ASHES OF HER MERCY
The ocean was dragging me down to the sea floor with the burning carcass of the Vance empire.
My vision began to narrow, darkness creeping in from the edges, heavier and colder than the ocean itself. The orange light above began to fade. My chest caved in, my body finally yielding to the dark.
I'm sorry, I whispered in the quiet chamber of my mind, not even sure who I was apologizing to. My mother. My father. Myself.
Then, the black water above me shattered.