There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 359 - 351. Invisible Scar

Chapter 359: Chapter 351. Invisible Scar

Calix answered with a gentle smile. "Thank you, Yuria," he tapped Radia’s shoulder and shifted his legs to rise from the floor. "I’ll pay as usual after you send the receipt."

"Hey--" Yuria planted his hands on the table, just a shy away from slamming it--not because he was angry, but because he was in a hurry. "Wait,"

He raised his palm to halt them both, and Calix paused, looking at the man with a face void of expression. Radia, who hadn’t moved from his seat, just silently collected the boxes and the flash drive while observing his father.

Yuria pressed his lips and sighed. "Look, I’m not going to charge you for that, so..." he pinched the bridge of his tired eyes and looked at Calix defeatedly. "Why don’t we talk as friends and you tell me about it?"

Calix said nothing, just looking back at the man with a blank face. But he stopped in his tracks as if he was waiting for something, angling his body slightly to the exit.

Yuria closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "I’ll sign a binding contract of confidentiality if you want."

Radia glanced at his father, who let out a subtle smile and cocked his head in his direction. The slightly narrowed eyes were saying that it was safe enough for them to disclose the content of the flash drive.

Indeed--during all six memory readings, Radia could not detect anything amiss from Yuria, such as pretending to be surprised or feigning ignorance. He even looked a bit upset that there was crucial information he wasn’t privy to.

At any rate, it would be better if he could get another Old House on his side when the time came.

Radia tapped on his commlink and showed Yuria a screenshot of the data he took--just a page of it, the one dated two decades ago.

"What do you think about this?" Calix asked.

Yuria quickly read the data, and Radia imagined he also made the same expression when he first perused it. Eyes squinting in intrigue at first, before realization filled his eyes and slowly, the curiosity shifted into dread.

If that was an act, then he was a damn good actor.

With a trembling voice, he looked at Calix and Radia and asked in dread. "What is this?"

Calmly, Calix lowered himself to the floor again, meeting Yuria’s eyes with a solemn gaze. "Yuria, have you solved the mystery about your uncle’s death?"

* * *

Bassena watched Zein’s face, who was in the middle of wiping his hands. Potion could heal the wounds, but not erasing the blood. Not erasing the invisible scar.

"Sorry," he muttered quietly, head down and eyes looking at the callous hands wiping him meticulously.

"Why?" the melodious voice asked calmly. So calm that while it also soothed Bassena’s heart, a sense of guilt managed to crawl inside his heart. "Do you think I have never seen something like that?"

"No, I’m sure you’ve seen your horrible share," Bassena exhaled softly, bitterly thinking how much better would it be if Zein didn’t have to see that kind of thing in the first place. How much better would it be if their world was just sunshine and roses. "I just...rather have you not see it..."

Zein already had his share of scars littering his heart and body. Bassena didn’t want his scars to be added to that pile.

But Zein didn’t think so.

"Why shouldn’t I?" he replied dryly. "You said you were just doing what they did to you. Do I not have the right to know about it?"

Biting his lips with his jaw clenched hard, Bassena replied quietly. "You do,"

Zein finished wiping his hands clean while the words dispersed and faded inside the office. Bassena fiddled his hands, now free of wounds and someone else’s blood. But he had been pretending to be cold and merciless, when every time he inflicted the punishment on the other esper, he only relived the memory he tried not to surface anymore.

And then he felt a hand stroke the side of his head, thumb caressing his temple. "Good job."

Bassena lifted his head, blinking the surprised amber eyes.

"To grow up like this, instead of the other way," Zein smiled gently; all soft curls in his lips and brilliant eyes. "Good job."

Bassena parted his lips, but only managed to speak after a gulp of air and ten seconds passed. "...can you hug me?"

Zein chuckled and pressed his knee against the sofa between Bassena’s thighs, pressing the esper’s head to his chest. "You little baby," he said endearingly.

"I’m your baby,"

"Yes, you are," Zein patted the platinum hair, and the wide back as if pacifying a child.

How weird, thinking that this man just coldly destroyed someone physically and mentally while reciting the rules and the codes ingrained in his mind since he was a child by a bunch of horrific adults just a while ago. Zein did say he had his share of violence and torture scenes, but at least, in the red zone, he knew people did it for money, for survival.

But he didn’t think there was any reason why a clan in the green-zone would need to enact torture in the name of punishment to children. Children!

He suck a breath and stroked the back that used to bear whips and slashes and hurting words. At least, for Zein, he received his wounds from people who were supposed to be his enemy; people who bought him and saw him as nothing more than a commodity--a subhuman, even.

But they weren’t his family, and he could loathe them as much as he liked. He didn’t have to live with them, and could take refuge in his own home, with people he loved and who loved him back. Those people were nothing more than a nuisance for him.

But Bassena had to receive it from people who were his family, who shared the same blood with him, who bore the same name. A child...how confused would that child feel when the people who were supposed to protect him after his mother passed were the ones who harmed him instead?

Truly, it wasn’t lip service when Zein said Bassena did a good job growing up into this fine man he came to love. Sure, there was a role from Joon and Radia, and later on, from Calix and Laurel, but Zein also believed Bassena managed to maintain his innocence because he was brought up by a wonderful mother, and tried hard to keep the spirit of that mother lived inside him.

Truly, what a good job.

Zein patted the esper’s head, who delightfully snuggled into his chest, inhaling his scent deeply. He caressed Bassena’s nape and started to guide the esper, sending waves of soothing waves inside.

Bassena sighed contentedly, and Zein seated himself on the armrest so he didn’t have to stand on his knees during the process, still with the pampered platinum head pressed against his chest.

"Don’t fall asleep on me," Zein muttered. "You’re really heavy."

Bassena chortled and snuggled more into the crook of Zein’s neck, arms circling the guide’s lean waist. The door of his office opened then, and Han Shin casually sauntered inside, only pausing briefly before continuing toward the sofa.

"Don’t mind me," the healer said nonchalantly while lounging on the sofa and turning on the giant television.

"I won’t," Bassena replied easily, getting used to being interrupted at this point.

Well, as long as Zein didn’t mind--and the guide still continued with the guiding and the caressing, face barely changing aside from a subtle amused smile on his lips.

Bassena glanced at the healer who was now in the middle of changing channels. "How’s your father?"

"Just the same," the healer shrugged, and, upon finding the pile of bloody gauze, asked with a raised brow. "You need healing?"

"No."

"Okay," the black eyes went back to the television, but he stopped changing channels and just stared blankly at the screen. "I called his link and of course, he’s not picking up--which is good, because I have a solid reason to call his base now," he said suddenly, prompting the frolicking couple to turn their attention. "They said he was busy, so I asked about hyung, and they were being very suspicious about it."

"And then?"

"I did what I do best."

Bassena smirked. "Whining?"

"Yep!" the healer replied with a cheerful, proud tone. "I made a fuss and told them to tell me where my father was so I could ask him about Hyung’s whereabouts," he continued. "I also told them I was going to check on the Mobius and whatever, and they kinda start panicking--oh! I also said I’d go to the base directly if they can’t give me an answer."

"Pfft--" Bassena sniggered. "Poor receptionist."

"Whatever."

Zein patted the esper’s cheek and finished his guiding. "So? Do you get your answer?" he asked as he slid to the couch next to Bassena.

"Just that my father has been in Rexon for the past week, but they won’t tell me what he’s supposed to do or who he met."

"Rexon, huh?" Bassena patted the armrest in pondering. "Isn’t the House of Horin there?"

"Around there, yes, but so does the government office," Han Shin shrugged.

"Hmm..."

Han Shin gave up on the television and turned it off, before turning around to face them. "But this is better."

Zein tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

The one who answered, however, was Bassena. "It’s hard to put a tail on him if he’s in the base, but if he’s in Rexon..."

"Ah," Zein nodded.

He didn’t know much about the military, but he knew enough that any military compound was always under strict security and regulations. It was always risky watching over a military base, because there were tons of detection devices, and once a spy got caught...

Well, let’s say legal battle was the least of their worry.

Suddenly, they could feel a shift of mana in the air, and a sound coming from the outside.

"Hmm? Is that Radia?"

They looked at each other and, in tacit understanding, stood up to go to the Guildmaster’s office. They peeked inside just as the swirling portal in the air vanished.

"Yo, Boss!"

The crimson eyes looked up from the couch. "Ah, good timing," he signaled them to come inside. "Give me some report."