TREASURE || ATEEZ

09- resurrection

ep. nine
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Keeping Yeosang close to you, your eyes start to close in defeat like they always do. This time, however, you fight to keep them open as your determination continues to flare within you. You are still trying to swim back to the surface, even if you lack the energy to.

"Are you in need of assistance again, fair maiden?"

An unfamiliar voice whispers in your ear and you twist your body around to see where the voice came from, earning a chuckle from them. "You're looking right at me, darling."

You stop moving once you hear their remark, staring forward and failing to comprehend what they meant by that. Everyone is blurry and you don't see a figure lingering in the waters, so who is it that is speaking to you?

Unless...

'The fair maiden, you mean the sea witch?' you recall hearing in the dining room. 'She can control the sea with her mind!'

'Yeah, she brought herself back onto the ship with the help of the sea! She's an actual sea witch!'

The voice is coming from the sea.

"Correct, maiden."

You can't think straight as feel yourself losing oxygen every second, suffocating underwater. Your mouth lets out a breath and bubbles escape into the ocean, the last of your air leaving you to drown in the depths of despair.

You don't notice it at first, but your body then becomes lighter and you re-emerge back to the surface. Another gasp leaves your lips and you start making your way back to the ship despite the fact that you aren't moving any of your limbs, which causes you to look down to see the water around you acting on its own. A shimmering light emerges from your hand, and you bring your attention to it to see that your dull moonstone pendant shines brightly throughout the dark.

This is the source of its power.

Once you make it to the ship, the portion of the ocean lifts you and Yeosang up and gently places you down on deck. The both of you collapse and everyone on board rushes to their crewmate's aide as Seonghwa approaches his unconscious body.  You shiver in the cold while the freezing wind brushes over your wet clothes, but the only thing you can worry about is the combatant.

You take note of how Seonghwa puts his hand on his mate's chest and leans closer to his face to check for breathing. Then, he tilts the male's head backward before beginning mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, meaning that Yeosang has been unresponsive. The crew would make a commotion because of the scene folding in front of them, but the only thing that they can do is watch this scene unfold in front of them, anxious of the outcome.

The captain scoffs and turns his head away, eyebrows scrunched together in fury as Yunho comes to his side to reassure him that their crewmate will be fine. Although he is trying to brighten up the atmosphere, there is a hint of doubt in his words. San, who went against his captain's command of staying in his room after hearing the commotion, helps the surgeon in attempt to revive their crew member.

As you watch from afar, the same voice from the ocean speaks to you.

"Do you wish to help them?"

Immediately, you nod your head to yourself. It is your fault for giving Yeosang your pendant when you had no clue about its power, which will potentially killed him if he doesn't wake up.

"Very well," the voice sighs in defeat.

You listen to the voice's instructions as you begin making your way to the center of the crowd. Little by little, the crew notices your approach and makes a pathway for you to enter the scene. In front of you is one member shaking Seonghwa and attempting to pull him away from the unconscious master-at-arms. "Seonghwa, he's gone. We can't do anything about it."

"Shut the fuck up, Mingi!" you hear him curse, which surprises you since you thought of him as a pure angel. "Let me continue my job!"

San starts to give up on pushing on Yeosang's chest and a sorrowful look decorates his face. "Mingi is right, there's nothing more we can do."

"He's still there! Just a few more reps and-"

"SILENCE!"

All the bickering quiets down once the pirate king shouts his command, silence washing over them. They all bring their attention to their captain, who is avoiding to look at them and trembling out of guilt. Saddened gazes linger on his back, slowly accepting the reality that they face.

"It is no use," the man says in a slightly quivering voice. "We've done our best to bring him back, but nothing prevailed."

Yunho continues to pat his back to comfort him. "If only we reached him earlier."

"No."

The captain lifts his gaze from the ground and turns around to face the crowd, anger written all over his face. "If only that wretched whore didn't come on board."

Immediately after he had said that remark, he swiftly looks around to locate you before storming toward the center of the audience. For every crew member in his path receives a rough push, causing them to tumble to the ground. The black-haired quartermaster scurries behind to prevent his captain from committing a horrible deed.

"Captain!" Yunho shouts. "It's not her fault, leave her out of this-"

"Leave her out of this?" The captain stops in place and faces his crew member. "If she didn't appear, Yeosang would have never taken interest in her and end up like this!"

With that ending remark, Hongjoong unsheathes his cutlass and continues to make his way to you. His grip tightens with every step he takes closer to you, gritting his teeth out of fury. He wants to see your lifeless body lie next to Yeosang, a life for a life.

When he finds you, however, San and Seonghwa rush over to him with their hands spread out as if they are not permitting him to move any further. The captain raises his sword at them, but they do not flinch nor move out of the way.

"Captain, please restrain yourself-" San attempts to reason with Hongjoong, only to be harshly shoved to the floor. Seonghwa begins restraining his movement by holding onto his coat, which also resulted in falling onto the floor as the man removes his coat from him.

He now stands in front of you, a cunning smirk decorating his lips as the thought of your death brings joy to him. You are even closing your eyes, so you have no idea what is about to happen to you. Raising his cutlass, the crew gasps in shock and anticipate the sword to make slice through your neck. The navigator, surgeon, and quartermaster open their mouths to shout a warning to you since you are unaware of your current situation, their hearts dropping any second from now.

With a swift swing, everyone turns away from the sight and expect to hear a piercing scream echo in the dark. They wait for a few seconds for the deed to be done, holding onto each other for dear life, and a few tears slip from the members who are closest to you.

Yet nothing happens.

San is the first one to bring his gaze back to the center of attention, only to see Hongjoong's cutlass only a few centimeters away from your neck. A portion of the sea has emerged from the side of the ship and has wrapped itself around the cutlass to prevent the weapon's movement. With one glance, you finally noticed the flimsy weapon that has nearly struck your neck, yet ignore its closeness to return your focus to what you are doing.

You are settled beside Yeosang and bring your hand over the male's chest, closing your eyes to help you focus on the presence of water in his body. Slowly, your hand travels up his mouth, moving the liquid up his body, and pulls away from his lips. As commanded, a trail of water leaves his lips as you bring your hand further up from his mouth until you no longer notice any more water encased in his body.

Your ears then instantly twitch at the sound of a person gasping for air and coughing, and your eyes open to see the combatant now sitting up with his hands up his throat.