Seonghwa needed to go straight for the lighthouse.

Seonghwa awoke on a beach of black sand. As he lifted his head groggily, some grains stubbornly stuck to his cheek and hair. The rushing of shallow waves nearby reached his ears. It brushed his eardrums and the back of his mind to clear his befuddled thoughts. Lost, he looked around.

Something. There was something he needed to search for. He couldn't remember what it was, but the memory was vivid in his mind.

Hectic, he looked around the shore. The beach of black sand was dotted with seashells and volcanic stones as far as his eyes reached and offered nothing of interest. Not even the raging waters that nearly doused him every time they came close to him bothered Seonghwa. He quickly got to his feet and brought some distance between himself and the agitated ocean. Thunder and lightning struck the skies at regular intervals. The storm was coming closer. He caught a bolt of lightning lighting up the blanket of clouds from within them. Eerie, their shadows flashed over the area for no more than a fraction of a second.

"What is it? What am I missing?"

Confused, Seonghwa patted down his body while he already set his eyes on the nearby tower. It would take him a few minutes to reach it, and its pull was undeniable. Sinister and dark, its white walls held secrets he didn't want to explore, but he had to. No way he could ignore how welcoming it waved at him.

Seonghwa found a shell in his pocket that he put to a pile of their kind on top of a rock that would likely get washed off by the waves soon. Then, he set one foot in front of the other to venture along the shore. He had to stick close to the cliffs to avoid getting brushed away by the furious water. Dark green and too dark to see through, it tossed itself at the boulders as if it wanted to swallow the entire island whole.

When Seonghwa spotted the scars on his arms, he halted for a tense second. A knife had made those. A knife wielded by his own right hand, judging by the angle. The freshest one was still reddened slightly and stood out from the rest since it pointed towards his hand instead of around his forearm. A sign he had to remember. The answer to his confusion.

With no time to stall, Seonghwa hurried along. He minded neither the ocean nor the foreign beach that looked eerily familiar to his eyes. His right hand pressed over the scar as if it had to protect the hint he had sustained. If it disappeared, too, then he would never know.

How did he know? He had no idea. Whatever had dawned realisation upon him must have been a benevolent entity that took pity on his despair.

Seonghwa ignored the bottle at the beach as he rounded a large boulder. Candles led the steep path towards the lighthouse. The door was partly open as if the owner didn't care if the storm came knocking. Or he anticipated stopping by to close it before things got rough.

Come by. You will find a way out. A way to leave this place.

Yes, he would. He knew that. For a while, he had distrusted the whispering voice in his ear but not anymore. It was a shred of hope, all that a man needed to keep moving before he lost his sanity and his will. Walking along the shore reminded Seonghwa of the walks he used to have with his grandmother.

Remember. Remember who you were. And who you desire to be.

Seonghwa did. And as he walked, he blew out the candles he passed. Every single dancing flame gave in to his might with a last dying flicker. His muscle memory knew this path all too well and reminded him of having walked it before. Quite unsettled, he kept his course still.

Near the sacrificial site, Seonghwa had a lot of work to do blowing out the candles. He diminished their number bit by bit until all of them stood dead. Their luring character went out with their fire. Nothing more but a bit of heat and a faint trail of smoke that lost itself in the air remained.

Seonghwa knew what the writings on the wall said, even if he didn't speak that language and some letters were missing in every word.

In his house at R'yleh, Cthulhu lies sleeping.

This island, this was R'yleh. And Cthulhu was the slumbering god proclaimed to have been sent to exile here. The name rang a bell in Seonghwa's mind. He recalled the smell of ashes and decay and the horrific drawings of tentacled sea monsters on different objects strewn all over this place. It fit, it all fit. The key to the story was with the hint his arm held.

Seonghwa passed the rock with the arm wordlessly. Right behind it, the last few steps to the lighthouse greeted him. Talismans that fended off bad omens protected this path. Seonghwa pitied the poor soul that had attempted to defend themselves with them. He doubted they had been successful.

While he and his grandmother had been taking their long walks, she had always shone with life and happiness. As they sunk their feet into the sand for the last time, she had asked him to tell her one of his stories, about the wild sea. He could hear each of her breaths getting shorter and shorter and by the time he finished his story pneumonia took her life.

Seonghwa had never forgotten her. He and her husband still loved her dearly and visited her picture in the living room every day to greet and share smiles with it. She had been the dearest person in Seonghwa's life. And he wanted to return to her soon to see the cute wrinkles around her eyes again and feel the warmth her playful grin held. It had been quite some time since he had last wandered the meadows and picked the prettiest flowers for her to enjoy.

With cautious but determined steps, Seonghwa entered the lighthouse. Whatever he searched was here. Right in front of him. He just had to find it.

His attentive eyes searched the room for anything. This key could be more than mediocre, but it held his life in its hands. However, around the barrels and tables down here, he couldn't make anything out. He had to go up.

He could feel a presence upstairs. Someone he knew, someone he trusted. And as such, his distrust was all the greater. In no way could a person living out here be sane enough to fully rely on. Seonghwa had met enough insane folks in his life that he knew to keep his distance.

With practised nonchalance, Seonghwa scaled the stairs. As expected, he found the other male at the table as he sat over his studies. When he took notice of Seonghwa, he turned right away as if he had sensed him, too. For a fleeting moment, Seonghwa believed to recognise his dark eyes. He wondered if it was a familiarity that flashed in the other man's gaze, too.

"Hello," he said with a charming smile, but Seonghwa's eyes already discreetly wandered through the room. He glanced under the bed, at the drawers, the shelves, and the windowsills. Hopefully, his curiosity could count as finding his way around new surroundings. He would never know if he fooled even one of them.

But he had been here before. He knew that.

"Ah, hi... I'm Seonghwa. I got washed ashore outside? And it's freezing, to sorry for barging in here like that."

"Oh, you poor soul. Your clothing looks wet. Do you want a change? I might have some lying around."

Seonghwa nodded if only to get him to move away from that desk. Countless objects were cluttered there that looked plain to the untrained eye. He didn't doubt that all of them held precious information. How would he know what he was searching for? One of those statues? A little coin? That hourglass?

The other man knelt next to the wooden crate at the bottom of the bed to search through it. Maybe he had hidden the object of Seonghwa's desires in there? Seonghwa didn't dare to step in to glimpse over his shoulder.

"My name is Hongjoong, by the way. Welcome to this quirky place of the earth. Where the seagulls are mad and the ocean vomits pretty men." As he stood, his smile broadened once again. Seonghwa studied him as he accepted the clothes. The man was impossible to see through. As if a wall kept Seonghwa from really looking into his dark eyes. Nothing about him gave anything away about his person.

Slowly, Seonghwa set down the clothes on the bed. While he pulled his shirt over his head, Hongjoong sat down on his chair again and watched him.

"Then you must have got washed ashore, too," Seonghwa murmured. Undoubtedly, the man was gorgeous, as much as the lack of anything on him confused Seonghwa. A pretty face on a pretty body. Full of hidden secrets.

When left alone on an island for a while, Seonghwa would presume that one became an open book for any passerby. That Hongjoong would talk and talk and never stop talking since he had finally met a kindred soul. And yet, the man regarded Seonghwa with caution. As if he was the one that Hongjoong needed to be wary of.

Balanced evenly in their distrust, the two of them played a game of playful flirtation as they waited for the other one to slip up and give himself away.

"I was, yeah, but I have been around for two weeks already. It's nice and quiet here. Not too many people." He giggled. "But I see that it's difficult. I'm glad you are here now to pay me company."

Seonghwa gave him a fleeting smile as he changed his pants. For longer than appropriate, Hongjoong's eyes stuck to his legs. Not that either of them minded.

"What does one do in this lonesome place for two weeks? Wander?"

"Wander, paint, read every book I found lying around... The shore is full of things that drifted over and the sunken ships hold even more treasures. We could go check it out if you want. Even though the ocean seems quite unwell today." As if to underline his words, thunder crashed outside as if the sky was breaking apart. Hongjoong's smile turned sheepish.

"We could wait out the worst and try later. Maybe you could tell me more about this place. Do the books tell interesting things?" Seonghwa sat down on the bed to lean back. Hongjoong shrugged as he tugged his recent one closer to flip through it. Old and tattered pages slid through his fingers.

"Some do, it depends on what you find interesting. If you like measurements, I have a lot of different ones of how large this island is supposed to be. Then I have records of people who lived and worked here for a while, about the weather, maritime life... Honestly, for me, it's hard to find something of interest."

Seonghwa laughed with him as he leaned back on his hands. He wasn't stupid. The way that Hongjoong's eyes trailed up and down his side was too obvious to overlook even in the dim candlelight. No darkness from outside could shroud the interested shine in Hongjoong's eyes. On purpose, Seonghwa shifted some more until his shirt slipped up to expose until a sliver of skin on his stomach. Instantly, Hongjoong's eyes stuck to it even as he tried to play it off.

"That sounds mediocre indeed. I can imagine that those who lived here for a while at least have some gossip to tell about who they were and who they dreamt of being after they left."

This time, Hongjoong's chuckle was different. Just a bit darker. A bit distorted in the shadowed corners of the room.

"I bet they became the greatest of their friends. Of course, I am pursuing the same goal. Who wouldn't brag about their time on a forsaken island that is marked only in a few maps? Especially with a pretty man nearby. I must be dreaming."

Smiling coyly, Seonghwa rose from the bed once more. As he stepped over to Hongjoong, his eyes finally caught onto an object on the shelf. A bottle. Plain and unsuspecting behind some shelves. Inside was a rolled-up piece of paper. The key.

Hongjoong tilted his head back when Seonghwa came to stand before him. Gently, his fingers trailed over Hongjoong's smooth chin. The man visibly shuddered at the touch. He turned his face to kiss Seonghwa's fingertips, and the mood grew heavier instantly. Seonghwa concentrated on not looking at the bottle and focusing on the man only. As he tilted up the man's face with one dainty finger under his jaw, their eyes met with the invitation open between them.

"A dream, indeed. Or maybe we died long ago, and this is our reward after a long life."

Chuckling, Hongjoong said nothing at that anymore. Both of them knew that this place was hell outside of their little bubble. The weather reminded them without a break.

They tumbled into bed together, and Seonghwa did his utmost to tire Hongjoong out. Even when he barely focused on the task at hand but much more on the bottle on the shelf, Hongjoong did not indicate noticing as they threw their heated bodies around on the scratchy blankets.

Hours later, Hongjoong took a nap next to Seonghwa while the ocean outside never ceased its rummaging. Even though its ferocious sounds seemed more diluted to Seonghwa's ears.

Seonghwa didn't close his eyes even for a second. He stayed alert and watched over Hongjoong's sleep for at least twenty minutes before he carefully peeled his body out of bed. With a blanket wrapped around his naked body so he wouldn't freeze in the cold room, he made his way over to the shelf.

The task of not only getting the bottle from the shelf but also not messing up Hongjoong's studies prove to be difficult. Seonghwa had to discard his blanket again for a few minutes since it kept dangling and brushing over papers and books. Wobbly and constantly looking around so he wouldn't knock anything over, he stood on the chair and placed one foot on the table to reach for the books that barricaded his desired object. Their bindings were old and covered in dust. Seonghwa feared they might fall apart or for worms to crawl all over him as he carefully pulled three of them from their places.

With a glance at Hongjoong's slumbering form, Seonghwa carefully fished the bottle out. He rose it slightly so its edges wouldn't hit the wood and produce sound. Since he did not know how deep of a sleeper Hongjoong was, his every movement was a mission of extreme stress.

Sweat trailed down his back by the time he set the bottle down on the table. With quick fingers, he removed the cork and pulled out the paper that was tied up with a red thread. He replaced it with a different paper he had found in his clothing earlier, the message of some other poor sailor who had got lost out here. Then, he went through the same anxiety once more to put the bottle back in its place. He did his best to leave it just as he had found it so it wouldn't stir any more suspicions.

Hongjoong didn't stir for even a second all until Seonghwa finished. By the time he skipped off his precarious stepping stool to grab his blanket again, the boy's long lashes still fanned out over his cheeks.

On quiet soles, Seonghwa tiptoed up the stairs. The hatch opened and closed heavily as he went outside. He didn't dare venture past the glass walls that protected the light beam and the hatch from the howling winds. Instead, he stayed inside them and mostly remained safe from the few breezes that travelled through the bits of broken glass.

Seonghwa wrapped himself up in his blanket as he sat down on the rocking chair that stood here. For a moment, he stared out over the ocean and its wild waves that would probably throw ships of any size over. No doubt, his arrival here had looked none the prettier. He wondered what they might find if they were to explore the shore later. More people? Or perhaps only their bodies ripped and mangled by the unforgiving sea.

With a deep breath in the cold and wet air, Seonghwa undid the little red thread. Then, he unrolled the paper.

The weathers above him aided his attempt at hiding. Hongjoong might sleep through his disappearance. Still, Seonghwa's heart beat nervously in his chest as if he were doing something forbidden. He would feel the same when he snatched sweets from the kitchen past midnight back at home, but this time, it was intensified. Much more was on the line than just a well-meant scolding of his grandmother.

But he doubted Hongjoong would mind him reading this too much. The importance that it carried for Seonghwa was what simmered nervously in his stomach.

With another deep breath, Seonghwa smoothed out the two pages and begun to read. And even the first sentence already hit him as if lightning had struck his body.

This is Seonghwa writing this letter. If a past version of me is reading this, then thank god you found here. If you are anybody else, then I strongly advise you to put this aside. The words here are not meant for you. If anything, they serve to explain a disaster so otherworldly that your brains wouldn't understand it. Trust me. You don't want to hear this.
If you are Hongjoong, back off. I know you will find this, but I will curse you until all eternity if you dare so much as open this bottle. Do not test me. We know who of us will win.

Baffled, Seonghwa looked up from the paper to blink for a moment. The world had shifted slightly around him as if the noises of the oceans and the skies had dulled. He had written a message to himself. And he had found it with Hongjoong's things. Had the man known it was here? Or had he not opened it yet? How was it that a Seonghwa of the past already knew of him when Hongjoong claimed to have been here for two weeks?

The puzzle made no sense, so Seonghwa kept reading. He hoped things would align as he continued. And they did. But in a way that was far more unbelievable and horrifying than he could ever fathom.

If you are reading this, Seonghwa of the future, then pat yourself on the shoulder. I presume you are not well. If you find this island again and read this message, then undoubtedly, you will also repeat the cycle. Please know that I have been there. And I cannot stress enough how proud of you I am that you recognised this as your way out. I will do my best to leave a heritage worth finding.
The truth is, you see, you have done this before. Not speaking about me and the time I spent on that goddamn island, but about you. It can't possibly be your first day there. You relived the same day again and again, for many hundred times already to get to the point where you are now. And as confused as you might be, you might have seen the signs. By now, you probably see them coming together.

Seonghwa did. Oh, he did. The odd familiarity with everything, his mutual trust in Hongjoong, and his intuition that had led him to this letter. It all made sense now.

Erratic, Seonghwa gnawed on his lips until they bled as he continued reading his orderly and pretty handwriting. The aged paper rustled in his hands as he jostled it.

I wish you would never have to read this message, but I can't help but feel as if he will bring you back. Try to remember, Seonghwa, even the most little of things. View them as something you have seen countless times before, and you might understand their meaning in the loop.
I'm afraid I can't help you much since I don't know what the future might bring and how you will fare. But I can tell you everything about the time I've already spent at this place and what I did to flee it. You can do it, too. You just have to find the right answers, however they might look for you.
The core of my story is Hongjoong. And you have met him already. There are a few things you need to know about him.

Seonghwa jumped in his chair when the hatch near him suddenly opened. Fast as lightning, he pushed the letter beneath the blanket. The shock must have shown on his face for how Hongjoong rose his brow at him, but he didn't recognise it as too suspicious.

"There you are. I wondered if the sea had eaten you. What do you think about the weather, should we go for a stroll?"

Hastily, Seonghwa nodded and tried to rid himself of the pale surprise in his face. His heart galloped away in his chest. He had nearly got caught. He had to find more time to read. Any time that Hongjoong was distracted. But with them so close to each other, would he even find the time?

Hongjoong left the hatch open for him as Seonghwa joined him. He kept the message clutched tightly to his chest beneath the blanket. The wind followed him inside to blow at his naked legs viciously as he returned to the warmth of the tower.

"I think the weather won't get any better today. But if we don't get too close to the shore, we should be fine. And since we are two, we don't have to worry. I can pull you out if anything happens." Hongjoong winked at Seonghwa playfully as he turned to switch his clothes. Seonghwa slipped the message into his underwear as he pulled the garment on. The scratch was uncomfortable, but he feared the letter might get lost otherwise. Like this, he knew it close.

"Did you replenish your energy?" Desperate to appear normal and inconspicuous, Seonghwa asked the first mindless question that came to his lips. Hongjoong laughed as he slipped into a dark raincoat and fixed the hood over his head. The garment dwarfed his figure.

"I did. You are everything of a lover anybody could ever dream of," he smiled coyly. Seonghwa gave him a fleeting smile. His mind was with the letter. What was there to know about Hongjoong? If they had already met a long time ago last time Seonghwa had been here, then would the man remember him? Should he ask him about it?

Seonghwa knew he had to practise patience. If he acted too hasty, then his progress might get lost. As soon as Hongjoong would be distracted again, he would continue reading.

"A sweet compliment to make." Once Seonghwa had also put on his protective jacket, they went downstairs. By now, faint rain thrummed on the roof. It was barely enough to feel it on their skin, but it coated their clothes with a shiny layer of wetness quite quickly. Hongjoong took a lantern with him that had glass walls to protect its flame from going out.

The two of them didn't walk the way that Seonghwa had come. They wandered into the other direction, and they kept further up on the rocks so they wouldn't get too close to the feisty waters. In the dark of day that came from the clouds, they looked like the fingers of giants that tried to find purchase on the shore only to slip off repeatedly. Something in Seonghwa wished they would fail at their attempts entirely and give up soon.

Seonghwa took care of his steps on the slippery rocks. Even if Hongjoong had promised to watch out for him, he feared that a mishap on the wet rocks might be the last thing he saw before the waves would consume him. Their power exceeded Hongjoong's sweet words.

"Anything we're looking out for?" Seonghwa had to scream at Hongjoong to get his words across through the storm. The other man leaned closer until their raincoats stuck to each other at their shoulders.

"I saw a ship strand somewhere here a few days ago. I doubt it was yours but it's worth checking out to see if it was or if it maybe harbours another survivor!"

Through the dim twilight around them, Seonghwa could only see as far as the lamp allowed them since it was so much brighter than the background. Still, he trusted Hongjoong's memory that he would soon find that same ship again.

Their trip through the day that felt like a night resembled an exploration to the world's end. The further they strayed from the lighthouse, the more Seonghwa wondered if they should have stayed there instead. Granted, his nervousness might have given him and his secret plans away, but at least they would stay safe and dry.

Not that Hongjoong seemed to mind the wetness. While Seonghwa angled his face down to concentrate on the dimly lit path and shielded his skin from the faint rain, Hongjoong greeted it with glee. He seemed to like storms, even those which attempted to take their hearing with their booming crashes.

"What kind of ship?" Seonghwa wanted to look around for it, too. While Hongjoong explained, he gestured with his hands, resulting in the lamp swaying precariously left and right. Worried that they might lose their sole source of light, Seonghwa motioned him to calm down. They should have turned on the light of the tower. Maybe fewer ships would crash on the reefs out here if it actually did its job at times.

"A big metal one. It had no particular cargo on it, so no containers or anything. I don't think it transported many people but somebody of the crew might have survived!"

With a grim nod, Seonghwa focused back on their path. His eyes searched the nearby ocean line. With this dim light and the waves going crazy, it was hard to discern a ship from the enormous boulders that towered everywhere. At least the boat that Hongjoong described, sounded to be large enough that these kinds of waves likely wouldn't drag it off again.

Yet, even after long minutes of walking, he spotted nothing at all. Hongjoong next to him grew increasingly confused, too. His eyes searched left and right, but the ship he had promised was nowhere in sight. Where had it disappeared to? Did the island swallow things up just like the ocean did?

However, as their puzzlement rose and Seonghwa actually turned to look back and see if he had merely overseen something as huge as a whole metal cargo ship, Hongjoong made a surprised noise. His little hand tugged on Seonghwa's sleeve and alerted him of his findings.

Given their absolutely self-explanatory search along the shore where ships usually were, Seonghwa couldn't help but gawk at their left when he finally spotted it.

Far from the ocean as if it had jumped out of the waters and tossed itself at the saving rocks, the large ship laid on the completely dry land. The cliff it had hit and loomed over the shore elevated it. As they turned to walk the few dozen metres over, Seonghwa kept wondering how it had got there. It would have needed to drag several hundred meters over the beach and uphill to land where it was. And yet, it sat there as if it had been build right on top of the boulders.

"Fascinating! I have no idea how this got here, but this isn't bad, for a ship! From the lighthouse, it looked to be near to the shore." Hongjoong shared his bafflement. Towering over them, the ship was quite hard to reach. And against all odds, it also had no leak they could crawl in through. As Seonghwa scaled the slippery stones, he wondered just what was wrong with this island. In every sense, it confused the hell out of him.

Hongjoong climbed diagonally above him so he wouldn't accidentally rain loose rocks down on Seonghwa's head. Upon more difficult hardships, he always offered Seonghwa a hand, but Seonghwa never took it. He was fine struggling his way up on his own.

They finally reached the ship after what might have been an entire hour. The rain had yet to let up, and the ocean also saw no importance in calming even a bit. At least they were far enough away from it that Seonghwa didn't have to fear it suddenly reaching for him anymore.

Hongjoong slapped the metal next to them. Hollow, the sound echoed through the ship.

"That was quite some work for something this size. Let's see who or what we find inside. Once we find a way in, that is." And again, the search for a path commenced. This time, they balanced along the stones that the ship sat on. The smooth underside offered nothing for them to climb up on, so they hoped to round the tilted boat enough until the rocks would allow them to climb up.

Hongjoong went first, and he supported his body on the boat as he searched for the right points to step on. Seonghwa copied him to the best of his ability, but sometimes he still threatened to slip or a smaller stone wobbled beneath his shaky leg. The fall to the beach wasn't far, but it was spiked with stones that could mean a concussion all too quickly if they weren't careful.

Seonghwa might have imagined that he had suffered head trauma upon his arrival and that was why he kept forgetting what happened. But when he got reminded of the burning paper on his skin again and the scars on his arms that told their story, he quickly disregarded the idea. He focused on going forward with one hand outstretched and slightly bent his knees to fold right down instead of loose balance if anything happened.

It took the two of them a while until they found a safe path around the ship. Seonghwa's heart had stuttered at least four times in his chest as he slipped and threatened to fall to his certain death. Not that he distrusted Hongjoong's first aid abilities.

Hongjoong helped him over the tilted railing ultimately and they looked around on the empty deck. No cargo, just as Hongjoong had predicted. But also no crew members.

"Do you think... That we might somehow get this ship out there again for us to leave this place?" Seonghwa's question was timid. He knew that the idea of the two of them transporting this ship over to the ocean was absolute madness. And yet, he couldn't help the little spark of hope that simmered in his chest.

"Even if we managed to move it... I think if we find no other person to help, we won't be able to steer it out of here. I'm not experienced with ships as big as these. Even though it would be a far more secure option than a tiny boat if it isn't damaged."

Downtrodden, Seonghwa looked at his feet. He desperately wanted to leave this place behind and so far, no escape had shown itself. Perhaps the only way of ever knowing would truly be the letter at his hip bone. He hoped the paper didn't soak with the amount of wetness that had his clothing stick to his skin.

Impatient to know more about his past trip here but also wary of Hongjoong noticing, Seonghwa nodded and moved along when Hongjoong crossed the deck. They had adjusted here the slippery metal of the rest of the boat to hold one's steps even when doused in water. Despite the slight tilt of the whole boat, they could wander over to the midship house. Searching from top to bottom might be their best bet. If fate were to grant them a tiny bit of hope, then the captain inside had survived.

They needed all four of their arms to twist open the hatch that locked the heavy door leading inside. As soon as it had fallen shut behind them, Seonghwa leaned against the wall to breathe. Hongjoong pushed his sticky hood from his head and looked around searchingly.

Down here, nobody was in sight. Even though ships this size usually had a hundred men running around, none had stayed here. Through the large windows, Seonghwa watched the rain thrumming on the deck. Whenever lightning zapped through the sky, the white plating lit up a bright colour. He also removed his hood while Hongjoong already peeked up the stairs and then down the stairs.

"Let's go up first. It's less dark."

Seonghwa pushed the few wet strands of his hair out of his forehead. Then, he followed behind his friend once more. The lantern in his hand swayed and wobbled at his every step. Their boots sounded criminally loud on the metal stairs, and Seonghwa winced at the clanking sounds that spread through the ship. They made enough noise to wake the dead, and he didn't want to meet them.

Besides, the noise tricked his mind and made him believe that something else moved beneath them while they made enough noise to hide its slinking.

The flying bridge was devoid of people, too. No captain was around, and no navigator either. Just a bunch of broken compasses and panels. None of them worked even as the two men smashed some buttons. All lights remained dead.

Hongjoong sighed. Hopelessness gnawed at their hearts viciously. How was it, that whenever Seonghwa believed to have found something to save and aid him, it turned out to be a trick of the mind? This island cruelly played with his sanity.

"Oh, well... Then let's see if they had some dry cargo downstairs that might help us. Can't even access the logs like this." Hongjoong shook his head at the dead printer that usually documented a ship's every movement in case it got lost. Seonghwa doubted that it still had any connection to its home port.

Together, they stomped down the stairs once more. This time, they delved deeper into the ship. The insides were still all dry, even if it probably wouldn't take long for the island to pick the boat apart enough that it could penetrate its armour. Seonghwa could imagine the green shimmer on the white walls already, and the shells sticking to every bit of the ship.

Down in the tilted corridor, Seonghwa already felt far less safe. He had to blink away the blurriness of his eyes. They tried to fool him into believing that the shadows were moving differently than what their light allowed them to. Transfixed on the back of Hongjoong's head, they walked along the corridor.

Noise still followed them, and Seonghwa glanced over his shoulders warily multiple times. He didn't understand Hongjoong's rational composure in their dire situation. The man knew his way around some more, but didn't he grow weary of the ominous air surrounding them? Maybe Seonghwa was the mad one.

At first, Hongjoong took it upon himself to open all the doors left and right of the corridor. Blaring empty cabins, galleys, and storage rooms greeted them. The signs that humans had once been here were everywhere, but nothing of personal use remained. Not a single piece of luggage, no picture, and no clothing. And also none of the people that were supposed to be here.

After a few attempts, Hongjoong gave it up. Instead, he searched for a way deeper into the ship while Seonghwa fought his dizziness. He didn't like cramped places. The heaviness of that door upstairs assured him not even a little, even if Hongjoong was with him. What if they were trapped here? Not even on the whole spread of the island where he could at least hope to find a way out, but only on this ship? Left to rot and wait for nature to take what was rightfully hers?

Seonghwa breathed through his mouth as he followed Hongjoong another flight of stairs leading down. The man chose to go right, and they found themselves in the machine room. Huge, impressive heating and turbine systems greeted them, each as large as a building. Yet, they all laid eerily still. Nothing would get those things to move anymore.

The ship's heart had stopped working. And Seonghwa doubted it would ever take up its job again.

For a while, they wandered the quiet hall. But even as they pulled on levers, nothing happened. None of the gloomy corners hid people either. Had they all retreated to a safe chamber as part of their emergency protocol? Or had this ship come here steered by ghosts?

"Why is no one around?" Seonghwa whispered throatily. His fear made him nauseous, and he clenched his jaw hard enough that it hurt. He wanted to leave the ship and run back to the lighthouse and curl up in the warm bed. His anxiety that his life may end prematurely and he would never get the answers he sought overwhelmed him. If he weren't so afraid and clinging to Hongjoong wasn't his sole anchor in his panic, Seonghwa would have suggested splitting off and search. All just to read some more of his letter.

"I wonder... The ship can't possibly have got here by the currents alone. I figured we might find bodies, but not even those are here. Did the ocean take them as a sacrifice?"

They rounded another turbine. Mighty like the wonder of science it was, it laid before them. Unmoving.

"Maybe they jumped off before they got here? Knowing that they would find their demise if they didn't? And they either landed on a different island or are still out at sea?"

Hongjoong tilted his head back far to look up at the ceiling. Dark, it stretched above them. No natural light fell into this part of the ship. Their light flickered and for a moment, icy dread washed over Seonghwa as he feared it would die. When it continued to shine their way without issues, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Maybe, yeah..." Hongjoong didn't sound convinced, but he also had no better explanation. Since not a single clue was around, all they could do was guess.

"Let's leave. I don't like this place," Seonghwa ultimately murmured towards Hongjoong. Even if they wandered deeper inside the ship's belly and explored all of its machinery, he doubted they would still find someone. It was too quiet for that.

Hongjoong nodded wordlessly. As he turned and marched back the way they had come, Seonghwa once more believed to hear something else move. This time, the noise came from above them. However, as he halted, the sound stopped, too. Shivering, he shook the thought off.

As they re-emerged into the crossway from earlier, Seonghwa was ready to walk up the corridor again and leave this cursed place. However, Hongjoong curiously spied down the other path that they hadn't taken yet.

"We should check it out. Just to be sure. It could be their safe room," Hongjoong suggested quietly. Seonghwa still stood rooted in the spot. His hand lingered on the corner of the corridor that promised safety.

"I think we should leave it." What would they find? Nothing, most likely. Seonghwa had seen enough. The ship made him nervous and paranoid.

"Then you go up first, it's bright enough that you'll find your way. You can wait at the stairs or on the bridge for me." Shadows danced beneath Hongjoong's eyes and his nose as he stared at Seonghwa. Despite the chance offered for Seonghwa to continue his readings, he violently shook his head. Hongjoong was the only living person aside from him out here he could cling to. If he were all alone, Seonghwa would be even more confused and scared. And he felt protected by Hongjoong's presence and the light. Whatever he believed to hear slinking through the ship might rethink attacking them since they had a fire and were two people.

"I'll come with you," Seonghwa bit out. Hongjoong gave him a thankful nod.

As they continued down the other corridor, Seonghwa sometimes threw curious glances through the portholes in the doors. Their glass was milky enough that he couldn't see much, but sometimes, he believed to see something move inside without making a single noise. Nothing human-shaped, though.

On others, he saw suspicious red stains, but he didn't mention them to Hongjoong. He couldn't even be sure that they were actually there and his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. If they opened those doors, those rooms would undoubtedly be empty and Seonghwa would feel like the biggest fool for giving in to hysteria like that.

Another heavy door with a wheel to turn cut them off from the dry cargo hold. Hongjoong set the lamp down on the ground as they combined their powers to get it to open. Creaking, they pulled the tough thing from its place. Seonghwa held it open as Hongjoong picked up the lamp again to shine inside. Deep down here and with no windows as an escape route, not even Hongjoong trusted those doors.

Yet, Seonghwa couldn't help how his stomach dropped when Hongjoong gasped quietly. Ghostly, the shadows danced over his pale face.

Seonghwa didn't see inside from his position, but his body froze at Hongjoong's reaction. His guts cramped up as he tried to read an answer off the man's shocked face.

"What is it?"

Hongjoong's lips moved at first without making a genuine sound. He had to try twice to regain his voice.

"A grave."

Seonghwa's stomach dropped abruptly. Before he could turn back time, Hongjoong already pushed open the door in their hands with surprising strength. Seonghwa got an eyeful before he could avert his face.

Skulls. All skulls. None of them had flesh remaining on it, but the room still stunk of decay and death enough to make Seonghwa's knees weak. The sheer amount of them spread farther than the shine of their light reached. Hundreds of people laid here and Seonghwa couldn't even fathom how much they piled up. Given that their other bones were missing, the number of dead fitting inside this room doubled.

Seonghwa pressed his hands over his breathing ways to filter the air he breathed at least a bit. Still, tears welled inside his eyes at the horrors he imagined. Hundreds of heads with no bodies attached, all carried here. Had the crew known? Had they brought those skulls somewhere? Or were the crew part of this pile?

Terrified, Seonghwa stared at the pale bones. They met his gaze from their dead, black eye sockets.

"I won't go in there. Whatever you still want to search in this damned place, you'll have to search on your own." Finally, Seonghwa managed to turn his head away. Hongjoong still stared at the grotesque sight with wide eyes.

"No, I-" He wet his lips with his tongue. "I think I've seen enough."

They didn't need to heave the door shut. As they let go, it fell back into place on its own and hid its gruesome secrets from curious eyes once more. The images still flashed behind Seonghwa's eyes.

With trudging feet, they went back the way they had come. And left the dead ship and its spooky rooms as they had found them. Thankfully, they met no made up fantastical creature upstairs, and the door leading outside also made no further trouble as they passed it. Back outside in the rain, Seonghwa tilted his head up to the skies as if he had to wash off the reminders of the ship clinging to him. The smell of death persisted in his nose, anyway.

Hongjoong was the one to pull the hood back up on Seonghwa's head and lace it up beneath his chin. Then, the two of them carefully begun their descent over the steep rocks.

Seonghwa never wanted to return to this place. He even hoped not even to spot it from the lighthouse now that he knew what its insides held. For nothing in the world, he would try to revive that ship.

Back down in the sand, Seonghwa nearly collapsed from how weak his legs had got. When Hongjoong noticed, he threw him a concerned glance. After a few seconds, Seonghwa already walked again, though. He could save the weakness for later when he didn't have that looming ship right in his back.

With fast steps, Seonghwa dictated their pace as they returned to the lighthouse. Hongjoong kept up with him out of breath, but he couldn't deny their shared need to get back into safe surroundings.

Once they were back in their lighthouse and Seonghwa could fall on the bed to rest his cramped limbs, tension fell off them like a crumbling brick wall. For a few moments, they just shared serene silence as they stomached everything they had seen in the past few hours. Lying on his side with empty eyes, Seonghwa felt like a lifeless doll.

"Did you ever check out other ships? Were they the same?"

Hongjoong sat at his table with closed eyes. His fingers rubbed the bridge of his nose to ease some of his tension.

"Never this bad. I saw some other boats with dead bodies around, but never in this amount or this eerie. I'm sorry I dragged you down there."

Seonghwa said nothing. He merely wondered how life had got him to this point.

A while passed of them sharing the silence. The lantern Hongjoong had brought soon died out when the candle burnt to its end. Hongjoong set the object down on the ground and lit a few orange candles through the room to create a warm shine of light. Usually, Seonghwa enjoyed having candles around. Even back when he had still been a kid, he begged his grandparents to have some in his room for him to peer at while he fell asleep. Their calming shine had always aided his nerves, and he enjoyed watching the unpredictable dances of the fire. But this setting made it all the spookier that candles were their only source of light.

Seonghwa didn't complain. Both of them were tense enough as it was.

"Maybe you should go to sleep. We'll try to do a better job tomorrow. And search somewhere else for clues."

Seonghwa didn't even want to. He didn't want to reawaken on this same island and search for another day. If the letter he had written to himself was right, then he had also done this so often before, which explained why his mind felt fragile as it was. He wanted to sleep, yes, but he didn't want to wake up again to repeat this nightmare.

He had to continue reading. It was his only way out of this predicament. How could he get some distance between Hongjoong and himself?

"I want to send out a bottle first. Granted, with those waves, it probably travels far. We might be able to contact a different island and get some help."

Hongjoong nodded as he retrieved some paper, a pen, and a bottle for Seonghwa. He left him to his devices to go around the lighthouse and check that all windows were shut tightly while Seonghwa wrote. And he wrote a single line.

Don't come to the island of R'yleh. If you are reading this, never search for us.

He fiddled a thread around the paper and pushed it into the bottle. It was probably the most important one so far, assuming that he had had the same idea before. As he passed Hongjoong on his way outside, the man gave him a meager smile. Seonghwa slipped out without alerting him of his plans.

The rain had actually let up again. Seonghwa had expected for it to continue all night. The storm still chased strong winds over the shore that pulled and yanked at Seonghwa, and the waves still raged. But the thunder had moved on and took the rain with it. The day was still bright enough that Seonghwa could read.

Once he had walked some metres away from the lighthouse to throw his bottle far out, he pulled the paper from his pants. Thankfully, it was still mostly dry, if a bit damp to the touch.

He quickly found the same phrase again that he had left off at.

The core of my story is Hongjoong. And you have met him already. There are a few things you need to know about him.

He advanced from there, drinking every word up for it could mean his salvation.

You are not to trust him. He is the one you need to stay wary of. The more you watch him, the weirder he might appear to you. Don't believe a single thing he tells you. He spins lies and traps you in his web to do things for him. Even though he might promise to get you out of your demise, he won't. Outsmarting him is your only way to escape. Think outside of the box. Don't consider him the only other person aside from you whom you should team up with. Don't take him as your lover. He brought you here.

When Seonghwa heard Hongjoong call for him, he quickly hid the paper again. The man stood at the door waving him over to the safe lighthouse. Or was it really safe? It appeared as if it wasn't.

"Come back in! I don't want the door to be open at night!"

"In a moment!" Seonghwa swiftly crouched down to feel up the sand for a shell. Once he found one, he broke a piece off on the rocks to create a sharp edge. With his jaws grit, he bore the object into his arm. Another line to add to countless others. Another day he had spent here. He needed to remember.

Once he was done and blood trickled down his arm, Seonghwa threw the shell off and soaked the blood up with his sleeve. Then, he returned to the lighthouse. As he passed Hongjoong, the man kindly patted his shoulder before he closed the door behind him. Seonghwa gave his best not to flinch away from him as he watched him lock the door. Once more, he was cornered with this man in the proclaimed safety that he offered.

Hongjoong stepped closer to Seonghwa to settle an arm on his waist. Warm, he pulled their bodies flush together. His smell of candles and paper hit Seonghwa's nose.

Hongjoong was oh-so seductive and tempting to Seonghwa, but Seonghwa was on high alert about what he had read.

"Do you want to sleep with me again?" Coquettishly, Hongjoong trailed a finger over Seonghwa's neck. His touch left a burning trail.

With a forced smile, Seonghwa pushed him further away.

"I'm still unwell from that ship earlier. Maybe later. For now, I need some rest."

Hongjoong understood and let him go. Seonghwa hurried to fall asleep quickly. Because sleep was the only thing that separated him from Hongjoong and where he was truly protected. He just needed to remember.

In his dreams, Seonghwa floated in a black void. While he couldn't see anything around him as if he had closed his lids to fend off the truth, he also felt watched by a hundred eyes that waited for him to awake to taunt and violate him.

Blissful in his denies to succumb to their madness, Seonghwa just floated and concentrated on himself.

Where is it, mortal? Where did you put it?

Seonghwa inclined his head in the direction he believed to hear that rumbling voice from. He saw nothing, so he whispered back to reply.

"Where is what?"

The last part... of our promise. You didn't fulfil it yet. You tricked me into thinking the orbs was all it took. But you have more, don't you?

A smirk pulled on Seonghwa's lips. Triumph of having succeeded over whatever entity it was that spoke to him welled up in his chest.

"Maybe I did. But I seem to have good reasoning why I wouldn't tell you about it."

You don't. Your memories are fabricated. This dream is fabricated. How would you know what to trust?

"I trust myself."

The voice grew in might, but it didn't seem to come closer. As if the speaker had merely whispered before but was gradually growing more agitated by Seonghwa's defiance.

Hand it over. The key. You have it in your possession.

"I don't want to. I feel as if whatever deal we struck isn't entirely fair. Aren't you so mighty? If you need to use a little human for your plans, then why can't you repay them accordingly? You should have the means." Seonghwa knew he challenged fate by now, but he couldn't help himself. He had got behind the true problem. He was needed for this deal to work, and he held the reins over it.

Because you are no more but worthless vermin in the grand spectre of the universe! One like you doesn't deserve the mercy of a god!

Seonghwa leniently shook his head. Since he didn't know if he had a body here or if it was just his conscious that had visited this plane, he imagined himself crossing his arms.

"I might be a fool, but I will not give in to one-sided pacts. Even vermin can feel upset over not getting what they were promised. Or rather, over recognising that their reward was not worth the hassle. Won't I kick-start something far larger than you offering to me I shall leave this place behind? This island?"

So what if you do? You should feel honoured to gain a place in happenings as grand as these. Not as if your mind could understand their true importance. You only think about yourself and your island. My actions involve the whole universe.

"If you say so. But do I want to be responsible for somebody acting against the whole universe? Since I can't trust your plans, I have a hard time wanting to help you."

Once more, the voice grew. It boomed and echoed in the endless void like a storm coming down on Seonghwa and ripping through his skin.

Tell me already, mortal, and stop your rebellion! I will crush you under my foot and search for another one to do as they are told if you don't comply!

"Then what if I refuse? Will any other person apart from me be able to fulfil this quest? I had to return here twice now, it seems as if you are reliant on my help."

The being in his presence roared. The sound penetrated Seonghwa's eardrums and made hot blood spill from them as it resonated in his very bones.

You will regret if you refuse. Then I will force you and not protect your life anymore.

"You can try that." With confidence, Seonghwa tried to deny the trembling of his very core. His enemy was indeed far stronger than him. All his bluffs centred around foolish hope.

So be it.

Seonghwa fell.