If he is being honest Chanyeol wasn't sure if he even wanted to wake up another time. He had already fainted three times in the past week, there was no way that he would allow himself to see what horrors lay ahead of him this time. He wanted the darkness to come back and swallow him whole, he wanted to stay in whatever object that was keeping him warm right now. He didn't want to face the reality of everything that happened, he wanted to blame it all on the lack of sleep he didn't have or the lack of water that had been mysteriously disappearing from his body ever since he was up on Mountain Peak with Baekhyun.

Baekhyun.

Oh that poor boy would have so many questions, he would probably never try to revisit the island again. Chanyeol couldn't blame the boy, witnessing monster attacks was supposed to do that to people. Terrify them. Chanyeol couldn't place himself into that category no matter how much he wanted to, sure the creatures he had faced in his seemingly dream-like state were giant and would obviously cause a bit of damage if they weren't stopped but they weren't scary to him. The destruction that could come to the island if he hadn't done anything was what the boy was more worried about, he supposes that it was rooted in his desperation to keep his home and everyone he loved safe.

He shut his eyes tighter, wishing his body would take the hint and pull him back into the darkness of sleep. He wasn't ready to face reality and finally go through the amount of questions he had for the townspeople and his mother. He wanted to stay wherever the hell he was and forget all about it until he was ready to face everyone, but obviously the universe just loved to throw obstacles in his path.

"Chanyeol?" A soft voice whispered through the room, causing the boy whose eyes were closed to mentally sigh. He recognized the voice as Sehun who -in comparison to Jongin- was actually considerate to people as they were waking up. "Hyung are you awake?"

"Have been for about ten minutes now." Chanyeol huffed, lifting his hand up to rub against his eye. He heard as his friend let out a relieved breath of air before the warmth of his body pulled Chanyeol's eyes open. The boy blinked the sleep away from his eyelashes and came face to face with his best friend who had sat himself down on the desk chair that had been moved from the corner of the room. Chanyeol sent the room a glance before realising that he was yet again back in his own bed, he took a quick glance to the window thankful that the sun's rays were drifting through the gap in the curtain. "Were you tasked to look over me?"

"We didn't want to take any chances by leaving you alone again so we decided that shifts was a better decision so that way we could still go about our day knowing that at least one of us was watching over you, you really scared us this time."

"Not the giant tentacle faced monster that stood taller than Mountain Peak? Did that not do it for you?" Chanyeol wondered, blinking up at his best friend whose lips had pressed together above his chin. Chanyeol rolled his eyes before pushing the covers off his body, not bothering to ask how his clothing had magically changed themselves into his PJs.

"Nope that really terrified some people, myself included. I instantly knew that you were the idiot dealing with it but that didn't make me feel any better about things, not to mention you going over that cliff!"

"Yeah it wasn't my brightest idea," Chanyeol admitted, lifting himself out of his bed. He felt his body shiver at the cold flooring beneath his bare feet, he rushed towards his closet. "but you have to admit that it was epic."

"It was foolish, you really don't think these things through, do you? How did you take this monster down anyway?"

Chanyeol sent his watch a glance, the handle continued to tick around recording the seconds of silence that had passed. Sehun watched him as he studied the object on his wrist, his left hand coming out to press against the button. The blonde haired boy leaped from his seat in surprise as he stared down at the sword in his best friend's palm, Chanyeol sent him a smile before turning back to the sword. It was perfectly balanced in his hand, no one side was outweighing the other. It reminded the boy of the pumice stone sword he had taken from the library a couple of hours ago, he doesn't remember what happened to it after it fell to the ground after the monster had turned into dust-

Dust.

Hopefully that's what happened to the giant squid because that would be a hard conversation to try and explain to the boat loads of tourists or fishermen who sometimes visit the island.

"Dude where the hell did you find that?!" Sehun shouted, stomping across the floor to his friend who pressed the button again forcing the sword back into the innards of the watch. Chanyeol couldn't help but laugh at his best friend's face.

"Yeah that just happened."

"Isn't that the watch your father gave you?"

Chanyeol dipped his head, he sent his best friend a glance before turning his attention back into his closet. He pulled out some jeans and a simple black shirt, which now that he thought about it looked like the outfit he wore to the bar earlier in the week. It honesly felt like a week had blown past him, but Chanyeol could feel the strain of three day stress so he brushed the thought aside.

"Where is everyone?"

"Jongin went to grab us some breakfast from the bakery." Sehun explained, turning his gaze away when Chanyeol pulled his shirt over his head. The trousers were gone the next moment, Chanyeol giving his best friend some space as he stepped behind the door of his closet to change his underwear and put on his jeans.

"What about Suho?"

"He went to see Baekhyun home."

Chanyeol pushed the closet door closed a little harsher than he had thought to do, Sehun jumped at the sound but quickly composed himself when his best friend turned to look at him again. "Are you going to explain to me what the hell is going on now?"

Sehun stared into his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down against the skin on his neck. Chanyeol didn't know why but he was suddenly overwhelmed with anger and frustration, he supposes that it was a long time coming. There was something going on on the island and he had been left out of it for what appeared to be years, he couldn't blame the feelings brewing in the pit of his stomach because at the end of the day no one had spoken out about it to him and it had to take two monsters attacking the village for someone to spill the beans or at least that's what he thought.

"I don't think that I'm the best person to answer the questions that you have, Chanyeol.." Sehun admitted, his voice a little strained as it rang out into the air. "Why don't we wait for your mother to come back? She's going to be in the hospital until lunchtime then she will be right back!"

Chanyeol was already out of his bedroom door before Sehun could even finish his sentence, he didn't know exactly where he was going but he needed to get out of the house and away from everything he thought he knew. When he opened the front door of his house he wasn't even surprised to see the shocked gazes of the villagers that just so happened to be walking past at that moment, he watched them as they bowed their heads to him and tried to talk to him but it sounded like gibberish.

Instead of standing to listen to their words, Chanyeol walked down the pathway and out of his garden gate. He ignored the people around him who were asking him where he was going, he couldn't answer them because he didn't know where he was going. His mind was hurting him too much and his body was refusing to stay still and think. Chanyeol could hear the villagers gather behind him, following him as they continued to ask him questions. Their words going in one ear and out through the other, the boy just couldn't listen.

Without even realising it Chanyeol had found himself (and the large group of villagers currently behind him) at the harbour, his father's boat was in his sight but Chanyeol had no interest in boarding the vessel. Instead he made it look like he was going to. He could hear the villagers stop four boats down from his father's, their shouts sounding like whispers to the overwhelming thoughts in his mind. The photographer followed the decking up until it ended just before the open ocean, he stared out at the horizon directly in front of him. The bright orange sunshine staring back at him from a couple inches above it.

"Have you ever wondered what lays beyond the harbour?" Baekhyun's voice rang through his head from the night they had spent on the Peak. Chanyeol had gotten used to his mind pulling up random memories of his father, but hearing Baekhyun's voice in his father's place was a strange but welcomed accournace.

If yesterday was anything to go off of, Chanyeol figured that whatever lay beyond the harbour of his small island was more than likely something dangerous despite the appealing idea of it. He took a deep breath of the fresh sea air, the salt stinging his nostrils for a moment before the feeling registered as familiar in his mind. His eyes coursed through the sky, watching as the fluffy white clouds appeared to be pushing against the wind today. Chanyeol felt his head turn ever so slightly following them to see Mountain Peak stretching out beyond the small harbour he was currently standing on, the mountain was the furthest part of the entire island.

"It's the closest point on the island to the mainland even though you can't actually see the mainland from it," his father's voice reminded him. "and of course the most famous part of our history is at its base."

Chanyeol sent a glance to the villagers still gathered just a few boats away from him, his lips pushed out causing his jaw to tighten ever so slightly. He turned his gaze back on the mountain before panning his head towards the horizon. He first has to figure out what lays beyond the harbour.

Taking a deep breath Chanyeol decided to do something crazy, again.

He allowed his body to fall forward, his lungs filled with air so that once he met the water he would be able to swim. Over the harsh splash of water that now covered him entirely, Chanyeol could hear the villagers scream out over the air. He used the depth he had fallen to his advantage, stretching his arms forward and kicking his legs out behind him. He would have quite a bit to swim and he wasn't aware of any possible current that could cause him some problems later, if there was one he would soon find out but for now he would just have to wait for it.

One of the best things about the water at Jasper Cove was that it was quite easy to look through when below the surface. Chanyeol had managed to swim himself over to a large gathering of rocks near the base of the peak, from here he would be able to resurface to get some air without being seen by anyone back at the harbour. When his head finally broke through the surface Chanyeol was surprised to find that his lungs weren't heaving to get air into them, he figured that he would actually be able to make it to the base of the peak if he came up just one more time on his journey. Making sure to fill his lungs, Chanyeol allowed the water to flow over his entire body before opening his eyes again.

He blinked in surprise when he saw a bright colourful tail swim by him, in the direction of the harbour. He tried to follow it through the water but whatever had just passed by him was fast and disappeared before he was able to spot it again. Chanyeol pushed himself upwards, his eyes stinging with the ocean water as he pulled himself up onto the rock. He watched as a familiar head of blonde hair reached his hand out into the ocean, before pulling out another familiar face only this guy had a tail and a long one at that.

Chanyeol cursed as he felt his hand get sliced across the harshness of the rock beneath him, he wouldn't dare turn his gaze to it knowing that it would only increase the pain he was already feeling from the salt in his wound. Instead he used the back of his hands to press against his eyes, before gazing back to the harbour. Sehun was bent over seemingly communicating with the creature he had just pulled out of the water. Chanyeol could see the pale green colour from his spot by the mountain, it was close but not close enough for them to see him. Unlike the creatures that he had dealt with yesterday Chanyeol actually knew the one his best friend was currently speaking to.

"If you met a mermaid what would you do?" Baekhyun's voice snuck back into his head, forcing Chanyeol from the comfortable position he had found himself on top of the rock. The water burnt his nostrils after he had some up from gasping at his fall. "You're meaning to tell me that if you saw a merman which may I remind you is purely fictional in your universe, you wouldn't do anything about it?"

Well.. .