IN THE MIST | seongjoong

05

Seonghwa has only had his voice stolen from him once before meeting the irritating captain of the Black Mist.

It was centuries ago, when he was still in his first life, ignorant to the curse that kept him immortal.

Night had fallen and it was time for sirens to hunt. No sailor knew that sirens lurked in the Neveah Sea, for those who had learned became a siren's play thing before their heart became a trophy. Sirens didn't hunt in groups, nor in pairs. They were independent creatures from birth. Their parents only remained with them for a few months, until they were half way full grown. Seonghwa had hunted hundreds of times before, and the night had been no different.

In the Neveah Sea, where the water was peaceful and alluring, there were always sailors.

They were all victims of the surface beauty of the ocean and the fake assurance that you could see through the clear water. When the moon rose, the water became a mere void to those who looked above the surface. Below, it was as clear as it always was, so it was never hard to spot a swimming sailor or a ship passing through.

They always hunted for the fish in the ocean, their meat the freshest of all seas. So, Seonghwa always knew his next trophy would be throwing nets into the water. They never knew that sirens lurked near as they tossed the nets in and siren's never let themselves glow unless it was a singular, small boat.

So when he felt the net fall around him, capturing him, he didn't understand how the sailor had managed to find him.

Entangled in the net, he thrashed and ripped into the netting only to find it to no avail. Whatever the net was made of was so strong the siren couldn't rip into it with his sharp nails or teeth. As the net pulled him above water, he could hear the jeering of the sailors. As if they had been targeting him.

Seonghwa hissed, moving in the net and glaring at the sailors below. It didn't take long for him to hum his enchanting melody, so sweet that the sailors immediately quieted, the one who had been hoisting the net up began to let go before Seonghwa felt a crushing sensation on his head and he screeched as he held to his head tightly, the pain so unbearable.

He looked before him and snarled when he saw a man chanting words in their language, an item in hand. He squinted and furrowed his brows when he saw his necklace, laced with pearls and a dangling shell, in his hands. He didn't think to care much for how the man got his necklace, not when he was on the verge of being captured.

Seonghwa tried to claw at the net again but he felt so weak, the crushing sensation in his head taking out all of his fight. He let out pleading calls towards the other sirens. They might respond to his plea, but he fears he will be gone by then.

"No." He hisses quietly as he holds tightly to the net and it seems one of the sailors below here, eyes widening.

"Capt! It speaks!" They have a heavy accent that Seonghwa will never be able to place. He stares at the man who the sailor regarded as "capt." The man standing, the man who was holding the necklace. He held an evil grin and Seonghwa hissed with a wince before he felt his breath catch in his throat–daring to leave him.

It was when the captain said the damned words that Seonghwa felt it being ripped from him. He could feel the way his song left his body and saw it drift into the necklace the captain held.

And just like that, he had lost his song for the first time.

– – –

When Seonghwa woke up, he jolted, hitting his head on glass and he groaned. He couldn't move—barely at least. He looked around, his gaze hazy as he noted the wooden interior that he recognized from the sunken ships in his sea.