1. The Depths of Destiny

Trevor Williams had always been captivated by the ocean. As a child, he spent countless hours watching documentaries about marine life and shipwrecks. That fascination never faded; it grew stronger with time, leading him to a career as a subsea engineer. He specialized in maintaining underwater pipelines, ensuring the flow of oil and gas from the ocean depths to the surface.

Some people called him foolish for choosing such a risky profession, suggesting he could have opted for a safer, more conventional path like marine biology or environmental science. They pointed out the dangers of working in the deep sea: the crushing pressures, the potential for equipment failure, and the ever-present threat of catastrophic accidents. But Trevor was undeterred. He had grown up watching documentaries about the daring men and women who braved the depths, and their courage and expertise had always filled him with awe.

The sight of them maneuvering in the murky waters, their movements precise and confident, gave him goosebumps. It was a calling, not just a career. From a young age, he had known he wanted to be one of them.

As Trevor grew older, his goal only became more resolute. He threw himself into his studies, excelling in math and science—subjects he knew would be crucial for his future career. He spent hours learning about underwater robotics, fluid dynamics, and the latest in subsea technology. His determination was unwavering, and his hard work paid off when he was accepted into one of the top engineering programs in the country. There, he continued to push himself, taking on challenging internships and research projects that further fueled his passion.

Now, on a crisp autumn morning, Trevor stood on the deck of the Orion, a state-of-the-art research vessel. The sun had barely risen, casting a golden hue over the water. Trevor breathed in the salty air, feeling a familiar sense of excitement mixed with a hint of trepidation. Today, he was leading a critical mission to repair a damaged pipeline 300 meters below the surface. It was a routine task for him, but the ocean was unpredictable, and he never took it lightly.

"Ready to dive, Trevor?" called out his colleague, Sarah, from the control room.

Trevor gave her a thumbs up. "Ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this done."

He suited up in his specialized diving gear, checking each piece meticulously. The helmet was the most crucial part; it provided him with oxygen and allowed communication with the surface team. Once satisfied, he stepped into the diving bell, a cylindrical chamber that would take him down to the seabed.

The descent was slow and steady, the pressure increasing with every meter. Trevor's ears popped, and he yawned to equalize the pressure. Outside the thick glass window, the water darkened, going from a deep blue to almost black. The hum of the vessel's engines was comforting, a reminder that he wasn't alone in this vast, silent world.

"How's it looking down there?" Sarah's voice crackled through his helmet.

"All systems go," Trevor replied, his eyes scanning the readouts on his suit's display. "Approaching the pipeline now."

The diving bell halted, and Trevor exited, his suit's lights piercing the darkness. The damaged pipeline lay ahead, a massive steel serpent marred by a jagged tear. He approached it cautiously, deploying his tools. The repair process required precision; one wrong move, and the situation could worsen.

"Beginning repairs," he reported, his hands steady despite the weight of his suit and the immense pressure of the water around him.

Minutes turned into hours as he welded and sealed the pipeline, his focus unwavering. The ocean was calm, almost eerily so. Then, without warning, a tremor shook the seabed. Trevor's heart skipped a beat. Earthquake? Here?

"Sarah, are you seeing this?" he called out, his voice tight with concern.

"Yeah, readings show seismic activity," Sarah responded, her tone urgent. "Get back to the bell, Trevor. Now."

Trevor didn't need to be told twice. He secured his tools and started towards the diving bell. But the seabed continued to shake, more violently this time. He stumbled, struggling to keep his balance. A loud crack echoed through the water as the pipeline ruptured again, releasing a torrent of oil.

"Dammit!" Trevor swore, his mind racing. He had to get out of there before the situation worsened.

Just as he reached the diving bell, a massive undersea landslide triggered by the earthquake surged towards him. Rocks and debris cascaded down, slamming into the bell and knocking it over. Trevor was thrown to the seabed, his helmet cracking against a rock. Panic surged through him as water began seeping into his suit.

"Mayday! Mayday!" he yelled, but the communication line was dead. He was alone.

His vision blurred, and his breaths came in short, painful gasps. He tried to move, but his limbs felt heavy, unresponsive. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was a flash of light, brighter than anything he'd ever seen underwater.

***

Trevor thought he had died. As he regained consciousness, he could feel his body, but it was unbearably cold, as if he had been living into a freezer. The chill seeped into his bones, making his teeth chatter uncontrollably. His eyes fluttered open, and his vision was blurred at first. Slowly, the world came into focus, revealing metal bars a few meters away.

'Huh, where the hell am I?' Trevor wondered, his breath visible in the frigid air.

His teeth chattered as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. It looked like a jail, with cold, hard stone walls and a damp, unforgiving floor. Chains connected to cuffs on his both wrists clinked as he moved.

'Have I transmigrated?' Trevor pondered, bewildered as he looked at his frail arms which definitely didn't look familiar. He was sure he had died in the underwater disaster, yet here he was, alive but shackled.

He struggled to sit up, every movement making the cold bite deeper into his flesh. It was hauntingly cold, the kind of cold that numbed the mind and made every thought sluggish. He managed to pull himself to the bars of his cell and peered out. Beyond the bars, the surroundings were an endless expanse of white, filled with icy fog, making him unable to see anything after a certain amount of distance.

Trevor suddenly felt a splitting pain in his head, a sharp, relentless agony that seemed to slice through his skull. He backed away from the bars, clutching his head in his hands, the chains rattling loudly. His vision swam, the pain intensifying with each second.

Unable to bear it, he stumbled backward, his legs giving out beneath him. He collapsed to the cold, damp floor, gasping for breath, the torment in his head overwhelming all other sensations. As he lay there, writhing in pain, fragmented images began to flash in his mind—strange, disjointed scenes of places and people he didn't recognize, yet felt disturbingly familiar.

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