There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 301 - 293. Another World

Chapter 301: Chapter 293. Another World

"It’s possible to direct the payment to another account, right?"

"Of...of course, Sir,"

While it sounded like a question, Zein’s gesture and gaze told the administrative office worker that he did not ask for a confirmation, but told them to make it so. Not that the worker would reject it or anything, since all they needed to do was make sure the payment still came, doesn’t matter from where.

But Zein spoke in that way not just for the worker, but for Ria and Sherri as well. Perhaps because of this, or because they were still feeling guilty, the two retired guides could only open their mouth without anything coming out, looking conflicted.

So Bassena stepped up to lessen the tension and awkwardness. "I hope you don’t mind. It’s not that he has reservations about you taking care of her, but as a son, he wants to be the one taking care of his mother from now on," he said kindly to the three women. "I know because I’m the same as my mother."

Svadiva’s remains weren’t always placed in that beautiful cemetery hills or surrounded by the white flower garden. It was only after Bassena received the hidden inheritance from his mother that he could do it. It took him a long time to come to the decision too, because she wasn’t cremated, but buried in a casket, so he had to dig the whole grave to do it.

And he did it alone, without outsourcing any people. He dug the grave alone, he took the casket alone, he put the old casket in a more beautiful and sturdy one and buried it inside the new grave--all with his own two hands. Because he couldn’t do it in the past, as a mere boy without any power.

The strong feeling of regret and desire to take responsibility for his mother, even after she wasn’t alive anymore--Bassena knew all of it too well.

They looked at Bassena, half in wonder. Honestly, when they saw the Serpent Lord in their front door, they were scared. The thought that it could be their last day was there, knowing the esper’s reputation for being merciless and temperamental. But today, they felt like all of those articles painted him as such were a lie.

Bassena had been kind and gentle every time he spoke with them, and he was the one who always tried to break the ice between them. The man was even more gentle toward his guide, treating Zein as if the older man was his most precious.

Perhaps he truly was.

Ria and Sherri bit their lips and nodded, whispering softly. "Thank you, for staying by his side,"

"No," Bassena shook his head and replied with a smile. "It was him who stays with me. I’m grateful enough that he decided to do so."

They couldn’t say anything but nodded. They might have failed to fulfill Lucia’s last wish, failed to save and protect her son. But at the very least, they knew Bassena would protect Zein, stay by his side, and provide him the warmth they couldn’t give.

Bassena smiled; he couldn’t say that Zein actually wanted the administration office to calculate the total rent and maintenance fee for the last twenty-eight years, and returned the money to Ria and Sherri. But Bassena told him not to.

"They loved her too, and just like how you want to take care of it now, that was also the only way they could express their affection after she passed," he explained to the guide. "Don’t rob them of it, or they will feel even more guilty."

Fortunately, Zein relented, which, in Bassena’s eyes, was a correct judgment. He felt like their relationship would become even more awkward had Zein gone ahead with his plan. With this, at least Ria and Sherri wouldn’t feel like Zein didn’t want them involved with Lucia’s matter anymore.

Well, he knew Zein never thought to cut them off. The guide just couldn’t express it through words, as usual--just like Bassena in the past. It was all the brashness of the red-zone that the man couldn’t shed off completely.

But that was another benefit of having a boyfriend, wasn’t it?

* * *

The sky was already dark when they arrived in the apartment building. They still had to drive back to Althrea, so they rejected the grandma’s invitation for dinner.

Clutching the bouquet they bought for her, the grandma sighed, as if Bassena and Zein were truly her grandson who was about to go home after a short visit. "Will you come visit again?"

"Grandma..." Hana grabbed the grandma’s arm, worried that her words might feel coercive for the guide. They were already feeling jumpy around the man, what if--

"Of course," Zein said, in a lighthearted tone that did not show the heaviness in his heart at all. "My mother and aunties are still here, anyway."

They looked up at Zein in surprise. Ria and Sherri couldn’t even respond for almost a minute, still couldn’t believe Zein just called them his aunties, and not in a sarcastic way. It was hard to see his face behind the mask, not to mention it was already dark, but he didn’t sound angry or vindictive, and it was more than they were hoping for.

Ria, in a burst of courage, stepped forward and held the younger guide’s hand, asking in a quiet and shaking voice. "Can...can we call you Luzein?"

"Zein is enough," Zein said, as usual. "You can...call me if you want. Tell me more about Mother."

Ria felt her breath stutter, eyes already moist with tears for the umpteenth time today. This time, Sherri too, stepped up and held his other hand. "You’re really going to visit again?"

"I’ll try," he said, looking down at his hands in their hold. They were warm; the kind of warmth that was different from Bassena. He wondered if his mother’s hands felt like that. "You can...visit me if you want."

It took all of their willpower for Ria and Sherri to stop themselves from crouching and crying on the ground like a child. They gripped Zein’s hands; the hands that they should have held almost twenty-eight years ago. The hands they failed to rescue.

Those hands were rough with scabs and scars despite the man being a guide; a testament to how hard his life must have been surviving in the red-zone. Again and again, they whispered the words of gratitude while holding back on their tears.

Bassena just smiled looking at them and spoke to the grandma who started to get confused. "I still need to steal your recipe more, Grandma, so prepare them, okay?"

The grandma turned toward him and slapped the sturdy back slightly. "What are you gonna do with my recipe? You should just ask those fancy chefs to teach you instead."

"Eyy--home cooking should be done with a home cook recipe, Grandma," Bassena pursed his lips. "Besides, Zein doesn’t really care for anything fancy."

"Is that so...?"

The grandma sounded skeptical, but also happy. And with that happy note, Zein and Bassena left with their car, back to Althrea. They stayed outside and waved until the car turned around in the corner and disappeared from sight.

The moment he couldn’t see them anymore from the reflection of the rearview mirror, Zein threw his head back onto the headrest and let out a long sigh.

"You handled it well," Bassena said with a smile, setting the navigation back to their home.

Zein turned his head to look outside the window, at the street light glowing softly along the way. "It feels like a long day."

"It is a long day," Bassena chuckled. Days where they experienced emotional turmoil tended to feel that way.

That being said, it was good that the day wasn’t just long, but also meaningful. They weren’t just finding some answer, but also fixing a relationship. Bassena thought it was good for Zein to have more people he could consider his ’family’.

Of course, he liked it if Zein depended on him, but he also wanted the guide to see that there were a lot of people who liked him for himself, not because of his power, newfound wealth, or status.

Zein let out another long sigh and closed his eyes. "It’ll be past midnight when we arrive," Bassena said as he stroked the guide’s temple. Even using the expensive inter-area highway and the maximum speed limit, Bassena would need to drive for eight hours minimum before they could see the gate of Althrea. "Just sleep now."

Usually, Zein would reject it, letting Bassena drive alone for eight hours. But this time, he was beyond exhausted. The pain and sorrow that he managed to reign in temporarily thanks to Bassena were now catching up to him. It exhausted him more than any dungeon excursion.

So even if his mind told him he should stay awake at least until they reached the highway, soon his eyes blinked slowly at the steady rows of glowing streetlights before he succumbed to drowsiness.

That night, he dreamt of another world. A world where everything was bright and sunny. A house beside the lake, and a garden of blue hibiscus that bloomed early. The cherry blossoms were falling for the last time, showering a rather messy birthday cake on a wooden table atop a deck.

There were a lot of people around the table; people he knew. But his eyes only looked at the beautiful smile and a pair of blue that was similar to him, and a sturdy mountain with a stern face but a gentle smile. He stood still for a few seconds, before he felt his small feet trying to run, wobbling across the grassy field as everyone cheered.

He stumbled when he reached the deck, but the sturdy mountain caught him, and lifted him up, up so high past everyone’s head until everything he could see was the blue sky and the turquoise water.

It was a paradise.