solis | svt au

1

The shop was quiet, goods carefully organized on the shelves, the floor cleanly swept and free of dust. Seungcheol sat at the counter, worn smooth from generations of previous owners and transactions, scribbling notes in a large journal. 

"Seungcheol! Seungcheol!" Two boys burst into the shop shattering the peaceful calm. One still wore an apron, having forgotten to take it off, while the other laughed with excitement trailing the other. Both were out of breath from running. "Did you hear?"

"Oh, hey Seungkwan, Chan." Seungcheol replied sleepily, looking up from his work. "Hear what?"

Seungkwan looked like he was going to burst from excitement. "A travelling Storyteller just arrived at father's inn-"

"He tells stories and sings too!" Chan cut in, earning a comical scowl from the other. 

"Really?" Seungcheol perked up, looking more awake. "I'll make sure to drop by your father's inn after closing up shop, Seungkwan. What's he like?" Seungkwan dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, prompting Seungcheol to lean in to hear what he was going to say. "I don't know. He just went into his room as soon as he arrived."

"Yah!" Seungcheol said, hitting him on the shoulder. Seungkwan turned to leave. "Yah, come back here!" Seungkwan's walk turned into a sprint, and he was out the door before Seungcheol could get out from behind the counter. Chan laughed and followed.

Shaking his head, Seungcheol sat back down. "Those kids..." He chuckled to himself. 

-

Later that afternoon, the sun slowly set as the fishermen, small shop owners, and craftspeople gradually drifted to the single inn of Niteo. Crammed with the rest of the inhabitants, Seungcheol watched as the Storyteller methodically tuned his instrument with minute care. 

Plucking the lute with practiced fingers, the Storyteller announced himself as Jihoon, scanning the room with his piercing eyes. His gaze landed on Seungcheol a split second longer than the others, a quick flash of recognition coming and going so fast he thought he imagined it. 

Then Jihoon began. 

He had a powerful voice that filled the room, making it sound like a royal court. True to the rumors, he sang and told stories. Though many hours passed, it felt like no time had passed at all.

His songs were epic, melancholy, and everything in between. His stories made the listeners feel like they were in the legends themselves, like the legends had come alive. He told of the Mad King, the Ruby Spear, the Moon Fox, and more, his music playing a large part in conveying the appropriate emotions, playing softly at sad moments and strum quickly at the pitch of a battle. 

He kept his audience spellbound as if by magic. Seungkwan's father watched as well, repeatedly cleaning the same spot on the counter, enthralled by Jihoon's performance.

By midnight, the crescent moon softly glowed in the night sky, and Jihoon's lute case was heavy, full of coins. The townspeople slowly drifted away as the spell wore off until it was only Jihoon, Seungcheol, Seungkwan, and the regulars nodding off into their beers. Chan was already asleep, slumped at a table in the corner. Jihoon gathered his things, slipping a few rings back onto his fingers.

Seungkwan tapped Seungcheol on the shoulder. "Wasn't that amazing?" he asked, his eyes shining with excitement, "I've never heard anything like it!" Seungcheol only nodded in agreement.

"Something wrong?" Seungkwan asked, sticking his face in Seungcheol's and pinching his cheeks. "No," was Seungcheol's muffled reply as he swat the other away. "It's nothing." Seungkwan, unsatisfied with the answer, watched with a concerned frown as Seungcheol left the inn.

"Yeah, right."

-

Later that night, Seungcheol lay in his bed, pondering the Storyteller and his strange gaze. Did I do something wrong? Did I have something on my face? He tossed and turned and didn't get much sleep that night. 

-

The next day, Seungcheol sat at his shop's counter, tracing the familiar pattern of wood grains, unable to hold back jaw-cracking yawns. The sun rose from the east, setting the sky on fire, and he looked out to the sea as was his habit. 

A ship was coming. 

A ship?

Seungcheol rubbed at his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating from lack of sleep. Why would there be a ship coming today? The usual traders and merchants had come and gone more than a week ago. And yet, the ship was still there, steadily approaching. 

As it came closer, he noticed it was rather large, decked with enormous sails. Why would such a ship come to a small seaside town like Niteo? And. He squinted. Were those purple sails?

Suddenly, there was a harsh boom, followed by more of the same. The ship docked at the harbor, figures silhouetted by the rising sun letting down the gangway. Seungcheol frowned. Something wasn't right.

A few minutes later, as the first house went up in flames and the sounds of yelling and screaming pierced through the peaceful morning quiet, he realized what kind of ship it was and who those figures were.

They were pirates.

-

Jeonghan watched the mayhem from the gangway. On raids like this, he usually let Mingyu, his first mate take charge while he stayed behind to guard the ship, letting the crew have their fun.

Several minutes passed before his crew rushed back to the ship, loaded with stolen goods and a boy. "Hey, wait!" Jeonghan called as they came closer, "What are you-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as several angry townspeople led by a strong-looking boy approached. "Okay, nevermind!" he called. They set sail soon after, the small shower of projectiles hitting the ship causing little damage. 

-

Seungcheol watched the ship sail away, breathing hard from all of the action. His adrenaline slowly dissipated and he cursed. Chan was gone to who knows where, and he couldn't do anything about it. He hated how helpless he felt.

The others left one by one to assess the damage as he stared at the long empty sea. Seungkwan stood next to him.

At that moment, he made a promise: he was going to get Chan back no matter what. 

As if reading his mind, Seungkwan determinedly spoke up, "I'm going with you."

-

a/n

I took out the aura part because it didn't really fit into the story in the long run - sorry about that :/