"Then let's first start with small steps," I said, pulling Ais in the water, our clothes getting wet, and our feet touching the ground. I observed her reaction, but didn't see any fear on her face.
"I get scared when my feet are not touching the ground…" she explained, and I decided to still start from the beginning.
"I see, then let's first get your face a little wet as well," I dipped my hands in the water and rubbed Ais' face. She closed her eyes, while I rubbed my palm over her smooth, soft cheeks, and then on her chin and the rest of her face. For some strange reason, she was showing more of a calm, even blissful expression than of panic.
"Hm… guess that's not enough response," I murmured, coming to that conclusion. "Then, Ais, this time dip your whole face in the water."
"Okay," Ais replied, and dipped her face in the lake, coming back up after a few seconds, her hair was completely wet, clinging to her neck and beautiful face, leaving me mesmerized. "Arin…?" Ais said, bringing me back to attention.
"*cough* let's start the next step then," I said, bringing her deeper into the lake.
"...Arin, are you sure this will work?" Ais asked, turning her face up to look at me. We faced each other in the deeper water, my arm wrapped around her waist, my other hand braced against her upper back. She leaned into me, close enough that I could feel every tremor.
"I don't know, but it worked for me, so it doesn't hurt to try, right?" I said, "Then let's start Ais. We will do it like I explained, I will hold onto you and we will dive into the water, you need to keep your legs curled up, so as not to touch the ground," I explained. While I am not a doctor or a therapist, from my personal experience, the best way to overcome your fear is to get used to it slowly.
Her body shook in my arms. In response, I hugged her even closer, "Don't worry, Ais, I am here, we will stop any time you want, okay?" I said. Ais gave a nod, putting her hands behind my back, hugging me back.
"Then, 3…2…1…!" I pulled her deeper in the water, her fingers digging into my back, holding enough strength to crush rocks.
Although at our level we have enough lung capacity to hold our breath for hours, since it was just her first try, I decided to limit it to only 30 seconds.
The moment we went under, I felt Ais's entire body go rigid. Her grip on my back tightened even more. Panic built in her grip. I kept my hold firm but gentle, trying to communicate through touch alone that she was safe.
Ten seconds.
Her legs kicked slightly, instinct trying to find ground that wasn't there. I adjusted my grip, making sure she stayed secure against me.
Twenty seconds.
I could feel her starting to struggle more; the fear clearly overwhelming her rational mind. I began counting down in my head, ready to surface the moment it became too much.
Twenty-five seconds.
Ais's nails dug into my skin now, and I could feel her beginning to thrash slightly. That was enough.
I immediately pushed upward, breaking the surface with Ais still held securely in my arms. She gasped for air—not because she needed it physically, but because her fear had convinced her she did.
"It's okay, it's okay," I said softly, keeping my arms around her as she continued to breathe heavily. "You did it, Ais. Thirty seconds. That's amazing for your first try."
"I... I couldn't... the water..." Her voice was shaky, and I could feel her trembling.
"Hey, look at me." I gently turned her face up, though I kept my hands on her waist to keep her stable. Her golden eyes were wide, still filled with lingering fear. "You stayed under for thirty seconds.. That's huge progress, Ais."
"But I was so scared," she admitted quietly. "I couldn't think. All I could feel was..."
"The fear," I finished for her. "I know. But you faced it anyway, you were so brave, Ais." I said, petting her wet hair.
She looked down at the water lapping around us, then back at me. "Can we... try again?"
I was surprised. "Are you sure? We can take a break first."
"No." Her voice was firmer now, though still quiet. "If I stop now, I'll lose my nerve. Once more. Please…"
I studied her face, seeing the determination beneath the fear. "Okay. But this time, we'll go slower. And if you tap my back three times, we surface immediately. Deal?"
"Deal."
We positioned ourselves again, and I could feel that she was slightly less tense than before—not by much, but it was progress.
"Ready?" I asked.
She took a deep breath. "Ready."
"Three... two... one..."
This time, when we went under, I held her a bit closer. Her grip was still tight, but not quite as desperate as before.
Ten seconds.
I felt her tap once against my hand—not the emergency signal, just... acknowledgment, her heart beating fast.
Twenty seconds.
Her body was still tense, but she wasn't struggling as much. She was trying to control her fear, to work through it rather than let it control her.
Thirty seconds.
I gave her a gentle squeeze, silently asking if she wanted to continue. She didn't tap out. We stayed under for five more seconds before I decided to surface anyway—better to end on a positive note than push too hard.
When we broke the surface this time, Ais was still breathing hard.
"Thirty-five seconds," I said with a smile. "See? Already improving."
"It's still scary," she admitted, but there was a tiny smile on her lips. "But... maybe a little less scary."
"That's the idea. We'll keep doing this, gradually building up your comfort level. Eventually, the fear will become manageable. But for now, let's stop here." I guided her back toward the shore, keeping one hand at her elbow until we reached the shallows, and I finally released my hold on her.
Ais stood, looking back at the deeper water with a contemplative expression.
"Thank you, Arin," she said quietly, as we sat down near the shore, "For helping me. For not laughing at my fear."
"Why would I laugh?" I asked, genuinely confused. "Everyone has fears, Ais. Yours just happens to be water. That doesn't make it any less real or valid." I said and channeled flame magic through my hands, careful to keep the heat gentle.
Steam rose between us as water evaporated from our clothes and skin, wrapping us in a warm mist that smelled faintly of lake water and summer air.
Her eyes fluttered closed, her expression serene—almost blissful. Her body leaned against me, my hand wrapped around her shoulder. We sat there looking over the peaceful lake, the crystal in the dungeon ceiling casting soft light upon us. Neither of us spoke. The only sounds were the gentle lap of water against the shore and the distant murmur of the camp.
"We should go back now," I said, as we stood up to head back, before anyone started getting worried, seeing neither of us present in the camp. We made our way through the forest and reached our camp. Everyone was already asleep, except the night watcher.
I escorted Ais near her tent, and she turned around before entering, a beautiful smile on her lips, "Thank you again, Arin… I hope we can do that again," she said.
"Of course, as many times as you want," I replied with a smile of my own, "Good night then."
"Good night... to you too," she said, entering her tent, which she was sharing with the other girls. And I decided to go back to my own sleeping place. Upon entering the tent, I could see Finn was still awake. I shook off the lingering warmth of Ais's presence and focused on the maps scattered around him.
"You took your time." He said, sitting on a mat, holding a map in his hand.
"Yes, Guess I was enjoying my time too much and didn't notice the time. What are these maps, though?" I asked, peering over his shoulder. I had learned how to read maps from Ryuu, so I was able to tell they were from the deep floors. The one in his hand was a map for the fifty-eighth floor.
"I was just trying to think what could be further down there, you felt that too, didn't you?" he asked, his eyes analyzing any reaction I might let out.
"Yes, I believe we would have been in deep trouble had we explored further," I stated my reasoning, while I would like to blame that on my paranoia, but seeing Finn also had that same thought tells me, we made a good decision retreating from there.
"But we can't just stop here either, someday we would have to dive deeper," he said, licking his thumb.
"That's obvious. Next, we would be far more prepared and stronger." I said, thinking that the most plausible answer for that bad feeling I felt was most likely because of that demi-spirit shown in the Sword Oratoria anime, or at least related to it.
And while I don't know what the level of that spirit was, it did give Finn and others, who were peak level-6s, a run for their money. It was most likely a level 7 monster, not something I would want to fight when we were already exhausted.
"You are right, we just need to get stronger, gather information, and prepare before we descend further. I am satisfied for now with our expedition, you did great work as well, Arin," he said, "now go and rest, you must be tired."
"Yes, will do that, you too, stop stressing about it and go to sleep," I said, and made my way to my sleeping place, and lay down.
"You are right, thanks, Arin." I heard Finn's voice from behind. There sure are a lot of people thanking me today. I thought before closing my eyes, and before I knew it, I was already asleep.