3rd person POV
The Swamp Knight emerged from the moonpool, dripping with seawater and gripping the ephemychron. Kaiko set up the Mag Knight, and Fontaine stood operating the claw arm . "Do you think Ant will be okay?" she asked concernedly. Her face was tight with worry.
"It's okay, Fontaine. We'll find him soon. Don't worry." replied Will. Fontaine walked over to the moonpool edge and kneeled down on one leg. "Do you want me to put the ephemychron back on its pedestal?" she enquired.
"Thanks, that would be useful."
"No problem." She reached and picked the ephemychron up, then stood up straight. Fontaine turned around to exit the room, but stopped in her tracks. "Woah."
"What is it?" asked Kaiko.
"I'm not entirely sure… look." Fontaine spun around to face Kaiko. "You see, the ephemychron looks normal…"
Kaiko nodded. "No dents, marks or scratches." she confirmed.
"But… when I touched it…"
She pressed a hand to its surface and the ephemychron lit up with a bright blue luminescence. The constellation map sprang out and flooded the moonpool room with beautiful blue light.
Kaiko stared upwards in wonder. "That's… strange." she breathed.
A dreadful thought crossed her mind. "Nereus said that only the youngest in each branch of the Lemurian royal family could use this-"
Will nodded in agreement. "Yep, Ant and Alpheus; Nekton and Benthos."
"If Fontaine can activate it now - what on earth happened to Ant?"
Ant's POV
I'm struggling to keep conscious. My oxygen levels are critical. My head starts spinning in a myriad of confusion- oh no not good. That's one symptom of hypoxia, got to keep breathing. The Shadow Knight is creaking now. Not good. Submarines, or any machines for that matter, shouldn't creak. Keep breathing, slowly, deeply. Shallow breaths won't help your oxygen intake. My limbs feel heavy, like they could collapse at any time. I can't hold my head up any more, I just let it droop over my chest. My eyelids are closing, gradually closing, closing out the blurry vision before me.
Help… please...
My thoughts are there but my throat is too hoarse to speak them out loud.
Please…
My vision is blurred. I can't see straight anymore.
Help…
My throat tightens, my lungs burning, trying to extract the last remaining molecules of air from my knight's reserves.
A crackling noise over the communications.
"Ant? Are you there?"
"I'm… here…" I can't speak any more than that.
Suddenly, a fleeting white light flashes across my vision. I slump against the wall of the knight, unable to support my own weight any more.
"Ant! Come in!"
That was the last thing I remember before I collapsed into darkness.