「Those Who Seek Solace」LCF x ORV

Side Story V : In The Stars

Alberu felt dread when he saw Cale starting to dissipate like he was never there in the first place.

"Unlucky bastard...!"

Cale was not responsing anymore, his eyelids were no longer open as his breathing was starting to decline as he continued to fade away.

It was fear instilled in everyone as they despaired.

Alberu opened his mouth then closed it as he scoffed mockingly almost to himself.

"Wake up you bastard."

Cale always have a knack on making everyone speechless with his actions, including now.

"It's not funny anymore...human!"

The black dragon kept shaking the redhead, Alberu also wanted to wake his dongsaeng.

"Bastard...wake up...you've rested enough..."

The atmosphere was supposed to be full of screams because of their victory against the White Star, yet it only greeted them with a deafening silence aside from multiple horrified gasps from the soldiers.

"Cale-nim..."

Choi Han isn't crying, but his were empty as he stared at his fading liege whom he tried his best to hold unto.

The once clear skies that looked over the Roan Kingdom had started to get covered with dark clouds. No stars can be seen as rain started to pour like it was also mourning for the lost of the redhead commander.

"Your Highness!"

The excommunicated priestess of the God of Death, screamed as she ran near them.

"Cage-nim...is there anything that we can do to save him?"

Alberu trembled as he looked at the priestess with tear-strained eyes, the scene right now kept overlapping with the memory he have with his deceased mother.

The crown prince didn't give an ounce of care when he see fingers pointing at him, he didn't care about the whispers circulating around him due to his form changing in a fast pace.

"Your Highness, only you can do this." Cage informed, her posture trembling as she clasped her hands as if she was praying.

"Hyung-nim. You're fated to be here."

Alberu somehow knew what he was supposed to do as he kneeled in front of Cale.

"Your Highness, please be the king."

The crown prince held his sworn brother in his arms as he removed the clothe that was covering Cale's wound. Alberu gulped his sob first before leaning down and started to drink the dead mana in the redhead's chest, he did his best to not drink the latter's blood as he could only wince at how foreign it tasted in his tongue.

His dark hair was dampened by the rain, the clothes he's wearing kept sticking in his tanned skin as he continued to drink the dead mana.

The wind howled, and the dusts glowed as it slowly reformed back into Cale's fading limbs.

Everything went by in a blur, Alberu couldn't care less when some of the nobles screamed to detain the crown prince for having a blood of a dark elf. He couldn't care as long as Cale's heart started to beat with a renewed vigour once again.

He's alive. Cale is alive.

And Alberu didn't have the courage to ask until when.

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Alberu stared at the sole window that reminds him of how much time had passed. If Cale would see him like this, he would scowl and possibly burn the people who put the Crown Prince in the place he's currently in.