Morning had dawned upon the Island of Garyn the very next day. The storm had long settled as the golden rays of sunlight blessed the land. Flourishing around a dormant volcano, the foreign place thrived with greenery and civilization. Houses of bricks and cobblestones piled up the mountainside. Ships and boats docked the small pier sitting by the calm waters. As the crystal clear sea glistened beneath the blue skies, birds flocked down to feast upon breadcrumbs and corn kernels. Shops and boutiques arrayed the shoreline, attracting local customers. The smell of pastries, fish, meat, and salt permeated the air as people passed. Voices were a shrill and children ran about, playing chase.
However, unbeknownst to the busy community, a group of six people and a mermaid laid unconscious next to a big boulder. Cold seafoam washed their grainy bodies as they sprawled across the sand. Debris of wood and broken furniture scattered around them as their ship had already vanished into oblivion.
"Echk!" Beomgyu coughed and wheezed as he sat up. "Ah, my head."
He pluck out a piece or seaweed dangling from his wet hair. Glancing down on his lap, he noticed a tired Ria sleeping. Her chin was heavily perched on top of his thigh as she breathed slow. Beomgyu took the chance to dust her sandy cheeks. By then, Kai had awoken. The healer immediately hoisted himself straight to vomit. Cielo, who had been resting on the sand, screeched as her owner puked. Soobin opened his eyes in confusion while Yeonjun dramatically flung his arms around before he knelt to gasp for air. Taehyun silently got to his feet and looked around.
"We made it," the blonde mage muttered. "We're finally here."
Beomgyu scoffed. "But at what cost?"
"What are you talking about?"
"That's right. Let's play pretend today because what's important is that we all got here safe. Got it."
"If you're talking about what happened last night-"
"Ria just dove straight into the monster's mouth to save us all, no big deal." Beomgyu sneered, patting the girl's head. "And where were you? Blasting magic beside your ill-fated companion!"
At that moment, Blue had gained consciousness. She slowly propped herself up using her elbows and frowned. Her frizzy hair was a mess and she had a small cut near her left eyebrow. Kai looked at her tail. It was all fine.
"Let go of her," Taehyun sighed. "Ria needs to recover on her own."
"On her own?" Soobin parroted. "Do you hear yourself, Taehyun? You doted over Blue the whole night, but now you want Ria to stand on her own feet?"
Yeonjun crossed his arms. "You're an absolute hypocrite."
"Why are you all dragging me into this mess?" Blue innocently inquired, her eyes sparkling in concern. "Like I said, I did nothing-"
"Yes, you really did nothing." Beomgyu spat. "You clung onto our friend while the rest of us fought for our lives."
"Stop it!" The mermaid hissed. "Know who you're talking to!"
"A blabbering fish, that's what. Now I understand why Ria didn't want to sit with you. You're a headache."
"Ehck!"
Everybody jumped as Ria wheezed and rolled to her stomach. Coughing, she drummed on her chest and seized her weight upwards. Kai hurriedly helped her regain balance while Beomgyu made sure she wasn't scraped nor bruised. Yeonjun facepalmed and Soobin bluntly sighed. Taehyun remained unfazed nonetheless.
"Are you hurt?" Kai inquired. "Can you breathe properly, Ria?"
The girl nodded. "I'm fine. Don't worry."
"You were incredibly brave last night," Yeonjun commented with a grin. "I'm impressed."
"Thank you for that, Ria." Soobin tapped her back. "We truly appreciate it."
"Taehyun," Blue softly called. "My palms hurt. Please, help me."
Ria met the mermaid's mischievous gaze for a second. To their surprise, the girl decided not to say a word. She hastily turned away and dusted herself. Blue reverted her attention to the blonde mage. Taehyun stood still, his amethyst eyes set on Ria as she dried her hair. Blue pouted.
"Taehyun," she loudly whined. "Can you hear me? I said I'm hurt. Look, I've got a splinter."
"Kai," he murmured. "Do something."
The healer pretended to aid Soobin. "I'm busy."
"Yeonjun?"
The pink-haired huffed. "I'm a fire guardian. She's not my responsibility."
Blue blinked as her chest squeezed in pain. She crawled away from the group and gritted her teeth in fury as she shot them a glare. The splashing waves eventually hit her tail by the time she was near the shore.
"How could you do this to me?!" She shrieked, her voice tearing into five different octaves. "Traitors! I should've known! You ungrateful mortals! Curse you!"
And with that, she disappeared into the deep waters. Nobody dared to call her name. It was as if her absence was a breath of relief to them. Taehyun cautiously walked towards Ria who was now sitting on the sand. She stared at the horizon, face blank as she tried her best not to think.
"Da-" he hesitated. "Maria."
"Funny how you let her go this time." She bitterly smiled. "Blue."
"I had to."
"And why's that?"
"Well, everything was just an act. I had to play it safe, otherwise she'd throw a fit."
"It doesn't make sense to me."
"She's not a mermaid, Ria." Taehyun firmly stated. "She's a siren. Mermaids don't shed pearly tears and they barely show up on the surface. Blue must've staged her situation and tried to lure us in, but I was quick to put on a show."
"It still hurts though," Ria muttered. "The way you called me a hindrance. You didn't have to go that far, but you did."
He sat next to her. "I'm sorry."
"Of course, you are."
"Look, I know you're still mad at me, but-"
"I just don't understand why it hurted me so much. I used to have a tough heart, but when it comes to you, I-"
Ria heaved out her compass and opened it. She showed him the spinning arrow and to Taehyun's fluster, it pointed directly at him. He raked through his hair to mask the overwhelming sensation coursing through his veins. Ria clasped it shut and sighed.
"I didn't mean to," she mumbled. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Taehyun caressed her arm. "You're as dear to me as I am to you."
"But what about Misfit? Am I really the reason why she-"
"I'm not sure. Probably. You have her mark which means she's most definitely coming for you, but I don't know."
"Who is she, Taehyun?"
"I'd rather not talk about her, Ria."
"Tell me," she pleaded. "If she's truly after me, let me know. I don't want to just sit here and wait until the worst case scenario happens."
"Uh," Yeonjun clicked his tongue. "Are you two done or what? We still have a whole lot of stuff to do. Now that we're here, we must come up with a concrete plan."
"What do we do?" Soobin scratched his neck. "We can't just sneak in and open fire."
"Let's stick with Kai's idea, shall we?" Beomgyu reckoned. "Ria, what's in your bag?"
The girl looped her pouch open and heaved out a new set of clothing. It was nice, silky, red gown and a thin, striped shoal. Taehyun tilted his head in confusion while Yeonjun belted a wolf whistle. Soobin blinked obliviously and Beomgyu frowned. Kai however gasped.
"That's it!" He chirped. "Ria, you can dress up as a noblewoman and enter the auction to buy off the rest of our guild!"
The girl stiffened. "Pardon?"
"Taehyun can be your pretend-husband." Yeonjun suggested. "Let's say you two are a couple and you wanted to build a huge mansion, hence you take all of the prisoners in exchange for-"
"Pearls!" Taehyun croaked. "Blue's pearls!"
"Exactly!"
Ria backed away. "I don't know. Sounds suspicious to me. How much does a piece of pearl cost?"
"A lot," Beomgyu grinned. "A standard, white pearl already costs a fortune, let alone a siren's tears."
"What do you say?" Taehyun lent her his palm. "Will you be my pretend-wife, Ria?"
She smiled. "It's darling for you."
***
"Are you sure about this?"
"Don't fret, my dear. All we have to do is walk inside that very room, act normal, buy all of the mages, and escape."
"What about the others?" Ria bit her lip. "Will they be fine?"
"They're brave enough to protect themselves. Now, hold my hand and put a smile on your face."
The girl reluctantly nodded and intertwined her fingers with his. Taehyun warmly grinned and pushed the heavy doors to the auction room open. Prying eyes and muffled whispers filled the air as they marched to the front row seat. Ria started to sweat. Her mind wandered aimlessly to the rest of her peers. An hour prior to their arrival, Taehyun had ordered placements for the remaining four guardians. Kai gladly waited by the rooftop with Yeonjun. Soobin lurked near the seawall and Beomgyu strolled around in search for a new ship to steal.
"They'll back us up, don't worry." Taehyun guaranteed. "Things will go smoothly, I promise."
"My anxiety begs to differ."
"Oh, darling."
Ria's cheeks flushed red as the blonde mage stooped down to kiss her forehead. Taehyun fondly chuckled before settling on a cushion. They both waited as the room grew denser. Scents of perfume, sweat, and food filled the air, making Ria feel nauseous. She rolled her eyes towards the window in hopes to distract herself. She looked at the sky to trace the clouds, but she was met with the cat's eyes instead. Ria lowly whimpered and tapped Taehyun's knee in fear. The blonde mage traced her gaze and froze. The heavenly feline purred loud enough for them to hear. Ria covered her ears. Taehyun glanced around but no one seemed to have heard the same thing.
"What does he want this time?" The girl hissed.
Taehyun checked his hourglass. "Dear God, we're running out of sand. We best hurry, otherwise-"
Creek.
The huge, oak doors opened once again. In came a well-dressed man with two more people. The room fell silent as they sauntered to the small stage. Wavering a hand, he beckoned a large group of dirty prisoners to follow. Taehyun held his breath as he watched his fellow mages and guardians drag themselves across the floor. Chained and starved, the awfully-deprived, magical community huddled in shame as they received horrified glares from the commoners.
"Beloved guests, good day!" The man prompted with glee. "Standing in front of you today are captives from the land of Caelum. These people used to practice magic, well, not anymore."
"Why not?" Ria whispered to her partner. "They could've just used their gifts to escape, no?"
"Many have tried but failed." Taehyun grimly responded. "I suppose they fear the guns and explosives more than anything else at this point."
"That's horrible."
"And we have another bidder calling 100 golden coins and 50 silvers!" The same man announced.
"150 going 200! 200 going 280!"
"Taehyun," Ria urged. "Quick!"
"280 going 400! 400 going once, twice-"
"Here!" Taehyun raised a pouch. "I've got a bagful of siren tears. All this in exchange of everyone in the huddle."
A bubble of gossip and mixed reactions bursted as the blonde mage held his stance. The baffled host blinked and hurried down the isle to take the payment. He poured a couple of beads into his palms. He gave it a thorough jiggle and gasped.
"Merciful heavens," the man blabbered. "They're indeed siren tears!"
The crowd went berserk. People started to flock Taehyun and Ria in hopes of getting one. The girl nearly tumbled over if it weren't for her company who held her tightly around the waist. The host victoriously skipped back to the stage and mauled a hammer against the wooden podium to silence the fiasco.
"Prisoners sold!" He announced, pocketing the pearls inside his pants. "Now, for our next item-"
"Wait!" A young mage shrieked as he pointed to the couple. "I know him! I know him!"
"Good riddance," a female guardian wailed. "It's Taehyun!"
"He's come to save us!"
"Praise the heavens!"
"Thank Gaia!"
"Our grueling days are finally over!"
The magical community rejoiced as they sprung to their heels. However, as the latter expressed their relief, the rest of the room fell quiet once again. All eyes were set on the two as they slowly stood. Ria knew better than to stay, so she belted.
"All of you, run!"