Scorching sunlight glare onto the ship, burning my skin but it can’t be compared to my burning heart. It has been burning with anxiety since I left the meeting.

The island that we’re heading will determine my fate. Perhaps I should start thinking about a backup plan in case we don’t find the dagger.

Should I lead them by the original plot? But I already alter the timeline. The events likely changed too. That means I can’t provide them with any more prophecies.

I hit my head against the foremast where I situate myself for half of a day now. Clasping my hands together, I pray to whatever brings me into this realm will help me find the dagger.

“You’re that scare?” A familiar voice asks from behind me and I don’t have to see the face to know who’s speaking. I turn around and see the purple haired first mate smirks at me.

“Who said I’m scared, I’m doing my sacred ritual.” I unclasp my hands, embarrassed that he witnessed my bizarre behavior.

Wooyoung snorts, obviously not buying my lie. “ Can you do a ritual to make the dagger appear before us now?”

I scoff at his ridiculous question, “If I’m that powerful, I won’t be here in the first place.” I would magically teleport myself back to my world.

Wooyoung chuckles at Star’s remark. He finds it fun to tease the girl. It has become his habit to at least once a day.

Today his station is on the crow’s nest where he bored out of his mind. When he spotted the girl sitting idly at the forecastle, he abandoned his lookout duty to annoy her.

“Do you want to be the first person to see the island?” Wooyoung asks.

I nod quickly.

“Your foot already healed right?” He continues asking.

“Yea, not hurt anymore.”

“Come with me.” He smirks and I feel a bad vibe coming from him.

---

“You can’t be serious!” I protest Wooyoung while raising my head to see the crow’s nest on top of the mainmast.

“Such a scaredy cat,” He sighs, “If you come with me, I’ll speak for you.”

“Speak what?” I ask confusingly.

“Let’s see, if we don’t find the dagger tonight, I’ll help you out of trouble.”

Wooyoung notices Star’s face scrunch up in confusion so he adds, “Trouble aka Captain and quartermaster.”

My eyes lit up but dim again, “How am I going to be sure you can really help me?”

“I’m their most trusted first mate, of course, they will listen to me.” He points out.

I stare warily at his overconfident look. Anyway, getting back up by the first mate would ensure my safety but why would he help me.

“Don’t think too much. Follow me.” He cuts off the conversation and starts climbing on rigging.

I clumsily climb after him. One minute hasn’t passed but I already sweat profusely. My hands are clammy and my legs are shaking. I'm not even halfway but Wooyoung has already reached the top.

“Little Star, you’re so slow.” He taunts me from above. “I bet a sea turtle can climb better than you.”

“Shut up Wooyoung, you disturb me.” I begin to think this is the worst decision I made in my life.

Wooyoung watches amusingly from the crow’s nest. She takes a rest every 5 steps. It would reach midnight before she reached the top.

But eventually she arrives. With a heavy panting and bead of sweat covering her pale face, she weakly leans against the mainmast.

“Easy right?” He pokes fun at her. She mutters something under her breath but he knows she probably cursed at him.

“Look at the view.” He’s confident that the girl will fall in love with the scenery. And she’ll feel it worth climbing here.

“Oh my god!!” She exclaims.

“Beautiful, right?” Wooyoung smiles triumphantly while scanning the view but the girl is strangely quiet. He averts his gaze to see her look down at the ground, hands clutching on railing tightly.

Wooyoung snickers, “Don’t look below if you’re scared.”

I tear my gaze away from the heart wrenching height and look up. I am blown away by the beautiful view. My mouth form into O shape. It feels like I’m on top of the world. All I can see is blue, baby blue sky merges with deep blue sea creating a blur line across the horizon. I have a sudden urge to sing Into the unknown.

I breathe in warm breeze and feel my anxiety slipping away. “Thanks Wooyoung.”

“You’re welcome, Little Star.” His tone is softer than usual. I divert my gaze to him and see his cocky smile present on his cocky face. I roll my eyes at him and continue admiring the panoramic scenery.

I feel an object poke at my arm. I look down and see Wooyoung hands me a spyglass.

“Thanks,” I hold the spyglass against my eyes and look around.

“Wait, is that a ship?” I panic when I spot a ship

“Aye, it’s been following us since this morning. There’re actually more of them, but they won't be able to catch up.” Wooyoung proudly states. The Revenge is considered among the fastest ships in the world.

As Star continues searching for the island, Wooyoung quietly observes the girl. Her face turns red from the afternoon’s heat and her arch eyebrows knit together. She bites on her lower red cherry lip. Her left hand holds onto the spyglass, however, her right arm tightly hugs onto the mainmast. She incessantly crane her neck left and right, scanning the ocean.

Wooyoung can’t help but chuckle at her worrisome gesture.

Sometimes her calm demeanor unable him to read her but sometimes she’s like an open book and in this moment her expression speaks all her thoughts. That may be one of the reasons Wooyoung begins to warm up to her.

“I see something!!” I shout startle Wooyoung from his trance. I quickly pass him the spyglass. He takes it and looks through it. He spots a small dot appearing from the horizon.

“Land ahoy!” Wooyoung's booming shout ring in my ears and the crew below chorus in unison when they hear him.

“Congratulations, it’s the island.” He says.

“Oh my god! Do you see a wrecked ship?” I eagerly ask him.

“Nope, we’re still too far away.” His answer made me deflate.

“Let’s go” He gets up, beginning to climb down like a monkey. I grimace, he doesn't even wait for me. How am I supposed to climb down?

---

Darkness consumes the ship once the sun sets below the horizon. We’ve reached the island. Hongjoong send out scavenging crew to find the wrecked ship.

I’m sitting nervously in captain's quarter with Ateez and Aurora. We’re all waiting for the good news.

“Do you want to perform your sacred ritual?” Wooyoung says amidst the silence inside the room, I glare at him where he sits opposite of me.

“What ritual?” Mingi asks from beside me. “Nothing,” I tell him.

Wooyoung chuckles satisfyingly. He playfully clasp his hands together, “Like this?”

‘Shut up,’ I mouth at him but he only raises his voice higher.

I kick him under the table. My knee hit the table in the process. He stops laughing and shakes his head, his eyes peer at the man next to him.

I look below the table and see another pair of legs that I suspect I kicked the wrong target.

I look up and meet eye with the stoic quartermaster. He’s been glaring at me since I stepped inside this room. Now his glare is darkened.

Oh , I just kicked Seonghwa.

Wooyoung burst out laughing. And Mingi who witnessed the scene follow suit. The others in the room look perplexingly at their crew.

A sound of glass clinking onto the table, Hongjoong speaks up, “Seems like you guys are in a good mood.” He grins at Wooyoung and Mingi. The laughter dies down immediately.

The room returns to its former uncomfortable silence.

“Captain, don’t be such a killjoy. We're gonna get the dagger eventually, right Star?” Wooyoung says. But why did he need to add me in his speech?

Anyway, I nod. “Right right.”

“Captain, what if we don’t find the dagger because of a certain someone.” Seonghwa talks to Hongjoong but he squints his eyes at me. I regret that I didn’t kick him harder.

“We won’t go over this until the scavenging team comes back.” Hongjoong concludes. His eyes sweep across his crew, signaling them to shut up.

As soon as Hongjoong finish speaking, the door flies open revealing the scavenging team.

“Captain!” One of them reports and my heart almost stops beating.