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The whip of the sea salt and wind made Emporio's eyes burn. The sun blurred through the sky like a streak, and the days passed like mere seconds. His eyes stung with tears, and he used the back of his hand to wipe them away. He could barely see where he was going. He could barely even breathe
His head pounded like a never ending migraine, and he fought for steep, hitching breaths. Everything was becoming fast, too fast. The ground around him shattered, morphing, stretching, and the water began to dry up. What was someone as young as him supposed to do? He was a child against a man enacting the will of his own cruel god. How was this fair? What did he do to deserve this?
He felt his throat begin to contract, as he squinted through the pain of the lashing waves that hit his face. It wasn't the animal's fault. It was trying just as much as he was to survive. It probably was just as terrified as he was. The sound of the sea roared in his ears, and he dug his hand even tighter around the fin of this aquatic mammal. If he could just-
Darkness.
Everything was dark.
Not an off black color, or a shade of grey. It was pure black. He wasn't on the dolphin anymore, or near Cape Canaveral. He wasn't even sure if he was alive. He just knew he was somewhere the priest wasn't. He felt utterly, soul-crushingly alone.
He felt himself floating, comforted by the few specks of lights which told him that somewhere near him, something was alive. But as of now, he was weightless. He didn't even feel himself breathe. He didn't feel the need to. A high pitch squeal rang through his ears. The sound of silence.
"Emporio."
He tossed his head over his shoulder, and then over the other. If he wasn't breathing, he would be hyperventilating. It was a woman's voice, nothing deep and rapsy like the Priest's. He recognises it. He doesn't say anything back, though.
He feels something touch him, just brushing behind him. He takes this as a initiative to turn around.
Jolyne was below him. She was shades of brilliant gold, her face painted like a tapestry, and her body, a prized trophy. She shimmered in the lack of light, like a torch in a cave. She looked almost angelic.
"I'm sorry, Emporio." She begun, tipping her head upwards as she drifted below him. Her body was nebular. "None of this is your fault. But I still trust you can stop this nightmare."
She brushed a hand against his face. It feels cold, yet soft like a bird's feather. He finds himself leaning against it despite the gelid feel. A part of him knows he's just doing this to prolong his time with her. To savour her last touches, her last words. He knows this is the last time he will ever see her, deep in his guts. Like a good book, he's trying to take it as slow as possible, but the end is only a page away.
"I'm sorry that you got wrapped into this. You didn't deserve this." She's now engulfed him in a hug. Every part of his body feels as if it's been dunked into cold, icy water, but the tenderness and matneral care that comes with it burns a fire inside of him. "I don't have much time left. I don't understand it myself, I guess, I didn't want my last words to be to that priest. You did well." She whispers into his ear, and pulls away. He's too stunned to say a word, or even splutter out a response.
There's a sinking feeling in his stomach. He feels himself being pulled, in unison, to a new, unfamiliar world. He's no longer alone, and the sky surrounding him is bursting with stars, and more galaxies he knows how to count to. Despite the beauty, he can't appreciate it. He's terrified. But, Jolyne's last words hang in the air, and in his mind.
You did well