in sickness and in death (totcf)

divine intervention and promises

The gods have kept some secrets...

Also, On curses a lot cause she's Cale's daughter. And if you think Cale doesn't curse a lot, seems like it's about time you reread the novel! 🤗

~~~

For Cale, morning always came far too early.

As the morning sun streamed through the sheer curtains, the room was bathed in a warm golden light. The rays danced across the walls, illuminating every corner of the space. The bed was the focal point, with its rumpled but luxurious sheets and plush pillows.

The children were curled up around a redhead, hugging him softly and nuzzling against him. The man stirred slightly, a small smile playing on his lips as he felt the familiar warmth and comfort that he was used to.

Then Record had flashed through his mind, and he nearly screamed. Cale opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings.

The large, luxurious bed seemed quite awfully full for only one person.

Quickly, Cale went through the thousands of speeches and assurances he had come up with last night. How much he loved them, how sorry he was, how he wasn't actually dead, how he actually came from the past—explanations of all of those things were at the tip of his tongue.

Perhaps sensing his sped-up heartbeat, a pair of beautiful azure, blue eyes opened and stared at him. He stared back. A few seconds later, a small groan and a ruffle were heard. Then, as if sensing their little staring contest, two pairs of buttery yellow eyes joined in.

Cale, put in the unfair spot of a 1 vs. 3 battle, had to turn away first.

He was about to break the silence when his eyes met dark brown.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Young master—"

Cale fainted. All his ideas on how he is going to tell the children that he will never leave them ever again jumped out the window.

Really, Ron should know by now that giving Cale such a scare in the morning—especially after such a stressful night—wasn't good for his poor, weak heart.

$$$

Four pairs of eyes stared at the red-haired man with shocked eyes before the panic set in. On was the first one to move. She's even faster than Ron.

"Shit," On curses as she swiftly leads her nimble fingers to the junction point on Cale's right wrist, then switches to the one between his neck. "Shit shit shit."

After a moment, On calmed down and visibly deflated.

Cale's pulse is weak but steady, and relief floods through her as she feels his heartbeat beneath her fingertips. "He's alive," she breathes out. Then, she let out a choked sob, "He's alive !"

In these few moments, Ron and Hong made a quick move to put Cale in a recovery position while Roan covered him with the blanket. The dragon put his hand on the human's forehead.

It's cold.

Yes, it's cold, but not cold like that.

Not cold like a corpse is.

The light trump of the pulse beneath his fingers, the warm energy bearing from the body, and—if Raon tries to hear it—the steady sound of a human heartbeat.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

It's very slow.

But Cale has always liked being slow and lazy whenever he could. The human was just like that.