The morning the sky was grey. Clouds hung low and heavy, as if the sea had pulled them close to whisper secrets .
Rehan stood beside Ina on the cliffside, looking out at the wild ocean.
The wavea were crashing violently, the water deep and dark.
" I don't like this," She muttered. "Where's the training ground?"
Rehan didn't answer. He simply stared at the waves.
Then, without warning ---
He pushed her.
🌊The Fall.
She screamed as the cold water swallowed her. Her body hit the surface hard. The ocean pulled her under in a second, the weight of it wrapping around her like a chains.
She kicked wildly.
Her heart raced . She didn't know how to swim.
She gasped, swallowing salt water. Her arms flailed , trying to rise, but the waves were stronger than her.
She had never felt fear like this.
Not even in the roach- filled palace.
Not even on the mountain.
This was pure panic.
🫧Five Minutes Below.
At first, Rehan stood still on the shore, arms crossed, watching the water.
"She has to learn to survive ." He whispered.
But minutes passed.
And she didn't come up.
His eyes widened.
He ran.
🤍 The Rescue.
He dove into the waves like shadow cutting through the storm.
Underwater, he searched-- calling her name in his mind, panic rising in his chest.
Then- he saw her.
Sinking slowly.
Her eyes half-closed. Her hand reaching.
Without thinking, Rehan grabed her waist and pulled her upward, Fighting the pull of the sea.
His lungs burned. The water roared in the ears.
They broke the surface with a gasp.
🏝️On the Shore.
He dragged her onto the sand, water pouring from her mouth. She coughed, eyes fluttering open.
"Ina," he said, his voice shaking. "Say something."
She looked up at him, her lips trembling . "Itold you.... I don't know how to swim."
Rehan stared at her-- wet hair stuck to her cheeks, saltwater clinging on her eye lashes. She looked so small..... So alive.
His voice was quiet. "I didn't know. I thought ..... I thought you'd float. I thought you'd fight."
"I did," She whispered. "But the water doesn't care how strong i am."
He nodded, guilt washing over him. "That was reckless. I'm sorry."
She didn't say anything else.
But when he offered his hand to help her up, she took it .
Her fingers were cold. But her grip was strong.