There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 637: Side Story 1. The Twilight Zone - 19

Chapter 637: Side Story 1. The Twilight Zone - 19

Bassena Ishtera...Bassena Ishtera...

Two words kept coming out of Bassena’s mouth in a mumble. A mumble adorned with smiles and, occasionally, a burst of soft giggles. It was funny seeing it coming from an adult with a scary reputation, but for Zein, it was just adorable.

Especially because Bassena kept doing it while staring at the picture of their marriage certificate and his new license with the changed name.

People wouldn’t catch it right away, because the name ’Vaski’ was used during Bassena’s peak of fame. Even those who knew him couldn’t get used to the new name easily--perhaps for a long time.

But for now, Bassena was happy he was legally an Ishtera. He was so happy that they went to visit Svadiva’s grave right after registering their marriage and changing his name, showing off his new resident card.

"Throwing that name away feels so satisfying," Bassena laughed on the way back from the cemetery, looking all free and radiant.

No matter how much he convinced himself that he used ’Vaski’ as a way to steal that family’s name and erase their legacy, there will always be bitterness deep down inside for using the name of the people who killed his mother.

But he didn’t have to struggle with that feeling now, and above all else, he was sharing the name with the love of his life.

What’s not to love?

"Hmm...I’ll have to start working again with the new name if I want it to stick fast," Bassena muttered while expertly parking the helicopter on the helipad atop the cliff.

Yeah; their house wasn’t finished yet, but the helipad was. It was located slightly away from the house anyway.

"Haven’t you been working anyway?" Zein scoffed.

Or was the esper had been having a secret vacation without him knowing? Bassena visited the new district at least once a week, sometimes twice. He wasn’t there just to check on their house’s development, but also the new Trinity branch. Since House Ishtera had also started to cultivate the territory he gained, Bassena also acted as Zein’s proxy so the guide could stay back and relax with their unborn babies. Naturally, he was also getting rid of any dungeons coming out in the periphery since his main role was still an esper.

"But everything is like...a quiet work," Bassena shrugged. "Need to do stuff that got me out in the world, you know? That gets my name plastered on the screen and the billboard."

"Like talk shows and such?" Zein tilted his head.

"That, or a big dungeon clearing in the high zones," Bassena reached out his hand for Zein to take. "You know, the ones with interviews at the end?"

"Ah," Zein took his husband’s hand and stepped out of the helicopter. "I never stay around for those so..."

Bassena laughed and carefully led Zein down the aircraft. For the public, Zein almost vanished from the world. He had been elusive before, and he never showed up during the Operation. Now, the reporters could only snap a picture from afar when he had a meeting with the government.

Bassena’s career, however, supposedly skyrocketed right after the Operation. However, there had been a slight lull in high-level dungeons after the eastern region beacon synchronization, so there was no role for Bassena the esper. At least, until Radia announced the new branch of Trinity that Bassena would lead, his name could only be recalled through talk shows.

But then again, perhaps it was the best. This lull period gave him a chance to take care of Zein and their wedding. He didn’t mind having a break until next year, but also couldn’t wait for the whole world to know that he was no longer a Vaski.

What a dilemma. He swallowed his sigh and approached the construction site with his husband.

Zein didn’t feel really excited about the house before--mainly because he had nasty morning sickness that morning that almost made them cancel the whole schedule. But he argued that the sea breeze would alleviate his nausea and that looking at the sea itself would calm his hormones, so they still proceeded.

And it was the right decision.

The moment Zein stepped out and smelled the scent of salty water, he was already feeling light and refreshed. The breeze easily got rid of the summer heat, and the expanse of blues of the sky and the sea cleansed the stuffiness he felt while staying in the city for a few months.

But more importantly, the realization that he would be able to see this view every day in the future made him as giddy as Bassena about the name change. This thought shifted his attention from the view to the house.

Calling it a ’house’ was rather misleading. It could be called a small mansion, or a fortress disguised with beauty above. The building was only half-done, but the structure and the outer wall were finished. It was definitely bigger than the lake house, but not as big as Radia’s mansion--which could almost be called a castle anyway.

It was three stories high with five bedrooms, two separate studies, and a library. The first floor was an almost open space with a wall made of a ceiling-high huge aquarium separating the dining room from the living room. Naturally, the house was made so they could easily gaze into the sea from every floor.

They couldn’t see it yet, but based on the design, the finished house would look like a vacation house; a villa with a lush garden and a swing overlooking the sea; a patio with a comfortable table set and a balcony with a cozy hammock. There would be a grass yard where their sons could run around in the future, and a fountain in the middle of the driveway to freshen up.

The house was undoubtedly beautiful once it was done, just like Bassena envisioned in his dream. But this beauty hid a sturdy fortress below, nestled inside the cliff. It was a gym, a sturdy training room, a warehouse, and above all else, a bunker and an escape tunnel. The lowest level of the basement was connected to both a roadway tunnel and an underwater river channel. In an emergency, they could either hide for months in the bunker, or run away--either to the road leading to the city, or to the sea with a boat they would place later.

All in all, it was the kind of house that showed it belonged to a couple with strong survival instincts who put value in comfort and seclusion. It was a house designed with Bassena’s vision and Zein’s preference. It was theirs.

It was theirs in a way that the Althrea condo and the lake house couldn’t. It was built on the land they earned and owned, with the money they earned and owned, and they would start living in that house with a family they created with their utmost love and affection for each other.

And they had a feeling that it would be the house where they would spend their last days. Hopefully, anyway.

"Do you like it?" Bassena asked the guide as they walked along the cliff--the house’s ’backyard’ so to speak.

"I already said I did when you showed me the prototype," Zein chuckled, looking at the raw wall and the workers coming in and out of the structure. "But I have to admit... it feels different when I see it directly."

"And...?" Bassena asked nervously.

Zein smiled and stroked the esper’s cheek. "It’s better than I thought," his eyes curled softly. "It feels real."

"It is real," Bassena laughed in relief. "It’s ours."

"Yeah, and..." Zein looked down, smirking. "I think they like it too."

Bassena gasped, swiftly placing his hands over the invisible bump. "No! Why did you stop?!"

"Be patient," Zein flicked the esper’s forehead lightly. "The doctor said they’ll kick more often once I’m in the last trimester. You can probably feel them often then."

"Ugh..." Bassena pursed his lips in disappointment. He glanced around and then whispered carefully. "Did they recognize where they are being conceived?"

Zein arched his brow and looked to the side, there the flat boulder they used before was left unchanged. It was surrounded by a temporary fence so the workers did not accidentally get rid of it, and Bassena said he would install a plaque explaining the importance of that boulder.

About how the Templar or Arms Master was built, of course, not about how they made the twins.

Zein couldn’t help but laugh, and the twins kicked again. This time, Bassena could feel it because he still had his palm over the guide’s stomach. He was beside himself with happiness for that simple kick, and had a scrumptious banquet airlifted for the construction worker to celebrate it.

Kheeee!

A cheerful screech also greeted them from the sea, and they decided to move toward the lake so they could play with Mera the Sea Serpent. She brought both Zein and Bassena around the lake and delivered them to the island where a bigger construction was happening. No, no--they just take a look, not working.

No chance to do anything much there anyway, since they were kicked out by Lex, who was in charge of leading the whole project. So, they moved to the Tree to meet the twelve guardians. The kids were clinging to him and tried to talk to the twins in his stomach, and the older-looking one asked if they could play in their house in the future.

Bassena pulled out a huge picnic blanket and food he prepared himself, and while the guardians had no need for food, they enjoyed the flavors and had fun with the picnic--which included what was left of their huge wedding cake.

When they finally climbed down the roots, Lex had surprisingly waited for them and ushered them to the port city. Well, it was still in the middle of rebuilding, obviously, but the pier was the first thing they repaired, and there were several ships docked there already--including the one they used during the Operation.

The car brought them in front of a ship that looked like a luxurious yacht. It was when they saw a red flower icon on the side did they knew who this ship belonged to.

Like a ghost, their commlink vibrated at that time and they laughed at the text they received.

Enjoy your honeymoon.

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