There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 443

Chapter 443: Chapter 436. Cerulean Sea

It was like an instinct, like a child crying out inside of him. At that moment, when the spread of cerulean canvas filled his vision; nothing else mattered.

Not the portal controller looking surprised at him dashing out. Not the other users blinking in wonder. None. Nothing. Not even Bassena.

All he cared about was getting as close as he could to that spread of blue. Unfortunately, the portal was located in an observatory over the cliff, so he could only go as far as the portal’s platform railing, feeling breathless when all he wanted to do was absorb as many scents as he could.

And then he felt a warm hand on his back, caressing him as if to ease his lungs so he could breathe again. And so he did breathe again, inhaling the air, the scent, the colors, the noise--

One by one, his senses were working again, and he basked in the sensation of something that used to be nothing more but a fantasy for him.

Zein was crying when he looked at his first clean lake in the Deathzone. But strangely enough, he didn’t want to cry now, even if his whole being was vibrating in unexplainable exhilaration.

The reason was simple; he didn’t want his vision to be blurred by tears.

He wanted to look at everything clearly with his own eyes, and feel everything with his remaining senses; locking them in his memory as best as he could. Because no matter how much he looked at portraits, they did not carry the slightly sticky wind, the warm sun, and the unique smell he couldn’t describe with his limited fancy vocabulary.

But it was alright. He didn’t need a fancy description. After all, he was already seeing and hearing and smelling and feeling everything by himself.

"It’s wonderful, isn’t it?" Bassena smiled, holding the guide’s waist the same way he did when they were on the yacht back in Rexon.

At that time too, Zein’s sight had never left the water--even if the lake was artificial.

But this was hundreds, perhaps thousands of times bigger than that lake, and it was very much real, so Zein had no idea what kind of adjective would be fit to describe what he thought and felt about the endless spread of water in front of him. In the end, he just nodded.

"Would you like to go down now?" Bassena offered.

Immediately, Zein parted his lips to answer, but he stopped. Bassena waited patiently, and in the end, Zein shook his head.

"No," he said. "Let’s go to that reservation of yours."

"We don’t have to--"

"No," again, Zein shook his head. "We’re about to get hungry, so it’s better to fill our stomachs first," the blue eyes shifted toward the cerulean sea. "Later...I want to enjoy it to the fullest. I don’t want to be disturbed by feeling hungry or thirsty in the middle of it."

Bassena blinked slowly, carefully preserving the expression Zein had right now; one of impatience, but also a great self-restraint and determination. It was almost like a student holding back from having fun until the exam time was over.

This unexpected child-like disposition only came out once in a blue moon--such as the first time Zein tasted fruit or chocolate--and Bassena had this bubbling desire to immortalize it.

And yet, he was afraid it would disturb this lovely mood, so he did nothing but capture it with his eyes, and framed it in the gallery of his mind.

"Well, in that case," he bent his waist and offered his hand like a gentleman of old times. "I shall make sure the reservation is satisfactory."

Zein raised his brow at the esper’s antics. But they were on vacation, and he felt light and happy, so he took the outstretched hand with a beautiful smile on his lips.

"Lead the way, then."

* * *

When it came to Zein, Bassena always meant everything he said. So when he said he would make sure Zein was satisfied, he delivered beyond what a normal person would.

Baseena did not joke around when he said there was a seafood feast waiting for them, because it was, indeed, a whole feast.

A big table, enough for a big family on a big holiday to sit around, was reserved just for them. On top of it, was everything Cerulean Sea could provide; all were of the highest quality and as fresh as possible. Just listening to the staff naming every kind of crustacean, every fillet of fish, and what kind of cuisine they would taste best in, completed with the right wine to pair them with, took almost half an hour.