Heon clutched at his black left hand. The pain was worse than when he gave his all to control the giant tiger in the forest. He unconsciously clenched his jaw to stave off his grunt of pain.
Stomping madly with bare feet, Sunny stopped right in front of him. The blond murderer grabbed Heon's collar, growling, "Summon it back."
The boy with white streaks on his hair narrowed his eyes and gritted, "No."
"I said, summon it back! I will kill it!"
"No." Heon grounded again, now tightening his hold on his left hand.
The pain was imminent, he couldn't hold back a grunt at the next wave. It burned, searing agony flowing in his blood. If Sunny wasn't currently opposing him, he'd do anything for the healer mage to make the pain disappear.
As if reading his mind, Sunny scoffed. "It hurts, isn't it?"
Heon glared back at the mocking face so close in front of him. Despite the need to ask for the healer mage's helping hand, he bit down the words.
From his right, a little bit behind him, Azran stepped forward. "What happened to your hand?"
His left hand had turned completely black. Upon second look, the ichor colour had crept up to his elbow, past the white seams that stitched his forearm.
Apart from the throbbing, burning pain and the discolored skin, something was wrong.
When he opened his fist, Heon saw a circular bluish light on his palm. Its radiance was soft, not overly bright, but enough for people to notice. Even Myron, who stood about five meters away from them after checking the boat and ensuring they were alright to continue the journey, could pick up the thing in his hand.
"I don't know," Heon almost gasped, clenching his fist again at the still-burning pain.
Azran frowned and closed their distance. She forcefully released the hold Sunny got on his collar and disentangled them both of each other. The green-haired mage wanted to look closer at his currently black hand, but Sunny interrupted.
"It's God's doing, you know."
The only girl in their companion raised an eyebrow. "Say, what?"
Sunny grumbled under his breath, then crossed his arms and tapped his foot against the wooden deck. "As we clarified, Heon came from another world. The Gods had chosen him to be their hero, so they granted him a special power that could control beasts. Didn't I tell you already, or are you as dumb as him, too?"
If he was in Azran's shoes, he wouldn't look less dumbfounded. "Of course, how could I forget?"
"Either way," Sunny turned to him, back with another glare and a small knife pointed right at his face. "Give me my Kraken back."
"…"
"…"
"… it's not your Kraken." He deadpanned.
"Sure, it is!" the blond mage huffed, "I already claimed it. I have to kill it."
"Why are you so hell-bent on killing such a monstrosity?"
Sunny sighed, looking so done as if he had repeated his reasoning a hundred times. "It'd be worth millions!"
"…"
"… can you be more idiotic than this?" Azran interrupted, totally not impressed.
The betrayed look on Sunny's face was not expected. "As a bounty hunter, I thought you'd be on my side!"
Azran rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she chided, "I may be a bounty hunter, but don't put my life in danger for a sum of money."
"Or you're just a loser who's all talk and no act, scared shitless in the face of a Kraken."
"Shut up, crackhead."
Heon squeaked out of a sudden, grasping his left hand and grunting loudly in pain. The flare in his blackened hand was more imminent than a minute ago. The burn intensified, and he forced his fist to open, afraid that he'd found actual fire on his palm.
There was none. But he swore the circular bluish light flashed red before another wave of searing pain washed over him.
The oy with white streaks on his hair fell to his knees, clutching his left hand close to his chest. Brown eyes shut tight, breath hitching as more gasps escaped his gritted teeth.
Through the instant agony centered on his discolored left hand, Heon heard a girl's voice. "Help him, will you?"
Sunny clicked his tongue in annoyance. If he wasn't on the deck's floor, gasping for air through his pain, Heon would see no contemplation across the blond healer mage's face. "I will only help him if he promises to summon the Kraken again."
Without his permission, Azran argued for him. "If this was the effect he got from commanding the Kraken once, I don't think he can summon it again later."
"Do I look like I care?"
"You should. Is he not your friend?"
"Friend?"
If he was not trapped in this agonizing haze, Heon would mirror the strange tone and face like Sunny. As it was, he couldn't express their mutual disagreement regarding their relationship label.
"Sure. Whatever. It's not like friends can't stab each other in the back anyway."
"You really have no heart, do you?"
Hearing Azran's useless question, the now blond healer mage chuckled. "No. Someone took it from me already."
Heon should be appalled at that answer, but he was far too preoccupied with managing his own tilting world. Because the next thing he knew, the deck's floorboard was coming right at his face.
Agony swallowed him alive.
___
Warmth fell on his face.
Soft fabric against his skin. Silent breeze, the smell of the sea. The room was rocking, left and right. Left and right.
"Awake, yet?"
Heon opened his bleary eyes and caught a green-haired girl's face only a foot away from him. A moment later, a damp cloth was dropped on his forehead. There was no grace nor gentleness in her movement.
He grunted, "… what?"
"You have a fever."
And he was suddenly aware of his burning skin. No wonder his head felt so heavy. "How long was it?"
"Hm?" Azran looked up, forefinger tapping her chin. "About a night and a day, I think?"
"Hmn."
"Good thing, we'll arrive at the harbor in a few minutes."
"Thank God. I think I'll puke if we stay here for another hour."
He got a strange look from the green-haired girl. "God? Which is it?"
"Huh?"