The inherenter of jin mori

Chapter 18: Drowning

Yuta Takahashi

The ocean swallows me whole.

Cold. Black. Endless.

The weight of my body drags me downward, deeper and deeper, but I don't fight it. My limbs hang uselessly by my sides, the last echoes of Varro's fall playing over and over in my head.

Bang.

His body tilting.

His face—calm, accepting.

The splash as he hit the water.

I should be moving. Kicking. Fighting.

But I don't.

Because what's the point?

I had the power to save him. I could have stopped them, could have fought, but the strength inside me isn't mine to command. It's wild, untamed, slipping through my fingers when I need it most.

I couldn't save him.

And now he's gone.

The pressure builds in my chest, my lungs burning as the last of my air escapes in a trail of bubbles. I watch them drift upward, toward the surface, toward the world I failed to change.

Maybe I should let go.

Maybe I should just sink.

Maybe—

No.

A voice cuts through the haze. Not a voice—his voice.

"Don't die. That'd be a waste."

My eyes snap open.

Varro didn't just throw his life away for me to give up.

He made a choice.

And now it's my turn.

With a sharp gasp, I kick upward.

The water resists, but I push harder. My arms burn as I force myself higher, my vision narrowing. The surface is so far—too far—

Then—

I break through.

The air is sharp and freezing against my skin as I gasp, filling my lungs. The waves crash around me, salt stinging my eyes, but I don't stop. I force my arms to move, paddling toward the distant shore, my breath ragged, my heart pounding.

Varro is gone.

But I'm still here.

And I won't waste this chance.