Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cale Henituse tightly clenched the God of death’s divine book in his hands. His sharp gaze focused on the on the single word written on the page. 

Endable.

The team leader had reincarnated in Endable Kingdom.  Cale got up from the bed and urgently put his coat on.

‘I need to check the team leader’s condition as soon as possible.’

Just as he was thinking that, the door opened and the crown prince walked in.

“Where are you going?”

“Endable.”

Alberu blinked in confusion. ‘Endable? But isn’t that place in chaos right now?’ He wanted to ask why this unlucky bastard was going there of all places, but he could not do that as Cale had already left swiftly. Of course, he had not left without a comment.

“I'll leave it you.”

Alberu shook his head and sighed fondly. Choi Han and the other bid him goodbye before following suit.  None of them were prepared for the disaster that would soon follow. Not even Cale.

-

“Let’s head to Endable quickly.”

Cale patted On and Hong before motioning to Raon.

“Got it Human! But, should we really not burn this book?”

Cale turned to the old black book clenched in Raon’s paws and shivered at the vicious expression on the young dragon’s face. Raon spoke before he could respond. 

“Of course, if the human really needs it, then I will delay its destruction and loot the god of death’s temple instead!” 

Cale was speechless for the first time in a while. When did Raon grow up to be so cunning? Of course, Cale did not know that it was because of his own influence on the young child.

However before he could respond the book suddenly flew into the air and rapidly flipped its pages. A bright emitted form it. Cale grabbed the glowing book and read the words written on the open page with wariness.

‘Cale Henituse, be careful. the god of balance is suddenly moving.’

“What is this bastard saying now-”

Dtok, Dtok.

The rest of the world suddenly stilled as a cold chill enveloped his body. 

Dtok, Dtok. 

It was the sound of heels hitting the ground behind him. His surroundings had suddenly turned pitch black and he could not sense Choi Han nor the young dragon near him. 

“Raon-

His voice suddenly cut off as he lost his voice while his limbs frozen with a cold, instinctual fear. 

The Dominating Aura was silent.

Dtok, Dtok.

Cale Henituse. Your actions have made too many changes. Your accumulated karma has caused an imbalance between the worlds. 

“The balance?”

Yes.

Cale stared into the darkness as a wave of unease swept through him. 

‘Something is off. No, something is terribly wrong.’ Cale’s intuition was warning him.

Cale Henituse. Until now, the gods have taken on the imbalance in your stead. However…

“What is it?”

It is not enough.

Cale clenched his eyes shut.

The imbalance is too great for the gods too handle. You must pay back the probability.

….What the fuck?!

Cale cursed in his mind. 

‘What the hell?! These motherfucking gods can’t do anything right…they can’t even handle a stupid imbalance?!’

God damnit…seriously!

Cale steeled himself before opening his eyes.

“How do I pay back this probability?”

Give up your memories. Taking away your ability will balance the laws that have been broken. Otherwise, 

The cold voice sounded next to his ear, as if the god was speaking right behind him.

Take off your human mask right now and become a god.

He froze.

“What…?”

He was expecting some sort of sacrifice, but this…?
“Are you crazy? You want to take away Record? No, you want to turn me into a god?!”

This is the only way. Be mine and come under my protection, or pay the price yourself. 

The emotionless voice rang out throughout the dark void.

Cale wanted to grab her collar and slap some sense into her. However, only his lips were allowed to move.

“You crazy bastard, what are you saying?”

Lose his memories? Bullshit. He couldn’t afford to lose record, let alone any of his memories.

The voice grew loud, carrying a grave tone.

There is no other method. This is the best way to avoid risking any of your lives. Make your decision.

Cale’s mind became a complicated mess as the odd pressure controlling his body increased further. He closed his eyes and ran a thousand different scenarios through his head with the help of record. He could not afford to lose this ability. Record was what allowed him to save himself and others with the best possible outcome. This ability had saved Kim Rok Soo’s life countless times, and was inseparable from his memories. However….

“I can’t become a god.” 

Very well. I take it that you’ve made your decision.

“Wait!-There must be another way.”

Become a god and work under me in the god’s domain. There is no other way to restore this imbalance.

“ If I become a god, will I be able to see my family? ”  The silence in the darkness felt suffocating. After a while, the voice spoke.

I’m sorry, the child who is loved by nature. Your world is already strained by the weight of probability.

Cale gritted his teeth in frustration, however, his anger gradually died down as the strength in his body slowly disappeared. After all of this work...

“I…”

Tired russet eyes stared dully into the darkness. 

“...Just wanted to protect my family.”

You have made your decision.

Commencing the extraction of ‘Record’ from Grade 1 ability user, Kim Rok Soo. 

Cale felt a strange nausea overwhelm him and panic seized him. His heart started hammering in his chest. 

“-!”

They will gradually return after enough karma has been restored. 

“You motherfucking-”

Before he could retaliate, Cale felt himself falling into the dark abyss as his heart pounded urgently with a fear that made his mind go blank.

It was at that moment. He could feel something breaking inside of him, like delicate pieces of glass. However, that something was intangible.

Millions of memories swirled around in him, and he panicked as they suddenly flickered. They were the numerous records and the millions of memories he had collected as both Cale and Kim Rok Soo. Cale found himself overwhelmed with the influx of memories that had suddenly gone out of control. He could feel it. The records his eyes had painstakingly recorded and endured were breaking down and crumbling into the abyss. 

He attempted to grab them, and recall as much as possible, but he could already feel the absence of thoughts, feelings, and emotions that were meant to exist somewhere. A strange, dizzying sensation overcame him, as if he was being slowly emptied, like a glass being drained of water. 

Through his half-closed eyes, he desperately tried to reach out to the small speck of light above as fear seized him by the throat. He felt very faint, as if his presence was a flame about to flicker out of existence.

“...please… ,”

‘ –Roksoo, Being alive…is…’

‘I lea ve i t to y ou..’

‘Le e  S oo H yuk ?’

‘Choi—-, Choi Han, Jungsoo...’

Roan…Hyung-nim.. 

Ra…on…?

‘I wan t  to  go home…’

His mind slowly turned hazy as more memories slipped away, further blurring his understanding of reality. However, in the midst of the chaos, there was one, fragile memory he desperately, just barely latched onto, even as he no longer understood its contents.

Everything else was forgotten, disappearing into the void as if it had never existed. 

Af ter an indefinite amount of time in the dark void…

He opened his eyes to an unfamiliar world.

—-

“What?! Cale collapsed?!” Alberu raised his voice out of shock. 

–T-that, young master-nim fainted just as he was getting ready to teleport to Endable.

Alberu massaged his temples with a worried expression while listening to the panicked Locke. Thinking about it now, it shouldn’t be all that surprising. His dongsaeng had stabbed himself in the heart just hours ago. How could he be completely fine after such a painful ordeal?

“Where are you?”

-Young master-nim’s father insisted to bring him to the Henituse estate in the capital for emergency treatment.

“I’ll be there shortly.”

With that, the crown prince cut the call and massaged his temple in worry. Everything was already so chaotic after the battle. News of Cale fainting couldn’t reach the wrong ears. 

“That crazy bastard…What trouble did he get into now?” he whispered, hidng the worry in his voice.

He had to go confirm Cale’s condition immediately.

The teleportation circle shone, and he disappeared.

-

“Your Highness!”

He nodded towards Duke Deruth, who looked as if he was about to pass out at any moment.

“Duke-”

Before he could ask about his dongsaeng, the main entrance slammed open as a group hurried inside.

“C-cookie Prince!” Raon exclaimed with teary eyes.

“My son-”

“Move.”
However, Choi Han rushed past them, tightly holding an unconscious figure in his arms. Cale was as pale as a sheet, and the image of his delicate body lying limply in the swordmaster’s arms made them freeze momentarily. 

Deruth hurriedly guided them to Cale’s bedroom, where healers were already present. However, Eruhaben appeared a second later, and told Deruth to dismiss them.

“But-”

“He is an ancient dragon, Duke Deruth.”

Alberu put a firm hand on his trembling shoulder. 

He watched silently as the unconscious redhead was being laid on the bed. Eruhaben checked his pulse and vitals as they stared painfully at their dear family member who was suffering yet again.

Choi Han’s eyes were red and bloodshot, burning up with anger and pain.  Wet patches slowly covered the crown prince’s shirt. Raon was crying.

“Choi Han, how did this happen?”

“Cale-nim read something in the book of death, and there was a bright light. After that,” Choi Han sucked in a deep breath, “He collapsed.”

Choi Han still doesn’t understand what exactly had occurred, but he retold it in detail anyway.

Cale had been preparing to leave for endable in extreme urgency. However that damn book of the God of death had suddenly started glowing and by the time Cale had read the contents of the message, he had gone completely still. After that bright light, Raon had poked Cale, but he was entirely unresponsive, as if he was transported somewhere else entirely. Choi Han had called out the redhead’s name and held his shoulder, and Cale had just…collapsed. Like a puppet cut off his strings, he tilted to the floor just as Choi han barely caught him. That damned book had fallen from his hands and closed shut ever since. He asked Raon to contact Cage, who was currently trying to communicate with that bastard of a god, who’d only said that it wasn’t his fault this time before going silent.

“If I was more capable...then Cale-nim wouldn’t have ended up like this,” he mumbled to himself.

“Strange…He seems to be fine. His heart is beating well, and there’s nothing wrong with his body.” Eruhaben frowned.

Physically, he seemed fine.

“It may be a side effect of…that incident, or the gods are trying to communicate with him,” He sighed.

“My son, what do the gods want to do with him?!”

Deruth looked ready to burn down every temple on the western continent.

“Let’s monitor his condition for now. Crown prince, last time he fainted for two weeks. We don’t how long it will be now.”

“Yes, Eruhaben-nim.”

Alberu moved closer. He squeezed the pale hand lying motionlessly with a dark expression on his face.

“We must find out who did this to him. They must pay, even if they are gods.”

—

60 days.

Two agonizing months that felt like years for cale’s loved ones. Choi Han clenched the hilt of his sword for the upteenth time, and frowned once more. It had been so long, however Cale had shown no signs of waking up since the incident on that day. 

“...That day.”

Choi Han still doesn’t understand what had occurred that day. 

He turned to look inside the bedroom with dull eyes.

“When will the human wake up? I’ve counted to a hundred a thousand times already!”

Raon sniffled as he clung to Eruhaben, who gently stroked his scales as he looked over to the quiet kittens. They were curled around the redhead, waiting impatiently for his wake. Too much had happened in the 2 months since their victory. For one, the crown prince’s palace had been bombed by the hunters and was almost finished rebuilding with the help of Rosalyn. The rest of Arm was being cleaned up and dealings between the other kingdoms had been nonstop. People were slowly beginning to recover from the war, while the person who ended that war was laying on the bed motionless.

Not a single movement nor a change in breathing pattern. Saint Jack, Eruhaben, and even Sherritt-nim had attempted to treat him or figure out the cause of this sudden collapse, however nothing had been determined except that his health was relatively fine, if not stronger thanks to the vitality of the world tree’s dagger. 

That was why it was so concerning.

Eruhaben wanted to know which god had meddled with the wellbeing of his child and landed him in such a state.

He looked down at the unconscious redhead and lightly held his limp wrist. He sighed after feeling the normal pulse and gently put it down again. He steadily patted Raon’s head and dissuaded him from destroying the world, as much as Eruhaben himself wanted to. Cale would be displeased with such a revenge. They needed to smack the gods instead for harming the redhead. Just as the gold dragon was about to get lost in his revenge plans, a certain butler arrived through the door silently.

“It is time for lunch. Children.” Ron entered the room with a trolley of washing towels and medicinal teas for the young master.

“I don’t want to,” Hong replied while On turned away from the butler.

“The young master will be upset if you don’t make sure to eat well and sleep well. Right, Eruhaben-nim?”

“Of course.” The gold dragon managed to peel away Raon from his chest and urge him to go for lunch. The three children averaging 10 years old reluctantly left the bedroom.

“Eruhaben-nim, please also have lunch. Take that punk with you.”

Ron said the last part with a bitter expression. As much as he hated Choi Han, 

“He hasn’t slept in thirty days and only eats one meal each day. Young master-nim will be upset.”

Eruhaben nodded reluctantly and left the bedside. Choi Han that punk, had been guarding the bedroom everyday for 2 months straight. He had only slept once at the end of the first month, and then tortured himself by not sleeping for not being able to protect Cale. 

Ron cleaned up Cale with a wet towel and fed him some liquid medicine with a spoon. Cale’s face was pale and his body had gotten even more delicate and thin than before. But there was nothing Ron could do except give him liquid nutrients in this state. He finished taking care of the young master and left.

He did not notice the miniscule twitch of the redhead’s fingertips, nor the small flutter of his closed lids as he closed the door.

In the empty room…

Finally,

a young man woke up to a new world.

Chapter Text

He came to slowly.

His eyelids fluttered gradually, as his fingers slowly ran across the fabric underneath his touch. It was impossibly soft and warm.

Blinking languidly, he finally opened his eyes as a beige ceiling with detailed gold carvings greeted him. His eyes roamed around, taking in the scenery blearily. A simple yet expensive looking room, with rich mahogany furniture and delicate gold details. Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, basking the room in a warm glow.

Groaning, he used his arms to push himself up into a sitting position. His limbs felt stiff and weak, as if he hadn’t moved them for a while.

Propping himself up, he placed his bare feet on the cool floor. He stood up slowly with the support of the nightstand, stumbling as he tried to balance himself. His legs were incredibly stiff, as if he hadn’t walked in a while.

‘It’s big…’ 

He looked around the spacious room with curiosity, quickly forgetting his concern. 

He padded closer to the window and pulled away the curtain, squinting at the warm sunlight blinding his eyes. Lush greenery and beautiful roses swayed in the wind below him. 

The sight of a mesmerizing garden involuntarily brought a smile on his face.

“Pretty…” 

It was such a peaceful place…

He froze.

This place…

He furrowed his brows, his eyes frantically darting around the room. 

‘Wait…’

Badump, Badump, Badump,

His heart slowly started beating wildly as alarm bells rang in his head. Everything was so unfamiliar, so distinctly foreign.

“Where am I…?” 

Why was he here? He would not forget such a beautiful place. That must mean he has never been here before. Was he kidnapped? Kidnapped from where? No..

“But I’m not locked up…”

He calmed his heart and scanned his surroundings with a contemplative gaze. He made his way over to a desk near the window and rummaged through the drawers, not sure what he was looking for. However, he soon saw something gold and sharp. He held up the object to his eye level. The object had pretty engravings on it and was easy to wield. 

“This will do.”

He should at least be able to protect himself…just in case. 

But just as he was gripping the object with a satisfied smile on his face, a deafening noise was heard behind him.

“Cale-nim!”
Startled, he spun around, only to see the door slammed open as a young man rushed towards him.

In a panic, he backed away from the man, feeling chilled by the strong aura that faintly surrounded him.

“Cale-nim? Are you-”

“Stop!” The redhead threateningly raised his weapon towards the teenager, who was only a meter away from him. “Don’t come any closer,” He breathed.

The teenager held a confused look on his face, but backed away nonetheless. However…

“Is that… a letter opener?” An amused voice rang out from behind the teenager as another person revealed themselves.

“Unlucky bastard, what trouble are you causing now?”

A handsome man with sparkling blonde hair appeared behind the teenager. The redhead stilled as his hand lowered slightly. He gaped at the sparkling blond hair with wide eyes.

This person…was extremely beautiful. With sparkling golden hair and glowing, unblemished skin..his looks were infinitely better than anyone else he knew.
Anyone else…

However, not a single face came to mind when he tried to think of other people. 

He felt something fall in the pit of his stomach as a dreadful feeling arose. Before he could think about it, the gold man laughed and walked towards him.

He backed away, brandishing the letter opener with apprehension. 

“Stay back.” 

“Cale? Is something wrong?” 

The gold man, Eruhaben, finally noticed that something was off. He exchanged a look with Choi Han who had a worried expression marring his features.

“It’s off,” Choi Han mumbled, observing Cale with furrowed brows. The redhead had a rare expression of confusion and fear. Choi Han belatedly realized that fear was aimed towards them.

“Cale?” Eruhaben tried again, but the redhead did not react to the name, other than flinching. 

Choi Han’s eyes shook violently.

No, rather…

Something was absent in his eyes. 

There was no recognition in those wide russet eyes. 

“Cale-nim, it’s me,” Choi Han tried once more, refusing to believe what his senses were telling him. However, as fate would have it,

“You, who are you?” 

…

no, no, no, no, no, no-

“Wait.”

Beside him, Eruhaben rapidly made sense of the situation, and managed to snap out of his shock.

“Don’t you…remember us?” He needed to confirm, just in case it was a misunderstanding. This punk had a scarily perfect memory, so how could he…?

Cale shook his head, tightening his grip on the letter opener. He watched as the gold man dragged the teenager and backed away from him, a cautious look in his eyes.

However, Cale was scared of this unknown situation and these unknown people.

“Do you remember your name?”

He thought about it. 

and thought again.

and again.

and again.

It came up blank. 

Badump, Badump, Badump.

“I don’t remember…” He exhaled shakily, staring at the gold man with trembling eyes.

“Why can’t I remember?”

What was he doing before this? Why couldn’t he think of his name nor any other people in his memories?
He finally realized that awful feeling that had been gnawing at the back of his mind, that strange sense of wrongness. He understood his surroundings but couldn’t remember where he was, nor recall any of the people in his life, or what kind of life he had lived.  His eyes began to feel hot and wet as he was suddenly overcame with a strange, intense feeling. Was it loss? Emptiness? Confusion?

Choi Han felt a pang in his heart as he watched the redhead tear up with a lost expression on his face.

“What’s…going on?” 

Cale looked up at him with watery eyes and furrowed brows. He was scared and confused, and there was nothing Choi Han could do to fix that miserable expression on his face.

“It’s okay, calm down.” 

A warm hand suddenly patted the redhead’s shoulder, whose entire body had gone stiff.

“Relax, we won’t harm you.” 

Clang!

The letter opener clattered to the ground from his shaking hands.

Cale grabbed his throbbing head and clenched his eyes shut as a searing pain engulfed him.

Eruhaben frowned softly and gently patted Cale’s back, however the redhead seemed to be completely out of it. 

Just then, a barrage of new people burst through the door.

“Cale!”
“Young master-nim.”

“Young master Cale!”

Cale flinched at the sudden noise, backing away further as he slapped away the gold man’s cautious hand.

“Ugh-stop…” He groaned, clutching his head in pain, and trying to move away from all the voices moving towards him. His head was empty yet chaotic with the basic knowledge already present in his head, which he did not know how he acquired, nor did he have any memories of any people or places attached to it. He understood the language, but when had he learned it? It all caused a sharp throbbing pain that made him want to slam his head against the wall.

“Cale!”

He backed away blindly, hitting something with a force that sent him tipping back.

“Cale-nim!”

With wide eyes, he saw a hand reach out to him as his body tipped over the low window ledge. 

In a panic he tried to reach out towards the hand, but it was too late.

Feeling himself falling, he closed his eyes tightly, bracing for the impact.

‘What the hell? Am I going to die?’

‘Just like this?’

“Ahh!”

“Cale-nim?”

The impact never came.

He felt himself caged in something warm and strong. Arms, he distantly realized as he cautiously peeked an eye open. 

It was a man with pure white hair and sharp green eyes that were slightly wide in disbelief. They stared at each other in silence, and Cale blinked at him with a blank expression on his face. The man mumbled something with fervent eyes.

“The legend is awake…To have the chance to hold Cale-nim…”

He was handsome…but…

“This honor…to protect the legend…”

“Are you crazy?” He asked bluntly, blinking his eyes as they stared at each other. The man watched his shocked expression before chuckling.

“...Hah-”

Before the man could respond, someone slammed a wooden sword on the man’s head, and Cale flinched, cringing at the painful sound.

“Let go of young master-nim, you snake bastard.”

The man did not let go, but Cale saw a blond woman with sharp eyes and scars all over her face glaring at the man who caught him. He looked up in time to see the young teenager and the golden man effortlessly jump out of the five story window.

Cale’s face began to contort into a strange expression. Are these people human? What’s going on? What should he do in this strange situation with these unknown people who claimed to know him? 

‘Should I run away?’

His head was starting to hurt and these people starting to scare him. So with the pitiful amount of strength he had, he shoved away the man’s face with his hand and escaped his gentle but firm grasp.

Without looking back, he ran as fast as possible towards the opposite direction. Ignoring the barrage of yells behind him, he ran into the forest as quickly as he could.

‘Aigoo, what is up with these strange people?’

He needed to get out of here.

–

Meanwhile, the entire villa was falling into chaos.

Ron who had just arrived, glared fiercely at Choi Han, who was on the verge of pummeling Clopeh.

“Why did you let him go, you-!”

Eruhaben briefly explained the situation to Ron, Clopeh, and Hannah, who gasped in disbelief.

“Let’s go. Cale-nim might come across danger. Contact Miss Cage.” Choi Han said.

Ron frowned as he saw Choi Han and Eruhaben disappearing immediately. The children and Rosalyn were working on an experiment in Breck, and he felt that they might really flip everything over if they found out right now. He should tell them after Cale was found and Eruhaben-nim understood his peculiar condition.

The ancient dragon was right. His young master was truly unlucky. He could only hope that Raon wouldn’t try to destroy the world after learning about this.

—

Cale didn’t know how long he’d been running, but it was somehow dark in this dense forest despite it being afternoon, and his feet were aching. 

“Huff Huff…this body…is so weak…”

He found a lone tree and leaned on it, catching his breath. 

“Ugh…this stupid situation…”

He kicked a nearby rock, only to recoil as it stung his foot. He limped towards the trunk and sat down. The redhead pulled out a thorn from his foot, wincing. Of course it had to be bleeding. Something hot began to prick his vision and he stifled a sob as he pulled his knees to his chest. 

“Why can’t I remember anything?” He bit his lip in worry and wiped away the wetness on his cheeks.

Screech! Screech! His head snapped up in alarm.
Ominous sounds echoed throughout the dense area. He caught a few bright red eyes in the distant shrubbery, watching him in anticipation. He shivered, quieting his voice in fear of attracting attention.

Just then, something reached out to towards him in a flash and he flinched, covering his head. But instead of sharp claws, it was warm. 

A warm hand, like that of an exhausted parent was gently resting on his shoulder. He slowly looked up.

“Unlucky bastard…” 

“Gold man…” He trailed off, flinching at the sight of the young teenager from before, who repeatedly called him ‘Cale-nim’.

The gold man sighed with exasperated fondness.

“Gold man? It’s Eruhaben-nim for you.”

Cale didn’t seem to trust them, but he nodded anyway.

The sword master bit his lip as he wondered what to do in such a situation. Choi Han could only think of one way to ease the redhead’s distress.

He slowly approached the redhead and kneeled beside him.

He then asked a simple question, a question that had saved his life two years ago.

“Are you hungry?”

Surprised, Cale raised his head and stared up at him with wide eyes. A few beats of silence passed as Choi Han calmly observed the chaotic emotions darting in Cale’s eyes.

A moment later, he received a small nod in response.

Choi Han reached out his hand with a gentle expression. 

“Let’s go back home.”

Home. 

Cale watched his soft expression when he said that and gauged the sincerity in those dark eyes. For some reason, he felt that this man was bad at lying, and must be telling the truth.

A pale hand hesitantly reached out and clasped Choi Han’s own.

Choi Han helped him up and they walked a few steps, until Cale stumbled, wincing painfully.

Eruhaben frowned, noticing his bloodied feet and the dirt clinging to his white cotton pajamas, which seemed a size too loose now. This unlucky bastard had gotten hurt as soon as he woke up, even without his memories. 

“Punk.”

He urged Choi Han, who seemed to be hesitating after seeing Cale’s weariness.

“Cale-nim, you’re hurt. Please let me carry you.”

Cale didn’t understand the sad expressions on their faces, however, seeing his round, puppy-like eyes, he relented and let ‘punk’ carry him in his arms. 

“Let’s go quickly.”

that was all the warning Cale got before they suddenly increased their speed tenfold as Cale gasped in surprise.

“W-wait?! T-this, are you even human?!”

Somehow, they made it back to that house within five minutes with these people’s insane speed.

The same white haired lunatic and the blonde woman was waiting for them.

The ‘punk’ gently lowered him to his feet. Cale winced at the pain, tightly holding Choi Han’s hand as he steadied himself. He then looked up at the silent group, and tilted his head.

They all seemed relieved, but he could see the worry in their gazes. Were they worried about him? He decided to trust them for now as they hadn't threatened him...yet.

Cale blinked at them and spoke bluntly in the quiet atmosphere.

“I’m hungry.”

He pouted with desperate eyes. It felt like he hadn’t eaten in months. No, it must have been years with the way his stomach was growling.

Hannah struggled to stifle her laugh after seeing that cute expression on a normally stoic face.

The ancient dragon sighed with an exasperated smile.

Cale was then promptly ushered into the house’s dining room with gentle hands, as a scary looking man with an apron began setting dish after dish on a huge table. Cale watched, baffled, as the number food only continued to increase as everyone was watching him with barely hidden snickers.

He looked at the chef with a questioning gaze.

“Isn’t this too much?”

“It is important to eat well after fainting for two months, young master-nim.”

“...What? Two months?”

He had fainted for two months, and woke up not remembering anything? He eyed them suspiciously as he picked up the fork and took a bite.

However, his eyes lit up as the juicy flavor of a steak dish melted on his tongue. As if possessed, he ignored the old man, and started eating rapidly, savouring the delectable flavor of each bite. He paused for only a moment to stare at the food in confusion and wonder.

“Why does it taste so good…?”

Focused on the dishes, he missed the worried, yet satisfied gazes of the others. 

–

After devouring four plates of steak and various other delicacies, the redhead leaned back from the now cleared table and stared at Eruhaben, who seemed the oldest despite his beautiful looks. Everyone was staring intently at him as he spoke up.

“Punk was calling me ‘Cale-nim.’ Is that me?”

“Punk?”

Cale innocently looked towards Choi Han, and Hannah couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling out. 

“Cale-nim…my name is Choi Han…” Choi Han mumbled as he stared at Cale with dejected puppy-like eyes.

Cale simply tilted his head in curiosity, testing the name on his tongue.

“Choi Han? What is your relationship with me?”

Choi Han’s throat felt tight all of a sudden. To think that their most precious person could no longer remember them… 

Wasn’t it too cruel? For Kim Rok Soo, who could never forget, was this a blessing or a curse?

He responded a beat later.

“...We are friends. All the people here are your companions and family.”

“Ah…”

Cale didn’t fully understand what that meant, but the thought of it brought a warm sensation in his chest. As he turned towards the golden man, something caught his eye.

Cale saw a mirror a few meters away from him.  A pale youth with long blood red hair was staring back at him.

He got up and moved towards it slowly.

The redhead stilled, staring at the unfamiliar reflection as he reached up to touch the surface. His own deep russet eyes stared back at him, and an incomprehensible emotion welled up in him. This person…

Finally, he turned around and stared at Choi Han with pained expression on his face.

“Who am I?”

“You are-”

“Cale Henituse.”

A gentle, aged voice responded.

By the door, stood an old man with a benign smile, wearing an professional uniform. The smile seemed a little sad to the redhead.

“Your name, Young master-nim.”

Ron, the benign old man stared at Cale with incomprehensible emotion welling up in his heart. There, bathed in the soft glow of sunlight, with that innocent, confused expression on his face, stood the young boy he had looked after for 20 years. 

“I am your butler, Ron. Do you remember me, young master-nim?”

“No…”

“I see.”

The young pup that had grown into a sly fox, did not remember a single moment of his childhood. Did not even remember himself.

“Do not worry, Young master-nim.”
Ron cast a glance to the door behind him, behind which Rosalyn and the others were listening with anxiety.

“Your memories will return.”

They would make sure of it.

Chapter Text

After dinner, Cale was ushered to his bedroom, if only to keep him away from trouble for the time being. Ron promptly changed him into a comfortable pair of white linen pyjamas, carefully hiding his discontent.

The clothes were too loose. The now oversized top revealed the milky white expanse of his collarbone as the the sleeves seemed to engulf his tiny frame. 

‘I must feed the young master well.’ he thought, ignoring the curious gaze of his little puppy, who was initially perplexed that Ron was helping to dress him, but soon accepted the ordeal along with the other strange things he’d witnessed today. At least he looked comfortable. Ron had him sit on the bed to brush out his hair, which had now grown past his shoulders.

Cale on the other hand, was engrossed in admiring the room he had previously ignored in favor of panicking. An extremely wide space that took up the entire top floor, complete with the most rich details. A corner with rows upon rows of bookshelves, another with a cozy coffee table situated by the balcony. His bed was in the opposite side by the window he fell out of earlier. Each space seemed to be minimally divided by sheer curtains that swayed delicately from the balcony breeze. 

"Ron, what are those?"

Beautiful bright orbs bathed the entire space in a soft glow. 

"Did they break off pieces of the sun?" he asked.

Ron chuckled. The puppy young master was even more amusing now, wasn't he?

"They are called mana orbs, young master-nim."

Before Cale could ask further, a knock resounded on the door.

“Come in,” Ron called out.
Rosalyn slowly stepped into the room, the three children trailing behind her, with Raon at the very back, tugging along nervously with Eruhaben and Choi Han.

She wore a complicated expression on her face as she observed the small figure hidden by fluttering curtains, sitting peacefully on the bed.

“Young master-nim.”

They watched quietly, as the man turned towards them, and Rosalyn felt her breath catch in her throat. She took in the pale, almost porcelain quality of his skin, the deep crimson locks swaying gently in the breeze. A delicate frame, accentuated by the baggy nightwear.

But, it was his eyes that rendered her speechless. 

‘his eyes…he….’

Had he ever looked like that?

In the soft reflection of candles and mana orbs, Cale’s eyes glowed like embers, burning brightly, fiercely, and with the purest gaze she had ever seen. Wide-eyed, curious. And so unbelievably… gentle. Not like a saint, no, it was more like the gaze of a person who was seeing the world for the first time.

Lacking all the tension and characteristic sharpness that she had accustomed to this enigma. 

Cale Henituse.

Is this who you are? 

Is this the playful young master of a mere twenty years old, when stripped of his burdens, of sacrifice and war and far too many morbid memories? 

Eyes not of cold calculation, or the weight of a million lives, but of those glistening with curiosity, so carefree in their disposition?

She swallowed hard, shoving down the painful knot building inside her throat.

Not now. Right now, they needed information. About Cale’s condition and how deep this memory loss went. She hid her concern and put on her trademark gentle smile as she approached the quiet man. 

“My name is Rosalyn.”

The following silence was…expected to say the least. What she didn’t expect, was the stunned gaze that soon followed by the curious tilt of his head.

The redhead seemed to ignore the introduction, staring up at her intensely as he moved closer. Cale’s face suddenly lit up as he grabbed Rosalyn’s sleeves, eyes sparkling with an excitement that was lost on her.

“Young Master Ca-”
“Sister?”

“...”

The room fell deathly quiet, desperately holding its breath in fear of breaking whatever trance its victims were experiencing. Cale blinked at her innocently while Rosalyn’s brain short circuited a thousand times in the span of a single moment. 

“...Sister…?” She mumbled faintly.

At Cale’s expectant stare, she faltered, her dignity all but disappearing at that traitorously cute face. “Wha…W-what, I-yes, I mean, no! w-wait!” Rosalyn slammed a hand on her mouth to stop herself from spewing nonsense.

Eruhaben’s shoulders shook quietly as he suppressed his laughter, while Choi Han simply patted her shoulder, already familiar with the chaos this Cale unknowingly stirred up.

Cale meanwhile, tilted his head in confusion at everyone’s reaction.

“Don’t we have similar hair? Well, I guess it’s a bit different.” he nodded at his explanation, before looking back at Rosalyn with those damn innocent eyes. "Then, are you not my family?”

“T-that-”

”She is your-”

“No! I am your family! Y-yes just like a sister! Call me noona, okay?” Rosalyn slapped the gold dragon’s mouth shut as she rapidly spoke.

She then smiled encouragingly towards the oblivious redhead, shamelessly ignoring the pointed stares of Ron and everyone else present. 

‘Who the fuck cares about dignity if young master Cale calls me noona? Besides, wasn’t Cale younger than her anyway?’ She was squealing with delight on the inside, relishing in Choi Han’s shocked expression.

Cale furrowed his brows in doubt, but after taking in everyone’s silence and Rosalyn’s shining eyes, he hesitantly nodded his head.

“Okay, noona.”

“Eek you’re too…too adorable!” The red mage beamed and her hand automatically flew up to pinch Cale’s cheek. The redhead simply blinked and allowed it while everyone else stood gaping at the scene in shock. This woman was really…

‘She’s going to take full advantage of Cale-nim’s condition, isn’t she?’ Choi Han sighed in fond exasperation.

Just then, two voices made their presence known.

‘Meoow.’  ‘nyaaa’

Cale gasped as two adorable kittens walked towards him with faces that seemed to be smiling.

“nya~”

He crouched down, petting the fluffy red kitten that nuzzled up to his leg. The greyish kitten pawed at his hand with its big, sparkling round eyes. He picked it up, petting its soft fur in wonder. Could a cat really have such silky fur? 

“...cute…”

The others watched in silence as their commander’s eyes crinkled up gently as he smiled. It was an expression of pure, unadulterated wonder. 

“...I didn’t know he could make an expression like that.” Rosalyn mumbled faintly. 

It was an adorable moment. That was, until a cute and childish voice began chaos.

“Cale-nya!”

Cale flinched, almost dropping the two kittens. He looked around, but no one was around him to sound so close. 

“Cale-nya! we’re right here!”

Slowly, his head turned down to stare at the two kitten hugged tightly in his arms. He saw, almost in slow motion, as the red kitten’s mouth moved.

“Do you remember us?” 

A slow blink. And another. He slowly turned to Choi Han, pointing at the kittens clinging to him with shaking eyes.

“Did…did they just…”

“...Yes, Cale-nim. They’re children of the cat tribe,” Choi Han answered.

“You took them in two years ago,” he added, as if that explained everything.

“A-ah…I see…”

Cale didn’t remember much of anything, so perhaps it was normal for such creatures to speak?

The grey kitten sighed, and patted his shoulder reassuringly. 

“My name is Ohn, and this is my younger brother Hong. We can turn into human children, but this is our natural form. I have a fog ability while Hong can control poison.”

"You have special abilities?"

Cale decided to just accept the situation, until a black blur slammed into him at full speed.

“HUMANNNNN!!”
He instinctively hugged the blob which clung to his chest tightly, instantly wetting his shirt with snot and tears. It’s scales felt cool against his warm fingers. Wait...

“...Scales…?”
A reptilian face with big, teary blue eyes looked up at him, inspecting his face carefully.

“Stupid human! It took you 60 days, 13 hours, and 29 minutes to wake up! If you had woken even a day later, I would’ve destroyed this world!”

It was quite fierce.

“Mn, I’m…sorry?” 

The child stared at him as even more fat tears began to drip down his scrunched up face.

“H-hmfh, H-human, d-don’t worry! I will bring back your memories and fuck up the bastards who did this to you!”

“Fuck up…?” Cale tilted his head in confusion.
Eruhaben could only sigh at this oblivious bastard who forgot his own manner of swearing after influencing the children.

“I am the great and mighty dragon, Raon Miru! I am protecting the weak human because you are so weak!

As always, Raon took care of his introduction very well.

Cale glanced behind Raon to see Rosalyn holding up six fingers.

A six year old dragon was protecting him? Along with talking cats, scarily strong people…

“Human, are you cold?”

He could almost feel something in the air shift as the little dragon waved his paw.

The cold tips of his fingers seemed to tingle with a soft warmth, and Rosalyn’s red mana swirled, lifting a shawl to place over his shoulders.

And…magic.

It was an odd family with equally odd people who he should definitely not trust.

Despite that, he found himself hugging the cute young dragon a little tighter. 

Somehow, in this chaotic and lively room, in the presence of these eccentric strangers with worried eyes, he felt okay. 

Perhaps things weren’t so bad after all.

Chapter Text

“Hmm. This is strange. This is really strange.”

Cale stood still as a woman with dark hair circled around him with a puzzled expression. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear, his nerves tense under her scrutinizing gaze. 

“Miss Cage, What did the God of Death say?” Ron pressed with a dark expression.

The dark haired woman, Cage, sighed loudly and glared up at the sky.

“That motherfucking, backstabbing bastard son of a bitch keeps saying that he didn’t do anything,” Cage took in a deep breath to quell her rage as Choi Han tightly covered Cale’s ears to block out the colorful language.

 “but that the xxx-fucking god of balance messed with one of Young Master Cale’s abilities in order to restore some dumb imbalance of fate. Ah, seriously!”

“Then why did Cale suddenly lose his memories? How can we get them back?” Rosalyn questioned, massaging her temple roughly to soothe her headache. Ron thought back to that day where Cale read 10,000 books in a week with every piece of information remembered clearly. 

“I don’t know. In most cases, divine intervention is strictly forbidden. A god rarely has the authority or ability to steal a human’s memories. That useless bastard says that it might be temporary, but for the young master-nim to become like this…”

Cage clenched her fist, feeling her blood simmer with frustration and helplessness. This man had saved her life, and yet, there was nothing she could do to help in this awful situation for Cale Henituse, who had been hurt more times than she could count to save the family standing in front of her eyes now.

“That bastard said there would be a side effect if his memories returned. There’s nothing else I know. I’m sorry.”

Cage stared at the quiet young master with a complicated gaze. He stared right back at her with those deep russet eyes that now shone with curiosity and wariness at the same time, guarded with the unassuming, yet razor sharp edge of doubt and mistrust. 

“Some things don’t change,” she sighed, shaking her head with a short chuckle.

Despite losing his memories, Cale still had the discernment to appear harmless and trusting, while carefully remaining vigilant for any potential danger. 

For the first time in her life, she prayed sincerely, in hopes that this precious family would overcome this hurdle and finally live a peaceful life. 

“Can you remove your hands?” Cale stared up at Choi Han with furrowed brows, sensing the strange atmosphere in the room. Meanwhile Choi Han stared down at him with wide eyes.

“…That, is he pouting…?” Cage mumbled with a blank face.

“Damn it, w-why does he..?!” 

Why does he look so cute? Those lush, pink lips pouting so grumpily and that confused frown with such soft, plump cheeks? Nevermind, she took her words back.

Things had changed. Such a soft, expressive side…

Everyone except Cale nodded to each other in determination with only one thought running in their minds.

‘We must protect Young master Cale at all costs!’

Cale meanwhile stared at them weirdly, especially the dark haired woman who suddenly had a scary and intense light in her eyes.

Still, he managed to ask the question that had been bothering his ever since he had woken up.

“But why can’t I remember anything? Is it a curse?” 

He had read the bedtime story Ohn had shown him where a woman was cursed to fall asleep for a thousand years. It sounded like a pretty peaceful curse in his opinion, but the children didn’t seem to think so.

“Unlucky punk, a god messed with your memories to restore the world’s balance. You always manage to get in the worst kind of trouble everytime,” Eruhaben stated with a heavy sigh, feeling like a parent finally coming to terms with the fact their child was a magnet for trouble.

“Then when will I remember?” 

Cale felt Choi Han shift uncomfortably beside him and the room became silent once again.

“...For now, Young master Cale can rest,” Cage slowly suggested.

“We can’t let this be. Something must be done.” Ron’s cold voice cut through the mood and froze it into sharp, tense strings wearing thin on patience. 

“Mr Ron, there’s nothing I can-”

“Cale-nim can’t go on like this!” A rare outburst cut through the conversation.
“Choi Han, calm down.” Rosalyn attempted to mediate the sudden situation, however the tension only increased, suddenly taught like a string about to snap. 

“No, no…not again…” Choi Han muttered, clenching his fists.

Stunned, her gaze met two intense, bloodshot eyes brimming with months of unspoken pain and exhaustion. She paused, unable to say a word, while Choi Han’s voice rose higher and higher.

“Every time. He’s the one to get hurt every time. Why is it always him? When have we been able to protect him when it matters!? ”

How did she fail to notice? When it was so obvious with the countless sleepless nights spent guarding his bedroom, muscles taut with vigilance and the crippling fear of losing someone precious? Choi Han was at his breaking point. 

“You don’t understand. Because of me, Because of me and my negligence, Cale-nim had to get hurt! If I had-”

“That’s not it-” Rosalyn tried to hold his shoulder, yet Choi Han slapped her hand away roughly, exhaling sharply with shaking fists. His head hung low and he bit his lips to stop the surge of emotions from leaving his tongue, heavy with the weight of buried grievances. Before anyone could speak, the swordmaster vanished through the door with heavy steps.

Leaving behind Cale, whose outstretched hand hovered uncertainly in the space where Choi Han’s sleeve had been.

The redhead stared at the empty doorway, and then noticed the gazes of Ron and the others, and slowly retracted his hand.

—

“Um..where is Choi Han?”

Beacrox raised a brow at the redhead’s question as he set a plate of beautifully seasoned steak in front of him. Cale glanced around, his eyes falling upon an empty seat right next to the three children at the long table. 

Beacrox exhaled shortly as he stared at the pitch darkness beyond the dining hall’s lavish window. 

“He…needs time. It’s best to leave him alone for a while.” 

Beacrox had no idea where Choi Han had went, but he was certain that the man would be back by tomorrow with a carefully constructed resolve that concealed the hurt like the rest of them. 

Cale looked down at his hands, a complicated feeling rising inside him. Choi Han.

He didn’t know that man…but the way he had left, with that sad expression and something else he couldn’t understand, would be worrying for anybody. He had been missing for hours .

“Try this, Human-mmph-”

He absentmindedly wiped the sauce surrounding the little dragon’s mouth, blankly staring at the steak with furrowed brows. He thought back to the first time Choi Han spoke to him since he woke up.

‘Are you hungry?’ 

Was Choi Han hungry now?

–

In the calm silence of the dark bedroom, a lonesome figure laid restlessly on the bed.

Cale sighed with a deadpan expression, staring up at the ceiling for the hundredth time. The bed was comfortable, with the fluffiest and softest pillows imaginable. The breeze was cool and gentle. It was blissfully quiet.

Then why couldn’t he couldn’t fall asleep? Maybe it was because the bed strangely felt too big or the silence forced him to think about thoughts he had pushed away until now.

Dragging a hand over his face, he sighed again and shuffled out of the cozy bed. He fumbled in the darkness to lit up the candlestick sitting on the nightstand.

The flame flickered to life softly and he turned towards the balcony. He slowly made his across the vast room, noting all the small details.

Suddenly his soft footfalls came to a stop beside the wall. 

The redhead parted his lips, staring at the papers stuck firmly on the wall.

‘Is that me?’ 

A messy, colorful drawing of a redheaded man surrounded by two cats and a black dragon flying above. The figures were surrounded by a grassy field and a small plot of…vegetables?

There were other drawings too, ones resembling that punk Choi Han, Rosalyn, and a tall kid with blue hair that he didn’t recognize. Another of the young dragon and a woman with white hair. One of a brown haired man with a funny pair of pointy ears.

His fingers reached up to delicately brush the colorful doodles. 

For some unknown reason, Cale felt a pang in his heart. He recalled the tearful eyes of the dragon, the frustration in Choi Han’s eyes, the worry and carefully veiled disappointment in Ron’s and everyone’s gazes. Remembered that oddly hollow feeling that persisted in the pit of his stomach no matter how much he ate. They wanted Cale Henituse…not…whatever he was. And he couldn’t forget all the dodged questions, how they omitted certain things, as if afraid to reveal his own life to himself. 

‘Why do I have this scar over my heart?’ he had asked yesterday.

Ron had paused for a moment, and then continued dressing him as if nothing had occurred.

‘...Just a simple graze, young master-nim.’

Was it really? And what of these strange tattoos over his chest and ankles that didn’t seem like ink?

He clenched his jaw, and turned away from the smiling faces that seemed to mock him.

Curling into the balcony chair, he stared up at the sparkling night sky with his knees up to his chest. The outdoor wind was cool, and the soft noise of the water fountain below added to the serenity. It was fine. He would learn about it all one way or another.

Sighly softly, he glanced down, below the balcony, only to see movement in the corner of the garden. Squinting harshly, Cale made out the cloaked figure of a black haired individual entering the garden. He watched as the figure moved towards a secluded area that was filled with towering bushes of red roses. They moved with a natural stealth, yet their steps seemed to lack strength. The figure removed his cloak and Cale widened his eyes, staring at the familiar pitch black hair and broad back.

Cale quickly descended the long balcony steps, a small lantern rattling clumsily in his hand.

Meanwhile, Choi Han sat quietly among the roses, leaning against the wall adorned with vines of beautiful, fragrant flowers. The world was still and he was tired of waiting. What was it that he was waiting for? Peace? He scoffed at himself.

‘I’ve grown soft.’

Somewhere along the way, a dream had gently rooted itself deep in his heart. A calm life at the villa, where everyone was safe and happy. He had grown complacent in the quiet confidence of Cale’s elaborate plans and sharp intelligence, and this was the result.

The phantom smell of burning flesh and destruction surfaced his mind before he pushed the memory away, somewhere deep and desperate to be forgotten. It was quickly replaced by the bitter memory of glaring, teary reddish brown eyes that held no warmth.

How many times could he fail at the one thing that mattered the most?

He exhaled deeply, eyes slipping shut.

“Ack!”

That was until a sharp noise had his eyes snapping open as he moved to stand up.

Crash!

Almost on reflex, his arms shot out in front of him as a blurry figure hit him with full force. He didn’t have time to steady himself as they both tumbled to the ground helplessly. 

“Ow! Ah, seriously….” 

Choi Han heard a harsh whisper right next to his ear as long, silky strands covered his face. However, he could recognize that scent anywhere. Only one person smelled like fresh rain and the earthy, unique scent of nature. 

“Cale-nim?”

The redhead pulled himself off the swordmaster, groaning as he reached for the lantern that had clattered loudly to the ground.

“Sorry, I tripped.” He pushed away the strands of messy red hair covering his face as he glanced at Choi Han with a mildly embarrassed smile.

They both sat up and Choi Han watched as the smile slipped of the commander’s face, replaced by worried eyes that sparkled with the reflection of the night stars. The silence of the night stretched between them.

Cale took in the eyebags lining his eyes, and the ways his shoulders seemed to sag, as if finally drained of energy. Was he not sleeping well?

“Choi Han,” Cale’s voice was impossibly soft, just barely above a whisper.

“Are you all right?”

A gentle hand reached up to hold his shoulder as Cale’s worried gaze swept over him.

The sword master swallowed the lump building his throat and took in a shaky breath. The cold air choked his lungs and bit at his skin, harsh and unforgiving of his weak confession.

“I was afraid…that this time, you would never wake up,” Choi Han whispered, shutting his eyes. “I felt like I had abandoned you, and there was nothing I could do but wait.” 

It was then that he felt a warm sensation. Cale had leaned in and wrapped his arms around the man, embracing him softly as he let out a quiet sigh. 

Cale patted the back of his head and spoke with a firm tone that left no room for arguement.

“There was no way you could prevent this. It’s not your fault. Choi Han.”

Worryingly, Choi Han went shock still in his arms, and Cale wondered if he had done something wrong. 

And then, two muscular arms moved up to wrap around his small back as Choi Han rested his chin on Cale’s shoulder. It was warm. 

“...Thank you,” the knight whispered, hugging him a little tighter. He reminisced the battle at the Henituse territory where Cale had done something similar. Somehow, the redhead always knew what to do. The familiar scent of nature and the softness of his now long hair calmed the trembling of Choi Han’s anxious heart.

“Ah, are you hungry?” Cale slowly pulled back and unfolded a napkin in his hand, revealing five little cookies that were slightly smushed at the edges.

“Mn, they got ruined when I fell.” Cale pouted with what seemed to be an upset expression before he turned to the swordsman. “I’ll get you new ones-”

Choi Han laughed and put one in his mouth, savouring the tingling sweetness.

“It’s perfect.”

It really was, with the way Cale then  gave him a blinding smile and a satisfied laugh.

The moonlight made his porcelain face glow, and highlighted those soft, round eyes that often scrunched up in confusion. His striking wine red hair now almost reached the middle of his back. It was a bit messed up but it was the first time Choi Han had seen such an innocent and gentle smile from the redhead.

The stars seemed to sparkle a little brighter that night.

—

Alberu had no idea what to expect when he was told that Cale had lost his memories. 

Certainly, it wasn’t this.

“Yah! Shibal saekkiya, get away from me!”

Yes, it definitely wasn’t a fuming Cale pushing away Clopeh’s face in disgust as the children cheered him on for learning new swears. He could see Rosalyn groaning in the background and Choi Han…well, he looked devastated at his failed attempt to protect Cale’s innocent ears.

“This setback is also a part of your legend! Cale-nim, you must document this historical feat!”

Clopeh chased the poor redhead with unwavering determination as Cale ran for his life. Even Raon, that traitorous little dragon was laughing at his suffering like the rest of them. 

Cale ran like he had never before, and before Alberu knew it, a blur of red collided into his chest with alarming speed, knocking the breath out of him.

“Ugh, Cale-”

“Yah!”

Cale rubbed his throbbing forehead and glared at him like Alberu had personally offended his entire lineage, as if he wasn’t the one running blindly without looking forward. But then, Cale heard the horrific noise of Clopeh’s pleas, and in a split second, spun behind the blonde man to shield himself from that crazy green-eyed lunatic.

“H-hey, please, get rid of…that,” he whispered with shaking eyes, and it was the first time Alberu had heard such fear in Cale’s voice. 

Somehow, Alberu found it in himself to laugh, despite how shitty the situation was.

“Mary, please deal with him.”

The black robe who had accompanied him nodded swiftly and stepped up to stop Clopeh’s rampage.

“Behave yourself in front of young master-nim.”

Her voice was as monotone as ever, however Clopeh Sekka shrunk back as something traumatic flashed through his eyes. The quiet yet heavy and sharp atmosphere aorund her was enough to raise the hair on anyone’s neck. Mary was scary, and specially equipped to deal with crazy people like Clopeh. Clopeh sighed and turned back, leaving the villa swiftly through the garden’s exit.

Cale, who was peeking over Alberu’s shoulder, let out a quiet gasp of admiration.

He unceremoniously pushed the crown prince aside and approached the robed person who turned towards him.

However, he had to stop to catch his breath and rested his hands on his knees. 

“Huff, huff, Haaa.”

‘Damn it, how can this body be so weak?’ Even those tiny kittens seemed to have more stamina than him.

“Haaa…What’s your name?”

“My name is Mary.”

“Ah, I see.” Cale’s eyes sparkled as he clasped Mary’s shoulders after catching his breath.

“That was so cool. How did you do that? Teach me.” 

Mary was speechless for a moment as the young master rapidly said all of that with a serious expression.

“...Yes. I am cool and strong.”

Mary stared at Cale through her robe, at the impressed young master who now clasped her dark veined hands like it was nothing.

She now realised how pointless it had been to be nervous.

Cale was still Cale.

Despite losing his memories, he didn’t judge her like she had expected, instead praising her. He did not flinch in the slightest, even as Mary lifted her robe to reveal her scarred face and bright purple eyes.

She did see the curiosity though, that Cale couldn’t seem to hide.

“Ah, did you get hurt? Like that woman named Hannah?”

“It was a long time ago.”

“Does it still hurt?”
“Sometimes. But now I can use this dead mana to fly dragon bones.”

“Really? Mn, that’s cool.” Cale then grabbed his chin, contemplating as he mumbled.

“Why do I feel like I’m only surrounded by strong people? This is strange…”

“Dongsaeng…I’m here too.”

Cale frowned and side eyed him, as if he’d forgotten all about the prince he’d used as a meat shield.

He raised a brow at the man that had extremely shiny blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

“Who are you to call me that?”

“I’m the crown prince Alberu Crossman, and also your swor-”
“Mm, you are handsome, but we don’t look alike at all? Why are you here?” Cale cut him off smoothly, narrowing his eyes with a suspicious gaze.

Alberu sighed for the upteenth time since arriving at this madhouse, and calmly explained.

“We are sworn brothers. Not biologically related, but just as close.”
“Why would I have agreed to be sworn brothers with a prince? That sounds annoying.”

“Y-you, hah!”
The crown prince couldn’t help but scoff. Cale Henituse…this man wouldn’t stop leaving him speechless even in this condition. Only Cale could be so disrespectful to the crown prince and get away with it. He was strangely familiar yet different at the same time.

His expression was brighter, and there was a rosy tint on his pale cheeks. In fact, it was the first time Alberu had witnessed such a wide range of emotions on that usually stoic face.

Seeing the commander this relaxed was indeed a refreshing sight, despite his worries.

Cale, upon seeing the prince’s lost expression, waved his hand in front of his face to regain his attention. 

“Blonde prince? What’s wrong with you…”

Unable to resist, Alberu flicked the redhead’s forehead, relishing in the adorable glare he received in return.

“Call me hyung, you disrespectful punk.”

“Tsk...Whatever.”

“Cale-nya!! Come try these cookies from the crown prince!”

Alberu watched with a fond expression as the children averaging 10 years old dragged away Cale to the gazebo.

However, the smile slipped off his face, quickly replaced with a severe expression as Eruhaben-nim approached.

It was time to have a talk.

“Has he recalled anything at all?” he asked the gold dragon.

“Nothing yet, but we haven’t pushed him too much. When he first woke up, he seemed to be in pain trying to remember. He doesn’t know anything about his ancient powers either.”

“We must hide his condition as much as possible. The atmosphere among the other kingdoms is still unstable,” Alberu sighed, rubbing his eyes, “They might pressure us if they believe Cale has weakened.”

Despite Roan Kingdom taking the brunt of the war and saving the entirety of the continent, there were many greedy kingdoms looking to steal power as the Roan Kingdom was recovering.

They also had to protect Cale from the greedy nobles who would surely attempt take advantage of his amnesia if they were to find out. He recalled the pitiful sight of Deruth burning packages upon packages of marriage proposals with a frustrated expression when he had last visited.

“Does the Henituse family know?”

“We plan to inform them today and discreetly take Cale to meet them soon. Ron is handling it,” Eruhaben responded.

“Wow, did that prince really bring these?”

Alberu chuckled and approached the gazebo, watching Cale finish his sixth cookie within the five minutes they were discussing.

“Do you really like them that much?” Alberu teased.

“Mn…they’re okay.” Cale looked away, acting nonchalant, though it just made Alberu want to laugh.

“I’ll bring more next time.”

Cale’s eyes lit up until Alberu continued with an extremely radiant smile.

“But only if you call me hyung.”

Cale’s expression instantly fell and crumpled like a wrinkled newspaper.

This, this annoying prince! His smile felt way too bright to be real, but those cookies were heavenly.

“...Fine, hyung . Happy?” The redhead grumbled, wiping the crumbs off of Hong’s mouth.

Alberu watched the children who had purposefully eaten messily with an amused smile.

“Unlucky punk, it’s getting cold. Let’s head inside,” Eruhaben grabbed the flying Raon and ushered them like an exhausted old man who was tired but fond of his troublesome grandkids.

As they walked back to the villa, Cale stared at the back of the prince with a thoughtful expression. The prince was absorbed in a discussion with the gold dragon about something Cale didn’t understand even as he listened closely while trailing behind them. 

‘Let’s try again. Maybe I’ll remember something.’

He had tried remembering some memories last night, but ended up blacking out in his bed. Consoling Choi Han and running down the stairs had been more tiring than he expected.

Cale concentrated intensely at the man, repeating his name in his head in an attempt to recall anything. 

‘Alberu Crossman, blonde hair, blue eyes.’

“...ale..”

 ‘A crown prince and supposed sworn brother. Family…’

Unfamiliar…but the golden plaque he gave…

“..ale!.. Cale!”

“Huh…? He mumbled, binking slowly at the blurry figure. 

A wave of drowsiness hit him, and his vision began to waver.

He felt his knees give out and suddenly there were hands pressing on his shoulders, and floor seemed to be getting closer.

Alberu moved in panic as he felt the redhead stumble and then suddenly tip forward as if all the energy had been drained out of him.

He managed to prevent Cale from hitting the ground, supporting his back as Cale’s head hit his shoulder with a dull thud.

“Human!”

“Cale! Hey, stay awake!”

He patted the man’s cheek, but all he got in response was a confused mumble and half lidded eyes that blinked in a daze.

“...’m tired…”

His eyes slipped shut and darkness took over.