𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟑
“Who would have thought that a little rat would sneak in and plot against a family member.”
“…Kaire.”
“Who gave you permission to call my name?”
With a cold expression, Kairi approached quietly. Amane stood in front of Mabel, as if protecting her, but Mabel noticed that his arms and shoulders were trembling.
“You are useless, Amane.”
With a slight metallic sound, Kairi prepared something.
Seizing the opportunity, Amane took out a dagger from his sleeve and threw it toward Kairi. At the same time, he pulled Mabel’s arm strongly. The two moved away from the center of the ship’s deck and ran toward the edge of the ship.
“There’s a small boat I came on below. We’ll go there―”
Amane pointed towards the sea surface and instructed Mabel to escape. But in the next moment, a loud explosion occurred, and a muffled voice fell right next to Mabel.
“You have no sense of self-preservation.”
Kairi’s cold words echoed in Mabel’s ears. She turned around and looked at Amane with fear.
At first glance, she couldn’t understand what was happening.
But there was a black hole in the clothes Amane was wearing, and fresh blood was seeping from it. Amane himself seemed unable to comprehend what had happened, his eyes wide open.
As Mabel focused her gaze, she could faintly make out what Kairi was holding. It was a long metal tube with a handle, similar to the one Travis had before. She didn’t understand the principle, but something was shot from that tube, piercing Amane’s body.
Furthermore, Kairi launched a second attack on Amane.
This time, a hole appeared in his shoulder, and Amane couldn’t help but scream.
“Amane-san!”
Mabel desperately tried to hold onto Amane’s collapsing body, but his upper body tilted heavily and slipped down from the ship’s deck. Mabel hurriedly leaned out and searched for Amane’s whereabouts.
But all she could see were the white splashes that jumped high on the sea surface, and Amane’s body was swallowed by the dark depths of the water. As if confirming that sound, Kairi smiled quietly.
“With that wound, it’s unlikely he’ll resurface. Now, Mabel-sama, come here.”
As Kairi said this, he took a step forward, then another. Mabel was gradually closing the distance and making a firm decision.
I have to help him quickly!’
Mabel grabbed the rope ladder that Amane had prepared. But there was no time to leisurely descend.
Before making up her mind, Mabel’s body moved on its own.
“Stop, you won’t be saved either.”
Ignoring Kairi’s attempt to stop her, Mabel climbed onto the ship’s edge.
The sea breeze blowing from below and the pitch-black waves with no visible bottom were terrifying, but considering Amane’s safety, there was no time to hesitate even for a second.
Taking a deep breath, she shifted her weight forward.
Her body swayed, and an unpleasant sense of floating, as if being sucked in, attacked Mabel―which quickly turned into a suffocating sensation and the sound of water rushing in.
‘Amane-san! Where on earth are you?!’
The night sea was dark.
Between the tiny bubbles, Mabel strained her eyes, but she couldn’t see any human figures. Amane should have fallen just now, but had he sunk even deeper?
Mabel dove further towards the bottom of the sea. However, the water currents were strong, and she couldn’t swim well. But she had to find Amane quickly and give him first aid.
‘What should I do, I can’t breathe!’
Enduring the increasing discomfort, Mabel tried her best to find Amane.
But it seemed that her limit had finally been reached. Mabel let out a large bubble from her mouth. With the sensation of her chest being crushed, her vision blurred.
‘Just a little more. Amane still needs…’.
As her breath ceased, her brain gradually succumbed, and Mabel’s limbs lost their strength, slowly floating up.
During that time, she looked around, but Amane’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
‘I’m sorry, Amane-san.’
In the fading consciousness, Mabel gently closed her eyes.
―Somewhere, the sound of crashing water could be heard.
To Mabel, who floated in the water like a lifeless doll, a black aquatic horse appeared gracefully.
Of course, it was not a mythical creature. As it approached Mabel, it immediately took on a human form. The person with black hair and a black mask gently reached out their hand to Mabel’s cheek.
As Mabel, who was touched, vaguely opened her eyes.
Beyond the silver sparkling foam, Eugene was there.
His swaying hair was very beautiful, coupled with those enchanting golden eyes, even in the darkness of the deep sea, they shone like the sun.
(‘Eugene, are you there?’
Mabel thought that this must be a dream one sees on the brink of death.
‘I couldn’t apologize properly, I’m sorry…’
But the last thing she remembered before the end was Eugene, and Mabel smiled.
Then, even Eugene, who should have been a hallucination, narrowed his beautiful eyes.
He gently placed both hands on Mabel’s cheeks, tilted his head, and softly pressed his lips against hers.
As they sank into the water, with Eugene holding Mabel’s relaxed body, the two slowly merged. As bubbles overflowed and rose toward the sky, it felt as if time had stopped, and the two exchanged a long kiss.
How long did they stay like that?
Mabel realized that she was still breathing.
Although she didn’t have the freedom she had on land, she finally awakened to the fact that she could maintain consciousness with just a slight breath.
At the same time, she once again recognized that she was being kissed by Eugene, and she hurriedly pounded his chest. Eugene, who had released his lips, smiled and held Mabel, skillfully swimming towards the water’s surface with one arm.
As the bottom of the ship came into view, Eugene held Mabel sideways in the water and sprouted wings on his back. With three powerful flaps, they quickly ascended, breaking through the water’s surface in an instant. They surpassed the ship’s hold and the tip of the mast, soaring high into the sky. Finally, they gracefully spread their white wings in the night sky.
Mabel, who had moved from underwater to the sky in an instant, was astonished as she looked at Eugene, who was carrying her. His wet hair glistened, but when Eugene lightly shook his head, all the water droplets scattered like mist.
Along with that, Mabel’s clothes and hair also dried, and her body temperature, which had been taken away by the cold seawater, gradually returned. Ignoring Mabel’s confusion, Eugene held her hand and looked down at the back of her hand. He furrowed his brows at the deeply engraved, painful scars.
“Eugene, why are you here?”
“I received a message from Amane telling me to come right away”
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