TREASURE. ateez

ONE

The red tint of the skies melted into a dark tone of indigo blue as the sun bowed down further and the night slowly approached, covering with its unsettling yet magical obscurity the island of Nevis.

Seagulls were still squawking and squabbling over scraps of food as the fishermen were shouting profanities with their chin pointed upwards, cursing the wailing birds with their eyes and their words, whilst trying to protect the remaining catch of the day.

Haeju too held her chin up, her gaze wandering between the infinity of stars that began to dot the sky above her. Their faint, silver light twinkled feebly as the pale crescent moon shyly showed her face, bright enough to light up the black, velvet ceiling which was sprinkled with glittering dust. She truly believed that all of those flashy pinpricks were beacons of hope for all the sailors lost in the open seas, searching for their way home.

The moonlight sparkled on the surface of the inky, deep sea and graciously danced upon the calm ripples, the light reflecting in the girl's eyes. In the distance, the imposing silhouettes of the Royal Navy's ships gave – however – the night a subtle anguished feeling.

"You're still up here?" A deep, modulated voice coming from the stairs sweetly asked.

The young woman turned around with a swift motion, recognizing to whom the sound of those footsteps belonged. Her father, the admiral of the Royal Navy's fleet, stood now behind her, his fingers tracing patterns on the wooden dew shield of the telescope.

"Remember to look down sometimes, to come back to reality. I know they're beautiful, but don't get too lost outside the span of human comprehension. It's dangerous." The authority in his voice contrasted with the tender look he had on his face.

He then glanced beside the figure of his daughter, noticing the amount of maps depicting constellations and navigation routes messily sorted on the table, along with old, dusty books about mythology.

Seeing her loving the ocean just as much as he did when he was younger, set up a wave of irrational nostalgia in him. Although he felt proud, he was in truth torn inside: he couldn't deny that a certain terror, discomfort lingered in his chest whenever he would see Haeju so immersed into that world.

The admiral sighed, gently stroking his daughter's reddish hair as her eyes softened under the familiar touch.

"The feast is still blooming in the village. Why don't you go help the cooks with all the preparations? You could spend some time with your friends too." The man suggested, wanting Haeju to take a break from studying all the sailing routes kept in the library.

The young woman was surprised by the sudden offer, but eventually found it rather endearing, especially for her burning eyes which were asking for mercy.

Her genuine beam illuminated the night, but she suddenly halted, perceiving that something was off.

"You have to go, don't you? The ship will shove off in a matter of hours, am I right?" Her acerbic, accusatory tone of voice pierced the dense air.

Her sharp and cold stare would have sent shivers down anybody's spine. The emotions in her icy eyes were fathoms deep, yet they burned with the same intensity and heat of a bonfire lit in a freezing winter night.

The man found himself looking down at his own boots, breathing a sigh of resignation. He could not lie to her.

"We have to sail to Port Royal, Major-General Park wants to meet us as soon as possible..."