There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 466 - 459. Lullaby

"Emergency point, huh?"

Zein looked around as they stopped just outside the tunnel. Bassena used the chance where they might not be disturbed to stick himself to the guide; with hands circling Zein’s waist and chin on the guide’s shoulder.

"It does kind of look like a bunker," Zein muttered. Of course, a normal bunker would not have all of this abundant nature, but the enclosed, secure nature was the same. "Did you say something about farming?"

"Uhh...well..." Bassena laughed awkwardly in embarrassment. "I just thought it would be good if the place became sustainable for living. Maybe a few fruit trees and vegetable plants? Of course, that’s only if we really can use this place as an emergency retreat..."

Zein smiled; it was always interesting when Bassena shifted from his commander mode to this soft-spoken negotiator. Of course, that was only the case when talking to him. That being said, Zein saw value in the esper’s idea.

Indeed, the place was a safe haven inside the dark and dreary Deathzone. Even Zein would want to go back here from time to time just to relax after a hard time in the frontline. The place wasn’t big enough to accommodate the whole Operation’s troops, since most of the land was occupied by water, but...

It should be enough for emergencies; for the squads that had to run away from danger, and for the people who received too many injuries even the healer couldn’t completely take care of--both physically and mentally. There would probably be a case where the fight was so bad the guides couldn’t handle all of the corrosion at once. In that case, this place would be perfect to offset some of the corrosion, due to the shard’s nature. For guides too, it would be a good place to treat burnout.

And in case they might get trapped here by another siege, having stuff to eat inside was indeed a good thing. If they brought seeds and boosters from outside...it would be expensive, but Radia Mallarc is Radia Mallarc.

Still...

"I’ll try and talk to the core," Zein said. "It all depends on the gatekeeper."

Bassena laughed and kissed the guide’s cheek, rubbing his unshaven face on Zein’s neck. He was sure the core would come to it if Zein persuaded it. They were kind of like Zein’s ’kids’ after all, since Zein was a full fragment instead of shards.

"Alright, let’s get back," Zein patted the platinum hair tickling the side of his face. "I don’t hear their voice anymore."

Indeed, when they emerged from the river path, the lower lake had been vacated. The voices were now moved to the upper floor, which had a more spacious open dryland where they would make their camp for the night.

Although they would not experience ’night’ here, with the perpetual light from the double shards.

Surprisingly, however, they didn’t see any camp being set. There was a mini kitchen on the side, on the border between the grass meadow and the woods, next to a line of wet clothes getting aired. Further, rather hidden between the trees, there was a bath chamber. But that was it. There was no tent being set.

Instead, they saw the squad members spread blankets on the soft grass and pile up pillows they brought themselves or took out the compressed tents there.

"What are you doing?" Zein stopped at the edge of one of the blankets and looked at them in fascination.

"Making our bedding?" Zhan grinned while putting more blankets on top of a blanket to make his extra fluffy. There was no trace of someone who groaned about dying a few hours ago. "It’s such a nice place here, not to mention safe. Isn’t it a waste to stay inside a tent?"

"Huh..."

Well, Zein still liked a soft mattress more, but it was also true that the scenery and air felt like heaven compared to what they had for the past few days.

"Captain! Captain! Here--I save a spot for you!" from a side, Zein heard Dheera calling for him.

Beneath a single tree closest to the lake, the guides had piled up several layers of blanket and made what was essentially a throne of pillow. She patted the middle of the blanket excitedly with a bright face, and Leehan waved his arms to get Zein to walk over.

"Saving spot...what is this, real estate?" Bassena scoffed, but Zein laughed and dragged him to the tree.

"This is a nice place," Zein smiled as he glanced at the foliage of the trees. It made the light of the core almost feel like sunlight. "Feels like home."

"Home?" Dheera tilted her head, since for all she knew, Zein lived with Bassena in a penthouse in Althrea.

"My lakehouse," Zein replied while taking a seat on the blanket. "It’s in Area-10."

Dheera clasped her cheeks and took a deep breath. "You have a lakehouse?"

"My family does," Zein said. It was an inheritance, after all, not something he built from scratch.

"Wanna see pictures?" Bassena activated his commlink and pulled out a folder filled with pictures of the lakehouse, including those taken with the proper camera during events. Even Zein hadn’t seen those pictures.

He flicked the screen off to hover in front of the two guides, who looked at it with widened, admiring eyes. "Oh, it’s beautiful!"

"Whoaa...that looks fun! Is there a boat too, Captain?"

"We haven’t built a boathouse yet," Zein said. "But I think someone brought a boat or something before...?"

"Canoe," Bassena replied while lying down on the blanket and putting his head on the guide’s lap. "It’s tied beneath the deck."

Zein looked down at the esper, who grinned. "What? You told me to sleep."

"Mm," Zein curled his lips and stroked the platinum hair. "Just sleep."

"You promised me a lullaby."

Again, Zein looked down and stared at the bright pair of ambers that managed to look innocent and adorable despite the identity of the owner. It was fascinating, and...Zein felt it had been a while since Bassema acted cute. Perhaps because the esper needed to be in his leadership mode all the time during the operation.

Zein didn’t actually like to sing--he never did it, really--despite having a heavenly voice. But those eyes and the nice scenery tickled his heart, making his heart relaxed enough to do it.

"Sure, but...what are you doing?" he looked at the two guides who were now lying beside him, and then at the support magicians and Han Shin who dragged their blankets closer.

"What? We want to hear it too," Han Shin shrugged before nonchalantly lying on a pile of pillows. novelbuddy.cσ๓

Zein glanced at the other espers--from the warriors and the defenders who were playing card games, to the scouts who were mapping on top of a boulder. While they were doing their own things, they also turned their head to look at Zein and listen in.

"Pfft--what is this? I should tell you that I never sing," Zein said. "All I ever did was humming red-zone lullabies to my brothers."

"It’s fine," Bassena said while closing his eyes, enjoying the caress on his hair. "You can read a manual to set up a tent and it’ll still sound good."

"Don’t exaggerate."

"That’s true, that’s true!" Dheera supported the esper’s words without hesitation--although she also added. "Just...don’t read me the Deathzone manual--I still got nauseous from all the exam questions you gave me, Captain."

Zein chuckled and leaned back against the tree. Looking up to gaze at the foliage and the dome of trees above, his mind flew to the memory of his childhood. It was the song that the Grandma next door sang for him when he was a child, and then later, he sang for his younger brothers; within the confine of their home, where his voice could only be heard by the twins, who always asked him to do it even after they grew up and became teenagers.

Right. They had asked for it too not long before their world crumbled.

Zein had never sung once after that.

But now...now his heart was healed enough. The thought of singing the lullaby he always associated with the twins no longer caused him heartache. Stroking the esper’s cheek on his lap, he opened his mouth and sang lightheartedly.

Dark cloud, red grass

Dry land, black stones

Come home, my babies

Come back, to the place where you’re safe

Blue sky, clear water

Green trees, yellow flowers

Come home, my babies

Where you can dream about the paradise

The world is scary

The wall is high

But don’t you worry

I’ll be waiting for you

With kisses and hugs

Zein had always thought that it was really not a fun song. It used to give him hope and crushed it the moment he had to dip his feet into the mud of reality. He had no idea why the twins always asked him to sing it, or, if Zein wasn’t in the mood, to just hum it.

But now that he sang it again, he realized that it felt bitter because he didn’t have the kisses and hugs waiting for him. He didn’t have a ’home’, although ironically, he was the one providing it to the twins.

Now...

Zein looked down, at the esper who had shifted and rolled to the side, hugging his waist and pressing his face to Zein’s stomach. Brushing the platinum hair away from the handsome visage, Zein shifted his gaze to see the guides curled on his other side, and Han Shin who looked at him keenly while lying on his stomach.

Yes. Now he had a family, and friends--both who came with him to free this treacherous land or waiting back home.

Now, he knew why his brothers kept asking him for it.