Cale found it hard to breathe.
Dongsaeng.
The blonde had called him dongsaeng.
Not Wei Xun. Not Wei Xianghuan...but dongsaeng.
Cale's stomach churned, his eyes continued to shake as Lan Xichen cradled his head, covering his ears as if it was an attempt to hide him from all of what's happening.
"A-Huan."
Hands guided his neck to turn slowly, soft eyes stared against his reddish-brown eyes.
"A-Huan." Lan Xichen says more loudly, finally earning the redhead's full attention.
"You're finally looking at me." The older says with a small smile, massaging the redhead's eyebrows to stop him from furrowing it.
"A-Xun."
"Xun-ge."
"Gege."
Soon enough, his people surrounded him, as if showing that they are always with him.
That is true.
That is why Alver was smiling in melancholy at the sight.
Because Cale was finally surrounded by the people he loves and loved him more in return.
Even if it hurts, Alver is still relieved.
Alver will do everything, so that the history won't repeat itself.
"Your Majesty, I challenge you to a duel before Jiangshuai-zun." Wen Ruohan says shamelessly.
Cale as a God doesn't have any official title, but it was obvious what would it be.
The God of Abidance.
A God who would do anything to make his people have a long happiness and peace. A God who would do anything to make the people under him have their wishes come true as long as he can.
A God who can even create a world where he doesn't exist and have his people live without them being affected by his curse.
There was someone who said that to Cale, a long time ago.
"You always save everyone, but who saves you?"
Though he doesn't remember who was the one who said that.
Alver then spoke, "In two conditions."
It's better this way, to kill the old man so that nothing would threaten his dongsaeng's peaceful third life.
"Hyung-nim." Cale tries to stop him, but the blonde only sent him a comforting smile.
"Let's bet our lives and only use swords."
Cale's breath hitched, his eyebrows slanting, "Hyung-nim!"
'Since when did this punk became self-sacrificial?'
"Your Highness Alver, aren't you acting a bit rash?"
If it was Cale who said that, Alver wouldn't be as surprised as he currently is.
Wei Ying looks around, "What? Did I say something wrong?"
It took Cale and Alver by surprise to hear the younger say a word that only belong to the other world.
"Something wrong? How did you even know how to pronounce that name?" Jiang Cheng asks, his eyebrows furrowing.
"I heard it?" Wei Ying says, before remembering that he was the only one who dreamed of his gege's life and his people from his previous life.
Before Jiang Cheng could ask any further, Wen Ruohan chimed in.
"I gladly accept your terms."
In a second, the air around them became tense once again.
"Let me borrow Xiao Wang for a while." Alver says, not waiting for Cale to speak before picking up the sword from his waist.
"How would you even unsheathe him?" Cale asks.
He asked that if it really was possible, to unsheathe a sword that sealed itself.
Xiao Wang had sealed himself back when Alver had stabbed Cale straight to his heart.
Alver simply grins, "He'll wake up if I disturb him enough. It always works every time even for you back then."
Cale's reddish-brown eyes shimmered, remembering several memories.
It did. It really did happen every time.
Lan Xichen quietly watched the exchange between the two of them, a feeling of envy was present.
"I trust you to stay by his side." Alver murmurs, but Lan Xichen could hear it clearly.
"You don't have to say a thing about it."
Lan Xichen is bound to always stay beside the redhead as long as he allows him to.
As Alver smiles, relief washed over his entire being, together with a small ache in his chest before burying it deep.
He may have had a place beside Cale, but he doesn't have that place and right to stay beside Wei Xun.
Alver pulls something from his neck, he snapped it away as he sighs.
He removed the necklace that hid away his dark elf form. And now, his true appearance was shown to everyone.
Dark skin and brown tousled hair, pointed ears to show the bit of bloodline he inherited from his mother and his dark brown eyes seeming glimmered under light of the moon.
Alver simply sighs once again. This way, he can move a bit faster than he usually could and absorb the energy around him.
Dead mana is equal to the resentful energy of this world.
He then stares against Wen Ruohan.
"There can only be one sun."
Indeed, there can only be one.
As Alver easily unsheathes Xiao Wang from his scabbard, he and Wen Ruohan immediately lunged at each other the next second.
Blurry motions of swords meeting, yet the wielder of the said weapons couldn't be seen due to how fast they move.
Soon enough, Alver couldn't help but back away from the force.
"Oi, you cheating bastard. Who said you can use the Yin Irons as a buff?"
Alver is pissed.
Noticing this, Cale beckoned for Lan Xichen to call Wei Ying close to him, as the three who were beside him earlier returned to their posts in exterminating the other Wens.
Wei Ying comes close with a single call from the redhead, immediately checking if there is something wrong.
"Play him Chenqing."
Chenqing is the flute Wei Ying is using to harness the resentful energy around them.
Wei Ying wants to refute. But saying the stern look from the redhead, he couldn't say his complaints.
Since when did he even won against his gege when it comes to doing something idiotic?
As he plays Chenqing with an enthralling music, Alver could feel something with it.
Resentful energy is similar to dead mana after all.
Alver lunges forward once again and this time, with renewed intent to finish everything as soon as possible.
Cale and Lan Xichen had witnessed the fight, the older glaring at some of the Jins and even the Lans as they looked suspiciously towards the redhead.
As they were busy fighting and watching, Cale had noticed Wei Ying furrowing his eyebrows and his glowing red eyes looked like it was flickering.
Oh.
"A-Ying." Cale calls, the younger immediately whipping his head to the redhead's direction as he stopped playing.
"Take it slow."
And so, he played it slow and smoothly. As if he was a puppeteer who commandeers the puppet.
Soon enough, Wen Ruohan kneeled in exhaustion, heaving deep sighs as he looked up at the darn elf who stares down at him.
Alver places the tip of the sword against Wen Ruohan's neck, he grins.
"You lost."
Wen Ruohan simply huffs, tired.
"I did."
Just then, the three Yin Irons were placed at Alver's palm making him sigh in relief.
"You are not mine to kill." Alver simply says, looking back at his dongsaeng who smiles at his victory before it disappeared.
Wen Ruohan jumps, his sword ready to stab Alver.
"Hyung-nim!"
Alver closes his eyes, waiting for the agonizing pain yet it didn't come.
Instead, the splatter of Wen Ruohan's blood was in his face. The man's head rolled on the ground as the body fell limp.
Meng Yao stood from behind, looking down expressionless at Wen Ruohan's body.
"A-Yao." Lan Xichen suddenly says, earning a stare from both Cale and Alver.
Alver raises his eyebrows at Lan Xichen before looking at Cale who only stares in a stoic manner.
Huh, Alver knew that face even in the owner's third life.
'What a dense bastard.'
Say goodbye to Alver next chapter.