Round 209

The watery abyss presses in with crushing force as Jeane clutches Abby's limp body against her chest, their descent into darkness seemingly endless. The skeletal figure hovers above them still, empty sockets fixed on the unconscious woman in Jeane's arms. Then a new presence enters their peripheral vision—a pale ethereal form moving through the water with impossible grace, a woman made of light whose features shift and ripple like smoke caught in a current.

Jeane's crimson eyes lock onto this new threat even as her wings beat futilely against the crushing pressure, every muscle in her body screaming for rest. Her magical reserves are at critical levels—maintaining the desperate grip on Abby is taking everything she has left and then some. The water has already filled the human's lungs, her chest no longer rising or falling even as the cold seeps into every inch of them both.

The glowing woman moves closer through the darkness, her hand reaching out towards Abby with an almost tender gesture. Jeane feels an inexplicable sense of calm wash through her at the ethereal figure's approach—an oddly pleasant sensation that contrasts sharply with the desperate reality of their situation. The water pressure builds still further, squeezing from every side now as the ancient library chamber continues its slow descent into the depths below.