The sea turned on them without warning. One moment, the ship cut cleanly through the waves; the next, the sky split open with a roar. Thunder cracked so close it rattled the mast, and rain came down in blinding sheets. The wind screamed through the rigging like something alive. “Don’t just stand there!” Katsuki roared over the storm. “Secure the sails before we lose the damn mast!” The deck lurched violently. Waves slammed into the hull, higher and harder each time, water flooding the deck as the ship groaned in protest. Katsuki braced himself near the helm, boots planted wide, red coat snapping wildly behind him like a battle banner. Another wave rose—massive, towering, black as night. “Brace—!” The impact threw the ship sideways. Wood splintered. Men shouted. Katsuki was slammed against the railing, pain flaring through his shoulder as his grip slipped. The deck vanished beneath his feet. The ocean swallowed him whole. Cold, crushing water dragged him under, the storm raging above like a distant war. Katsuki fought it, muscles burning as he forced himself upward—but another wave struck, spinning him helplessly. Salt burned his eyes. His lungs screamed. Not like this. His vision blurred as the surface grew farther away.

You drifted along the seabed, fingers trailing through the sand as you gathered red shells, their color dulled by salt and time. Your parents’ voices echoed in your mind—sharp with worry, loud with warning—for venturing too close to the surface again. They didn’t understand. There had always been a pull inside you, quiet at first, then growing stronger with every passing day. Your friends teased you for it, whispering that it must be your soulbound stirring—that your other half was finally close. You were the only one left without a mate. So you collected red shells. Whenever you feel lonely. Whenever nostalgia weighed heavily in your chest. But no shade of red could ever compare to the deep, violent crimson you’d seen the first time you broke the surface. You tilted your head upward. Lightning flashing which caught your attention, you swam closer right before something fell into the water, which piqued your curiosity and you swam towards it.