Beyond The Facade - Wiki React

Chapter 2.1 - Everything can be connected

Choi Han, who had remained quiet until now, glanced at Cale. "That ability..." he said slowly, "It was the one used to seal the God of Despair."

Cale gave a short nod. "Embrace."

"...I see." Alberu finally broke his silence, his arms still folded. His sharp features relaxed slightly as something like respect crept into his voice. "Then I suppose we owe Lee Soo Hyuk a debt too."

He added, "After all, without that ability, our situation would have been even more difficult."

Cale didn't answer, but his silence was telling.

Eruhaben, who had been quietly observing, narrowed his golden eyes. "Cale, what exactly is an ability?"

Cale straightened a little. His tone was detached, but his eyes didn't stray from the floor as he explained.

"As monsters began invading Earth, they started to appear. Some humans, only a small portion at first, developed special traits. We called them 'abilities.'"

He looked up then, briefly meeting the eyes of those gathered around.

"They came in many types. Some increased physical strength or enhanced perception. Some allowed manipulation of elements, others affected the mind. Each one had different mechanics, but they gave people a fighting chance. Something like... hope."

Rosalyn, arms folded thoughtfully, tilted her head. "Not everyone had them?"

"No. Most didn't. That's why they were precious. We had to deploy those with abilities in the most efficient way during battle."

Raon tilted his head. "So you have three now? Record, Instant, and Embrace?"

"Yeah," Cale confirmed.

Eruhaben hummed. "And naturally, they had side effects, didn't they?"

"Of course. But if you used them properly and didn't push the limits, they were manageable."

Ron's voice came from behind, calm as always. "Young master Cale. The people mentioned, Jung Soo, and Lee Soo Hyuk. Who are they?"

There was a pause. For once, Cale didn't deflect immediately.

"...Jung Soo," he said slowly, "was... is someone I considered a sworn brother."

Choi Han looked down briefly, something shifting in his expression.

Cale's voice softened slightly, almost like a confession. "They... Lee Soo Hyuk, Jung Soo, they're people who mattered to me. Still do."

Choi Han looked down, his expression shifting subtle, but there. Recognition. Understanding. Maybe even guilt, though it had no place here.

Kim Rok Soo had a bright smile that suited a twenty-year-old person and not someone in his mid-thirties.

"Yeah. I met someone I wanted to see for a long time."

Cale felt quite odd facing Kim Rok Soo, who was smiling in a way he had never smiled when he had been Kim Rok Soo.

"Who was the person you wanted to see?"

"My mother."

Cale was at a loss for words.

It was someone who had felt distant to Cale because she was not mentioned much in < The Birth of a Hero >. Duchess Violan felt more like a mother to him.

Violan's heart, usually as composed as her expression, stirred with warmth.

He saw her as a mother.

Despite everything, despite the past,  the silence, the unfamiliarity between them, he had given her that place in his heart.