Chapter Text
”Captain? There’s a tiny island up ahead.”
Hongjoong raised his head, tearing his eyes off the papers and another ship’s logbook on his desk and directed his gaze at the tall figure standing at the cabin’s door. A tiny island wouldn’t be something to specifically alert him about if there wasn’t something significant about it. They passed one every now and then, not paying attention as there usually was no reason to make a stop.
”And?” he inquired, nodding at Yunho to explain. His first mate usually took care of running the ship every time he holed himself up into his cabin to focus on other matters, such as potentially valuable documents found on a recently raided ship.
”San thought it has a strange air about it and told me to tell you”, Yunho shrugged.
”No idea what he meant by that.”
Hongjoong didn’t bother hiding his eyes rolling. Of course. There was a solid chance it was nothing but their lookout making up things and having Yunho run around for his own amusement. Then again, Hongjoong shifted in his chair and his body saw fit to remind him he had been hunching over these papers with a terrible posture for the whole day. He could humor San this time, and potentially punish him if it turned out he was interrupting his work over nothing.
”Let’s see it then”, he said and stood up, stretching his limbs.
”How far are we?”
”Not that far”, Yunho informed as they walked out of the cabin.
”We’ll reach it in minutes.”
They walked up to the deck, Hongjoong adjusting his hat to protect his eyes as the sunlight assaulted his vision. So much brighter than the light provided by a lantern and a small window in his cabin where he had spent most of the day. He reached the railing and leaned to look up ahead. Light footsteps told him another of his crew had joined him and Yunho.
”There’s a small building on it”, San informed.
”Looks a bit strange, though, not something you would live in. It’s not a place you survive on for long. Just thought it was weird.”
Nothing but his crewman’s regular curiosity, then, but he was willing to humor him. Hongjoong was about to request a spyglass when it was already pressed into his open palm, Yunho clearly having thought ahead. He raised it to his eye, squinting the other one shut.
The island was indeed tiny, and just as San had already observed, not one a man could survive on for long. Some beach and mostly stones, not a single tree in sight, which meant no shelter and no food. But there was that tiny, stone building San had also mentioned, and through the spyglass he could see the circle of smooth, round stones surrounding it. Something clicked in his head. He was certain he had heard of a place like this before.
”It’s a temple”, Hongjoong said, suddenly remembering stories he had heard, tales recounted to him.
”A place of worship.”
San leaned over the railing, squinting his eyes as he tried to get a closer look as well.
”No wonder it seemed so weird”, he mused.
”Who builds a temple in a middle of nowhere? Do you think there’s anything of value?”
”Doesn’t seem like it”, Yunho sounded skeptical.
”It’s too small to really hold anything, and that’s the kind of place everyone and their mother has already looted twice.”
He was probably right, if there ever even had been anything valuable on the island in the first place. Hongjoong had directed the spyglass away from the temple itself, scanning through the beach instead. Then he spotted it. A figure laying on the sand, pushed ashore by the waves. He lifted the spyglass away from his face.
”Let’s go have a closer look”, he said, ignoring Yunho’s confused frown. The first mate was obviously about to question him, but was interrupted by San. Their keen-eyed friend had noticed the same as Hongjoong.
”Hey, there’s someone down there!”
Hongjoong hadn’t expected all of the others to join him as he got to the island, but it seemed his crew was just as curious as he was. As Mingi and Jongho brought their rowing boat to the shore, San and Wooyoung had already bounced out, landing in to the shallow water. And splashing it on each other. Hongjoong ducked behind Mingi to dodge Wooyoung’s rapid fire revenge as San had managed to get his hair soaked.
”Enough!” he raised his voice.
”Can you behave yourselves for once in your lives?”
The grins on both of the brats’ faces told him there was no chance, but at least they stopped splashing water on everyone.
”But captaiiin”, Wooyoung chirped, flashing his sweet smile that could get him out of trouble most of the time - when it wasn’t directed at Hongjoong who could easily see through his cute act.
”If we behave now, what will you do when you really need us to behave later?”
Hongjoong rolled his eyes.
”Wooyoung, how about instead of being a brat you will go and see whether the poor bastard on the shore is alive or not?”
Surprisingly, Wooyoung did put up his serious face and Hongjoong watched as he joined San, running along the beach towards the figure. The rest of them followed.
”So, captain?” Yunho had once again joined his side, as Mingi and Jongho walked past them to catch up the other two.
”Do you know this island? Or why are we stopping here?”
Hongjoong looked around. The temple and the stone circle were located on a slightly higher ground, but could be reached easily.
”I’ve heard of the place”, he admitted.
”So I guess I’m just curious.”
It was mostly true, but when he had seen the figure on the beach, he had been struck with a feeling that he should come to the island. It was hard to explain, Hongjoong didn’t seem to have words for it, but Yunho didn’t push further, which he was grateful of.
They quickly reached the other four, who had just stopped in their tracks.
”Whoa”, Mingi let out a surprised noise as all of them finally laid eyes on the person laying in front of them. Hongjoong could easily understand why.
The boy was beautiful, one of those pretty faces usually reserved for fairy tale princes, with a birthmark adorning his left temple and blond hair sticking to his forehead. His face was peaceful, obviously unconscious, Hongjoong thought. For how long he’d been that way, he couldn’t say. He was dressed in simple white clothing, with short sleeves and the fabric rendered see-through thanks to being soaked, completely useless if one wished to preserve their modesty. This detail seemed to interest the crew as well, of course it did, their eyes shamelessly tracing his form.
”Poor guy”, San quipped as he crouched down next to the unconscious boy. Jongho, standing close to him, followed suit.
”What is he even doing in here?”
Hongjoong peered at the temple once more and recalled what he had heard in several towns. The temples devoted to worship of Holy Light or something like that, he had never been that interested to remember the actual names. However, what he did remember were the tales of a certain branch in one land that had a tradition of sacrifice going on for them.
”This is some kind of sacred island”, he said.
”He was sent here to die.”
”Doesn’t seem to have worked out for him”, Jongho chuckled, his fingers on the boy’s pulse.
”He’s breathing?” Yunho raised his eyebrows, surprised.
”He sure is.”
Hongjoong eyed him once more with care. It was then that he noticed other markings. The boy had his birthmark near the eye, yes, but there were other marks on both of his arms. Light shade of gray, starting from the wrists, circling around the arms like a rope, ending somewhere near the elbows. Most curious. He nudged Wooyoung out of the way and knelt down, reaching out to touch the marks.
”So he’s like a... human sacrifice?” Mingi asked.
”They just send someone to die on an island?”
”And then what? He’s just supposed to hang out in here and starve to death? That’s fucked up”, San grimaced.
”What do we do with him?” Wooyoung asked, for once completely serious. Hongjoong finally lifted his gaze from the unconscious boy’s arms. The answer was simple.
”Bring him to the ship.”
-
Doors closing, clanking, distant footsteps. Several noises blurring into an incomprehensible mess.
”Hey, are you with us yet?”
The voice sounded muted, like it came from far away, or there were several layers between it and him. Was it even talking to him? When was the last time someone talked to him?
His eyelids felt so heavy, even cracking them open slightly felt like an impossible challenge. But someone was tapping his cheek, right beside him, very insistently.
Yeosang drew a shaky breath, vaguely realizing how parched his throat was. How his mouth lacked moisture, and how much he was craving it. He let out a dry cough.
”Hey, you awake?” the voice asked again, this time actually at his ear, as the poking resumed. Yeosang struggled to open his eyes, managing to finally crack one of them open. Not that it really helped him see anything. Wherever he was, it was dark, a small light flickering somewhere farther away. And an unclear figure looming over him. He was pretty sure it had a face, but he couldn’t make out any features. Yeosang breathed in again, and it was just as painful as before.
”Oh, right.”
Shuffling noises, a few clangs, a sound of liquid being poured. And then there was an edge of a cup on his mouth, insistently shoving in to part his lips. A drop of water had never felt so good as it did now when it met Yeosang’s tongue.
”Drink.”
He didn’t even need to be told that, the action came on instinct. The person he was quite sure was a man tilted the cup and helped him as he drank the water offered to him. It was over all too soon for Yeosang’s taste, and thankfully he was offered a second cup as well.
”Captain said not too much, I think that’s enough for you not to die on me”, the man said, while Yeosang’s eyes slipped shut again. Now that water wasn’t his first thought, he realized how exhausted he was. The few days on the island had drained him completely...
On the island…
He was supposed to be on the island. To stay there, die there.
Yeosang jolted, suddenly feeling very, very awake.
This was not the island.