Long Journey || ATEEZ

UTOPIA

Once Seonghwa had brought the rest of the group up to speed on what he had seen, cutting down the story to its bare bones – only the necessities – ATEEZ gathered in a circle as they so often liked to do, and started to discuss a plan. The girl, who had managed to stop crying long enough to hiccup out her name – Narcia – sat a forlorn distance away, wiping away tears that kept coming and sniffling every now and then.

"But how do we break a god's curse?" Yeosang asked, arms folded and eyebrows furrowed. His forefinger twitched at his bicep, wary of the girl and her curse. Thank the gods, his protection Magik had shielded the captain from the worst of it, but not completely. There was still a risk, and Yeosang wasn't going to bank on chance.

Hongjoong had his hand to his chin, his brows furrowed, and thankfully he didn't seem affected by what the girl's curse had made him see. Apparently, the visions hadn't been that vivid, and the fears he had seen were fears he had visited many times before in his own head. Yeosang only had to believe the captain was being transparent with him.

"With a god, maybe?" Mingi suggested.

"But the only god we know is out there with Shinoko," Seonghwa pointed out.

"Yeah, but we have half of one right here with us," Mingi said, pulling Jongho close and putting an arm around his shoulder. The maknae grumbled at the sudden show of affection, but didn't shrug the taller fairy off. "Maybe Jongho could do something?"

"That does seem like our most plausible answer," Hongjoong agreed, nodding slowly, "but Jongho, you're the one we're talking about here. You have anything that might be able to break Narcia's curse?"

"I dunno, Cap," Jongho shrugged. "As far as I know, my only godly abilities are controlling the wind like my dad does. I don't know about anything else."

Hongjoong sighed and put a hand to his temple.

"Guess we've gotta scrap that idea, then," he muttered. "Oh, it's not your fault, Jongho, of course," he added.

Jongho put up a hand.

"It's fine, hyungnim, I know what you mean," he said coolly. Hongjoong smiled in appreciation.

"Anything else then, guys?" the captain said, turning to the others. "Oh, San, what about her aura? Is there anything significant about it?"

"Oh, there is, actually!" San piped up, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet as if he had been waiting for a chance to discuss the girl's aura. He remembered to calm down, his shoulders relaxing slightly, and regarded the captain with more solemn eyes as he stole another glance at the girl's aura. "She's lonely," the demon said in a more subdued tone. "She's been stuck in here for at least one hundred centuries, and Eterna basically isolated her from the entire world, of course she's going to be lonely."

"Eterna banned Thalassa from visiting her as well," Seonghwa added quietly; earlier the mention of the goddess' name had sent Narcia into a crying fit, and he didn't want it to happen again. "The two were really close – like mother and daughter."

San nodded.

"She doesn't bear any ill will," the demon mused, staring at the swirling colours of the girl's aura. And the darkness infecting it; the curse. "She just wants a friend, somebody to confide in. I mean, she may be centuries old, but she's still a kid."

San's eyes flickered to the other anomaly in the auras: Jongho's. It had gone a strange blue – an electric, abnormal blue that he had never seen before – and he couldn't quite place what it meant. His eyebrows furrowed, but he chose to ignore it for the moment. The girl came first.

There was a pause as ATEEZ stared at Narcia, who was fiddling with her own hair again. They were at a complete loss as to how to help her, and it didn't seem that any ideas were coming their way. It was as if the goddess of the mind and dreams was playfully skirting their thoughts, refusing them any creativity.