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It all started during the attack in the Molden Kingdom.
An Elf approached Cale and Choi Han from the maze walls. The red-haired Commander recognized him immediately.
"...Pendrick?"
Pendrick was smiling gently as he walked up to them.
"You really did wake up. Young master-nim, you truly are a great individual who would not even submit to illusions." Pendrick sounded out of breath. "Here."
He took something out of his pocket. It was long and wrapped in silk. Dramatically Pendrick slowly opened the cloth and pulled out... a stick.
"Young master-nim. This is a sword the World Tree-nim gave me to give you."
"...A sword? This thing?" Cale looked inside the silk with disbelief. "Isn't this just a branch of the World Tree?"
'Cale-nim does not seem impressed.' Choi Han thought with slight amusement at Cale's expression.
"No, sir. It is a sword."
Choi Han looked questioningly at the serious-faced elf. Pendrick explained to Cale:
"Young master-nim. The World Tree-nim said to use this if you were in danger. If you stab this into a living being's heart and cover it in blood, it'll become a great weapon-"
Choi Han's eyes opened wide as he listened.
'There is such a weapon?'
It sounded like something out of a legend. The Sword of the World Tree. The name already weighed heavily on their hearts.
Cale cut Pendrick off at that moment:
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"...Excuse me?"
Cale pointed to the battlefield.
"Does it look like we're in danger? They're destroying everything."
The underground maze was being destroyed into pieces. It was not just mildly chaotic, it was complete and utter chaos.
"Ah."
Pendrick looked like he was going to retract the "weapon". Then Cale spoke up.
"Give it to me."
"Excuse me?"
"I thought you said she told you to give it to me."
"...Yes?"
"So hand it over."
Choi Han shook his head.
'Typical Cale-nim. Why refuse a free item?'
Of course he wouldn't. Although Cale was very generous, he was also very greedy. The only free things he refused were either with strings attached, or things that would bring harm to his allies.
"...You want this thing?"
"Yes."
Cale confidently reached his hand out toward Pendrick.
"I thought it was for me."
"That is true, but..."
Pendrick had an awkward expression on his face as he handed the Sword of the World Tree over to Cale. He then shared what the World Tree had told him:
"The World Tree-nim said that young master-nim's blood is special."
"My blood?"
Cale looked at Pendrick in confusion. All of a sudden, Choi Han was filled with a deep sensation of dread.
"Yes, sir. She said that your blood has more life force and vitality than anyone else. That is why she said that Cale-nim's blood was the perfect weapon against those with weak vigor or vitality-"
"That is not allowed," Choi Han interrupted.
Cale turned his head and saw his stiff expression. Choi Han looked Cale in the eye and spoke sternly:
"I don't know what thoughts you are having right now, but no matter what they are, they are not allowed."
"Hmm?"
Cale seemed confused. It almost made Choi Han want to get mad at his oblivious friend.
"Please let me tell you a fact." Choi Han said, slightly pulling his sword from the scabbard out of habit. "You will die if you are stabbed in the heart. Blood is not allowed."
Choi Han's vicious glare made Cale falter. The redhead blurted out with a shocked expression:
"Are you crazy? I'm someone who dreams about living a long life as a wealthy slacker!"
Choi Han couldn't help but observe Cale with pity.
If only his actions ever matched his words...
Choi Han could admit that during the conversation when Cale explained to him and Alberu the concept of Variables, he was a bit overwhelmed and distracted.
"...I am a Single-Lifer...?"
A Single-Lifer could become a god or a member of the Divine race after death. They also lived very long lives once they traveled through dimensions. Of course, Choi Han's mind was a complicated mess after hearing these facts. Whose wouldn't be, upon the news that they would possibly become a god in the future?
However, he focused back on the topic immediately once he heard Alberu speak:
"According to what you said earlier, Cale Henituse, you can stop the White Star's endless reincarnation with the dagger from the World Tree?"
For some reason, that question made Cale flinch. For someone who rarely showed much reaction to anything, this was highly suspicious. Alberu and Choi Han's eyes clouded instantly at his strange behavior.
"Yes, sir. This is the only way to completely get rid of the White Star."
Alberu narrowed his eyes at his Sworn Brother. It was obvious something was wrong, but none of them could tell what, exactly.
Something about the dagger, however... It made an alarm bell ring loudly in Choi Han's mind.
He would have said something, but they were distracted by the arrival of the Sun Twins.
Cale was up to something.
They all knew it. Eruhaben, Raon, Choi Han, they were all certain of it. And if it was Cale, of course it had to have something to do with sacrificing himself and getting hurt. They could not leave the man alone for a second.
"We need to first take care of this temple. It'll be good to wait until his highness wakes up, however, we need to take care of this temple as quickly as possible as all eyes on the Western continent are focused on us."
"Are you planning on discussing a strategy with people?"
Cale slowly shook his head at Eruhaben's question.
"We already have a strategy."
"You already have a strategy to take down the temple?"
"Yes, sir."
"How?"
Cale slowly turned from the window toward his allies. Then he answered in a calm manner, as if the words weren't utter nonsense:
"I will go into the temple alone."
'Of course it's like this.'
A deep feeling of frustration took over Choi Han's mind. Judging from Eruhaben's expression and the Crown Prince waking up with a sharp twitch, he wasn't the only one.
They could not leave the man alone, especially if he asked to be.
"I will go into the temple and take care of every-" Cale stopped suddenly with wide eyes: "...Your highness? You're awake?"
"...Yeah." Alberu slowly opened his eyes on the bed while looking at Cale with disbelief. "And I'm hearing all sorts of nonsense as soon as I open my eyes."
Raon shouted, expressing what all four of them were feeling as sincerely as only a child could:
"The human is definitely plotting something! We must absolutely not let him go in alone! The three of us will go to keep an eye on, no, the three of us are going with you!"
Choi Han was right behind him, as he wiped his sword spoke nonchalantly:
"I will go as well."
'Like hell I'll let Cale-nim go on his own to sacrifice himself again.'
Cale flinched and then turned toward Eruhaben. The Ancient Dragon gently smiled back.
"You unlucky bastard. What are you planning to do alone? On told me that you went to see the World Tree? Will the question be answered if I go visit the World Tree?" The Golden Dragon raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Click. Gold mana was released and the room door became locked.
Eruhaben had a gentle but vicious smile unique to Dragons as he slowly addressed Cale.
"Now then, time to tell us what you are plotting."
Cale looked around at everybody, starting with Raon, during that moment of silence. Then his face turned into a mask of polite confusion.
"What do you mean by that?"
'He's faking.'
Choi Han had seen Cale act countless times. This was his lying face. He was absolutely certain.
"I am the only person who has come face to face with the Sealed God," Cale said in a suspiciously calm and polite manner. "That is why I should be able to react quickly even if some variables occur in the temple because of the Sealed God."
Eruhaben frowned. Something was not adding up. Why was Cale insisting on heading in without them? Even if what he was saying was true, he could just stand on the front and be the one to warn them. It didn't explain why going alone was better.
"Most importantly, getting to the end of the temple is not just a matter of strength."
Everybody else started frowning after that comment. Eruhaben's expression instantly turned serious as he asked Cale for details.
"Is there something in the temple?"
"Yes, Eruhaben-nim."
"What is it?"
However, before Cale could explain, he was interrupted.
"Heh."
They heard someone give off a sharp laugh at that moment. The ancient Dragon turned toward the person who laughed and flinched.
It was because Choi Han was the one who laughed. He nodded to himself, now absolutely certain that Cale was hiding something from them.
"So this is how you planned on getting out of it, Cale-nim."
Upon seeing Choi Han's flat expression, Cale flinched once more. Raon immediately joined in:
"We won't be fooled anymore! Don't try to change the subject!"
The crown prince leaned against the head of the bed with a slightly fatigued expression on his face as he leisurely clapped three times.
"You're such a good actor. But we know you too well by now, Dongsaeng."
Cale tilted his head with an innocent look on his face.
"What do you mean, Hyung? I'm not act-?"
"Shut up."
Cale's mouth closed as he stared at Choi Han in shock. The Sword Master was rarely, if ever, rude to him. Right now, however, he approached Cale without a trace of politeness, making the redhead lean back in surprise.
"Choi Han, wha-"
"You think I forgot already?" Choi Han's voice was cold and furious.
"Forgot what?"
"What Pendrick told us. About the Sword of the World Tree."
Cale suddenly paled, and Choi Han knew he hit the bullseye.
"The Sword of the World Tree?" Alberu repeated with a calm but suspicious look on his face. "Instructor-nim, can you please elaborate?"
The two Dragons loomed ominously behind Choi Han and Alberu's figures. Cale gulped nervously, feeling like a cornered mouse against a bunch of jaguars.
Choi Han spoke, each words angry and vicious.
"This is what Pendrick said, when he offered Cale-nim the branch of the World Tree. 'If you stab this into a living being's heart and cover it in blood, it'll become a great weapon.'"
The other three's eyes opened wide in shock upon hearing this. But Choi Han was not done.
"Cale-nim said he wants to go to the temple alone, because he already faced the Sealed God. But we all know that's not the reason. Otherwise he wouldn't be acting like this."
Cale slowly closed his eyes in defeat. He knew he was busted. Choi Han was originally the protagonist in "The Birth of a Hero" for a reason. He was too smart not to put the pieces together.
"He also said that the dagger from the World Tree is the only way to defeat a Reincarnator for good."
Choi Han leaned close to Cale's face, forcing him to look the Sword Master in the eye.
"Cale-nim. Just how are you planning on using the dagger?"
There was a moment of silence. Cale was made speechless.
Choi Han's unspoken question was obvious.
'Are you going to stab yourself with it?'
"You-!"
"Stupid human!"
"Crazy bastard!"
Eruhaben, Raon and Alberu shouted at the same time. The Crown Prince, despite his weak condition, went to stand next to Choi Han and grabbed Cale by the shoulders.
"Are you planning to stab yourself in the heart?!" Alberu shook him, nearly hysterical. "You motherf***ing idiot!!!"
"I don't-"
"Don't, don't even-!" Alberu stepped back, rubbing his face. Cale looked at him with a helpless expression. "Why?! Just why is it always you? Why does it have to be you?!"
That was the crux of the problem, wasn't it?
It seemed as if the whole world was constantly demanding Cale to make sacrifices for the greater good.
"I am going to destroy the World Tree!" Raon declared in pure rage, black mana coming off of him. "How dare it tell our human to sacrifice himself to kill the White Star!"
"No, wait!" Cale protested. "It's not like that!"
"How is it not like that, exactly?!" Alberu asked, scared and angry like never before. "It basically told you to kill yourself!"
"I won't die!"
"You unlucky bastard, what the hell are you saying?!" Eruhaben said in disbelief. Stabbing the heart means death. To every species, including the Dragons.
"I believe I already informed you once," Choi Han poked Cale with an index finger, causing him to flinch. "That people die if they are stabbed in the heart. Stabbing yourself is not allowed."
"That's not it! I swear, I am not going to kill myself! Please, listen to me!!!"
The others finally calmed down a bit upon hearing Cale's desperate plea. Raon landed in Choi Han's arms, the six-year-old's fiery gaze demanding an explanation.
"This is what the World Tree told me."
Three pair of eyes were completely focused on the redhead, making him sweat nervously.
"The dagger is in a state of asphyxia. It needs the blood from someone with a 'rejuvenation and healing' power in order to awaken it."
Eruhaben sharply breathed in, suddenly understanding everything.
'He really is an unlucky bastard.'
Cale was the only one with such a power in their group.
"It also has to come directly from the heart of a living being, because it's the central location of that power." Cale tapped himself over his heart, making the others flinch. He didn't notice, his gaze focused somewhere on the wall, as if he was too afraid to look at them. "Furthermore, only the person who awakens the root with their blood will be able to use its powers."
Alberu hid his head in his hands. Choi Han squeezed Raon in his arms, looking like he was about stab something. The little Dragon looked like he was about to cry.
"But the World Tree promised me this: I will not die. It will look... bad, because there will be blood, but-"
"But you still have to stab yourself!" Alberu shouted with frustration. "That is not okay, Cale!!!"
"It guaranteed that it will be helpful to me." Cale rubbed his chest, unaware of how painful that simple gesture looked now for his friends. "That it would make my body healthier."
"Who cares about that s***! You're still planning to stab yourself!"
"And you weren't going to tell us," Choi Han added, patting Raon as if it was the only way he could cope with his emotions right now. "If we refused to let you go, you were going to lie and sneak into the temple without anyone, am I right?"
Cale sighed deeply.
"...You selfish bastard," Eruhaben commented tiredly. Of course the man was planning on suffering in silence, without telling anyone.
"You can't, human!" Raon was crying. He was actually crying, and Cale looked like his heart was going to break at the mere sight. "You are not allowed to hurt yourself! I forbid it!"
"...It's the only way."
"There has to be something else."
"Like what?" Cale looked at Choi Han. "Do you know any other way to destroy a Reincarnator's soul? Because I sure don't."
Choi Han's jaw clenched. Then he looked at Eruhaben.
"Do you think if we threaten the World Tree a bit…?"
"It's worth trying, I guess," Eruhaben responded, rubbing his chin.
The Ancient Dragon who spent centuries of his life protecting the World Tree would have no reservations threatening the World Tree with one of his kids on the line.
"Stop," Cale told them, shaking his head. "I have to do this. I want to do this."
"Why?" Choi Han and Alberu asked at the same time.
Cale braced himself. He never intended to tell this to anyone. What use was it? It was all in the past. But perhaps, this was the only way to convince them.
To Cale, this was personal. Defeating the White Star was personal. And it was about more than just 'saving the world'. Cale was not some pure-hearted hero, ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good. He was a selfish bastard who did whatever he wanted.
And what he truly wanted, was to destroy the White Star with his own hands. A moment of pain from stabbing himself? Who cared about that. If he wasn't going to die from it, and would even get healthier… That really wasn't an issue.
But he understood why his friends didn't want to let him do it. So he had to convince them he had the right.
"...Have any of you ever wondered," he started slowly, his voice soft but also cold at the same time "Why the White Star and I are so similar?"
Everybody looked at Cale with confusion.
"You're nothing alike, human!" Raon declared, rubbing his tears away. "You're stupid but good, and the White Thing is total trash!"
"I didn't mean our behavior, Raon."
"...I guess I can see some similarities," Alberu said carefully. "But what does that have to do with anything? There's plenty of people with red hair."
"No. It's not just that," Choi Han suddenly remembered, looking at Cale with startled understanding.
He was the only one who knew. He was the only one who saw the sketch of maskless White Star in Duke Fredo's office and connected it with Kim Rok Soo.
Raon had seen the sketch and was aware of Cale being Kim Rok Soo before, but he'd never seen Kim Rok Soo's face to compare. Alberu had seen Kim Rok Soo's younger body, but he didn't see the sketch. Eruhaben had seen the statue of White Star without the mask in the 'Barrow' temple in Endable, but the Ancient Dragon didn't know who it was.
But Choi Han remembered.
"...Doesn't it look oddly similar? The mood and the overall feel of the face. ...Kim Rok Soo. He looks like you."
"...We do look similar, right?"
"...Yes, he does seem very similar. I've seen your face. Cale-nim, do you think that this is a coincidence?"
"I don't give a s*** whether it was a coincidence or inevitability."
"You and the White Star…" Choi Han paused, looking at Eruhaben. He was the only one not in the know about Kim Rok Soo.
"There is a reason." Cale said. There was no reason to tell Eruhaben about him being a Transmigrator. This wasn't about that. "There's a reason why that bastard and I look so similar. Do you know how reincarnation works?"
"From my understanding, one is simply reborn with the memories of a previous life," Eruhaben said, tilting his head. "Are you saying there is more to it?"
Cale nodded.
"There is. Reincarnation the way the White Star does it is against the laws of nature. It is truly a curse. So in order to be reincarnated, he steals other people's bodies before they can be born. Once the original soul is kicked out of its intended vessel, it eventually has to be born somewhere else."
Alberu suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Cale Henituse. Just what are you saying?"
"Whose body do you think the White Star stole to be born in this lifetime?"
All of them froze, staring at Cale in disbelief.
"...No." Choi Han whispered in horror.
"I wasn't sure about it at first." Cale shrugged casually as if he didn't just drop a bomb on them. "But in retrospect, it makes sense."
"His body," Alberu choked out, covering his mouth. "It's…?"
"Mine." Cale confirmed. "Or at least, it was supposed to be.'"
"That bastard!" Raon shouted in fury. "That evil, rotten bastard!"
"But how do you know?" Eruhaben had to ask. He was confused how confident Cale seemed about this theory. "You seem certain about it. It could be just a coincidence."
"Because of the curse."
"The curse?"
"Yes, the curse. 'Those you cherish shall die.'"
"What does it have to do with anything?"
But Alberu and Choi Han knew. They knew what kind of terrible past Kim Rok Soo had lived through. They both looked absolutely horrified at the realization.
"But, it wasn't your curse!" The Crown Prince tried to deny it. "You're here! You have plenty of people you cherish. We're all alive!"
"Do you remember when the God of Death sent me a message through Cage?"
"You mean when you fell over?" Alberu blinked in surprise. "Wait! He said…!"
"He said that I was supposed to die."
It felt as if all oxygen suddenly got sucked out of the room.
"The curse was supposed to kill me," Cale slowly explained, and the faces of his friends all became deadly pale. "But someone else died in my place. The God of Death became interested in me because of that, because I managed to avoid my fate. He somehow got rid of the curse…" Cale sent a look to Alberu and Choi Han. "I don't know the details."
'But I think I lost it during the transmigration.' His expression told them. Their eyes became wide in understanding.
"...But now you know. This is why. I have to do this. Do you understand?"
Cale suddenly had a burning look in his eyes. That look… it was pure hatred.
"That White S*** bastard. He stole my body, the life I was supposed to have. He made people die in my place. Do you understand? It's all because of him. I can't live in peace because of him. I constantly struggle and suffer because of him. It's all his fault."
Cale's fists clenched.
"That is why. I have to do this, don't you see? I want revenge. I want to kill him with my own hands."
They had never seen Cale like this before. It gave them chills.
"The World Tree promised me that it won't kill me. I trust that. I won't kill myself for revenge. But I have to do this. I deserve to do this. Got it?"
They had no right to deny him revenge against the person who ruined his entire life. Cale knew that. No matter how much they worried, no matter how much they wanted to stop him, he had the right to make his own choices.
There was silence for a long moment. Then, Choi Han sighed in resignation.
"...Cale-nim. You're still not going to go alone."
"I agree," Alberu said immediately after him. "I get it, alright? F***, I get it. We can't stop you. You'll do whatever the hell you want regardless. But we have to make sure you'll be alright after, okay?"
"T-that's right, human!" Raon said, setting down on his shoulder and pressing his face against Cale's neck. "We won't let you do this alone! A-and if the World Tree lied, we'll definitely destroy it! We'll burn it to the ground! And then I'll destroy the world!"
Eruhaben let out a long sigh, putting his hand on Cale's shoulder.
"You unlucky bastard."
Cale looked at the Ancient Dragon.
-You want to make sure the kids don't see it, right?
The redhead blinked at him in confirmation, unable to nod without Raon noticing due to the little Dragon being glued to his neck.
-Okay. I'll keep the little kid and the kittens away when the time comes.
Cale closed his eyes with an expression of gratitude.
Choi Han and Alberu exchanged worried looks.
'We gotta keep Clopeh away for this, right?'
'Yes. Definitely.'
The Instructor and the Student understood each other without words.
The End.