World Against Us

2.25 Played with Fate

'wake up wake up'
'chaos! destruction!'
'can he hear us?'

groan

Cale opened his eyes and was greeted by a-

'a roof?!!?'

Cale swiftly roll to his left and dodge the falling temple roof. now that he noticed, the ground was shaking and there's black liquid all over the temple wall. he slowly got up while clutching his hurting head, but noticed there is a golden whip on his hand.

he abruptly widen his eyes, records started to fill his brain.

"hah.. haha.. hahahhaha"

he scoff and then laugh maniacally, he resemble a certain white haired someone that he hate, but he just couldn't stop laughing.

how can he not? he feels ridiculous.

"is this what it feels like to be played by fate?"

'look look he's awake!'
'Hurry! it's going to collapse soon!'
'Chaos! destruction! dead mana!'

"huh? who are you?"

'whoaaa a human can hear us!'
'i told you so'
'hey quiet! human, we're wind elementals, the temple with dead mana is going to collapse soon'
'Danger! Destruction! Despair!'

Cale steady himself up, look around, the temple changed drastically. Cale could see dead mana leaking everywhere. Only his spot are clean. It must have been the work of the wind elementals.

He walk few steps and took a jar from the altar. His steps are steady, there is no trace of him turning into a laughing maniac few seconds ago. His eyes were clear. His expression is stoic, only he knows that his heart is painful.

Cale put the jar into his spatial pocket. he look up to the crumbling ceiling. There is a hole where the roof just collapsed. He then look down, dead mana liquid are starting to spread towards his feet, he simply dodge it with another step to the side.

His eyes met with a painting. The painting that he walked pass when he entered. His eyes turn cold, golden fire started to surround his body. If someone look, one could mistaken him to burn to death.

From head to toe, the fire from his body spread towards the temple, burning everything including the dead mana. But his target are actually the painting. The painting that used to be nothing worth to look now became a reminder of something he loathed. He wanted to burned it.

Cale spread his fire wide, the wind elemental dance around the fire as they use their wind to make the fire spread wildly even more. Once the painting are no more, Cale lightly jump and wind gather in his feet, making him float and out of the roof.

Cale look down to the wind island that was starting to burn.

'Not enough'

So Cale let out his hands along with the whip, and fire shot out of him. Rose gold fire started to burn indiscriminately into the wind island. Cale watch from the sky, with the fire that's supposed to be hot, Cale's eyes were cold as ice. He uses the fire of destruction to the maximum, using every strength he had.

Boom boom swoosh-

Explosion everywhere. It was night time, but the island was bright showing a red head floating in the center. His companion, that were worried about Cale and wanted to rush to the island, now hesitated halfway towards the island. They look at what they thought family member, Cale Henituse, burning the island with a cold expression. They stiffened.

Cale subconsciously emitted the dominating aura, making no one can approach him. Golden ash started to rain, making the ocean below sparkling with golden water. Cale didn't know how he looked like a deity in the middle of purifying the dead mana. All he know is that he is engulfed with negative emotion.

Mad, ridiculous, played, disbelief, furious, hate, betrayal

But most importantly, he felt lost.
Those memories, are painful. But at the same time, he is happy to know that he was there. He doesn't blame him for their ending.

He once thought how would it be to know him sooner, but once he remember that he indeed knew him way before, he became greedy and thought that it wasn't enough. He wished he knew him even way before his past life. But destiny wasn't on their side. Even if he knew him before his past life they will always meet their end.

Once they meet, their end was inevitable.
Every step they took together will be followed by the darkness.
Only allowing them to taste their happiness but never got to swallow it.

With the wind island burning, Cale fly backwards and meet the family. He handed the spatial pocket to Ron.

"The artifact is here"

Ron opened the spatial pocket, but what came across Ron's eyes were coldness. He indeed saw the artifact, but other than that, he also saw how the food he provided for Cale to survive didn't decrease.

"Young master-nim, you didn't eat for 4 days?"
"What?"
"The food didn't decreased, young master, you've been in the island for 4 days"

'Ohh, 4 days'
Cale took the statement indifferently. He just fly towards Ron and slump his body. He wanted to sleep, he's tired. He maybe out for 4 days but, it surely is a painful 4 days of his life. He wanted to sleep and rest his mind. He is done venting.

The family expressions turned grim when Cale fell unconscious into Ron's arm, they brought Cale back and put him to bed. They didn't say anything. They all know that something must have happened to him inside the island. His expression when burning the island is not the stoic face he usually wore. And to slumped like that, isn't very Cale. He would always fall unconscious when he is back and no eyes on him. But he slumped in the air.

So the family just observed Cale. It took only 1 night for Cale to wake up. The next morning Cale got interrogated by his family. But once again they are unable to get any information from Cale.

"I went under a trial. that's all"

That's the only answer Cale gave, and after that, he insisted that he need to go to the forbidden region, Castle of light.

To his hometown