Consciousness returned to Elio like a violent wave, dragging him from the depths of darkness to a brutal and suffocating reality.
His eyes snapped open, and the first thing he registered was panic.
An overwhelming sensation of suffocation seized him, as if an invisible hand was squeezing his throat with relentless force. His lungs burned, desperate for air, but each attempt to breathe only brought more anguish.
Elio gasped, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He felt as if every cell in his body was screaming for oxygen. His heart pounded frantically in his chest, pumping blood that felt thick and heavy in his veins.
His head spun, a deafening buzz filling his ears. Black spots danced in his vision, threatening to drag him back into unconsciousness.
But the survival instinct was stronger, keeping him painfully aware of each second without air.
His breath of air stone had ran out.