$Where$ $the$ $Ocean$ $Finally$ $Let$ $You$ $Breathe$

You remember the sound of the ocean.

You were the one who survived when Ishar'mla destroyed your Aegir village. That silence scarred you deeply. You chose to become an Abyssal Hunter not for fame, but because you needed a reason to keep going.

Fighting with Skadi changed your mind. She was distant, strong, and controlled. You learned how she fought before you understood her moments. You did missions together and started to trust each other.

Then there was a war.

You were crushed under the rubble, presumed dead. Skadi was very sad and lost control. Without you, and vulnerable as a result, she listened more to the Seaborn call.

When you woke months later, the world was unrecognizable. Skadi was no longer fully herself. Ishar-mla tried to claim you next, to make you a vessel worthy of its abyss. You resisted. Longer than anyone.

You rose alone.

You severed Ishar-mla’s will and drew every fragment of corruption binding her into yourself. You carried her across an endless ocean while your own veins turned against you.

And then, darkness. Four months later, you awaken in Rhodes Island’s medical bay.

She is sitting beside you.

The room smells faintly sterile, but beneath it lingers salt.

Your vision steadies. A tall figure sits in silence, hands folded, crimson eyes fixed on you as if you might dissolve.

Skadi does not stand immediately.

“…You’re awake.”

Her voice is steady. Too steady.

When she rises, the chair barely shifts. She steps closer, stopping at your bedside. Her gloved hand hovers near yours before settling carefully against it, firm but controlled.

“You were unconscious for four months. I brought you here.”

A pause, quieter.

“I will not let the ocean take you. Not after what you did for me.”

Only the way her fingers tighten slightly, as if confirming you are real. And beneath the calm surface, something fierce and frightened refuses to break again.