The execrable smell of blood, rotting flesh, and bodily fluids filled the air. Bodies of friend and foe littered the ground of what was once Puzzle City. Most of the bodies made up the unit he was stationed in, his allies, his comrades.
Cale Henituse stood in the middle of that battlefield with his sword raised. In front of him was the head of the enemy, White Star. A bastard who wanted to release a god and take over the world. A bastard who was responsible for the deaths of thousands.
His eyes flicked briefly to the people running toward him in the distance-well, not toward him but White Star. It was Choi Han-a fake bastard that he did not like, Rosalyn-a strong and confident mage, and His Majesty, King Alberu. There were other distinguished individuals and soldiers behind them.
Cale felt a little bit of relief when he did not see his lover's face. Cale knew what the outcome of this battle would be and it was not going to be pretty.
White Star raised his own sword. Cale readied himself to reflect the attack. He felt his legs lock and his arms vibrate in intense pain when the force of White Star's attack shattered his sword. A blinding white hot pain filled his shoulder before his sight turned white before finally fading to black.
All feeling left his body except for the feeling of weightlessness. His eyesight finally returned to him.
"What the fuck is this!"
Cale was no longer on the battlefield, nor was he inside a tent receiving treatment. He was standing inside a lavish sitting room that had one wall completely lined with books.
"This is my domain."
Cale spun around to locate where the voice had come from. Behind him, standing in the middle of an entryway, was a beautiful young woman with waist long black hair and caramel skin. Long, pointed ears poked out from her silky looking strands. Her bright purple eyes stared at him in amusement.
"Who the fuck are you and where the fuck am I?" How did he wind up in this room and with a mixed-blood Dark Elf?
"Quite crass aren't you? I like that." The woman came in all the way and gracefully sat down on the expensive looking chair. Cale knew what expensive looked like since his family used to be one of the richest there were and that couch screamed that it was made of money.
The woman cracked a smile at him. "I tend to dabble off topic a lot and I also want to clearly explain things so it may take a while." She gestured to the seat across from her with a delicate looking hand. Cale decided to oblige and gracefully sat down. "My name is Miuru and I am the God of Death that watches over Earths four-hundred-and-twenty-one through four-hundred-and-fifty."
She paused to give him time to digest the information. It sounded like there were multiple Earths with multiple gods that took care of a select few. It sounded a lot like a business.
"The Earths that I watch over are very similar to Earths one through thirty and Earths one-thousand-and-eighty through one-thousand-one-hundred-and-ten. But that is not what is important. What is important is that the Temple of the sealed god, the God of Despair, will be able to be free with the destruction of your Earth. He has been able to achieve this feat by gathering up enough despair throughout this domain. And unfortunately, we are unable to go down to Earth to stop him because of our treaty with the demons." Her voice held an un-hidden wrath inside it. "But because of the blood that flows through your veins, the blood of a Hunter, you have a special ability."
Cale knew somewhat about Hunters. The former King, Zed Crossman, had reached out to him when Cale was in his thirties to explain about the Thames bloodline. It was the last thing Zed was able to do before he was killed not long after.
"Your unique ability is a one-time use kind of deal. You are a regressor." Cale let the God of Death's words sink into him. If what she said was true, that meant that he could return back to a point in time. "I am meeting with you to ask what you want. You have two options. You can either be reborn without your memories as your mother's child, or you can regress back to a point in time and save your world. I should warn you that if you choose rebirth, that Earth will perish in the future along with all the other Earths under my domain if the Sealed God is released."
Cale felt hope swell within him when he had heard that his mother had been reincarnated. But he could not readily accept that offer. If the sealed god was released on his Earth, then the other Earths under this domain would be affected. He was also hesitant because of his lover-though were they technically lovers when all they shared were a few sweet moments and a few stolen kisses? For fuck sakes, Cale died a vergin! Ugh, he really should have met his lover a lot sooner in life instead of just a few months before his death.
"Have you made up your mind?" The question was kind and not demanding.
"Will I be able to save everyone?" Cale's voice tried to crack but luckily it did not. He was still trying to process everything, and it felt like everything imaginable was flying at him at the speed of light. Death, a god, and a deal. It was almost too much for him.
"Yes," Miuru's answer was immediate and her voice was confident.
Cale slowly licked his lips. "I would like to return. If I can save those I love, then I will try."
Miuru gave him a warm smile. "Good luck," she said before reaching forward and placing her hand on his forehead. A black mist shot out from her hand and wrapped around him. Cale felt himself losing consciousness once again.
His eyelashes fluttered. Light beat through the curtains and washed over his face. A harsh tsked forced him to open his eyes all the way.
Standing beside his bed with the bed curtains open, was Ron Molan. The old butler had more brown in his hair and less wrinkles on his face. Upon seeing him awake, Ron plastered a benign smile on his face even though his brown eyes were harsh. "Tsk, drinking as soon as you turn sixteen. Bad habits are unbecoming, Young Master." He then placed a glass of lemon tea on the bedside table without a sound.
Cale flinched, both internally and externally. He was stuck between being happy that this man was alive and hating the fact that he was alive.
"This butler act does not suit you," he told Ron, uncaring of his actions.
Ron's hand twitched and that benign smile turned sinister. "And pray tell what the young master means by that statement? This old Ron has been serving the young master since he was a boy, I do not see how it is an act."
Cale just blatantly stared at Ron. He debated internally just what and how much he should reveal. If he wanted to accomplish everything that he wanted to do, he couldn't do it alone. Ron might not be the best of choices given how dangerous the old man was, but he was also reliable and skilled. Cale also didn't want to see him die again which would undoubtedly happen if the old man and his son followed that punk bastard again. He also knew that the two Molans would stay by his side if they thought he could help them with their revenge-that was what they truly wanted after all.
He cleared his throat before taking a sip of the bitter drink. "You said I'm sixteen?" Cale wanted to confirm that he had heard correctly.
". . .Yes," Ron answered slowly. "Did the young master drink so much that he has forgotten?"
"No. In fact, I don't easily get drunk." He placed the still semi-full drink down. "Ron Molan, former head of the Molan Household that ran the underworld in the Eastern Continent along with the four other Assassin Households."
Before he could say anymore, a dagger was placed at his neck. "How do you know this?"
Cale spoke carefully, not wanting to accidentally cut himself. "What do you know about my mother's household?"
"The Thames were former nobility that had been completely erased from history in just a few short years. What does this have to do with you knowing who I am?"
Cale rolled his eyes. "You should have at least changed your names if you were going into hiding." He scoffed lightly and the blade of the dagger pressed harder against his skin. "The Thames possesses a special bloodline. We are Hunters though we are currently being hunted by the Hunters. Anyway, that's not important right now. What is important is that our bloodline is special. We have an affinity with time. My affinity has to do with regression."
"As in moving back in time?"
Cale started to move his head but realized that he couldn't, so instead, he released a sigh. "I could have chosen rebirth but I decided to regress. I know that you want to protect your son and that you also want revenge against the people who killed your wife." The hand holding the dagger shook, but only minutely. "A birthday banquet will be held for King Zed's fiftieth birthday. During it, Arm will stage an attack-oh, technically they destroy Harris Village right before that." Cale's heart quivered at the thought of the village where his mother had gone to on the day that she had passed away.
"A war will rage between the Whale Tribe and the Mermaids, also Arm's doing." Cale was honestly surprised that Ron was listening to him, though the dagger at his neck was still annoying. "A war between the mage faction and non-mage faction will happen in the Whipper Kingdom. I am unsure, but I believe the mages-or at least some of them- are colluding with Arm. I also believe that the Jungle or at least some of it was destroyed by the Mogoru Empire. The Empire will also attack the Caro Kingdom under the guise of friendship-though technically the Northern Alliance will be responsible for the actual attacking. The first place the three Northern Kingdoms attack will be our territory." Cale moved with great care so that he could look at Ron. "Only a few survive. I know the pain you felt when you lost your family because I too have lost mine. The events I just mentioned are just the beginning. Behind every single one of them is Arm. It will be a twenty-year-long war with everyone against Arm on the losing side."
"You say you saw all of this before you regressed?"
"Yes," was Cale's immediate reply.
"How were you able to regress?"
Cale released a tired sigh. He was too old for this. "I died by the hands of the leader of Arm-a mother fucker who just reincarnates every time he is killed-when I was in my forties. When I died, I met the God of Death and she gave me an option. I chose the annoying one for the people I care about. I was only able to strike this deal because of my bloodline, as I have mentioned already."
Ron removed the dagger from his throat and gave him a threatening looking smile that wasn't actually directed at him. "What do you plan on doing, Young Master?"
Cale gave him the most trashiest smile he had. "I plan on becoming stronger than that White Bastard and flip his plans over."
Ron tucked his dagger away and gave him a respectful bow. "I would like to be included in your plans."
"Of course. I never would have told you if I hadn't planned on having you help me."
. . . .