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It was a very tough evening. Kyungsoo couldn’t fall asleep at all. He didn’t think anybody really slept all that well, if he’s honest. 

 

He was afraid, but excited. He was curious,  yet so frightened. And on top of all that, he was in pain. 

 

When they had started setting up the tents last night, he had noticed that he had hurt his leg. He doesn’t really remember when it had happened but his best guess was when the damn leviathan rocked  their submersible, making him fall. The adrenaline had been too much for him to notice earlier. 

 

It had been Junmyeon coming up to him and noting that his ankle looked a little swollen. The moment he had taken his shoe off so the doctor could take a closer look, the pain had hit him like a freight train. Suddenly and out of nowhere. 

 

Junmyeon’s best and most hopeful guess without the proper equipment was that he had severely sprained his ankle because of the fall. All he had been able to do was secure it tightly with a bandage. He had proceeded to help Kyungsoo with the tent he had been tasked to put up, telling him to sit down and rest his foot instead. 

 

In the morning, after all the worrying and sleepless tossing around, Kyungsoo had woken up to realize that his leg had only gotten worse. 

 

It’s more swollen now, and he gets sympathetic looks from the others sitting around him. Junmyeon gives him a pill that’s supposed to reduce the pain a little. He also gives him a very worried look when everybody gathers around to discuss where they’re going to do next. 

 

It’s not a long meeting. Pretty much everybody is on the same page - they’re already here. They need to keep going. Sure enough, some are a little reserved about it. They’re worried that they’ll find nothing and won’t live to tell the tale. Kyungsoo is mostly worried that he will slow them down with his stupid foot. 

 

But ultimately, they decide to go on. Kyungsoo has all his notes, ready to go through them for the thousandth time if he has to. He will lead them to Atlantis. He will find it, and he won’t stop until he’s there. 

 

“What do you think happened to the other pods?”  he hears Seulgi asking from the other side of the circle, the questions everybody has had on the tip of their tongues but hadn’t dared speak out loud. His heart clenches a little, flashbacks to the leviathan running through his mind. He feels shivers running up his spine as he looks at the glowing crystals above them. 

 

“The emergency navigation system was programmed to ascend the pod back to the surface,”  Jongdae says, packing one of the massive backpacks, checking the computers and radars they can bring with themselves. “If the systems weren’t damaged, then they should have made it back up safely.” 

 

Kyugnsoo decides not to linger too much on the ‘should have’. He shuts his eyes tightly, trying not to think too hard about the leviathan attacking their comrades- about it destroying the pods. He tries not to feel too guilty. 

 

He fails. 

 

They decide to only pack essentials - as much food as they can gather in the massive backpacks they have. Fresh water. Some first aid kits, along with various special equipment they might need. Flashlights, telecoms, some handheld radars. Things that might help them out during their journey into the caves. 

 

Kyungsoo feels pathetic and so incredibly guilty that he cannot help with that. He wants to take a backpack too, he wants to do something . But Junmyeon insists that it’s going to be hard enough for him to move as it is- that carrying something heavy would only make things worse. He’s entrusted only with carrying his research and given the task to try his best to find the right directions. 

 

He just hopes he doesn’t let them down.

 

Time passes incredibly slowly when they have to keep walking. Every single minute is painful, but Kyungsoo grits his teeth and continues pushing through. 

 

He is incredibly grateful to his friends for always helping him. Junmyeon is always on the lookout for him, throwing worried glances and insisting they take occasional breaks. Kyungsoo tries not to mind the dirty glares some of the archaeologists throw at him. 

 

He is also grateful to Jongdae for helping him climb up the rocks when needed, to Yixing for supporting him when they walk, to Baekhyun for bringing him water when he sees him struggling. 

 

He tries to compensate for all of that by trying his hardest to read the symbols on the walls of the caves that they keep walking through. The longer they walk, the more symbols appear between the phosphorescent quartz veins. The longer they walk, the wider the caves become. 

 

On their second day of the journey, they find the first ruin. A fallen column with so many symbols on it that they have to spend four entire hours there so Kyungsoo can try deciphering most of it.

 

It motivates everybody to keep moving. Even the nasty archeologists. 

 

“Those do not look natural,”  Baekhyun says as they keep watching, hands brushing over the smoother walls of the caves. “Not anymore.” 

 

Kyungsoo understands. The more they progress, the more it becomes apparent that they are getting closer. That those stair-like constructions are not a natural occurrence. That this had been made by people. 

 

Kyungsoo is in pain, yes, and he is slowing them down significantly, but he is also filled with determination to see this through. He will not stop until they find the entire city and all of its remains. Even if it means permanently feeling that unsettling pain in his leg with every step he takes. 

 

They set up camp for the evening again that night once they all feel too exhausted to go any farther. 

 

Kyungsoo already feels a little bothered. The nights are his least favourite part of this entire expedition. The caves are dark, despite the phosphorescence from the crystals, and they bring back memories of the depths of the ocean. Of razor sharp teeth, of lost colleagues. He cannot really rest during the nights, and finds himself barely able to sleep at all. He keeps staring at the dancing shadows on the walls, a very disturbing sensation washing over him every now and then. He can swear that he sees the rocks and the shadows moving, feeling like they’re constantly being watched. 

 

He’s officially losing his mind. 

 

So when they set camp that evening and when Yixing lights the fire, he sighs in relief when everybody gathers around. He likes it when they’re sitting together and talking. It makes him feel less alone. 

 

The members of the other pod sit a little ways away from them, which surprised Kyungsoo until Jongdae informed him that Yixing and one of the old archaeologists argued about what to have for dinner.

 

“I’m not eating canned beans again . I don’t care if they put extra bacon in it, I am not eating that garbage . I need warm soup and rice.”

 

Everyone sighs at the mention of rice. Kyungsoo has to admit, he’s tired of the others’ suggestion of food as well. He really misses the jjigae he would get across the street from his apartment, or the spicy pork he would pig out on every couple weeks. Truth be told he misses a lot of food back home. Ever since he set out on this journey, he’s been at the mercy of the cooks onboard the submersible.

 

And they don’t even have those anymore, not after the leviathan’s attack.

 

Kyungsoo watches Yixing prepare some sort of stew, seeing him boiling water for the instant rice as well. His mouth is already salivating at just the smell. Yixing passes around some tea as well, and Kyungsoo holds the cup close to his chest.

 

Baekhyun drinks some, smacking his lips. “What kind of tea is this?”

 

“Aren’t you the one with the plant degree?” Jongdae asks smugly.

 

“It’s tea,” Baekhyun says sharply, glaring at Jongdae. “Not a tree or something.”

 

“It’s literally dirty leaf water, you imbecile.”

 

Kyungsoo watches as Yixing gets a sad look. “It’s the tea my grandmother packed for me from China…”

 

Jongdae panics. “I never said it was bad dirty leaf water! It’s really really good!”

 

Yixing laughs suddenly, eyes glancing to Kyungsoo for a moment. He gives him a sympathetic look when he sees his elevated foot. Yixing gestures at the tea. “You better drink that. It will speed up the recovery process.”

 

Junmyeon chokes across from him, the doctor looking bewildered. “Excuse me?”

 

Yixing eyes him distastefully. “Are you going to call my grandma a liar?”

 

Junmyeon purses his lips, about to answer, but Baekhyun swoops in.

 

“He’s making our food,” Baekhyun says with a singsong voice, as if consoling a child about to throw a tantrum. “Don’t be rude.”

 

The frown Junmyeon sends Baekhyun has Kyungsoo snorting, Seulgi and Joohyun snickering as well. Baekhyun focuses on Kyungsoo now, eyeing his foot with a sparkle in his eyes. Kyungsoo immediately glares.

 

“Touch it, and I will drag you back to the pods to drown your .”

 

Baekhyun makes a face, avoiding eye contact at that point. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the rocks this morning.”

 

It gets quiet for a few moments before Jongdae suddenly chuckles. They all look at him questionably, but he just waves his hand.

 

“It’s just. We’re all like some kind of bad bar joke, you know?” Kyungsoo gives him a confused look and he elaborates. “A linguist, an engineer and a doctor walk into Atlantis-” 

 

Baekhyun points menacingly. “Excuse you, what about me ?” 

 

“We left the environmental animal plant guy home because he had too many degrees to make the joke funny .” 

 

“ you.” 

 

Everyone laughs, including Kyungsoo who can’t seem to stop after seeing Baekhyun’s expression. He notices the others glance at them from afar and for a moment he feels bad that they’re left out. Then again, they chose to sit so far away. 

 

Yixing stirs the stew, seeming satisfied when he tastes it. He dishes it out one by one, and everyone starts eating. Kyungsoo sighs happily around the mouthful of rice he takes before digging into the stew. It’s the best thing he’s had since he started this adventure.

 

“Okay but real question,” Joohyun finally asks, looking around their small circle curiously as everyone chews. “We know why Kyungsoo is here, but what about the rest of you? What led you here?”

 

Kyungsoo raises his head too, eyes travelling from person to person. He is curious.

 

Jongdae shrugs. “I was hired to help build the submersible, so for me it was all money at first. I was being paid really well, and Heechul told me that he’d like me to join on the expedition since I was an expert on all the machinery.” 

 

Jongdae takes a sip from his tea before leaning back on the rock. He gives a little distressed smile. 

 

“He conveniently left out the bit where we might get attacked by a murderous lobster, but I guess that’s fine.” 

 

Kyungsoo feels a little conflicted at that, but he recalls Jongdae has an interest in history too. Deep down, this must mean something a little more than a simple paycheck.

 

Junmyeon clears his throat next. 

 

“I… really don’t know how I ended up here, I suppose. I was a friend of a friend of Heechul’s. He heard that I was looking for work in the field, rather than being stuck in a hospital. I thought he’d help me get into the Peace Corps or something. When he told me about this, I jumped at the opportunity.” Junmyeon smiles a little. “Imagine it, me- a doctor of infectious disease- there with the team that discovers Atlantis. It’s amazing.”

 

Kyungsoo smiles, especially when Yixing pats his back. 

 

“I’m the same. I was looking for work outside of being stuck in a cubicle. I was put on the team with Jongdae, and well. When I was asked if I wanted to go, it wasn’t even a question at that point.” He looks at Kyungsoo with stars in his eyes. “Listening to your lectures just made me more and more excited.”

 

Kyungsoo’s heart feels a little warm at that, not realizing anyone was actually enjoying any of his long lectures. Honestly, he had been too focused on the other archaeologists constantly interrupting him to even notice Yixing had been there.

 

All eyes gravitate towards Joohyun and Seulgi. Joohyun sighs.

 

“We’re just from Heechul’s personal security team. He trusted us and a few others to make sure you all were safe and protected on the journey.”

 

“Besides,” Seulgi shrugs. “He’s been rambling on and on about Atlantis for years . It’s hard not to get at least a little interested.” 

 

Kyungsoo purses his lips. “Does he put his sunglasses in your shirt too?”

 

Joohyun smirks. “No, because he values his hands.”

 

“Excuse me for asking,” Junmyeon starts lightly, an almost scared and hesitant tone to his voice. “But how do two young girls gain a high enough clearance to be able to do such advanced security contracts for a multibillion dollar expedition?”

 

“Would you prefer big old military men instead?”

 

Junmyeon cringes. “Well, no.”

 

“Two young girls it is, then.” Seulgi says, slapping Junmyeon’s back as he tries to sip his tea. 

 

There’s something decidedly sharp in their eyes, even if they’re so young and tiny. Kyungsoo has no doubt that they can kick his within seconds. He decides then that it’s better to never really go against them. He does have a sense of self-preservation. 

 

Kyungsoo looks to Baekhyun, watching him grin at Junmyeon choking on his tea. Jongdae hums, gesturing to the zoologist.

 

“And what about you, oh mighty forever university student?”

 

Kyungsoo half expects Baekhyun to be serious for a moment in his life, but it turns out that is impossible.

 

“Are you kidding me? A free cruise and I get paid a ridiculous amount of money to tell a bunch of other nutcases about rocks and plants? Why wouldn’t I go?” Baekhyun sits back on his hands, jerking his head to flip his bangs out of his eyes. “Besides, I’m here for the hot Atlantean babes.”

 

There is a beat of silence.

 

“Well, their bones anyway.”

 

Junmyeon face palms so hard that Kyungsoo can feel it in his soul.

 

He just shakes his head. He can see right through Baekhyun’s bull. Everybody can. If it was just for the free trip to the bottom of the ocean, he wouldn’t have been so invested in actively collecting samples and giving them extensive information on anything they need. 

 

Jongdae throws a little pebble at him. “If that is your subtle way of saying you’re because you’ve been underwater for two months getting no action, it’s not working.”

 

Baekhyun smirks at him. “Bold of you to assume there’s been no action.”

 

Joohyun suddenly laughs, her covering afterwards as she giggles. She waves her hand. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just. You’re literally the biggest nerd of the whole bunch.”

 

This has all of the men around the circle looking at each other. An attack that had been initially directed towards Baekhyun has now been fired at them all. 

 

Yes, they are nerds. And yes, they stick together. 

 

“I’ll have you know,” Yixing jumps in to help as he takes a sip from his tea. He has this very serious, matter-of-fact expression on his face. “A lot of people are into nerds.” 

 

“Really?” Joohyun throws a look towards Seulgi. The other girl is hiding a smirk too. “When has your degree ever gotten you laid?” 

 

“Easy,” Baekhyun huffs indignantly. “I’m a zoologist. You’d be surprised how many people go soft for the combination of man and puppy.” 

 

Joohyun gives him a look of doubt.

 

Baekhyun his lips, smirking a little as he thinks back. “Brought a girl to the zoo I was interning at. She was ready to jump my bones after I let her feed the giraffes.”

 

Junmyeon shrugs. “I’m a doctor . That alone is enough.”

 

“Do they run screaming when you tell them you deal with infectious disease?”

 

“Look. I leave that part out.”

 

Seulgi laughs. They all glance to Kyungsoo, who’s next in line. He flusters immediately, lips sealed shut as he tries to think of a way to avoid the subject. Baekhyun clicks his tongue. 

 

“Okay, maybe Yixing was wrong. Some nerds really are doomed,” he waves a hand in Kyungsoo’s direction. “What’s his degree gonna do for him? Help him analyze speech during ?!“

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t really have a reply to that, instead he just looks down at his teacup as soft chuckles come from all around the circle. When nobody speaks up and he raises his head a little, he realizes with horror that they are still looking at him. 

 

.  

 

“I, uh...I guess I was always too busy with my research.” 

 

Jongdae blinks. 

 

“What do you mean ‘always’ ?” 

 

. 

 

Kyungsoo’s mouth feels dry and he is squirming in his seat. He dug his own grave with that one stupid sentence. 

 

“Hold on,” Baekhyun says and Kyungsoo can sense from the astounded tone of his voice that he’s up to no good. “Was I the first person you’ve ever shared a bed with when I forced you to sleep in my bunk?!” 

 

“That’s not-”

 

Baekhyun gets a eating grin. “I popped your cherry.”

 

“ Stop . We literally just slept next to each other. Stop making it sound like we actually ed.”

 

“The tragic fate of the linguist,” Jongdae says, shaking his head. “Having one of his firsts with the animal guy, of all people.”

 

“At least it wasn’t with the computer guy.” Baekhyun laughs when Jongdae throws another pebble at him, narrowly missing Kyungsoo’s swollen ankle. Jongdae suddenly goes pale at Kyungsoo’s death glare, scooting closer to Yixing as if that would protect him.

 

Kyungsoo can still feel the flush in his cheeks as he looks away sharply. The subject is still hanging and he is mortified that someone might bring it up again. 

 

Thankfully, girls are indeed superior and sense that this has gone too far. Seulgi claps her hands together.

 

“Anyways. We should try catching some sleep tonight,” she says with a sigh. “According to the symbols on that column we have to go up some hill tomorrow, right?” 

 

Kyungsoo nods almost immediately.

 

“That’s right. It said the path will lead straight to the peak. I’ll have to read the text we pass by tomorrow,” he says excitedly. “I mean, we have to be getting close. Look at all of that.” 

 

He gestures vaguely towards the ruins of stairs and fallen columns. Jongdae just gives him a lopsided smirk. Junmyeon nods enthusiastically. 

 

“That’s right,” Joohyun stands up first, getting closer to the fire that’s already dying out. She steps on it harshly a few times, putting it away. “We should all go to sleep. The earlier we leave in the morning, the better.” 

 

Junmyeon walks over to Kyungsoo, insisting to check and tighten his bandage again before he goes to sleep. He hands him another pill and a bottle of water. He has this perpetually apologetic look in his eyes, keeps repeating that he wishes he could do more. Kyungsoo just purses his lips and pats him reassuringly. The doctor is doing his best and he knows that. He couldn’t possibly ask for anything else. 

 

“Come on, then,” Jongdae grunts when he walks over to Kyungsoo and helps him get up. He brings his hand over his shoulder as he helps him navigate around the rocks towards the tent. 

 

Kyungsoo really appreciates it. Especially the fact that Jongdae even helps him spread out the rolled up mattress and sit down carefully. 

 

“You want some company tonight, linguist?” the man asks, his smirk playful and teasing. 

 

He manages to escape the tent before Kyungsoo can swing at him. 

 

His loud and cheerful laughter echoes back in the cave, and Kyungsoo’s cheeks burn even harder. 

~
 

 

Kyungsoo can’t really sleep that night either. His heart feels heavy but his chest feels light all at the same time. He is excited because they are really close. That thought alone keeps him awake. 

 

That, and his foot hurts. 

 

Baekhyun is snoring lightly next to him. Lucky him. Kyungsoo wishes he could get some proper sleep too. Instead, he’s been rolling around on the uncomfortable mat the entire night, mind racing with thoughts. Besides, ever since Baekhyun turned a few hours ago and accidentally kicked him in his sleep, there have been regular waves of pain pulsing from his swollen ankle to the rest of his body. 

 

He is almost too tempted to go and wake Junmyeon up, beg him for some pill for pain relief. However, he knows how exhausted everybody is. He can just take the pill in the morning. Junmyeon deserves to sleep just as much as anybody else. It wouldn’t be fair. 

 

Kyungsoo stands up slowly, wincing when the pain shoots through his body again. He holds on to his knee for support, then wobbles out of the tent slowly. Maybe some water would help clear his mind at least. 

 

Their camp is exceptionally quiet. Everyone is asleep. He doesn’t know what time it is, but he assumed it is well into the early hours of the morning. The fire is not burning anymore, the tents are zipped up. The only light is coming from the greenish phosphorescence of the quartz veins. It is dreary and borderline creepy with the dark shadows that the rocks are hiding, but he has gotten used to it already. 

 

Kyungsoo drags himself slowly over to the supplies on the large rock by their snuffed out fire. Water is one of the supplies Junmyeon had insisted on stocking up on, so he allows himself to take several big sips. It feels refreshing, and he shuts his eyes as he brings down the bottle to his ankle. It’s not nearly as cold as he’d like it to be but it still feels soothing. Even if it’s just for a moment. 

 

He lets himself just sit there for a few minutes, sighing in relief as the coolness of the water bottle seeps into his skin before disappearing completely. He tries not to be too dejected when he settles the bottle down, but he also tries to look on the entire situation from the positive side - at least there is sleep finally creeping behind his eyelids, the inevitable exhaustion catching up eventually. 

 

Kyungsoo turns around then, slowly hobbling back to the camp. He is ready to lie back down and pass out, maybe gather some energy and pray that his leg feels at least a little bit better in the morning. 

 

He stops in his tracks when he hears the gentle shuffle of feet. His eyes shoot up towards his and Baekhyun’s tent, heart palpating in his chest. 

 

A dark figure looms there for a moment, lean and tall. Kyungsoo sees it for a flash of a second before it pushes past the ped tent and disappears from his sight. 

 

For a moment, he thinks it might be just his mind playing tricks on him again. After all, the shadows have become a part of his daily life at this point. However, the fabric of the tent is swaying lightly, and Kyungsoo just sighs, reaching up to rub at his eyes. Maybe Baekhyun had just got up to get something. Or maybe he woke him up with his quiet groans. He feels guilt flood his chest at the thought.

 

It takes him a few moments to drag himself back to the tent, the remorseful apology on the tip of his tongue. He pulls back the flap and his heart drops. 

 

There are two people in the tent. 

 

Baekhyun lays on his back, looking at him with eyes widened in horror. There’s another man with one hand tightly covering Baekhyun’s mouth, muffling the sounds of protest, while the other is holding a knife to the zoologist’s throat, effectively immobilizing him. 

 

Kyungsoo’s breath hitches and his eyes widen. He can’t see the man above Baekhyun clearly, but he’s wearing a mask - it being dark and wooden in nature with intricate patterns adorning the entire surface and twisting in the shape of a face. Kyungsoo realizes with yet another pang in his chest why it looks so familiar - those blue patterns with a silver glow, the way they run down the mask. The way they intertwine and part. 

Baekhyun makes a strangled noise then as if in pain, and Kyungsoo immediately snaps out of his fear induced daze. He doesn’t think, just throwing himself at the intruder in hopes he at least can help Baekhyun escape his grasp. The man grunts, and Kyungsoo barely has time to register anything. His eyes are wide, scrambling for the other’s knife but the man is faster.

 

Before the man can get the upper hand though, Kyungsoo swings his fist, somehow managing to land a punch to the other’s face. He thinks he hears the mask crack as the man recoils and Kyungsoo yelps when a wave of fresh pain courses through his hand.

 

“ ’,” Kyungsoo says, panting. He feels Baekhyun frantically grab his arm, both of them dragging themselves out of the tent before the intruder could recover. Neither of them are able to get their footing, just using their feet to clamber away. Kyungsoo backs up, eyes never leaving the tent until suddenly he bumps into something.

 

He freezes, especially when he realizes it’s definitely not a rock. 

 

He turns around slowly, heart racing and bile rising in his throat.

 

There, standing tall above him are a small group of four people, all wearing the same masks that the intruder had on. Kyungsoo is like a deer in headlights, unable to move as he trembles before them. One of them positions themselves with their feet spread, getting into a fighting position as they point what looks like a spear at Kyungsoo’s throat.

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes never leave the glowing eyes of the mask before him, shaking like a leaf as the other man before him makes him slowly rise to his feet. 

 

He feels the cold metal of the spear press to his neck when he struggles to stand properly, the pain in his foot somehow bothering him even now despite the endorphins rushing through him. Kyungsoo lets out a shaky breath, cringing and looking down at his swollen foot. 

 

The masked man’s head dips a little, looking as if they are lingering on Kyungsoo’s foot for a moment. But suddenly, they look to the side, whispering something to the others hidden by the bright blue glowing details of the masks. 

 

Kyungsoo chances looking to Baekhyun beside him, seeing the other man frozen in absolute terror with a spear held to his neck as well. The ice-cold metal is quickly pressed flush against his throat again, and when Kyungsoo’s eyes snap back to the masked man.

 

Steady pressure is added, as if a warning not to say a word.

 

Kyungsoo swallows harshly, lips pressed tightly together in fear that he may accidently make some sort of noise and meet his demise.

 

It is so quiet, one could hear a pin drop. Kyungsoo hardly hears the other masked intruders in the camp as they scatter, just praying to any deities out there that his friends aren’t being butchered in their sleep. Kyungsoo tries to cling to hope that they’re not and that he and Baekhyun aren’t next to die.

 

He wishes in this moment he could try to fight back, try to defend his friends. All he has is two years of taekwondo from his middle school years and that’s it. Curse him and his stupid will to not to study something essential -

 

The man before him moves slightly, head dipping as if listening to something behind him. Kyungsoo’s breath hitches.

 

Before, the other’s mask had looked like nonsensical drawings, like the ones he had seen on many ruins they had passed by the past couple days. Nothing looked important besides the brilliant glow of the blue crystals embedded in their masks like patterns. But with the man’s head tilted, he can see it clearly.

 

There is a lone symbol in the middle of the mask’s forehead, hidden among the various patterns of the crystals. 

 

The same one they had seen on the leviathan. 

 

‘ To protect .’ 

 

Kyungsoo’s heart races for a different reason now, ears straining to listen when the man in front of him speaks lowly to the other that now walks up. Kyungsoo gulps when he sees the crack in the mask, realizing it’s the one he clocked in the jaw before and shivering. The man trades places with the one currently holding the spear to Baekhyun’s throat, instead holding his own to the center of Baekhyun’s chest, just above his heart.

 

Kyungsoo tries to focus on the words that leave the other’s lips, but his heart is beating entirely too loudly in his ears for him to focus. His eyes rake down the man before him instead, blinking as he is finally able to think clearly enough to take in the other’s outfit.

 

Before, his fear had made him blind to it, but the man in front of him has a sort of armor on his forearms. The metal glints under the glow of the crystals around the cave, and Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrow when he looks up the man’s arms to see what looks to be deep blue scales. They stop at the upper bicep on both sides, the other man’s shoulders having a completely different set of armor. His is different from the one Kyungsoo had punched when he compares them side by side, Kyungsoo’s masked assailant instead being more intricate with the way the metal at the very tip of his shoulder curls. 

 

‘ Like waves ,’ Kyungsoo thinks.

 

Kyungsoo sees the other’s leather strap resting across his bare chest, it having various symbols on it but he can hardly see them in the poor lighting of the cave. There is a pouch like piece towards the bottom, and Kyungsoo spots a handle to what he assumes is a knife. Below that, the other man is only where what looks to be a deep blue, thin cloth wrapped around his hips. It’s wrapped in such a way that a single piece hangs lower in the front, and it’s then that Kyungsoo sees other colors incorporated into it. He quickly glances to the other masked figure next to him, seeing only deep blue and nothing else.

 

His eyes go back to the man in front of him, eyes lingering on the colors of the cloth. The spear is once against pressed to his skin, but rather than against his throat in a threatening manner, it is pressed under his chin. The man makes Kyungsoo raise his head, and he swears he hears a chuckle come from the other at Kyungsoo’s horrified expression.

 

Those glowing eyes of the mask stare into his soul, but Kyungsoo stares back. His mind is racing, trying to piece this all together when suddenly his attention shifts. 

 

He hears Jongdae somewhere off to his side giving an affronted ‘ watch it! ’, and when Kyungsoo turns to look, he sees one of the intruders poking him in the back to make him walk forward. The others in the camp are behind him, all being lead out of their tents and to where he and Baekhyun are currently standing. 

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes dart around to each other the intruder’s masks, seeing the same symbol on each. He shakes his head.

 

Something is off. Very off. 

 

There’s no possible way that these people are- but who else could they be? That symbol, the fact they are quite obviously human… 

 

The masked man looks towards the others, and Kyungsoo’s heart is in his throat when he speaks this time. 

 

“ Nin acai .”

 

Kyungsoo hardly breathes, staring at the man in shock.

 

‘ Check them .’

 

Never in his life has Kyungsoo heard anyone other than himself speak this language. He painstakingly taught it to himself over the course of his entire career, and never thought he would live to see the day to hear it come from someone else’s mouth. It’s a dead language. Lost and forgotten, only remaining on ancient scrolls for linguists like him to decipher and study.

 

Because this particular language was never really considered a language in the first place.

 

“Atlantian,” Kyungsoo whispers breathlessly. The man in front of him stops for a moment and slowly turns to look at him, but is quickly distracted when Baekhyun starts to whimper. Kyungsoo looks at him, seeing him looking as if he’s ready to run to help the others. The man with the cracked mask quickly turns his spear, hitting Baekhyun in the chest with the of the weapon to shut him up. Baekhyun gives him a weak glare then, but it disappears when the spear is pressed to his skin. 

 

Kyungsoo startles when Baekhyun releases a pained yelp, as if the spear is piercing his skin. A little farther away he sees Joohyun’s hand immediately reach back, and Kyungsoo panics when he realizes she is going for her gun.

 

“Wait!” Kyungsoo shouts. “Joohyun, don’t!”

 

Everyone looks to him, including the intruders. Kyungsoo is barely able to breathe now, but he looks to the masked man directly in front of him.

 

He feels the tip of the spear pressing into his skin at his sudden shout, in alarm. 

 

“Don’t hurt them,” Kyungsoo says, and those soulless blue eyes of the masks stare back at him. Kyungsoo wracks his brain for the proper words, furrowing his brows and pursing his lips as he speaks shakily. “ R-Ranya… ne acai .”

 

There is a long pause, and Kyungsoo feels years of his life taken off with each second that ticks by.

 

The spear in front of him never falters, but the man does lift his other hand to his face. Kyungsoo watches with bated breath as he slowly lifts up the mask, cerulean blue eyes staring at him a moment later. 

 

Kyungsoo forgets how to breathe. Those eyes staring right at him - they’re sharp and inquiring, the striking blue like a whirlpool. When the man removes his mask completely, his hair falls down in soft strands of perfect white, contrasting the golden shade of his skin. 

 

His lips are full and look so soft despite being pursed in concentration as his cerulean eyes narrow even more. Kyungsoo’s eyes take in the tattoo - a simpler pattern running through the middle of his eyelid, ending in the middle of his cheek with a sharp tip. Just like the man’s eyes, the tattoo is a vibrant blue, like the glow of the crystals surrounding them in this cave. 

 

Kyungsoo breathes in sharply, noticing a faint glow coming from beneath the man’s armor. He eyes it, spotting a little crystal attached to a leather necklace wrapped around his neck and resting somewhere on his collarbones. It had been hidden until now, between the leather slung across his chest.

 

He doesn’t have time to linger on that, because the spear nudges him lightly again, and his head snaps up to look at the man’s face. His white eyebrows are knitted together and he looks equal parts hostile and confused. 

 

“ Vem ve cai ?” The man says - asks , and Kyungsoo startles when he realizes he’s talking to him. “ Vana di ve cai? !”

 

He breathes in deeply, only just now noticing how silent it has gotten around them. His eyes flash to the others. Baekhyun is looking at him with widened eyes, Seulgi is holding a hand up on her chest. They all look worried. They all look terrified . 

 

Kyungsoo shuts his eyes when he feels another nudge from the spear. 

 

Who are you?  

 

The man’s first question. Who are you? 

 

“ Ca...Ca ve Kyungsoo ,” he says in a small voice, his tone scared and thin. His mind is all over the place. He doesn’t think he’s ever been this scared in his entire life, a knife pointing right at his neck as he tries to scramble for the right words. 

 

It is one thing to be reading ancient texts, slowly, in his office.

 

It is a whole other thing to be trying to speak it out loud, quickly, when your own life and the lives of others are on the line. 

 

“ Ca ve- ” he purses his lips, all words evaporating from his brain. He doesn’t know the word for scientist in Atlantian. He isn’t even sure there’s a word for that. The second question? Where are you from? How does he explain that he is from the surface? From Korea? There is so much he doesn’t know, and it hits him like a truck in that exact same moment when he is unable to gather the words he had been studying for the majority of his life. “ .”

 

“What is he saying?” Jongdae raises his voice and Kyungsoo’s head whips in his direction just in time to see one of the men in the masks just raising his knife in warning.

 

“I don’t-” Kyungsoo’s voice cracks in the middle of his sentence as he shakes his head. “He is asking where we’re coming from.”

 

“Holy , you understand him?!” Jongdae bellows, earning himself another nudge from the man with the mask. 

 

“Tell him!” Baekhyun urges, panic lacing his voice, and Kyungsoo feels the horror rising within him again. His friends are looking at him. They all look so desperate and afraid. They are relying on him, right now. Depending on him more than ever before. how did it even come to this? 

 

“ Aca ve-. ..” Kyungsoo runs his tongue over his dry lips as he looks back to the man in front of him. His eyes are still as sharp as he gazes right at him, a hint of curiosity swirling in the deep pools of his irises. Friends . What is the word for friends? Kyungsoo breathes in deeply. “ Aca ve yaate .”

 

“ Yaate ?” The man repeats after him, pronunciation smooth and confident, unlike Kyungsoo’s butchered attempts to speak. In his own defense, he is quite literally shaking. The intruder looks perplexed now as he his head a little. “ Vol yaate?! Vo ve cai tulla? ”

 

‘Why did you come?’ 

 

Kyungsoo lets out a breath, shaking his head in dejection. He throws a desperate look towards his friends. Junmyeon and Yixing are looking at him with wide eyes, Joohyun trying to keep a straight face as she assesses the situation. 

 

“I’m sorry,” he ends up whispering, shaking his head again as he looks towards the man in front of him. “I’m really sorry. I can’t-...”

 

Kyungsoo’s voice trails off, and he just looks at the man with the white hair and shining cerulean eyes, watching the way his eyebrows knit a little deeper. He sets his jaw, plump lips pressed tightly. 

 

“Why are you here?” The man asks in perfectly smooth Korean.

 

Kyungsoo feels his breath hitching, standing there absolutely dumbfounded. His mouth opens and closes in shock. He throws one quick look to his friends, all looking equally stunned. He feels the relief seeping into his chest for the briefest moment, before he remembers the spear that’s still pointing right at his throat. “What are your intentions?”

 

Kyungsoo tries to force himself to think clearly. Their lives are depending on this. 

 

“We are scientists,” he says carefully, slowly, measuring every single beat of his voice. “We come in peace. We are looking for Atlantis.”

 

The man remains silent, still staring at him with an unreadable expression. He shifts his head ever so slightly towards the other men, but his eyes remain trained on him. He says something in Atlantean, but he speaks it entirely too quickly for Kyungsoo to catch any of it. His eyes shoot from one man to another, between his friends. Then, finally, back to the man with the blue eyes. 

 

“Are you from Atlantis?” he asks breathlessly, unable to contain it. His voice sounds strained, and his palms are sweating. Especially when the man looks back at him with his piercing gaze. “That’s-”

 

“You’re coming with us.” 

 

~

 

Nobody dares speak up. Those men with the masks and spears watch them at all times as they lead them through the tight tunnels and corridors of the caves. Spears are pointed at them constantly, especially at Joohyun and Seulgi. 

 

Kyungsoo is barely keeping up, though. The pain is shooting through his entire body with every step he takes, but for the sake of keeping his life he decides to ignore it as best as he can. Instead, he watches as his friends are poked in the backs by the dull ends of the spears every now and then, being urged to walk forward in a tidy formation. 

 

The intruders are all wearing their masks again, and Kyungsoo is amazed by how agile and quick they are. They jump from rock to rock, squatting and moving quickly, while still keeping an eye on them and holding their weapons. The movements are practiced, and with ease, and if Kyungsoo wasn’t scared for his life right now he would be amazed.

 

“So are you guys Atlantians or not?!” Jongdae asks at some point, sounding rather confused as his voice echoes off of the rocks around them. He doesn’t get a reply, only another nudge in the back. “Will you stop that?!”

 

“That’s impossible,” Baekhyun says quietly in a wavering voice. “No, that’s just-... it can’t be. Atlantis… it sunk down thousands of years ago. That’s literally impossible, I-”

 

“Quiet,” the man with the cracked mask says, and Kyungsoo startles at how deep his voice is. He flashes him a look when he tightens his fingers around the spear and points it forward towards them again. “Move it.”

 

Kyungsoo’s body is shaking and he can’t tell if it’s from fear, pain, or the shock of it all. He just knows there are millions of thoughts racing through his mind, and he can’t seem to focus on a single one of them. 

 

The paths in the cave become steeper, and the drawings and patterns on the walls become even more intricate. The veins of crystals become more prominent, the patterns becoming more and more complex as they go. The most shocking thing, though, is the steady light that seems to be slowly illuminating the cave properly as they walk. It’s not just the crystals, now. Instead, something else entirely.

 

There are plants under his feet now, a soft green sneaking between some of the rocks like some sort of moss. He blinks in surprise, throwing a quick look towards Baekhyun. The botanist has a deep crease between his eyebrows and his mouth is a little agape. He seems at a loss for words. 

 

“Where are we going ?!”  

 

Kyungsoo’s fingers ball into fists when he hears Junmyeon’s rather panicked question. His eyes shoot from one intruder to another, their masks hiding their faces and eyes. He knows they’re watching them, though. Especially the one with the wave-like armor standing at the very front, leading the way. 

 

They don’t get a reply now either. 

 

Kyungsoo just takes in a deep breath. If they wanted to kill them, they would have already done that back in the camp. 

 

Maybe they still want to kill them, but at least they’re getting some time to figure something out. Kyungsoo is trying his best to summon all the Atlantean knowledge he has - all the words, all the grammar he has been studying his entire life. 

 

Not that he needs it, though, since they seem to be perfectly capable of understanding them.

 

Kyungsoo winces when pain shoots through him, a whimper escaping his lips as they move up the steep corridor. He reaches down instinctively towards his leg, too distracted to even mind that everybody looks towards him. 

 

“He’s hurt!”  Junmyeon speaks up and he sounds rather angry. When Kyungsoo looks up he sees the doctor shaking off one of the intruders to break the formation they were forced into. The spears are being held tighter and there is a brief yell from one of the masked men, but Junmyeon doesn’t pay them any mind as he walks towards Kyungsoo. He hooks an arm under his elbow, helping him stand up straight. The worry flashes through his face as he supports him. “Are you alright?”  

 

Kyungsoo vaguely nods as he tries to deal with the fresh wave of pain, feeling everybody’s eyes on them. Junmyeon looks up with a set jaw and fire in his eyes, as if daring anybody to challenge him.

 

Kyungsoo looks up blearily, gaze falling on the man with the wave-like armor. He is still standing at the front, face hidden beneath the mask. He is standing tall and lean on the rock in front of them, the spear in his hand pointing towards the ground. 

 

“Let’s go,” he says curtly, and Kyungsoo’s fingers dig into Junmyeon’s biceps as the doctor helps him walk. 

 

It seems like an eternity as they keep walking, especially with fear causing the blood to freeze in his veins. In reality, though, it’s probably just been minutes. Junmyeon is quiet beside him as he helps him climb the steep stairs, supporting most of his weight. The stairs are built into the cave’s floor, carved meticulously. Kyungsoo feels so guilty. As if it hasn’t been hard enough on everybody so far, now this too…

 

The more they walk, the thicker the moss appears on the rocks and Kyungsoo’s breath hitches when he hears the sound of flowing water crashing against rocks. He can swear that the caves are getting wider and brighter . 

 

Kyungsoo warily eyes the brightness, everything suddenly so visible. The blue of the intruders’ armors are shining like scales in the light and the glow of the patterns on their masks is even more vibrant now.

 

They are all climbing the rocks on the sides of the stairs, moving so expertly and precisely. They jump and hang onto the little crooks, using their spears to navigate easier and faster. Kyungsoo doesn’t know how they do it. He’s out of breath by the time they make it to the top of the stairs. He can’t feel his leg, his arm hurts where Junmyeon is holding onto him too tightly.

 

Baekhyun’s sudden gasp is cut short in bewilderment. There are even more plants up here, them forming up the walls of the cave and practically covering them. They hang like curtains there, swaying ever so slightly. Is that... a breeze he’s feeling on his face? He doesn’t have time to focus on that, because his eyes catch a glint of light seeping through the hanging vines. Kyungsoo’s breath hitches again. 

 

His eyes shoot towards the man with the cracked mask, who makes his way to the front as the others remain in their positions. He raises his spear, and his head whips towards the man that had spoken to Kyungsoo before- the one that has been watching his every move like a hawk. He stands there at the side, his weapon planted in the ground. 

 

“ Ve cai sikke ?” he asks, and Kyungsoo blinks as he looks towards the man with the colorful cloth. He realizes now that he must be their leader.

 

‘Are you sure?’

 

Sure about what? He holds his breath as he sees the other man just nods once, curtly. 

 

He doesn’t have much time to linger on that, because the man he had punched before raises his spear towards the plants, pulling them to the side. Kyungsoo is suddenly blinded by the bright light, so sudden and strong that he has to look away for a few moments until his eyes adjust. 

 

The sound of water flowing is even louder now, and the green plants continue on past the hanging vines. He feels a nudge at his back then, and his head whips to see the man with the wave-like armor urging him to walk forward. When did he move behind him?

 

He is holding his breath as they all walk past the curtain of hanging vines as a group. 

 

Kyungsoo hears several gasps from every direction. He feels Junmyeon’s fingers tightening around his arm as goosebumps erupt over his skin. 

 

There is a large drop from the edge of the cliff they’re standing on. But then, right in front of them, he sees a glistening in the distance.

 

There is a misty haze from the falling waters around, but there beyond the waters- beyond the large rocks that the waters flow around- lies a city built high on the cliffs far away. It shines bright, like some sort of beacon. The columns are majestic and high, the buildings becoming higher towards the center of the island. 

 

There are golden domes sparkling under the light of the day, drawing Kyungsoo in. Water flows off from the edges of the rocks, in massive waterfalls that create a curtain under the city. The mist from the water crashing in the rocks glistens in the light like fairy dust, Kyungsoo spotting hints of colors reflecting off of it.

 

It’s magical, absolutely unreal, and Kyungsoo is so caught up in it all until he glances at the sky. There’s a single light source there, and for a moment he mistakes it for the sun. But that’s completely impossible...

 

Kyungsoo takes a deep breath then, finding the air is fresh and clean unlike the stuffy caves. There are birds flying above the waters too, the distant screeches sounding almost like seagulls, but a bit off.

 

Kyungsoo lets out a breath, feeling like someone had punched him in the gut. 

 

“Is this-” 

 

Kyungsoo hears Baekhyun choking up in the middle of his sentence. That disbelief he hears in the other’s voice, he feels it all too well. His eyes are wide and he cannot look away. 

 

The high columns, the golden domes, the rock statues at the edges of the cliffs and the waterfalls. 

 

Just like his books described it.  

 

His lower lip trembles, and his eyes sting with fresh tears. He wants to move, but he can’t. He stays frozen in his place, unable to even nod meekly. 

 

This doesn’t feel real. Despite the breeze hitting Kyungsoo’s face- despite the scent of the salty sea and nature around- despite it being right here in front of his eyes, it still doesn’t feel real. 

 

It can’t be real. This all has to be a dream.

 

He flinches when someone moves beside him. The figure of the man with the wavy armor appears in front of them with one swift jump on the rocks. He lands down, squatting. The toned muscles of his torso are visible and flex, moving as he plants his spear in the ground and reaches up to push his mask off his face. 

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes are wavering when he sees the sun-kissed skin appearing inch by inch. The striking blue tattoo on his face seemingly glows, plump lips parted slightly as sharp, cerulean eyes bore into his.

 

“You said you wanted to find Atlantis,” he speaks quietly and clearly, gaze calculating, as he raises himself slowly to stand up straight. The breeze blows through the strands of his white hair, his eyes remaining unreadable.

 

“Congratulations.” His tone is curt, defensive. “You did.”

 

“I…” Kyungsoo’s mouth opens and closes, eyes unable to leave the man in front of him now. The others are still caught up on the city, but Kyungsoo- he’s distracted by those pooling eyes of the Atlantean before him. His heart and mind are racing, but somehow through it all, he’s able to remember a few words he had come across in his research. Words that he hopes give the same meaning that he thinks it does.

 

“ V-Vencai… ”

 

The man’s calculating gaze falters for a moment as he blinks a few times, clearly thrown off. His eyes flit between Kyungsoo’s own, and oh Kyungsoo knows that look.

 

As a linguist, you learn that look. Either he just offended the other man completely or, well. Who knows. All he knows is, usually that look means he made a mistake . He can only pray it wasn’t one that really does get them killed.

 

The other man tilts his head ever so slightly, eyes never leaving Kyungsoo. His gaze hardens then, and the man with the cracked mask comes to his side. He quickly removes it, and Kyungsoo is surprised at how young the man is as well. Both look to be in their twenties, skin flawless and stark white hair falling in their eyes. Kyungsoo cringes when he spots a bruise starting to swell at his jaw. The man looks at him with disdain, and Kyungsoo quickly avoids eye contact.

 

“ Vana teh aca orteh acai, aemyr-cae? ”

 

Kyungsoo’s brows furrow as he tries to understand. He thinks he hears ‘ where do we take them’ but he doesn’t quite understand the end. There’s a possessive ‘ cae ’ in there, but he can’t for the life of him remember what the other word could be. If only he had his journal.

 

He feels unnerved by the calm and collected gaze of the man in the front. His fingers seemingly tighten around his spear as he utters out two simple words. 

 

“The castle.”

 

~

 

 

Kyungsoo is on the verge of tears the entire time they make their way through the city. He wants to look around, wants to take everything in - from the high columns to the low houses along the streams running in intricate patterns through some of the streets. 

 

There are people, too. All with that same striking white hair and with sun-kissed skin, looking at them with either curiousity or borderline fear as they’re being led to the inner parts of the island. Kyungsoo notices the differences between the attire of the men with the masks who are leading them forward and the others gathering around. They don’t have the scale-like protectors on their forearms, instead, they have golden bracelets that shimmer under the light. They don’t have leather straps running across their chests, instead they have flowing blue clothes that dance with the wind. For the men, their chests are revealed, and for the women, their chests are covered by a single piece of cloth. All of them have tattoos along their torsos and necks, but Kyungsoo notices that none of them have any on their face.

 

His eyes flit to the man that had spoken to him before, catching his cerulean blue eyes for only a moment. Perhaps he really is vastly different from the others.

 

But he has no time to focus on that, because the longer they walk, the less people appear on the streets to look at them. The streets are bigger now, but look much older and aged. There is more water in beautiful pools and ponds, birds chirping at their edges. The columns become and the gold shimmers even brighter when they turn each new corner. 

 

The castle, Kyungsoo assumes after what the man at the front had said, is truly majestic. 

 

Not like old European castles with high towers, nor like old Asian palaces. This palace is magnificent in the way it feels and looks so raw . 

 

There are vines growing on the sides of the columns, hiding the intricate patterns that shimmer in the marble. There are conches and shells adorning the bases of the columns, and the water is still in front of them- so still it almost looks like glass. There is no way to get to the gates except for the single path of huge and flat stones in front of them. 

 

The men standing in front of the gates have the same spears their kidnappers carry, and they also share the same armor on their forearms. ‘ Warriors ’, Kyungsoo realizes with a quiver of his lip. When they are close enough, they see the same for protection, only instead it is branded on the metal protecting their shoulders.

 

“ Tu ,” the man in the front says while reaching up to remove his mask. Upon seeing him, the guards in front of the gate immediately sink down on one knee. After bowing, they stand, moving away without uttering a single word. Kyungsoo blinks soundlessly as he watches them go. 

 

He hears a heavy creak as two of the masked men with them reach out to push the gates open. 

 

The inside is teeming with life, just like outside. The stone paths form swirling patterns along the water, twisting into intricate spirals. The ceilings are high, with vines hanging from them. The light is streaming in through the open walls, where the water from inside flows down in gentle little waterfalls. 

 

And there, right in front of them where all the stone paths connect, on top of the few marble steps, sits a throne. Golden armrests and beautiful wave-like designs flow all over its surface, very much like the armor of the man in front. There are shells at the feet of the throne too, and Kyungsoo looks up then to the man sitting on it. 

 

His hair is just as strikingly white as that of everyone else he has seen in the city so far. He is wearing a long robe, various shades of blue morphing together. The stitchings are golden, as are the patterns at the very end of his sleeves. 

 

His eyes are just as deep and blue as those of the man leading them forward when they flicker towards them.

 

He also has a tattoo on his face, starting at his forehead and running down the side of his face, like a crescent. It’s much more detailed than the one on his kidnapper’s face, but very similar.

 

His fingers tighten around the scepter he’s holding, and the look in his blue eyes shifts from confused to harsh within a few seconds. 

 

“ Atriy-cae .”

 

Kyungsoo flinches when he hears the spears of their kidnappers stomping the ground in unison, before all of them sink down on one knee. They keep their heads low and Kyungsoo’s eyes travel back to the throne. 

 

The man sitting there doesn’t look much older than the ones he’d seen earlier, but there is something more mature about his face and cat-like eyes. He looks awfully tired, though, like he hadn’t slept in ages. He uses the scepter as support to stand up, his harsh blue eyes not even acknowledging the warriors, instead moving between Kyungsoo and his friends. 

 

He feels his heart skipping a beat when his eyes meet that deadly gaze. 

 

Their king . 

 

Kyungsoo wonders for a split moment if he’s expected to bow too. He isn’t sure. He only knows that he feels chills running up his spine at the sight of that man looking at them like they’re vermin. 

 

“ Vol ve dea? ” He asks, and his voice is soft and quiet, yet filled with a certain hardness that is not to be defied. 

 

What is this?  

 

That’s what he’d just asked, and Kyungsoo feels his breath hitching as he sees the other man with the face tattoo rise from his bow. He stands tall, before taking a step up those marble stairs. 

 

He starts speaking in Atlantian then, way too quickly. His voice is deep and husky, and the way he speaks the harsh sounds of Atlantian sound so smooth and soothing. Kyungsoo is barely able to catch some of the words he’s saying, words like ‘understand’ and ‘speak’. 

 

He waits for a reply then, but the king just peers down at them, before letting out a harsh ‘ Ne’ . 

 

A no. 

 

Kyungsoo recoils a little, bumping slightly into Junmyeon who is still helping him stand up straight. 

 

“What are they saying?” the doctor whispers quietly, and Kyungsoo just shakes his head, trying to listen even harder. The man with the armor had started speaking again, sounding a little more irritated. 

 

“I think this is their king,” Kyungsoo whispers back frantically. “He is angry that they brought us here.”

 

“Why?!”

 

Kyungsoo flashes a look towards Baekhyun and his panicked eyes. He strains his ears, trying to hear better, but the conversation had cut off. When he looks up, he sees two identical pairs of cerulean eyes peering down at him. 

 

The king takes one step forward, and Kyungsoo feels the urge to turn around and run, despite his ed up leg. 

 

“You are not welcome here.”

 

“ Veli! ”

 

Brother . Kyungsoo’s eyes shoot from the man with the wave-like armor and simple face tattoo to the one sitting atop the throne. 

 

He is still looking down at them expressionlessly, harshly assessing the situation as he takes yet another step down the marble stairs. 

 

“You should go,” the king says in their language, and Kyungsoo feels Junmyeon’s fingers tightening around him. He hears an affronted exhale from the side. He’s pretty sure it’s Jongdae. “While I am still allowing it.”

 

“Minseok!” 

 

“No!” he suddenly shouts. He looks to the man at the bottom of the stairs with disappointment and anger swirling in his piercing blue eyes. “You’ve become soft. You should have killed them where they stood for coming anywhere near here.”

 

The man does not back down, and Kyungsoo really really isn’t ready to be killed by a family feud of all things. Before he can speak, Kyungsoo hesitantly steps forward.

 

The small shuffle of his feet has everyone immediately on high alert, every single warrior in that room raising their spear at him. The king- Minseok- and the man whip their heads to look at him.

 

“ Vaer ,” Kyungsoo says weakly, trembling like a leaf. The last thing he wants is to make this situation any worse, but god damn it he has to try something . “ Aca ne t-teh… skotta. ’

 

He waits in agony as everyone just stares at him, a few of the palace guards looking at him in barely concealed awe. He wanted to let them know that they mean no harm, but whether or not he completely butchered that statement is a mystery. He seems to have struck a chord with the king, though.

 

Minseok stares at him, gaze no longer calculating as he blinks in surprise.

 

Kyungsoo is thrown off by the small, smug look on the other man with the face tattoo as he looks to the king.

 

“ Fiar?” he says.

 

‘ See?’

 

At that, Minseok’s expression hardens again. He glares straight at his brother. 

 

“I said no. That is the end of this discussion.”

 

“They are not leaving,” the man says in perfect Korean, obviously wanting the others to hear. The next moment though, he is back to Atlantian, speaking more quietly. “ Acai koi jel aca .”

 

Kyungsoo blinks at that. 

 

‘ They can help us ’?

 

Help them?

 

Minseok’s upper lip curls in disgust, but he sighs. He steps down again until he is on the same level as his brother. He faces him, both of them speaking quietly back and both. Kyungsoo notices the man getting exasperated, his expression almost desperate as he argues with the king. They both point to Kyungsoo and his friends multiple times, and Joohyun softly tries to ask what they’re saying now, but he can’t understand a thing.

 

Finally, after what feels like hours, Minseok looks to them. The man does too, their matching blue eyes looking over each person before them. 

 

“You may stay for the time being. But do not get comfortable because your stay will be short. We barely have enough resources for ourselves, let alone guests ,” he says, clearly irritated. “You will hand in any weapons. We are a peaceful people.”

 

He practically spits the last sentence, venom in his words.

 

Jongdae snorts behind him, whispering lowly. “Tell that to the that poked me with a spear for the last two hours.”

 

Kyungsoo is ready to turn around and slam his friend right in the face. He prays to all holy deities out there that nobody else heard him. Only Seulgi seems to have also caught his mumble because she gives him an incredulous look. 

 

Minseok, thank God, did not hear a thing. In fact, he seems very done with this entire situation, shooting glares at his brother who orders the guards to take Kyungsoo and everyone else away. Now they are not led by pointed spears, but the guard does try to push Kyungsoo when he lingers before the king and his brother.

 

The king stares at him again, and Kyungsoo gulps. He tries to mock how the other Atlanteans bowed to him earlier, raising himself clumsily afterwards and speaking clearly despite the pain in his foot screaming at him.

 

“ K-Kevaeten .”

 

A thank you in any culture can go a long way, and it seems that it does here as well. The king blinks at him for a few moments, but nods ever so slightly. That is enough to have Kyungsoo feel minor relief. 

 

At least he is able to show some sort of respect.

 

Junmyeon has lingered behind as well, immediately reaching out to help him hobble away. They walk with the guard now, and Kyungsoo is happy when he’s no longer pushed too aggressively but rather guided. He strains his ears as he leaves the throne room with the rest of his crew, hearing various words like ‘ murderers ’ and ‘ help ’ being hissed from the brothers behind him.

 

He lets out a sigh when the gates to the throne room are shut once they leave, the conversation of the king and his brother muffled and out of range. 

 

~

 

 

It has been several hours. Kyungsoo isn’t sure how many exactly, but the light seeping through the window is dimming, painting the sky in orange and red tones slowly.

 

It had been hours, yet he still can’t wrap his head around all this. 

 

He is in Atlantis. 

 

He found Atlantis. 

 

The room he had been given is quite spacious. The ceiling is high, the decorations on all walls and furniture are just as deep and rich as those that he saw in the rest of the palace. He would have thought that after the king’s grumpy attitude they’d be elad to prison cells. 

 

But no- the mattress of the bed is incredibly soft and kind to his back. It almost makes him tear up when he lies down after months of sleeping in the submersible’s ty bunks. His leg is pulsing with pain, but he is able to forget about that for a moment as he simply slides his hand against the window pane, looking out. 

 

The room is situated in a high tower at the very center of the city, and the view presents him with the descending cliffs and houses. He can see the seagulls flying in the distance. The waves of the sea softly shining under the dimming lights behind the horizon. 

 

He throws a look to the other windows lining the tower. He wonders if his friends are there, if they’re doing alright. 

 

They separated them all in different rooms. They didn’t want them to talk to each other or conspire, he assumes. Quite honestly, he understands it. 

 

But it feels rather lonely now that he’s all by himself in his room, looking down at the golden domes of the shining city of Atlantis. 

 

The pain he feels in his heart is constant, unforgiving and harsh, yet somehow sweet. He did it. He finally achieved his goal. 

 

But he was alone. 

 

The one who had ignited his dream, his brother - he was gone. And he will never get to see all this, hear all of his stories once he returns...

 

Kyungsoo breathes out heavily as he looks down at the city. He had fulfilled his dream. Their dream. He found Atlantis for them .

 

And so much more. 

 

He feels his fingers digging into the window pane and his lips pursing in concentration. The city is alive. There is water flowing, nature growing and flourishing, animals thriving. 

 

People . 

 

He just cannot understand no matter how much he stares. How is this even possible? How has a civilization like this survived so long without coming in contact with the rest of the world? And all survived down here?

 

Where even is here? They’re inside a cave, but yet high above the city is a bright light, mimicking the sun with its warm rays that cast down on the city below. He does not have an explanation for this. 

 

How did all of this survive ?! 

 

How did no one know about it? 

 

Kyungsoo stares up at the light source, brows furrowing in concentration as he tries to make out its shape. However, he’s completely startled when his view is suddenly gone, and instead of the horizon all he can see are two cerulean eyes staring straight into his soul. 

 

He stumbles back when the face appears only inches away from his, heart racing as he almost falls down from stumbling over his injured foot.

 

He has roughly two seconds to assess the situation. 

 

There was a man at his window. 

 

The man is the King’s brother. That king’s brother is a prince . 

 

A prince of Atlantis .

 

The prince is holding onto the larger stones jutting out on the outer side of the tower and looking at him calmly. The strands of his white hair are being blown by the wind, his skin golden under the setting sun’s rays. Kyungsoo barely has time to register his sharp jawline and beautiful blue tattoo running through his eyelid before the man gracefully jumps into the room.

 

“What the-...how did you-” Kyungsoo throws a horrified look towards the window. “How did you get up here?!”

 

“I climbed,” the man replies simply and Kyungsoo lets out a breath. That tower must be at least forty meters high, how in the hell-

 

Kyungsoo holds a hand up to his chest, trying to calm his racing heart as he takes a better look at the man before him. He’s no longer wearing his armor or mask, and he can’t help but feel his breath hitching at the sight of the man. 

 

The prince is wearing nothing but a light blue cloth intricately wrapped around his waist and held together by a decorative pin. There are some patterns on it, in different shades of blue and white. It reaches his knee on one side, but gathers up to almost the middle of his thigh on the other. There is leather showing just underneath the cloth, tightly hugging his thighs. It is a darker shade of blue, almost navy, the cloth attached to it tightly so it would not slip. 

 

And that’s about everything he’s wearing. 

 

Kyungsoo almost chokes at the expanse of flawless skin that the other man is showing - his long, toned legs and his strong, smooth chest. His abs are on display as well.

 

Like Hawaiian bread, his brain helpfully supplies. Great. Now Kyungsoo doesn’t know where exactly to look. His throat feels dry all of a sudden, and he hopes his face doesn’t look as red as it feels. 

 

The prince has a tattoo just under his shoulder. It’s the same shade of blue as the one on his face, and the pattern reminds Kyungsoo of the swirling stone paths in the throne room. He must have not seen it earlier because of the armor. 

 

There is a golden earring hanging from one of his ears, and a golden bracelet sitting snug against his bicep. There is also one around his ankle, glinting in the dimming lights of the sunset.

 

It looks so beautiful on him, against his sun-kissed skin, that Kyungsoo feels himself gawking. 

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes fall to the dip of the prince’s collarbones, suddenly distracted by the black leather lace around his neck. Hanging at the end is a small crystal, cut in the shape of an obelisk. The sides are smooth, meeting at a dull point at the bottom of the crystal. It glows a beautiful blue, matching the prince’s tattoos perfectly. Kyungsoo’s brows furrow when he realizes it glows softly, just like the quartz veins from the caves. 

 

The man is standing there silently for a few moments, observing him just as curiously as Kyungsoo had been until now. The prince is barefoot, his white hair swaying with the light breeze. 

 

And then their eyes meet. 

 

“You said your name is Kyungsoo, right?” 

 

His voice is soft and quiet, and Kyungsoo nods cautiously. 

 

The man hums, still looking at him with curiosity burning behind the waves of blue crashing in his eyes. When he steps towards him, the bracelet on his ankle clinks quietly. Only now does Kyungsoo finally note that he’s not holding a spear this time around. He’s not carrying the leather strap with the knives anymore. He’s not armed. 

 

He’s not here to hurt him. 

 

“How are you-” Kyungsoo stops himself from blurting out something stupid like ‘alive’. Instead, he runs a tongue over his dry lips. “How is this possible? Atlantis….how did this happen?” 

 

The man just ignores his question as he paces around the room. Kyungsoo’s breathing becomes faster as he watches him simply move around, body tall and lean, the muscles defined and still very much distracting. He looks like a panther, each of his movements filled with power and grace.

 

“What did the king mean when he said you don’t have resources?” 

 

The man stills for a moment, and Kyungsoo can see the unmistakable flash of sadness filling his face. It only lasts for a brief moment, though, before those sharp eyes are looking at him again. 

 

“I ask the questions here,” he cuts him off, before taking one step towards him. His white hair is falling in front of his eyes like a curtain, his plump lips parted. “How did you find us? How did you get past the leviläinen ?”

 

“Past the what?” Kyungsoo’s brows furrow, before something clicks in his head. “The leviathan?”

 

The man in front of him just stares silently with a set jaw, awaiting an answer. Kyungsoo bites on his lower lip. 

 

“I studied a lot of books and spent years of my life on research. We used biometrical data and sonars to pinpoint the estimates of the location. As for the leviathan, he really inflicted a lot of damage on our submersible, but we used smaller pods to escape it,” Kyungsoo blurts out quickly, shaking his head. All of this seems so irrelevant right now. So fading in comparison to everything they’d found. He doesn’t even notice just how confused the man in front of him looks. “How is there light down here? The radars said we’re thousands of meters below the surface so what is that ?!” 

 

He watches as the man’s jaw tightens again as he throws a look out the window. When his eyes shoot back to him, there’s a slightly harsher look in them. 

 

“I said I ask the questions here,” he says, sharp. Then he looks at him agonizingly slowly, all the way from his face down to his toes and then back up. His expression is unreadable as he raises one perfectly white eyebrow. “You say you’ve done research. You are a scholar, are you not?”

 

A scholar? Kyungsoo almost scoffs. That’s one way to put it. He ends up vaguely nodding again. 

 

“How did you learn my language?” 

 

Kyungsoo is about to blurt out yet another reply, before he catches himself. The prince is peering down at him with his blue eyes, expecting the answer. Kyungsoo, however, breathes in deeply and tries to ignore his shaky hands. 

 

“This is not fair,” he ends up saying quietly, hesitantly. “I have questions of my own too.”

 

The look in the Atlantian’s eyes changes completely - from harsh to absolutely threatening. The seas are storming in his eyes and Kyungsoo tries to stand his ground. 

 

“You came looking for my city with your horde. You are intruders. You carry guns . You have no say, no right for pretenses.”

 

“You are the ones who held knives to our throats,” Kyungsoo says back breathily, and watches the intrigue spread on the other man’s face. He stills down for a second, tilting his head. 

 

He looks like he isn’t used to someone actually arguing with him. The life of a royal must really translate to all cultures then.

 

It takes him a few moments to reply, and he spends every second just staring at Kyungsoo with that deep, piercing gaze. 

 

“Fair enough,” he ends up saying softly. His ankle bracelets clink together as he steps towards the window again. He leans against the windowpane, before looking at him sharply again. “But if I don’t want to give you an answer, then I’m not going to.” 

 

“Same here,” Kyungsoo says, his nails digging into his palms because of how hard he’s clenching his fists. He watches the man in front of him narrow his eyes slightly, before eventually nodding. 

 

Kyungsoo feels the harsh net around his heart loosening, and he almost lets out a relieved sigh. Instead, he limps forward, already raising his hand and spreading his fingers. With every step he takes, the more the other man’s eyes widen. 

 

“So you ask one question, then I ask one. Deal?”

 

The prince looks down at his outstretched palm warily. Kyungsoo blinks at him in surprise, before it dawns on him. Different cultures. Right.

 

“In my land, people shake their hands when they want to seal an agreement,” he explains quietly, and the man’s cerulean eyes shoot up towards him instantly. His brows are furrowed, confusion evident.

 

“You want to hold my hand?”

 

The linguist feels a pang in his chest as his hand immediately falters. He steps back almost defensively, already feeling the heat traveling up his neck and towards his face. 

“N-No! That’s not what I meant. It’s just-.... nevermind .”

 

He tries to not blush too hard as he looks at the Atlantian in front of him. He seems confused for a few moments, before he slides back on the window pane. He is suddenly squatting on it, half of his body almost hanging out from the tower. Kyungsoo feels shivers up his spine, as he almost lunges forward to hold on to the man and pull him back in. 

 

“Be careful,” he says in alarm and watches as an amused smirk pulls the prince’s plump lips. 

 

He seems entertained, as he simply swings back and forth, the breeze messing up his beautiful white hair. 

 

“What is your first question?”

 

Kyungsoo blinks silently, as he tries to gather his thoughts. 

 

Here he is. In Atlantis. Talking to an Atlantian.

 

He has the opportunity to answer all of the questions he has had for a decade. Questions that had been burning in his mind since his brother had first shared stories of this lost empire with him as a child.

 

But yet, only one question burns on the tip of his tongue now.

 

He looks up slowly, still shivering, as his eyes meet the cerulean ones. 

 

“Who are you?” 

 

The prince before him stills a little, as if realizing that they never really properly introduced themselves to each other. His leg hangs from the window as he sits down, the other crosses and tucked under his strong thigh. He looks at him assessingly.

 

“My name is Jongin.”

---

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JONGIN IS FINALLY HERE T_T We hope the scenes with the Atlanteans was as fun for you as it was for us. We worked especially hard on this chapter so please, please let us know what you think~ We love reading all of your comments