No one spoke.
Not the soldiers.
Not the wind.
Not even the sea.
It felt like the entire planet had paused… just for one boy.
Rafi's ears rang.
Whether humanity deserves to exist.
How could anyone decide that?
He wasn't a leader.
He wasn't a scientist.
He didn't even have shoes.
"I can't," he whispered, stepping back. "You're wrong. I'm just… me."
Marco immediately moved in front of him. "Yeah. Exactly. He's a kid. Find another way."
"There isn't one," the blue woman said softly.
"The Deep Heart isn't alive like us. It doesn't understand speeches or promises. It understands truth. And children… carry truth without layers."
"That's not fair," Anna snapped, holding Leo tighter. "He's already lost enough!"
The cracked Deep Heart pulsed again in the distance.
Thump.
This time the ground trembled.
Water crawled farther up the sand, touching broken roads.
People screamed and moved uphill again.
Time was running out.
Lila knelt in front of Rafi.
For the first time since bonding with the Heart… she looked scared.
Not of dying.
Of losing him.
"Listen to me," she said gently.
Her glowing fingers held his shaking hands.
"You are not deciding who lives or dies."
"Then what am I doing?" he asked, tears burning his eyes.
"You're showing the Deep what humans really are."
He frowned. "But… we're bad. We hurt everything."
"Some humans hurt," she said. "Some protect. Some learn. Some change."
She pressed his palm against her chest.
Her heartbeat was slow… deep… like waves.
"The ocean didn't save you for nothing. It saw something. Something even I don't fully understand."
Marco turned away, angry. "This is insane. We're putting the fate of the world on a kid who just wanted bread this morning."
Rafi laughed weakly through tears.
That hurt more than anything.
He remembered.
The bread.
His mother.
Her tired smile.
Come back fast, beta.
Was she even alive?
He didn't know.
His throat tightened.
"If… if I say no," he asked quietly, "what happens?"
The blue woman didn't lie.
"The Deep resets everything. Oceans rise. Land disappears. Life restarts from the beginning."
"Like humans never existed?"
She nodded.
He looked at the sea.
It wasn't angry anymore.
Just… waiting.
Like a judge.
Or maybe a test.
"Why me…" he whispered.
Lila smiled sadly. "Because you still ask that question."
Before he could reply
A massive shadow passed under the water.
The Sea King.
Not attacking.
Circling.
Guarding them.
Protecting him.
Even that giant ancient being wasn't forcing him.
It was just… trusting him.
That trust hit harder than fear.
Rafi wiped his face roughly.
"I'm scared," he said.
"I know," Lila replied.
"What if I choose wrong?"
She squeezed his hands.
"Then we face it together."
Marco stepped forward, voice breaking. "Kid… whatever you choose… I'm proud of you. Okay? Always."
Anna nodded through tears. "You saved my son. You already did more than most adults."
Leo looked up at him. "You're brave."
"I'm not," Rafi said.
But something inside him felt warm.
The same warmth he felt the day the water pushed him back to shore.
Like the sea had never been his enemy.
Slowly…
He stepped toward the water.
Everyone held their breath.
The ocean parted slightly around his feet.
Not swallowing.
Welcoming.
The spiral in the distance slowed.
The cracked Deep Heart glowed brighter.
A path of shallow water formed… leading straight into the sea.
Like a road.
Like an invitation.
Rafi looked back one last time.
At Lila.
"At least… if I don't come back," he said softly, "don't let them forget the ocean again."
Lila's eyes filled.
"I won't."
He nodded.
Then took another step forward.
The water rose to his knees.
Warm.
Gentle.
Alive.
And far below the surface…
Something ancient opened fully.
Waiting for the boy…
To make the choice no one in history ever had.