There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 742

Chapter 742: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 25

When Kar took out the third flower, he could see cracks forming all around the floor beneath the bunch. It seemed like the flowers were able to grow in that cave because of the mana coming from the crystal, so when they were gone, it compromised the integrity of the cave’s floor.

That was why Kar quickly warned the kid. Honestly, he did not know the kid well, because they were not part of the same circle. But he remembered the kid to be quite braggy. It seemed like his family came from Rexon before moving to Lucre, and was quite proud of it...or something.

When the floor collapsed and the kid fell to the ground, Kar knew that logically, the right thing to do was to call for the adults--their teachers, the guide, or the bodyguard brothers. But he also knew it might be too late by then since they had no idea how deep the hole was, and more importantly...

He knew the kids followed him and Asa there.

If it wasn’t for him, if he didn’t unlock the barrier...none of this would happen. This happened because of him. He had to take responsibility.

I trust you

In the split second it happened, Kar recalled his father’s words, and before he knew it, his body responded to it, rushing toward the falling kid.

Of course, he didn’t mean to fall into the hole either. It would be stupid if he ended up falling with the kid. He was going to grab the kid’s clothes from the ledge and pull the kid out with Asa’s help. However, Kar learned at that moment that gravity was not to be reckoned with.

The kid might not weigh more than him, but he was also nothing more than a boy. He was pulled deeper, and his hand slipped on the ledge, causing him to also fall into the hole.

"K-Kar!"

Asa, who was thrown to the side during the slight altercation, scrambled to the hole as his heart dropped to his stomach. Thankfully, Kar managed to grab onto a jutting stone around thirty centimeters from the ledge. But with his own weight plus the kid on his other hand, things did not look good. It was merely the exercise their fathers gave them that allowed Kar to hold on.

"Oh, no! Arda!" the other kids grabbed each other, trembling.

"Hu-hurry! We have to call adults!"

"Let’s run!"

As the other kids ran outside the cave, Asa tried to reach out to his twin. "Kar!"

"Ugh..." Kar gritted his teeth as his arm’s muscles bulged from the strain. His fingers felt like they were burning, and the only thing he could feel was the cold stone and the hard stalk of the last flower beneath his grappling palm.

And the kid below him just kept making things worse.

"No! No! Don’t let me go!" the kid grabbed onto Kar’s hand, squirming around as he tried to climb the older twin. "I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna fall!"

"Stop squirming!" Kar shouted at the kid, tightening his grip. He scowled in frustration as he felt his hand started to slip from the stone. "Ugh--"

"K-Kar--oh, no! What should I do? What should I do?"

Asa scrambled in panic, trying to reach out to grab his twin’s hand. But Kar yelled before he could do so. "No! You won’t be able to pull us!"

Unless Asa tied himself with a rope or something, he would only get dragged inside with them. Especially, since he was weaker than his older brother. Kar couldn’t possibly let that happen. Things were bad enough as it was, so he didn’t want to make it worse.

The child looked up at his crying twin and groaned. Strength! I need strength!

As if responding to the cry of the child’s soul, the crystal glowed and a warm feeling flowed into the child’s body. Kar blinked, widening his eyes. Was that...mana?

The other child, the half of the soul, also felt it. The flickering hope entered his twin’s body. His eyes widened for a second before his trembling hands grabbed the two flowers inside his windbreaker. With desperation, he pressed the flowers to his twin’s hand, holding them tightly.

"Please, please, please!" Asa closed his eyes. He wasn’t as sensitive as his brother, but he could also feel mana somewhat. He could feel the warmth he always felt from his father’s bracelet and earrings swirling around their hands, and he pushed it toward his brother. "Please give Kar strength!"

Again, responding to the other child’s desperate wish, the swirling mana seeped into the older’s hand. The milky white crystal grew dimmer and dimmer, and the glowing petals fell one by one. Feeling the strength coursing through his body, Kar tightened his grip on the kid’s shirt.

"Aaargh!"

With a shout, he moved his arm and flung the screaming kid to the hole, before clutching the ledge.

"Kar!" Asa reached out once more to grab his brother’s hand. This time, Kar did not tell him away. "Hurry! Hurry up! Go up! Hnnngh!"

With the help of Asa’s pull, Kar used his feet to kick the cave wall and brought himself up. Asa grabbed his twin’s shoulder and finally pulled him out of the hole. With trembling arms, Asa hugged his twin tightly as they collapsed to the cave’s floor, struggling for their breath.

All the while, mana still swirled around them, even as their eyes closed and their mind blanked out from the exertion.

* * *

Kar opened his eyes with a harsh gasp. His breath was short and quick as if he had just been running in his sleep, even though he could hardly remember his dream.

Something with a lantern? Swimming inside bubbly liquid? He wasn’t sure.

But he was sure that he never saw that ceiling before--where was he?

"You’re up!"