Beloved By Time

Regression

Going back in time is an odd feeling. Even if Cale thought he would be prepared for it, that went out the door the moment he awoke.

Now he stared at himself in the mirror, hesitantly examining each feature of his face and body.

'Is this actually real? Death wasn't just playing with him?'

But he was alive. He was alive, and he could feel the sun shining through the window of his bedroom in the Henituse manor, a place that he had not been in for a long time.

Cale let out a deep breath, meeting his reflection's eyes. There was no scar on his face, his skin pale and smooth. His scarlet hair was shorter, cut stylishly in a way that hadn't been possible to do when he was in the military.

He looked down at his hands, smooth and soft. Cale frowned slightly. These were the hands of an immature aristocrat, alright. Free of the callouses that he had developed after years of swinging a sword. His skin was free of the scars that he developed in battle.

Looking in the mirror, he almost didn't recognize himself.

After a moment passed, Cale shivered despite the warm air and turned away. He didn't want to look at that face. That was the same face that had been looking down at him as he died.

He would have to ask the servants to remove all the mirrors, if possible. Cale wasn't too fond of the prospect of seeing the face of his killer in every possible reflective surface.

He pushed open the door of his bathroom, running a hand through his hair and sighing with a depth that didn't fit the body of an 18 year old.

Cale's gaze swept the familiar room, and he couldn't help the bitterness that rose in his stomach. The last time he had seen this place intact was the day before the Henituse County was attacked. When he had been sent on a scouting mission in the territory, all that remained was a crumbling city that was being reclaimed by nature. Oh, and bones. So many bones.

Cale shook away that train of thought. He had made the deal so that he could prevent that hellish future. In order to do that, he needed to be stronger. And he should also probably find the 'helper' that Death supposedly sent him. The god had refused to elaborate on what exactly that meant, or would be, much to Cale's annoyance.

At that moment, a knock sounded at his door. A muffled, slightly nervous voice called to him.

"Young Master Cale? Are you awake?"

Cale recognized the voice. Hans. A melancholic feeling gripped his heart. He quickly made his way to the door, his expression had been schooled by the time he opened it.

Cale looked down at the vice butler, the familiar ornage hair that had been stained red with blood the last time he saw it. Cale frowned slightly, and he swears that he saw Hans jump a little. Ah, right. He was 18 now, right at the peak of his trash act. Cale had almost forgotten after years of absence.

"Yes. What is it?"

He replied simply, his gaze staring coldly down at the man. For now, he shouldn't act too different from his 18 year-old self.

"A-ah well, will you be taking breakfast in your room again, Young Master?"

Cale was quiet for a moment, his face unreadable. Hans visibly grew more nervous.

"Yes. Send it here."

With that, Cale turned away from the door. He didn't know if he could lay eyes on his family just yet. They probably wouldn't want to see him anyway. If the slight pounding in his head was any indication, he thinks that he got into trouble again last night. Cale paused.

"Bring some sobering tea as well."

Hans nodded and left quickly. Shortly after, a few servants entered his room to get him ready for the day. It was uncomfortable for Cale, who had been dressing himself for twenty years. But there was also something slightly comforting about being attended to. Not because Cale particularly relished being waited on hand and foot by people he barely knows, but because it was something familiar from a ime where the country was at peace and his family was alive. He currently had the luxury of acting like trash because war had not yet touched the Roan Kingdom.

Cale had his own reasons for being a lout in his youth. When he was young, drinking helped numb the pain of losing his mother. He only really started acting out when rumors started spreading about Basen. The gossip mongers would have no time to worry about his brother if there was an even bigger scandal in the form of a rude and violent oldest son.

The younger Cale thought it would be the best way to protect him from criticism for not sharing blood with the count. Cale would stand in the spotlight as tomatoes pelted him from all directions if it meant that Basen could focus on himself in peace. Society would pity the Henituses for having to deal with such a trashy son, and that would pit them in a better light. Besides, Cale never really wanted to inherit the title anyway, and people stayed far away from him due to his reputation, so it was almost like a win-win situation.

Not that he never made mistakes. Trash talking the citizens of Harris Village was a mistake, and not just because of the beating he received in turn. Th younger Cale was arrogant, and had no real idea of what 'death' was like other than his mother, and to that Cale, no one was worth more than Mother. That day just so happened to coincide with the anniversary of her death, so he had been a bit out of it in the first place. Even so, Cale knew that what he said at the time was wrong. He had seen death. And now, he had even experienced it. He would almost be grateful to the bastard that beat him half to death if it hadn't caused him irreparable damage mentally and physically.

He was suddenly hyper aware of his side. He had seen it earlier. There was no scar, so he hadn't encountered that Hero yet. At the thought of the man, phantom pain made him grip his side. Well, that's good. All he has to do is avoid him. That was favorable to Cale.

The servants finished up with dressing him and scurried away, likely thinking that they would be berated and insulted if they stayed longer.

His clothing was expensive and layered, yet no less uncomfortable than the uniform of a soldier. At least it wasn't stiff with dried sweat and dirt. Still, he felt a little stuffy and loosed the first two buttons on his blouse, a habit he had picked up somewhere along the way.

There was another knock on the door and another servant delivered a cart of food, quickly scurrying off like the rest when Cale dismissed him.

The young man sighed, staring down at the array of breakfast foods like it had personally insulted him.

He had only taken a few hesitant bites of the decadent pancakes when a commotion sounded outside his room.

"You shouldn't be moving around so much, Young Master, you've only just woken up!"

Cale made a puzzled face. Was that the family physician? 'Young Master.' Well she clearly wasn't speaking to him. Was it Basen? Why did the physician sound so frantic? Did something happen? That shouldn't be it, Cale didn't remember Basen ever getting injured at this point. He quickly chased away the thoughts of the Plaza Bombing before they could form.

His bewildered expression was replaced by one of utter shock when his door opened and in walked himself. Well, it obviously wasn't himself, but it damn well looked like it, aside from the long hair. He looked like White Star, but that was just impossible. Utterly ridiculous. White Star hadn't even revealed himself yet, much less would he be waltzing into Cale's bedroom with such an apathetic air. Still, Cale couldn't help the spike of fear in his gut.

He jumped up from his seat, reaching for a weapon put of instinct. A butter knife wasn't very threatening, unfortunately.

"What in the actual fuck."

The similarly red-haired man simply looked at him for a moment, then waved off the physician with a lazy gesture. The physician shut the door behind her, but not without numerous worried glances at the Cale lookalike.

'Just what the hell is happening here? Don't tell me this is the helper that the God of Death sent him...'

The man wearing his face looked just about as confused, though for what it's worth, he had a good poker face.

Ugh, is he gonna have to explain everything? Who even is this guy? And why does he look exactly like Cale?