There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 731: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 14

The blue-eyed guardians, with their repertoire of black clothes, were not a rare sight in Ishtera Hill. They came every now and then; sometimes alone, sometimes two, but at most, there would only be three or four at once.

They would play with the twins briefly, talking to Zein, or just roam around the estate by themselves. The staff and the clansmen were so used to their presence that they no longer flinched or got surprised when they suddenly appeared--unlike the rest of the Far East’s residents.

Nevertheless, they couldn’t help but parted their lips in shock when ten of them came all at once. Ten people who looked like one big family appeared out of thin air in the yard, and casually strolled toward the patio without the house staff needed to tell them where Zein was.

"Good afternoon," the most level-headed of them, Cliff, greeted Zein while taking a seat.

He was the one who visited the house most often, for no other reason than to visit the cliff where he used to stay in the shard shape. The house was already like his second home.

"Good afternoon, Brother!"

"Good afternoon..."

The other guardians followed the greeting. As always, the twins were running on high drive, and the youngest was shy, whispering quietly while clutching on Zein’s sleeve like the twins. In fact, the twins had grown to be as tall as the youngest, so they looked like three brothers. The others...well, they found their own place, whether it was on the patio chairs, the railing, or the swing. The teenage-looking boy--who was the shard they found the last--took over the hammock and chilled there as usual.

Zein patted his boys’ heads. "Kar, Asa."

"Good Aftelnoon!"

"Yoohoo, kids!" the shard that Zein brought to Althrea took the shape of a young man. Zein thought this one looked the most like Lucre he saw in the urban landscape vision.

Asa raised his hands to catch the young man’s high-five. "Legulus!"

"Pfft--you still can’t pronounce ’r’?"

Asa pursed his lips, and Kar frowned at the guardian to defend his brother’s honor. "Asa can pronounce ’s’ now!"

Regulus laughed and raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay~"

Asa scoffed for one second and asked curiously on the next. "Why ale you coming togethel?"

"To visit the baby," six of them replied at the same time.

The twins tilted their heads. "Sister not born yet," they said in confusion.

"A she?" Mesa--the one they almost couldn’t save in that miasma forest--perked up.

"Most likely," Zein nodded.

Cliff leaned back and smiled deeply. "How interesting."

"He said he wouldn’t remember, but..." Zein placed his hand over his stomach, where his plum-sized child was growing. "So it’s true? This is him?"

"Don’t you feel it too?" Cliff gestured with his chin. "Your stigma is fading."

Zein tilted his head, focusing his senses toward the back of his neck. "I can’t really see it, but something seems to flow toward my abdomen."

The guardians shrugged and smirked. That sensation could only mean one thing--the stigma was being transferred. When the baby arrived, the stigma on Zein’s nape would disappear. It could show up on his daughter’s skin or become a mana core inside her body.

The seed of Setnath would bloom.

At last, after centuries of waiting, Setnath would get what he wanted: to be reborn as human.

"Then..." Cliff leaned forward so he could reach Zein’s stomach with his hand. "Excuse me for a bit."

Zein raised his brow as he felt warmth flow toward his abdomen. Like a hot spring, warm energy enveloped the growing fetus, creating a barrier that would ensure the baby’s safety no matter what. Be it a strong force or an accident that could make Zein unconscious, the baby would not even receive a scratch.

"May you come to us safely," Cliff whispered to their unborn root, and the other guardians followed solemnly.

"May you come to us safely."

* * *

After the Guardians, more people came to visit Zein. With Bassena coming home earlier than usual, and how Zein did not touch any alcohol during Radia and Joon’s anniversary party, people started to find out about his pregnancy. After a lot of questions came his way, Zein just decided to announce his pregnancy, and his commlink was blowing up with congratulatory messages and visitation inquiries.

When he was pregnant with the twins, no one but their closest associate knew. People’s attention was also easily focused on the development of the new district, so Zein easily hid himself in Althrea. His social status had risen even more since that day, however, especially since he got more involved in the academy and the Temple. Because of that, it was impossible to just hide.

Zein had learned that social interaction was needed to some extent--at least for the sake of his clan. He wasn’t just a lone guide trying to survive like before; he was a Patriarch of a growing clan, and every bit of his action would affect his clansmen, as well as his children, in the future.

Well, if it was for them, Zein could endure as many social interactions as needed. But of course, he only allowed people who he knew visited him out of sincerity instead of to curry favor.

Throughout the winter, cars seemed to endlessly enter Ishtera Hills. The Iron Shield put on a stricter security check than usual, and the Chief of Staff personally took a look at every package sent to the resident above the cliff. Sometimes, even Trinity’s only five-star defender joined the inspection.

The twins had seen a lot of people coming and going before, but there were even more people coming this time. There were almost new visitors every day, and some even brought gifts. The gift was for their Dada and sister, but some also brought gifts for Kar and Asa. The twins were fascinated.

"Evelyone come to see lil sistel?" Asa whispered in amazement while stroking Dada’s stomach.

There was no big bump like what they saw on Auntie Reina, but there was a noticeable bump nonetheless. Their Dada no longer had those hard muscles that made the stomach look like blocks of chocolate--like their Baba’s stomach. It was soft, and the twins loved it.

"No, Asa. They can’t see sister yet," Kar shook his head. "She’s still inside Dada’s belly."

"Same thing!"

Zein chuckled, putting the argument to rest. "They come to wish me and the baby’s good health."

"Same thing," Asa nodded, and Kar rolled his eyes.

Zein wondered where had Kar picked such a gesture from...

Was it from him?

"But Dada...what’s Dada read?" Kar asked curiously, climbing the coach so he could snuggle into his Dada. He knew he wouldn’t be able to do that a lot once Dada’s belly grew big like Aunt Reina’s, so he got clingier these days.

Of course, Asa was following him, snuggling to Dada’s other side. In their Dada’s hands were several pieces of paper, and there were two envelopes on Dada’s lap.

"It’s a letter from Grandma Sherri and Grandma Ria--do you remember them?"

"Lakehouse Grandma!" Asa nodded.

"And this one is from Auntie--or should you call her Sister, instead?" Zein tilted his head as he held up a bundle of light blue papers. "Anyway, her name is Elena. She also came when you were in my stomach, but she had been busy these past few years."

Zein chuckled. The carefree girl had become a young woman now, and the cloak of Saintess would soon be draped over her shoulder. She had written a whole essay whining and lamenting the fact that she didn’t even have a chance to visit him because of all the intense training.

Poor girl. Zein hoped she didn’t lose her brightness, however.

"What it say, Dada?"

Zein smiled and told the twins to snuggle closer so he could read the letters out loud to the other three. And that was how Bassena found his three--four--most precious people when he came home; huddled on the couch with a big blanket shared together.

Ah...that was what he lived for. He could spend forever just watching them like that: Zein and mini-Zeins. He secretly snapped several pictures--well, a lot of them, actually--as well as recording some videos. A nice ammunition for whenever he felt tired and frustrated during work. Just staring at those pictures and videos that filled so many folders in his commlink would revive him a lot.

And then he heard the cute question. "Dada, what sistel’s name?"

"Hmm...I wonder," Zein tilted his head. "The one who chose your name was your Baba. Should we ask your Baba to choose one?"

"No," Bassena finally came out of his hiding place, surprising the twins. "It’s your turn this time."

"Baba!"

Asa climbed down the couch and ran toward his father, who easily caught him. "Oh, now you’re happy seeing me? You’ve been ditching me for Aunt Rina these days."

"Hehe!" Asa grinned and bribed his Baba with a kiss on the cheek. Well, what could he do? Baba couldn’t make an ice skating place like Auntie Rina!

"You want me to name this one?" Zein raised his brow while stroking his stomach slightly. "I told you I’m not good with names."

Bassena shrugged. "Just pick one. You can use your mother’s name if you want."

"Huh..."