[Sur*ks#a: 89%>
The night passed quietly.
Far too quietly.
No monsters appeared.
No disasters struck.
No miracles descended from the heavens.
Only the countdown continued.
<05:02:14>
<05:02:13>
<05:02:12>
The stars gradually faded as dawn arrived.
A pale orange glow appeared over the horizon, painting the ocean gold once again.
Shunya slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the sea.
The second thing he saw was Vikoria sleeping peacefully nearby.
The third thing was Naomi.
She had fallen asleep sitting upright, her head resting against his shoulder sometime during the night.
For a moment, he remained completely still.
The ocean breeze moved gently through her hair.
The sight felt strangely peaceful.
Painfully peaceful.
As though the world wanted to create a perfect memory before taking everything away.
Eventually Naomi woke up.
She blinked once.
Twice.
Then immediately realized where her head was.
Her face became red.
She quickly sat up.
