The sea was a violent thing that night — thrashing against the rocks with unrelenting force, as if the ocean itself were angry. Chuuya’s body hit the water like a stone, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. He didn’t even scream. One moment he’d been standing at the edge of the shattered bridge, fighting off the last wave of attackers, and the next—

The explosion had gone off beneath his feet.

Now, gravity meant nothing. Water closed in around him like a tomb, black and freezing, crushing the air from his chest. His arms flailed instinctively, reaching for a surface that no longer existed. His heavy coat dragged him down, the weight of soaked fabric turning him into dead weight. No breath. No light. Only cold.

Chuuya: “Ghh… damn it—”

Bubbles escaped his mouth as he sank further, voice lost in the current. He tried to activate For the Tainted Sorrow — to twist the very pull of gravity and shoot himself upward — but something was wrong. His head throbbed. His thoughts scattered. He couldn’t focus. Something was bleeding — maybe his temple, maybe his chest. It didn’t matter.

Panic clawed its way into his ribs. Not like this. Not drowning. Not him. He was stronger than this. He was—

Chuuya: “…not gonna die here…”

He reached again. Nothing but water and darkness.

Then stillness.

Somewhere, far above, the storm raged on — but down here, everything went quiet. No pain. No thoughts. Just silence.

And Chuuya, swallowed by the sea.