Star Illusion | ATEEZ Pirate AU

Chapter 44 - Sharing room

It's officially a month since I transmigrated into a fiction realm. Up until now, the only clue I received is the Seakeeper. My first assumption is that it has nothing to do with the figurehead like I used to clowning myself by talking to a carved wood. Therefore Hongjoong's past lover has the highest possibility that she could be the real author. I didn't have the time a̶n̶d̶ ̶g̶u̶t̶  to ask him yet so my plan makes no progress. Plus, I still owe Hongjoong the second punishment. It's best to avoid him at all costs in this time period.

Another issue that I have to deal with is the shadow from last night. That fuzzy shadow definitely isn't one of the crew or worse not a human. I rack my brain to find any interaction between female lead and some creatures but none ring a bell. Then I remember the shadow that I saw on the haunted ship. Are they related to each other? Lot of questions swirl in my mind and I need to find answers.

Since Ateez set sail early morning, I didn't have an opportunity to ask her until we were alone inside our cabin room.

Aurora sits on her bed, staring blankly outside the window. The light reflects her hair into a golden halo. I admire her beauty for a moment then snap into reality as I need to interrogate her about the shadow.

"Aurora." I call her but she still loses in her thoughts.

"Aurora." I raise my voice louder. This time she startles and turns to me.

"Yes?" Her doe eyes widen slightly.

"You look tired. Something bothers you?" I observe her worry-filled expression. She looks more distressed than yesterday.

"Well, just a little exhaust from things that are going on here." She rests her gaze on me and her mouth stretches into a gentle smile. But she isn't the type that hides her expression well. Exhaustion wouldn't cause her to knot her brows all day long.

"Right, a lot of things happen in a span of one month. I almost died many times." I chuckle dryly. She looks at me sympathetically. "But the thing that bothers you, is it the pirates?"

She sighs, not answering. But it's obvious that she still hates their guts.

"The water?" I continue asking. She slightly frowns, her mouth pressing into a thin line.

"Or the shadow?"

My last sentence makes her eyes go wide for milliseconds and return back to normal. But that little action didn't slip past my keen-eyed.

She remains silent for a moment and opens her mouth. "What shadow?"

"I saw it last night. At the rocky beach." She's trying to play innocent but in front of the great liar—aka me— she's bad at it.

"Why did you follow me?" Her question confirms to me that she was there at the beach, it wasn't my hallucination.

"I followed you because I was worried." It wasn't an excuse but I really worried about her. Yet, Aurora shifts uncomfortably on her bed.

"Star, you don't have to worry about me. I told you I'm fine. I can manage myself." Her tone reveals that she's upset.

"So there really was a shadow in the water." I press for an answer.

"You..." She trails off, trouble flashes across her face. "There was no one there." The more she speaks, the more doubt I have for her increase.

"Was it the reason why you told me to beware of the water?" The night she warned me to beware of water was quite strange, so I didn't take it into consideration. But when I saw the shadow, I could pierce things together.