Chapter Text
Cale Henituse wanted to kill a god.
Why was it the moment he had a chance to rest—even for a moment—he was forced to do the bidding of something.
One moment he was talking to Billos. The next moment? Suddenly in a fucking void, staring at a certain god he had talked to not too long ago.
Cale blankly stared, contemplating whether to murder him or not.
The God of Death nervously began to speak, carefully avoiding his eyes. "..Hello again Cale."
He continued to stare, this time with an eye twitching in irritation.
And so the God of Death got frantic, looking like he wanted to cry. "Let me explain! I swear this isn't my fault this time!"
"..Isn't your fault?" He sighed, anger in his eyes. "Then who is it this time."
The God of Death sobbed, "The God of Truth! For some reason they have their eyes on you." He deflated, picking at his sweater. "They're apparently sad that your companions don't understand you fully! Always getting onto you about the things you did in the war."
Cale crossed his arms, "So what? I don't think that's any god's business. We're too busy right now for a god to interfere."
And that was true. It had only been a month. They were trying to recover from the war with that bastard White Radish. Hell, they've barely even settled the funding for Puzzle City.
"..They're worried it could cause problems, impending your decisions in the future." The God of Death sighed. "Frankly, I'm worried about that also."
Cale frowned, "They're just worried. They don't have the mindset of a leader-"
"That's exactly the issue!" He hesitated, then sighed again. "They need to understand things. Carrying on as it will only do more harm than good."
Unfortunately, Cale could see the logic in that. While he loved his family, when it came to talking about what happened in the war, they only saw his sacrifices. They never fully understood just why he had to do the things he did.
It had already been a month.
A month of rest, a month of recovery, and an unfortunate month of nagging.
Ron would just silently give him lemon tea—with a benign smile on his face—while his kids ran around saying all sorts of vicious things. On, of course, always staring at Cale with her all knowing eyes.
Although at least the kids stopped nagging when they realized how exhausted he was.
His kids had never taken it too far anyways, so he didn’t mind the gentle reminders to rest from On. Or Raon trying to distract him with his experiments to stop him from getting overworked. Even Hong joined, always showing Cale new poisons he found in the Forest of Darkness.
As for the others.. they were stifling when showing their care. He adored his family, he really did, but they could be so overbearing.
At first it was comforting, then it just never stopped.
Eruhaben always seemed to be watching him, keeping an eye on his plate most likely. He had even gotten Rosalyn and the rest of the dragons in on it.
While the Henituse family didn't know everything, they always pestered him with questions whenever he had time to visit.
Deruth would try to subtly check him over, while Violan would offer to give him money. (Which.. He admittedly accepted. Money was money, and he needed to rebuild his funds after his so-called uncle took so much.)
Basen would ask to go over paperwork with him, but luckily, Lily didn’t exactly understand the full situation—considering she was focused on training—so at least Cale could get away from the others by offering to watch her.
The others luckily didn't bother him too much about it, but sometimes, they also tended to get swept into joining the nagging when the others would start.
It was getting out of hand. Every time Cale would brush off questions about some of what happened in the war, or that accursed Wind Island, everyone would get just a little more overbearing.
He had Alberu and Choi Han who understood better than the others, but that never stopped anyone from trying to scold him anyway.
(Well, Alberu was busy with the aftermath. And while Choi Han was his faithful knight, he couldn't do much against everyone else.)
It was tiring.
(Sometimes, in the privacy of his mind—well, as private as it could be—he wished he was still in Korea. Still with his beloved hyungs. Cale knew that while they would nag at him, they always understood his line of thinking.
That was always a dangerous line of thought. He didn't want to remember that day again.
He knows it's unfair. Cale knows that his family is just worried. He adores his newfound family, and he also knows that he has a habit of not explaining just what he’s currently thinking about.
Occasionally though, it hurt to know they didn't trust him.
Cale knows his body best. While yes, he was forced to sacrifice himself a lot. Yes, he had no choice but to walk on a tightrope sometimes to make the best he could of the situation—he also knows that living is the best.
He always, always made sure he had options. Always made sure to do his best to get everyone—including himself—out alive.
It was different from back when he was just a rookie.
Back then, Kim Rok Soo was just a strategist doing everything he could—with the unconditional trust of Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo—to get his team members out alive.
Now, Cale was a commander. Now sometimes no longer in the backlines giving out orders. Now, he was forced to rush into the front to make sure his family made it out alive.
He refused to lose anyone ever again.
That test was fake. It would never happen.
Cale just really missed his hyungs. While he heard from Team Leader that they both were doing well, he really hoped he could see them both soon.
(See for his own eyes that they were really alive.))
Snapping out of his thoughts, Cale could see the bastard looking at him with apologetic eyes.
The God of Death had apparently noticed he was focused now and so he continued to explain.
Apparently, they would stay in a dimension between worlds while watching what Cale had done throughout the years. But because it was in the perspective of Cale, it would be a massive invasion of privacy.
Due to that, Cale would have the choice of who could watch.
"..One question before I decide."
The God of Death perked up slightly, "Yes?"
"Is the Sun Goddess really okay with this? She knows that I'm close to her chosen." Cale looked at him with an intense gaze, clearly not happy about this.
The god hesitated for a moment.
"Well?"
"..She's not okay with this, but she also knows that against Truth she stands no chance."
'Stands no chance?' He was shocked. From what he knew, Angelina was a decently powerful god. Hell, her domain was the Sun. Although.. Cale didn’t know many gods. It wasn’t his business anyway.
The God of Death fully explained the terms.
Cale will have to choose the people he allows to watch his life.
They wouldn't be able to leave the space they would be placed in until they finished watching everything. Only Cale and one other person of his choice could pause the reaction.
There would be enforced breaks so as to not overload their brains, but considering everyone there would be in their 'soul states' they wouldn't have any need for food or sleep.
(Not that any of the gods were dumb enough not to give extra accommodations for them all. They were already walking a thin line invading Cale's privacy with this, so the three of them were going to go all out to make Cale as happy as he could be.)
According to the god, while in said ‘Soul State’, they wouldn’t be able to be hurt, or hurt one another while in his domain. They would technically be held between the veil separating life and death. This way, they would be free from the eyes of anyone trying to spy on them.
Mainly just a precaution, but apparently the three gods doing this were technically breaking a couple rules so they had to stay hidden.
After he debated in silence, Cale told The God of Death who he wouldn't mind knowing his secrets. He had thought about it deeply of course, while the god had explained.
He had decided that only those he was 100% sure wouldn't use his secrets against him would be there. He had also decided to allow some that he knew for sure wouldn't care about his greatest secret.
There were some he wasn't sure about, but he would use this as a test to their loyalty. Of course, this was only after he got confirmation from the god that he could force anyone to leave should he want them to.
(..Cale was especially unsure about a certain fanatic, but he would use this as a test. See if that person really was as loyal as they seemed to be.)
He had also decided to leave out leaders from other kingdoms. (Aside from the whales. He trusted them considering they didn’t care about the affairs of humans, and he wanted them to know what had happened to the alternate Paseton.
..Just to be safe he would leave out the Whale King. Cale didn’t know him all too well.)
While yes, he was friends with most of them, he wasn’t going to let other kingdoms have a chance of exploiting secrets Cale and his family shared with one another.
It's then that the God of Death paused, and gazed at him with his eyes that seemed to hold the secrets of many worlds.
"Cale." He said, suddenly serious. "Would you like to meet with your closest people from the past?"
"..What?" Cale breathed, his eyes wide. "What do you mean my closest people? From the past?"
He had a feeling he knew who what the God was talking about, but he refused to get his hopes up.
And so the God of Death elaborated. "While the three of us Gods explain the situation to your people, would you like to reunite with Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk?"
In another space between the veil, two gods talked to Cale's very vicious family.
They were in a space that looked like a modern theater. Plush seats and small tables settled around the space, a large—currently off—screen was at the front, and there were doors to the left of the room.
Choi Han was the first to speak, a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Where is Cale-nim." It was a demand, not a question.
That set everyone else off.
"If you don't bring my human back, I'll destroy everything!"
"Cale-nya! Where is he?!"
"Where's the unlucky bastard?!"
And all sorts of other demands were thrown at the two gods.
It was only when Saint Jack spoke that everyone went quiet.
"..Sun Goddess?"
Hannah stood protectively in front of her brother, glaring at the goddess.
For the first time the woman with the sun-kissed skin, beautiful long blonde curls, and a soft smile spoke.
"Yes, my beloved saint. It's me." She lightly stepped forward, gazing softly at the three she considered her children.
The person next to her kept quiet for now.
Alberu was the next to step up, "Goddess-nim, why are we here?"
Sun Goddess Angelina silently turned to the person next to her.
They didn't look like much, seemingly a child in an oversized cloak.
In a tiny voice, they croaked, "..This would be my doing."
Eruhaben crossed his arms, gold dust swirling around him while he stood protectively in front of the rest of the dragons. "What do you mean by that?"
They hid behind Angelina slightly, like they knew that their next words would make everyone there angry.
"..You all have been hurting Cale with your actions. I want to help fix that."
This shocked almost everyone, with only some understanding what they meant.
With a benign smile, Ron spoke this time. "This Ron doesn't understand what you mean. What exactly have we been doing to hurt Cale so a God has to intervene?"
Angelina picked up where the other god had left off, raising her hands as a gesture of peace. "We don't have to intervene, but we decided to before this becomes a greater issue. We're also using this chance for Cale to get some rest."
His smile faded, contemplating what she meant.
Choi Han and Alberu both glanced at each other, having a feeling that they knew what this was about.
Raon, on Choi Han's shoulders, and the Cat siblings who were in Alberu's arms also looked at each other.
They knew exactly what this was about. How could they not? Every time someone pointed out a time Cale had gotten hurt they would see how he would get a look on his face.
All five of them knew that he was tired. All five of them also knew that they would do anything for Cale to get his rest.
The issue was that even though he was supposed to be slacking off, (well, before the situation with Billos happened) the others were always being so protective.
(Which is saying something, because they themselves were very protective.)
If Cale tried to get a breath of fresh air? Someone would be there.
If Cale just wanted to go on a walk? Either Ron or Beacrox would stalk him.
If Cale just wanted to eat in peace? The others would convince him to eat with them.
It was like they never trusted Cale with himself anymore, and it was getting out of hand.
It got so bad that the children averaging 9 years old would help Cale get some alone time. They had realized that for Cale, sometimes always having someone there was stifling. He needed some time to himself now that he wasn’t being pulled in all directions by the war.
Luckily they had Choi Han, Alberu, and even Mary and Lock—once they explained everything—to help them.
(One of their favorite ways for them to help Cale was having him watch the wolf children. They knew Cale didn't mind either, because the children never cared when Cale would be quiet. They would simply be content knowing Cale enjoyed watching them train or play.
Another was when Cale would spend time with the Dragon Half-Blood. Cale would simply keep him company. He knew it had to be lonely in the body of a bone dragon.)
And so the five of them listened attentively. Lock left a distracted Rosalyn’s side to join them, Mary coming to stand closer to them too.
Angelina continued, crossing her arms now that they were listening. "We understand that Cale has gotten hurt during the wars, almost excessively so. We also understand that it was the fault of the Gods for not keeping order, but you are all hurting Cale with your protectiveness."
Rosalyn had a look of realization on her face, before she noticed Lock wasn’t next to her anymore.
Looking around frantically, she breathed a sigh of relief when she located him beside Choi Han.
Then she was puzzled. Why was it that that group didn’t seem too surprised? Admittedly, she knew that she was part of the group that had been far too protective, but she had also been busy with the planning for the Magic Tower.
Rosalyn silently shook her head, dismissing her thoughts for now in order to pay attention.
Understanding that they were starting to get it, the child in the cloak stepped forward from behind their godly shield. "I am known as the God of Truth, and we would like to show you what Cale has been through. If you all agree, you can learn more about Cale and why he made the choices he did."
Alberu stiffened slightly, "Wouldn't this be an invasion of privacy?" He was concerned. He knew the situation due to the others keeping him in the loop, but he didn’t want his dongsaengs privacy to be violated either.
Truth smiled underneath the hood of their cloak, "Cale has already agreed. Everyone here is of his choosing."
That shocked everyone. They knew that Cale cared for everyone here, but to trust them with his secrets?
They now understood just a bit more how they had been hurting Cale. He trusted them all unconditionally, but they didn't. They should've known better.
(A select few were especially shocked. They had simply relied on Cale during any battle he needed them in. They hadn't been aware that Cale trusted them this much in return.)
Some like Bud, Glenn, and Fredo didn't quite understand what had happened—but they also knew they'd support any of Cale's decisions.
Witira, Archie, and Paseton were even more confused, but trusted Cale. If he trusted them with his greatest secrets, then they would trust him in return.
Billos was just glad for a place to rest. He finally felt safe surrounded by people he knew he could trust.
Odeus was very confused, but he was happy to be with his nephew again.
Clopeh was fanatically happy. Excited that Cale had seemingly given him a chance to prove himself.
A soft robotic voice was then heard, "Where is Young Master Cale?"
It was then that the others realized that the seven in that group weren't very surprised.
Looking back at the two Gods they noticed that they were both staring at a dark corner to their left, close to a door that led to an unknown room.
Unnoticed to everyone but Taylor, Cage had been staring there the entire time.
"..Well, God of Death?" Angelina said with a smile, "How did it go?"
A tall man with bronze skin, white hair, and pitch black eyes walked over to the other two gods.
Cage rushed to the front, "You! Where is Cale? And what are you doing here!?"
He had already been looking at her with a smile, "Ah, Cage my child. I'm glad to see you've been doing well."
Anyone could see that was true. While some there had their own issues with this certain God, they could see the parental love in his fathomless eyes.
"..Don't change the subject, you bastard." Even Cage was shocked by what she could see. While he always spoke to her, she rarely ever got to actually see him.
She shook her head, and huffed. "I could tell that those two were stalling for you. Now answer us, where is Cale?"
The three Gods glanced at each other, as if waiting for someone to speak first. Finally, Truth stepped forward again. "He's safe. You'll be able to see him once you watch something."
"Are you about to show them the truth about Cale?" Choi Han ominously asked.
He was purposely speaking in vague terms, trying not to alert the Henituse family who was nearby. Unfortunately his words made things seem even more worrying.
Alberu facepalmed around the cats in his arms, while the kids stared at Choi Han with wide eyes. Lock looked at him with pity, knowing he didn't mean to make the question sound so ominous. Mary just stood there, staring at Angelina warily. Tasha was next to her, having moved closer when Death appeared.
All four of the Henituse's looked very alarmed, Deruth looked as if he wanted to insist on answers before Violan grabbed his hand.
Turning to the Gods up front, she smiled. It looked alarmingly like Cale's scammer smile which admittedly made all three gods flinch.
"What truth?" She demanded, "What happened to Cale?"
Death nervously spoke this time. "Let us show you a snippet. Then we'll bring Cale along with some others to answer your questions."
Angelina spoke next, gesturing to the seats behind them. "Please sit down for now. It won't be much longer."
Then Truth chimed in, "As the God of Truth, I speak no lies. I promise we mean no harm and we'll fully explain right after this."
"Can you at least tell us where Cale is?" Rosalyn asked.
Death sighed. "..Alright. Currently, he's reuniting with people he once lost."
"..Team leader? Jung Soo?"
There was a man with long black hair he had seen not too long ago, standing next to another man with brown hair and dark eyes.
The man with long hair spoke first, with a soft smile on his face. "Hiya Rok Soo- no, Cale. Have you been eating your meals?"
"Ha.." Cale covered his face with his hands. He was admittedly overwhelmed. He had just been thinking about these two, and now they popped up in front of him with barely any warning? Cale wasn’t sure how to react.
Jung Soo bounced over to be on Cale’s right side, slinging his arm around his shoulders. "Hey! Rok Soo! Cale! Ya gotta answer his question! You look way too thin to be healthy."
His team leader nodded in agreement, "Have you been doing well?"
Instead of answering over the lump in his throat, Cale leaned slightly into Jung Soo's side, something neither of the two missed.
The two hyungs quickly glanced at each other before Cale was pulled into a hug. They both bend a little to shove their faces into his neck, while Cale stopped covering his face to tightly clutch on to them, like he was afraid they’d disappear again.
"..Dongsaeng, we're back." Soo Hyuk said softly.
Jung Soo tightened his grip, "We're sorry we left."
Cale couldn't say anything around the lump in his throat, but he knew they understood him anyway. They were in sync as always.
They spent some time in the embrace before Jung Soo guided them to sit on the floor. Both of them squished Cale, not that he minded. It was comforting to have both of their weight leaning on to him.
Having calmed down, Cale answered the question from before. "..I have been eating my meals." Then he turned to his team leader, "What name should I call you now?"
Lee Soo Hyuk blinked, "I go by Sui Khan now, but considering I'm still in my old body my name should match my face." Then he winked. "You can finally call me Hyung, y'know."
Choi Jung Soo flinched, "Hey! That's not fair, team leader! Cale should obviously call me Hyung first!"
Cale sighed in exasperation, "..You two haven't changed."
He was relieved.
(Obviously, while he knew they all changed in some ways, but it was a relief to know that at their core they were the same.)
They all had smiles on their faces. All three were glad to be back together again. It had been so long since they were able to just.. Sit and talk with no pressing matters like war or monster attacks looming over them.
"Anyways," Jung Soo leaned his head on Cale's shoulder, nuzzling his face into his simple black button-up. "The bastard god filled us in on the situation. Have you been doing okay?"
"..I'm alright."
Soo Hyuk sighed, a sad smile on his face. "You don't have to lie, y'know. It's alright if they accidentally hurt you." He grabbed his hand, knowing Cale liked to fiddle with anything he could in order to not get lost in thought.
Cale flinched, "Brutally honest as always, team leader."
Jung Soo nodded along to that, "Always will be, but don't change the subject."
"..It's fine. They just don't understand." To distract himself, he studied the hand he was given. They had more calluses than before.
Both of them sighed, glancing at each other in exasperation.
His team leader used his other hand to pat his head. "Alright, when we meet back with them all, feel free to use us as a shield."
"We'll explain things when possible so you can rest." Jung soo continued.
"..Alright. I assume we just need to call for the bastard and we'll be with the others?"
Soo Hyuk nodded, "Yeah. He said that if we're back before they finish we'll be where they can't see."
"This is just to make sure that some don't react in a way that'll hurt you." Jung soo added.
Cale nodded in agreement, before standing up. "Okay." He looks back at them with soft eyes, afraid to let them leave his sight for even a moment. "Let's catch up later. I want to know how you've been."
Lee Soo Hyuk nodded, a small smile on his face.
Choi Jung Soo beamed, looking like an adorable puppy.
They both stood up, each grabbing one of Cale's hands. (They were also afraid to let Cale go. They had left him once, never again.)
"Oi! Bastard!" Jung soo yelled into the void, "Bring us to the others!"