There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Chapter 25. Where Door Opens

Jumping into the chasm might be a bit much, but fortunately, the male researcher was still tied in the vine, so he wasn't completely thrown down into the deep. But it would only take a few seconds for the lashing vines to drop the man into the gaping hole, so Zein moved his body before he could think about it thoroughly.

Most of his magic energy had been infused with the Black Pearl to shatter the Specter's concealment before, so he only had enough to make a few moves. With trained efficiency, the magic energy flowed from his nape to his arm and his legs. In one leap, he grabbed the researcher's collar while swinging his other dagger.

The magic-infused blade sunk into the thick, barbed flesh, and the vines lashed out with a sharp wind that made a screeching sound, sending the male researcher and Zein into the air again.

Zein gritted his teeth amidst the screaming of the researcher and the wailing sound of the monster, and poured his remaining magic energy into the dagger's blade. With all his might, Zein pushed the blade deeper and slashed the vine off. Using his feet to kick on another vine, he used the inertia from the lashing motion to hold onto the researcher and crashed into the fading barrier.

Vaguely, he saw his shadow move and dark, elongated spikes sprout out to stab the remaining vines. But the crash made his eyes blurry and his ears ringing, so he didn't know exactly what happened afterward.

What he heard, instead, was a sneering growl. A sound of concrete tumbling down. Crashing.

What he saw, instead, were red eyes. Bloody road and red sky. Of blazing fire and back ashes.

And a weight. More than the pain on his side where he crashed into the barrier, the weight on his neck and his chest was hurting him more.

Around him, the screeching sounds grew louder and wilder until they suddenly stopped altogether. With the corner of his flickering vision, Zein could see the slumping vines and something like a dark fire burning them to smithereens.

A hasty step approached him, and a strong hand hold his wobbling body. When he looked up, and his vision returned, he saw amber eyes peering at him. A frown, anxiety, lips moving to speak to him urgently.

Zein breathed, slowly, raised his hand, and slapped the man in front of him.

There was a deafening silence, so deep and full of tension that even the panicking researcher stopped his groan.

"What..." Bassena was so dumbfounded he couldn't say anything more. There was no magic inside that slap, so it barely tickled his cheek.

But it stung. It stung that much more.

"Bastard! You said you'll keep them safe!" in all the four days the team met, and in the three years Ron knew Zein, it was the first time the guide raised his voice that much.

There was so much anxiety and anger inside that voice. Emotions so raw Bassena couldn't even manage to feel offended. The blue eyes were shaking, brows furrowed deep in palpable tension.

"You told me to trust you!" the hands that grabbed the esper's lapel had the same painful firmness as the hand that grabbed Bassena's arm four days ago. "Fuck!"

With one last curse, Zein let go of the esper's coat and walked away, leaving Bassena staring blankly into empty air, and the others holding their breaths nervously.

Han Shin moved his head to look for the person who knew Zein the longest, and threw Ron a confused stare. But it was clear that the scout was also as shocked as the rest of them.

"W-why would—"

"What the fuck?!" the team, who was busy staring at each other for an answer, turned to Bassena again.

The esper was still standing in the same place, glaring at the empty air. But soon he whipped his head to the direction that Zein took—the entrance of the cave.

When Han Shin saw that Bassena seemed to be intent on confronting the guide, he stopped the man immediately. "Bas, I don't think you should go there now," the healer looked at Bassena warily. His friend had been on his best behavior these days, thanks to the man's attempt to butter up the guide. But Han Shin knew what kind of person Bassena actually was—what kind of temper the man usually had. "Calm yourself first, yeah?"

That temper was now directed at him instead, the cold stare piercing like needles. "What?" Bassena frowned, as if he couldn't understand why someone had any guts to stop him—including his friend.

"We can't have conflict now, okay? I don't know why he was suddenly like that, but—"

"Umm..." at that moment, Sierra bravely cut in between the two executives' arguments. "I...I think I know why Mister Zen acted like that..."

And now all eyes were turned to Sierra, so the sharpshooter continues without any delay. "This is just my conjecture, but I believe it has something to do with the red-zone outbreak incident four years ago."

"The incident that you mentioned that first time?" Ron walked closer. He too wanted to know what exactly transpired here.

"Yes," Sierra turned her sight to the scout, taking the chance so she could avoid looking at the fiery pair of amber that scared her so. "During that incident, Mister Zen lost his younger brothers. I...I looked for them with him, and we actually managed to rescue them, but..."

Sierra sighed, and the others could guess easily what happened then. "They died...on the way to the medical tent..." she wasn't there when Zein and Askan Bellum managed to get the twins out, but she met them on the barricade.

She still remembered even now, the look on the guide's face—the hard eyes, the cold fury, the deep sorrow.

She remembered the sight of the older brother silently putting his younger siblings down on the dry grass. The man didn't cry, didn't scream, didn't even let out a single grunt and sigh.

But that, somehow, had brought even more sadness.

"Were they...civilians?" Bassena asked, and Sierra nodded with a heavy heart.

Well, during outbreaks, the biggest casualty would always be the civilians. "Yes. They were still in their teens, I didn't think they were more than fifteen at that time..."

Bassena closed his eyes, mind playing that particular moment before the first dinner. How the blue eyes were filled with anxiety the moment Zein knew they were bringing civilians into the Deathzone.

It didn't just stem from the guide's distrust toward espers in general. Or because he feared for his own life.

And that anxiety had morphed into anger the moment it proved true.

"Haa..." Bassena exhaled slowly.

"Right, okay..." Han Shin wiped his face. "So let's just leave him alone for now and continue making our cam—hey, Bas!"

Before Han Shin could tell him to stay put, the man had already walked far to the entrance of the cave, ignoring the healer's frustrated shout. His hastened step, however, slowed down once the guide's figure caught his eyes.

Zein was sitting on a boulder at the entrance, looking out to the black water flowing steadily outside. His hand was clutching tightly at the pendant of his necklace, and the hard line of his jaw told Bassena that the guide was gritting his teeth.

The esper had come there without any thought of what he should say. He thought of offering an apology, but honestly, Bassena didn't feel guilty or anything, so it would feel insincere if he did.

That was why, he just wordlessly sat on the ground beside the guide, looking at the black water and surrounding darkness too. And they both sat in silence for a long time, each with their own thought.

But it was the guide who broke the silence first. "I'm sorry," for the second time, Zein apologized. "You had your skill guarding us, didn't you?"

After his emotion stabilized, Zein could recall the situation more clearly now. The spear of darkness that came out of the researcher's and his shadow to pulverize the vines. Bassena probably had stationed his 'kids' on each of the members for emergency situations.

But Zein was too anxious earlier. The sight of the researcher screaming in fright and being attacked triggered those memories he'd been sealing deep in the corner of his mind.

And he unleashed that on someone that was closest to him.

"If you're sorry..." Bassena tilted his head and leaned closer to the guide, "then give me compensation," there was a teasing glint inside the amber eyes.

Zein stared at the narrowed eyes, and the lighthearted smirk that formed on the esper's face. "Like what?"

"Like a kiss—"

"Try again. Like what?"

Bassena chuckled at how fast his request was being turned down. Well, he wasn't being serious anyway—not entirely. Although he would totally go with it if the guide gave any semblance of consent.

"Then...come to my guild," the esper looked up, meeting the gaze from the narrowed blue eyes. "Just so you know, it's not just my selfish desire. It's official recruitment."

"Then shouldn't you offer it in an official setting?" Zein watched the esper rest his elbow above the guide's thigh, using it to prop his chin. "And I don't think my apology is worth that much compensation." _{freewёbnoνel.com}

The esper smiled deeply, before making a pained face, clutching his chest with his other hand. "But you hurt my heart so much, Zein..."

Rather than retorting with words, Zein flicked the esper's hand away from the man's chin. "Then you should wipe that smirk first before saying that kind of thing," he clicked his tongue, and the esper laughed softly at that.

Honestly, if it came to it, Zein wasn't the best person in mitigating conflict. And Bassena was even worse at that. Zein's policy was kept out of conflict or ignore, whereas the esper just straight up faced it with a 'fuck you, I'm always right' attitude.

But somehow, these two people were being candid and resolved things with just a few exchange of words. If Han Shin witnessed this, he would be on a journey questioning his life right now. After all, he'd been the one who adamantly tried to prevent Bassena from confronting the guide in fear of conflict escalation.

Who could guess the infamous tyrant Bassena Vaski would patiently wait in silence for the other to speak first? Or for Zein who just burst out emotionally to quickly calm down and even apologized.

Or for them to act so comfortably with each other.

"But will you accept?" Bassena leaned his body even closer when the guide made no indication to push him away.

"My contract with the Unit is still in effect," Zein replied in a business tone, like a customer rejecting sales advance.

The esper clicked his tongue without any intention to hide his dissatisfaction. "Can't you at least pretend to think about it?"

"How persistent," Zein leaned his back against the cave wall, smiling slightly at the esper's sulking face—the slightly furrowed brows and the pursing lips.

"You're sneering aren't you?"