The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 156: We Don’t Talk About Lane

Chapter 156: We Don’t Talk About Lane

"You remind me of my brother."

"...What?" Lane blinked, staring at Nyla, utterly confused. He would have faltered in his steps, if he was walking...

But he wasn’t. Instead, he was hovering over ground, moved forward with Nyla’s ability, as they made their way through the partially destroyed hallways, heading toward the Gate. He wasn’t supposed to move too much - or at all - with his injuries, after all. While they managed to stop the bleeding to some extent, by wrapping Lane’s back with spare clothes he had found in his spatial bag, cut into strips to turn them into makeshift bandages, his condition was still grave, his fate uncertain.

That was not the point though! What Nyla just said...

Lane scoffed inwardly, as he said, "I didn’t know you had a brother."

"...You didn’t? But, back at the party..."

"Yeah, I know that Damien met some ’Lane Allen’, but didn’t your aunt already say that he’s unrelated? And you’re an only child?" Lane lifted his brows, keeping his tone casual, while barely hiding his disdain.

Although a moment ago he was doing all sorts of crazy things just because he saw that Nyla MIGHT have been in danger... Now that they were somewhat temporarily safe, he returned to his usual manner, and he no longer cared about Nyla. Not. At. All.

And since she brought up the subject on her own, naturally Lane had to take this opportunity to throw some jabs!

Nyla went silent for a long while. So long, that Lane started to think that she wasn’t going to say anything more. But then,

"That’s... the official version. But it’s a lie," she admitted. "I have a brother... An older twin brother. It’s just that... He left."

...He left?

Seriously?

That was what she was going with?

Hah!

Yes, Lane left. He wanted to leave, and he was damn glad he had been able to do so.

But!

Why was it that he wanted to leave so desperately in the first place? Surely it wasn’t because he almost DIED? MORE THAN ONCE? And not in a possessed body, nope. In his real one! Back when he was still pretty much helpless...

And besides! That was only the final straw. It wasn’t that their BELOVED parents suddenly changed when the dungeons and abilities appeared. No, it was always like that. Just that, back when the world was still NORMAL, they just hid his existence from the public, because he wasn’t measuring up to what their child should be. He was still living in the Allens’ mansion, with all the money, servants, and everything. He was treated way colder than Nyla, of course, but it was FINE. It really was. Until Nyla...

Lane gritted his teeth, his hands tightening into fists.

"Oh?" he muttered through clenched jaw. "And why did he leave?"

His voice sounded odd, very odd, but Nyla didn’t seem to think anything of it, just chucking it up to his pained state. Or maybe she was lost in her own thoughts?

Either way, she visibly hesitated before answering, "This... We don’t talk about it."

Hah!

Lane couldn’t help but scoff.

As expected, even now she-

"But he was very much like you, Mr. Owens. In a way he always jumped into a fight without thinking..." she sighed, lowering her head. With this, her long blond hair fell forward, obstructing her face from Lane’s view. "There was a time when we were kids... When I was bullied by a group of boys. One of them was tugging on my hair... And he just rushed in, punching that boy straight in the face."

"He got in a lot of trouble with our parents for that," she added after a long silence. "That boy was the son of an important business partner. And while the deal didn’t fell through, they were still angry because... Well, because they always were."

Lane remained silent, just listening. He didn’t even know what to say. Should he tell her to shut up? But he kind of wanted to listen... He did and didn’t want to hear it at the same time.

But what the hell was going on though Nyla’s head? Why was she telling him all that? And if she really remembered and CARED about their past - and judging by the way she was talking, she did - then why did she...

All of a sudden, they came to a stop. They had reached the exit.

Or, rather, the massive hole in the wall made by the T Rexes that were not cultured enough to use the door.

Nyla walked over to the edge, and peeked outside, scanning the surroundings.

"Coast clear," she eventually said. "Let’s go. Keep an eye on the back, alright?"

"...Hm." Lane only lightly hummed in response. He didn’t feel like speaking. Not at all.

The path - or rather the wide, paved road - connecting the Monster Arena with the Gate was empty, with no monster in sight. That was just their immediate area though - there were sounds of fighting coming from all sides, not just the Arena behind their backs... It was clear that wherever they went, they would stumble upon more chaos.

Nyla hesitated for a moment. She didn’t want to bring an injured person onto a battlefield... But it’s not like she could leave him alone either. And returning to the Arena... wasn’t an option, since they didn’t see any healers there.

So, the only option was to head into the unknown.

"Mr. Owens? How are you holding on?" she asked after walking for a few minutes in silence, worried about the man’s sudden quietness.

However, all she got in response was just a curt, "Still alive."

Hardly an in-dept answer, but at least she confirmed that the man was still conscious and aware of his surroundings, so it calmed her down a bit. She repeated the same question a few more times along the way, getting a similar response each time...

Until finally, after what felt like forever, they reached the Gate.

Or where the Gate was supposed to be, because at the moment, it wasn’t anywhere in sight. Hidden by the massive, Mana-reinforced metal gate.

Lane’s suspicions were right.