Chapter 272 - 265. The Calling
The number of times Zein got worried about Bassena’s safety could be counted on one hand.
No. Actually, if it came to it, Zein only ever worried about the esper’s safety once; when they were isolated from each other in the Deathzone.
He still remembered the gut-wrenching sensation and the unsettling beat of his heart at that time. Yeah, he remembered it. He remembered it to be way way way less than what he felt when he watched the swirling black gate in that intersection.
He saw it from the car window first. His heart told him to immediately get out of the car and find out what happened. But when his hand reached the door, he found out he was trembling.
No, he wasn’t scared of the black gate.
He was scared of what might happen inside.
He leaned down slightly and took a deep breath, trying to think of good thoughts. Lakes. The sea he watched through videos. Chocolate. Candy. Ambers. A pair of ambers. Fuck.
No--Zein exhaled through his mouth. No, nothing happened yet. Yes, it was a black gate. But Bassena was used to black gates. He should be alright. He was clean; Zein had cleansed him two days ago. He would be able to use everything in his arsenal, and as usual, he would prevail.
Yeah. Yeah, okay. Zein took another deep breath and finally put his hand on the door. It opened from the outside, as if Jock already knew when Zein would be ready.
"Be careful," the bodyguard said.
The moment Zein stepped out, he had to hold onto the doorframe to steady himself from the harsh mana flow coming out of the black gate. Even though Jock had parked the car outside the barricade erected by the government, the blast of mana that was mixed with miasma still affected them.