Somewhere Between the Sea and the Sky.

Episode 3: Chapter 7.

The forest wasn't that bad, Jongho thought. He had seen worse places, many of them. His master's room, the Landfill's taverns, even the Black Hallows jail was worse, and he sure knew those. So, for him, it was a nice walk through an unknown place. For the other two, it was different.

First one, San. A church boy looking for a temple in the middle of a strange island. It would be poetic if they weren't looking for some kind of demon-worshipped idols.

Then there was Yeosang, a prince who thought he had already adapted himself to the pirate life. He had for most things, yes, but Jongho couldn't help but notice the small gestures he unconsciously did to avoid the dirt, plants or narrow passages through the trees. He also noticed how his hair was growing a bit faster than that of the rest of the crew, probably thanks to it being well cared for back in the palace.

It looked good on him, though.

But it was a problem too — Yeosang wasn't used to having longer hair, it happened once or twice that it got entangled with some thorns and he started to react... in a funny way. Well, Jongho found it funny. Despite the obvious frustration, the prince didn't actually get mad or start shouting. He just... accepted it, fixed it and kept walking.

Something quite different from the church boy too.

"—EEK!"

That was the sound of Choi San eating dirt again, his body hitting the ground as he stumbled with one of the forest's roots. Again.

"Are you alright...?" Jongho said, helping him get up.

"Yes, thank you—" San laughed nervously. "This place is a nightmare..."

"It's not that bad." Jongho laughed too. "I've seen worse."

"The closest thing I've seen was the palace's garden." Yeosang added without even turning around.

As he kept walking, the other two followed.

Then Jongho thought about their differences again, feeling... a bit weird. He didn't know much about why San ended in jail, but for Yeosang it was different. Yeosang was innocent, a poor soul dragged to a life of violence, while Jongho himself was more of a sinner. He was a dirty blacksmith with no right to even share a bedroom with a prince.

Sigh.

He took a deep breath, trying to keep the thoughts away. Why was he thinking about that, anyways?

"Hey, I found something." Yeosang suddenly spoke.

The prince crossed a wall of weeds and bushes, disappearing from San and Jongho's vision. Of course, they soon followed.

All of a sudden, there was no more forest. In front of them there was a huge, clean and beautiful lake, with a strange structure in its center. It seemed to be some kind of tower, maybe a bell tower. There was no bell, though.

"It sure looks like something." Jongho finally answered.

"Should we camp here and explore the area...?" San added. "Something about this place tells me it's important."

"You may be right," Yeosang said. "I feel magic around us."

"Magic...?" The church boy muttered. "That's what it is...?"

"..." Jongho remained in silence for a moment, trying to understand. It didn't work. "I can't feel shit, but I'll believe in you two."

"Wait, what?" The prince turned around to look at Jongho then. "You can't? San feels it but you don't?"

"Uh—" Jongho frowned. "Seems like it. Don't ask me why."

"You have strange magical scales, but San is just a dude." Yeosang kept going. "It makes no sense. You should be able to sense it."