------------------
HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
------------------
Chapter 7: Into the Storm
Barron’s son, Aaron, was bored.
The reason? The storm.
A few days ago, news had spread that a storm was coming, and the whole village had started preparing for it.
Aaron, along with his friends, had tightly secured their school building with ropes and tarps so it wouldn’t be blown away. After that, he helped his mother at home, fastening ropes to keep their house secure.
Then they all hunkered down in the shelter.
Beyond that, the children weren’t allowed to help—only the adults were involved in the storm preparations because it was too dangerous.
While Aaron was playing with his friend in the shelter, using a ball made from a pig’s urine container, suddenly the shelter door swung open.
Bang!
The shelter door suddenly swung open.
“Whoa!!! You scared me!!!”
“Hey, Nibel! Where’ve you been?”
There stood Nibel, dripping wet from the rain.
With a confident grin, he swaggered over to the kids.
“From now on, call me Lord Nibel!”
Brimming with bravado, he held out something in his hand.
It was a small, deep-blue gemstone—an ‘Haeseok’.
“No way! That’s a Haeseok, isn’t it!?”
“Wow!! Nibel!! Where did you get that!?”
“Where else? From the sea! Hehe.”
Haeseok was a rare jewel sometimes found along the stormy beaches of Cron.
The kids were amazed and fascinated that Nibel had actually brought one.
Aaron, who’d heard the adults say that with just one of those gems, a family could eat bacon all year round, asked eagerly.
“Nibel! If I go to the sea, can I find one too?”
“You can find them by the shore... but you scaredy-cats probably won’t make it. Hehehe.”
Nibel glanced out the shelter door.
Outside, the storm was nearly upon them—heavy rain and howling wind battered everything.
It was obvious no one could go outside.
Most of the kids’ faces went gloomy.
But Aaron was the only one staring out at the raging storm beyond the door.
After a moment, Aaron made up his mind.
＊ ＊ ＊
The storm had arrived in the territory.
Gray rain clouds covered the sky, dumping heavy rain. Strong winds, fierce enough to toss rocks, tore through the land.
Even with Calyx’s memories, experiencing it in person was something else. It reminded him of Typhoon Maemi from his past life—brutal and terrifying.
Whoooosh!!!
"My lord! It's too dangerous now! Please, let's return to the castle!"
Calyx was making a final inspection of the territory, ensuring everything was in order.
Accompanying him through the storm was Steward Hart, Knight Rikain, and Advisor Nova.
Despite his age, Hart insisted on joining out of concern for Calyx, visibly struggling against the storm's fury.
Just as Calyx decided it was time to head back, he spotted townspeople emerging in the distance.
"Aaron!!!"
"Aaron, my child!!!"
Villagers, who should have been in the shelters, were coming out one by one, calling out a name.
Sensing something was wrong, Calyx rode over to them.
"What's going on? Why aren't you in the shelters?"
A man, seemingly one of the territory's workers, appeared flustered by Calyx's sudden appearance. Before he could respond, a woman—presumably his wife—grabbed Calyx's trousers, her face contorted with desperation.
"Aaron!!! Our son is missing!!!"
"What?!"
Her voice, filled with terror, was all Calyx needed to understand the gravity of the situation.
"Hart! Mobilize everyone who can move!"
"R-Right now?"
"If not now, then when? Hurry!"
The very scenario Calyx had feared was unfolding.
He ordered Hart and Rikain to gather workers and knights to search for the child, then turned his horse around.
"My lord! Where are you going?"
"I'll head to the beach just in case. Hyah!!!"
"My lord! It's dangerous! My lord!!!"
With memories of past traumas surfacing, Calyx galloped toward the shoreline.
＊ ＊ ＊
At that moment, by the beach, Aaron was fighting for his life in the middle of the storm.
"Just a little more… just a little… more…"
He had snuck out of the shelter when the adults were distracted and made his way toward the beach.
The storm winds nearly knocked him over, but he pushed forward, heading to the spot Nibel had mentioned.
There, in the gray sea, a faint blue shimmer appeared—it was a Haeseok.
It looked like it might wash ashore at any moment.
To grab it, Aaron waded into the surf, water reaching his waist.
The waves were rough, but he could manage.
All he had to do was grab that Haeseok and head back to the shelter like Nibel.
Then his friends would acknowledge him, and he’d have something valuable to bring home to his family.
With that thought, he stretched out his hand one last time—
CRAAASH!!!
“AAAHHHHH!!!”
A wave twice his size slammed into him and swallowed him whole.
It all happened so fast, Aaron couldn’t even process what was going on.
Suddenly, he couldn’t breathe.
The world flipped upside down and began spinning around him.
As his consciousness faded—
All Aaron could feel was fear.
＊ ＊ ＊
I had a younger brother.
He was four years younger than me, but he talked early and started walking early, too.
Because of that, he grew up showered with love from everyone in the family.
I still remember it clearly.
He used to toddle after me, calling out, ‘Big bro, big bro,’ and he was so cute wobbling around that I’d sometimes run ahead on purpose just to get him to chase me.
One time, he fell over trying to catch up and got scolded by Mom—I remember it like it was yesterday.
Then came the day of the storm.
Our family lived near the sea.
Dad was running late from fishing, and Mom, worried about him, went down to the shore to look for him.
Worried about her in turn, I told my little brother ‘not to leave the house no matter what,’ and ran off to find her.
I figured it would be fine.
He had just turned four—old enough to understand what I said, and smart enough to know the weather outside was dangerous.
So I left him alone in the house and ran after Mom, thinking everything would be okay.
And that day…
My brother vanished into the waves.
“Hyah!! Hyah!!!”
WHOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!
I whipped the reins and rushed toward the beach.
But when I got there—nothing.
No people. No voices. Just the howling wind, crashing waves, and the endless gray sea.
Then…
I saw a faint blue light.
“Gah!! Gahh!!!”
Far out, well beyond the shoreline, I saw a kid thrashing in the water.
“Kid!! Hey, kid!! Stay with me!!”
“Gahh—huff, huff—gahhh!!”
The child couldn’t hear me.
He just kept flailing, struggling, fighting to survive.
In his hand, a blue gem flashed in and out of view.
And the sea—it was speaking to me.
Telling me that this kid didn’t have much time left.
“......”
My brother—the one who vanished into the waves that day—came back like a cold, lifeless doll.
His hands and feet felt like ice.
No matter how many times I called his name, he never answered.
Not when I offered him the toy he’d been begging for.
Not even when I gave him the candy I’d been saving just for myself.
He didn’t respond at all.
I remember it like it was yesterday—
Dad’s anguished cries tearing through the silence.
Mom, sobbing so hard she lost her voice.
That sound still echoes in my mind.
And now…
Am I supposed to watch it happen all over again?
Another child, right before my eyes, becoming a cold lifeless doll?
If this is the price of being reborn…
Then maybe I should’ve just fucking died back there.
I stripped off my coat.
And dove into the sea.
＊ ＊ ＊
After a while, people arrived at the beach.
Hart, Nova, Aaron’s parents, and all the able-bodied people of Cron joined the search for Aaron.
“Lord!”
“Aaron! Baby!!”
Hart’s face turned pale when he saw Calyx’s horse by the shore.
The horse was there—but the lord himself was nowhere to be seen.
Barron and his wife also went pale.
“That is…”
Their eyes caught sight of a small child’s shoe on the beach.
How could they forget?
It was Aaron’s leather shoe, bought by Barron for twice the daily wage.
“No… no! No! No!!”
“Baby…! Baby!! No! No!! No!!!!”
A shoe drifting out to sea meant only one thing.
And given this weather, falling into the sea meant death.
Barron’s wife—Aaron’s mother—began screaming and tried to run into the water.
Barron, desperate not to lose his wife as well, grabbed her and held her back, crying out.
Everyone thought—
Aaron was gone.
The sea had taken him.
The storm had swallowed him whole.
Though no one dared say it aloud, they were already giving up.
Then, a miracle happened.
“That is…?”
Nova was the first to spot it.
Among the gray waves, something was shining.
It was a familiar silver head of hair.
From the shore, a silver figure emerged, tightly holding something close.
It was Calyx and Aaron.
“My lord!”
“Lord Calyx!”
Hart and Nova rushed over as soon as they saw him.
Before they could speak, Calyx shouted.
“I’m fine! Get a doctor! Call a fucking doctor!!”
Calyx carried Aaron out of the water and laid him down on the beach.
The child’s body was limp, eyes closed.
“Please… please…”
Kneeling on both knees, Calyx checked Aaron’s mouth.
There was no breath.
No consciousness.
But it wasn’t over yet.
Calyx placed his hands, one on top of the other, right on Aaron’s chest.
Taking a deep breath, he calmly began chest compressions.
“One… two… three…”
Calyx pressed down on the chest with a steady, precise rhythm.
Every time the small, fragile rib cage compressed, his eyebrows twitched just slightly.
‘No mistakes.’
He had imagined this countless times—practiced CPR again and again, haunted by regret over that day’s tragedy.
There was no room for error.
‘So get up, little one… Get up… I said, get up!’
“Cough!!”
Suddenly, a small cough slipped out.
Aaron’s body twitched slightly.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Aaron!? Aaron!!!”
Aaron turned his head and began to spit out the seawater.
His breath came back harshly, but clearly.
Calyx paused for a moment, then cupped the child’s face with both hands.
Warmth was definitely there.
The child was alive.
“Mom…?”
“My baby! My baby!! Thank goodness!! If anything happened to you!! Mom would—!!”
Aaron’s mother rushed to him, trembling as she kept touching his hands and feet, over and over, just to be sure he was really alive.
Barron, who had run alongside her and confirmed Aaron was safe, broke down in tears—no one could tell if it was from rain or grief.
He dropped to his knees in the sand and bowed deeply to Calyx, over and over again.
“Thank you!!! My lord!! Truly…! Truly!!! Thank you!!!”
Exhausted, Calyx just stared blankly at the scene.
Then quietly, he approached Aaron, who was still dazed in his mother’s arms.
“I’m glad you’re alive, little one…”
Calyx gently ran his hand over Aaron’s head a few times.
As he tried to stand and leave, his strength gave out, and he nearly collapsed.
He swayed—
“My lord!!”
Nova, who was right beside him, caught Calyx before he fell. His body was ice-cold.
‘How did he save a child like this?’
Nova couldn’t hide her shock and disbelief.
Calyx spoke weakly.
“Sorry, Nova… please help me up.”
“Yes… my lord…”
With Nova’s support, Calyx struggled to his feet.
Everyone there that day saw it—their lord’s silhouette.
His steps weak and staggering, every movement heavy with exhaustion.
Helpless and humble, yet somehow noble and striking in his fragility.
“My lord…”
“My lord…”
Then, without a word, one by one, they started to kneel.
No one knew exactly why—just that they couldn’t stop themselves.
Looking him straight in the eyes felt like carrying a lifetime of guilt.
The people of Cron had lost something to the storm, whether big or small.
And they had long accepted that as fate.
Because that’s what it meant to be powerless—just surviving day by day.
But today, everything changed.
This young lord showed them that loss wasn’t the only option—that some things are worth fighting for, worth risking everything for.
That day…
The people of Cron found their salvation in him.
------------------
HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
------------------
