Heart of the Ocean | Pirate!ATEEZ x reader

3: Awake

Resting your head against the wooden wall, you sighed as you realized you were further from your objective than you dreaded to be. You hoped that this ship would let you be one step ahead of them, but instead, it put you with a thousand steps back. It didn't help that you found yourself to be locked up in a wooden cage. It was a large one, and surprisingly a clean one, but the wooden bars that held you back from the outside world gave it away that you were not welcomed on the ship. Moreso, you concluded that you were far below deck as the room was for the most part covered in darkness with only little fragments of light rays seeping through the floors above. The light rays failed to help you figure out what time of the day it was. It could have been from morning to early afternoon, though either would prove to be an equally unfortunate option. Time was like a currency, and you were desperately running out of it.

You wondered how everything ended up like this. You were losing a fight that you initially had no other choice than to win it. This wasn't a lousy matter. It was all about life or death, and if you didn't find yourself to be off this ship any soon, then all would be lost. All because of that ignorant Captain. Of course, you could have explained your story to him when he had asked you to, and yes, perhaps it would have been a better option to ask him to travel with them on their ship instead of sneaking on it and making a fool out of yourself. But, then again, you had no other choice. Someone aboard stole your necklace, and not only did you come here to retrieve it, but you also came here because it was the last resort; the last turn that you could have taken instead of facing your death head-on.

A sudden noise in front of the cage took you out of your thoughts as you squinted your eyes to see what was out there. Your heart began to thump as you feared the worst. They found you, you thought. They are coming to kill you and cause ruination all over the world, just like the Elders said. A lump began to form in your throat as panic crashed onto you like tidal waves. Your breathing quickened and your head felt as if it was floating. You had failed. You had failed everyone and everything. History would remember you as the Harbinger of Doom, and the world as you knew it would cease to exist. All because of you.

Curling up in the corner of the cage, you put your head into your hands. The thoughts inside your mind never stopped screaming, yet the world outside your head hadn't changed. The soft motions of the ship never faltered, and strangely, the rocking of the vessel had a calming effect on you. You could faintly hear the soft crashing of the waves against the ship, and when you should have heard the Horns of Ruin and felt the Rays of Sentience, it never came. The quiet was kept in the air, and the oddly calming humidity stayed. But the rustling outside your cage didn't.

Moving your head to see what was out there, you were met with a figure crouching down in front of the cage. The man had gentle eyes, though a certain curiosity was hidden in them. You noticed a mole that was right under his left eye, and though it was an unnecessary detail to take in, it gave him a certain uniqueness. His hair was gray, with tints of different blues at the tips of some of the hair strands while the underside of his cut was black. It was a strange hairstyle for someone to have, but then again, you could find nearly all sorts of people and anything at sea. His eyebrows were slightly raised, mirroring the gaze in his eyes. Where you should have been met with the horrid beings that you long feared, you only saw a kind-looking man, watching you with careful eyes.

''You're awake,'' the man commented. His voice was low, though filled with a certain reassurance. It was as if he could feel you were scared, though you guessed it was more likely because he could see the panic in your eyes. You were still shaken up from everything; the necklace, the chase, the dream, and now the fear that overtook you when you thought you had brought the end upon the world.

''Don't worry,'' the man continued, resting one hand on the wooden bars, ''I am not here to hurt you.''

You said nothing, afraid that it would all be a lie. Truthfully, it wouldn't be the first time someone in your life would make a promise and forget about it. It happened several times and you guessed it was only part of the cruel nature of the world.