There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 609 - 603. White Shore

Chapter 609: Chapter 603. White Shore

When Bassena Vaski became the youngest esper to reach the Saint Class, Ophiucus gave him a blessing that could only be said to be groundbreaking; chances.

Not just one, but three chances of avoiding death.

[Second Skin of Immortality] was a skill that would heal all kinds of injury, no matter how critical it was. As long as the pulse was still there, he would be healed completely.

Ever since he received that blessing, Bassena had only used it once; when he was trapped in a black dungeon alone. And he was glad he never used the other two.

Because he needed them both.

The blessing only worked for the one who received it, and it only worked when Bassena was dying. For it to work on someone else, he could only think of one thing.

"Hah...I can’t believe he stabbed his own heart to trigger it," someone with a robe slithering around his body like a snake muttered while shaking his head in exasperation.

"I mean, it’s a creative approach," a voice came from a faint light floating around the robed man. "Technically, they did become ’one’."

"It’s a foolish approach," the man clicked his tongue. "There’s no guarantee that I will do it."

The floating light stopped in front of him. "Huh?" it nudged the man’s head hard. "Huh?!"

"Hey, stop--"

"You won’t what, huh?! Say it again," the floating light, faint as it was, hit the man’s forehead again and again. "Are you going to make me in this form forever, huh? You’re already forgetting your debt to me, huuh?"

"Oh, for cosmic’s sake--stop acting like a delinquent."

"I’m gonna tell Frejya--"

The man grabbed the floating light and hissed. "Oh, for--fine! Fine, I’ll do it! Tsk."

But the floating light was relentless. "Don’t forget to fix everything," it slipped out of the man’s hand and spoked right in his ears. "E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g."

"I get it, so shut up!"

While two entities were bickering somewhere in the vast universe, Zein opened his eyes to the sound of waves and brilliant sunlight that made him wince.

He was sitting down on a soft ground, he realized. His toes were tickled by the edge of gentle waves, coming and going with invisible wind. Zein blinked slowly; the beach and the sea were so vast and endless, like a dream.

Perhaps it was a dream. Zein closed his eyes again. Despite hearing the waves and feeling the sand, he couldn’t smell the salty scent he remembered from the Southern Kingdom journey. The air felt stale, as if time was frozen.

But well...it wasn’t bad for a dream.

Perhaps it was a gift for him before he died. Not bad at all for the last thing he could see before the darkness swallowed him.

Although...it was a bit sad to be alone. He was no longer used to being lonely.

"What are you talking about? You had never used to being lonely,"

"That’s right, that’s right--you could never go away from home for long, couldn’t you?"

Zein flinched at two voices he hadn’t heard in more than eight years. His lips trembled, but he couldn’t say anything. His legs were shaking, but he couldn’t move. And his neck was heavy...oh, so heavy.

"You’re such in a denial, even though you can’t stay away from us."

"Mm, mm--it’s because we’re too cute~"

A sound of laughter echoed in the borderless space, and two shoulders leaned against his back. Zein felt his heart constricted and his stomach churned. Those shoulders were broader and higher than he remembered. Those voices were slightly deeper. But he knew them. He couldn’t move his body or turn around, but he knew them.

"Right, brother Zein?"

His precious, precious little brothers.

"But that’s good. No one should get used to loneliness," the cheerful but mature Aiden chuckled. The tickling feeling from the brush of Aiden’s hair made Zein wish it wasn’t just an illusion. "I’m glad you find someone to spend your life with, Zein."

"What the hell? I don’t like it!" a swift rebuttal came from Hayden, who was both shy and temperamental. "Why should Zein settle for someone like that? He should--"

"Ah, shut it!" Aiden clicked his tongue. "You’re just jealous because he’s having fun with someone else instead of us."

"S-so what if I do? Is that so wrong? Huh?"

The sound of flicking echoed on the beach, as if they were in a small, dilapidated housing unit with two rooms in a red-zone instead of an open space.

"Do you want our brother to end up as an eternal bachelor or something? Grow up," Aiden snorted, and Zein could easily imagine the kid rolling his head.

Kid. From the swaying shadow in the sand, they seemed to be growing up already. Bitterly, Zein thought about how old they would be if they were alive. Twenty-three.

It was Zein’s age when he lost the twins.

"Ugh--" Hayden groaned and muttered sullenly. "I just..."

I’m sorry...

The twins paused when Zein, who couldn’t move or speak, thought with agony. If they were alive, they would be with Zein just as Hayden wanted...

"H-hey, why are you saying that kind of thing again?" Hayden snapped with a stutter.

"It’s your fault, stupid."

"Fuck--who are you calling...!" a smacking sound could be heard. "I get it, I get it, it’s my fault!"

Zein closed his stung eyes. The flicking sound, the smacking sound, the bantering...everything was just as he remembered. Everything that was good from that godforsaken place.

"Haa...this is not what we want to say though," Hayden sighed and leaned his head listlessly on Zein’s shoulder.

"That’s right, let’s stick to the note, shall we?"

Zein opened his eyes, frowning in confusion. What note?

"Zein," Aiden’s voice turned solemn. "We were young back then, so I’m sure we were more of a burden than a help to you. I’m sure we had never even properly thanked you."

"We knew, you know..." Hayden added before Zein could think of any counter. "We knew you wanted to leave, we knew you were miserable and tired."

The blue eyes shook. They knew? They knew he was trying to run away by himself?

"But despite all of that, you stayed with us," Hayden continued. "Even though we were nothing but a burden, you couldn’t even leave us because you became so attached."

No! Zein gritted his teeth. He wanted to scream and tell them that they were not a burden, that he did not mind it, that they were what drove him to survive and hold on during those thirteen years...

"You gave us so much," Aiden’s serious tone shifted to his usual cheerful one. "Our name, our life, our childhood...you gave us everything two neglected children could ever ask."

But I couldn’t give you a future...

"You know...people always say life in the red-zone was pitiful and miserable," Hayden said with a small laugh. "But strangely, we never felt like that."

"Only after growing up a bit more did we realize we could live with that kind of thought because of you. Even in the end..." Aiden’s voice sounded like a smile that Zein remembered from that last day. "In the end, you came looking for us."

Zein stared at the sea hard, without blinking. He had no idea what he should feel about everything. He didn’t even know if the twins really talked to him or if this was nothing but an illusion created by his wish.

He just wished...he just wished that at least he could look at them. Seeing how they looked like when they were adults.

Zein, at that moment, we were glad, we were happy," Aiden said. "To leave the world while feeling happy...not everyone could get that, you know," his gentle voice caressed Zein’s soul. "Well...of course, we still have some regrets, but...seeing how you fare now, I think we can say goodbye to those regrets. Right?"

"...I guess--ack, ack--yes! Yes! No regrets!" Hayden replied amid the sound of smacking, before adding with a grumble. "Tsk--can I at least haunt that person or something if he pulls some stunts?"

You should haunt me instead. You should have haunted me...

There was a pause before Hayden sighed. "Zein..."

"Our silly, affectionate, beloved brother," Aiden laughed instead. "You shouldn’t say ’haunt’--that is only for the bad things--for a nightmare."

"That’s right" Hayden added with vigor. "If we’re going to visit you, it should be in a nice setting!"

"Mm, like this."

The blue eyes flickered at the beautiful sparkling water in front of him. Recalling the day the twins shoved their school textbook at his face, showing him the picture of a blue sea. Recalling how his heart beat fast at that image, and how his eyes sparkled the way the twins’ did.

"Haha...we finally see it, huh?" Hayden laughed loudly; so bright and carefree.

"Yeah," Aiden chuckled and swayed his head on Zein’s shoulder, as if he were glancing toward the vast blue. "Since whatever our brother sees, we see."

Zein could feel his lips tremble and his vision blurry.

"So, let’s see even more wonderful things, alright?"

He closed his eyes, and the soft request on that day lit up in his head, in his heart, in his soul.

"Hey," Hayden nudged Zein’s back and asked cheekily. "Why do you think we can’t see each other face right now, brother?"

Taking a deep breath, Zein realized the air no longer tasted stale. His neck no longer felt heavy. And he smiled. There were tears in his eyes, but he smiled.

"Because it’s not my time yet."

Zein closed his eyes, feeling the soft sand and gentle waves. Feeling the warm sunlight and the slight pressure on his back. He took the lighthearted laughter that slowly, ever so slowly, faded away.

When he opened his eyes, he could no longer feel the warmth and hear the laughter.

But he did not cry. He smiled.