There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 215

Chapter 215: Chapter 209. Courage

"I was barely measured as a B-class," Ren started his story after they were finished with their soup. "But for some reason, my foster parents refused to put me in the Temple--ah, I used to live in an orphanage."

Zein felt the corner of his eyes twitched. This story was just starting, but he felt like he already knew the scenario, like a deja vu.

"They instead brought me to this...umm..." the young guide fidgeting again, looking like he had a hard time spelling the words.

"A guild?" Zein asked, but Ren shook his head. "...a brothel?"

The young guide bit his red lips and nodded quietly. Dear Gods--it was worse than Zein had thought. Zein already had it bad with the rogue guild’s slave contract, but at the very least, Umbra operated as a real guild, albeit an illegal one. The worse version of Zein’s experience was what happened to Ren--being sold to one of the underworld’s most prominent illegal businesses; a guide brothel.

The rest of the story was pretty straightforward; years of being pimped out to high-profile espers with perverted taste, locked up and abused mentally and physically, being forced to do things he didn’t want to.

When a joint operation between the government and guilds was enacted secretly to get rid of these illegal activities, it was the twins that rescued the young guide.

"I...had lost my voice then," the young guide recalled. Interestingly, Zein could see that instead of looking miserable, Ren recalled the memory with delight. It was, after all, the beginning of his new life. "They took me in, treated me so well, and...and...although I’m barely adequate, and had become a burden for more than a year, they didn’t throw me out after I can speak again, and they even made me their exclusive guide."

That was quite wholesome, Zein thought. He had wondered if the twins were one of those ’worshippers’, but...he also wondered that even if they did, would it be so bad if the guide in question looked happy?

That being said...

How did they know he was also a victim, though? Zein tapped on the table in confirmation. The information available about him so far, if people dug deep enough, was his service in the borderland.

Ah--Zein suddenly recalled the accident that got him transferred to the deadly unit of 04-2; of him beating an esper so much the man ended up in a critical condition.

"So...I’ve been afraid of other people but them ever since, and..." the young guide continued, before pausing.

"And you refused to go out," Zein finished the sentence.

It was understandable if the one who sold him was someone he trusted, his caretakers. At least, in Zein’s case, he knew Marshall Tadros was a scum from the start. And the people who abused Rem after that consisted of civilians, espers, and ironically, other guides. His ’clients’ were people who took delight in tormenting others, and saw guides as nothing more than a lowly tool to serve them.

The young guide nodded, peeking slightly in Zein’s direction. "But they said...they said you might understand..."

Zein didn’t reply immediately. He mulled over what the twins really wanted him to do. Being harsh? No--they might just want him to talk about it like it is. No sugar coating, not trying to tell the man that things will be alright, or that he should start trusting again. But for this delicate soul, everything might sound harsh.

"I do," he said finally.

Zein might never experience the same thing as what happened to Ren, but that was only because he was strong enough to counter their attempt--not because there wasn’t any attempt. Hell--he was still getting assaulted even in the borderland.

"But...you seem so strong..." the young guide looked at him with round, wide eyes.

"Why?" Zein chuckled, leaning back and spreading his arms slightly. "Because I have a bigger build than other guides?"

"That, and..." the young guide hesitated a little, before speaking in a quieter voice--despite them being the only person there. "You’re very brave, going inside the dungeon like that. I can’t even go outside of the bedroom by myself."

Zein hummed and told Ren to start eating his dinner. He realized that the secretary had arranged their dinner to cater to their preferences, as they didn’t eat the same thing. Zein, while starting to eat more diverse food, always picked meat--something everyone in the red-zone treated like the food of god--and fresh vegetable--something he always yearned for.

But the young guide mostly ate soft food; steamed white fish, puree, clear soup. Zein wondered if his body was still affected after all these years.

"So you always copped up in your bedroom?" he asked after he made sure the man ate half his fish.

"Nho," Ren shook his head, and proceeded to swallow his food first before continuing. "What I mean is...I need someone that I can trust to accompany me out."

Putting his utensils down, the young guide excitedly moved his hands. "Mizar and Alcor made this big garden so I can go out and have a walk around the house," he said, stretching his arms wide. "And, and, sometimes, they take me out to stores and movies and libraries--ah, I don’t like those...umm...digital thing. When I tried it, there were a lot of...uncomfortable things there..."

"I see," Zein let out a smile unconsciously, perhaps because the young guide looked more like a teenager when he was excited like that.

And he was glad. Despite still being scared of the outside world, the young man seemed to be genuinely happy in his own way. It was as if his innocence was trapped within himself, and once he was out of his prison, that innocence surfaced rather than getting erased.

That was good. That was better than him numbing himself, like Zein at some point in his life. There was a bigger chance of healing this way. He didn’t know what the twins had been doing to bring Ren to this state, but he personally thought they did a good job.

"So, you’re not being locked up, right?"

"No?" the young guide looked flabbergasted. "Why would they lock me up?"

He even looked offended. It was clear that he regarded the twins as his savior, so the notion of people thinking about that was so utterly ridiculous and made him angry.

"I just...I’m still scared of the outside world..." he added with a quieter voice.

Zein tapped on his glass softly, looking at the reflection of his neck in the glass, tapping on where his mask was on the reflection. "And you thought I’m brave?"

Zein covered his mouth and let out a stifled laugh. He did hear some guides were starting to use a filter mask as a trend--including his own army of chicks. "Pfft, no."