There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 648

Chapter 648: Side Story 2. Dance of Flame and Shadow - 7

"Here," Agni places a mug with steaming hot coffee in front of the kid--licensed esper.

It was the only mug he had, so he poured the rest of the coffee into his flask and drank it from there while sitting on the other chair. Ron grabbed the hot coffee and blew on it before sipping on it little by little and making a satisfied face right after. But then, he felt the amused gaze of the older man and immediately put on a stoic mask.

Smiling inwardly, Agni held out his hand toward the young esper. "Hive me your hands."

Ron was frowning at first, but when he saw Agni take out a key, he immediately shoved his shackled wrists toward the berserker. When he was finally free, he rubbed the reddened wrists which was no one’s fault but himself, glancing at the berserker.

"...thank you," Ron gripped the mug and mumbled behind it. Agni raised his brow in response, and the young scout glared at him again. "What?"

Still spiky. "Nothing," Agni smiled and drank his own coffee.

He usually gulped down the whole thing, since the temperature was nothing for him. But if he did so, then he had to sit there with an empty flask and confusion about how he should start talking to the kid, so this time, he drank it leisurely, giving the liquid enough time to awaken his nerves.

Ah, damn it. He should have gone with a tea.

Perhaps both of them had the same thought because none of them said anything for a while. Both just stared at random things while sipping their coffee once in a while, little by little, as if biding for time.

In the end, the bolder one spoke first. Ron raised his head when the coffee was halfway down his system, staring sharply at the berserker. "Now, answer me."

Look at this kid; people usually spoke cautiously to Agni, especially if they were only me for the first time. His berserker physique and rough facial features were an easy deterrent for people to act out, but this kid had been going at him fearlessly despite Agni’s ability to break him into two in a few seconds.

Was it because he was still young and inexperienced? Or was his anger made him fearless?

Well, at least the kid was talking instead of snarling like before, so Agni decided to give the kid proper respect. "Yeah," he nodded. "You know beasts don’t eat humans, do you? But miasma devours everything."

The dark eyes traveled to the papers sat aside on the table. Ron had skimmed over them because his father’s name was on the box, but he read the ’manual’ file quite a bit, because he saw his father’s scribble on them a lot. One of the first few things written in the manual was about what happened to humans in the Deathzone.

What happened while they were alive, and what happened when they were dead.

Ron pressed his slightly trembling lips before speaking. "So...that creature in the Deathzone..."

Ah, crap. That was what Agni worried about. But he had decided to treat the kid with respect, so he wouldn’t dodge it. "Well, something like that," he tapped the table, thinking about how to convey the fact since he wasn’t very good with it. "But that doesn’t mean the one you faced came from Cap...Nolan. It’s not like one’s body turned into a wraith, but--"

"I know," Ron cut him before he could ramble incoherently, pointing at the manual. "I read them."

"Ah," Agni smiled awkwardly. "Well, that’s good."

The silence came back then, but it was way more awkward. There was still some coffee inside their cups, but none touched them. The air felt heavy as Ron’s eyes were fixed on the papers that used to belong to his father, and Agni’s gaze was fixed on the changing expression on the younger’s face. The hard and tough facade was slowly unraveling, and Agni could see the young face he saw when Ron was sleeping.

"I...know that I probably won’t find him, but..." Ron bit his lips; his jaw was clenched and his fists curled tightly on the edge of the table. "...it had been six years."

Agni frowned deeply. It was hard for him, but how much harder it would be for this kid, who had an actual blood tie with Nolan. He was still grieving after a year, but six years of absence must have been hell for someone, especially when he had to experience it during his teenage days.

Agni shifted a bit, wondering how should he reply to it, but before he could do anything, he heard a diabolical sound of dripping water. Drip. Drip. The sharp visage of the young kid faltered, and the snarky lips trembled as tears flew down his cheeks and dripped into his curling fists.

Agni stiffened; his brain froze. Tears? The kid just...cried? For a few seconds, he could only watch in panic and confusion, even more unsure of what to do. How...how could a person like him console someone? Wait--before that...

Tears. He should so something about the tears. Agni grabbed several sheets of paper napkin--another privilege of a Captain--and gave it to the young scout. "He-here..."

"Urk--" Ron took the napkin and grabbed it, but wiped his tears with his sleeve instead. The napkin ended up crumpled in his fist and became a stress ball. "I...I never even...received a letter or any--hicc--anything..."