[React] Everything can be connected (continuation)

"Cale." Lex called TBOAH Cale.

TBOAH Cale stared back to the white fox. "It's fine. We had already talk about in advance that we may discuss about my mother when the eight of us gathered." TBOAH Cale said as he look back at seven individuals who got transported away from the others from the start.

"I see. Well then, go have your breakfast. We will start after you guys are done." The fox disappeared again.

TBOAH Cale walk towards the seven individuals. Once he was in earshot, he could hear TCF Cale grumbling in frustration.

"I told you I haven't seen them since we got here."

TBOAH Cale sit back on his previous seat while continuing his breakfast.

"Cale-nim, I'm sure they're just here." TCF Choi Han tried to reason out but basically failing since his also looks upset.

He really sucks at acting. TBOAH Cale thought.

"What's wrong?" TBOAH Cale asked since their table became quiet compared to the other sonorous table around them.

"Ah that. Cale's children was nowhere to be found." Kim Rok Soo answered enjoying his breakfast.

TBOAH Cale sprayed the lemon tea his sipping across the table in shock.

"What?! Children?! Huh?!" He gaped.

Across from him, Choi Han casually dried his face off. TBOAH Cale shot him an apologetic look.

"Sorry."

"It's fine Cale-nim."

TBOAH Cale shivered being called 'Cale-nim' from the person who beat him into pulp.

Hours later, Lex returned.

Snap!

They were transported back into the theater. The lights dimmed and a video played.

He had received an offer from the God of Death as he was about to die at the age of forty.

“But you see, Cale Henituse…”

Kim Rok Soo’s voice sunk low.

“I’m sure you’ve seen this power before. Doesn’t it remind you of someone you know?”

TCF Cale was not in the mood right now so he's staring blankly at the screen.

Cale kept his mouth shut and closed his eyes.

Kim Rok Soo whispered while looking at him.

“You should have a record of experiencing a power similar to my mother’s.”

Cale had started to recall information in his mind related to wood attribute ancient powers since Kim Rok Soo first mentioned it.

He was recalling information from the book, < The Birth of a Hero >…

TBOAH Alberu frown. It feels iffy knowing a simple novel could tell what will happen in their world. He threw TCF Cale a look.

Has he been love by the gods?

Then he recalled the records of the strong individuals with wood attribute ancient power in the Mercenaries Guild’s Directory…

Finally, he recalled memories of any person who used wood attribute ancient powers.

Cale slowly opened his mouth.

“I have indeed seen a similar power once, as you mentioned.”

Before Cale got the ancient White Star’s earth attribute ancient power…

He had led the White Star and Bear King Sayeru to one of the Forbidden Regions, the desert with the Dark Elves’ Underground City.

TBOAH Alberu and TBOAH Tasha shared a look. Disbelief painted their face.

He led them there?!

Cale had released fake information about how the ancient White Star’s earth attribute ancient power was in the other abandoned Underground City in the desert.

TBOAH Alberu and TBOAH Tasha breathed in relief.

The White Star ran into Cale in that abandoned Underground City and took quite a lot of damage.

“The White Star-”

Cale recalled something the White Star did in that memory.

“The White Star touched a dead tree.”

Smoke had come out of the White Star’s hand as he caressed a dead tree in the Underground City.

“That bastard knew from a single touch when that tree had died.”

He knew that, although the tree looked very dry; it had only died in the past week. He had figured it out almost instantly.

“The White Star frequently said that Choi Han and my time is warped.”

The things the White Star had said to Cale in the past brushed through his mind.

‘Time is warped for that swordsman.’

‘Both Choi Han and you have your time warped, like I do.’

‘But even though I can tell that your time is warped, I couldn’t tell how it was warped.’

‘Possession? Who are you that is inside Cale Henituse’s body? From body to body… You moved around while preparing. You’ve been preparing for a very long time. You continued to live while jumping from body to body like that.’

TCF Cale snorted upon remembering that scene.

Of course, the White Star incorrectly assumed that Cale was someone like him who possessed different bodies for a very long time. But at least the White Star seemed extremely certain that Choi Han, Cale, and his time were warped.

“I suspected that the White Star’s wood attribute ancient power might be related to time or that he had a different time attribute ancient power.”

He had brushed aside the fact that the White Star observed the tree with some kind of smoke.

“…I didn’t expect it to be annual rings.”

Cale stopped there and did not say anything else.

What he would have said next was…

‘Does that mean that the White Star has Cale Henituse’s mother’s power?’

Or…

‘Was the White Star responsible for the carriage accident and mother’s death?’

Room suddenly get chilly. The SGT people shivered after they felt the room got heavy.

He could not say those things out loud.

Cale frowned and kept his mouth shut.

“Oh, don’t get the wrong idea.”

“…What?”

Cale looked toward Kim Rok Soo after hearing his voice. There was a faint smile on Kim Rok Soo’s face.

“The White Star was not responsible for mother’s death.”

"What?"

Everyone was confused right now. If he wasn't responsible for the first Countess death, then who?

“Ah.”

Cale quietly gasped.

Hearing Cale’s sigh of relief helped Kim Rok Soo understand who taught those company employees who worked so hard to take care of him when he first arrived in Kim Rok Soo’s body and could not adjust properly.

‘It’s because he’s like this that I can tell him everything.’

"Ho." TCF Cale looked at Kim Rok Soo who avoided his gaze.

Kim Rok Soo started to speak again.

He didn’t know when he would get a moment to talk with Cale like this ever again.

“Have you ever thought about what the future would have looked like in The Birth of a Hero?”

Cale could not answer that question so easily now.

Cale had experienced too many difficult things in the past 2+ years to just answer that Choi Han would have taken care of everything.

“When I was forty…”

Kim Rok Soo continued to speak.

“The Roan Kingdom was razed to the ground. The Henituse County was ruined as well. I was the only one left alive in our family.”

Everyone in the room gasped in shock. Both Deruth's pupil shake upon knowing that information.

TBOAH people gulped and listened to the information. This. This was what going to happen in their world.

They must prevent it from happening.

Cale gasped in shock.

Just hearing about it made it hard to breathe.

It made him recall the test he had to go through on Wind Island to get the golden top’s whip.

It was a future Cale never wanted to see. Kim Rok Soo was talking about that future.

"Is this the reason why you're not telling us what had happened to the Wind Island, Young Master?"

TCF Cale flinched upon hearing Ron's voice. He looked back to their seats. Wrong decision. His eyes went back to the screen.

TCF Ron was showing his benign smile. TCF Beacrox was sharpening his knife. TCF Eruhaben was glaring at him. TCF Bud was shaking his head in disapproval.

"Cale-nim."

He flinched.

"Please don't hide anything from us." TCF Choi Han was smiling innocently at him. TCF Alberu was giving him a disapproved look.

"Ha-aah." TCF Cale sighed shakily.

“After taking over the Eastern continent, the White Star’s first target on the Western continent was the Roan Kingdom. More specifically, it was Puzzle City. He started from Puzzle City, then went to the northeast region, and then the southeast region. I don’t know why he started with Puzzle City as his first target.”

TBOAH Alberu frown. Puzzle City? Why there?

Kim Rok Soo didn’t know, but Cale knew.

‘It was probably so that he could do the summoning ritual for the sealed god in Puzzle City.’

He could predict what the White Star would have been thinking about.

“King Zed Crossman died in the battle against the White Star, while crown prince Alberu Crossman fought many battles against the White Star to recover the Roan Kingdom’s eastern areas. Choi Han, Rosalyn, and Lock helped Alberu with that.”

The said people exchange looks. Looks like it will be a rough and agonizing battle.

Cale started to speak.

“That war took close to twenty years?”

"Twenty years?!" Everyone gasped in disbelief.

“Yes. It continued until I turned forty. The Roan Kingdom protected the palace and its western territories and continued to fight against the White Star while he invaded and conquered the Whipper Kingdom, Breck Kingdom, and other areas. We were extremely persistent. We truly looked like a kingdom that had survived through many things for a very long time.”

A war that would continue for about twenty years…

TBOAH Choi Han clenched his fist in anger. Will they be able to survive for twenty years?

Cale clenched his fists thinking about how ruined both the Eastern and Western continents would have been.

The story that happened after volume 5 of The Birth of a Hero was one that Cale didn’t want to happen.

The smile was gone on Kim Rok Soo’s face and was replaced by fatigue from the long period of war.

Everyone could see a tired looking face at the screen. Everyone felt their heart sink.

“The Roan Kingdom continued to recruit people as we needed soldiers to fight against the White Star and his subordinates. I signed up for it.”

TBOAH Henituse family was shocked. They did not expect Cale to signed up for the war. Meanwhile the TCF people looked at TCF Cale knowing that their Young Master was mostly at the front line leading the their kingdom and people to victory. SGT people was not far away from what TCF people was thinking.

Kim Rok Soo looked down at his arm.

He had been happy to see all the scars on this body when he first woke up in it.

‘The owner of this body must have suffered a lot too. He has scars all over his body as I did.’

TCF Cale squinted his eyes.

Such thoughts helped him start to like this body.

“I needed to get revenge. I needed to get revenge on the White Star who destroyed our territory and my family. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to kill that bastard, but I thought I could only die in peace if I could even leave a damn scratch on him.”

TBOAH Henituse family felt their tears forming.

Ah. He's not a trash. The TBOAH people concluded. Because no trash has that kind of mindset.

TBOAH Choi Han felt guilty.

Kim Rok Soo was looking up into the air.

“And I finally got the chance.”

The corners of his lips slightly went up.

“The strong individuals throughout the Eastern and Western continents gathered together with Choi Han at the center. Crown prince Alberu rallied together the survivors from the kingdoms that fell while opposing the White Star and the kingdoms that were still fighting against him as well.”

Kim Rok Soo’s heart still beat wildly when thinking about that time.

“We headed for Puzzle City after hearing that the White Star was preparing for something in Puzzle City.”

That was the start of the Great Battle.

“It was such an intense battle. So many people died. I was lucky to last quite a while in it, but it was only because I was trapped underneath ally corpses.”

Both Toonka cringed.

"That's-"

Kim Rok Soo’s eyes were full of an odd fiery passion.

“It was then! That’s when I saw it.”

His gaze turned toward Cale.

“The White Star grabbed Choi Han’s arm with his hand that was releasing smoke. He then said the following.”

Boom. Boom.

Kim Rok Soo’s heart was beating wildly.

Both Choi Han gulped.

He recalled the things he heard the White Star saying as he laid there being crushed underneath ally corpses.

“Time is warped oddly for you.”

He had realized it at that moment.

“That bastard has my mother’s power.”

Kim Rok Soo had then made eye contact with the White Star, who was wearing a mask that covered everything above his nose.

“The White Star found me and shot a fire toward me. That was how I ended up in danger of dying.”

“…Is that when you made the deal with the God of Death?”

“Yeah.”

"God of Death." TBOAH Cale thought out loudly. Everyone looked at his way.

Kim Rok Soo stopped there and took a breath. His hand that was holding the curtain was already full of sweat.

“I learned about how my mother died while making that deal with the God of Death.”

The conditions the God of Death offered the real Cale Henituse was that as soon as he returned to the moment he met Choi Han, the starting point that could change the fate of our world, he would go into the body of a person named Kim Rok Soo in a different world.

“It was because my condition was to learn the truth about my mother’s death as well as saving my territory and family.”

"He sacrificed so much." TBOAH Basen hiccuped, tears streaming down his face. He could feel his sister's grip on his sleeve shaking.

Kim Rok Soo recalled his conversation with the God of Death.

‘If you go into the body of the person you are about to possess, that will be enough to change the fate of this world. That is all I can tell you.’

He did not share this part with Cale Henituse.

Instead, he told him the truth about his mother’s death.

“My mother had gone to Harris Village to secretly hide a portion of her ancient power.”

Cale couldn’t help but ask.

“You can transfer an ancient power while you are alive?”

Ancient powers were supposed to remain in the place where the user died.

“Yeah. It’s possible.”

Kim Rok Soo had a sad smile on his face.

“As long as that person is willing to break their plate.”

“…Ha.”

Both Deruth looked devastated. His wife choose to die. Both Ron stood frozen. They remembered the day their puppy young master found out about his mother's death.

Cale gasped.

Every person had a ‘plate.’

Ancient powers were stored in this plate as well. Cale’s plate was large, but quite weak.

Cale Henituse’s mother had broken her own plate to secretly bury a portion of her ancient power in Harris Village.

Cale barely managed to say something.

“…If a person’s plate breaks-”

“They die.”

"Ha-aah." TBOAH Cale let out a shaky breath. His fist gripping his chest. Labored breathing could be heard and TCF Cale and Kim Rok Soo suddenly sit up straight to comfort him.

Lex the fox who was laying on Lee Soo Hyuk's lap turned to TBOAH Cale.

"Do you wish to continue?"

Everyone hold their breaths looking at TBOAH Cale who's having emotional break down.

TCF Cale and Kim Rok Soo patted his back. SGT Kim Rok Soo suddenly bring out a bottle of water out nowhere and handing it to Kim Rok Soo who gave to TBOAH Cale.

Once calmed down, he sat up.

"Lex-nim, please continue."

"Very well then."

Kim Rok Soo calmly answered, but Cale could see the understanding and sorrow in his eyes. But neither of those emotions could subdue the resentment clearly visible in Kim Rok Soo’s eyes.

These were probably the feelings Kim Rok Soo had for his mother.

He noticed Cale’s gaze and buried those emotions before starting to speak about something else.

“The first thing I did when I woke up in your room was reading The Birth of a Hero. This is a hypothesis I came up with while reading it.”

Kim Rok Soo was making it clear that it was his thoughts and may not be true.

“You know how everybody dies in Harris Village, which leads to Choi Han heading out? The White Star would have needed to go to Harris Village at least once to get my mother’s power.”

“Mm.”

Cale had been thinking about that as well. Kim Rok Soo shared his suspicions.

“Isn’t it possible that the White Star got my mother’s power from Harris Village while Choi Han was out? Then he left his subordinates to take care of the rest.”

TBOAH Choi Han gritted his teeth.

‘Arm’ delivers the dead mana from the black swamp inside the Forest of Darkness to the mermaids in The Birth of a Hero.

The mermaids use that dead mana in their war against the Whale tribe, leading Choi Han to help the Whales fight.

A lot of different pieces of information popped up and then sank back down in Cale’s mind. Kim Rok Soo noticed Cale’s face stiffening with thought and quickly added on.

“I might be wrong. My suspicions might be completely wrong.”

“…Yes.”

Cale nodded his head and quietly sighed.

Kim Rok Soo let go of the curtain and walked over to Cale.

“Anyway, what I will tell you now is the important part. What is the White Star doing right now?”

Cale answered without any hesitation.

“He’s aiming for Puzzle City.”

"Ha." TBOAH Alberu scoffed. How dare that White Thing targets their kingdom.

Kim Rok Soo’s face stiffened up as he commented.

“I guess there is a reason the God of Death let the two of us meet.”

Cale noticed the reason as well. He got up from the bed and stood in front of Kim Rok Soo. The two of them looked at each other and Cale asked a question.

“That wood attribute ancient power… Where is the rest of it?”

Everyone perked up at that.

He said that Cale Henituse’s mother had buried a portion of the power in Harris Village.

That meant that the rest was still elsewhere.

“Cale.”

Kim Rok Soo quietly whispered.

“It was weird that the White Star killed me. Do you know why?”

"Hmm?" Both Eruhaben was interested to know. Well everyone is.

He recalled the moment he potentially died and realized something.

“That bastard knew that time was warped for Choi Han, but didn’t know that it was warped for me. What could that mean?”

Cale calmly answered.

“That means he can only see the past. Time wasn’t warped for you at that time.”

For the forty years old Cale Henituse…

His time had not been warped just yet. His time only became warped when he made a deal with the God of Death after that.

“That’s right. But my mother’s power even saw my ‘future’ where time would get warped for me.”

"Haaah." TBOAH Cale sighed in disbelief.

It was at that moment.

Chhhhhhh-

The curtains started to move on their own.

The curtains moved away from the large window and they could see outside.

Kim Rok Soo started speaking after looking outside the curtains.

“Hey. What the hell did you use my body to do?”

TCF Cale immediately turn his head away as everyone at the theater look at him.

They could see the inside of the Puzzle City City Hall office through the window.

The whole room was full of beige mana. Cale’s body was full of cracks as he lay on the bed and Mila was about half-way done with putting him back together.

"Ho." TBOAH Mila gasped in amusement. That means she'll be involved with the human.

Everyone looked at the screen with conflict and worry.

"Damn." TBOAH Cale whispered causing TCF Cale to grunt.

Kim Rok Soo stared at Cale in shock, and Cale just avoided his gaze.

“Ahem. Hem.”

“Ho.”

Kim Rok Soo shook his head from side to side.

The window slowly started to open at that moment.

Screeeech-

A gust of wind blew in from the outside toward Cale and Kim Rok Soo.

“I guess it is about time to say goodbye.”

“I guess so.”

Kim Rok Soo offered Cale his hand.

“Cale, go to mother’s grave.”

TBOAH people eyes were widen in shock.

Cale shook his hand. They could both feel each other’s body heat that proved that they were both alive.

Kim Rok Soo continued to speak with a serious expression on his face.

“There should be an item with half of the power near the tomb.”

Just like the Sound of the Wind’s top…

Just like the pebble for the Scary Giant Cobblestone…

Some sort of item would be there waiting for someone to come find it.

TBOAH people knew that they have not the right to claim that ancient power. From the people present in the room could feel that it was meant for Cale or the person who will be transmigrated to the young master's body. That is if Cale was willing to do so.

The man who decided to live as Cale and not Kim Rok Soo from now on answered the man who would continue living as Kim Rok Soo from here on.

“Live peacefully.”

Kim Rok Soo smiled and responded.

“It looks like you will need to struggle a little longer, but anyway, live well. Please take care of my family.”

“Please take care of my team members.”

Both men let go of each other’s hand with a small amount of sorrow visible in their eyes.

Cale headed toward the window. Kim Rok Soo headed for the bedroom door.

“I guess I go out through the door and you go out through the window?”

Kim Rok Soo scoffed in amusement.

“I guess so. It’d be nice to chat more, but I’m kind of busy.”

“Me too. Why the hell do I need to work the night shift so often? Haaaaa. I need to become the CEO of your company and get rid of the night shift.”

"Ha." TCF Cale let out a laugh rubbing his forehead.

Click.

Kim Rok Soo turned the doorknob. Cale felt a bit nostalgic looking at his office through the door. But he turned away.

He pulled open the window.

Shaaaaaaaaaaa-

A gentle breeze rushed past his face.

He stepped on the window ledge and said goodbye to the other him behind him.

“Stay safe, Kim Rok Soo.”

“You too. Stay safe.”

Cale jumped out the window while Kim Rok Soo opened the door all the way.

The two of them headed out into their respective worlds.

* * *"

Hooo... That was intense." TCF Bud muttered tiredly. No one disagreed by his comment.

“…Oo…oooo……”

Cale subconsciously started to groan.

“Auntie! Our human seems to have woken up!”

“No! I’m not done putting him together yet! Raon, honey, knock him back out!”

"What?" TCF Cale looked back TCF Mila in disbelief. The latter only smiled sweetly at him.

How vicious.

“Hmm? Auntie, I don’t think that’s right!”

“Mm. I guess that’s a bit too much, huh?”

Mila, who had told Raon to knock Cale out, gently addressed Cale, whose eyelids were fluttering.

“Teacher, are you awake? You can open your eyes.”

"Ho." TBOAH Mila looked at her counter part who looked back at her.

Teacher huh.

This was the thought on Cale’s mind as soon as he came back to this world.

‘…These scary Dragons.’

He slowly opened his eyes.

And at that moment…

Slam!

“Huff, huff. Young master-nim!”

Lock rushed into the office while holding the cintamani that was somewhat wrapped in cloth.

"And that's it." The fox stretched itself from Soo Hyuks lap before levitating in the air.

Snap!

They were back at the huge mansion.

"We will be having break and will continue tomorrow. I know a lot of you guys are emotionally drained so rest up and have fun." The white fox disappeared again.

TCF Cale cursed under his breath. He hadn't got the chance to ask the fox about the three children.

Kim Rok Soo walked towards his past self.

"Need a hand?"

TBOAH Cale felt his knees trembles making it hard to stand up. He ran his hands to his face.

"Hmm."

Kim Rok Soo looked down at him and made eye contact with the six others.

"Huff."

TBOAH Cale's mind went blank when his counter part carried him at his shoulder before walking away.

"I saw the men's hot spring when I explored the mansion last night. Let's go have a dip."

"W-wait!" TBOAH Cale struggled. Unexpectedly, his efforts was in vain.

TCF Cale raised his eyebrow in amusement before walking away. Well tried to, since Lee Soo Hyuk also carried him like a sack of potatoes on his shoulder.

"No can do dongsaeng. You're coming with us."

TCF Cale didn't do anything and let himself dangle.

It is futile.

SGT Kim Rok Soo followed quietly since Jung Soo's arm was resting at his shoulder beckoning him to follow.

TCF Choi Han and TCF Alberu followed when Soo Hyuk send them a look.

Everyone who saw that scene followed their backs until the group turn into the left side of the hallway.

"You don't see that everyday." Someone commented making the hall filled with chuckles.