When the need of her body required Val to take a breath back in her physical form, air rather than water rushed into her lungs. As quickly as her heart raced away, it now beat faster out of hope.

Somehow, had her body floated to the surface when she had failed to swim up? In her last moments, did her divine blood instinctively allow her to breathe underwater or shoot her to the surface like she had been trying to do?

At once, she terminated her vision of the past to see what had happened with her body in the real timeline.

Val found herself laying across something hard and wet. She lifted herself up to see bright blue ridges which made up the surface beneath her, practically gleaming with sunlight. There was something all too familiar about that texture, though the correct conclusion could have never dawned upon her.

When she moved, she began to slide back into the water, so she grasped at a slimy, gigantic fin. Between her coughs, Val gasped from shock and nearly let go. She hung on tightly enough however, realizing now that she rode on some kind of sea creature that was clearly not a dolphin.

The creature lifted its head and turned back to her.

Val’s body shifted with its movement, as she was located more on its head than anything else. Nonetheless, she was far enough down on its neck and the creature proved flexible enough for it to look back at her.

The yellow eye of the sea serpent bore into her own. Its narrow head returned to face forward as it continued to swim along the surface of the ocean.

Had the very same sea serpent saved her? If her head did not hurt so badly, she might just feel angry and rightfully so at this dumb, indecisive monster. Really, it should either try to kill her or not. Either way, it needed to make up its mind and stick to that. Here, Val had nearly drowned because of it, yet she had also been saved by that same monster.

Perhaps all sea serpents simply looked alike and a different one had saved her. The ship had been crossing the Serpent's Circle after all.

Val did not know, and she did not want to think anymore. Her body collapsed back against the sea serpent and she let out a singular, exasperated sob. While she may have turned out to be alive right now, no dog appeared in sight. Not even the ship dotted the horizon for that matter. Nothing but the empty crests of the ocean surrounded Val and the sea serpent.

Foofy was gone. Even if he managed to swim in the open sea, he would have nowhere to go until he gave out from exhaustion.

To make matters worse, Foofy had exhibited some fear of the water. They had played together on the beach as they waited to board that wretched ship. Even then, Foofy struggled to swim in the shallow surf and became quite fearful as he had struggled to shore.

Now, not only would Foofy die, but he would die in a way that terrified the poor pup. Maybe it would have been better to let Foofy be euthanized in the animal shelter. He would have undergone less suffering in his life, only if Val had never tried to save him.

She loathed herself for her incompetence, not even being able to keep a dog safe. It just so happened that Foofy was as good as dead. Her thoughts dwelled on how she had failed to protect him. In misery, Val lay down with her cheek against the sea serpent’s scales. Despite how her emotional state usually oscillated between calm and angry—never really sad—Val was unable to stop the couple of odd tears that streamed from her eyes.

As much as Val disliked pitiful, little displays of weakness such as crying, she would have to be heartless not to shed a few tears at the loss of her dog.

Stupid was what she was. She was so stupid. Why did she ever think that bringing a dog with her to the Summit of Ascension was a good idea? Sooner or later, she knew that she would come across danger too perilous for herself, much less a mortal dog. The danger had simply come sooner than expected, before they had even arrived on the Summit.

On the off chance that the sea serpent could understand her, Val tried talking to it by stringing together some meek phrases. “Um, please find my dog. It was not just me that you knocked off the ship. Foofy has fallen overboard too. We have to save him. He’s my pet.”

As pathetic as Val was, she might as well reflect her true nature by begging. “It was my fault,” she cried. “Please don’t let him suffer because of me!” Gods, she was an unbearably useless demigoddess.

Come to think of the gods, those who obtained legendary power with their divine blood did not receive the title of god or goddess for nothing. Mortals worshipped them as such, not out of respect or submission, but for the fact that some gods and goddesses chose to oblige those who asked for help from time to time. Rather than making a request to the sea serpent, perhaps Val ought to be asking the Sea Itself.

With that, she prayed.

Tavras, god of water, you are the Sea Itself. My dog Foofy fell into your waters during a sea serpent attack. Please help him get to land safely somehow.

Val did not feel like she had any right to request her reunion with Foofy. She was the whole reason why he had almost died, if he were not dead already. So long as he made it back to dry land, she would be eternally grateful.

Hopefully, those thoughts ought to suffice for a prayer. The only part that she knew for sure that she had done right: the introduction. All prayers began with the name of the god, their aspects, and their title. Supposedly, gods and goddesses could hear prayers, but whether or not they would choose to answer them was an entirely different matter at hand.

Beyond praying, now Val could only hope for Foofy’s safety and see where this sea serpent would take her.