There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 300 - 292. Serenity

Chapter 300: Chapter 292. Serenity

The grandma’s lunch was as warm as the grandma. It had the familiar feeling of a food made with the person who ate it in mind, just like Ayya’s cooking, or Bassena’s. Zein had calmed down a bit thanks to the esper, but eating warm food prepared with care further soothed his heart.

Perhaps that was why he could partake in the lighthearted conversation around the table, although it was mostly the grandma and Bassena doing the talking. But it was peaceful; a much-needed peace before he met his mother.

"You’re going to see your mother, boy?" the grandma asked after they were done with the scrumptious lunch and Bassena had received the recipes.

Zein liked it that the grandma said it as if Lucia was still alive, and just waiting for Zein somewhere in town. Made it feel less bleak. It felt like the time he visited Bassena’s mother. Despite the sadness that the esper displayed the night before, they visited Svadiva’s grave as if they were just going to her vacation home.

"Yes," Zein nodded with a smile on his face, and the grandma stroked his cheek gently.

"Mm, it’s better to smile and show her that you’re happy," the grandma nodded.

Well, Zein thought he would introduce Bassena to his mother today, so that should be enough happiness to show. At least, her mother would be glad that he had a protector now, instead of fighting to survive by himself.

With the grandma’s nice advice, they proceeded to go to the cemetery together after Bassena took the car from the parking lot. Ria, Sherri, and Hana all ride together in the back seat, giving directions to the driving esper.

Before the cemetery, however, they went to a flower shop; a nice one where they kept all kinds of flowers regardless of the season, thanks to the might of a greenhouse and magic. It was way more expensive, but what was money for two high-profile sentinels?

But they weren’t there just to flaunt their buying capacity. They were there to purchase Lucia’s favorite flower. It was a rare breed of very beautiful hibiscus, carefully cultivated so it had a rich blue hue. Lucia saw the flower once in this particular flower shop, and she used her precious salary to purchase one.

"She would always purchase one on her birthday," Ria told Zein with a soft voice and a complex smile; one which was filled with nostalgic joy and persistent sorrow. "She specifically told us not to purchase it because she wanted to gift herself every year. A congratulation for living another year, she said,"

Bassena almost chuckled at that; truly, Zein grew up to take his parents’ traits despite their absence.

"Lucia said she wanted to have a garden full of this flower someday..." Sherri said, before stopping because her voice cracked at the end, tears threatening to fall again.

"A garden, huh..." Zein muttered, touching the glass wall of the greenhouse.

"We have a garden plot," Bassena said behind Zein, leaning his chin on the guide’s shoulder. "We only need the seeds."

Zein chuckled at the way the esper said it as if they already decided on the matter. "What kind of flowers do you think she planted on the lake house?" he asked, and Bassena gasped.

"Oh! We can plant it there!" Bassena snapped his hand. "You have to tell that uncle before he starts on the garden."

"Later," Zein turned toward the store clerks, who had been looking at them in a daze from the moment they realized it was the Serpent Lord and his guide. "We’ll take this."

"Y-yes! How...how do you want to process it, Sir? Should I make it into a bouquet?"

Zein turned his gaze toward Ria and Sherri, since he never visited a columbarium before, and Bassena didn’t need to bring any flowers to her mother’s grave, seeing that the grave was surrounded by flowers already.

"Ah, please put it in a vase," Ria informed the clerk, who was in turn asked what kind of vase they wanted to use.

So Zein ended up looking over rows and rows of vases together with Bassena, before they decided on a pearl white one with blue patterns on it that matched the flower well. The vase had the same preservation formation carved on it that the shop used for their greenhouse, so it would keep the flower fresh longer. Hana had to wipe the sweat rolling down her temple when she heard the price of that small thing.

As they watched the florist arrange the flowers neatly inside the vase, Ria told Zein more about the flowers. "There’s a book that talked about how people in the Old Era liked to give meaning to flowers," she said. "We found it in the library once and read it together; us and Lucia."

Zein stared at the blue hue that almost sparkled beneath the light of the flower shop. "Is there a meaning for a blue hibiscus?"

With a gentle, nostalgic smile, Ria and Sherri answered in unison.

"Serenity."

* * *

The cemetery wasn’t anything fancy like the hill where Bassena’s mother rested. After all, it was only a public cemetery and columbarium that the government made; an affordable place for civilians and guides. But still, with his late husband’s money, they were able to at least reserve a place for their family--and Ria used one slot to keep Lucia’s urn there five years after her death.

It was a beautiful urn; in blue color with a water pattern on the base. They must have spent quite a sum of money to purchase this urn. It was well kept too, even though government places usually received less care. It must have meant that Ria and Sherri periodically visited the place to clean the urn and the locker from accumulating dust.

As the two friends greeted Lucia, they started to cry again, clasping their hands over their mouths to muffle the sob. Again and again, they asked for her forgiveness about their failure, before Hana brought them outside so Zein could greet his mother in peace and quiet.

"Should I go too?" Bassena asked carefully, observing the blue eyes that had been staring at the urn wordlessly for the past ten minutes without moving an inch.

"No," Zein reached forward and touched the transparent glass protecting the locker. "I have to introduce you first."

Bassena took a deep breath, straightening his back politely as if he was in front of his mother-in-law. Well, in fact, as long as Zein said yes one day...

Zein opened the glass door and solemnly put the vase of blue hibiscus there. A small framed picture of Lucia during her graduation was there too, and Zein lingered his gaze there for a few seconds before closing the locker again and taking a step back. He pulled his mask down and spoke quietly, as if he wasn’t confident about how his voice was going to be.

"We finally meet...Mother,"

For a while, Zein just stayed there in silence, wondering what could he say, what should he say to this woman he had only known for a week or two, when his eyes hadn’t even developed well enough to be able to see her face clearly. Should he rant? Should he tell her everything that happened for the last twenty-eight years?

But then he remembered what the grandma said and what Bassena did. So he just smiled gently. "Thank you, for trying so hard," he said, stroking the glass door. "Thank you, for not giving up on me."

It must have been hard for her. She must have wanted to follow her esper quickly, to meet her Roan again, united in eternity. Because that was what Zein thought he would do if he was to lose Bassena.

"You don’t have to worry. I managed to survive, maybe because I am your son; both of you," his smile getting wider, and his voice became steadier. "You can stop worrying, because I have my own paladin now, and he promised to protect me even from the Celestial Beings--do you see how cocky he is?"

"Well I’m sorry for being cocky," Bassena mumbled behind him, and Zein laughed softly while pulling the esper forward. "Oh, hello, Ma’am," Bassena nodded politely, which made him look awkward but also adorable. "Maybe you can gossip with my mother there, please tell her I said hello."

Zein pressed his lips to stifle his laugh and pinched the esper for the ridiculous talk. "Anyway, you could say I’m quite happy now, so..." Zein paused, thinking about something he did not dare to spell, a promise he kept only in his heart. "Hmm...rest well."

Zein looked at the urn for the last time before stepping back and turning around. "That’s it?" Bassena asked. "You don’t want to stay longer? It’s fine even if we go back late."

"Mm," Zein nodded, walking out of the room to look for the administrative office. "It’s enough for now."

Honestly, he thought he would be more emotional once he got here. But he didn’t want to. He locked the sorrow inside his heart, so he could show his mother the best side of him. He could cry on his own--or well, with Bassena again--later. For now, he just wanted to tell his mother that she didn’t have to worry about him anymore.

Of course, Zein wanted to stay longer. He wanted to just stand there and look at the urn, talking about his life before this. He wanted to whine, like a child, something he never had a chance to be. But if he did so, with how fresh the pain was, he felt like he would just choke on his unshed tears.

Perhaps later. Yeah, later. He could look for a nicer place for her in Althrea, so he could greet Lucia often. Maybe he would let the Elder and Senan know--but later, after he was satisfied spending time talking with her.

Later.

He promised his mother that he would find Roan’s remains too, and let them unite inside the same urn.

Later.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.