⿴݃*₊↷ 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 。

However, Cale's frail hands remained still, unable to wipe away the tears that blurred the vision of those who looked upon him as their protector and guardian. "You reckless fool..." A voice murmured, belonging to a man whose disheveled appearance and eyes filled with disbelief and sorrow spoke volumes of his grief.

"Haha...ha...ha... Who else will brazenly stride into my chambers if you are gone... Who else will sow chaos in the world, only for me to mend it..." The man's laughter held a tinge of madness, a facade crumbling under the weight of his unspoken anguish. "Who else will... If not my dear dongsaeng..."

A hand gently clasped the man's shoulder, belonging to a young man with dark, raven hair and eyes as deep and empty as the night sky. "Cale-nim..." he whispered, his voice soft and heavy with sorrow. Slowly, he made his way to the bedside and knelt, his movements weighted with a sense of profound regret.

"I'm sorry..." he choked out, believing himself to be strong enough to shield his family from harm, only to be proven wrong as fate cruelly threatened to snatch away his most cherished loved one. "I'm sorry... for my weakness... for failing to protect you..."

One by one, his family members approached, each offering their own apologies and expressions of remorse, their words laced with the agony of the looming possibility of loss. The weight of their sorrow engulfed them all, but it settled heaviest upon Cale. Every whispered confession, every shared pain, resonated deeply within him, carving wounds in his soul that echoed with the heaviness of their shared burden.

"Young Master..."

"Young Master Cale..."

"...Cale Henituse"

"Cale-nim..."

"...Cale-nya."

"....Cale."

Their distant voices reverberate, each name a fragment of his identity calling out to him. Then, amidst the echoes, a new voice breaks through, a gentle whisper reaching out to him, "Cal..."

"...Cal-" another voice, more insistent this time, shakes him gently, "wake up..." The words are soft, a plea that tugs at his consciousness, urging him to return from the depths of slumber. With a soft groan, he stirs, his eyelids fluttering open after a series of hesitant blinks. He realizes he has once again been ensnared by the haunting tendrils of his dreams, reliving the painful memories of his past.

"Oh, you're finally awake," a gentle voice pierces through the remnants of his reverie, drawing his attention to a young boy with an expressionless face. "...Callan," the boy ceases his attempts to rouse him, a silent understanding passing between them as they linger in the wake of forgotten echoes.

In this uncharted realm, within a vessel unfamiliar, a realization dawns upon him like a glimmer of forgotten starlight. 'I am not Cale Henituse,' he acknowledges, the words a whisper that carries the weight of a lifetime's worth of memories. With a newfound sense of clarity, he sits upright, his gaze fixed upon the boy who had roused him from the depths of his slumber.

"Call me Cale," he declares, the syllables rolling off his tongue with a sense of purpose and resolve. The boy, taken aback by this proclamation, furrows his brow and poses a question filled with both disbelief and curiosity. "You wish to be called... a dog?" he inquires, his confusion palpable in the air between them.