His breath hitched in panic as he lost his balance, tumbling backward into the water. The shock of the cold water hit him like a wall, swallowing him whole before he could even think to scream.

The world tilted, and before Emilio could even comprehend the shift, he was falling, weightless and helpless, the cold, dark water swallowing him whole. The sudden shock of the ocean gripped him, the freezing bite of it filling his lungs. Panic surged, his body flailing in instinctual desperation.

But in the brief moment before his mind could fully catch up with the chaos, something inside him snapped. The water around him seemed to freeze, and suddenly, he was no longer sinking. He wasn’t even in the ocean anymore.

Instead, Emilio was six years old again, sitting on the bed with Nico, the two of them tangled in the mess of blankets. Nico was ten, grinning from ear to ear as Emilio jumped on top of him, giggling and knocking over the pillows. The sunlight filtered through the small window, casting a warm glow across the room.

“You’re so annoying, you know that?” Nico teased, ruffling Emilio’s hair as they both tumbled into a pile of blankets, still laughing.

Emilio grinned back, playfully trying to pin Nico down. “You’re just mad ’cause I’m stronger than you!” he said, though he was barely able to hold Nico down for more than a second before he was shoved off.

Nico sat up, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, his expression softening as he turned to look at the ocean-themed poster on the wall—the same one that Emilio had seen a thousand times but never quite understood. Nico’s face lit up. “One day, I’m gonna see the ocean up close,” he said dreamily, his eyes distant as if he was already there, lost in the thought of it.

Emilio paused, watching his brother. “What’s it like?” he asked, his voice full of curiosity.

Nico’s smile was wistful as he stretched out, staring at the ceiling. “It’s… big. And endless. The water calls to you, you know? It’s like… you could disappear in it, just be part of it, and nothing else matters.” His voice softened further, almost like he was talking to himself. “It’s where I belong.”

The words hung in the air, and Emilio tried to imagine it, but the picture didn’t quite fit in his mind. Before he could ask more, Nico was already turning away, as if lost in a world that Emilio couldn’t follow. He didn’t know it then, but it was the last time he’d hear Nico talk about the ocean with that kind of hope.

Suddenly, the warmth of the memory shattered. The cold rush of water hit him again, dragging him back to reality. The ocean roared in his ears, the freezing bite of it clawing at his skin, and his lungs screamed for air. He thrashed, panic overwhelming him as his body sunk deeper, the memories slipping away like grains of sand in the tide.

Emilio’s body sank deeper, the weight of the water pulling him down with a relentless force. His chest burned, every breath he tried to take only bringing in more salty water. His limbs were heavy, no longer obeying his commands, his muscles trembling from exhaustion. His vision blurred, the surface of the water seeming miles away, unreachable.

Distant voices—yelling, shouting—faint and muffled, barely cutting through the thick, crushing pressure of the ocean. His mind raced, desperate, his thoughts scattered and frantic.

“Help… please,” he gasped, though the words didn’t leave his lips. His body was too weak to make any sound, too far gone to fight against the cold grip of the sea. He wanted to scream, to beg someone, anyone, to pull him out. His father’s cruel words still echoed in his mind, mixing with the churning water. You’re weak. You’ll never understand. You don’t belong here…

A sharp, searing pain in his chest—he thought he might drown right there, his heart tearing under the pressure, but then… something strange happened. A voice, calm and powerful, sliced through the chaos of his panic, distant yet crystal clear.

“Do you wish to be saved?”