The akula had remained terribly still for the few seconds following the shock as if time had stopped under the startled gaze of the young na'vi, but this feeling disappeared immediately as soon as it began to beat its fins violently in his direction.

Eyes wide, Lo'ak didn't even have time to think before diving into the depths of the sea to avoid the lethal charge that was aimed at him. It was as if his instinct had kicked in and taken control of his body to pull him out of the paralysis that had set in his muscles as he swam like he never had before, even with the crossbow which hampered his movements.

The boy headed for the nearest spot that looked like a shelter and managed to get his legs inside just in time before they were ripped off when the animal crashed into the rock structure. The collision was brutal and Lo'ak was ejected against the opposite wall with fortunately all the members of his body intact. But as soon as he turned around, the initial relief of no longer being in the middle of the water with nothing between him and this monster was completely absent as the hiding place he was in didn't seem to slow the creature down at all in its persistent hunt.

The akula was still trying to reach him by hitting the coral with the solid part of its head and Lo'ak desperately tried to push it away by pointing his harpoon at it. He knew he wasn't going to kill the animal with that, for it it was just a small needle that would only tickle it at most, but he had nothing else at hand to defend himself with. It was then in a vain attempt that he pulled the trigger and that the harpoon stuck in the palate of the fish's mouth, but as he already knew, it was useless. The pain was almost non-existent for it and it snatched the crossbow from his hands before crushing it between its sharp teeth without any mercy as it resumed its assaults as if nothing had happened.

Without his weapon, Lo'ak suddenly felt completely naked and vulnerable, perhaps even more so than the day he was born if he had any memory of it. He stuck even more against the wall to avoid the incessant impacts and he could see the shelter starting to crumble little by little as the attacks progressed. He knew that this place would soon no longer be able to protect him as cracks began to form everywhere around him. He absolutely had to flee and it was when the fish bit one of the pillars, surely tired of not being able to catch him, that Lo'ak finally decided to move.

The young na'vi slipped between the rocks and left the hiding place to go as far away as possible but the four eyes of the akula did not seem to miss anything as it abandoned the pillar and circled it to pursue him voraciously. Lo'ak felt the ripples in the water telling him that the huge creature was close, and, after a frightened look, he dove urgently into a narrow space he had spotted at the last moment where he knew that it could not follow him.

Terrified, Lo'ak grabbed any surface to push himself forward and his hands were scraped raw from pieces of coral or seashell that were laying there. The passage was so small that his arms were also covered in long scratches that snaked along his skin as he struggled to swim due to his restricted movement. Lo'ak clenched his jaw without stopping, even with the claustrophobic feeling in his chest and the increasing number of cuts appearing on his body. He couldn't feel anything anyway. Adrenaline was like a raging torrent inside him that acted like painkillers and his mind was only focused on a single thought.

Survive. He had to survive.

Still in the breach, his gaze was drawn to a wisp of light at the end of the tunnel, like the very embodiment of hope, and he moved on and on while ignoring the pain of the wounds he was inflicting on himself to reach it. It was so close and so far at the same time but he couldn't go fast enough as he still struggled to move in the limited space he was stuck in.

Lo'ak didn't know how many prayers he had sent to Eywa in that moment that felt like hours, but he was still begging her to protect him or at least give him a chance to get out of here, no matter if it was not the way things worked. He was desperate and scared and all rational or logical thoughts had long since left him. He just wanted someone. Anybody.

After almost endless minutes, the boy was finally nearing the end of the passage when a tremor shook the entire structure above him. Alerted, Lo'ak raised his pupils in concern to observe what was happening, then his eyes widened in terror at the scene he could see.

The akula was at the very top and was destroying all the stone pillars with its jaw as if it was only small twigs that had dared to stand up against it as it made its way straight towards the na'vi. The view was simply horrifying. The animal was gigantic and of an absolutely monstrous strength and this demonstration of pure power made him realize more than ever that if this creature managed to reach him, it would be his end and this end will certainly be very painful.

Holy shit, he thought, how was he even going to survive to this ?

Lo'ak hadn't realized he had frozen until dust from all the destruction started to sting his eyes. Then the sound of cracking finally reached his ears and his heart skipped a beat as he noticed the pillars were collapsing on top of each other as he stood directly below them.

Panicking, the boy thrust his limbs into the water with all the willpower he had to get out of here. His knees scraped the ground and his rush only made his condition worse as his heart was beating much faster than it was supposed to be in full apnea. The exit was right there and he could almost touch it with his fingertips if he held out his arm. He just needed more time and more strength to reach it but unfortunately those were two things he didn't have. The rocks fell around him like a rain that had just started, then a block collapsed the tunnel he was in before crashing directly into his leg with a sickening crunch.

Pain.

Pain was the only thing he could feel after that and it was absolutely excruciating. A scream escaped his mouth along with air from his lungs at the impact as invisible tears formed at the corners of his eyes. It hurt. It even hurt so much that he wondered how he managed not to faint on the spot. Lo'ak could give up right here just because of this and remain inert as if his body had itself decided that it was over for him. He just couldn't go on, but the distant memory that he was still being chased quickly reminded him that a break was anything but allowed.

The teen tried to look around with narrowed and panicked eyes for the predator only to notice surprisingly that the akula seemed to have disappeared. The fish might have given up after losing its prey under the rubble, and even if Lo'ak didn't want to jump to any hasty conclusions, it was still a relief that he didn't have to worry about that anymore. There was a much bigger problem anyway that needed his full attention.

His lungs were burning horribly as if embers had taken up residence there as he began to asphyxiate after releasing all the air from his chest. He needed to breathe right now, but he was stuck about ten meters deep under the ocean without even being able to move. His heart was also beating way too fast and even if he tried to slow it down, nothing seemed to be able to calm it down.

He was going to die, the boy thought, He was really fucking going to die.

His abdomen was contracting in unbearable jerks as he tried not to breathe in the water and without even realizing it, he had already repositioned himself to push the rock in order to get out of there. Lo'ak had both hands on the rocky surface and flexed his muscles with all his might as he clenched his teeth as the pain seemed to travel through every fiber of his flesh. He had the impression that his leg was being torn but that didn't prevent him from pulling it wildly from the vice that held him prisoner.

After almost supernatural efforts, his leg was finally starting to stick out as a red color painted the water right in front of his face. The alarming amount of blood scared him slightly but he didn't want to look at the state of his leg at the risk of panicking even more. He couldn't dwell on it anyway. His head was getting more and more dizzy and he absolutely had to get back to the surface before it was too late.

Lo'ak slipped with difficulty into the coral ruin as he tried to swim upwards. He was unable to move his injured leg and it made it much more harder for him to reach the surface as his arms did most of the work with the help of his second leg. Swimming took way more efforts than he was capable of and he wasn't fast enough as his lungs were begging and screaming for air.

He needed more time, just a few more seconds. He prayed with fear. It was so close.

Black spots were slowly appearing in front of his vision in an ominous way as he was still rowing with his arms when he noticed that one of these spots was starting to move abnormally at the corner of his eyes. It seemed to be advancing towards him, quickly and gradually as its size only grew bigger and bigger. He turned his head in confusion to see it better, then once close enough, the dark figure suddenly became clear enough to be fully distinguished and his eyes widened in horror as he recognized what it was.

Lo'ak almost felt his heart leap out of his chest as he saw the akula charging straight at him with its mouth wide open. He could see its teeth sticking out terrifyingly and the disgusting inside of its throat as its jaw aimed directly at him. The teen couldn't escape this time and he quickly realized that as he knew he was unable to flee with his injured leg and the lack of air. There was definitely nothing holding it back from killing him now and the boy felt his insides twist painfully in panic for what was to come.

In a last ditch effort, Lo'ak pulled his knife out of its holster, ready to fight until the end, even if it was in vain. He just couldn't be at peace with himself if he gaved up like this, it wasn't in his nature after all. But long before he could do anything, an even larger creature forcefully wobbled him before smashing the akula against a stone wall, killing it instantly.

The boy was carried away by the current created by the speed of the gigantic animal and his senses were turned upside down even more than before. His head was spinning as he tried his best not to be rammed by the large fins that beat vigorously to finish off the akula and his leg ached from the uneven movements he was making to dodge. The young na'vi watched the scene in shock and in just a few seconds, the fish finally fell inert to the bottom without further ado while the larger creature seemed to move away from it as if its work had just been finished.

It was over.

Nothing was stopping him from reaching the surface now. There were no monsters or other dangers to stand in his way. He could just keep swimming where he could see the rest of the light that was left from the day and he would be saved as the air filled his lungs again, that was what he had fought so hard for after all, but even if he tried one last time, it was too late.

Lo'ak had no more energy and the last bubbles of air finally escaped from his lungs as he began to sink slowly towards the abyss. He no longer had the strength to move and his knife left his hand as his muscles relaxed one by one while his eyes slowly closed, perhaps never to open again. He was drowning and it was almost like falling asleep. His instinct for survival no longer struggled and there remained only silence, self-surrender and the serenity of unconsciousness.

Lo'ak didn't want it to end like this but his body betrayed him despite himself as the light seemed to fade as he descended. He was going to die and no one could help him with that fact even though he kept praying hard. It was the end and it was all his fault. If he had even listened to the warnings he had heard, none of this would have happened and he might have been able to be with his family right now without having to worry about anything. Neteyam would probably always be teasing him and Tuk annoying him while Kiri would definitely be somewhere to do whatever she was doing. His father would be scolding him again as usual and his mother would then come to comfort him to reassure him. An ordinary day he might say

He just wished he could have said goodbye to them before he left, he thought regretfully. His parents, his brother and his sisters and even Tsireya, he had never wanted to leave them, not like that at least. He never felt ready to leave at all actually. He always thought he had time and it hurt to realize that he didn't.

He was so sorry, he wished to say as everything became dark.