into a whirpool
"long time no see, young lady amiru."
"hello, young master cale."
amiru had her uniquely calm smile on her face as she welcomed cale and crew. the beautiful red haired young man still looks pale as ever, but he can see that cale is really excited about his holiday. it's cute though.
from his peripheral vision, amiru can see that the villagers looks at their guests curiously. amiru can under that feeling from certain lengths. is not every day you can see a goddess of beauty reincarnate with your own eyes. the red haired beauty now looks deep in thought, makes people wonder what the pretty head thinks right now.
this was a small seaside village in the ubarr territory. this small village, which had nothing special and allowed the residents to live in peace until now, was suddenly busy with visitors. the village was quickly changing every day. however, they would soon face an opportunity that would allow their village to change incomparably shortly. tomorrow night would be that moment. tomorrow night, cale was planning on blowing up a magic bomb deep inside the ocean.
however, something that, in cale's point of view, should have never happened had happened. this terrible situation began when one of amiru's knights came to report to amiru. the knight urgently approached amiru and quietly reported.
"my lady, the person we rescued has regained consciousness."
"oh, is that so?"
'rescue?'
that word made cale think of a single person.
as cale started to frown with doubt on his mind, amiru noticed cale's expression and started to explain. its not good to make your esteemed guest worry.
"we were inspecting the shoreline and nearby islands for the new naval base when we "rescued a shipwrecked person. It seems that he has regained consciousness."
'i have a bad feeling about this.'
"we were debating what to do when we saw him unconscious and being dragged into the whirlpool, but i remembered what you did at the plaza and decided we needed to save him."
amiru continued to speak to cale. she knows that cale a wary because of the organization that attacking the plaza, so she feels its needed to assure the beautiful red head.
"because a person's life is precious, right, young master cale?"
cale answered that question after a long moment of silence. his beautiful face looks stoic.
"...of course."
"i knew young master cale would answer like that."
cale could not even think about amiru's smiling face right now. all that was on his mind right now were the details regarding how the novel described toonka's situation.
"based on his outfit and physique, he seemed to be someone from the whipper kingdom."
it was definitely toonka.
cale's face turned paler as amiru continued to speak. amiru, the guards, and some villagers near them seem to notice the red haired distress. it looks like a little pretty fairy that is being bullied, make amiru and her guards feels guilty for no reason. cale did not have time to pay attention to such gazes. he had enough of a headache trying to figure out why toonka arrived here so early.
"young lady amiru, could you please show us to our rooms?"
"of course. you are still not at full strength yet, right?"
"yes. i am still hurt."
"...oh no, let's hurry then."
ron's son, a chef, and a torture expert. that was vicross. he usually wore clothes without any wrinkles nor even a speck of dust. it was the same right now. however, he had serious bags under his eyes.
"please eat, young master cale."
"great, thanks. it was a good decision to have you all help vicross in the kitchen."
cale thanked maes, the twelve-year-old who was the eldest of the 10 wolf children, before picking up his fork.
maes was one of the wold tribe children. along with lock, they get saved by red haired mage and black haired swordsmaster. turns out, they are friends of cale henituse that act as their leader. maes alone expect rosalyn and choi han leader must be a pretty strong guy.
in certain extend... it was true. cale henituse is indeed pretty and stong. but not what maes imagined. he imagined intimidating noble with muscle and brawn. its not.
cale henituse is a rather pretty for a man. wrong, maes needs to correct himself, cale henituse is prettiest human and creature he ever seen. if choi han didn't make it clear, maes would assume cale henituse is a woman with his beauty alone. his beauty is otherworldly, even lock hyung and his brother agreed. with small and gorgeous face, ivory skin, and eyes as deep as reddish brown could be. his lips looks has been painted, but cale eat and doing everything and still, his savior lips is red as ever. he looks more like a sculptured doll and beautiful paintings than a mere human.
"thanks for always giving me a delicious meal."
vicross sighed in his mind, his young master seem oblivious for new developed children admiring eyes.
"...yes sir."
the next day.
"hello."
"nice to meet you, young master-nim."
cale exchanged greetings with an old man.
this was a fisherman who had roamed across this ubarr sea and battled against the whirlpool for tens of years. this old man, who was known as the greatest veteran of the ubarr sea in this small seaside village, had a very tan skin that represented just how much time he spent out at sea.
in fisherman stead, he was expecting some young nobleman that do the hero deeds in capital. his wife and kids looks so excited about when he tell them he would drove cale henituse today. the fishermen didn't really understand, but after seeing cale henituse himself, he come out speechless. cale henituse have beautiful face that it's not exaggerated that his beauty could make goddess of beauty fall in love instead than envious.
the fisherman side man, a boy who barely fifteen, looking at cale with excitement in his eyes. he finally saw the famous beauty and hero of plaza terror, cale henituse. as the rumor said, cale henituse bloody red hair looks as the finest silk. his lips looks bloody as well, with enticing view, make the boy gulped his saliva. cale henituse looks pretty as doll.
with body somehow looks lithe in his extravagant clothing. the outfit make cale waist looks snatched. the boy hands somehow feels sinful. like he wants something that belonged divine beings.
"tsk."
but the butler behind cale henituse glared at him, make the boy flinched.
hans and the kittens in hans arms also glaring at the boy.
the one who stay oblivious? cale, the pretty man right now still chit chatting with amiru. not that they complain, its better for their young master not knowing the pest at all.
after got into the ship with vicross giving him hand of courtesy, cale seated in some boxes and seeing the wild whirlpool. the boat was rocking, make cale cursed out loud.
"shit."
"hahaha. young master-nim, isn't the whirlpool grand?"
the fisherman was a very courageous man. cale certainly pushed away the hand of the vice captain hilsman who was grabbing onto his clothes with a pale expression.
finally, the boat arrived at an island and cale could once again feel the ground underneath his feet.
"we have arrived. it was easier than usual."
the fisherman's son nodded at his father's words. cale looked past the two of them to see the vice captain leaning over.
the vice captain was suffering from such severe seasickness that cale wondered if he may end up dying. cale tapped vicross's arm as vicross walked by him and pointed to the vice captain. vicross frowned before taking out a pair of white gloves from his pocket and putting them on as he headed over to the vice captain.
cale flinched a bit once he saw the white gloves.
even though his body is rather weak, vitality of the heart really come handy. cale didn't feel the slightest nausea due the rough ride. well, he still a bit staggered due not feeling a land in his feet for a time.
vicross looking at his young master that looks unbothered. cale henituse wants to explore the island alone and he's gonna take care of the vice captain while cale's gone.
vicross doesn't really like the idea that his young master would be walk around alone in strange island like this. but he doesn't have an authority here, so he's just look at the red haired beauty thin shoulder gets smaller along his further walk.
cale actually doing nothing but walk prettily on that island. little dragon blinking at his beautiful human behavior, cale looks like a princess he read last night. without being a woman and using a dress apparently, someone can be just as pretty as princess.
"human! there is a corpse."
cale frozen at little dragon shout. that's when he knows he needs to get out of here. he saw enough the whirlpool to memorize them and know the coordinate of sound of the wind.
after a few conversations with little dragon, cale left the island with little effort. hilsman still sticking to vicross side with his seasickness.
at night, cale already with his swimming suit.
cale stay still when toonka and his crazy act towards the whirlpool. he focusing to hammering the boulder so that ancient power would come to his hands. the anti mana bomb already activated so the whirlpool didn't go crazy enough to hurt him in this process.
– you sons of bitches!
oh. this owner was quite the potty mouth.
– ah, you're pretty! sorry, i love beautiful one because i can snatch you up.
cale frowned, what the hell with these crazy nonsense ancient power?
– why is it a sin to steal something that they sacrificed people to create? especially when i was just going to return it to the people? you trash bastards! why do bastards like you have such power?! not you, my most beautiful treasure.
hearing the last word make cale frown get deeper.
it's not that cale against compliments. in some aspects, cale henituse is indeed beautiful, but not that beautiful to make people rambled like that.
oh boy, cale i pity you.
it just weird that... all the ancient power kinda love his looks so much? even vitality of the heart stopped crying after looking at his face.
it was fast, cale didn't have any casualties to gain sound of the wind except when he already on the land, someone—or rather—some whale approached him with bloodied form. that whale has wound on his leg. it was mermaid poison, in the book right now, no one knows the cure before rosalyn the genius mage find it out.
"s-save me."
cale contemplating things in his mind. he knows that the whale may bring some important plot in the story. after all, in [the birth of hero] whale tribe was one of choi han important allies.
"yes, i'll save you."
after cale say it, little dragon get near him.
"dunk him in the water."
cale say it stoically.
"human, you said you were going to save him! you are weak, but you have kept all of your promises until now! so why are you telling me to dunk him in the water?! are you trying to make him suffocate to death?!"
no.
cale knows about rosalyn invention for antidote of mermaid poison. after here and then, the paseton body got moved from the cliff to his room.
it past ten, and hans has responsibility to ensure his young master already asleep, like ron did every nighttime before the old butler departed. hans already nervous as hell because young master cale clearly stated he doesn't want to be bothered.
eventually his young master opened the door.
and oh.
oh.
the pale skin of his young master was such a sight to behold. drop dead gorgeous as the poets say, his skin has been moon kissed by the god itself. the collarbone until his upper chest make something in hans brain melt. his hair look dampened due whatever cale doing in his room.
cale body always delicate, even with frown and annoyed look at his beautiful face. so it's nothing new to saw him young master skin reddened due the change of temperature.
yet, including the fragility, cale looks even more astonishing.
he looks like a freaking god.
what a dangerous beauty.
hans brain was melted.
like literally—melt. because he's just automatically excuse himself avoiding embarrassing scene that would happened if he's stay longer.
when hans far enough from cale room, his nose fucking bled.
red blood seeping through his nose.
hans blinked.
that young master of his, as esteemed as it seems, was a freaking tool to kill people if cale henituse wants. that face doesn't belong to mere human.
cale goes back to his activity with paseton. the small whale was already half conscious. cale have to make paseton trust him, so he needs to help paseton survive.
in paseton sight, his saviour was a beautiful human. his blue eyes daring to see the pale skin that seeping through the human bathrobe. even when cale henituse talked, his voice sounds as gentle as paseton could imagine a person could be.
ah, i think paseton really is sick due mermaid poison.
after those savior act, cale henituse goes to sleep.
giving no absolute care of how paseton now is as red as a tomato.
the whale still in the bathtub when cale henituse really goes to his chamber. paseton never really imagine there's a person who look more dazzling as his sister. cale henituse looks divine even when he's just talk and walk normally.
that kind of beauty is dangerous since it's awoken some malice sense in people heart. they can't help but want to look at those reddish brown eyes more and more.
paseton may not live long enough in this world yet. but he knows one or two things that hiden beneath the sun and laws the world given. paseton knows that this kind of beauty may bring some war into lands or water. and some people would pay a high prices for them.
not to mention cale henituse really looks fragile with a thin and dainty-looking body. if that red haired man has no one besides him to protect him, who in the world knows what will happen?
oh god, paseton sounds like an obsessive madman just now. if cale henituse knows about mermaid's poison and even helps him with his powers, it's obvious cale is not that weak.
but even when paseton knows certainly that's a fact, he still can't help but worry.
paseton walks to the window, and he can see cale henituse from here look peaceful in his sleep. that beautiful face frowned a bit, looking tired even in his sleep.
the two kittens looking at paseton, making the blue whale flinch lightly.
—
bonus scene :
toonka can see goddess right now.
he always believe he almost can fight anything. he feels his adrenaline rush and makes his blood turmoil. especially when its stronger than him.
so act according his natural instincts, toonka got near the red haired goddess.
the first time toonka seen him was when he fights with two whale. red hair and pale skinned, with sickly appareance that make toonka wonder how the hell that fragile looking man can live his lifes until now.
but still, his weak appeareances cannot hinder what toonka believe. it was so beautiful that toonka choke on sea water when he laid an eyes first time this close.
he swim near enough until the red haired notices his presence, and that person throws him off with some nature power.
but toonka head was already empty since looking at the goddess.
"mage cannot use ancient powers," said the beautiful red-haired man. his beautiful pale fingers make some gestures that making the whirlwind around toonka body stabilizes.
toonka stiffened, and grinned. good, at least this man is not at the same faction as those scumbag.
"...ancient power."
cale henituse looking at his with his reddish brown eyes, he slightly trembling eyelashes look dazzling on those moon kissed skin. with toonka body still in the sea, he can see cale figure from the bottom.
"then you're not a mage?"
"correct."
even his voice sounds beautiful. it sounds gentle yet arrogant. but maybe because cale henituse face card, toonka chooses not to think about it.
he can see that cale henituse is the type that just stood prettily in a lavish lifestyle throughout his life. he may have been a pampered young master before and later toonka met him. he can see the some of skin of cale right now, pale as if he's never been out of the sun for too long. and with a smooth soft texture, without a single scar that should've been there if he at least doing some swordsmanship.
and besides that, his weak constitution made toonka more aware of that fact. what kind of person gets sick after one or two sprays of sea water?
but instead of looking like a snotty noble brat, he's more look like a divine being walking around among mortals.
"what are your thoughts about not destroying the magic tower?"
"what? what did you say?"
and again, this pampered young master ordered him to kick out all of the mages.
"what a crazy bastard," toonka said lightheartedly. this gorgeous man is crazy.
cale just gave him a prideful yet not-so-arrogant smirk. it makes toonka feel giddy for some unexplainable reason.
"come buy it yourself," toonka said with his body swimming to get closer to where cale henituse stood.
if toonka saw cale henituse again, that toonka was certain he would make sure that happened, maybe toonka could see this beautiful being longer. harol said you can't do something recklessly with a noble, especially a neighbor kingdom.
he knows that fact as well without harol warning, so toonka cannot do something he wants with cale henituse.
instead, he just wants to protect him for now, from any harm. that weird yet so cringy that toonka would absolutely kill himself if past toonka heard that.
"that was my plan from the beginning."
then after confirming how this spoiled young master get his identity, toonka was already close enough to reach him.
in comparison, their body looks so different, toonka noticed.
while cale looks like a spoiled and pampered young master of a wealthy noble house. toonka is full of muscle after all the practice and fighting, he regains some scars as well. he was a warrior, so that kind of scar is nothing to be embarrassed about. but he also knows that some people are scared or uncomfortable with those.
but cale henituse just brushed him off, didn't even give him a disdainful glare or anything. that beckoned cale as the rumor said about him, he was a hero for those people.
his body dwarfed cale even when toonka brought his face closer so he could hear cale sounds more clear as the sea whirlpool swirling like crazy. cale height didn't reach toonka shoulder, it can't be helped by the fact cale has a thin body even in the standard human noble. it looks extremely dainty in toonka eyes, as if toonka can snap him off with his bare hands.
from this closer toonka can bring himself in the respectable distance, toonka can smell the scent of nature and... wine? like the addictive smell of wine that makes toonka sniffs him again.
ha! so this beautiful young master is a man after all. alcohol, cale henituse is reeking the smell of the highest prices of wine.
"are you really a noble? you're not afraid of me?"
that arrogant of him to think cale is not scared of toonka, cale thought. of course, cale is scared of anything that potentially harms him, you know?
cale just close his eyes, "i am."
that was a lie, kim rok soo was a peasant, right?
"just as you are warrior."
toonka grinned, does this man know what kind of effect he has when he said that to toonka with that doll-like face?
it makes toonka wonder, far too high.
—
author note :
actually toonka and cale dynamic is cute, right? like the giant bear teddy with the little red fox. the giant bear is blunt and abrasive while the little red fox is cunning and just stands prettily.
i feel grateful for all those messages and comments that some of you sent to me, also i apologize for being unable to reply to them for now. but i always read it and consider what you all said, i love you guys and sit still to wait for the next updates xoxo
or make chaos in the comments section like always ^^ (optional) probably the next chapter is more like cut scene with archie or lee soo hyuk~