Somewhere Between the Sea and the Sky.

Episode 2: Chapter 10.

『 TW: Mention and use of drugs. 』

There sure was pain in the enemy pirate's expression, but it was irrelevant next to the number of questions he had about Yeosang. In just a moment, the black claws sank into his arm like his skin wasn't even there. By the shape of the wounds, it felt like such claws cut through him like blades. Could he... do that?

Geonhak dropped his gaze at the boy, the poor ethian prince.

Yeosang remained still, awkwardly sitting in the wooden floor just as he fell from the enemy's grip. His eyes were fixed on his own hands, on the blood dirty monstruous claws. For someone else the change would be nonexistent, but in Yeosang's brain it was obvious. They were pointier, darker, brutal. Those were not his hands, but those of a monster invading his body.

At least, he felt like that.

He did it on accident, what would he be capable of if he really wanted to? What could he do if the monster won? What kind of person could he become? Yeosang didn't know, Yeosang didn't want to know. The only thing he wanted was for the moon to appear and free him from the beast. But there was no time to wait, right? The blood of his enemy soaked his hands, and the fight wasn't over. Yet, he couldn't get his own body to move. It wasn't responding, his legs refused to move and his hands trembled, causing more of the crimson drops to stain the floor.

It was... over. He acted like a monster, he would die as a monster.

There was nothing he could do, nothing at all.

His body was no longer his own.

His mind despised it.

"Hey,"

Suddenly, the deep and calm voice of the blond reached him. The enemy was clearly faking such calm, he had to be with his arm like that. Despite it all, he sat on the floor too. He left some space between them, something the prince appreciated.

"These things happen."

What—

"—the hell...?" Yeosang muttered. Why was the enemy trying to make him feel better?

"No one really controls it at first— Well, Hwanwoong doesn't control it yet." The blond shrugged, a gesture that brought out more pain from his arm. "Is it the first time you do... something like this?"

"What kind of trick are you going for?"

Yeosang asked, but his mind already found an answer. The guy probably was like Wooyoung, like any other pirate, Oneus would probably sell him to some filthy piece of shit. Perhaps he would get killed and dissected, becoming a statue had never been on his future plans. Well, because he had none.

Oh, what a fool he was. It sounded too easy, to be a part of Ateez and start his life from zero. To have no ties to the cursed land of Ethia. To be himself, finally.

But, was there such a thing as himself? The human he was supposed to be, it got more and more overshadowed by the monster they turned him into.

"I will do it again—" He finally kept talking, pointing at the enemy with one of his hands as he got to his feet. "I'm not afraid of ending you, right here and right now."

But, despite his words, his body kept trembling.

"Then go ahead."

The enemy sighed and, before he got to say anything else, his eyes opened wide as he looked at the prince— No. He was looking behind Yeosang.

He looked surprised, almost... scared? It could be two things: The other guy found them and came to help his companion, or Ateez finally came back for him. Judging by the expression on the enemy's face, he saw an enemy. That meant Yeosang was saved, but who could it be? The captain? Perhaps the lieutenant? Even Wooyoung would be great, really. He just wanted someone else to get him out of the enemy ship, he wanted to go back to the Aurora and just—