Ocean's Descent ||| Woosan (Ateez)

2

Seaweed swayed gently back and forth, moving much like the wind would blow grass in the world above. Schools of fish danced in little groups. They moved together in perfect harmony with flashes of all colors of the rainbow.

Coral dotted the sea floor and surrounding rocks, adding to just how vibrant everything was.

There was just enough sunlight that everything had a majestic glow to it.

And adding to the beauty was one of the rarest creatures on earth.

Wooyoung spun in wide circles, laughing to himself as he did. Twirling behind him was his pride and joy. He had been blessed with a beautiful, deep purple tail that had hints of red around the edges.

It was rare for merfolk to have two different scale colors and he did everything he could to take care of it.

He was actually searching for something to help clean his scales right now. There was a specific starfish that used all of its little feelers to pick out any loose skin or particles in between scales. They liked to spend time on the highest rocks so that it was easier for the merfolk to find them.

"There you are!" Wooyoung said, letting himself sink down a little bit so that he was hovering next a large boulder. "Who wants to help me today?"

Several of the starfish started to slowly crawl toward him.

Just as he was about to pick a couple, a familiar voice called out to him. "Woo!"

He turned around to see his friend Yunho swimming over to him with his powerful, blue tail propelling him forward. "Hey, Yunho. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. You know Mingi gets when you're gone for too long." Yunho rubbed the back of his neck and pressed his lips together.

"Really? It's like I'm not allowed to have any freedom." Wooyoung grumbled.

"You know it's not like that. I worry too." Yunho started fiddling with a gold bracelet around his right wrist. It was a simple, gold bracelet that had rubies set evenly along the band.

Mingi wore a matching one. It symbolized that the two of them had chosen each other as romantic partners.

There was one waiting for Wooyoung too, if he wanted to accept it.

"I'm fine. It's not like I go out looking for trouble." Wooyoung crossed his arms and glared at his friend.

"No, but trouble likes to find you. Mingi, and I, just want to make sure you stay safe." Yunho bowed his head.

This was a common thing between them. Yunho and Mingi spent so much time trying to tell Wooyoung to settle down and stay with them, that they would take care of him.

But Wooyoung wasn't ready to do any of that. Yet he let Yunho lead him home.

As he swam closer to his home, they angled down toward the lower levels of the ocean. Aquatis had escaped the notice of man find for centuries. Sure, there had been close encounters, but his people had come up with ways to protect themselves.

About one hundred years ago, man kind had been too close. They had started hunting for the elusive mermaids spoken of in legend and set up several traps. While they never found anyone to bring to the surface, several of the trapped mermen and mermaids perished from the injuries they had received.

It almost caused their entire race to vanish... They were just now starting to rebuild.

Aquatis, as far as they knew, was the last place on earth that had any connection to the magic of old. It's what protected their kind, gave them long lives, and gave them the magic they themselves had been gifted with.