Somewhere Between the Sea and the Sky.

Episode 1: Chapter 11.

Well, it didn't go as planned.

San made it in time, he reached the Aurora before anyone was seriously injured. The Specialists weren't as savages as the regular soldiers, he thought. They offered a deal, the captain requested them to instantly abandon the island to save their lives. It wasn't a bad idea, even if they really didn't get what they wanted. The others went for supplies and information, San and Seonghwa had to find some clues about the next place they would go to.

San hoped the first group made it, honestly, but his priorities changed as soon as he saw what was happening in the Aurora.

The first thing San saw was outside the ship, close to the port. Wooyoung was fighting one of the specialists and, as much as he was the most skilled one in the crew, he didn't seem to be having a good time. A whip against— whatever that was. Sometimes the weapon's chain trapped Wooyoung's body, looking like it would crush his bones any moment; sometimes the end of it, the spiked strange maze-like thing fell too close to the pirate. One single blow from that thing could be a nightmare, that was for sure.

Despite the situation he was in, Wooyoung noticed when San arrived. He didn't look very happy about it, honestly, because he wasn't. If the soldier decided to turn his attacks against the church boy, it could be fatal.

There was a moment when they stared at each other, Wooyoung could easily see the fear in San's eyes. It didn't matter who he was or what he did to end up in line for execution, he was used to the church and the calm of Oxpass. It probably was the first time he was in the middle of such a scene.

So Wooyoung made up his mind, took a deep breath and looked at Seungkwan again. If he lost focus he would lose the fight too.

San didn't get a single word from him, but he understood the whole message.

He had to keep moving, the situation in the Aurora was probably worse, his help would be much more needed there. Even if the choice risked Wooyoung's health, he was in charge and his orders were to protect the crew.

Gods, Wooyoung was so cool, wasn't he? San didn't understand well the kind of person he was, he was confused since he met him for the first time. A hot and confident criminal, he supposed back then. But he was wrong, he understood then. It wasn't the kind of confidence San saw in him, it was determination to do what had to be done. It didn't matter how dangerous it could be, Wooyoung would always prefer to try and fail than letting someone else go down.

And the church boy understood all of that just by seeing him keep fighting. Just by seeing the ferocity of his gaze when he faced a dangerous enemy.

He even felt like he was charmed by it, like he could keep staring for eternity.

But he had orders. Well, what he interpreted as orders.

San kept running towards the ship, his fast steps resonating in the wooden port walkway and then the huge plank connecting it to the Aurora. He didn't see anything from outside the ship, didn't hear any huge bone-crushing weapon. That was a good sign. He didn't need much to find what he was looking for, another peculiar fight happening in the Aurora's deck.

Mingi was facing another soldier with just one of his swords. Even San could notice it was harder for him to fight that way, he was so used to using both swords in a peculiar fighting style. And if that wasn't enough, the enemy had a clear advantage: his spear let him attack Mingi from further distance.

San understood why Wooyoung wanted him there.

The church boy knew how to fight, yes, but he didn't know how to actually join a fight. All he did until then was just defending himself when trouble found him, he didn't want to fuck it up. Also, both Mingi and the soldier were fast fighters.