Cale looked around to see who was in the room after noticing he only had ten minutes.
Choi Han and Lee Soo Hyuk.
Only the two of them were there.
“Hyung-nim, Alberu-nim has already returned.”
Cale nodded his head and started to speak after seeing the anticipation and concern on Choi Han's face.
“I have ten minutes late. Come back before midnight.”
“Ah.”
Choi Han quietly gasp.
10 minutes.
He needed to go back if Cale went back as well.
There were ten minutes left until they went home.
It was obvious why Cale was telling him the time that was left.
Choi Jung Soo.
Choi Han immediately headed toward the door. He heard Cale's voice behind him.
"Call the other people here.”
“Yes, hyung.”
The other people.
Cale didn't need to specify who he meant by that.
He was talking about his allies who had been waiting for him to wake up and Choi Han immediately understood without needing an explanation.
“It’ll be quick because they are in the next room.”
Click.
Choi Han’s movements seemed oddly urgent.
Cale looked at Choi Han leave before turning his gaze to Lee Soo Hyuk.
There was a gentle smile on Lee Soo Hyuk’s face.
“Rok Soo, the yellow head is completely dead.”
“I am aware.”
“And that bastard’s scales were left in pretty good condition, so I'm thinking about using it to create some weapons.”
“That is a good idea.”
“Right? There was also a cintamani-like orb that came out from its body.”
“Really? I guess it really was like an imugi.”
Their conversation was peaceful.
“I guess you didn’t know about the cintamani?”
“I didn’t know. My past has no records of such a thing.”
“Hmm. Really? Anyway, we’re thinking about researching that along with the scales. It’ll probably help in some way.”
“That is a good idea. Please ask Lee Seung Won to record everything you find out.”
“That’s the plan.”
Lee Soo Hyuk definitely heard that there was only ten minutes left and Cale knew that as well, however…
The two of them were acting the same as usual right now.
Of course, things were much more peaceful and quiet than before with no present danger in sight.
“Rok Soo.”
“Yes, hyung.”
"Are you not hurting anymore?”
Cale turned toward Lee Soo Hyuk.
“Yes, hyung. I am not hurting.”
“I'm relieved.”
Lee Soo Hyuk nodded his head and continued to speak.
“Rok Soo.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Should I say that I'm relieved you didn't immediately head back?”
Smile. Lee Soo Hyuk smiled again.
“I am not going to tell you the long story again.”
“Okay.”
Lee Soo Hyuk looked at the clock.
It had already been a few minutes.
“Han is a bit slow even though they are just next door.”
“I'm sure they’ll be here soon.”
The two of them enjoyed this short duration of peaceful silence.
Choi Han entered the next room and started to speak.
“Rok Soo hyung. He has woken up.”
“Really?”
“Ah! I'm so relieved, so so relieved.”
“…Sigh.”
Everybody looked relieved even if they responded in very different ways.
“He asked everyone to come over.”
“Really?”
“Bae Puh Rum, let’s go.”
“Okay. Let’s go, Min Ah.”
Choi Han slowly observed every person who left through the door he was holding open.
Kim Min Ah and Bae Puh Rum were the first to leave.
Then it was Lee Seung Won and Lee Jin Joo. After them was Grandma Kim, Doctor Kang, Joo Ho-Shik, etc.
A lot of people walked past Choi Han.
There were a lot of people not here right now as well.
For example, Heo Sook Ja and Kim Woo were currently busy keeping the Seomyeon shelter safe.
Some of the ability users from other areas had quickly left saying they needed to go back to their shelters.
Others had stayed saying they would help the Seomyeon shelter return to normal first.
Finally, there were people who were resting because they were completely drained.
Choi Han thought about the people who had been together with Cale and him.
Everybody was probably waiting for Cale to wake up.
He looked at the person who was now walking past him.
It was Park Jin Tae.
“…Do you have something to say to me?”
Choi Han asked Park Jin Tae who had stopped next to him.
Park Jin Tae had not said a thing while waiting in this room since the battle had ended.
“…You.”
Park Jin Tae slowly started to speak.
He was looking at Choi Han's appearance.
“…Kim Rok Soo is up now. Why don't you take care of yourself as well?”
Choi Han's eyes opened slightly wider.
Park Jin Tae avoided Choi Han's gaze and resumed walking.
“…The punk who struggled the most after Kim Rok Soo should take care of himself too.”
Choi Han subconsciously stared at the awkwardly mumbling Park Jin Tae before letting out a chuckle.
However, that quickly disappeared.
The last person was about to leave the room.
Choi Han closed the door even though he saw that person starting to walk to the door.
Screeeeech- click.
Choi Han looked at the person who was left with him and started to speak.
"Shall we talk for a bit?”
The remaining person, Choi Jung Soo, slowly nodded his head.
Choi Han looked at the clock.
11:53.
There were only seven minutes left now.
This was the same for Cale.
That was why he slowly sat up while looking at the people coming into his room.
Bae Puh Rum rushed over and helped him up.
“Rok Soo, are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, Grandma.”
Grandma Kim smiled after hearing Cale’s response.
His complexion and voice sounded normal.
The Commander. No, when Kim Rok Soo had collapsed… She had been so shocked.
That was the moment everybody thought the back that they had thought was so big was quite small.
They realized once again that Cale’s back had always been that small.
They realized that their collapsed commander was a child who had just become an adult but was carrying the lives of so many people on his back.
"Are you really okay?”
Cale nodded his head at Kim Min Ah’s concerned question.
He then slowly looked at each of the people who had entered the room.
There were some people who had been alive until the moment he became Cale.
There were some who had died before that day.
There were some people with whom he did not have much connection with in the past.
Cale subconsciously started to smile after seeing all these people gathered in one room.
Tick. Tick.
He could hear the sound of the second’s hand continuing to move.
He smiled as he started to speak.
“I have lost most of my abilities.”
“Gasp.”
Bae Puh Rum subconsciously gasped.
"…What are you talking about?”
Cale heard Park Jin Tae's low voice.
His pupils were violently shaking.
Abilities disappearing.
Was that possible?
It was something none of them had ever seen in the past year.
But nobody could say anything to say that was impossible.
Too many things had happened in the past year and they knew many new things would happen from here on as well. They thought that an ability disappearing was something that was quite possible to happen.
Park Jin Tae made eye contact with Kim Rok Soo who was looking at him.
Kim Rok Soo seemed calm.
“I’m just telling you the truth.”
And for some odd reason…
He looked very calm.
Cale started to speak again once the others probably realized this as well.
“I lost most of my abilities. However…”
He then looked out the window.
It was night time.
The night was silent and beautiful as if there had never been a battle at all.
“But I am still alive.”
His voice was calm and firm but there was a faint trace of happiness within it.
They could hear the confidence behind it.
Cale turned toward Lee Soo Hyuk and asked a question.
“Did anybody die?”
“No.”
0 people dead.
This was like a miracle.
No, it was indeed a miracle.
It was a miracle that they had created together.
Cale slowly closed his eyes.
“…It’s peaceful.”
The end of a fierce war.
This moment of peace that they finally managed to achieve.
He opened his eyes back.
“Good. Very good.”
The eyes of the people who had been looking at him opened wide.
“…I guess he knows how to smile like this.”
Joo Ho-Shik subconsciously mumbled quietly.
Brightly.
Their Commander was smiling brightly with a relaxed expression on his face.
That was why Joo Ho-Shik and the others couldn't say anything to him even though he had just told them that he had lost the majority of his abilities.
Cale started to speak at that moment.
“I'm tired.”
That short statement changed the atmosphere in the room.
His complexion was better and his voice was peaceful, but he was still someone who had just woken up after fainting.
How had he been until the moment he fainted?
Everybody couldn't help but become tense after thinking about that moment.
Cale quietly looked at them before starting to speak again.
“I'm going to get some rest now. I will tell you all the rest after I get some rest.”
Cale laid down on the bed again and the others quickly agreed with him.
“Yes. That sounds good.”
“That’s right! Hyung, please rest well, rest very well.”
“See you later. Let me know when your condition gets better. I'll rush over right away.”
They all headed back out without any complaints even though they had only been here for a short time.
They heard Cale's voice behind them as they were leaving.
"By the way, have you all eaten?”
They walked out of the room and some of them turned their heads back and others turned around once they were in the hallway. They could see the nonchalant look on their commander’s face.
“You must make sure to never skip a meal.”
Their commander was talking to them with the most serious expression they had ever seen.
“You must eat before you work. Oh, and all of you look even worse than me. Please go get some rest. Eat well, sleep well, and rest well. Those three things are very important. Eating is especially important among the three. Do you understand?”
“Pffft.”
Joo Ho-Shik chuckled before responding back.
“Commander-nim, you should make sure that you don't miss a meal. We take good care of ourselves.”
“That’s right. We are taking good care of ourselves.”
Kim Min Ah mischievously smiled before agreeing with Joo Ho-Shik.
Park Jin Tae, who had been the last to leave, made a comment as well.
“You make sure to eat.”
He then said the following as he closed the door.
“Get some rest.”
Click.
The door closed again.
“Rok Soo, make sure to keep Jin Tae's words to heart.”
Cale nodded his head at Lee Soo Hyuk, who was the only person to not leave.
“I will make sure to eat.”
Cale suddenly started to think about apple pies.
He was actually thinking about the moment that the tear-soaked apple pies had been shoved in to his mouth.
He was also thinking about the lemon teas that Ron had handed him in the past.
‘Wow, I'm even thinking about that dreadful lemon tea.’
Cale wondered why he was thinking about that but closed his eyes for a moment after seeing Ron’s face appear along with the tea.
“There are two minutes left.”
“I know.”
Screeeech.
The door opened.
“You’re here?”
Cale could see Choi Han who was walking in with a calm expression as well as Choi Jung Soo who was standing outside the door without being able to come in.
Choi Jung Soo’s expression looked terrible.
No, it looked as if his mind was a chaotic mess.
At the same time, it looked oddly calm.
He seemed relieved about something.
Cale did not ask Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo about their chat.
It was because although Choi Han's face was calm, his eyes were red. It didn’t look as if he had cried but there were numerous emotions floating in Choi Han’s eyes right now.
“Choi Jung Soo. Come in or stay out but make up your mind.”
Choi Jung Soo flinched before walking into the room and Lee Soo Hyuk closed the door.
“Choi Jung Soo.”
“…Yeah?”
“Make sure you eat properly and rest well.”
“You, you-”
Choi Jung Soo could not finish his sentence.
He then looked at Choi Han before turning back toward Cale and starting to speak again.
“Okay. Make sure you eat properly and rest well too.”
He then opened and closed his mouth over and over for a moment.
"And, and-”
Cale looked toward Choi Han. He then heard Choi Jung Soo's voice.
"And see you again.”
“Haaaa.”
Cale quietly observed the ‘haaa’ coming out of Choi Han’s mouth that he couldn't tell whether it was a sigh or a laugh before closing his eyes.
‘It seems Choi Han pretty much told him everything.’
Choi Han seemed to have made up his mind after hearing him tell Lee Soo Hyuk quite a lot of things.
It was at that moment.
“Rok Soo.”
He heard Lee Soo Hyuk’s voice.
“There is something I want to tell you.”
Lee Soo Hyuk hesitated for a moment before continuing to speak.
“…You've been through a lot.”
Cale clenched his eyes shut.
He never expected to hear such words from Lee Soo Hyuk.
He heard Lee Soo Hyuk’s voice again at that moment.
"And see you again.”
Cale opened his eyes and looked toward Lee Soo Hyuk.
He wanted to say that that would be hard to do. He wanted to tell him not to have such unrealistic expectations.
However, Lee Soo Hyuk was a bit faster.
"Just like you did it. Maybe one day, I, or any one of us, might be able to go help you out.”
Lee Soo Hyuk started to smile.
"See you again someday.”
Cale started to smile as well.
But he could not respond back.
“Choi Han.”
He called out to Choi Han instead.
There was less than one minute left.
“What do you need to do to go back?”
How was Choi Han supposed to go back?
Unlike Cale, Choi Han had entered Cale’s test thanks to the God of Death.
“Hyung, you just have to say something to me.”
‘What do I need to say?’
Cale looked toward Choi Han who was smiling without telling him what to say and started to frown.
But he soon started to speak.
The thing he needed to tell Choi Han…
There was only one thing to say right now.
“Let’s go home.”
Going back.
Going to the place where people were waiting for them.
That was the only thing to say.
It was at that moment.
“…Ah.”
Choi Jung Soo gasped.
Crack, crack-
Choi Han’s body was slowly breaking and turning into dust.
“I’ll be heading back first.”
Choi Han said that and motioned to Choi Jung Soo with his eyes before closing them.
His body quickly disappeared from this world.
Cale said goodbye to the Kim Rok Soo of this world last.
‘Are you talking about how I told them I lost my abilities?’
Kim Rok Soo’s voice was calm but sounded disappointed as well.
Cale, the other Kim Rok Soo, knew this was the case.
‘I'm not worried. You’ll do a good job.’
Kim Rok Soo could not respond to Cale before barely managing to say something.
‘Bye.’
5 seconds. 4 seconds.
“Rok Soo, travel safely.”
3 seconds.
Cale opened his eyes and looked at the two remaining people.
The two people who had died in his place.
“Please live well.”
2 seconds.
Cale slowly closed his eyes.
He should be in the other world once he opened his eyes now.
1 second.
It was time to leave.
“Ugh!”
Blood started to drip out of Cale’s mouth.
“Rok Soo!”
“Hey!”
Cale could see the anxious look on Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo's faces.
But Cale was clutching on the bed sheet while continuing to cough up blood.
“Cough, cough!”
He could hear Kim Rok Soo’s anxious voice in his mind as well.
The Super Rock awkwardly mumbled at that moment.
Cale started to frown.
‘T, this, cough.”
“Rok Soo, Kim Rok Soo!”
“Hey, w, why are you in so much pain unlike my paternal cousin once removed?”
‘My thoughts exactly!’
Cale was flabbergasted that only he had to deal with such pain as Choi Jung Soo mentioned.
‘Couldn’t he have sent me off looking cool?!’
“Ugh, cough, sealed god, y, you motherfucking son of a bitch!”
The Super Rock and Kim Rok Soo mumbled in pity.
I knew that sealed god is a son of a bitch we can’t thank.
‘He’s sending me back like this?!
Couldn’t he let my goodbye be cool?!’
The world slowly turned black.
Cale saw the world turn completely dark as pain shot throughout his body.
“Ugh!”
He let out a short groan before falling back.
Then he blacked out.
Cale’s eyes closed on their own in the darkness.
It was at that moment.
He could faintly hear the God of Death’s voice.
His voice was oddly warm.
That voice slowly became quieter and quieter.
Fate is something even the laws of the world cannot fathom.
Cale listened to the God of Death’s words and started to think.
‘What bullshit is he saying now?’
That thought subconsciously came out loud.
“…What kind of bullshit is that?”
It was at that moment.
“Human!”
Cale flinched after hearing a familiar voice.
‘Did I come back?’
Cale debated whether he should open his eyes or not.
He heard a voice he was happy to hear once again.
“Our human said something just now! He said, ‘what kind of bullshit is that?’! He was speaking curtly as usual!”
Flutter flutter.
He could hear the sound of wings fluttering.
"Everybody, come here!”
He then heard bright voices that sounded both happy and full of tears.
“Our human is here!”
“He’s awake, nya!”
“He’s up, nya!”
Cale stopped hesitating and opened his eyes.
Everything started to light up.
He saw a background of many colors before seeing Raon, On, and Hong who were both smiling brightly and crying while looking at him.
Home… He was back home.