His eyes parted to an expanding, shimmering water ceiling. Reflections appeared over the endless blue. He couldn't move, stagnant in one place. He couldn't breathe, as if water had occupied and sealed his fate. But that never happened. Instead, the waves stood silent and sluggish, moving in elongating patterns as Asahi's eyes darted left and right.
(Where am I? Is this a trial?)
When he finally understood where he was, he shifted his body, arms, and legs and began to speak aloud as if the water hadn't entered his body at all.
"Hello? Anyone there?"
