Prologue Part 10
Cage* knows better than to hope. She knows just how much worse it feels when you have hope only to then have that hope crushed, but she can't help it. Kim Rok Soo's words lit that tiny flickering candle of hope in her heart without her consent.
So she stands up and searches the crowd for that one face she misses more than anything in this world.
And there he is. There he is just sitting there all alive next to another version of herself.
She is moving before she even realizes it, his name falling from her mouth.
"Taylor!"
Then she hits a wall and that little flickering candle of hope goes out.
That is not her Taylor. Her Taylor is already gone.
As she thinks that, Taylor stands up and walks toward her.
'What?! Taylor is standing! He is walking!'
Cage* looks at him and can see how happy and healthy he looks. She can see Cage following right behind him. Her other self looks happy too.
'That's not fair. Why does she get to have him?'
She feels herself burn with jealousy at that moment, then she takes another look at them.
Seeing them together and happy, she feels a flicker of warmth in her chest. That is not her Taylor, but he is a Taylor and he is alive. That's enough for her. She doesn't have her Taylor anymore, but there is a world out there where he lives.
She is still jealous. She wants to be greedy and steal Taylor away, but she won't even if she could. The other her doesn't deserve that. She doesn't need to know how it feels to lose him.
"Cage, I'm sorry."
"What?" Cage* is confused. Why would Taylor apologize to her?
"I'm sorry I left you," he said with a sad smile.
'They are the same. Taylor will always be Taylor.'
"Thank you. Thank you for being alive," she smiles back before looking at Cage and adding, "Thank you for being there for him."
Cage smiles back and nods at her with a determined look in her eyes.
'It's enough.'
With that thought she heads back to her seat, that tiny flame of warmth still flickering in her chest.
•••••
At the same time Shickler* and Witria* spot Paseton near their counterparts.
Seeing him alive is both wonderful and painful for them.
"Paseton!" Witria cries out as she rushes to him, her father following close behind.
The barrier stops them before they can reach Paseton.
At that moment, they hate that barrier more than anything.
Seeing Witria* and Shickler* rush toward him with tears in their eyes, he knows that he no longer exists in that world. He knew that young master Cale had saved him that night, but to be confronted with a world where that didn't happen is a grim thought.
Seeing versions of themselves forced to live in a world without Paseton, Witria and Shickler can only thank every god in existence for both Kim Rok Soo and Cale. Because of them, they don't have to live in a world where their precious family member has left them.
Paseton places his hands on his father and sister's hands, offering a reassuring squeeze that he is still with them before he stands and heads toward the two that don't have that privilege.
"You're alive," Shickler* sobs.
"Yes father. I am. I'm alive, safe, and happy."
"Thank you. Thank you so much for surviving."
Witria* and Shickler* just stare at Paseton for a moment. Drinking in the sight of him. They won't get to see their Paseton again, but knowing that there is a version of him out there in another world living and happy makes that just a tiny bit more bearable.
With one last look, they give a sad smile and head back to their seat.
•••••
Lock* doesn't expect anything from Kim Rok Soo's words.
Life is cruel and he has already noticed how weak Lock looks. The boy looks naïve and innocent. He looks like he would cower in fear at the first sight of danger.
He looks like he will get his family killed.
All thoughts of what a liability Lock is disappear the second Lock* sees Pendrick in the crowd. Then his mind comes to a screeching halt when he sees Maes and the others sitting nearby.
Lock* is halfway to the barrier when Pendrick and Maes' names fall from his mouth.
By the time he reaches the barrier, Lock* is angry. He is furious.
'How is this fair? Why does Lock get to keep them? Why not him?'
Lock can hear his own pain-filled voice call out Pendrick and Maes' names. He looks toward the sound to see Lock* rushing toward the barrier and his breath hitches in his throat.
Lock* looks nothing like him. Lock* looks broken and angry. He knows with just one look at him why he called out those names in such a broken voice. Why he looks at Pendrick, Maes, and the others like they aren't supposed to be there and he can't believe his eyes and it hurts. To know that there is a world where he lost his siblings is not something he ever wanted to know.
To know that he was lucky enough to still have them, is a blessing he can never repay.
Lock stands, gathers his siblings, and heads towards Lock*. He notices Pendrick following behind them.
Lock* reaches the barrier first and slams his fists into it.
"Why? Why do you still get to have them and I don't? Why, when you are so weak?"
Lock and everyone following him freeze.
Choi Han and Rosalyn don't like the way Lock* is speaking to their dongsaeng. They will not allow anyone to harm their family. Even if it is another version of them. They stand and head to Lock, but before they can even reach him Lock has spoken up.
"I am weaker than you, but I am not weak. I am not alone. I have a family to protect. I am their shield. That is what I am. I am the one watching their back. I protect them from the enemy's blows. I don't have to be the one to kill the enemy. I don't need that kind of strength, the kind used only to kill. I have the strength to protect and I wouldn't trade that for your idea of strength."
Rosalyn couldn't feel more proud of Lock at that moment if she tried. He has grown into an amazing older brother.
Choi Han is a very proud hyung at this moment and agrees with Lock 100%. The strength to protect something is so much better than the strength to kill.
Lock* feels like he has been punched in the gut.
'Has he been wrong the whole time? Could he have done better if he had thought like Lock? Could he have saved Pendrick or his siblings?'
It's not until Lock* feels a hand on each shoulder that he realizes his face is wet. He looks behind him to see Choi Han* and Rosalyn* standing there.
"It's okay Lock* we are still here. You are not alone," Rosalyn* comforts.
"She's right Lock*. You still have us," Choi Han* adds.
With that, Lock* finally breaks down like the kid he still is and clings to his hyung and noona while he cries for what he has lost and what another him still has.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wasn't strong enough."
"It's okay hyung. It's not your fault. I know that the other me would never blame you," Maes says.
Lock's* head jerks up at those words, eyes wide, he can see Maes and the others looking back at him with sad smiles on their faces. They are all nodding at him, agreeing with Maes' words.
Lock* feels something in him shift. The weight he has been carrying isn't gone, but it has shifted. Shifted in a way that makes it easier to carry. He feels as if some of it has even been shifted from his own shoulders to be shared with his new family. It's a relief he didn't know he needed. To be able to lean on someone and share the burden.
Lock* looks back over to Lock. He sees clear eyes looking back at him. They hold sadness and grief for what they have lost, but there is life, love, and hope in them. Lock* wants that too.
"Thank you. I needed to hear that."
With those words, Lock* turns back and heads to his seat. His family follows behind him.
•••••
For several minutes, batches of people from groups 3 and 5 have their reunions and get some closure. Wounds that had been festering were lanced and hearts somewhat lightened.
When everyone had calmed down and returned to their seats, Kim Rok Soo stood back up to continue speaking.
"How's the war there going? When I spoke to Cale not too long ago, he said the White Star was aiming for Puzzle City."
Alberu smiled. The kind of smile that made him look like one of those shining princes in novels, complete with a background of sparkles and flowers.
"The war is already over. The White Star is dead forever this time and the God of Despair has been permanently sealed."
"What? It's over? Hasn't it only been about 2 years since Cale got there?"
"That is indeed the case. My dongsaeng is a chaos causing menace, but he is rather good at getting rid of the enemies as efficiently as possible. While simultaneously annoying them to a masterful degree," the smirk on Alberu's face as he recalled Cale's shenanigans was a mix of both pride and exasperation.
"Wow. That's kind of amazing. I mean, I knew I had made the correct decision and he would change things, but that's way better than I expected."
"What do you mean when you say you knew you had made the correct decision?" Zed questioned.
"When I first became Kim Rok Soo, there was a bit of an adjustment period. Culture shock is a bitch. I ended up going through Kim Rok Soo's work records and his performance as a team leader was amazing. A perfect record. Missions were always a success and there were 0 lives lost on Team 1 since he had become the team leader. I figured with a record like that, he would be able to succeed in changing that world's outcome. Especially with the help he had having read The Birth of a Hero before he got there."
"The Birth of a Hero?"
"It's a book series he read about the world he was ending up in. Basically the history of the world in the form of a fantasy novel. I think it was kind of like the God of Death's way of giving Cale a guidebook he could work off of."
"A novel? We were all characters in a novel to him?"
"Don't look at me, I didn't write it. You can blame that bastard of a god for it."
"Either way, Cale didn't manage to finish reading it. I think he only managed to get to right before the war with the Indomitable Alliance started."
"Then Cale-nim really didn't know about Arm or the White Star beforehand?"
"Not as far as I know."
"Wow. He really is kind of amazing."
"Yeah, he is. Now, I think most everyone in group 5 has understood what happened and hopefully accepted it, but just in case, you should all know that the deal I made with the God of Death was only between the two of us. Cale had no knowledge of it or even any choice in the matter. He literally woke up one day in my body. No explanations why or even how he got there. Cale is at no fault in this. The choice was mine alone and he is a victim in all of this mess. Please do not punish or blame him in any way."
Before anyone could reply to Kim Rok Soo, a sound rang out through the room.
SNAP
The last time that sound was heard, Cale appeared, so this time all eyes turned toward the unconscious redhead.
There was no redhead on the bed.
Cale had disappeared.
"Human!" "Cale!" "Young master!" "Son!" "Cale-nim!"
Everyone (even those from groups other than 5) panicked at his disappearance.
"Ahem."
Though the sound was quiet, it immediately caught everyone's attention. All eyes moved to the front of the room.
There, in front of the screen stood a tall, muscular, bronze skinned man with white hair and in his arms was a slumbering Cale Henituse.
"It's you! You mother fucking God of Death!"
