When Cale sees the place where they had appeared to, he froze in his tracks.
The high concentration of resentful energy suffocated him for a mere former cultivate like him. More than that, when he sees scattered scrolls and talismans alike, it screamed Wei Ying.
Everywhere he looks, he sees traces of his brother.
Then, when the realization hit him that everything won't go back to the way it was, he felt his own knees give out.
The impact from the hit was enough to scrape Cale's covered knees, much less when he shielded the body in his arms from his fall.
"...Xun-nim..."
Cale momentarily forgot that Choi Han was with him, making him look at the raven for a while before lowering his gaze.
"Ruoye." The redhead calls for the bandage again before it wrapped itself against Cale's neck, the burn being cooled by Ruoye die to its constant rubbing like it was a small animal.
When Choi Han looks at him, he couldn't speak the words he wants to say.
He didn't know that grief could make someone like this.
It was worse when the redhead is not shedding even a single tear, he was just shaking all over like a frightened kitten.
Before he could ask the redhead if it really is alright to let him free like this, Cale had spoken again.
"What...was the black dragon's name...?"
When Choi Han looks at the redhead with stupor once again, he noticed the distant look plastered on his tired face.
The Choi Han told him, because he have the right to know after killing someone precious to him.
"Hwan(1). His name is Hwan Miru."
The moment Choi Han sees the small smile on his face, he's glad that he didn't make the wrong choice this time.
"...It suits him."
Then silence took place, leaving both of them to their own dangerous thoughts.
Choi Han wonders what happens now, the pressure and guilt kept rising to his throat as if it was a bile he should wretch out before it choke him to death.
Because at the end of day, Jin Guangyao told him to kill the redhead, in exchange for Wei Wuxian's life.
But everything was a mess.
Why was it that Jin Guangyao wanted to kill the redhead for simply trying to protect his siblings?
He doesn't know, maybe he won't have the chance to know at all.
"Am I supposed to be grateful...for surviving...?"
When Choi Han looked at him again the moment he heard the redhead's weak words, he had already closed his eyes while still holding his brother's dead body in his arms.
Choi Han realized that the redhead didn't know he had spoken his words out loud.
The raven kneels in front of the redhead and looked at him with soft eyes before looking outside and sees the sun slowly rising from the horizon.
"No, you don't need to be grateful..." Choi Han whispers, wiping the lone tear that fell from the redhead's eyes.
So he can also cry.
Choi Han felt bad when he thought that the redhead is strong for him to not weep.
"Cale-nim...when you survive loss, everyone, even me is so quick to tell you how strong you are and how tough you must be."
Just this time, he would call him Cale...just like the him in the video recording device he saw and picked up earlier.
He looks at him then to the body in his arms, "But actually, no one has a choice to survive grief...do they?"
Choi Han removes his robe and placed it on Cale, to at least lessen the cold and act as a blanket for someone so frail like him.
"It's not optional. Right now, your tears are the proof that you are grieving."
When the raven fixed his posture and kneeled properly, he let his head touch the dirty ground and muttered.
"I am sorry for being one of the people who took something important to you, Xun-nim."
Choi Han stayed like that for a while.
"I told you to not apologize, didn't I?"
The raven couldn't help but chuckle to himself when he wasn't surprised to hear the redhead talk.
So he is awake now.
"You should sleep more, Xun-nim."
Cale shook his head then looked at Jiang Cheng again.
"I promised to reincarnate him with his sister."
Choi Han felt like he was crossing the line but, "What about...Wuxian-nim?"
Cale jolts then, now Choi Han feels bad.
"I would...send him soon. Then Jiang Cheng will have the liberty to be the older this time."
Cale could already see the smug look on his face when that happened. The only downside, is that he wouldn't be there to see them bicker.
Choi Han is curious by another thing, but he thinks it is better that he should just shut about it.
The question being, why won't the redhead bring them back from the dead just like Xue Yang.
But Choi Han knew that the redhead still has his own morality, so he didn't dare prod about it.
"I see..."
When Choi Han looked at the redhead once again, he froze.
Isn't he...a bit familiar...?
When Choi Han ponders about it for a while as he continued to stare at him, Cale looks at him with confusion then.
The redhead cleared his throat to catch his attention, and he did it successfully.
"May I ask you for a favor, Choi Han?"
The said man blinks for a while before nodding, still focused on remembering where did he see Cale's face.
"When you go back to Rowoon, can you find the three of them and take care of them?"
Choi Han blinks again, this time much faster.
"Me? I mean...I would be glad to, Xun-nim...but I killedㅡ"
"Don't. Don't finish that sentence. You didn't kill anyone, Choi Han. It was the one who told you to do it."
But still, it was his own choice. And he was supposed to kill the redhead, not Jiang Cheng.
"I...I...It will be an honor, Cale-nim."
Cale's lips quirked into a small smile, finally glad that the raven is calling him by his previous name.
"Anyways, knowing Wei Ying, he should have sent you back to Rowoon when he found out that you're not from here. What happened?"
Choi Han's heart ached when the redhead started acting indifferent, but he still answered his question then.
"The array he made...failed? I think..."
Cale ponders for a while before speaking, "The array couldn't withstand you..."
Looking at Choi Han's expression, he could see the offended look he have.
Cale just clicked his tongue before speaking to avoid a misunderstanding, "The array couldn't withstand how strong you are so it didn't work."
Choi Han immediately eases the frown on his face.
"Then, do you have any thoughts Xun-nim?"
Cale nods reluctantly after a while, making Choi Han feel an ominous sentiment.
"May I...borrow your sword for a while?"
Choi Han gives his sword with no questions asked, making Cale hesitate for a while before he unsheathed it.
The sword glinted against the sun's light. Albeit full of dried blood, it's still sharp that it almost sliced Cale's finger.
Cale grabs something in his chest pocket then, before opening his hand and it revealed a piece of Yin Iron.
The redhead settles the piece just right above the sword's hilt. After taking a deep breath, he slides the Yin Iron until it reached the tip of the sword.
Slowly, there were characters slowly being engraved in the sword, leaving a small light in its wake.
It was the same characters in Wei Wuxian's array, just drawn in a sword.
Choi Han gapes at his sword, now shining with a soft glow.
Cale bites his lip, hesitant to give Choi Han the weapon.
"Xun-nim?" Choi Han calls when he sees the hesitance on the redhead.
"You...you need to be struck by this sword so that you can go back."
Ah, so that is why he was hesitating.
Really, this man in front of him is a good man.
"Xun-nim, you don't have to hesitate. If it is you, the IT is alright."
"Cale-nim...if it's you, then it's alright."
Choi Han didn't change. Right, he has always been like that.
The raven moved closer and held the sword that was being held by the redhead before pointing it to his chest.
"I should go, Xun-nim. I still need to find them, after all."
Cale's eyes go slack, looking tired before he sighed.
"You're a cruel one, Choi Han."
He really is, isn't he? Asking for him to send him back to Rowoon by stabbing him with the same sword that he used to kill Jiang Cheng.
"Goodbye, Xun-nim."
"...Goodbye, Choi Han."
When the sword pierced through his chest, he didn't feel any pain...just comfort.
As Choi Han looks at the redhead one more time, he finally remembered why he was familiar.
His face is the same as to one of the Statues of the God in Rowoon.
A God statue erected by Alver Crossman himself.
"Thank you, Cale-nim."
1. Hwan - 환 - Shining, bright