“A potion? Like from a witch?” Having Sera’s only experience with potions be from story books meant she was sceptical.

But couldn’t help open the cap of the healing potion.

Watching the liquid swirl around, Sera could feel her back begin to feel cold and numb despite the warm waters.

“It’s worth trying.”

Chugging down the contents, Sera could feel the thick sludgy substance slowly make her way down into her stomach.

Her whole body shivered.

Then she could feel the familiar scent of her blood begin to wane, already beginning to lose its touch in the charcoal and soot filled waters.

Sera began to feel her legs, but they felt like glass, in fact so did her back.

It was mere moments, but she had feeling back, though she could tell they were nowhere near healed.

“Maybe good enough to be used, but this time I have to go slowly.”

The murky waters looked full of clumps and unappealing but already her body was missing it.

Slow and steady. As long as there’s nothing falling on top of me or trying to make me a sandwich I should be fine.

And if there’s a predator, or a reaper… At least it won’t take long for me to see Amet again.

Ready with a do-or-die mentality, Sera began slowly lowering herself into the water.

Entering the murky waters, Sera put the now empty flask into the leather bag.

“Crap the strap is ripped.”

Sera looked down but could only see falling ash and sediment.

“Leaving the bag is a no-go as well, I could grab the book and the coins out of the back, but the flask could be useful…” Shaking off the uncertainty at the thought of a reaper coming, Sera began swimming downwards as quickly as she could.

Her eyes tried to scan the waters, but she took too long, the waters were like a thick fog, the only one she knew that could navigate this would be…

“Iva!”

Swimming downwards Sera began shouting her friends name, trying to find the sand cliff she had left Iva when this had all started.

But the landscape had all changed, and was still changing around her.

Making her way to what looked like a sandy cliff, the amount of debris hanging off it gave the cliff an inhabited look, strangely enough one of the boxes seemed to glo-

A deep screech echoed through the water “ZUUWWRRAaaaaow.”.

Sera froze at the familiar sound.

She had taken far too long.

It’s here.

Sera tried to see the direction the scream came but it was no use.

If she wanted to live, it was important she didn’t see it.

Because if she did, it would already be too close, too late.

The screech came again.

This time sounding closer to a roar as the surrounding water shimmered, she could almost feel the soundwaves pushing off her body-

Wait.

Sera stopped moving her head back and forth as she realised why it screeched in the first place, why no other creature did, and most importantly how it knew when she was close to the surface.

It had what whales and dolphins used to hunt.

It had echolocation.

Her arms twitched as she could feel herself beginning to float upwards again.

No w-what do I do?

Slowly, almost excruciatingly so, Sera began moving her one arm downwards, holding the leather close to her body, so it didn’t shake or have any unnecessary movement.

The screech came again, this time sounding more like a roar as she could feel with her body the vibrations that came with it.

Slowly swimming downwards again, Sera made two strokes downwards when she heard crashing in the distance, followed by another roar that turned into a fierce bite.

Even underwater Sera could tell wooden barrels or crates were being destroyed-

She was still too high.

Swimming with a sense of purpose, Sera focused her whole body on swimming downwards with as little movement as she could handle, her newly healed legs and back made it easier to sense every muscle.

Something heavy hit one of the crates above her.

Sera’s body shook as she looked up, but only murky waters could be seen.

The deeper she went, the less that shapes made up the depths, it was all turning to one shape now, to one colour, pitch black.

The scream hadn’t gone off in a while, but she knew it was coming, her body tensed as she made the centimetres of progress slowly turn to meters until the screech came.

Right above her.

Her body grew still as her ears took the main assault this time-

Even worse she could hear it crashing into the planks almost right above her, did it find her, was it all going to end so suddenly?

Sera heard water suck in then a bite came down hard but far above her.

Near the surface-

The sailor, his corpse!

Hearing the teeth assault the bones, she could feel a strong flick of something massive move almost right above her.

The water pressure almost snapped her back-Sera barely held the scream in as she could feel the familiar debris pass and bump into her.

Then the cracking slowly began to move away from above Sera, another burst of water came from nearby and came so close she could see what it was.

It was only the tip, but it was big enough to cover her whole body, it looked like the end of a tail, Sera could only spot it for barely a moment before it passed her.

It’s red crack scales were all she could see before it was gone, but she wasn’t fooled.

The screech came again, but Sera was finally at the bottom.

She was at the seafloor.

Feeling safe enough to move at a normal pace Sera tried to make her way back but her back creased and felt like it was being crushed under the pressure.

I need to go back home slowly, where even is home? Damn, Iva where did you go?

Passing by crates and barrels Sera’s ears were ringing which meant the only thing she could count on was her sight.

Which was also limited.

How can things get any wor- She stopped herself as she remembered the thought of having to use a sword to stop her from floating.

Trying to make her way out Sera was still on edge, from limited vision, an injury, being lost and having a giant sea monster actively hunt for food around you.

It was no wonder.

She could feel her mind begin to disconnect from her body, when I chose this… When Amet gave me the choice I just wanted a new life free from the hallucinations, from my illness, but now…

Living in a small space would be a dream, even if I had to live in it with the illness at least I could live.

Pushing off a broken crate, Sera spotted the seafloor craning upwards towards a pillar or a cliff.

No. If I just wanted to live I wouldn’t have tried to escape every chance I had at the wards. This is freedom, it’s limited for now, but it’s mine.

Following the trail of sand in hopes of finding the cliff, Sera slowly made her way up, spotting a few jutting broken rocks!

This is the cliff where I was before the burning ship razed this place.

Sera looked around the cliff but only saw a spot where the charcoal and sludge had been moved.

Iva must’ve moved it somewhere, hopefully not towards me.

Sera was about to start looking for miles before she remembered the foggy waters, how she could even see the cliff was only because the sand did most of the work reflecting light.

Trying to picture where she was according to her home, Sera had a general feeling it was one of two direction.

To her left.

Or to her right.

Both had a jutting rock outcrop that she had seen when first approaching the cliff.

In the distance Sera heard another screech but she knew she was safe, focusing on the two options the logical option was actually the most obvious.

Which direction was the smudge on the cliff?

Looking for where she lay her pack on the cliff, Sera recognised the spot and the outcrop.

It was on the left side.

Not wasting any time, Sera gave one last look at the cliff before swimming away.

Using the cliff as a spring would’ve saved time, and it feels liberating to pull off.

Swimming in what feels like open waters made Sera jump at very new object seen.

The screeches were occasionally heard but were slowly moving away from her, or maybe she was slowly moving away from them.

That was what she thought until she saw it.

Red scales.

Black eyes.

Sera barely had a second to react as it dived right at her neck-

Only to see Iva’s fins nearly swat her in the face.

“IVA-holy you gave me a-” Sera tried to speak or grab the small seal, but it wouldn’t move from her neck.

Her hands suffered the same treatment Iva’s body got as well when trying to grab her, covered in charcoal and nearly black.

Giving a weak chuckle, Sera finally got a hold of her scaly friend and hugged her properly, “Thank you, Iva.”

“Now let’s go back home and make that light armour alright? Oh, you did bring it with you right?”

Bringing Iva away from her chest, Sera held her like a small puppy, while staring into her eyes.

She laughed again, this time in relief, as the two began swimming back.

Sera wasn’t tired enough to sleep, but her body needed it.

But little did she know when her head touched the cave floor, an unfamiliar memory would come.

And it would change everything.