"Life… is so short, huh…"
The night sky was filled with rain. The sound of patrol boats cut through the cold sea air, while the body of a young man was found submerged at the bottom of the sea.
His name was Shiumi Ren, 27 years old. The captain of a cruise ship whose life was simple—full of order but without direction. He had no big dreams, no family, and probably no one would cry at his funeral.
The accident occurred when the cruise ship he was leading was hit by countless chunks of ice falling from the sky. Each impact tore apart the hull of the ship, slowly but surely destroying its main structure. The ship began to lose balance and share the pressure.
The passengers panicked.
Screams were heard everywhere. Some chose to jump into the sea and swim in the dark waters, preferring the risk of drowning to being trapped on a ship that was about to collapse.
Seeing the chaos, Ren moved quickly. With the instincts of a captain, he gave firm commands to the crew and passengers.
"You guys! Get everyone to the back storeroom! There are life jackets and wood! Quick, before the ship breaks apart!"
The passengers began running toward the storeroom located at the back of the ship. There, they brought life jackets, planks of wood, and whatever equipment they could find—anything they could use to stay afloat until help arrived.
As Ren continued to direct people, he heard faint cries coming from the tilting and cracking front cabin.
"Is that... a child's voice?"
Without thinking, Ren jumped to the front of the ship—now nearly separated from the back. He weaved through the metal and smoke, eventually finding two small children trapped between a chair and a piece of broken wall.
"Brother... help..."
"Calm down... calm down. You're safe now." Ren reached for them both, holding one on the right and one on the left. "I'll get you out."
He hurried back to the edge of the ship, but by then the two halves of the ship had completely separated—they were being dragged further apart by the current.
"Damn... the distance is too far... I can't jump with those two..." Ren muttered, his heart pounding.
He stared at the two children—their eyes were wet and full of fear.
Ren took a deep breath, and tightened his grip.
"You must stay alive."
With his remaining strength and incredible precision, Ren threw the two children one by one towards the rear warehouse of the ship that was now floating separately. "Catch them!!" he shouted.
Luckily, the crew managed to catch them with life jackets in their hands. They were safe.
Ren smiled faintly. But his legs were unsteady. The front of the ship began to collapse.
"Ah—!"
The broken iron ceiling suddenly collapsed on top of him, hitting his back and shoulders. His body was thrown, then plunged into the sea.
He tried to swim, but…
His hands were stiff. His legs were cramped. His entire body was frozen.
Seawater crept into his lungs.
His vision faded.
His ears were filled only with the silent sound of the deep sea.
But... amidst the darkness that greeted him, he only thought of one thing:
"If at least... I can save two lives...
...
Then, I have no regrets dying alone."
The whole world went dark in his vision. When he thought that he was dead
Suddenly—