Vanished [ATEEZ]

black flag

-This is our only chance...

Yunho did not waited any longer. He quickly rushed to the square, Jongho and Seonghwa right behind him.

The three men came closer to the cage.
Inside, the children moved away, eyes wide open and cries filling the air. They were terrified...

This sight.

This mere sight grew a seed of pure hatred in the young men. This abominable crime against the poor, against the ones the wealthy ones seemed to consider as inferior, as nothing much more than pawn in the giant game they were playing.

Jongho grabbed his flintlock pistol and pointed it toward the padlock. A detonation echoed in the tank of the square and the children let out a small scream in unison. The cage opened and Seonghwa lowered himself at their height, putting both of his hands in front of him as an attempt to reassure them.

-It's okay... he softly said, We aren't here to hurt you, okay? Come on we need to go before they come back.

He stood up, the children behind him, following him like little ducks following their mother. Jongho came back with the others, the padlock of the other cage down too.

The three men just turned their head to the side, the giant ball of flames still burning.

There was no screams anymore.

No movement.

Just... flames.

Yunho gulped, an immense sense of failure growing in him. He failed to save those kids. He failed to save to ones everyone needs to fight for.

-We should go... Seonghwa's voice resonated as a guiding light for Yunho.

He turned around, seeing him walking down the same path he had run up not that long ago, the kids behind him looking everywhere, scared to be once again ripped of their own lives.

Jongho put a small reassuring tap on Yunho's shoulder, followed by a tiny smile. He then ran to catch the little troop now far away.

Yunho turned around a last time, the cage still burning until nothing remains, the flames devouring everything as a starving beast. Suddenly the cage crumbled down, the metal incapable to support the unsustainable heat of the fire. The man let out a small sight and turned back to run to his friends, letting behind him the carbonised bones of those innocent souls.

If only he had stayed a little longer...

If only he had saw this all in white dressed man escape from the fire, walking in it like nothing was even there. Quietly watching him, watching them, as a single thought floated in his head, a smirk twisting his lips.

"I found you..."

❈───────•✦•❅•✦•──────❈

The canon balls flew in the air, crashing a few seconds later in the stones of the luxurious houses at sight. The screams of dozens and dozens of well dressed peoples echoed in the large streets of the upper side of the island.

The ladies in their expensive long dresses running along the men in their frock coats, trying to hide in a safe spot. Some young kids were bouncing in the arms of the nursemaids, who were following their master carrying their own children.

The rooftops explode one by one, stones and cracks of wood piercing the air before landing on the ground now plowed with all of those steps.

The guards were loading the canons placed in the Fort. The canon balls got passed from hand to hand, the muskets were loaded and the saber hanged from the belts.

In the other side, the ship's crew was more prepared. This island wasn't that big and they exactly knew what that meant... there weren't many crown's guards. They had the advantage. They were ready to fight if a land fight had to take place.

-Brace up yards! The voice of the captain resonates in the air.

From the corner of his eyes he saw an huge mass move. An amused and satisfied smirk taking place on his face.

Everything was going had planned...

The tall man turned to face the moving mass and his eyes met an unknown magnificent ship. A little spark came across his eyes as he could recognised this ship in a thousand of others. The crew turned to look at the new arrivant, before their eyes widened and joy exclamations filled the entire ship.

They just couldn't believe their eyes.

The captain, on the other hand, just smiled. Looking with warm eyes the ship of the legend approaching near the island. He could already see the crew on it and his heart had never been so hopeful before.

"So he was right..." he said to himself, smile not leaving his face a second, "Eden you will never failed to make me agape" a tiny laugh escape his lips as he thought of the words of his friend, thinking of how he was doubting them at first and then here they were...

The unknown ship came closer and closer, not revealing who it was until an black coloured flag was hoisted. On land everyone was looking at it, breath taking back, waiting for an real answer to their questions. The guards wishing for a random black flag of a random merchant ship while the townsfolk wished to see the symbol.

The black coloured flag was raised and soon reached to top of the mizzen horn, the wind blew it and the entire flag got revealed.

A black flag adorned with the symbol...
The three white bands passing behind the skull itself overhanging the two sabers.

The screams of joy from the townsfolk resonated in the streets, some cries of joy and some embraces exchanged between them.

On board of the ship the same scenario was happening. The captain looked at his crew with a tender smile before he let go of the helm and went down on the deck. His whole crew looked at him and after a few seconds of silence his powerful voice was heard from them all.

-Get the flag and raised that up! Show them all what's happening right now!

A great shout of determination rose in the air from the crew at unison. A few of them rushed to the hold, picking the flag, hidden there for so long. They came back with it and together raised it to the mizzen horn, adorning the rebellion flag too.

The real rebellion had started.

From the first time in more than seventeen years, the pirate ships could finally raised that flag proudly.

They were here...

Finally.

After all those years of pain, abuse, torture and death. After all those lives taking away from the reality, from the surface of the world. For those people who died because of their courage and their refusal to submit. For those broken families who suffer from the lost of they loved ones. For those orphans who grew up in that hopeless place. For the dead men and women of the first rebellion seventeen years ago...

...the Aurora and his crew had arrived.

The captain scrutinised the ship a little more, his eyes catching a little silhouette. A not that tall but powerful man at the aura stronger than anyone else, dressed with a dark blue velvet flock coat was standing proudly at the tip of the bow.

With a soft whisper the captain said his name, the entire crew heard it calling it too just as an echo.

"Captain Kim Hongjoong..."