In an Instant

10: In which some hide, while some fight (and they can't reconcile)(31-32)

-

Even amid something as serious as this, Alberu somehow still finds the free time to quirk his lips up a little bit.

It's really like Cale to do something like that. Caringly cares while saying he doesn't care.

Finding proof of Cale's too-big heart is like finding a needle in a haystack, except the haystack is actually a stack of those needles in disguise, if only one cares to look closely.

......Wait.

Alberu stops a bit.

......That's a terrible analogy. What the hell has happened to his brain?

"......Ha," Alberu lightly breathes. Maybe he does need some kind of a break. Being trapped sitting here watching Cale's younger self being stupid while the present Cale struggled to breathe behind him must not be good for his health.

-

'This is no joke.'

Cale could see the tall and weak Lock slowly starting to change.

"Grooooowl, aaaaaaaah!"

Lock now grew out some sharp fangs, before screaming in agony.

-

Lily can't help but frown.

"Why does Lock have to suffer so badly?" She wants to ask. But Lily hasn't gotten this far playing princess in her castle.

Nothing in life is free. Just as her Orabeoni had suffered and bled for their territory – she's not over that, of course, Clopeh Sekka can choke and die, hopefully painfully – Lock had to suffer if he wanted the power to protect those precious to him.

Just as she is willing to suffer, if only to have that same power, because she cannot stand being sidelined like this ever again, just because she is too young (too weak.)

-

He started to slowly get up and staggered a bit, before starting to frown and opening his eyes. He then looked toward the ceiling and let out a howl.

"Ahwoooooooooooo!"

-

Rosalyn grasps at Lock's hand.

Lock's Berserk transformations afterward have happened as naturally as water, so it's hard for her to be reminded of his bumpy and painful first.

Lock gently takes hold of her hand, his own warm, firm, and utterly reliable.

'Ah,' Rosalyn thinks, 'He's grown up so well, this little brother of mine.'

She can't stop smiling.

-

In that instant, a half-transparent barrier appeared in front of Cale. It was a shield. While Ohn and Hong looked around in shock, Cale just casually started to speak.

"Dragon, you really are amazing. Can you make it soundproof as well?"

-

"Of course I am," Raon puffs out his chest. He has somehow wedged himself between Cale's shoulder and head, so the little chest puffing actually pokes Cale on the cheek, squishing his face just a little bit.

Ohn thinks that they are unfairly cute together.

-

Another shield overlapped the existing one. Rosalyn peeked over, and Cale could see her shock in seeing the two layers of shields in front of Cale.