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The incident occurred at Super Rock Villa. Most of everyone, and he meant everyone, gathered together to celebrate. There wasn’t a for-sure reason for celebration— the White Star had been defeated a while ago, there was no obvious anniversary upcoming, and nothing large had happened across the continents or kingdoms.
Overall, Cale was just a little miffed at his home being taken over by loud noises. He bypassed Kage and Bud who were half-way through a drinking contest with Taylor and Glenn watching over them.
The chatter of the villa rang in Cale’s ears. He huffed in annoyance. He originally planned to spend time in the garden and give the kids baths. Ohn had gasped when he mentioned it a few days ago, and oddly enough, it was only a couple of hours later when Alver called with news that he would be coming over.
The invite list must have leaked or been hacked into. Before long, Ron appeared at Cale’s side with an ever-growing list of individuals who wanted to visit. The butler appeared to be amused, as his usual benign smile had just a hint of excitement. And Cale? He couldn’t say no to the kids when they looked at him. Their gold and blue eyes begged them to have more visitors.
As Cale spotted Raon zooming across the ceiling while cackling, he supposed that it was for the best. Things had been quiet for a while. Too quiet.
Cale sat down at a table. Swiftly, Vicross appeared with a glass of punch. It was a pale red color with a bubbling fizz at the top. Cale thanked the chef for it. Vicross merely nodded before sitting down and taking a sip from his own punch-filled glass.
Cale liked Vicross, as he was much quieter than most others. That quietness made him more deadly, yes, but it was also manageable. Cale huffed slightly before putting the glass to his lips.
As he drank, he watched Queen Ritana greet Lord Sheritt with Ten by her side. The panther bowed deeply toward the white dragon. Sheritt was very pleased, which made Ritana smile in satisfaction. To Cale’s knowledge, Sheritt hadn’t met with many of the attendees yet. Or if she did, Cale didn’t remember it well.
“Young master-nim,” said Vicross, drawing Cale from his thoughts, “what made you want to celebrate?”
Cale tilted his head. “I didn’t plan on it.” He could still see Ohn’s pleading eyes in his mind. “The kids wanted to party.”
“Ah…” Vicross looked away, clearly mulling something over.
Cale brushed it off. It looked quite strange from the outside, didn’t it? Most people here were rulers of some kind, or at the very least, incredibly busy. Queen Jopis had to bring her dogs, Ritana had trusted guards, Bud had the suffering Glenn, Alver brought along Aunt Tasha, Mary invited Shawn, and Rosalyn decided to bring along her younger brother, Pen, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
Not to mention that Duke Fredo was sitting across from Cale. When Cale first sat down at the table, Fredo wasn't there. The silver-haired vampire showed a smile before taking a sip from his own serving of punch. It was the only drink that was on the serving table. Raon personally selected the flavor with Hong’s help. It was a red berry of some kind.
When Fredo took a sip, he looked down at his glass in amusement. Cale rolled his eyes, knowing that the Ruler of the Endable Kingdom was very happy to attend. He was one of the first guests invited once the event was leaked. Even Solena came, though she was talking to Mary across the room.
“My son is very happy-looking today,” said Fredo.
Cale glanced up from his drink. He set the cup down with a passive face. When he met Fredo’s violet eyes, he knew the vampire was trying to make him respond.
Cale grinned with mirth, then said calmly, “It’s a beautiful day. There’s no reason to be upset.”
Fredo hummed dismissively. His cup was abandoned on the table as he went to look at the other tables for food. Cale half wanted to follow, but only because he was a little hungry. As if his prayers were answered, Vicross suddenly shifted a plate across the table toward Cale.
Cale looked down at the decadent morsels of food, then caught the expert torturer's eyes. “Thank you.”
Vicross was perplexed for only a moment before he nodded. As Cale began to eat, Vicross left the table. He headed toward the kitchen, where he would either disappear into for the next few hours, or he would exit within a few minutes with more trays of food.
Cale eventually forced himself to mingle with people. He instantly regretted getting another serving of punch. As he chugged down the next glass, he heard a loud shout.
“Friend!”
Cale refilled his cup, only to glance up and see Tunka approaching. The large man waved joyously as Heroll followed after with only a sliver of hesitance. Cale debated whether or not to find his spatial pouch with hidden alcohol. He didn’t want to deal with Tunka while sober.
“My friend!” Tunka was suddenly much closer in a blink of an eye. “You still look incredibly tiny. Did you grow weaker?”
Cale toasted his cup in the air and claimed, “There’s no reason to be strong.”
Tunka looked confused. Thankfully, Heroll remembered something important.
“Your dream to be a slacker is finally coming true, then…?” said Heroll.
Cale nodded, smiling to himself. Tunka fell silent, which was very unlike him. Cale stepped back to allow them access to the punch. After a delayed moment, Heroll picked up two glasses and filled them. He handed one to Tunka, who still looked confused, while slowly testing out his own.
Cale bid them goodbye, not wanting a headache, and drifted.
Not long after, Hong stumbled into him. The boy was grinning widely. Cale automatically brushed through Hong’s hair with his free hand. After a few strokes, Hong giggled and ran away. Cale watched it happen with bemusement. He chuckled to himself before seeking out a new place to sit. Preferably at a table with sweets and no lemons.
Cale found his goal: it was filled with decadent desserts. He ignored all others who greeted him with slurred speech to instead claim a seat at the table. He served himself, practically licking his lips in anticipation. They didn’t dine lavishly like this normally because everyone had become a little scattered across the continents, but this was nice.
After he took his first bite into a spiced cake, he heard a familiar rumble. “Is it that good?”
Archie made his appearance. And if Archie was here, then Whitira and Paseton would soon follow. Cale tapped his fingers to the table, gesturing for Archie to sit down. The whale did so with a huff. They ate in peace. Cale got the pleasure of seeing Archie’s eyes widen in surprise from how delicious the younger Molan's baked goods were.
Cale soon found himself sharing punch and dessert with a vicious whale. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. It shocked him minutely. Cale sighed and reminded himself that the war was over. And, well, he became accustomed to the many personalities that were in his home.
Just as foretold, Whitira and Paseton sat down at the table. They exchanged greetings quickly.
Cale watched as the whales tried numerous desserts in curiosity. Archie leaned more toward the bitter end of the sweets spectrum while Paseton smiled the most at the desserts that Cale had on his plate as well. Whitira seemed to be trying a little of everything, much to her delight.
Cale took another sip from his glass to ignore the heavy presence of three whales. He then saw Whitira go to do the same, only for her brow to furrow as she sniffed the punch in her glass. Cale wondered if it smelled weird.
“Cale-nim,” said Whitira, voice perfectly neutral but nervous all the same, “what is this made from?”
Cale twisted his lips at the question. He honestly didn’t know the full details.
“The kids picked it out.” Cale added after a moment, “They found the berry bush while taking a walk, I think.”
Whitira hummed, murmuring softly to herself before taking a sip. She still seemed wary of it but the desserts soon took over. Cale smirked as he watched the occupants of the table happily eat. Vicross was truly a wonder in the kitchen. The wolf children also helped him, though, since they liked spending time with Vicross and had grown used to following him as he did his duties.
Before Cale could finish his plate of goodies, there was a loud shout. Cale instinctively turned his chair and widened his arms. As expected, a black bullet landed itself in the middle of his chest.
“Human, human!” Raon’s voice was giddy but ever so slightly slurred. “Are you having a good time!? I hope you are, because I’m having a great time!”
The black dragon clung to Cale. Cale patted Raon’s head with a soft smile on his face. The dragon was very sleepy but didn’t want to rest when there were so many people around. Cale left the group with Raon in his arms.
As Cale walked to place Raon on their bed, he heard the dragon ramble about cookies, punch, and pretty red hair. Cale nodded along and hummed to Raon’s words. He did, somewhat, agree with the fact that Rosalyn had gorgeous hair.
Cale ended up falling asleep when he laid Roan down. The dragon peacefully grumbled softly in his sleep as Cale nodded off. Honestly, the things he did because of the kids…
When he woke up, it was due to outside interference. He was hot. Did he accidentally overuse ‘Record?’
Cale pushed Raon off of him gently. He assured himself that Raon was still tired, so he focused on himself. His shirt clung to his frame due to sweat. Cale fanned himself with his hand as he realized that he was incredibly hot.
Cale changed, half wanting to take a cold bath before remembering that there was a party going on. He wiped his sweat off with a cold towel before fixing his appearance.
When he walked back downstairs, he was greeted with Eruhaben. The gold dragon seemed amused.
“Unlucky bastard.”
“... Excuse me?”
Eruhaben shook his head as Cale looked at him.
They continued toward the party. The noise got louder and louder until a large rumble was elicited. Cale felt his heartbeat speed up as the rumbles and clashes became obvious that it was a fight.
“What the hell are they doing?” whispered Cale, grumbling as his steps sped up.
Cale entered the room with his arms folded and a glare on his face. A moment later, his face morphed into clear surprise. Eruhaben grimaced next to the red-haired noble.
Something very strange was going on.
Jopis and Ritana were having a battle with their respective animals. Ten the panther and Jopis’s dogs growled at one another while the respective queens had a standoff. Jopis broke the peace by raising her hand up. It made Ritana jump over a table.
Bud clung to Glenn while the purple-haired mage crawled away on the floor. Bud didn’t relent, practically acting like he was a barnacle on a ship. Glenn then let out a loud huff before he used magic to push Bud into a wall. The mercenary king didn’t even seem to mind.
Alver and Choi Han were in a fierce battle. Alver’s dyed blond locks were a mess as Choi Han struggled in his grasp. It appeared that the Sun of the Roan Kingdom was trying to strangle Choi Han for no apparent reason. And Choi Han was, somehow, losing the battle.
As Cale took in the sight, there was a sudden loud battle cry. Eruhaben pushed Cale into his grasp as Lark ran through the room only to latch onto Rosalyn, who was previously dragging Pen away from screaming at a random statue.
Rosalyn used her magic to subdue Lark. She then looked up and met Eruhaben’s gaze.
“What the fuck is going on?” demanded Cale. He clutched his chest as his heart continued to thump loudly.
’Havoc and chaos!’ The Fire of Destruction concluded, voice oh so giddy.
The Glutton added, ’I want to eat more food!’
Cheapskate instantly replied, ’You’ve already had your fill! It’s my turn now!’
Neither of them were going to get a turn if Cale didn’t get answers soon.
Rosalyn showed a smile. Eruhaben continued to look at the chaos in a manner that made one think that he expected such a thing. And with Cale’s luck, he did. The dragon muttered once more, “Unlucky bastard.” One of these days, Cale was going to take offense to that.
Rosalyn explained, “It appears that the berries that the children forraged have some side-effects from being in the Forest of Darkness. It’s causing everyone to do what they normally wouldn’t.”
Well… That explained why Archie was sleeping next to Whitira while Paseton joined the brawl with Choi Han and Alver. Obviously, Paseton didn’t stand a chance against Alver or Choi Han, but they were all grinning. And when Taylor joined in, Cale was beginning to think that maybe the slacker life simply didn’t want him.
Rosalyn added, “The berries seem to be affecting everyone a little differently. I, myself, am very cloudy with my thoughts. Lark seems to be very hyper. Choi Han started to pick fights… I’m afraid that many people will react differently based on how much they drank.”
A loud, obnoxious laugh then filled the room. Tunka made his appearance. However, instead of fighting, he was holding back Heroll from beating up a table. It was so unlike Tunka that Cale realized how serious the situation was.
But Cale was still confused. Why was Choi Han fighting random people? And why did Alver join in? Neither of those was exactly out of character. Not to mention the fact that half of the people in the room were passed out with only a few remaining awake.
Eruhaben said, “The more you drink, it seems the more sleepy you become. It’s likely why you weren’t as affected by a sudden burst of rage or…” He trailed off as Cale scrutinized him. “Anyway, it should wear off soon.”
Suddenly, Tasha was by their side. She smiled pleasantly before announcing, “I thought that the punch smelled familiar.”
“Oh?” Rosalyn’s eyes lit up at the information. “You’ve seen it in the past?”
“From my past experience with it, the berry is used as a drug, of sorts.”
“A drug?” echoed Cale.
“Yes, well, it was quite popular around 200 years or so, I would say. The berries were mistakenly eaten and then…” Tasha looked around the room. “It made boring weekends very entertaining, to say the least.”
Eruhaben sighed. “It’s a good thing all the other dragons were absent from these events. I remember when one of the past dragon’s I watched came across one of the berry bushes. She didn’t stop trying to tear down my lair until she fell asleep.”
“So they just need to wear themselves out?” concluded Cale. He received three nods of agreement.
On cue, Fredo walked by with a sleeping Solena in his arms. Ah. So that bastard knew what was going to happen but didn’t inform anyone. The vampire waved before bidding them goodnight. Cale hoped that Solena poisoned the Duke but knew that it wouldn’t happen.
Cale took a seat with a sigh as Rosalyn, Eruhaben, and Tasha separated people into smaller, more easily controlled groups. He decided to eat some more, though he wasn’t particularly hungry. If anything, he was overwhelmed by how many people were asleep on the floor. He spotted Hannah and Jack in the middle of the room, however, to see Jack trying to pick a fight and Hannah, Hannah, being the one to break it up.
It was truly strange. Like being in the Twilight Zone, and knowing something was terribly, irrevocably wrong.
As the night wore on and the sound of heavy breaths and snores rang out through the room, there was one person who caused a disturbance and didn’t seem to be sleepy. Cale narrowed his gaze at the blond.
“Hyung.”
“Hyung-nim,” corrected Alver.
As the Sun sat down next to him, Cale greeted, “Hyung-nim…”
Alver smiled pleasantly. It wasn’t his forced smile, nor the one he wore when he thought Cale was being a so-called crazy bastard. Instead, it looked a bit mischievous and… guilty?
Cale came to a realization then. “You didn’t drink the punch.”
After Alver popped a chocolate bon-bon into his mouth, he confirmed, “I didn’t drink the punch.”
So that meant that Alver fought with Choi Han just because he could. Shit. How many vicious bastards was Cale surrounded by? Cale sighed heavily and decided to blame the God of Death for all of his problems. Another normal day, he supposed with a slightly dejected air.
And then abruptly, Alver spoke in a small and gentle tone…
“Happy birthday, dongsaeng.”
A beat passed.
“Oh.” It was almost a gasp. He had forgotten that. No wonder the kids were acting so weird.
Alver smiled knowingly before scooting a plate of desserts toward Cale. Cale would have preferred something gold but he supposed that the presence of his friends was nice as well.