• Non was wearing a uniform. He stole it from someone on lookout at the outside of the ship. Now he was wandering around the enemy’s ship.
    Where the heck are you, Maruru? Non thought. This place is creepy! It’s something out of an alien movie.
    And he was right. The ship was ten times bigger than the Fallen Star’s pirate ship. It was even bigger than Capton Ine, and it was known to be the biggest sky ship around. The walls, floors, everything was made out of metal. They even had doors that slide open automatically when you go near it.
    Non turned a corner and looked around—empty. He sighed and continued walking. Looking for Maruru is hard, especially in this maze of a place. What confused him the most was why they wanted her. That man, the enemy’s leader, was searching for her for years. And he said something about being hid by an old man. Non ruffles his hair furiously, refusing to think about it anymore. Then he stiffens and walks more in demand as two men walk by him.
    “We finally got her” one of them says.
    “Yeah” the other replies. “It’s been sixteen years”
    “And it’s worth it! Once we take her to the lock, we’ll get to take everything there is inside”
    “But what if she doesn’t cooperate?”
    “She will” he says, assured. “Because her mother and father are on the other side of the gate” they laugh as they turn to a door, walk through it, and were gone.
    “Dammit” Non mutters to himself. He didn’t know what they were talking about, but he knew it was about Maruru. What did they mean by a lock? And a gate? And when they said her parents are on the other side…that was a lie, right? “Because her mom’s already dead and her dad is in the kingdom” he mutters to himself.
    Non stops in front of stairs that spiraled down into darkness. He takes a quick look over his shoulder, to see if anyone was around, then cautiously steps onto the stairs. It didn’t creak under his foot, and it felt sturdy, so he began walking down.
    Now he was engulfed in darkness. It’s been a few minutes and he took more than a hundred steps, eager to get to ground and afraid of getting lost. Non’s head was spinning dizzily the faster he went.
    What the—Maruru! Where are you? Non wasn’t even sure if she was here or not. Panic strikes him and he trips, falling forward, really to die as he tumbles forever in darkness. But what he hit wasn’t the metal of the stairs or wall, it was water! Cold, wet water! And it wasn’t just a small puddle; it was big, like a deep pond. And he doesn’t even know how long or wide it is—it’s just blackness everywhere he looks. Non starts swimming forward. He wished he had his Aier with him, but he left it hidden inside the ship, in the storage room.
    There was soft static sound, an echo. It almost sounded like someone’s whisper…or maybe it was? The noise continued, and Non stopped swimming. There was a strange golden glow coming from below and it was getting bigger and bigger. He stared at it with awe. Without a seconds thought, he took a deep breath and dived.
    Deeper and deeper he went underwater. It fascinated him at how much water can be stored in the ship. Non sees the source of the glowing light, gasps, then clothes his mouth quickly. Air bubbles surface to the top. His eyes widen as he stared.
    Maruru. Her ankles were chained with heavy round weights. She was asleep—no, dead. She has to be. The enemy drowned her here.
    Non’s eyes widen even more as Maruru opens her eyes. He realizes that the strange whisper sounds were coming from her. Non snaps to the situation and reaches for the chains, trying to break them apart. Maruru was still alive, so there was still some time to save her.
    Then shock. Non clutches his mouth, teeth clenched tight. He needs air now, or else he’ll die. Maruru suddenly moves, her hands caressed his shoulder blades. Non looks up and sees her smiling face. She didn’t even look like she was close to dieing. It was like she was didnt need to breathe. Non even noticed that she was glowing. At first, he thought there was a light down here, but there wasn’t. And now he could see it—see her. The Maruru he sees now was different from before. Right now, she looks like a fairy.
    Then Non lurches, not able to hold his breath any longer. Maruru gently traces her fingers up to his jaw line and slowly tilts his head back. She smiles a sweet, magical smile that throbbed Non’s heart. She leans forward and gives him a kiss. Non didn’t know what to do. He was shocked, confused, and overwhelmed at what’s happening that he didn’t react. But what he soon realizes was that he was breathing. He didn’t even need air anymore. Maruru pulls away, her golden glow dims, and she faints. Non worked fast and grabbed the chains. He didn’t even allow time to wonder about how he can move so effortlessly in the water. He easily breaks the chains and brings Maruru to the surface. Once they were above water, everything goes dark again, giving Non some time to think about what happened.
    “What the hell!”

    to be continued