There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 746: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 29

In the end, the twins decided to enroll in the esper-guide Academy that their father and Uncle Radia established. Not because it was familiar, but simply because it would mean they didn’t have to part so soon.

At least, not until Kar graduated--which would happen three years earlier than Asa.

But since the Academy was in Projo, the twins would have to enter the dorm. Which meant leaving the house. Which meant even more drama.

Nari and Byul were throwing a tantrum, crying as hard as they did in the hospital. It was even more miserable for Byul, who couldn’t get too close to the newly awakened Kar. The five-year-old was shrieking from the corner of the room, calling for Kar’s name while his parents were trying to calm him.

It was inevitable. Even for Kar, controlling their mana was not yet within their reach. This was why most awakened esper decided to enroll in Academy--or at least home-schooled. It was hard for them to stay among people who had no immunity against mana. Until the mana inside their body settled quietly--be it through training or time--they would find it hard living among civilians.

Kar had tried his best to calm his mana during the journey. Unfortunately for him, he had a father whose mana pool was as vast as the sea, and it seemed like he inherited the trait. No amount of genius could assist Kar in settling down his mana system quickly.

In the end, his godfather had to pull an artifact from House Mallarc’s vault that could potentially suppress his mana, and Kar had to spend about an hour hugging Byul before the little boy stopped sobbing.

Funnily, Nari stopped crying when Byul had his episode, because her sister instinct switched to comforting her baby brother instead. So thankfully, it did not turn into chain-crying like what happened in the hospital.

"Uncle, can Kar borrow the item for one more day?" Asa asked while Kar was patting Byul’s back. When Radia tilted his head inquisitively, Asa added an explanation. "So we can have a farewell party for our friends and teachers."

"Ah," Radia nodded, patting the boy’s head. "Sure."

And that was how a farewell party could be held.

Well, it wasn’t a party as much as a gathering for meals. The twins chose who they wanted to invite, which were their close friends and the teachers they wanted to apologize to for what they did that night. There were some teary faces, but all in all, the event went well.

"Dada..."

Lucy, who was wearing a pretty coat dress, climbed to Zein’s lap in the middle of the party. She was taking a nap earlier, because she was busy getting excited with the twins in the morning, but got bored because she couldn’t play with the other kids.

"What’s wrong?" Zein hugged his daughter and stroked her sleepy face. She was rather pale, but her skin’s temperature was normal. "You don’t look too good--are you feeling sick? Is your tummy hurt?"

The little girl shook her head, bouncing her white curls around. She pressed her head to her father’s chest, curling her small body inside the warm hold. Zein worriedly checked on her temperature with his commlink, but she was fine. The scan didn’t show anything wrong with her body either.

But Lucy was fussy, rubbing her face on Zein’s shoulder and whining about the noise. It was rare for her to do that, so Zein made a signal to his husband, telling Bassena to continue hosting the party while he took their daughter out for some fresh air.

Standing on the balcony of the master bedroom, the winter sea looked beautiful under the clear sky. Thankfully, the wind wasn’t as harsh during the day, and it was indeed refreshing for the fussy toddler. Lucy blinked a few times before turning around to enjoy the breeze with her father for quite some time.

Lucy laid her head on Zein’s shoulder, and fiddled with the beads on his father’s necklace, the one that belonged to her deceased uncles she unfortunately never met. "Dada..."

"Mm?"

"Lu have stlen dlim..."

Zein raised his brow and looked down. Lucy was frowning slightly, and making a confused face. "Strange dream?"

"Many," the girl nodded.

"Strange dreams?" Zein corrected himself. "Are they all the same?"

Lucy did not reply immediately. She raised her finger and pressed her temple to try and remember. Zein smiled watching the adorable frown on his daughter’s face, and was about to put his thumb there when Lucy shook her head again. "Difflent, but...feel same!"

"...I see," Zein chuckled. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like a nightmare. Well, at least the girl looked better. He combed the long vawy hair, just like Bassena if the man decided to grow his hair. "Do you feel uncomfortable about it?"

The girl pursed her lips. "Lu don kno..."

"Okay," Zein caressed the confused girl’s hair, looking at the same blue eyes they shared. "Why don’t you come to me every time you have those strange dreams in the future? You can tell me what you see, and maybe you’ll feel better."

"Ung!" Lucy nodded obediently. "Lu will lun to Dada lait away!"

"You can walk, no need to run," Zein flicked the energetic girl’s nose, and Lucy giggled in response, hugging her father’s neck. "If you want to run, do it outside. We have such a large yard--why do you keep running in the corridor?"

"But the glass don’t make squick squick sound like floor, Dada!" the girl argued, before pursing her lips and putting her hand on her father’s chest again. "If Lu lun outside, Dada will lun with Lu?"

"Me?"

"Be’cos...be’cos big blothel won’t play with Lu again..." she bowed her lips.

Lucy had been looking like she always had all this time, even when Nari and Byul were crying the other day. But it seemed like she started to understand what it meant for the twins to go away, and how it would affect her.

Her brothers were her playmates; kids who never flinched at her. They helped her father feed her ans clothed her and slept with her...they were her friends as much as they were her brothers. Once they left, Lucy would lose the playtime she usually had in the afternoon with them. She could play with Nari, but they couldn’t do it every day.

Thinking that there would be no one to run around the house and the yard with her, doing hide and seek, started to get to her. No one would sneakily give her snacks anymore, or teach her how to do the games. No Brother Kar to pat her to sleep, and no Brother Asa to read her story books.

As the farewell party was happening downstairs, Lucy finally realized why Nari and Byul cried so hard that day.

She did not cry, but her lips bowed and trembled as she clutched her father’s shirt.

Ah...Zein wanted to both sigh and laugh. He was happy that his children were very close to each other, but also felt sorry to see his daughter looking all sad. But then, it reminded him of Bassena, who was going through a panic attack and depression episode after the twins decided to enroll in Projo--and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Why Dada laugh?" Lucy smacked her father’s shoulder, and Zein laughed even more. "Dada! Dada not answer Lu!"

"Alright, alright," Zein stroked the girl’s hair. "I’ll run with you, okay? So promise me you won’t run inside the house."

"Okay!"

Finally, the girl smiled happily again. Instead, it was Zein who felt heavy.

Honestly, it was also hard for him to let his baby boys leave the house when they were only nine. Granted, the place was trustworthy because it was under the supervision of House Ishtera and House Mallarc, but still...

As a parent, Zein was ready to let his children go to have their own life one day, but he didn’t think the separation would be so soon. Of course, the twins could go home once in a while, and he could visit the dorm anytime he wanted. But going to that from seeing them every day felt heavy. What should he do every night after putting Lucy to sleep? He usually went to the boys’ room to check on them. What now?

Moreover...how would they live so far away from home? Would they eat well? Would the dorm provide a good meal? What if they got hurt? What if they got sick? What if--

"Dada?"

Zein stopped his musing when his daughter’s warm fingers touched his cheeks. Staring at the clear blue eyes, Zein smiled and hugged her tighter, nuzzling the side of her face until Lucy giggled loudly.

"Shall we go back? It’s getting colder," Zein asked after Lucy stopped giggling.

"Ngg...lil mole," Lucy sunk herself deeper in her father’s arms, burying her face on Zein’s chest again. "Lu wanna stay wit Dada." ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"Okay," Zein continued patting the girl until she got drowsy and slipped into the dream world again.