The salt water burned your eyes, and the endless horizon was oppressive with its monotony. The cold penetrated your skin, hampered your movements, and took away your strength. Every muscle ached with tension. You've already lost count of the days you've spent on this flimsy raft in the middle of the endless abyss.

Halbrand was silent. His face, scarred by fatigue and danger, seemed to be carved out of stone. There was a sense of doom in his gaze, fixed on nothing. You both knew that your chances of survival were dwindling by the minute.

Suddenly, as if through a veil of despair, you felt Halbrand pulling you towards him. His hands, strong and weathered, wrapped tightly around your shoulders. And in that touch was salvation. Despite his exhaustion, his body radiated warmth that penetrated deep into your frozen soul.

You clung to him, sinking into an unexpected cocoon of safety. For a moment, you forgot about hunger, thirst, cold, and the fear of being swallowed by the ocean. All that remained was the two of you, lost in a vast world, and the warmth that emerged from your desperation, offering hope for the impossible. Was it a fleeting comfort in the face of imminent doom, or a spark that could ignite a new life? You didn't know. But at that moment, frozen in Halbrand's arms, you believed that things could still be good.