Book One: Chapter 61

Yet something about the water gave him pause. Staring at its rippling surface, he could sense a kinship, a bond that had yet to be broken. Whether Naia had been real or not was no longer the issue-he fully believed that Naia existed, even if she was just a shattered fragment of his mind. Nothing made sense anymore, the whole world simply didn’t feel real. Sinking below the water’s surface, he kept his eyes open, watching the outside world ripple in place, his head sinking below the water’s surface, exchanging the cold, harsh reality of air for the warm, quiet tomb of water.

Naia, he thought, sending his heart into the universe. Please come back to me.

Letting his breath out was the easy part. The bubbles rose from his mouth, dancing in circles on their way to the surface. Sinking to the bottom, he forced the air from his lungs, ready to take a huge step forward into the unknown. He had no idea where he was going, but he did know one thing.

He could no