It felt as if he were deeply submerged beneath the surface of a dark, endless sleep. There was nothing but darkness in his field of vision, and no strength left in his body. All he could feel was the sensation of sinking further and further, as though he were being swallowed whole.

An unceasing descent, falling endlessly.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to remain submerged here forever. There was nothing to see, nothing to hear, but that made it all the more comfortable. The only reason he couldn’t completely let go was that the water was strangely warm.

Almost as if it were someone’s warmth. Gentle and kind. As if it were telling him not to let go completely.

He knew a man who resembled this warmth. A man who was blunt but more upright than anyone else. A man who promised he would return no matter what.

“...Theo.”

The name slipped from his lips in a faint murmur. At that moment, it felt as if someone outside the water was pulling him up by force. A surge of unfamiliar air wrapped around his body.