“Of course there is!” someone replied in a snarky tone, however despite how much TBOAH!Bud looked around he could not find the owner of the voice. Grigori lightly shook her head in amusement and then glanced toward TBOAH!Ohn and TBOAH!Hong before moving her gaze over to TCF!Ohn and TCF!Hong.
While TBOAH!Ohn and her brother were lounging out on Rok Soo's lap, TCF!Ohn and TCF!Hong were both curled up snugly in Cale's. She eyed the four kittens for a silent moment and then turned her gaze to the Palantír and nodded, making the decision to start working on their dissonance as well.
Then, in a spot under the cliff where that voice could not be heard… In the spot heading past the second boundary to the third boundary…
“Noona, this is the right place!”
“Oh!! It's you guys!” TBOAH!Ohn gasped in surprise and raised her head off her paws to pay close attention to the record now. TBOAH!Hong rolled over and lazily returned his gaze to the Palantír too. The poor kitten had been in a state of semi-awareness and was just about to take a nap when he heard his sister's surprised voice and his own – or rather his counterpart's voice – coming from beside him and the Palantír respectively.
Two small Kittens crossed through a dog hole on the wall and peeked their heads out. The silver Kitten who was covered in dust looked at the enemies pouring out and started to speak.
“Looks like we can get started!”
“Ooh!” The red Kitten responded and fog quickly started to spread out starting from the silver Kitten, On. Hong’s poison was mixed into the fog as well.
TBOAH!Ohn and TBOAH!Hong fell silent as they focused on the record. They were both fascinated and flattered to see how incredible their counterparts were and how much TCF!Ohn and TCF!Hong had grown since they'd seen them last using their powers.
“This, what is this fog?”
“Ugh!”
“Hey, what’s wro- ugh!”
The Dragon half-blood had said the following while planning this operation.
‘Arm will put the weakest people in the front. I’m certain they will come charging out once the second boundary is destroyed to prevent us from getting to the third boundary.’
The people in front of that group would be the weak individuals.
‘On, I leave it to you.’ On’s eyes sharply sparkled after recalling what Ron had said to her. The weakest people in the front were easily affected by the quickly spreading poisonous fog.
TBOAH!Ohn frowned slightly and moved to sit upright. She could intuitively tell that something was different about her counterpart in the record. It felt different, the aura and air around TCF!Ohn seemed different somehow, and it provoked TBOAH!Ohn's curiosity. TBOAH!Hong glanced at his sister as he considered something for a moment and then he chose to stay lying down on Rok Soo's lap. Although he was keeping a close eye on his sister's reactions in between watching the record, he didn't feel the pressing tension the same way TBOAH!Ohn did.
“Ugh!”
“Hey, the formation will be destroyed if you fall! Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
Mercilessly the Palantír showed the members of Arm collapsing like dominos as they came in contact with TCF!Ohn's fog and TCF!Hong's poison within it. TBOAH!Hong corked his head, taking in the scene with mild interest and marvelling in how amazing and strong his sister and her counterpart were - he'd never seen TBOAH!Ohn's fog spread out like this, it was incredible and he could tell that this was because TCF!Ohn had progressed and grown a lot.
The pouring soldiers… The weakest people in the front were slowly falling down as they became paralyzed by the poison. None of them were severely wounded, but it was enough to temporarily paralyze their legs or parts of their body. People continued to pour out behind them. The formation was destroyed and they now had issues moving.
“We can’t see properly because of the fog!”
“F**k!”
Their sight was hindered by the fog. This was the perfect example of chaos.
Taking the brief moment between the blank Palantír as the records were switched, TBOAH!Ohn turned to look at her counterpart.
“How?” she questioned.
“How what?” TCF!Ohn replied calmly, turning her head toward her counterpart and giving her a look that was meant to prompt her to elaborate.
“How did you get so strong? Why… why are you so much stronger than me?” TBOAH!Ohn demanded.
Rok Soo and Cale remained silent even after hearing the anger that was poorly concealed within TBOAH!Ohn' voice.
“I wanted to be stronger, so that I can protect the home and family who love and care about us.” TCF!Ohn's answer seems to take TBOAH!Ohn by surprise however the awkward silence that followed between the two silver-furred kittens was interrupted by Naur as he began the next record.
< Chapter 456: Returned (2)>
On was taking in the situation with her eyes.
“Noona.”
“Hold on.” On quieted her brother Hong before amplifying the flow of the fog that only she could see.
Still carrying a frown on her feline face, TBOAH!Ohn returned her gaze to the Palantír in order to make sense of what it was exactly that was driving her counterpart to grow at such an alarming rate. The anger she'd felt moments ago was distorting and becoming a form of bitter envy that she couldn't wrestle down or restrain. She fought it back earnestly because she knew that TCF!Ohn had her own share of sorrow and burdens and had also experienced plenty of terrible situations that were sometimes worse than what she had experienced in the TBOAH!World.
“Aaaaaah!”
“Don’t push me, it’s a mess up here with everybody fallen over!”
“Ugh! My legs……!”
The amplified fog continued to spread out with the poison inside it, forcing screams to appear from multiple locations. On could not see everything that was going on in this wide area, however, she was trying to notice as much of the people’s movements as possible using her fog.
TBOAH!Ohn repeatedly told herself to act maturely and yet as she continued to watch the progress her counterpart had made, her insides were writhing and twisting with jealousy and envious yearning. She wanted that too – she wanted a home and a big family that would help her protect her brother – she wanted to be a child too. With a heavy heart she clenched her teeth and resolutely fixed her prickling eyes upon the Palantír, hoping to find something she could use as ammunition to pick a fight with her counterpart.
‘You two return to the Eastern continent for now.’ On recalled what Cale had told her brother and her. ‘I will make the Fog Cat Tribe pay the price for their actions. That is my will and I will do that no matter what.’
TBOAH!Ohn froze. TBOAH!Hong went rigid. Equal parts of terror and surprise rattled through their tiny bodies. TBOAH!Ohn felt light-headed and dark blotches began to dance around her line of sight. However a moment later, two warm hands touched her. One was rough and calloused, while the other was smooth and soft.
Rok Soo and Cale, the owners of the hands that reached out to comfort her, gently spoke to her. Cale coaxing her to breathe and Rok Soo reassuring her that she and TBOAH!Hong were safe – he promised that he would not let anyone or anything harm them. TBOAH!Hong wriggled closer to his sister, plastering himself into her side and trying to hide his face – his eyes were squeezed shut as he tried to blot out the painful memories of his past too.
The Fog Cat Tribe. On thought about her tribe that she had escaped from with her brother. They were denied status because they were mutants and the tribe had secluded them so that they could not hang out with anyone or learn anything. They had to learn the things they should have learned as members of the Fog Cat Tribe by stealthily sneaking glances at other Cats who were learning. She had felt all sorts of emotions after hearing Cale saying that he would make the Fog Cat Tribe pay the price. She had felt anger, joy, as well as fear.
For the counterparts and individuals in the room who were clueless about both the Fog Cat Tribe as well as TCF!Ohn and TCF!Hong's history with their tribe, the information that came was an eye-opener. So, while Cale and Kim Rok Soo comforted the four kittens and soothed away their terror and panic, everyone else focused on the information the Palantír gave them about the pasts of Cale's kids.
She had then heard what Cale said next.
‘I will give you two a chance to decide. Do you two want to see the Fog Cat Tribe pay the price with me?’
Cale was giving the siblings a chance to decide for themselves.
‘Talk to each other and think hard about what you want to do. By the way, it would not be a pretty sight for young children like the two of you.’
He then told them to let him know once they made their decision.
TBOAH!Ohn trembled, she could barely keep herself from sniffling as she forced her blurry gaze to continue studying the record. TBOAH!Hong had hidden his face into her chest, his red fur and whiskers were tickling her chin, but she ignored it, feeling that this information was far more crucial in order for her to understand the difference between her counterpart and herself.
On had kept her mouth shut until now and had not discussed anything related to it with her brother Hong. Hong seemed to want to bring the topic up multiple times, but On had thought that there was something she needed to do before that.
‘I need to become stronger.’
Her eyes that were observing the fog sparkled.
‘I can’t return there while being the same as last time.’
“Oh… I see… so that's it!” TBOAH!Ohn felt the rigid tension in her body ease and her lungs stopped burning as if she were breathing in the harsh winter cold. She felt something click in her mind, an instinctual understanding occurred to her even though she was sure she did not have all the information that was necessary for her to make an informed decision – however that didn't matter.
It didn't matter to her because the answer was right in front of her, in fact it had been right in front of her this whole time, but she just didn't recognize it. TBOAH!Ohn glanced toward Cale and Rok Soo, offering them a reassuring, but fragile smile to show them that she was okay now and then she wrapped her front paw around TBOAH!Hong and held him close.
The last time when they faced the Fog Cat Tribe at the Castle of Light… On did not want to return to her hometown, actually, ‘hell’ was probably a better term for it, while being the same as before.
TBOAH!Ohn heard these thoughts that her counterpart had had back then and nodded in agreement – she was right, TCF!Ohn was right. She was right because she had pushed away the fears of the past and trusted her new family to have her back, she trusted them to wait for her and respect her decisions and also to give her time to prepare herself for the battles ahead.
Her eyes looking at the fog that was being filled with screams became deeper and her fur stood up straight as she continued to think and her determination became stronger.
TBOAH!Ohn could see it clearly now, not only had the family and loved ones around her protected her and provided for her and her brother, they also trusted her skills, gave her purpose and proved to her that the Fog Cat Tribe that had betrayed and tried to kill them were wrong about her and her brother.
Cale and all their family had shown TCF!Ohn and TCF!Hong that they were useful, they were natural existences that had every right to exist. Their Uncle who killed their father in order to become the chief was wrong about them. TBOAH!Ohn felt the shackles of the abuse and neglect that had tied her down since her parents died shatter.
“Noona.” She felt something warm on her side at that moment. On turned her head to see Hong snickering at her. “I’m going to do it with you!”
On could feel Hong’s weak poison adding onto her fog. They were using the weakest of Hong’s poisons today. The poison followed the fog as it continued to spread. Hong had a bright but determined look as he continued to speak to his sister On who was looking at his smiling face.
“He said that it wasn’t something to do alone and said to do it together!”
That was something else Cale had said when telling On and Hong to decide.
TBOAH!Hong also slid up closer to his sister – such that they were precariously perched right on the edge of his lap, Rok Soo wrapped an arm around them in order to support them in case they fell off. TBOAH!Hong drew courage from his sister and raised is head to peek at the Palantír too. He was still scared and he was no where near as strong as his counterpart, but Cale's warm and gentle hand that continued to pet him even when he was trembling pitifully in fear had encouraged him to peek at his counterpart and see how TCF!Hong was offering him a sympathetic expression of compassion and understanding.
This made TBOAH!Hong realize that TCF!Hong had once been him and he'd also once been scared and small and useless and weak too, but he had grown, he had changed and that meant that TBOAH!Hong could do the same – drawing courage from that TBOAH!Hong tried to be brave and show his sister that even though he was afraid, he could help and support her too. He was trying to show TBOAH!Ohn that as long as they were together, they could overcome anything, even the shared trauma of their past.
‘And if it is too difficult to decide between the two of you, feel free to ask me, Choi Han, Eruhaben-nim, Ron, really, anybody. We will all think it out with you guys. I’m sure anybody other than me will be happy if you asked them for help.’
TCF!Ohn chuckled under her breath, amused that back then Cale had said ‘anyone other than [him]’ and yet he was always the first one to run to them and help them the moment they looked like they were in need of help. It tickled her heart that Cale had always remained consistent – he was their dense, but lovable dad, their guardian, their saviour.
TCF!Ohn nuzzled her face into Cale's chest, purring quietly in her happiness. She was and always will be grateful that Fate and the Stars had aligned just perfectly in order for the three of them to meet – she can clearly tell what would have become of her and her brother if Cale had not saved them and taken them in.
Hong smiled even brighter on purpose after seeing the grim expression on his sister’s face. Hong had hidden behind On while shaking in fear when they met the Fog Cat Tribe at the Castle of Light. He hid while everybody else fought. Even Raon who was younger than him had fought hard. Hong had joined the fight later, but he could not forget about how he had leaned on his sister in fear to start.
TBOAH!Hong’s eyes grew wide, meanwhile all the adults in the room stayed very quiet – they were strangely aware that this record was not for entertainment or merely an information dump. Even the rudest among them respectfully kept their mouths shut and watched how Cale and Rok Soo hovered like 'helicopter parents' around the four kittens while the Palantír poked at some very serious and painfully deep wounds that this pair of siblings had received during their most tender years.
Even TBOAH!Ron and TBOAH!Beacrox who were desperate to know more about how their counterparts had taken back their home were angered that these children had suffered like this. They also paid close attention to how the two TCF!World kittens reacted in the record and also how they reacted to their counterparts right now. It was painful for all the parents in the hall to see and hear Ohn and Hong's story, and it was clear to everyone that just like how Cale had saved Raon, Cale had saved Ohn and Hong as well.
‘…I’m always hiding behind noona.’
That was why he had a secret conversation about this with Raon, their youngest bro.
‘That’s okay. It’s okay to be like that! There are times I’m like that too! This is what the human told me!’ Raon had continued in a very majestic tone. ‘He said that it was fine if we hide or run because we are young! He said that it is okay for even a great and mighty Dragon like me to do that because I am young! He said everything is fine as long as we don’t do bad things!’
‘Really?’
‘That’s right! We can fight together later! Use the video communication device and gather everybody together like the human does if you’re scared! Then use our numbers advantage! We have more people on our side!’
TBOAH!Hong felt his eyes start to sparkle with hope – the fact that Raon, who was far stronger and more powerful than him was telling him that it was okay to be scared and afraid as well as the fact that TCF!Hong was admitting his weakness and fears made TBOAH!Hong feel like there was nothing wrong with him. The ingrained trauma and abuse from the elders that he and his sister had faced while they were trapped in that hell faded from his mind.
He turned to look at his counterpart and was surprised to see TCF!Hong looking embarrassed and shy as he buried his head inside Cale's shirt. Cale was smiling gently at both kittens – he didn't turn them away or mock them and that solidified the truth in TBOAH!Ohn and TBOAH!Hong's minds. They were worthy of being loved and cared for, they deserved to be protected and safe – it wasn't them who was wrong, it was the Fog Cat Tribe.
Hong couldn’t completely agree with Raon’s comments, but it did make him feel better.
“Hey!!” Raon complained as he leaned precariously over Cale's shoulder to peek down at TCF!Hong who was hiding his face against Cale's shirt.
“Sorry, Youngest!” TCF!Hong replied, his voice muffled and soft with embarrassment. Cale reached up and pet Raon and the TBOAH!Black Dragon who was each leaning against his shoulders while they lounged out on the back of the couch he was sharing with TCF!Alberu and Rok Soo. He then lowered his hand to pet TCF!Ohn and TCF!Hong before casually reaching over to give gentle pats to TBOAH!Ohn and TBOAH!Hong as well.
It was because his sister On was not the only one he had by his side anymore. He had subconsciously hidden behind his sister at the Castle of Light because he was scared and his mind had turned chaotic after seeing the other Cats, but he now had many reliable adults by his side as well.
“That's right… You guys are not alone. You have Cale and everyone else in our family. We've got your back!” TCF!Alberu gently whispered to them when he glanced over and caught TCF!Ohn's eye as her gaze swept the hall and passed over each member of their family. TCF!Alberu’s words brought a warm smile to Cale's face and the children in his arms all relaxed immediately in response to the sight of it.
‘The weak human said it’s fine to do that because all three of us are still young! He said it was okay to do that even when we became adults as well!’
‘Raon can accept that so easily…’
Hong smiled as brightly as possible toward his sister On who could not accept that. He then stuck his body even closer to his sister. He wanted to be by her side now instead of hiding behind her. Hong could finally see his sister relax her eyes and start to smile. Hong was thinking that it would be great if everybody could smile like this. He was nine-years-old in human years.
The adults behind them and scattered throughout the room winced – it was painful for them to hear that such a young child had been forced to learn a fact that should have come naturally to him. It just proved that TCF!Ohn and TCF!Hong had been hurt and traumatized to the point where they didn't know that being afraid, running away, and relying on their family was natural and all part of the growing process. It hurt something inside them and made the adults, especially all the parents in the room, want to cry.
The little Kitten pushed his body right next to his sister. He then looked forward and started to speak.
“Noona! It’s grandpa Ron!”
Hong could see Ron and Beacrox walking through the fog. Hong started to smile while looking at their backs.
‘Noona already knew!’
TBOAH!Ohn and TBOAH!Hong turned in Rok Soo's arms so that they could still remained snugly curled up against him – like their counterparts who were sitting against Cale – and comfortably continue watching the Palantír. Meanwhile TBOAH!Ron and TBOAH!Beacrox quickly realized that their turn to receive ‘screen-time’ had come again and discreetly sat to attention and brought their minds back into focus.
Earlier they'd been thinking about how best to torture and maim those bastards from the Fog Cat Tribe who had hurt the youngest children in their counterpart's family. Of course they knew they would not get the chance to actually torture or hurt the people who hurt them, but they were having a good time imagining it, but now they needed to focus, so they put those daydreams aside for later.
The fog was already moving aside so that Ron and Beacrox would not touch the poison long before Hong had said anything. Hong was proud of On who was stronger than him as he observed Ron and Beacrox’s backs that seemed to be running forward without any hesitation because they trusted On.
TCF!Ron smiled and TCF!Ohn meowed happily along with her brother beside her, they were very happy to have the trust of the ones they loved and even more so to see and hear in these ‘Akashic Records’ of their world that their strength and growth was being praised and acknowledged. For TBOAH!Ohn and TBOAH!Hong this only served as more proof to their beliefs, and they happily sat back and inwardly cheered on their counterparts.
“Aaaaaah!”
“The fog, the fog won’t go away!”
The people who could not even see 1 meter in front of their eyes because of the fog didn’t have the luxury to think about this narrow path that was created for Ron and Beacrox. It was like hell with shrieks and screams all around them. This sight was enough to give anybody who was looking from afar the chills.
“I didn’t expect those punks to be this strong.”
Cale stoically continued to look at the battlefield even after hearing that comment.
Someone gasped sharply and for a brief second no one acknowledged the sound, until…
“I–I wasn't talking about Ohn and Hong!!” TCF!Choi Han suddenly exclaimed his voice sounding panicked.
This time everyone in the room turned and looked toward him only to see the clear and distinct expression of embarrassment and betrayal upon his face as he stared at TCF!Rosalyn. He looked offended, while TCF!Rosalyn stared back at him with an innocently clueless face, pretending she hadn’t just been teasing him.
Cale sighed and turned his attention back to the Palantír, deciding to ignore them meanwhile TCF!Choi Han continued in panic and distress.
“I was talking about the mercenaries! Honest! I really was!!”
“Alright, alright Instructor-nim. We know! Calm down!” TCF!Alberu soothingly coaxed him, but TCF!Choi Han was only looking toward Cale and TCF!Ohn and TCF!Hong because he didn't want to be misunderstood by them.
TCF!Ohn and TCF!Hong huffed and rolled their eyes – they already knew this and so they weren't offended in the slightest and Cale, after realizing TCF!Choi Han would not calm down unless he said something, turned to look at him.
“Choi Han, why are you saying something so obvious! Of course we know what you meant! Calm down, Miss Rosalyn is just playing.”
TCF!Choi Han deflated with a heavy sigh of relief before giving the grinning TCF!Rosalyn one more withering stare of betrayal and then relaxing as he returned his attention to the Palantír.
He couldn’t see things clearly because of the fog, but the fact that Mercenary King Bud was busy giving orders to the mercenaries at the starting point of the fog must mean that things weren’t bad.
‘And there’s no reason for it to be bad.’
He knew Ron and Beacrox must have walked forward by now and that meant there was nothing to worry about.
The fact that Cale and TCF!Choi Han had such absolute faith in TCF!Ron and TCF!Beacrox was surprising – it wasn’t like the cordially contractual relationship, that they, in the TBOAH!World, had. It seemed deeper like they were family somehow.
TBOAH!Choi Han frowned and snuck a glance toward TBOAH!Ron and TBOAH!Beacrox. He wondered if he would have allowed himself to get that close to them – he couldn’t imagine it. Although he trusted them to fight well during the battles against Arm, and he had on plenty occasions shared meals with them during all the time they travelled together, the relationship between their counterparts was something he would never have fathomed as a possibility.
TBOAH!Choi Han stubbornly clenched his fists and reminded himself that he was not jealous or envious and that he, as the oldest human in the room, should be above such trivial behaviour, this reminder did not work.
He heard the person next to him speak again.
“I guess you really aren’t going to let them off this time.”
Cale turned his head to see the Dragon half-blood’s pale face under his hood. His condition seemed to have worsened in the short time they didn’t see each other. However, his eyes were calm. Actually, there was a faint trace of vitality in them as well.
Cale responded, “Why would I go easy on them?”
“Ouch…” TCF!Basen muttered, he was still slightly unused to seeing this cold and commanding side of his brother who was frankly indifferent toward the deaths and chaos unfolding before him, however TCF!Basen also understood everyone’s hatred toward Arm.
TCF!Basen didn't care all that much about granting mercy to those bastards that forced his brother to shed his blood and wade through the battlefield over and over again, however he did find it difficult to see his brother like this – this cold and detached Cale that stoically watched over the battlefield like an Overlord of Warfare.
Correlating the two sides of his brother was something that would take time – especially since these records were showing TCF!Basen and his family sides of Cale and his people that they did not know existed.
Who was he to go easy on Arm? Cale was thinking that he was not in a situation to go easy on anyone. This battle would not end until one side was destroyed.
People nodded empathically, Arm was the reason Cale had to fight and move and bleed, so he was not allowed to go easy on them - Cale's family and friends would not allow him to do so. Even if they had to endanger themselves, they would definitely jump into the fray if Cale showed such a thing – after everything Arm and the White Star had done, especially to Cale.
Cale's family and friends wanted to beat them all to death, but Cale had done that already, so they would settle for the scrappy leftover remnants of those bastards. They would hunt them down and smother them out of existence in order to alleviate their anger at what they had forced Cale to do during the wars.
Most importantly…
“This isn’t my battle. It isn’t for me to meddle. Don’t you agree?”
The nodding audience in the hall stopped and stared at the Palantír. On one hand, they felt that what Cale just said was incorrect. However, when they looked at it from his perspective, it made sense at the same time.
TBOAH!Bud understood it as Cale saying that this battle was for the Molan family and for the Mercenary Guilds to take back the pride and honour that had been stolen from them by Arm.
TBOAH!Beacrox understood Cale's words as this was the battle for him and his father to reclaim their home and avenge their family.
TBOAH!Ron felt the same. He understood Cale's declaration as if he meant that this was their opportunity to vent all that rage and anger that they'd been forced to bottle up against Arm.
It made perfect sense to them even while a small part of them felt that this battle was just as much his as it was theirs – after all if the White Star hadn't existed, then Cale would never have been affected by the White Star’s curse, nor would he have been born in another world and would have had to transmigrated back here. So many things could have been different if the White Star and Arm didn't exist.
Cale turned his head toward Choi Han who was quietly standing behind him and Choi Han looked at the building on the cliffs where Beacrox had just jumped down from before responding.
“I agree with you.”
Cale nodded his head at Choi Han’s response before looking forward again. He had decided to leave everything to Ron this time. That was the right thing to do. Why?
‘…It’s his house.’
Ron and Beacrox were returning to the place they were born and raised for the first time in almost twenty years. Cale decided to quietly watch their return.
This record had powerful implications, and TBOAH!Beacrox felt himself getting emotional. TBOAH!Ron felt his eyes stinging and had to remind himself to keep blinking and breathing. They, just like TBOAH!Ohn and TBOAH!Hong, were being affected by Cale's thoughts and words more deeply than anyone else in the room could suspect right now.