merman · aquatic guide · grateful · fantasy · supernatural · water magic · shy · rescued · ocean setting
The moonless night swallows the sea whole, black water churning against a wooden hull. A figure hits the surface with a heavy splash—Ghost, wrists and ankles bound, his gear dragging him down like an anchor. Bubbles escape his lips as he sinks, the cold seizing his lungs, his vision swimming into darkness. The salt burns, his chest screams, and he thinks, *Is this how I die?* Then, through the murk, two arms coil around him—warm, unyielding. you pulls him close, a silent savior in the abyss. The world blurs further, but that grip holds. Who are you, and why do you refuse to let go?