TOTCF content because my brain go brr

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Blood dripped from every pore. Cale's eyes blurred and his hands shook, but his conviction stood strong. 

Just a few more minutes. Just a few more. He repeated to himself, even as the shield holding him up wavered. He tanked the rain that slammed down against his back. Eruhaben didn't look much better, having multiple spells all at once. His brows furrowed in concentration and he panted even breaths. 

The silver shield twinkled even as the tsunami crashed against the shield. The Ubarr territory were less worried of their village as the shield would never break. No, they looked at the red haired man who struggled. Bloody water was dripping down his body. Even now, he looked stable and strong as he was in absolute pain. 

"The shield break mama?" A small boy looked up at his mother with curiousity. 

"No, the shield won't break." She reasurred the boy, although internally she worried. It was a mother's anxiety. She wasn't afraid the shield would break, but the fragile man carrying it might. 

Then a large thump slammed against the shield. An orca? Then suddenly the killer whale turned into a man with gorgeous white hair and scars. He pushed off the shield and he jumped up out of the tsunami. Then a loud splash and a bright blue light exuded from the shield. The water slowly went back into the ocean. Then the shield dropped.

Rain dripped down onto the people. And Cale fell down with the rain. Eruhaben struggled to move and save him with magic. He went to move when he collapsed too. He blinked in and out of consciousness. 

—-

Cale felt a pressing weight on his chest, momentarily afraid that he couldn't breathe. Then he heard a slight grumble. He sighed in relief. It was just his chubby dragon son taking a nap on his vital organs. Cale stroked Raon's wings and watch Raon's nose twitch before he woke up. 

"D-Human? You woke up! I was waiting." Raon mumbled despite being sleep-addled. 

Duman? What sort of new insult was that?

"Raon? You...saved me?" Cale looked at him in confusion.

"Nuh uh, it was them. The people. They did." He pointed at whoever was outside. Cale pushed himself off the bedding and pushed the tent wrap away. There were Ubarr citizens outside the tent. Nurses, chefs, hotel workers, cafe-workers, parents, bakers, children; everyone waiting to see him. 

"Hello?" 

"Mister Cale?" "Cale?" "Young Master?" "Silver Shield?" A cacophany of voices all called out for him. Cale cringed slightly. That stupid nickname. 

"How did you save me?"

A loud overlapping of voices and theatrics ensured before Cale could piece together what happened. The flowershop owners took off their rain-cover and stretched it out to catch him. The seamstresses threw blankets onto the make-shift trampoline. The lumberjacks held it high, making sure that he wouldn't snap his neck when he fell. 

Hotel workers prepared for a room, the magicians contacted his home to alert his family, flowershop owners were the cause for all the flowers in his room, the bakers personally attended to the rest of his family.

Cale listened in slight awe. They had done all of that? Just for him? 

"Why?"

"You're my hero mister silver shield." A small voice said over all the others and pushed through the crowd. A little girl hugged Cale's legs. "You saved my grampa."

"You saved my mom!" "My baby wouldn't be here without you." "I owe you my life." "My husband was a soldier and he wouldn't stop talking about you." "You protected my home!" People poured out their gratitude to Cale, grasping his fragile hands in their own. His clothing held and pulled by little children. Parents, overwhelmed by all he did for them, held him in their arms. Surrounded by people, and under Raon's watchful gaze.

'Hehe, Human, look. You're everyone's favourite hero.' Raon snickered in Cale's head.

Cale blinked. When had he done all of that?