There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 730: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 13

The beautiful red autumn leaves had fallen, and the weather became colder. It wasn’t cold enough to only stay cooped up inside the house, however, especially for a pair of energetic boys and a pregnant person looking for sunlight.

And so, at the patio of the house on top of the cliff, you would be able to see a man lounging relaxedly on a hammock while two boys were playing on the swing. The cold winter wind was getting diverted by magic tools placed around the patio’s railing, making sure the four delicate creatures wouldn’t get too cold.

"What pletsent shud we get Nayi this time?"

"Hmm...Nari say she get bored with dresses already."

"Ngg...shud we get flowel? Flowel its lale in Wintel. Let’s ask glanpa Tsenan fol flowel."

"Ung--sound good."

Zein laughed inwardly at his sons’ conversation. How fast children were growing--they could even think about birthday presents already.

"It will be good if there’s snow," Kar muttered. "Nari love snow. And ice."

"Ayce!"

Zein’s laughter turned into lament. Ever since Rina made them that ice rink, the twins had been asking for an ice field. Every time they knew Rina was visiting Cohen at the foot of the hill, they would run there and ask for a mini ice rink, even though there was no pond or a pool.

Children were scary when they got fixated on something.

"Dada..."

Zein took a deep breath and opened his eyes to look at the child tugging on his sleeve. "Yes?"

"Why we don’t have ayce? We have snow but no ayce?"

"Hmm..."

What did Zein know about the science behind the weather, anyway? This was where their Baba or their uncles should come through, but looking at the sparkling eyes staring at him, Zein didn’t think the twins could wait until their Baba came home.

Eh--couldn’t he just bullshit his way through this time? He’d ask Bassena to explain it properly later.

He looked at the sky and pointed his hand toward the north. "Do you see that?"

The twins careened their heads to look over the railing. From their position, they could see the beautiful blue sky, with a little bit of light gray cloud. But far--far on the horizon of the north sky was a stormy space filled with vicious thunder.

"Black cloud?" Kar asked.

"Yes," Zein nodded, beckoning his boys to come back. "It’s called the Deathzone."

Two little heads tilted together. "Deszon?"

"Yes, Deathzone. That place is very dark and very cold."

"Not like Baba?"

"Not like Baba," Zein cracked a smile. Just like him, the twins saw their father’s darkness as a warm and comfortable one. "It absorbs a lot of cold from our place."

"Humm..."

"But because of that, we can have nice weather," Zein concluded his bullshit, ruffling the platinum hair of the younger twin. "Asa will get cold often if our place gets too cold."

Asa gasped. "Leally?"

"You got a fever for three days after playing in the rain last time," Zein reminded his little rascal.

"Hehe..."

Asa giggled and hugged the hand ruffling his hair. He leaned down and carefully placed his ear over his Dada’s stomach--although Dada already told him that the sister had yet to develop organs. But Asa had no idea what that meant--he just knew that his sister was there, vibrating softly with early life. He giggled and closed his eyes to feel that soft vibration more.

Kar, meanwhile, was still busily staring at the black cloud far away. "Dada, is that place bad?"

"Yes, bad," Zein followed his oldest’s gaze while stroking the little platinum head on his stomach. "This place used to be like that before you were born."

Asa gasped and raised his head. "Our home?"

"Everything from the long wall to the beach," Zein paused, eyes slightly clouded with the memory of struggle. "To the sea."

Kar widened his eyes. "Dark and cold too?"

"Not as cold as the one in the north, but very dark. You can’t see anything without special glasses."

"Tscaly!" Asa hugged his Dada again, pressing his face onto the warm chest.

"That’s right; it was scary," Zein nodded, stroking the younger twin’s back assuringly. "No one could live here, nothing could grow here."

Kar looked at his Dada seriously. "And Dada and Baba shoo the dark away?"

Zein chuckled. "Everyone did it together. Uncle Shin, Uncle Dee, Uncle Joon...everyone was there. All the Uncles and Aunties who worked with your Baba on the island--Grandpa Yu also."

"Whoaa..."

Wow, indeed. Now that he reminisced about it, Zein felt how amazing what they did was. When he was still working in the borderland, he had never thought that he would end up working with three saint class espers or receiving support and blessing from a Goddess.

Certainly, he never thought that he would end up fighting against a fallen celestial being.

But thanks to their many adventures, Zein and Bassena never ran out of materials for some bedtime stories. Of course, they had to tone down a lot of it, but the twins loved those kinds of stories very much. They thought their fathers were like the little knight they adored so much on television.

Oh--if only they knew how many times their fathers showed up on television in the past.

"Dada, what about the Deszon in the north?" Kar asked after staring at the dark cloud again for a while.

"Hmm...I’m not sure," Zein tilted his head. "The ones who can make decisions are the people who live there."

There was indeed some discourse about getting rid of the other Deathzones following the success of the Eastern Federation. But to be honest, it wasn’t easy. The main reason why the Eastern Deathzone could be rid of was because of Zein and the shards of Setnath. Without them, it would be hard to completely erase the Deathzone.

Besides, the other Deathzone had natural barriers like mountain ranges and a vast sea that did not make the people think it was particularly necessary. Once Radia showed the forum how much he had to spend during the operation, even the rich Western Republic shuddered.

So...Zein had no idea if the other countries would want to do it. But who knew--perhaps in the future, things might change.

"Can Kar..."

Zein turned his head to look at his oldest son, who fidgeted beside him while clutching his sleeve.

"Can Kar do it in future?" the boy said quietly, shyly. "Like Dada and Baba?"

Zein raised his brow; was that why this boy had been so fixated on the ’black cloud’ since earlier? He smiled and patted the black hair. "Of course, if you want," Zein nodded in assurance. "If the people in the north want to get rid of it, maybe you can register to help."

"But Kal have to be espel filst," Asa chimed in. "Like Baba!"

"You don’t have to be an esper to help," Zein chuckled, ruffling Kar’s hair more. "I’m not an esper too, and there were construction workers as well as scientists working together inside the Deathzone."

Asa perked up. "Leally? Tsintis too?"

"Yes. People who prepared the provisions and equipment were also a help. You can find a lot of ways to help even if you’re not an esper or guide

What’s important is having the willingness to help, okay?"

"Mm!" Kar nodded with determination.

"Okay!"

"Good boys," Zein stroked his twins’ hair, feeling pleased and proud. See--Bassena didn’t have to be scared about ’breaking’ them. Their sons turned out splendidly already. "By the way, do you want to be a scientist, Asa?"

Zein looked curiously at the younger one. The twins had always been curious children, but each of them had a different interest. Kar had a fixation with mana, and Asa was...all kinds of random stuff.

"Dunno!" Asa shrugged. "But Aca like plane! Uncle Tsin tsay tsintist and en’jneel make plane!"

"Is that so? You want to make a plane?"

"Yeth!" Asa giggled and raised his head toward the sky, pointing his finger at the bright blue. "Aca wanna tsee tsals!"

"Star..." Kar muttered as he followed his twin’s gaze. "Byul..."

"Tsals like what Dada and Baba tell Aca and Kal!" Asa grinned widely, looking back at his Dada.

Zein tilted his head. "Ah...the corridor of star?"

"Mm!" Asa nodded. "Tsal look pletty in sky. Aca like pletty things."

Zein laughed and patted the boy’s head. "Okay, you do that," he smiled, recalling the ’conception dream’ he saw back then, of a figure standing in front of a huge window overlooking the sea of stars. "I’ll support you the best I can; of course, Baba too."

"Hehe!"

Zein also patted the other twin. "You too, Kar."

"Ung!" Kar was about to nod, but he felt something and perked up instead. He raised his head and looked around. "Dada, guest!"

"I know," Zein smiled and got off the hammock to take a seat on the patio chair instead. "They’ll probably come right over--oh, a lot of them come this time."

That phrase was enough for Asa to understand. "Blue coutsins!"

The Guardian of the Tree had come to visit. This time, ten of them.