Red Sand (Dropped)

5. A Dragon With Freedom

The next morning
Cale sat up from his chair after finishing off his breakfast alone, he went to open the door only to find the man he took in late at night,
"What's the matter?"
He asked, trying not to look like he wasn't almost scared the shit out of from his sudden appearance.

"I wanted to pay you back."
The man looked up at Cale with sparkles in his eyes,
"I can't just receive and not give back!"
He pledged on his heart.

Cale looked at him funny,
'Is he crazy? I helped you so stop irritating me!'
"No, it's fine."

"But!—

"What's your name?"
It was random, but Cale had totally forgotten about it despite bringing in a stranger without a background.

"Ah.. Choi Han—my name is Choi Han!"
He was like a puppy as a human.

"My name is Cale Henituse. You say you want to repay a favor?"
Cale asked, he suddenly had an idea.

"Yes..!"
Choi Han was shy despite his strength.

Cale walked toward the rest area,
"Come."
He sat down on the couch as Choi Han sat opposite to him.
"Do you know how to protect people?"
Cale asked if he was interviewing him,
"I'm not asking you necessarily to kill, just to protect."

Choi Han looked down at his feet, playing with his hands without a reply. He didn't know the answer, no, he was unsure he'd be able to protect anyone after what had happened...

"Can you at least fight?"
Cale furrowed his brows, frowning at his response.

"I can.."
Choi Han was worrying for nothing.

"Then you can protect as well."
Cale crossed his arms and legs, sitting back in the couch. Choi Han's mood brightened up.
"I want you to join me on a trip to the capital as one of my guards."

"Y-yes!"
Choi Han answered immediately without hesitation, only with the thought of repaying his debt.

.
.
.
.

Cale and his group of guards, alongside a few servants, were camping out in the woods, they were taking a rest after all the traveling they made on the road to the Capital.

Why did Cale decide to go to the Capital? Deruth, his new father, had appointed him as the representative to attend the celebration in the central plaza, held by the royal family.

The guards were chatting between one another... when suddenly the camp was engulfed in a strange purple gas.

"It's poison!"
One of the guards yelled.
"Get out of the gas everyone!"

They all ran out, but then they were faced with another problem. Bandits? Barbarians? They encountered angry people, ones who swung their swords around at anyone they saw.

"Cale-nim! Over here!"
Choi Han yelled loudly,
"Let's run away while they're distracted by the guards!"

They ran out into the woods, past many identical looking trees. They couldn't see where they were going at all in the dark. Were they stupid or something? Running in the middle of the night? Without light? Cale knew what they did was a bad idea, but he was too out of his mind to think correctly. Why didn't Choi Han just fight them anyways? He was stronger than all of them combined.