Where am I?
A cold sensation clung to her skin as she struggled to breathe. It felt as if a strange weight was pressing down on her, pulling her deeper, drowning her in silence. Her limbs felt heavy, her thoughts slower with each passing second, and her body drifted aimlessly through the dark water.
Where is this…?
She was clearly underwater—of that much she was certain. But beyond that, nothing. No memories, no direction. Just the distant light above, growing dimmer by the moment. She knew that if she didn't fight back, she would sink further into the depths… yet she couldn't find the strength. Her body refused to move. Not even a kick.
She could still hear the thud of her heartbeat—slow, distant, fading—but everything else felt numb.
The deeper she sank, the more the light faded. The cold crept in like a whisper, wrapping around her limbs with quiet finality. Her eyelids grew heavy, her mind hazier with every breath she couldn't take.
Then—
A sudden thud echoed through the water, distant yet distinct. The light above her flickered. And from that flickering light, a dark figure appeared, swimming downward toward her.
It reached out a hand.
With what little strength she had left, she reached out too. Fingers outstretched, grasping blindly.
And just before the darkness swallowed her whole, she felt it—
A hand, warm and steady, closed around hers and pulled her upward.