"NOAH!"
Lily ran toward the water, her heart jumping into her throat.
Step!
Young Aether was already moving.
His body vanished from the spot before Lily could even reach the shoreline.
SPLASH!
He plunged straight into the ocean.
"Unc!"
Lily froze at the edge of the water.
For a moment, there was nothing.
Only the endless waves rolling beneath the sky light, their white foam rising and collapsing against the shore.
A robotic lifeguard who had already noticed the commotion came sprinting down the beach, another following close behind.
"Stay back!"
Lily stood trembling at the shoreline, her eyes fixed desperately on the place where Aether had disappeared.
"Noah..."
The waves rolled over the spot where Aether had vanished, concealing everything beneath their restless surface.
The robotic lifeguards rushed toward the water.
Then...
A small head emerged from behind the crest of a wave.
"Wah...?"
Lily's eyes widened.
