The Legend of Magic Island | taejun + sookai

part 4: the empty graveyard

"Taehyun! Yeonjun!" Soobin exclaimed, cupping a hand around his mouth. The two walked deeper through the dark forest until no light was let through. There was no sight of the others, Hueningkai walking closely with the captain.

Hueningkai glanced around nervously, holding his hands behind his back. The voices had stopped, it was nothing but silent in the deep forest.

The two searched for what seemed like hours, though time seemed to freeze while they were there. There was no indication for time of day, and everything was still.

Soobin bit his lip nervously. Hearing the dried, dead soil beneath his boots. He checked behind him to make sure Hueningkai was still following.

"We shouldn't have split up," the captain murmured. "The other three still have their lanterns, right?"

"Beomgyu was the only one who didn't have one," Hueningkai answered with a sigh. "Taehyun and Yeonjun were sharing one last time I checked."

Captain Soobin faltered, sighing deeply to himself. The legend had made Magic Island seem... fantastical. A place where dreams lived and a great treasure given to the noblest of hearts. With his crewmates missing, Captain Soobin's hopes were beginning to wither away...

Since their arrival, it's been quite the opposite of fantastical. Everything seemed to be tainted. And the maze of trees seemed to be going for acres and acres endlessly. There was no forest with red and blue thickets that tangled like arteries of a heart.

Nor was there a lush field of flowers awaiting travelers and welcoming them with their bright and vivid colors. It felt off to the Captain, conflicted by the haunting decision of staying or leaving.

He had wanted to find Magic Island so badly, but scared to explore all of it. Captain Soobin could feel eyes watching him as he and Hueningkai walked through the forest, until they came upon another clearing.

A graveyard. With a purple sky and cracked tombstones and pebbles littered amongst the ground. A golden pedestal sat in the middle of it, tangled with thorns and overgrown weeds. Captain Soobin and Hueningkai looked around in wonder, letting the lantern hang loosely at their side.

"It's just as the legend said," Captain Soobin said with amazement, slowly stepping onto the empty field. He looked around curiously, Hueningkai cautiously following behind him.

Hueningkai leaned closer to Soobin. "How'd the legend talk about this place so accurately?"

"Maybe sailors have gone here and barely made it out alive," he answered, glancing around cautiously through the thick atmosphere of the graveyard. The headstones didn't have names engraved on them, but appeared to be placemarkers of stone.

Hueningkai set the lantern down on the pedestal and held his hands behind his back. Soobin's eyes looked over each gravestone, looking for any sign— a message. The two cautiously trekked through the misty graveyard, when they heard a familiar voice behind them.

"Captain! There you are!"

It sounded like Taehyun.

Swiftly, Captain Soobin and Hueningkai turned around to see no one was standing there. It was only more forest, the mist making it hard to make out anything.

"Taehyun? Are you and Yeonjun alright?" he called, the two slowly taking a step towards the voice. They could not make out a silhouette of a person, instead could only make out a taller, much more shadowy figure.

One with blue and green eyes.

Soobin paused, stopping in his tracks. Hueningkai raised an eyebrow, the two standing there in silence. Soobin slowly reached for his sword. "Kai, don't move. That's not Taehyun."

Hueningkai nodded, slowly backing away and hiding behind the captain. Soobin glared at the mist, about to draw his sword and waited for the voice to speak again.

There was silence, a slight brush of wind whispering past them. The wind's whistling seemed to murmur into their ear, something that could not be formed into words.

Soobin's shoulders relaxed, the wind slowly disappearing. Hueningkai picked up the lantern again, shining it through the mist. Taehyun's voice was no longer heard, but they could hear the sound of footsteps slowly approaching.

Captain Soobin grabbed Hueningkai's other hand, slowly backing away with him. "We have to find the others, and get out of here as quickly as possible."

"But Captain I thought—"

"Forget whatever treasure's here, I want to make it home with all of you alive," Captain Soobin ordered, "I promise you, I won't let anything happen to you. We'll find the others, and get out of here."

Hueningkai fell silent, nodding apprehensively. The two waited a beat, listening for voices and glancing around them. Captain Soobin sighed deeply, turning around with Hueningkai.

"We should keep going forward, I don't think we're at the center of the island yet," he explained, "Once we get to the center, we could figure out where the other's could've gone."

Hueningkai hummed in response, following the uneasy captain. Soobin could hear voices whispering in his head, begging his feet to turn back and head the opposite way. He quickly shook them away, hazily focusing on the task at hand.

The two wandered aimlessly in the dark for what almost felt like forever, the wind accompanying them as their weary feet tread in the soil. Hueningkai took a small glance behind him. "Capt'n, we should rest for a bit, you look a little tired—"

Soobin shook his head. "I'll be fine, but we could rest if you're feeling tired..."

The two stopped to rest under a dark brown tree, covered by the lush, green leaves which canopied over them. Captain Soobin rested his hands on his knees, laying his head back against the rough tree bark.

No matter how far they had walked, it always felt as if two eyes had been watching them from somewhere. It could've been a part of their imagination, or something could've been waiting in the shadows. 

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sorry, a bit of a shorter chapter today :/ 

friendly reminder that if you solve any of the puzzles, please do not comment the answers so others can get a chance to figure it out as well! thank you very much <3