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Cale leisurely walked down the stone path in the garden at the back of the Henituse Villa. At his side was Choi Han, ever loyal and alert despite months having passed by since the end of the war.
Well. Cale couldn't blame him—or anyone else, really—especially not after that stunt he pulled during the battle against the unranked monsters.
It was decided by his family that Cale was not to be left alone. And truthfully, considering the return of his long-term side effects, Cale didn't want to be left alone either. Just as he had made sure the people around him understood, he himself no longer found any shame in accepting the help others offered to him. It was a work in progress, of course; Cale had always insisted on doing things on his own as Team Leader Kim Rok Soo. Old habits die hard, but he was learning.
Besides, it seemed like coming to his assistance brought them joy. Cale wasn't sure if he could ever completely wrap his head around that fact, but this was a work in progress too.
A light breeze flew by and for most people, it was pleasant. The air was fresh and cool, bringing with it a certain tranquility that could gently uplift the spirits of a weary man. It was something so simple, yet it was now something people have grown to appreciate after the chaotic events that took place these past two years or so.
The refreshing breeze was pleasant indeed. But for Cale, it was enough to plunge him six feet deep under a snow that did not forgive.
Cale came to a halt, barely having enough time to register the sudden drop in his body temperature before he tipped over to the side, unable to carry his own weight when an uncontrollable shaking racked through his body.
"Cale-nim!"
Strong arms grabbed hold of his shivering frame, lifting Cale up close to his chest instinctively.
Cale shook like a leaf being thrashed around by a harsh blizzard, so much that it was almost as if he was convulsing. In moments like these, his body wasn't his: he couldn't move his limbs to his own accord at all, or any part of his body for that matter. There was nothing he could do but surrender himself to the agonizing feeling of his blood turning to ice in his veins. It was always painful, especially the longer it went on because his thin and weak body hardly had any muscle to perform the automatic response of contracting and relaxing to warm him up.
Despite the poor timing of this flare-up, Cale found himself recalling a record in the recesses of his mind. He had fallen just like this once, in the hallway with Choi Jung Soo. Considering the situation now, it was a little funny how reminiscent this moment was. Maybe close to identical, even. Choi Han's touch was achingly similar.
Cale struggled to open his eyes he didn't even realize had closed and when Choi Han's worried face came into view, with a vaguely distant expression but here all the same, he thought that perhaps Choi Han remembered it too, through the inherited memories from his nephew.
Then he watched Choi Han's eyes blink, the flashback most likely tucked away. His knight shook his head, reminding himself to pay attention to the here and now, and Cale tiredly slipped his eyes back shut.
Choi Han felt the puffs of his liege's fragile breath brush against his neck, frighteningly cold and irregular, broken by the intervals of Cale's chattering teeth. He knelt to bring the both of them closer to the ground, supporting Cale all the while as he unfastened the clasp of his cloak. In one swift movement, the cloak fluttered as he brought it away from his body and onto Cale's, bundling his liege's trembling form as much as he could before standing back up and carrying him in his arms once more.
He moved briskly, his legs taking large strides back towards the villa. The cloak seemed to prove useless in abating the dangerous chill that embraced Cale so intimately like a lover. Hastening his footsteps, Choi Han hoped that the way his liege began shivering even more was an illusion.
Choi Han would never forget the fifteen minutes Cale's heart had stopped beating. Cale's body had been just as cold, and they were the longest fifteen minutes of his entire life.
Choi Jung Soo's memories only provided Choi Han with a view of Kim Rok Soo up to the point he died, but Choi Han knew. He knew this person would have used that terrifying aspect of his ability whenever he could.
"How many times?" Choi Han's voice broke—he couldn't bring himself to complete the thought aloud. "How—how many times?"
How many times have you died, Cale-nim?
Cale did not answer, his consciousness lost, only shivering still.