There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 129 - 125. The Seed of God

Chapter 129: Chapter 125. The Seed of God

At the site of the dungeon where the [Hagalaz] squad of Trinity went in, a plethora of people congregated. Guild’s staff, government agents, researchers, journalists, and even the Mobius.

None were civilians, for the place had been off-limits for the general public. A state of emergency had been erected around the site, although thankfully, the gate was located at a field outside the northern wall, away from the residential area.

Five days ago, the dungeon gate suddenly changed. It wasn’t changed to red, but all the way to a black gate. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the gate was closed. It refused any entry, so even Trinity couldn’t send in their espers to support and rescue the trapped raiding squad, including their prized guide.

For these five days, the news had been filled with the talk of the tragedy. Yes, a tragedy; for such an extreme anomaly to happen to their top squad, dragging their best guide, while Bassena Vaski was away in the tower. It was a trainwreck of bad things happening all at the same time. Even Mortix’s stocks in the market took a hit because of it.

After days without any change, suddenly the black gate pulsed, undulating a huge amount of mana wave like one giant organ about to erupt on the fifth day.

Not long after, a Mortix car entered the site, and Trinity’s 5-star healer came out hurriedly.

"Hyung!" he immediately ran toward the Mobius’s Captain standing in front of the pulsing gate, who was watching the black portal intently. "What happened?"

Han Joon shook his head. "Not sure. But from the way the mana wave had been acting, it feels like a collapse."

"Collapse..." Han Shin sucked a deep breath, black eyes wide and shaking.

"It just depends on what manner of collapse it is," Han Joon sighed at the swirling black portal. "Whether they manage to conquer the gate, or--"

"Or a dungeon break," an agent from the sentinel association chimed in.

Han Shin frowned and bit his lips at that. A dungeon break meant all the squad members trapped there were annihilated. Including Zein. "There’s no way..." he muttered while shaking his head in denial.

"It’s alright," the healer felt a big, cold hand stroking his head, and bit his lips even more. "I haven’t got the bad feelings yet."

Han Shin looked up at his brother, who never cease watching the portal. Should a dungeon break occur, Mobius would be the first to face the onslaught of beasts pouring out of the gate, until espers from Trinity and association came.

"You’re sure, right?" the healer asked rather unreasonably. But it was his big brother that practically raise him, so he had that privilege. "They’ll make it out alive, right?"

"Mm," the older man nodded, before shifting his gaze to the back, a subtle smile playing on his stoic face. "Guildmaster," he greeted the crimson eyes with a deep gaze.

"Captain Han," Radia Mallarc replied coldly. "How nice of you to come."

"It’s my duty to take care of an outbreak."

"So diligent," Radia tilted his head, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes decorating his lips. "The gate hasn’t even been breached yet. Or do you think Trinity had no ability to deal with an outbreak?"

"Never hurt to be cautious, Guildmaster--"

"Agh, stop!" Han Shin, who was standing between them, stomped his feet in frustration. "Can’t you just stop fighting for a damn minute?! Zein is in danger right now!"

"It’s not just Zein, Shin," Radia reminded the healer with a stern voice. "Everyone in that squad is in danger."

At the guildmaster’s reprimand, the healer gripped the end of his shirt tightly. "I know..." his brows furrowed deep miserably. "But...if something happened to Zein...Bassena will..."

Radia sighed deeply. If Bassena came back from the tower and found that the love of his life was trapped inside a black gate--or worse, dead--then the man might go berserk. For all he knew, Bassena would refuse any guiding until he erupted and destroyed a part of the continent while at it.

"We can think about that lat--"

Before Radia could finish his sentence, the black gate suddenly let out a loud cracking sound. The pulsing was getting harder, as if a giant was pounding behind the gate trying to break into this side, and the air vibrated with so much pressure the low star espers found it was getting harder to stand up.

Immediately, Han Joon pulled his brother and Radia back, holding them by the waist.

"Guildmaster!" Rina Solstice, who was just arrived with the [Isa] squad, immediately ordered the espers to erect shields and barriers around the gate that was slowly cracking.

"I-is it really going to break?" Han Shin bit his lips anxiously.

Radia, meanwhile, suddenly heard a sound transmission from one of his summons, Nyx.

[Master, the force trying to break the gate feels familiar]

--withwho? Radia narrowed his eyes while staring hard at the crack forming across the gate.

[From my previous master]

"...Setnath," Radia muttered under his breath.

"What?" Han Joon looked down, only to have Radia swat his arm and slip away. "Dee!" the Mobius Captain rushed to follow Radia, who was slipping between the fence of his own guild members.

"Guildmaster!" again, Rina called out in panic. While she knew the guildmaster was also a 5-star esper, the guild members had never seen the man use his power to fight.

"It’s fine," Radia said calmly, although he still let Han Joon hold into his elbow. "It’s not an outbreak."

Just as he finished saying it, the gate’s pulsing became even harder, and the crack increased with the loud breaking sound, until the gate completely crumble with light surging and blinding everyone on the field.

"Ugh--" Radia grunted and squinted from the blinding light, even though his eyes were being shielded by Han Joon’s arm.

And then, right after the light burst out harshly, they could hear the groaning voice of several people, and the sounds like something--no, a lot of things--being thrown across the field. When the light dissipated, the members of the raiding squad were strewn around where the gate was earlier, looking as if they were just being thrown from somewhere.

The crimson eyes, however, keenly looked for a figure with silky black hair.

"Sir Zein!"

Radia didn’t need to search for long, because the espers who already got up on their feet already scrambled toward one person. Unlike his usual sturdy and invincible self, Zein was almost on his knees, slumping against Ashur Iddina, as the other espers surrounded him with worried faces. Even as he fell unconscious, his hand was still reaching out to an empty space in front of him.

Trying to reach something.

* * *

The blue eyes fluttered upon to several worshiping faces surrounding the altar on a cliff. One of them, who was kneeling the closest, looked up with reverence, arm on his chest.

"Have you wake up, Savior?"

The blue eyes blinked, and the owner shook their head. "I am not a Savior," putting their hands together in front of their chest, they continued. "I am but a carrier for the Lord’s vessel."

The worshiper bowed their head as the leading man responded. "Then we shall guard your descendants, until the one who shall become the vessel arrives in this world, as the Templars of Lord Setnath, the Arms Master."

The blue eyes curled in a beautiful smile and slowly closed again. When they opened, Zein was breathing heavily on a bed, staring wide at a white ceiling.

Mind still swimming at the vision that was shown to him by the shard, Zein blinked slowly, gripping the sheet behind him tighter. There was a beeping noise in the background, but his mind was too cloudy to think about it.

"Hey, calm down," a familiar voice greeted him, a hand placed on his burning forehead. Zein gulped on the fresh air, realizing that he wasn’t wearing his mask.

Where is this? He blinked once, twice, and then moved his head, looking at a pair of crimson eyes. As if reading his mind, Radia told him in a soothing voice. "You’re in a hospital."

"...hospital..." he managed to speak, and it calmed him down somewhat, knowing that he was on his body, on his own mind. Not a person surrounded by devout worshipers.

As the beeping sound stopped ringing, Radia smiled and explained. "You’ve been sleeping for two days from exhaustion and a burnout."

Zein blinked and almost jumped up to sit. "It’s two days already?!"

"It’s only been two days," Radia sighed and flicked the black hair gently. "You were guiding almost two-thirds of the squad in a short time, and touching the ’crystal of light’ as the other called it--which I assumed is a shard?"

Groaning, Zein dragged his body up to lean on the headboard, and realized he was attached to an IV drip...and other things.

"The doctor said you might remain unconscious for a week, but I guess your magic energy protects you well," Radia continued to answer the guide’s question, even before Zein asked it.

"In case you’re wondering, today is the twenty-second,"

"...wha--of October?"

"Mm-hmm," Radia nodded while nonchalantly peeling an apple.

"Didn’t you say I’m only unconscious for two days?" Zein massaged his head, which suddenly felt throbbing.

Radia popped a slice of apple in his mouth and smiled while Zein fell into deep contemplation. "...so we were inside for six days?" the guide lifted his head and raised his brow. "A time dilation?"

"Well," Radia put the plate of sliced apples on the bedside cabinet and got up. "We can talk about what happened later, after you fully recuperate. How do you feel now?"

Zein frowned, but he pressed his curiosity at the stern look inside the crimson eyes. "Just...a bit sluggish."

"Anything you need?"

Zein lifted his arm, which was connected to an IV drip. "Take this off and get me home."

"You should rest," the crimson eyes narrowed at that, but Zein stared at the guildmaster with a hard gaze.

"I rest better in my own room," he said sternly.

Staring at the guide for a while, Radia finally let out a chuckle and replied while walking toward the door. "Fine," he said. "But if I see you in the guild tower before you healed, I’m going to lock you in the hospital."

"Sure," Zein shrugged, and groaned slightly at how stiff his body felt.

"Oh, and..." Radia stopped suddenly before he walked out. "If someone gets angry because of this, it’s all on you, Tamer."

Zein raised his brow, and Radia walked out with a soft laugh, leaving Zein to grunt at the prospect of pacifying an upset Bassena. In the end, he just sighed in defeat, too tired to think about it now. He stayed listless along the journey home, and earned a rare worried look from Jock, who was even offering his service for food delivery should the guide needed it.

Who the fuck would use a 4-star esper as a food shuttle?

Zein shook his head and just headed to his room, the journey felt like a deja vu of last month’s event, when he came back from the tower. Only, this time, Jock escorted him to his floor, and made sure Zein arrived safely in his room before going back.

Again, just like that time, Zein just headed straight to bed. He managed to change his clothes, however, and continued to sleep again as if he wanted to hibernate.

Except someone kept knocking on his door later that night.

Begrudgingly, Zein walked to the door and yanked it open, ready to scold anyone standing behind the door.