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The press of the soft, silken handkerchief on his bleeding forehead stung, but the wound had already hurt.
The feeling grounded him in the present, holding back the ghosts of his siblings begging him to escape. At the same time, the touch was gentle. Warm, slender fingers pressed with care to stop the bleeding.
In this underground hell, it reminded him of his older siblings. But not of the tearful pleading of his last memory of them.
Instead, unbidden memories rose up, of slender fingers, so much larger than his own, pressing a cloth to his skinned knees. Warm lips against his forehead and caring fingers wiping away his tears. Warm voices of his noona and hyung, telling him not to cry, that he would be okay.
Those are the memories he wanted to hold tightly and cherish. The warmth of their love. He held the warm touch close as a shield against the despair of this place, leaning into that gentle hand.
He would be okay. They would make it okay.
“The Imperial Prince is mine.”
Rex blinked and slowly returned to his senses after hearing the blunt and cold voice above him. The tone was so different from the warm hand that was touching his wound.
“Cale-nim.” Choi Han called out from behind young master Cale, who slowly responded back in that serious, chill tone.
“I know.”
‘What does he know?’ Rex’s eyes were full of confusion, as the young master-nim leaned down even further next to him and whispered in Rex’s ear.
“Sir Rex, look at the highest point.”
The highest point?’ Rex had only been focused on the skeletons, but he now slowly raised his head up.
The underground hall seemed to go up forever. It was almost unbelievable that such a vast area was located underneath the capital. But they must have managed to not get caught because it was so deep underground.
“…Huh?” His gaze stopped at the highest spot in this underground hall, right beneath the ceiling. There was an area surrounded by glass that was sticking out like a terrace to view a play. It was as if the terrace was built just to look down at this pile of skeletons.
He could feel his skin prickling as his fur bristled again in fury, his insides twisting.
His ears flicked, as heard Commander Cale-nim’s voice the moment his eyes landed on that terrace. It was a scary voice that was a mix of both joy and anger. “…Found you.”
Young master Cale-nim's feelings resonated within Rex, his back arching up with the heat of his anger.
There were heavily armed knights and mages, as well as some alchemists visible inside the lit up terrace. They were surrounding one man that made Rex want to bare his fangs.
“He’s weaker than I am.” Eruhaben calmly evaluated the strength of the bastard in the center of the terrace window.
Billos shouted at that moment. “It’s the Imperial doctor!” The man he pointed out was handing the enemy at the center a wine glass.
Eruhaben looked at this and added on. “It’s dead mana.”
The wine glass was full of black liquid, and that damned monster was drinking it as he leisurely looked down at the underground hall.
“…The Imperial Prince.” Rex’s pupils started to shake. His skin shivered as a ripple of rage set his fur on end.
Imperial Prince Adin.
He was shirtless and sitting on a wheelchair, making the area Choi Han wounded near his heart visible to them.
‘He’s drinking dead mana?’
A broad smile spread across the young master-nim’s face.
“Human!” Raon shouted in shock at that moment. “That thing, that bastard!” Raon stuttered, but he continued on, after seeing Eruhaben not saying anything. “That bastard became a black mage!”
Billos and Choi Han gasped, and tense silence filled the area.
Adin was looking down from the terrace at the hellish pit filled with skeletons of people, his victims who had died in despair. He had a relaxed expression on his face.
“Hehe.”
They all jolted after hearing young master Cale-nim suddenly laughing. It was different than his usual laugh and sent a shiver down Rex's spine. It was frightening, yet sent a thrill of anticipation through the Cat. His tail puffed up and his ears flattened back instinctively.
Cale-nim slowly petted Sir Rex’s fur as he started to speak. “Sir Rex.”
His hand was still warm and large against the Cat's small back, despite the anger hidden in his tone of voice. He knew the anger was not aimed at him. The gentle sensation was reassuring and calming despite the situation.
The gentle hand stroked his bristling fur and the arch of his back down flat. His ears perked forward. It felt familiar, like the large hand of his adopted mother rubbing his small back when he returned home, reassuring him. It reminded him of his parents who had comforted him, thankful he had survived.
It steadied Rex's shaking heart with resolve.
“Yes?”
“Wouldn’t it be fun to grab that bastard by the neck and drag him down to this lowest spot in the Empire? Don’t you agree?” His voice was twisted with a cruel glee and fury. The familiar merciless joy of having prey in sight resonated within Rex. He understood that feeling too.
Rex raised his head without being able to say anything. He was currently at the lowest point of the Empire. He could see Adin looking down at where he was standing, unaware of the hidden predators stalking him from below. His fangs ached in anticipation.
But first, they had to gather evidence and prepare.
These predators would be waiting for these escaping rats when the attack on the Bell Tower began.
“Sir Rex.” After observing and listening in on Adin, the young master-nim's voice was steady and collected again.
“Yes, young master-nim.”
“Did you gather the people I told you to gather last time? Can I meet them?”
He meant the people who shared Rex’s pain and had worked with him in the past to strike against the Alchemist's Bell Tower.
Rex thought about how young master Cale-nim had told him to gather them together and nodded his head.
“Is there something for us to do?”
The strength of the Empire and black magic were both at levels beyond Rex’s imagination.
He was worried about what his friends, who were spread out throughout the Empire, could do. He was the only one among them with strength to fight, and even he felt the Empire's strength was beyond his own.
He then heard Commander Cale-nim's response. “Of course. You guys need to do everything.”
But Rex was not going to be fighting alone. Cale-nim and all the strong people he had following him were joining Rex on this hunt. A thrill of warmth ran through him at the thought. The young master-nim believed in him to be strong enough.
He still doubted and didn't think he was enough for all that young master Cale-nim expected of him in the future. But he was no stranger to thinking he wasn't enough. It had always been the support and belief of others in him that had seen him through to do what he doubted of himself.
His siblings had believed he could escape and live, even though he was tiny, too young and useless. But they had believed in him, encouraging him to attempt to escape and live. That belief had driven him to keep going as he'd crawled and dragged himself through the tiny passage to escape.
And he'd lived, because they believed in him.
He hadn't thought he would be able to get revenge for his siblings against the power of the Alchemist's Bell Tower and the Imperial family. He was just one person from the slums. To even get close enough to see his targets he would have to become someone of higher standing. Higher even than an Imperial palace servant.
A knight.
He didn't think he was enough to reach for such a position. But his family had believed in his strength and ability. His trainers had believed in his ability too.
With that support he had become Sir Rex for the sake of his goals.
And the others of the slums who shared his pain and hated the Alchemist's Bell Tower and imperial family, those he had found with similar desires for revenge and justice, they believed in him too. They had believed he could lead them to their goal. Even when he doubted he could lead them, they believed in him.
With their belief, he'd found that he was enough.
And the young master, Cale-nim, believed he was enough. Not just for his revenge. Not just for justice for his siblings and everyone the alchemists and Adin had murdered; but to lead the people of the Empire who had been betrayed by the imperial family, and needed to be reminded of what kind of Mogoru they could be proud of.
He could still feel the warmth of that belief in the ghost of a gentle hand and caring touch.
And that belief was enough for him to strive to be enough.