Ocean's Descent ||| Woosan (Ateez)

16

Once the announcement of Mingi's coronation spread throughout the pod, a few volunteers came forward to go with Wooyoung as an escort. Most of them simply wanted the adventure, but some because they had distant relatives in other pods that they were interested in visiting.

A royal summons was always a big deal, so they would end up spending a few days with each pod once they were received by the royal family.

There was usually a large feast, a night of celebration, and time was given to gather gifts from the pod. Any crafters or artisans would push aside all other projects to prioritize making something for the coronation.

And this was going to be an even bigger deal because there had not been a coronation in any pod for over one hundred years. With their lifespan, coronations were either few and far between, or they all happened in a small clump once one generation was ready to pass on the responsibility to their children.

Mingi's was a rare case given the condition of his father.

This also meant that Yunho was going to be busy preparing to receive so many strangers in their midst. Security was going to be extra high just in case, although Mingi wasn't too worried since they were a peaceful race.

The guard still insisted on having extra staff on hand so that way Mingi was always close to someone.

A few of his most trusted mermen were also assigned to go with Wooyoung. They would be equipped to handle any kind of predator they may come across on their journey.

Wooyoung watched as the four guards started to strap pieces of armor made from sea turtle shells and infused with magic to their bodies for protection. The only thing they couldn't cover was their tails, but they were trained to protect those so it wasn't a concern.

"Woo, I'd feel better if you put on some armor too." Mingi said from where he was leaning against a wall and chewing nervously on a nail. Now that this was actually happening, he had tried to convince Wooyoung to stay, but Yunho was the voice of reason and reminded him that this was his idea in the first place.

"I've never worn it before, it'll only slow us down." Wooyoung eyed the guards again and one of them sent a nod of agreement before fastening a large piece over his chest. "These guys will protect me, everything will be fine." He turned to his friend and smiled.

If he was being honest, Wooyoung was really looking forward to this. It would give him time to clear his head and be, somewhat, on his own for a little bit. He was planning on using the time to think about everything too.

Wooyoung glanced at Mingi and Yunho as they did a final inspection of the coronation committee. They moved almost in perfect sync and always seemed to know where the other was or what the other was going to do next.

He didn't know if he would ever fit in with that, but he knew that the way he felt things for others had changed since San left, and... he didn't want to be alone.

So he had already decided that if he couldn't come up with a good enough reason to say no, Wooyoung would accept the bracelet waiting for him once he came home. It would make a nice coronation present for Mingi.

A smile tugged at his lips at the thought and he knew that he would be able to find happiness with them.

He just needed to work on letting San go completely. Hopefully this journey would do the trick. The closest pod was already a several days swim away, and that was just the first one.

Overall, they anticipated that the committee would be gone for almost two months, but as a safety net they were planning on three.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of Mingi's father surviving longer than that was very slim.