The two divers floated alongside each other, one clothed in neoprene, the other sheathed in a suit of ectoplasm. Ever found himself subconsciously mimicking the way Zoe moved through the water: kicking his feet up and down slowly, while the arms would assist with pushing forward every now and then.

  “Zoe,” he said out loud. His soul voice had a slight reverberation as usual, unaffected by all the water around them.

  The vet turned straight away, ogling him through her goggles. What? She seemed to say, splaying her palms open.

  “Oh right,” Ever said. “Everything’s good?”

  She nodded, a stream of air bubbling out from her mouth piece. Her open hands became double thumbs up. Without another word (for she could give none), she faced forward again, then dove deeper.

  Ever floated downwards, trailing her. If her first ten minutes were anything to go by, she was absolutely right: she was fine scuba diving by herself. The oxygen tank which had to be carried with two hands on land bounced off her back gently whenever she changed direction, seemingly weightless.

  She made a sound -- two sounds, in fact. The first was short, the second longer, translated in corresponding bubble streams. E-ver. She waved him over, kicking in place. The apprentice reaper joined his partner by her side. She was pointing at what looked like colorful rocks layered on top of each other. Tiny fish flitted in and out of the various crags, nooks and crannies. Silently, they watched them play hide and seek together.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  She suddenly changed direction - or rather, had her direction changed. She floated backwards, limbs floating freely as if a giant underwater hand had stolen her away. Alarmed, Ever gave chase. He circled her, checking on the tank despite not knowing what to look for. She twisted around so that she was facing forwards; through her goggles, Ever thought that he could see her smiling at him.

  The hand that had grabbed her so suddenly grew bored, letting her go. They floated in place, not moving - or perhaps they were, it was hard to tell. Ever looked at what he thought was up, only verifying this fact with the grey daylight that marked the point at which this underwater world ended and the other began.

  Mmmm! Another sound from Zoe, this one more excited, if the rush of bubbles covering her face was anything to go by. She swam away from Ever once more, deeper into what looked like opaque darkness. What had caught her eye?

  He followed her and gradually he saw the outline of something materialize. Something that definitely didn’t belong this deep underwater. Ever had seen a few of them docked at the pier they had passed by before they had parked. Those had been much smaller. This one looked not only much larger and longer, but far older.

  It loomed, seeming to extend invisible tentacles, luring Zoe towards its ghostly form. She floated towards the end that seemed to curve more; it looked like the front of the vessel. The words La Bella were inscribed in curved script on the side.