Was she supposed to chop her legs and circle her arms, or was it the other way around?

She fought with every ounce of energy she had while tears streamed down her face, blending with the water covering her skin. But no matter how hard she tried, she continued falling under. Again. And again.

Each time she broke the surface, she darted her eyes around, ignoring how badly they burned, and tried to figure out where the fuck she was. But she couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t even make out her own arms or the water she was surrounded by. Nothing.

It was pitch black. As if every light from every corner of the world had been snuffed out. Her heart beat faster and faster, her panic rising while her body struggled to continue moving in the freezing temperature.

She needed to find shore, or even just a tree branch. Something. Anything. She kicked harder, shoving her head back above and urging her body to move forward.

Her body refused to listen, and her mind started to spiral out of control as the water, again, slipped past her chin. Gods, she was going to die. She was going to die alone out here. She cried out, her words gurgling as more water entered her mouth. “Oh gods, help me.”

There was a sudden flare in her chest, a dose of scalding heat that kickstarted her adrenaline and made her feel nauseated all at the same time. She suddenly felt like she was late for something, but worse. Like she was in a nightmare, and try as she might to run, she couldn’t get her legs to move fast enough. It was like…

Jaren.

It was Jaren. She couldn’t see him or catch his scent on the wind, but she could feel him. His utter panic. He was somewhere out in the void, but she didn’t know where or if he was even safe.

“Jaren!”

His name tore from her throat, scratching her vocal cords even as water filled her mouth, muffling the sound. He didn’t respond. She could hear nothing but her labored breathing and the sound of water assaulting her exhausted body.

She choked, crying out over and over, her head pounding and eyes bulging from her effort. But no matter how hard she screamed, how hard his heart beat next to hers, he never responded.

As her fear morphed into unfiltered terror, Elric’s words began to slam into her, like he was standing over her shoulder, whacking her hands with a sparring sword.

“What are you flinching for, girl?”

She cowered, staring up at the man towering over her with a weapon. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

“Good. You should be. Only an idiot or a liar would say they aren’t scared of the sharp end of a sword. Are you an idiot?”

She shook her head vigorously, and he bent down to her level, flipping the blade and offering her the handle.

“Fear is a flame, Vera. It cannot be extinguished by will alone. You can let it burn you alive, or you can do something with it.”