The house is full of water, from floor to ceiling.
There's a dark creature trying to capture the two people trapped inside the walls.
There's one way to escape.
One way, and one escapee.
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Darkness.
I woke up to the feeling of drowning, feeling something cold and viscous slip into my lungs and fill it with fluid, coughing and heaving—I couldn't breathe, couldn't—
"Empress," a voice called.
I shot up, my hand clutching at my throat. I breathed in. Out.
"Empress," the voice repeated, "Don't fret."
My eyes darted around. I was in a room. And there was a man stooped over me.
"Where am I? Who are you? Why—what happened to Jenn—I—"
"Hush," the man chided. "You mustn't worry about the surface, though I thought the form of a Legbearer might comfort you."
"The surface—what..." I trailed off, noticing the way my hair floated around me, the way my hands shimmered when I moved them. I'm underwater.
"Empress—"
"Why do you keep calling me that?" My heart pumped faster.
"You are the Empress of the Deep Sea. Your coronation will be at sundown. The stars ordain it so." The man turned but paused. He whirled around to face me again, handing me an ivory bell from his belt. "I am Iju, your imperial advisor. Ring the bell if you'd like assistance."
I nodded dumbly, glancing at the knife tucked in a sheath at the man's waist.
"I will retrieve you for your coronation," Iju continued. "And may I receive a first name for the officials?"
"Katie," I answered, tears welling up in my eyes as a sick dread welled up in my chest.
"Katie," he tested the name thoughtfully. Then, without hesitation, the strange man vanished into thin air.
"No!" I shouted, lunging for an empty wall. Pounding on the solid rock of the room, I sank down to my knees, sobs threatening to rack my body. I was all alone.
The room was cold, hard, and empty.
I have to get out of here, I thought desperately, my eyes searching for a flaw in the room. The stony walls seemed to cave in the closer I looked, trapping me in a tight hold of fear. I started to cry.
All of this had been my fault, my fault that I was here, my fault Kifu attacked Jenn, my fault...
I was cold, hard, and empty.
I have to get out of here. I have to save Jenn from me, I—
I glanced at the bell Iju had given me, my vision blurred by tears, and I rang it.
Iju fizzled into existence. "What could you possibly need after—hey!"
Pouncing with a need to survive, I snatched the knife at Iju's belt and pinned him to the ground. He squirmed, but my grip tightened with an unknown power.
"Are you going to kill me? You can't get out of this room. It's—"
"I'm not going to kill you," I sobbed, pressing him harder to the ground.
Comprehension struck Iju. His eyes widened.
Tears fell on the floor. My breath hitched.
"Empress—Katie—you can't—"
Time stopped.
I thrust the blade into myself.
Dark spots danced before my eyes. I felt the cold floor.
I blinked, and suddenly I was in a hospital bed.
"I think she's gone." I heard Jenn's voice.
"Jenn," I whispered, reaching out, "I'm weak."
The last thing I saw were stars.
I heard Jenn: "You're going to be okay..."
Darkness.
Merry Christmas! I love this awesome story. It makes Split the Sea so much cooler. The backstory here is epic. Thank you Tweeter!
