1 Draco

"Brother! Look at the sunset! It's so beautiful!" Mary, a little, black-haired girl, spread her cheeks wide at the sight of the disappearing sunlight. Her bare, little legs run over the wet sand, leaving slight imprints afterward.

"Mary, you can always look at the sunset later, but I need some help here right now." Draco, his back bend over, mumbled with a great struggle. A crab - at least one meter wide - has been resisting Draco's relentless kicks for a long time already, even going as far as to fight back. An honorable opponent indeed.

"Coming!" Mary shouted instantly, taking a stronger grip over the stick in her hand. Not even thinking twice, she rushed down the shore and attacked the defenseless crab from behind.

"I will distract it while you kill it from the back!" Draco yelled rear, quickly taking some dirt from below and throwing it at the animal. Discharged sand flew towards the eyes of the opponent, binding its vision for a while.

Fortunately, Mary didn't let such a chance slip away as she clutched the stick into two of her hands and, with all her residual power, descended it upon the crab's back.

Thrust!

As soon as Draco heard the break of the enemy's skin, he heavily sighed. Already relaxed, he didn't even bother overthinking it, falling astern onto his back.

"Good job, Mary," Draco mumbled, eyes half-closed. With a slight motion of his palm, all the sweat beams dispersed around his forehead vanished.

"Ehh... Why am I always the one doing the dirty job?" Mary complained at the sight of the folded crab. Her dark eyebrows joined while she threw the greasy stick away, dissatisfied. She had been killing different animals for as long as she can remember, it was getting annoying.

"We can always switch. You can be the bait and I can enjoy the sunset." Draco joked, folding his dark hair backward and revealing an immaculate face underneath. Thin lips, azure eyes, sharp jawline... a handsome man in the eyes of many.

"Hey! I am not just watching the sunset all day!" Mary puffed her cheeks out, turning slightly red.

"Haha... It was just a joke, Mary. I know you have been working as hard as you can." Draco said, rising from the wet sand back on his feet. "Anyway, we have caught a big crab this time. It will enough food for today," he added.

"Does that mean that we will be able to finally rest?!" Mary asked, her eyes expectant.

"It seems so. Let's hope our father gets better soon then we can truly relax." Draco sighed before locking his gaze on his little sister. Not able to control himself, he grabbed one of her cheeks and started moving it back and forth.

"Stop! How many times do I have to tell you I don't like it?" Mary promptly pushed Draco away, caressing her already red face.

"A lot of times." Draco quietly answered, this time placing his hand on her forehead. Patting her head and looking at the slowly disappearing sun on the horizon, he added, "Mary, I think it's the time we go back home. We can't let out father worry too much, right?"

Today has been a long day and Mary knew her brother has been working hard recently, so she didn't mourn at all. Seeing Mary nodding a few times, Draco couldn't help but smile.

Even though it was sometimes hard to communicate with his little sister, but in times of need, she had always been incredibly supportive.

"Let's go then, Mary." Draco patted her one last time and turned around, ready to leave. Yet, before he could take even the first step, Mary mumbled, "Brother, what is that?"

"Huh?"

"Here! Look over there!" Mary added, pointing towards the seashore. Far in the distance, there was a wet piece of paper depositing on the sand.

"Trash?" Draco wondered, subconsciously taking a step forth. Living on a remote island, far away from any of the big ports, it was a rarity to find anything abnormal.

"Let's see. Mary, come here." Draco mumbled after promptly finishing the short distance. Seeing his sister standing next to him, he no longer hesitated to pick the mysterious paper.

"Brother, is that a... pirate?" Mary's eyes dialed, her face paling. The picture of a golden-haired man was imprinted right in the center of the paper.

Marco. 400 Million Berries.

"Pirates..." a few veins popped on Draco's forehead, his hands strangling the paper in anger. Clear hatred was easily seen through his eyes.

"Brother, are you alright?" Mary daringly asked, taking a weak grip over his finger. Thankfully, Mary's words worked like a turn-off button and Draco immediately calmed the inner flames within him.

"It's nothing, Mary, everything is alright." Draco sighed, silently throwing the bounty back to the ground, "As for this, this is just some trash" he added, stepping over the picture.

"Now let's go back home. It's getting late."

-

Series of lightning flashes thrilled over the land, filling the entire sky in cerulean color. Soft footsteps dispersed throughout the surrounding area, later silenced by the drops of the turbulent rain.

"Mary, faster! We are just a few steps away!" Draco slid his hand through the forehead, water beams reappearing each second. This sudden rain has caught both of them by surprise, forcing them to run back to the village with all their leftover power.

"Run! Run!" Mary responded, coming out of the darkness. She didn't even bother stopping as she passed through her brother like a thunderbolt.

"Go straight towards our house!" Draco reminded, following his running sister from behind. After a few moments, the sight of the village finally came into view.

The village wasn't particularly exceptional... honestly; it looked like all the other villages. A few simple huts, several farms, and large households. It wasn't particularly the land of the rich, but everyone still had their bellies somewhat full.

Neither of the siblings waited for too long as they rushed down the road towards a buoyant residence in the distance. Mary stepped into the house first, a few seconds later followed by her brother.

"Ehh... I am so wet, what should I do now..." Mary mumbled, looking down at her plain dark t-shirt. Their clothing choice was limited, so it was quite bothersome.

"Don't worry, we will dry our clothes tomorrow," Draco said, taking off his wet t-shirt and revealing a frankly skinny body underneath. He didn't particularly have any muscles, but a few proportions still stood out.

"We should change into our nighties and check on our dad first." Draco calmly spoke, setting off towards one of the rooms. Mary didn't wait for too long either, and promptly followed her brother's actions.

"I hope dad's better," Mary said after changing into a cute, fluffy pajama.

"Of course he is better. He is our dad after all" Draco smiled, his attire comprising another plain black t-shirt. Not a fan of colors.

"Let's go in, shall we?" Draco whispered after a long sigh, his hand holding onto the handle into their dad's room. Dad has been sick for an exceptionally long time, so both of them were excepting some good news. Finally.

"You finally came back. It seems that you have caught some delicious fish this time."

As soon as the duo came in, they were greeted by the voice of an elderly man. The scent of medical herbs attacked their noses, but it didn't distract their attention from the calmly sitting Abel on the bed.

"Papa!" Mary didn't restrict herself at all, jumping into the hug of the man, with no care in the eyes.

"Haha, are you trying to strangle me to death?" Abel joked, weakly putting his wrinkly hands around her small waist.

"Of course not! Dad, stop teasing me!" Mary puffed her cheeks out, hugging with even more force.

"Alright, alright." Abel answered, his gaze locking on the calmly standing Draco in the corner, "So how was it? Did you catch anything big today?"

"Nothing too much, just a simple crab," Draco said, taking out a piece of meat, wrapped in white clothing, "We have brought you some back."

"Oh no... I am not hungry at all. You should divide it between yourselves." Abel responded, scratching the back of his pale head.

"Dad, you have to at least try it! It was enormous and we are already full!" Mary complained, looking at her father with watery eyes, "I even had to dirty my hands to kill it."

"Ehm..." Able still had a few doubts. The condition of his kids had always come first in his life, no matter the situation. However, Mary's secret [Puppy eyes] technique was always deadly.

"Don't worry father, it's true," Draco added, forcefully putting the crab meat into his dad's hand. Despite continuously smiling and joking around, the worsened condition of his father didn't escape Draco's eyes.

Day by day, Abel was turning paler, his hair started falling out, and his body grew weak.

"Thank you." Abel couldn't help but silently look at the food in his hands, speechless. Just a few months ago, he was the one bringing the food back home for his kids. Now it's the other way around. Truly... a failure of a father.

"You don't have to thank us, father." Draco replied, placing his hand on his sister's little head, "Mary, I think it's time for you to go to bed."

"What? But it's still so early, I am not tired at all!" Mary replied, not feeling the mood at all, "Besides, I can just sleep here."

"Mary, don't you remember our earlier promise? Father has to rest so he can recover earlier, then we can finally go see a sunset together as we did beforehand." Draco added.

"Yes, Mary. As soon as I feel better, we will go out together... as a family." Abel joined the conversation, smiling through the visible pain in the eyes.

"That's a promise?" Mary asked, still doubtful of their words. Even before Abel got sick, getting together like that was a rarity.

-"That's a promise" brother, and the dad answered in sync, reassuring the little girl.

"Alright then." Mary sighed, stealing one last hug from her father and jumping out of the bed. Slowly, she walked out of the room, taking one last look at her brother beforehand.

"Sleep tight," Draco said before closing the door, leaving both of them alone in the room. Instantly, the atmosphere turned heavy. All the smiles and jokes disappeared.

"Cough... cough..." Abel could no longer hold it in, coughing many times over into his white blanket. Yet, after a few moments, it was already stained in red.

"Dad!" Draco jumped right next to him, giving him a helping hand, "When did it become so bad?!"

"Recently... cough!" Abel coughed one last time, finally leaning back into his laying position.

"Do any of these herbs work? Should I try to find you something stronger?" Draco took his dad's hands, holding tight for his dear life.

"Draco... I don't think any medicine will help me anymore..." Abel admitted, somewhat turning his gaze away, "The poison has dispersed too much, I can't feel my legs at all."

"You aren't telling me that..." Draco's expression turned pale for a second, his hands turning sweaty.

"I don't think I am going to make it." Abel finished his sentence, no longer able to keep his emotions hidden. Tears started pouring down his cheeks, bringing even more dread into the room.

"Dad... that's not true... everything is going to be alright, right?" Draco mumbled, turning emotional as well. Both hatred and sadness were scattered throughout his face.

"No, son. This time, I really think my time has come." Abel answered, caressing his eyes with a blanket.

"Dad... don't give up... please... what should I tell Mary? Do you even realize..." Draco wanted to say something, but the overwhelming tremors from deep within stopped him from saying anything.

"I know, Draco. I know." Abel locked his gaze onto his son, as if dead inside, "I am just that failure of a father, both you and Mary deserve better."

"No... you are the best father we could have ever asked for." Draco's hands clutched into fists, all the sadness suddenly turning into unimaginable anger, "It's all the fault of those pirates! If only they didn't attack your ship and poisoned you... everything would still be fine."

"Draco, keep yourself in the spirit. I know you are mad, I am mad as well. But what happened has happened, there is no way to change it anymore." Able sighed, locking his sharp gaze onto the trembling son, "Anger will never help you solve any of your problems, sometimes you just have to calm down."

"How do you think I should calm down?! My own father is dying in front of my eyes because of a bunch of bastards!" Draco's eyes turned watery from the inexplainable rage, "What should we even do if you die-"

"Draco!" Abel, through incredible pain, pushed himself off the bed. Breathing heavily, Abel quickly wrapped his hands around Draco, tightly comforting him, "It's enough, Draco."

"Dad..." Draco, tears already pouring down his cheeks, couldn't help but become even more emotional. It was simply impossible to believe that his own dad was slowly fading in front of his eyes.

"You don't have to think too far in the future, it's not like I am going to die tomorrow." Abel helplessly shrugged, but the tears going down his son's cheeks didn't stop.

"There has to be a way to save you, dad. Please don't give up." Draco grasped for the last bit of hope, but instead of an answer, all he heard was an atrocious cough.

"Dad!" Draco promptly got back into his senses, reacting accordingly. Not even asking any questions anymore, Draco immediately put his father back into the bed.

"Cough... cough..." After a long silence filled with heartbreaking struggles of Abel, Draco eventually spoke, "I will bring you some medicine... and a fresh blanket."

"Thank you, Draco. Don't put too much pressure on yourself." Abel, though reluctant at his uselessness, accepted. He may seem depressed, but he really didn't want to die yet. At least not like that.

"A second then." Draco silently marched off the room, sometimes rubbing his eyes. As soon as he closed the doors, he heaved a weary sigh. This whole situation was just too much for him.

"Damn it!" Draco punched into the near wall, eyebrows drew together, "How did things go this way... everything had always been great, but one day... those pirates!"

Subconsciously, Draco's anger was getting greater, his mind turning cloudier. However, Abel was indeed right. He had no power to change anything, but... that only made the feeling of dread vaster.

"Puff... I have to bring the blanket first, then I can resolve through everything." Draco mumbled in silence, walking around their little hut.

-

"This place is as packed as always." Draco heaved a sigh after coming down to the latest room in the house... or rather the storage. It was the place where all the souvenirs, bizarre things, and medicine Abel has ever found in the ocean were stored.

Due to the lack of space, it had always been squeezed to its fullest.

"Hmm... it should be somewhere over there," Draco said after letting his gaze pass through the perimeter of the room. However, this time, something bizarre had caught his attention.

Even though he had been here millions of times, he could swear he had never seen this thing before. Right in the middle of all the things stacked up, there was a black-colored egg... or it was a fruit?

"Maybe it was hidden underneath all the things? I moved it and didn't notice?" Draco thought for a few seconds and decided to check it out. The mood right now was ailing, so Draco wanted to get himself occupied with at least something. Maybe it will help him calm down.

"Now that I look at it, it certainly does look like a fruit." Draco mumbled after inspecting the object, "It's quite strange that dad had placed this thing here, is it some sort of a souvenir?"

Not able to hold in his curiosity, Draco poked the fruit with his finger. It was hard and didn't look appetizing at all. Yet, Draco still wasn't able to take his eyes off the object.

"What the hell is happening? I am not even that hungry." Draco's turned confused for a moment, not really understanding the situation. This thing definitely didn't look safe to eat, but this tingling sensation in the stomach just didn't disappear.

"Should I?" Draco's hand reached out towards the fruit, stopping a few times mid-way, "Ahh... you know what, who cares?"

Not really pondering himself anymore, Draco just let his instincts take over. It was the first time he had wanted something so badly, so why should he hold himself?

"Munch! Munch!" Draco silently bit into the plain black fruit, thinking that was going to be the tastiest thing he has ever tried. Nevertheless, he was deeply mistaken.

"What the hell! It tastes like rotten eggs!" After gulping down the bitten piece of the fruit, Draco almost died from the dreadful aftertaste. However, that was not all.

"Damn! Why is it so painful!" Draco shouted, his hands trembling in pain. The sense of incredible heat passing through every inch of his body forced his forehead to burst out in veins. It was impossible to even let out a scream from the incomprehensible discomfort.

"!!!" Draco's expression suddenly turned pale as he fell back, stumbling onto his butt with a loud thud. Before realizing what happened, the consciousness of the youngster drifted away. Eyes rolled upwards.

-

Hundreds of waves stumbled against each other, once again showing the terror of the ocean. Thunder lasted within the dark clouds of night, bringing even more fear into the eyes of the living.

However, despite this grave weather, a ship of pirates was steadily passing through the water. None of them had any fear within their hearts, only enormous smiles that spread up to their cheeks.

"Listen up, boys!" The captain of the ship shouted at the top of his lungs, eyes shining full of cruelty, "We have finally reached our destination, so let us have some fun!"

-"Yeah!"

-"Finally!"

-"Take all the money and kids!"

The entire group cheered, looking somewhere into the distance. Far in the ship's front, an island appeared from behind the darkness of the night.

In the eyes of the pirates, it was a place shimmering with gold and money.