What Am I Left With? • Monsta X

iii.

Hyungwon had no concept of the passage of time as he swam farther and farther into the black depths of the trench. Normally, sirens were able to sense moon phases in alignment with the tides, but he was so far from the tides of the Above that he no longer felt the moon pulling at him with soft insistence.

There was only up and down, and nothing waited for him above.

Down he sank, until there were no other creatures but himself, until the pressure began growing on his back and his eyes and his ears, until it felt like they would pop out of his head if he didn't head for the surface.

His hunger grew with the depth of his descent, and by the time he reached the bottom, he was starving and his head pounded from the constant pressure. He'd expected the bottom to be drenched in the most of absolute of darkness, but there was a small trail of bioluminescent matter that broke up the nothingness of the abyss and guided him until he came upon a cave.

Hello? he clicked. Underneath the pressure and hunger, he felt fear, but the other senses were much sharper and commanded more of his attention. He advanced forward, thankful for the dim illumination the bioluminescent matter provided. Please, he clicked, desperate now that he'd come this far. Despite endlessly teasing Changkyun and Hoseok about it, he now hoped those rumors were true because it was his only chance. Please.

Who are you? came a clicking from the hidden depths of the cave, and Hyungwon startled, having hoped but not truly expected a response. The clicking had a rusty tone to it, and although Hyungwon could understand what they were saying, they weren't the clear and eloquent clicks he was used to hearing. It was as though someone were testing out the language for the first time in a long time, but were they a siren like him? Or some other creature attempting to imitate their tongue?

A siren in need of help, Hyungwon answered after a moment. He didn't think his name was anything of importance, but his plight was.

And you came to get help from me, the other voice clicked out, musing over the thought.

I had no other path, Hyungwon clicked back, the weariness settling further into his body after the long journey. Everyone else is gone.

Ah, the other creature clicked, and there was an odd tone of amusement. You're from that choir.

Hyungwon flicked his tail, making himself larger out of a natural instinct to stand up to a perceived threat. You know what happened to them?

I suspect you also know or you wouldn't be here, came the reply.

I know they are gone, Hyungwon clicked, his anxiety making it hard for him to stay still, but he knew that if he moved too much or too quickly, he might scare off the other creature. But I do not know to where or why. I do not know if they have become sea foam or if they have been taken away beyond my reach.

Whispers trickle down to the bottom of the ocean and into my ear, the creature replied, and the more he communicated, the smoother his use of their language became. I have only heard of one who became sea foam.

Hyungwon's relief was immediate, although he knew that the information was only valuable if he could trust this strange creature. Do you know where the others were taken?

They're Above now, the creature replied, an air of reverence in its tone. No more whispers about them from the ocean.

Hyungwon shivered, less in response to the cold but more in the uncertain fear that accompanied mentions of the Above. He had never been to the Above; all he knew of it were stories from his parents long ago and the occasional recollection from Hyunwoo. Sirens had to travel near the Above for the hunt, but they didn't stay long and they never left the ocean. Their eyes weren't meant for the light up there; no, it was their fate to slip between the dark waters until they became sea foam.