There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 718: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 1

Kar and Asa had never been alone. They were together in the womb, and they were together when they were out. The moment they could recognize their surrounding, they had rarely been alone.

Their Dada and Baba were always there. Dada was with them most often, even though Ayya and the other nannies were there. And no matter how busy Baba was, he always rushed to see Kar and Asa and played with them.

But those were only people who lived in their house.

A lot of people visited the house on the hill before the twins could even recognize people.

The ones who visited the house the most were the people who lived at the foot of the hill. Dada said they were family. They were Kar and Asa’s uncles and aunts and cousins. And grandpas and grandmas who loved visiting while bringing lots of snacks and toys for them--until Dada said bringing toys was forbidden.

There was a grandpa who seemed to always cry when seeing them, and an even older grandpa that Kar and Asa could only see five times in three years before they couldn’t see him again. Dada said the old great-grandpa went to heaven with Dada’s and Baba’s parents.

Kar and Asa wondered why they went to heaven when people placed them underground, but they only questioned it between themselves before they went to sleep.

The uncles, aunties, and cousins who called their Dada ’Master’ often babysat them when Baba had to work for a few days and Dada had no choice but to accompany Baba. They didn’t make a fuss though, because they were good boys. They knew Baba could not live without Dada.

Around the time their little princess Nari came to the world, Kar and Asa learned that their Dada was a guide and their Baba was an esper. These espers and guides people also visited them often.

Kar and Asa could tell which one was a guide and which one was an esper right away by their smell. The espers smelled more like Baba, and the guides smelled more like Dada. Some people said they were gifted, and some people said it was given because they were their Dada and Baba’s children.

How weird. Of course, they were their Dada and Baba’s children. Dada and Baba said so. Even if they didn’t know the difference between guides and espers, even if they would not awaken in the future, they were still Dada and Baba’s children.

Funny adults.

Talking about funny, they also loved the grandpa who came once in a while. The grandpa always smelled of trees and bamboo, and the twins loved the smell. The grandpa could make invisible platforms that the twins used for obstacle races, which was so fun! They didn’t like playing hide and seek with the grandpa, however, because the grandpa always found them no matter how hard Kar and Asa tried to hide.

Well, Grandpa Yu was fun, but the most interesting visitors were those blue cousins of them. They smelled like Dada the most, but they were not a guide. Dada said they were like his siblings, but also Kar and Asa’s cousins. How confusing.

Sometimes, they came in pairs. Sometimes, they came alone. Sometimes, lots of them came at once. They all looked like Dada, which meant they looked like Kar and Asa too. They had the same blue eyes as Dada, and they could do all kinds of magic tricks like Baba.

Kar and Asa’s favorite was the twins because they were twins. Also, the shy one who always hid behind Dada. There was someone who came to watch teevee and did nothing else, and Kar and Asa would watch teevee with him while snacking on cereals.

There were lots of people coming and going that Kar and Asa never felt lonely. It was rarer for the house to be quiet. If it did, that means the twins were asleep or going somewhere else. But amongst all of those people, Kar and Asa loved their uncles the most.

Uncle Shin, Auntie Rei, and their little princess Nari lived very close by. They could even see the house beside the lake if they climbed the lighthouse on the cliff near their house. Sometimes, Nari would play in their house, and sometimes, they would go to Nari’s house, and play in the water with Zephyr. Uncle Shin and Auntie Rei were loud and energetic, as loud and energetic as Nari, and they always had so much fun when they were together.

Their most beloved bestest uncles, however, were Uncle Joon and Uncle Dee. Uncle Joon was Kar’s favorite because Uncle Joon was tall and big and cool. It was really hard for Kar when Uncle Joon fell ill, and he could not see Uncle Joon for months. He had no appetite and was very, very sad, even though Asa tried to cheer him up.

Asa was also sad because his beloved twin and beloved Uncle Dee all looked so sad. Asa never doubted for once that Uncle Joon would wake up, so he tried to be all cheerful for his beloved people. And as he thought, Uncle Joon woke up soon, although he forgot about everyone. But then, Uncle Dee and Uncle Joon became like Kar and Asa--always together--and did not play with them for a while.

That’s okay. In the end, being with their Dada and Baba was the best. Especially when Baba was home while it was still bright outside because they still had a lot of energy to play before Dada sent them to bed.

That was also how they knew when the days called the ’weekend’ were.

"Baba, Kal wanna see chadow flend," Kar would climb onto Baba’s lap and patted Baba’s palm. "Get the fun chadow out--quick, quick!"

"When you’re being so quiet outside, are you just saving your energy to get rowdy in the house?"

Kar looked up and tilted his head. "What’s lowdy?"

"Dada! Dada! Look--Aca can make plane! Plane go woooosh!"

They watched a plane made of building blocks fly across the living room and crash against the wall, scattering everywhere. Bassena pointed at the younger twin and told the older brother. "Like that."

"Kal not noisy!" the older twin frowned and patted his Baba’s hand in protest. How dare you say I’m the same as that kid?!

Baba laughed while Dada clapped briefly. "Good job, Asa. Now pick everything again so you can build something better."

"Yeeees!"

As Asa obediently picked up all the scattering blocks on the floor, Kar made a scoffing sound and smacked his Baba’s knee. "Chadoe! Flend!"

"Yes, Yes..."

Baba waved his hand, and the darkness beneath the couch wiggled before crawling up and jumping in front of Kar. They were exactly as tall as Kar, who loved them because they could turn into all kinds of things.

"You can play with them, but we’ll have a guest later, so you have to greet them, okay?"

Kar, who had just jumped to one of his shadow friend’s back, raised his head. "Guest?"

"Do you remember Uncle Gus?"

"Uncle bike?"

"No, no--that’s Uncle Zhan. The one using swords."

Kar pursed his lips. "Lots of Baba’s flend use swolds..."

"Oh, right..." Baba laughed and suddenly craned his neck toward the window. "Oh, they’re here. You can see for yourself."

* * *

A convertible car rolled through the driveway flanked with blossoming trees. It was a perfect spring day for a picnic and a drive.

At least in theory.

Senia stared at the scattering flower petals on her lap and beneath her feet. It would be a chore to clean this all up later. She pursed her lips, but a mischievous hand flicked them. She turned her head and glared at the driver, who only laughed in response.

"You become spiky when you’re nervous," Gus smirked at the girl’s squinting eyes. "You weren’t even this nervous when you visited my family."

"Shut it!" Senia crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks. "You have to clean the car later. I don’t want to do it."

"What--all you have to do is ask your spirits for a wind magic!"

"I’m not the one who wants to open the car’s hood!"

"You’re the one who wants a convertible--what’s the point of having them if you keep the hood up?"

"Don’t use your logic on me!"

"The hell?"

"Stop bickering in someone’s parking lot," Bassena shouted from the front porch, and Senia flinched when she saw Zein was there too, carrying his three-year-old son.

In embarrassment, Senia pressed her lips and got out of the car as if she was running away from it. But she halted a few meters from the front porch, engaging in a staring contest with the twins.

Gus had seen the twins a few times, but Senia had only seen them when they were a baby. After three years, the twins had already forgotten her, so they observed the petite lady with curiosity. Their eyes, which were a mix of Zein’s and Bassena’s, made her tense.

In the end, she waited until Gus came and hid behind the swordsmen.

"What are you, a child?" Bassena rolled his eyes while Gus laughed openly.

"Kar, Asa--stand properly," Zein put the younger twin down. "Greet Uncle Gus and Aunt Senia."

"Aunt..." Senia mumbled with a weird feeling, but she had no leeway for that as the twins stood in proper postures and greeted her in a firm, identical voice.

"Good aftelnoon!"

Gus chuckled and bowed slightly. "Good afternoon, Young Masters Ishtera."

The twins giggled and Senia muttered behind Gus’s arm. "Good afternoon..."

"Come in," Zein led the twins back inside and asked them to play by themselves with the shadow friends and under Ayya’s supervision, while Bassena brought Gus and Senia to the patio.

"Haa...this place is as nice as ever," Gus inhaled the sea breeze deeply. "No wonder you used your reward to get this place."

"Naturally," Bassena smirked. "I’ve been planning my proposal here before we even cleared the Deathzone."

Gus whistled at that dedication, which wasn’t a surprise, honestly. "Talking about that," he curled his lips as Zein joined them on the patio and pulled out a beautifully decorated envelope from his storage ring. "You’ll come to ours, right?"