'Where am i…what to do now…wait where is she…'
Just as Kelly was beginning to regain his senses, he felt a sudden absence of someone, he had been slowly getting used to was gone. His upper body jerked upright as panic surged through him, and he desperately scanned the rocky terrain around him, searching for her.
Not finding her, his panic deepened. He quickly turned back toward the river. There, on the opposite shore, Kei lay partially submerged, her body motionless. The water around her was slowly staining crimson.
Kelly's breath caught. He realized immediately that he didn't have much time. If her wound hadn't closed, excessive blood loss would kill her. If the injury was to her head, the complications would be even worse. And even if neither of those proved fatal, the way her head was submerged meant that, no matter how powerful her body was, the lack of oxygen would end her life soon.
Not wasting a second, and ignoring the pain wracking his body, Kelly dove back into the river. It was only then that he truly realized how freezing the water was. The biting cold seeped into his limbs instantly, sending a sharp shock through his body. As the chill gnawed at him, another fear surfaced in his mind hypothermia, and what it could do to Kei in her condition.
Slowly but surely, Kelly swam his way toward Kei. The river wasn't very deep, which helped somewhat, but the closer he got to her, the heavier his concern grew. Finally reaching her, he carefully lifted her body and dragged her toward the shore. With effort, he pulled her onto the rocky terrain, then hauled himself up beside her, collapsing next to her.
Turning his head, Kelly immediately noticed the blood still seeping from her shoulder, staining the rocks beneath her a deep red. Her skin had gone pale, almost white, her lips tinged blue, and her breathing was growing shallow and slow. He realized it instantly, she was running out of time.
"Come on… not now. Not after everything we've been through… get up."
Kelly pushed himself onto his knees and did the only thing he knew how to do. Placing both hands on her chest, he began performing CPR. He pressed down hard on her chest cavity, his movements desperate but rhythmic. After every three compressions, he leaned down and breathed into her mouth, forcing air into her lungs.
He repeated the routine three… four times…maybe five he lost count.
Finally, Kei coughed violently, water spilling from her mouth as her body convulsed. She drew in a shallow breath, then another, her breathing slowly stabilizing. Moments later, her eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, reacting to the commotion around her.
"I'm glad… thank God… you're awake now."
Kelly muttered the words under his breath, a deep sigh of relief escaping him. His strength finally gave out, and he collapsed beside her, too exhausted to move another inch.
For Kei, the last thing she remembered was fainting, then both her and Kelly falling into the abyss. After that, she didn't feel much of anything. Her thoughts were hazy, barely functioning, but through the fog she sensed a gentle warmth spreading through her body. A comforting presence wrapped around her, holding her together, reassuring her even as her consciousness faded.
Then, nothing.
Just as she accepted that this must be death, she felt a violent splash. Her body jolted, and instinctively her mind searched for that warmth again, but it was gone. Cold seeped into her from every direction, sharp and unforgiving. She felt alone once more, afraid once more, and she thought this loneliness must be what death truly felt like. Just as she gave up, a sudden tremor ran through her body. With a sharp gasp, she breathed again.
Kei's eyes opened weakly, her vision blurred and unfocused. Through the haze, she saw him, so close to her, his lips moving as he said something she couldn't quite hear.
"I… gla… yo… are awake… no…"
His words didn't reach her clearly, but the quiet relief on his face did. Seeing it, a sense of relief settled over her as well. She noticed how exhausted he looked, how after speaking he simply collapsed beside her, unaware that his hand still rested over her protectively.
Kei smiled faintly and closed her eyes again. This time, she drifted into sleep with a lighter heart still worried, but no longer afraid. Once more wrapped in that familiar, comforting presence.
However, in their moment of fragile calm and fading consciousness, neither of them noticed it. The blood continuing to seep from Kei's shoulder, and the sweet, metallic scent it carried, had already spread through the air. Somewhere nearby, something caught that scent, something that had wandered away from its pack, guided by a sense of smell so sharp it could be called a skill. And it was slowly getting closer.
After what felt like an eternity, Kelly finally opened his eyes to that mesmerizing sight once more. This time, he took his time, slowly taking in the alien landscape around him. The sky shimmered with flowing bands of blue and violet light, casting long, distorted shadows across the barren ground. At the far end, where the river originated, he spotted a towering waterfall cascading down from an unseen height, its mist glowing faintly under the aurora-like sky. Realizing this was where they had fallen from, he understood immediately, the sheer height made climbing back impossible, like an enormous wall blocking their path. This was the end of the river's course. The only option left was to move forward.