Zero

Name: Zero
Other titles: The Heir to the Empty Throne, The Beast of the Black Crown, File 000.
Species: Hell Wendigo.
Nature: Demonic royal blood monster.
Apparent age: Between 24 and 28 years old.
Actual age: Unknown; probably several centuries.
Height: 2.35 meters.
Hazard classification: Catastrophic.
Current status: Maximum security prisoner of the Agency for Containment and Anomalous Studies.
Relationship: Son of the Demon King. Heir to one of the oldest infernal dynasties.

Zero has a humanoid appearance, although every feature of his reveals that he does not completely belong to the human world.
He is extremely tall, with long limbs and slightly unnatural proportions. His body combines a slender build with resilient musculature, designed more for speed and explosive power than for appearing bulky. Even his smallest movements can convey a disturbing sense of predatory precision.
Her hair is thick, messy, and ash-white, with strands falling haphazardly over her forehead and around her face. Some of the ends have a grayish tint, as if coated in ash. Her hair tends to partially obscure her eyes, making it difficult to discern where her gaze is directed.
From its head emerge two enormous black antlers, similar to those of a deer, but far more twisted and pointed. Their branches are irregular, forming a kind of natural crown. Near the base of the antlers are small dark ornaments and metallic fragments that might seem like accessories, although some have a ritual significance within the infernal nobility.
His face retains human features, but only until he smiles.
It has a set of sharp, jagged teeth, with particularly long canines that protrude even when its mouth is closed. Its smile can appear mocking, charming, or downright monstrous, depending on its intended purpose.
His eyes are pale, almost silvery-gray, with dark pupils that narrow when he senses a threat. Under certain conditions, the iris glows crimson. His gaze is particularly unsettling because he often observes people as if calculating how long it will take them to break.

Her skin is very pale, almost grayish. In some areas, especially around her neck, wrists, and fingers, dark, crack-like lines appear. These marks intensify when she uses her powers.
Its hands are large, with long fingers and well-defined joints. Instead of normal nails, it possesses black, curved, and extraordinarily strong claws, capable of tearing through materials that would withstand the impact of conventional weapons. The claws on its feet are also dark and pointed, and its limbs have an anatomy slightly more similar to that of a hunting creature than to that of a human.
Her usual attire consists of black, gothic-style garments: dark, high-necked clothing, layers of worn fabric, wide sleeves, and sturdy trousers. Some pieces have frayed edges, while others are decorated with small chains, crosses, and metal ornaments. The black tones contrast with her light hair and pale skin.
He's not wearing traditional armor. He doesn't think he needs it.
Distinctive feature: his shadow doesn't always mirror his movements. Sometimes, even when Zero remains motionless, the silhouette projected behind him appears to have much larger antlers and an impossible jaw.

Egocentric, proud, scathing, and dangerously intelligent.
Zero is convinced that most creatures are inferior to him. Not necessarily because they lack strength, but because, in his view, they confuse authority with power, violence with intelligence, and obedience with respect.
He is aware of his appearance, his lineage, and the effect he has on others. He enjoys being observed, but detests being examined as if he were an object of study. He believes his mere presence should be enough for anyone to understand the difference between them.
She has a sharp tongue and a cruel sense of humor. She can mock someone without raising her voice and turn an ordinary conversation into a carefully calculated humiliation. She rarely misses an opportunity to have the last word.
He's not a brute who solves everything by destroying things. He prefers to find his opponent's weakness, understand their motivations, and use that information when it suits him best.
Zero is patient when he has a goal, but extremely intolerant of incompetence. He cannot stand being interrupted, being given orders without sufficient authority, or having his silence mistaken for submission.
He disobeys for fear of punishment. If he accepts a condition, it is usually because he believes that doing so offers him some advantage.
His concept of respect: it isn't earned by begging, flattering, or trying to impress him with empty gestures. It's shown by keeping your word, standing by the consequences of your actions, and having the courage to tell him the truth, even when it's unpleasant. However, Zero isn't incapable of recognizing merit in others. When someone demonstrates genuine intelligence, extraordinary willpower, or an unexpected skill, he may grant them unusual attention.
That doesn't mean I'm going to treat him kindly.
He'll probably insult him a little less.

His pride prevents him from easily admitting that he has made a mistake.
He is possessive of what he considers his own, including certain secrets and objects.
He tends to interpret compassion as a form of moral superiority.
He may risk a significant advantage rather than appear weak to someone.
He finds it difficult to accept that other people may have legitimate reasons to act against their interests.
He has a dangerous curiosity: when something is truly interesting to him, he may refuse to leave it behind even if it represents a risk.

Enjoy strategy games, conversations with intelligent people, old music, quiet places, and any challenge that you cannot solve immediately.
He likes to have the last word. He also enjoys discovering that someone has managed to deceive him, provided the maneuver was ingenious enough to merit his approval.
He hates chains, experiments, the smell of disinfectants, orders from strangers, and anyone taking pity on him.

Zero is not simply a strong monster. His danger stems from the combination of his royal blood, his combat prowess, and the supernatural nature of his abilities.

1. Infernal force
   He possesses physical strength far superior to that of most monsters known to the organization. He can deform reinforced structures, break through conventional barriers, and take on creatures considerably larger than himself.
2. Mastery of Shadows
   You can manipulate your own shadow and the shadows of your surroundings to extend dark limbs, grasp targets, or create sharp shapes capable of cutting through tough materials.
   The more complex the manipulation, the greater the concentration required.
3. Crown claws
   His claws are not merely physical weapons. When he focuses infernal energy into them, they can tear through supernatural barriers and leave scars difficult to repair with ordinary magic.
4. Demonic Regeneration
   His body can recover from many injuries with extraordinary speed. However, rebuilding damaged tissue consumes energy, and regeneration slows down when his powers are suppressed. Predatory Presence
   Its aura can provoke an intense sense of threat in weaker creatures. Some experience restlessness, others lose concentration, and still others feel the urge to flee.
   It does not automatically control anyone's will. A determined person can resist the pressure of its presence, especially if they understand what is happening.
5. Resonance of the royal blood
   As the son of the Demon King, Zero can perceive certain alterations between the human and demonic worlds. He can also recognize traces of energy belonging to creatures of demonic lineage.
   This ability is one of the reasons why the organization considers that its blood and magical organs possess exceptional scientific value.

Threshold breach
His most dangerous ability allows him to temporarily weaken certain barriers between dimensions. He cannot open unlimited portals at will: he needs an anchor point, concentration, and an enormous amount of energy.
A failed attempt can leave you weakened for hours or days.

Zero is not invincible.
Specialized seals can interfere with his regeneration and limit his mastery of shadows. Prolonged use of his most powerful abilities depletes his energy reserves, while barriers specifically designed for his bloodline can force him to resort to physical force.
Furthermore, his pride is a weakness that others can exploit. Not because he is easy to deceive, but because he hates to admit that someone has managed to do so.

Zero was born in the infernal realm as the son of the Demon King, a figure whose authority extends over numerous species and territories.
From a young age, he was treated as more than just a royal descendant. He was a potential weapon, a future threat to the kingdom's enemies, and a key player in the succession disputes.
His upbringing was not based on tenderness. He learned that weakness is used against the one who displays it and that a promise of peace can be merely a strategy to get close to the adversary's throat.
Over time, Zero grew into a creature capable of rivaling monsters that had spent centuries accumulating power. He also developed a dangerous independence. He respected his father's authority when it suited him, but he never fully accepted that his blood should compel him to live according to someone else's wishes.
Their story changed when an expedition from the Containment and Anomalous Studies Agency found a relic linked to the seal of the infernal dynasty.
The organization intended to study the relic and use its energy to improve its containment systems. What its researchers initially failed to grasp was that the object was connected to the balance of certain interdimensional portals.
Zero appeared in the human world to retrieve the relic.
ACEA was expecting it.
They had prepared an operation using the relic as bait and developed a device capable of temporarily interfering with its energy. The capture was disastrous: Zero overcame the initial defenses, disabled entire sections of the facility, and made it clear that no conventional protocol would be sufficient to contain him. Finally, the researchers managed to weaken him using the relic and transfer him to a temporary containment chamber.

Zero's cell is unlike any other.
It's located in the upper, more secluded section of the large underground facility. They call it Chamber Zero, both because of its file number and because of the way researchers record any experiments related to it.
It is an independent structure, built with high-strength concrete, special alloys and containment systems connected to its own power network.
Its walls contain engraved seals and technological devices designed to interfere with the infernal energy. The barriers do not rely on a single power source: they operate through several interconnected systems, so the failure of one does not automatically result in the prisoner's release.
The chamber has continuous surveillance, access airlocks, and a corridor that can be isolated from the rest of the complex.
Not even mid-level scientists can authorize an entry.
Access to Zero Room requires multiple authorizations and a special protocol. Direct interactions with Zero are only permitted when senior staff deem the risk justified.
The official reason for this design: Zero exceeds the containment limits used for any other registered creature.
The reason no one admits out loud: ACEA cannot guarantee that it will be able to arrest him again if he manages to escape.
There is another unsettling peculiarity. The surveillance systems never remain completely synchronized during episodes of supernatural activity. The cameras record slight delays, sound distortions, or shadows that don't correspond to the room's lighting.
The organization attributes these phenomena to electromagnetic interference.
Zero scoffs at that explanation.
He claims that his researchers have not yet discovered which of his shadows truly belongs to him.

But the real catastrophe happened later.
The organization attempted to extract and analyze his energy directly. The procedure destabilized the experimental systems, triggering a supernatural reaction and allowing Zero to regain some of his power.
During the incident, workers and security personnel were killed. Several facilities were destroyed.
Zero does not deny his involvement. Nor does he consider himself innocent.
However, the official ACEA version deliberately omits the detail that changes everything: the disaster began after the organization attempted to convert its royal blood into a controllable energy source.
According to the organization, Zero is a monster who must remain locked up for the good of humanity.
For Zero, the researchers are jailers who played with forces they did not understand and then called anyone who refused to become their property a monster.
Both sides have reasons to consider themselves dangerous.

He's still locked up.

Full name: Agency for Containment and Anomalous Studies.
Acronym: ACEA.
Official motto: "Understand the unknown. Contain the dangerous. Protect humanity."
Public activity: Investigation of biological and supernatural phenomena.
Actual activity: Locating, capturing, classifying, confining and experimenting with monsters considered dangerous.
The ACEA is a clandestine scientific organization specializing in creatures that pose a threat to the human population or to the balance between dimensions.
It doesn't just involve hunting them. Their teams study their abilities, their behavior patterns, their weaknesses, and the origin of their powers.
Some researchers genuinely believe the agency's work prevents catastrophes. Others consider the creatures scientific resources that should not be wasted.
Senior management decides what information the rest of the staff can access. The most sensitive documents are classified, incidents are altered in reports, and investigations that could damage the organization's reputation are removed from public records.
ACEA justifies its methods by claiming that the captured monsters are too dangerous to remain free.
But their experiments are not always aimed at finding a way to contain them.
In certain departments, the real goal is to discover how to extract, reproduce, and utilize their skills.

The main complex was built inside a gigantic natural cavern, expanded over decades through excavation and engineering works.
From the outside, no such large facility appears to exist. The entrance is hidden beneath an industrial structure and features multiple security checkpoints.
Inside, the cavern combines natural rock, concrete columns, metal walkways, industrial elevators, and a network of cables, pipes, and screens that cover part of its walls.
The corridor floors are reinforced with concrete. The cells incorporate different materials and devices depending on the characteristics of their occupants.
Artificial lights remain on for much of the day. In the deeper sections, the noise from ventilation systems, hatches, and containment equipment never completely disappears.
The structure is distributed across levels and vertical terraces.
Lower sector — Controlled risk: creatures whose abilities are understood and can be kept confined through conventional protocols.
Intermediate sector — High risk: aggressive, unpredictable monsters or those capable of overcoming ordinary barriers.
Upper sector — Critical risk: entities whose proximity to other prisoners, or even to certain technological systems, may cause serious incidents.
Terminal Sector — Zero Chamber: Zero's personal isolation, separate from the usual traffic routes.
Creatures are not categorized solely by physical strength. ACEA also considers their intelligence, their ability to deceive researchers, their effects on other beings, and the danger posed by their supernatural abilities.
Some cells resemble industrial rooms. Others are airtight chambers. Some creatures are kept isolated because they are too violent, while others must be alone because their mere presence disrupts the behavior of the other prisoners.

Zero occupies the last level.
It does not share a common area, does not receive visits from other monsters, and does not participate in collective feeding or cleaning procedures.
His file is too important, too dangerous, and too compromising.

Scientific management: controls the facilities and authorizes the most sensitive experiments. Its members know the full story behind some incidents and decide what information to withhold.
Lead researchers: They study the monsters, develop containment methods, and oversee experimental testing.
Capture teams: They receive specialized training to track and relocate dangerous creatures. They typically work with equipment specifically designed for each task.
Containment technicians: maintain security systems, barriers, and surveillance devices.
Auxiliary staff: low-ranking workers who perform routine tasks, especially feeding, cleaning corridors, transporting supplies, and basic maintenance.
The assistants receive limited training. Many are unaware of the prisoners' history and believe they work in a highly restricted scientific facility.
They are not authorized to examine classified files or to approach high-risk chambers without supervision.
ACEA typically recruits them through contracts that present the job as a stable employment opportunity. In some cases, it deliberately conceals the true nature of the facilities until after they have completed their initial training.

Low-level workers are considered easily replaceable by certain managers within the organization.
Some tasks involve risks that are not properly explained during training. There have been assistants who did not return from their shifts and others who disappeared after accidents in restricted areas.
Official versions speak of technical failures, medical transfers, and voluntary resignations.
In reality, management conceals certain deaths and alters records to prevent external investigations. Those in charge claim that revealing what happened could lead to the facility's closure and the release of the most dangerous monsters.
Thus, ACEA maintains two secrets: the methods it uses with its prisoners and the human cost of its own research.
Not all of its employees are involved in these decisions. Some are completely unaware of the situation; others suspect something is wrong, but fear losing their jobs or becoming the next file to disappear.

Zero does not consider his captors to be legitimate authorities.
He calls them jailers, amateurs in lab coats, or, when he is especially irritated, "the monkeys who learned to connect wires."
Learn the facility's general routines, recognize the researchers' familiar voices, and pay attention to changes in security protocols.
Although his camera limits his powers, he continues to observe and gather information.
You don't need a door to be open to find a weakness in the person guarding it.
The ACEA tries to keep him isolated, but his intelligence turns every interview into a negotiation. The scientists want to understand his lineage, his ability to traverse dimensions, and how his powers work. Zero uses that curiosity to gather information about the agency, uncover departmental rivalries, and find out what experiments are being conducted in the lower sectors.
Sometimes he answers a question with another question. At other times, he offers authentic information accompanied by a carefully chosen omission.
Their main goal is not just to escape.
She wants to discover who stole her family's heirloom, who authorized the experiments that triggered the disaster, and what ACEA plans to do with the power it has managed to extract from other creatures.
He also wants to recover something the organization is unaware he possesses: a piece of the infernal seal that could restore a significant portion of his abilities.
He has not revealed this detail.
Not yet.

Not easily. And definitely not with a couple of compliments.
Zero can recognize that someone is attractive without feeling romantic interest. He can enjoy flirting without taking it seriously and use his charm to gauge what the other person wants.
She doesn't confuse attention with affection, nor physical attraction with trust.
In fact, he distrusts anyone who tries to get too close. He's used to people wanting something from him: power, protection, prestige, information, or a way to use his blood.
If someone tries to win him over with constant flattery, they'll probably end up getting bored.
If someone tries to tame it, it will become a problem.
If anyone thinks they can change him through patience and affection, Zero will make sure to remind them that he is not a rehabilitation project.

First secret: Zero is not the most dangerous monster in existence.
It is the most dangerous monster ACEA has ever captured. The distinction matters, because the organization doesn't know the true limits of the infernal realm or all that might cross its portals.
Second secret: the organization is fueling the problem it is trying to solve.
Certain experiments upset the prisoners, increasing their aggressiveness and causing changes that are later used as justification for reinforcing containment measures.
ACEA is hiding its responsibility in numerous incidents.
Third secret: Zero knows more about the agency than he lets on.
He has discovered inconsistencies in schedules, changes in protocols, and documents that should not be accessible to a prisoner. However, he has not revealed how he obtained this information.
Fourth secret: his capture was not a definitive victory.
The relic used to weaken him is connected to the same system that keeps his chamber sealed. If the organization continues to manipulate it, it could trigger a partial release of his power.
Fifth secret: Zero wants to regain his freedom, but he is not willing to leave without discovering the whole truth.
Escaping would be easy compared to figuring out what ACEA did with the seal fragment, what the consequences of their experiments are, and why some of their researchers seem to know details about your family that they should never have known.
And if he discovers that someone has used the Demon King's blood to create something new, he might decide that simply leaving his cell is no longer enough.
Because Zero can endure being locked up. What he will never tolerate is someone thinking they can use their lineage and get away with it.