The Legend of Magic Island | taejun + sookai

part 11: treasure chest?

Captain Soobin and the other two waited for a little longer, Captain Soobin slowly got up and walked directly under the star. He glanced up at the star in the sky, squinting his eyes.

Captain Soobin knelt and looked at the pale, white dirt. He got on his hands and knees, brushing aside a couple clouds of dust. Hueningkai perked up, looking curiously over the captain's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" he asked, scurrying over and kneeling beside the captain. Soobin shrugged.

"If there's a treasure here, there could be a chance it's found here," he replied, smoothing out the piece of land. "Right under the star that shines above the island, in the center of the island."

Hueningkai exchanged a look with Beomgyu, shrugging. Beomgyu slowly got up as well, Soobin moving aside a couple more piles of dirt. Suddenly, he uncovered a layer of what appeared to be a small, wooden chest.

The wooden chest looked beaten up, awfully small but locked with a heavy padlock.

Soobin looked at his finding happily, exchanging a look with the other two. Hueningkai looked at the wooden chest curiously. It looked just big enough to fit on his two hands. However, it was heavy and difficult to hold.

Beomgyu walked over, running his hand over the smooth, intricate wooden carving on the wooden box. He smiled slightly, taking it in his hands.

Captain Soobin knelt down to dig some more when the three heard footsteps coming from behind him.

Taehyun and Yeonjun emerged from the forest, Yeonjun clutching his arm tightly. Beomgyu turned around, clapping his hands excitedly. "Captain! They're alright!"

Soobin stopped digging, quickly getting up and brushing the sand off of him. The two rushed over, glancing at the forest which surrounded them.

"Taehyun, Yeonjun!" He suddenly noticed the cut in Yeonjun's shoulder.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, it's just a scratch," Yeonjun dismissed. "We have to get off this island, Captain. The- The cat it—"

Captain Soobin sighed. "I know, it tried to go after Kai and I too."

"It went after all of us once we were alone," Soobin continued, exchanging a look with the other crewmates, "Which is why we have to stick together, no more running off."

Hueningkai looked back at the shallow ditch that Soobin had previously dug, then returned to the crewmembers. "You think the cat's going to come for all five of us at once?"

Captain Soobin sighed, shaking his head. Their lantern lights were almost going out at this point, the candlewick barely burning just enough. They could barely see each other's faces in the lantern's orange glow. However, with the aid of the spotlight of a star above them, it shone on them like a searchlight.

"I—... I think I have a plan to get us out of here." Captain Soobin mumbled, looking back into the forest. "Our lanterns are almost useless, but they should just be enough to get us out of here."

He looked between the four of them. "Even if we didn't get to the treasure, it's not worth putting all of you in danger—... Which is why we'll all go through the forest together."

The crew was to head in a straight line, Captain Soobin following at the back of the line. If any voices were to be heard, they would immediately tell the others and take caution; that meant the cat was near. 

Taehyun concluded the cat's weakness was light, and daylight would be the best time for them to leave. If the crew walked in a straight line, they could easily keep track of where they were going, before reaching the perimeters of the island.