"𝐌𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦," softly uttered the doctor.
The diagnosis is clear; Alessia had lost the ability to utter a single word for nearly a month. Her parents, initially unconcerned, grew tense upon hearing the news, overcome by a blend of emotions that the...
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•━━ ❦ ━━☠━━ ❦ ━━•
The atmosphere was heavy.
In front of her, Alessia could see a man with grainy coral skin and a muscular build the size of a mountain. A long black goatee cascaded from his chin, topped by a wide, protruding mouth. Above this, a three-day beard and a discreet nose took their place, crowned by two gleaming orbits. Finally, at the top of his head, frizzy black hair was hidden behind a bandana tied back. But what was most impressive was not the colour of his skin, nor the spiky fins at the back of his back, but rather the huge burn that stretched across his torso and formed a large, blood-red sun.
Alessia swallowed as she examined the room in detail.
It was a typical infirmary, with the basic furnishings needed for the most urgent care. Alessia had deduced that she was on a military ship, as the navy symbol adorned every corner of the stainless steel cupboards.
She looked at Mira.
The teenager was prostrate in an ominous silence, curled up at the foot of her bed without daring to look up at their interlocutor. Alessia could see her trembling, as if she were politely holding back the sharpest and most terrified of cries in front of the man who had, presumably, saved their lives.
Alessia took her eyes off her friend to look at the man again.
She understood her fear.
The man was not human and wore a long face. He seemed to regret the situation more and more every second. Alessia didn't know if her rescue was part of it.
She sighed.
"Thank you for saving us," she said, resting her head against her pillow.
The man frowned slightly.
"Did you send out that distress call?" he asked her harshly.
Alessia nodded.
She found it hard to believe that anyone had really come looking for them. Even more so that her saviors were the pirates of the sun, a crew made up exclusively of fish-men, people whom humans considered a sub-race and a plague.
