Zenless Zone Zero Chapters Novels & Stories

The border of the Zenith Crown wasn't marked by a fence or a stony wall, but by the sudden, chilling absence of Kaelen’s heat, one step, I was in the stifling, golden pressure of his territory, the next, I was in the Neutral Zone, the air here was different, it tasted of damp earth, old pine, and rotting leaves, it was the honest, uncurated scent of a forest that didn't have a self-proclaimed sun-god trying to keep it in a state of perpetual summer.

He grabbed the manual release lever for the final, unstable reserve of the Zero-Point Energy Core. KRA-KOOM. The first tentacle burst through his cockpit glass. (End of Chapter 123)

Shaking my head, I splattered water on my face, the drops making a mess of my shirt. In a few minutes, I was already out of the room, padding down the hallway into the living area. The floor-to-ceiling window flooded the room with sunlight. I finally took noticed off the white building scattered across the cliff. It looked worthy of a painting. My stomach clenched, and I turned away, focusing my attention on Zane. He stood near the terrace door, shirtless, his pajama trousers hanging low. I swear his broad back stared at me first, and I let my eyes linger, tracing the ridge of his muscle.

“Relax, sweetheart. Name’s Nova. You were out cold for almost an hour. Thought you weren’t gonna make it.” I sat up fast, head spinning. “Where the hell am I? What is this place?” Nova raised a brow. “You really don’t remember anything, huh?” I frowned. “Last thing I remember, I got pushed off a fucking cliff. You telling me I’m not dead?” That made a few boys nearby glance at me. One of them snorted. “We all thought that, dude.” Nova sighed, crouching beside me. “Welcome to Zone 1 , darling. The Playground of the Damned.”

The first light of dawn barely touched the horizon, but the clearing was already alive with tension. Mist rolled across the forest floor like a living thing, curling around gnarled roots and half-fallen logs. Zaria stood near Lucien, chest heaving, palms still trembling from the power she unleashed. Her mark glowed faintly, pulsing with the memory of the energy she’d released, syncing with Lucien’s own feral heartbeat.

They tore me away from Mia again, and this time, they threw me into the pack's Forbidden Zone. "So what if you're the Luna? You couldn't even protect your own cub!" "Think you can run? Zoe and Vivian gave us a direct order. You die here tonight!" I whimpered in despair, begging over and over in my mind, "Alexander... save me... I'm dying..." The only answer was an endless silence. Alexander's face turned ashen, his fists clenched tight. I knew he had probably forgotten my pleas for help entirely. He had always been in the habit of ignoring me.

Not burned or broken but empty. Inferno’s voice emerged low and cold. 'Now you see it.' A pressure settled over the forest then. The same feeling from the Placed Zone. The Hollow Arc. Zenith moved closer to me instinctively. And suddenly the air changed. Warmth spread outward from her in a pulse so subtle most wouldn’t have noticed it. But I did, Inferno did and the child did, too The deadened grass nearest to Zenith shivered. Then slowly...Color returned. Green spread faintly through the gray like life remembering itself. Everyone froze. Koa stared openly. Lucien went completely still. Even Ragnar looked shaken for the first time in weeks.

He stopped and raised his head, looking past me. The smell of burning reached me first, and I started to feel a familiar heat slowly grow behind me. I turned around, allowing relief slowly seep into my heart. Zane stepped into the clearing, already shirtless with nothing but scraps of what must have been his shirt hanging against his skin. Lightning flashed against his skin, and every breath and poured out of his mouth was pure, silver steam. “So you dare step into this territory?” The single question appeared simple enough, but the quiet way he said it was like a threat. His ice blue eyes flashed. “Do you not know to whom this place belongs?”

“Take a steamy hot shower to relax you while I’m gone. I won’t be gone too long.” Nodding my head, I kiss him. I watch Zane disappear as shadows wrap around him. I’m not sure if he really finds Death’s realm creepy or if he was just saying that, so I wouldn't want to go. I have to be honest. I don’t want to see where Death lives. I don’t think I will like it and I’m not for it. I’m happy to stay behind and take a hot shower. Zane can deal with Death. I have a feeling Zane is one of the few who can face Death head-on without fear. Just another reason he is different. I wonder why. I know he said he would tell me, but it’s killing me to know.

“Dragging a heavy carcass with an injured foot made it even longer. I’m just saying that, in such an isolated area, there is no one to stop them from migrating if there were any around to do so. I don’t think that they’re near the border. I think they’re deeper in toward the heart of the zombie area.” “This is where you killed the cats?” Felix said with surprise. “Not far from here,” Kendra said as she dropped down next to her cousin. “I just need a few minutes to catch my breath and then I’m good again.” “Felix and I won’t be good for an easy twenty minutes,” Olga assured her. “His club foot and my old age keep us from being as fit as you.”