The Scrap Tamer

"Can you explain what's going on here, Major cross?"

Elizabeth was currently standing before commander Ajax who didn't seem the least bit happy.

Why would he be? The day had been nothing but a string of shocks. First, the higher-ups approved a decision to send kids straight into an unknown land.

And now, Elizabeth Cross had the nerve to waltz into the base with an unidentified being in tow—one that radiated so much raw pressure, some soldiers had nearly pissed themselves.

"With all due respect, sir," Elizabeth said, her tone clipped but steady, "the situation was... unavoidable."

Across the room, Null stood leaning against the wall like he owned the place, examining a holographic wall map with mild interest.

"The humans of this world really are different from the one in the one below," he said before turning to one of the soldiers that were keeping an eye on him, "what do you call this?"

This caused the soldier to almost pass out from fear. Null might be actively restraining his aura, on Elizabeth's request, but his mere gaze settling on the weaker being almost made the soldier lose his mind.

Ajax slammed a fist on the table,mostly annoyed at how pathetic his soldiers seemed in front of this being. "Tell it to shut up, Cross."

Elizabeth didn't even glance at Null. "Null, please. Just… don't talk."

Null blinked, head tilting in mock innocence. "But I was simply asking a question—"

"Now." Her voice cracked like a whip.

To everyone's surprise, Null obeyed. With an exaggerated sigh, he pressed a finger to his lips, miming silence before returning his gaze to the map. He looked more amused than chastised.

This was yet another reason why he liked Elizabeth. She was the only one who had spoken to him like this and was still alive.

Ajax exhaled through his nose, then turned a hard glare back on Elizabeth. "Start from the top. Who is he, what is he, and why in the hell is he here?"

Elizabeth let out a soft breath. "I don't have all the answers, sir. What I do know is that he calls himself Null. He descended from a rift that opened above the Scrapyard, and ever since, he's been following me because, according to him, he has fallen in love with me."

Her last words caused Ajax to pause whatever he was about to say and do a double take. He stared at her for a long moment.

Ajax looked like he was genuinely trying to decide whether he was being pranked or this was a just a big joke.

"In love," he repeated flatly, as if testing the phrase on his tongue and finding it utterly absurd. "So let me get this straight. A rift opened, something crawled out of it—something no one has seen or classified before—and now it's tailing you because it's... romantically interested?"

Elizabeth nodded once, as if this summary, ridiculous as it sounded, was the most accurate explanation available.

Ajax rubbed a hand over his face "Goddammit, Cross. Do you realize how insane this sounds?"

"I know sir," Elizabeth nodded, even she found her own words absurd.

Ajax walked around the table, pacing like a man trying to keep himself from punching a wall before he sighed and asked "And he's not hostile?"

"So far, no," Elizabeth answered. "He's powerful—absurdly so—but he hasn't harmed anyone."

"In fact, he even helped close the rifts and move the residents from the Scarpyard." She added.

"And what makes you so sure that he didn't just do that to win your favor?" Ajax finished grimly, turning a hard look on her.

Elizabeth didn't flinch. "I'm not sure, I can't read him at all."

Ajax let out a controlled breath before turning to Null himself.

"Tell me Null, what do you want with our world?" His words were followed by a massive descent of pressure in the room.

The pressure was so heavy that even Elizabeth, a platinum rank tamer, struggled . The soldiers were in a worse condition as they couldn't keep their footing anymore.

Meanwhile, Null, the one who Ajax directly aimed the pressure at, remained completely u bothered. He looked almost bored at Ajax's attempts to intimidate him.

That is, until he caught sight of Elizabeth who was sweating and almost out of breath due to the pressure being released by Ajax.

His eyes immediately went cold as he turned back to the commander.

"Is this some primitive form of challenge?" he asked softly.

Ajax blinked, caught off-guard by the question and the tone but Null didn't give him time to respond.

"Because if this is your way of proving dominance, I must warn you… you're challenging the wrong person."

The moment the words left his mouth, the pressure in the room immediately shifted. Ajax's pressure was immediately swallowed by Null's, making it seem as if the commander's aura was just a single drop in a massive ocean.

Ajax's pupils narrowed as the pressure fell on him. Not even platinum tier primals could make him feel so small and yet, this being before him easily did so.

But before Null could take it too far, Elizabeth's voice rang out, "Null."

As soon as she spoke out, the pressure withdrew as if it was only an illusion. The atmosphere in the room seemed to reset all at once.

The crushing weight completely vanished, letting the soldiers collapse to their knees, gasping for air. Ajax stayed standing, but his breath was uneven.

Null then calmly said, "I promised to not harm anyone, but I'm not sure I'd keep that promise for long if you keep provoking me."

Ajax's eyes narrowed at Null but he just sighed in resignation.

With the kind of power radiating from this being, there was only one person on Earth capable of handling him—and she was nowhere near close enough to intervene if things went south.

Plus there was no guarantee that she would intervene if it didn't directly affect her son.

"You do know the type of threat you just allowed to walk in here, don't you?" Ajax turned to Elizabeth again.

"I do, sir," Elizabeth said, her voice calm despite the tension. "But I didn't have much of a choice. Even if I'd left him behind, he would've followed anyway."

Ajax rubbed his forehead. "This is a damn nightmare."

Elizabeth took a step forward. "Sir, I'll take full responsibility for him. If anything goes wrong, I'll be the one to handle it."

Ajax stared at her with narrowed eyes for a while before saying, "that's a bold claim, Major Cross. One I sincerely hope you're prepared to back up."

Besides, she was the only one he seemed to be listening to for now, so that decision was for the best.

Ajax then added,"dismissed, Major."

Elizabeth saluted and turned, motioning for Null to follow. He fell into step beside her, his steps light and soundless.

As they left the room, Null leaned close and whispered, "he doesn't like me."

"Not after what you just did," Elizabeth said as they continued walking.

Null made a thoughtful sound. "Strange. I thought I was being polite, enough."

Elizabeth shot him a sideways glance. "Polite doesn't usually involve threatening to crush someone's existence with your aura."

Null shrugged, as if the thought didn't concern him. "He was trying to harm you. I merely returned the sentiment. I fail to see how I'm the villain here."

Elizabeth said nothing in response and just continued walking towards her barracks. She was too tired to deal with him.

"How about giving me a tour around?" Null clearly wasn't taking the cue as he continued talking while they walked.