He's a Pirate - ATEEZ Reader-Inserts

Guard You - Yunho

All things fade with time. The walls of this cave have crumbled, the stone altar is reduced to ruin, and the vibrant colors of my mural are disappearing. With humans constantly evolving, I knew there would come a day where they would no longer need me, or no longer believe in me. I just thought I had more time.

Without someone to serve; my strength has dwindled. So much so that I can no longer muster my physical body. It's been over three hundred years since I felt the water on my feet or the wind against my skin. For centuries this cave has been my prison. I fear that one day I'll be reduced to nothing but a consciousness, with nothing but my own thoughts to keep me company for eternity. But today, that's the least of my concerns.

As it happened a thousand times before, a boat wandered into my cave with a few men on board. By now I knew better than to expect an offering. They always came in search of whatever mysterious treasure was supposed to be hidden away here. They always left empty-handed, and the lack of offerings is what kept me trapped in the limited realm of spirits.

I'd never been able to figure out why they believed there was anything here worth taking, but today was the first time I didn't immediately wish they'd leave.

Usually, the men that come to my secluded island bring destruction. They tear the once sacred space to pieces in search of gold or silver or whatever it is they seek. All I can do is look on as they decimate my home.

But today is different.

Two of the men were as destructive and loud as all the others that had come before, but the third...he was nothing like them. While the other men were working through piles of rubble and sifting through the shallow water, this one had taken time to look over what remained of the mural that had been painted of me all those years ago, even reading the inscription that described the conditions of my existence.

No man has ever looked over the cave walls like that.

They spent the day tearing things apart, with the young man I had grown to adore continuously stopping to look up at the walls. Every time he moved a stone, cracked a rock, or sifted through some sand, he would look around like he was being watched.

The sun began to sink past the horizon, and the men decided to end their search. At first, I wanted them to stay so I could continue to watch the boy who believed in me, but what happened next made me wish the thought had never crossed my consciousness.

Once his owners had loaded their boat to head back out to sea, they pushed the young man back to the coarse sand of the cave floor. They muttered something about how useless he was before wading away. For a moment he chased them, but it was no use. He drudged through the shallow water, defeatedly making his way back to the shore of the cave.

He's marooned. And all I can do is watch.

Night fell, and with it came the darkness I had watched countless times. I had never searched for life as desperately as tonight, watching and listening for any sign of the stranded young man. The tide rose and fell without sweeping him away, although he couldn't seem to keep his entire body out of the water. He shivered in the darkness of the cold night, still taking the occasional glance at the walls of stone around him.

The following day proved that humans are still weak in what they can withstand. The night before, he was too cold. Now, he's too hot. He's only gone a day without food or water but he's already weak. I could fix every problem ailing his body in a matter of seconds, but he isn't my master, and he hasn't made any effort to summon me.

Despite being frail, he spent most of the day pacing the shallow beach hidden by the cave. Aside from the occasional mumble or scoff, he was silent. His lips had become chapped, his dark hair clung to his head with sweat, and his stomach rumbled with hunger. There was no way out. No way for me to help him. I'll be forced to watch him die.