly filed out of the Hollow he gave me a knowing look.
<\\Knowledge is power, the less people know about what we do the safer it is for all of us//> I nodded as he said this.
"Understood." He patted me on the shoulder, and then my friends and I, plus Quinn filed into the fissure and out of the Hollow.
As the lurching in my stomach subsided, and my eyes adjusted to the lights shining in my face we found ourself just outside of the Hollow, seeming spat out right in front of an Pubsec Encampment outside of the Hollow. H.S.O., H.I.A., and PubSec personnel were rushing around, checking the survivors that had come out first for injuries and ether sickness symptoms. Someone seemed to notice my friends and I, and was now quickly making their way to us.
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Location: Twelfth Street, Janus Quarter
As I finishing narrating Sonya's bedtime story, watching her sleep peacefully, silently as I could I made my way over to her, brushing some hair out of her face and kissing her forehead. I then worked my way out of her room and quietly closed the door behind me, making my way back to the living room, I was greeted to my wife curled up under a blanket reading a book. The sun had finally set completely and the room was filled with the warm glow from the floor lamp in the room. Making my way behind her I placed a kiss to the top of her head, and looked at the TV, the news broadcast, still silent but with new information glowed on the screen.
"All missing people(s) found and accounted for" but what really caught my attention was the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen.
"Claims of the Saint saving the missing people(s) and add to growing speculation on if The Saint truly exists. PubSec Officials still resolute in the claims The Saint seeming to be some sort of Shared Ether Induced Hallucination as they "Have no Evidence" that he or she truly exist."
My wife moved to slip her bookmark into her book before looking up at me. "Did you find any inspiration while you were putting Sonya to bed?"
As I chucked, leaning down to peck my wife's lips now she was facing me. "I think I might just have an idea." I whisper, moving back over to my laptop at the kitchen table.
Within an apartment complex in the Janus Quarter, under the warm light of a floor lamp, as the warped face of a moon, scarred by Hollows, climbs into the night sky the sound of typing on a keyboard resumes. This time with a certainty that could only convey a strengthened hope for a better day.
GAME START
@jacenradio7
