Aurora - You are my light (Ateez x reader)

EIGHTEEN

- TRIGGER WARNINGS: Anxiety, Fear of Death, Suicidal Thoughts, Imprisonment, Wounds, Blood, Blood Loss, Miscarriage. Please read only if you feel ready. Otherwise, skip this chapter. -

I had lost all sense of time and space in the stifling darkness. I had no idea how many hours or days I had been locked up here. No one came by, not even Seonghwa or Yeosang. I hadn't eaten in ages, but what was far worse was the desperate thirst gnawing at my body. I knew Hongjoong was ruthless, but I never imagined he would go this far.

I had definitely pushed things too far. I knew that. None of it had been my intention; all I wanted was a bit of closeness and belonging. In the past hours—or had it been days by now?—I had replayed every situation on board over and over again. Yet, I couldn't form a single coherent thought. Now, even more so, my brain had ceased to function properly due to the lack of oxygen and fluids.

The hours and days passed unnoticed as I endured my cramped, suffocating prison. The Treasure had swallowed me like a dark monster, with darkness my only companion. Yet even that couldn't drive away the excruciating pain that suddenly and brutally tore through my abdomen. It was a thousand times worse than on my second day aboard, feeling like sharp claws digging into my flesh, as if they were tearing me apart from the inside. Every pain was like an unrelenting blow, coursing through my body like a wave, causing involuntary twitches as I writhed on the hard floor of the cage.

I screamed in agony, feeling more helpless than ever before. Even King Valthor's assaults were nothing compared to this, as I had known they would eventually stop. I called out for Yeosang and Seonghwa, pleading for their help, and prayed to anyone who might be listening that they were nearby and could hear my cries. But my desperate screams echoed through the storage room, fading into nothingness. The rough seas outside seemed to swallow any sound I made. The darkness pressed down on me as I writhed in my confined space, trying to escape the unbearable suffering that enveloped me like an icy grip. I was alone.

The rough seas raged outside, and a clap of thunder drowned out another desperate scream as the pain continued to pull me into darkness. Every breath was a struggle, every heartbeat a cry for release from the torment holding me captive. I was certain these were my final moments. A hot liquid trickled down between my legs, and I instinctively reached for it, only to find it was my own blood, flowing down my thighs. The realization made my heart race with fear as I felt my strength waning and my senses fading. Panicking, I tore off my black culottes and pressed it to my entrance, trying to stop the blood loss. My underwear must have already turned red, soaked through with my blood. I'm going to die. Here and now. That was the only clear thought that anchored itself in my mind. And I felt nothing but sheer terror.

But suddenly, like a distant starlight in the darkness, a faint, greenish-blue glow appeared, dancing before my half-closed eyes. With my last bit of strength, I watched the mysterious light until I succumbed to unconsciousness and the darkness consumed me.

When I next regained consciousness, I found myself hovering a few inches above the ground. I looked around and realized I was still in the dark storage room where I had been imprisoned. But I was gazing at my body from a distance, lying lifeless on the floor. Through the light emanating from me, I saw my body in a large, dark pool of blood. The skin of my legs glistened wet and red.

I was startled; I could see my body lying there, but I didn't feel it. When I looked down at myself, I saw nothing. Was this the path to death that so many had described? Or perhaps a near-death experience? In the reflection of the wooden ship's wall, I noticed a faint greenish-blue light shimmering, moving when I moved. But it no longer felt like I was dying. I felt only lightness. Because I was this light.

Without further questioning, I instinctively followed the stairs from the lower deck, where I had been held captive, up to the mid-deck. I slipped effortlessly under the narrow door crack and found myself in the familiar ship corridor on the mid-deck. The crew's cabins were just a few meters to my left. I directed my light towards Seonghwa's cabin. I slipped under his door as well and found him standing at the window in the deep of night.