Chapter Text
══════⊹⊱≼≽⊰⊹══════
"Treat the Red Crown right, for he is the key to the Raven Wolf."
"What's with these cheesy words?" A red-haired young man glanced at the paper that the black-haired man held.
"The God's of Death's words. Cage delivered this to me just a while ago," he replied as he put an arm on the red-haired man's waist as if it belonged there. "She said it was a warning."
"Red Crown? Is this referring to me? Since Raven is your nickname and you once transformed into a large wolf, Raven Wolf refers to you."
The other man hummed in agreement.
"Why would I be the key?" he wondered.
"Well, Cale. Maybe because we know each other," the black-haired man answered like it was obvious.
"Who are the people that GoD said Cage would warn?" Cale, the red-haired man, asks instead, looking away from the black-haired man's intense gaze.
"Choi Han and the others."
Cale flinched but relaxed when the black-haired man tightened his hold as if to comfort him. "Oh, them, huh?"
"Will you be okay?"
"I'm not ready, but since it's GoD's warning, then so be it."
"Okay, I'll tell Cage to follow it."
Cale hummed. "You'll be with me, right?"
The black-haired man took Cale's hand and kissed it. "Always, my dear. I am here."
"Thanks, Alexus."
"No need for thanks and sorry's between us, remember?" Alexus replied with a small frown. Cale chuckled and rubbed the man's forehead.
"I know," Cale whispered. He smiled genuinely. "And Honey?"
"Yes?"
"Go easy with Ron and Beacrox. I actually ask them to leave with Choi Han."
"...tsk."
"Honey."
"Fine."
══════⊹⊱≼≽⊰⊹══════
That afternoon, a short-haired woman in a red cloak approached the 'Heroes' who were talking with the Crown Prince of the Roan Kingdom. They were outside the palace in a secluded building, talking about the anonymous letter that says that Henituse County would be the first to be attacked by the Paerun Kingdom.
"Are you Choi Han?"
"Who are you?" Choi Han frowned as he took his sword out of his scabbard and pointed it at the woman's throat. The woman did not even flinch.
"Choi Han, calm down." A blonde-haired prince chastised the black-haired swordsman. Choi Han clicked his tongue and lowered the sword. "This is Cage. She was once the priestess of the God of Death," he said. "Cage-nim, is there something wrong?"
"This ex-servant of Eternal Rest named Cage greets you, Crown Prince Alberu. In light of your question, there is nothing wrong. However, I'm only here to relay the God of Death's words."
"The God of Death has a word for Choi Han?" Alberu, the crown prince, was surprised.
"Yes." Cage nods regally. "The Lord says, 'Treat the Red Crown right, for he is the key to the Raven Wolf.' "
It confuses the whole group. "Treat the Red Crown?? Was it a valuable thing? A literal crown?" Rosalyn asks.
"And the Raven Wolf? Was it a beast person? I've never heard of a raven wolf..." Lock added. 'Ah, could it be...?'
"I have nothing to say to that." Cage smiles mysteriously, which makes the whole group iffy. "It is up to you, 'Heroes' to figure it out."
"I'm afraid I overstayed my presence; I shall now leave. May the peace of the night be with you always." Cage lightly bowed. An action that would be mocking, especially to the Royalty, but Crown Prince Alberu did not mind it. She left within the crowds.
Alberu spoke once Cage was out of sight. "I wonder what those words mean: 'Treat the Red Crown right, For he is the key to the Raven Wolf.' "
Rosalyn took a breath before she gasped. "Wait, Raven Wolf? Raven... Is it some kind of nickname? If it is, then would the Raven Wolf mean the person's name Raven, right?"
"Raven? Who was it?" Choi Han asks. He turned to Rosalyn, who somehow had an epiphany in her expression.
"Remember when we went to Lock's Village? Before we were knocked out by the enemies, someone came to our aid, remember?"
Choi Han flinched when Rosalyn just bluntly said they lost that fight against Arm. "Yes..."
"Before I lost consciousness, I heard one of them say, 'Raven-nim'!"
"Hm... You mean the man with a weird weapon?" Lock asked.
"Weird weapon?" Alberu inquired.
"Yes... It changes into a different weapon, I guess. One time I saw a sword, then it became a bow," Lock says. "And he's strong... There was also another strong man beside him, but I couldn't see their face."
"Not only that. Raven is famous!" Rosalyn says. Excitement was visible in her eyes.
"Famous for what?" Choi Han asks, grumbling. It hurts his pride to be known as a hero and the youngest swordmaster, but he is not strong enough to defeat the small fry of the Arm Organization. Rosalyn being excited about sharing about this Raven person did not help.
"Surely you all heard of Nirvana? It's that guild that runs on both the Western and Eastern continents. Rumors say he's friends with the Mercenary King! Now that I think about it, Raven is rumored to be a handsome young man and a strong mercenary before he became a guildmaster! I so badly want to meet him!"
"Well, if he is the Raven Wolf, who is the red crown?" Alberu asks.
"I don't have anyone in mind..." She deflated. "Is it a real crown? Do we have to find it?" Rosalyn asks.
"The warning from earlier said to treat the red crown right," Ron butted in. "Meaning it is probably a person."
"Warning? Not a prophecy?" Alberu asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It feels like a warning to me, your highness. Years of being an assassin tell me that it is." Ron bowed. 'Well, I'm not saying I actually know who Cage is talking about...'
"If Father says so, it is the truth. I felt goosebumps when Miss Cage glanced at us while saying the warning," Beacrox finally said after staying silent the whole conversation. 'Father seems to know... Ah, is it?'
"I didn't know you would be a coward," Choi Han taunted.
"At least I value my life, unlike someone else," Beacrox said as he rolled his eyes. "Miss Cage felt like she was about to attack you when you pointed your sword. That priestess is known for her curses."
Choi Han glared at him, to which Beacrox reciprocated. Crown Prince Alberu sighed. "Please stop. This is not the time to fight among ourselves."
"Lock, do you have any idea as to who this red crown is?" Rosalyn inquired. "I felt like you had one."
"Oh, I did, but I'm not sure if I'm correct," Lock timidly replied.
"Oh, who is it?"
Lock cautiously glances at Choi Han. "Uhh... Hyung might be mad at me if I mention him, so I won't."
"Why would I be mad at you, Dongsaeng? It's okay, you can tell us," Choi Han encouraged.
Lock still shook his head. "I also promised not to reveal any of their identities as well, in exchange for my siblings' safety."
"Your siblings? Is that why, despite them missing that day... you don't feel sad?" Rosalyn asks as she remembers the oddly quiet but determined young boy back at the Wolf's village.
"Yes, because I made a deal with them. Don't worry about Cage Noona's words; that person is moving in the shadows."
"Dongsaeng, aren't you too trusting of them?" Choi Han worriedly asks. Rosalyn agreed by nodding and patting Lock's head. "Nirvana's guildmaster may be strong, but we don't know him."
"I know that they won't hurt my siblings. The guildmaster and the young master are fond of children." Lock smiled confidently.
Ron and Beacrox agreed with Lock by nodding. Beacrox let out an exasperated sigh while Ron smiled benignly. It leaves the crown prince, Choi Han, and Rosalyn confused.
Lock subtly made eye contact with a hooded person a few meters away from them.
══════⊹⊱≼≽⊰⊹══════
A few meters away from the group, a red-haired man in a red cloak sneezed. "Is someone talking sh*t about me?" he grumbles. Another hooded person glanced at the red-haired man and subtly smiled.
The red-haired man was about to wipe his nose with his sleeves when a handkerchief was gently tapped on his nose. He looked up and was face-to-face with his lover. "I told you not to wear light clothes. Now, look at you. Raon, Thermal magic on Cale, please."
"Okay, Daddy!" Raon happily waves his hands. "Mommy, are you warm now?" Raon, with his big blue eyes, asks. The kids are in their human forms to properly enjoy their small vacation.
Cale smiled and picked up a tissue. He gently rubbed Raon's face, which was full of the sauce from the steak in the restaurant they were at. "Yes, thank you, Raon."
"Hehe~" Raon giggled. The kids resumed eating the pastries as they were currently outside the shop to enjoy the breeze. Cale and Alexus take turns wiping the children's mouths.
"Tsk, your sweets taste better," Cale, the red-haired young man, grumbles, but still his mouth is full of the sweets.
"Of course." Alexus smiled at his precious family. He inwardly thought that the peace would last. 'Who am I kidding? As long as that White Star exists, our lives won't be too peaceful.'
Due to saving Raon and encountering many dragons while collecting ancient powers, he stumbled upon several pieces of information. The major ones are about the leader who wants to become a God, whose information was unknown even to the knowledge he had due to his past life.
Regarding the 'Heroes' cooperation, he made a deal with the Wolf Kid, who will be the middle person in their group and his organization. It would be helpful when the war starts.
"Alexus? Is something the matter, Honey?" Cale called out worriedly after seeing him frown. Alexus hid a smile.
Honey. Yes, when they find each other in a bad mood, they call each other Honey or Baby, respectively.
"Nothing. Let's go home," he says.
Cale smiled. "Yes, let's go home. Mom's also waiting."
Alexus, who happens to find out why the Harris Village was destroyed in the novel, smiles back. "Right, Mother-in-law is waiting," he teased.
Cale blushed at his words, to which he chuckled. "Don't tease!"
"Sorry, sorry. You look so cute when you blush," Alexus said as he rose from his seat and went to Cale. He bowed like those knights in the novel when they asked for their princess's hands. "Shall we?"
Cale laughed at the sudden gesture but went along. He placed his hands—that was dainty—on his own scarred hand. "Yeah, let's."
Well, everyone must be wondering how it all started. It all started when he died in his old world and was transferred to the other world. Alexus closes his eyes as he reminisces.
Alexus was someone who was known as Kim Rok Soo once upon a time.
══════⊹⊱≼≽⊰⊹══════
Someone once said, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
It was true for both Kim Rok Soo and Cale Henituse. In their previous lives, they fell so many times and lost important people, but they never gave up. They might feel empty, but they continue to live for the sake of the sacrifices that their loved ones have made. They persist even though it is hard, and that perseverance ties them together in this new life.
It brought Kim Rok Soo into Cale’s world as he regressed. At the same time, it brought Cale into Kim Rok Soo’s monochrome life in a new world as the latter transmigrated. They became each other’s light in their darkest moments, and they won’t trade it for another.
This is about two broken people who took their worlds apart to find happiness and love with each other.
A man who lost everything met another who also did. One regressed to right all his mistakes, while the other traveled to another world to find another purpose in his life. One man bears all his scars and regrets, while the other gets desperate to save everyone he loves after losing them.
This is their story.