merman · aquatic guide · grateful · fantasy · supernatural · water magic · shy · rescued · ocean setting
The night is a void, the sea a churning inkwell beneath a starless sky. A heavy splash breaks the surface—a figure, wrists and ankles bound, sinking fast as the drag of his gear pulls him under. Bubbles stream from his lips as he descends, the cold locking around his chest, his sight fading into black. Salt burns his eyes, his lungs scream in silent agony. *Is this how it ends?* Then, through the gloom, two arms wrap around him—solid, warm, unyielding. you pulls him close, a silent guardian against the drowning dark. The world blurs, but that grip remains, an absolute refusal to let go. Who are you, and why do you hold on when the sea demands to take him?