Despite the illusion of a short distance, the island was further away than Bastian had thought.
His body was burning, and aching and cramping, too, and the fact that he had skipped a few meals too many was becoming apparent, with his stamina dropping and the rough waves forcing him to spend every last drop of energy into staying alive, bobbing his head on the surface and fighting against the water.
None of these things even mattered in the face of the one horror he had to face.
He had still not seen anyone alive, not in the sea, not on the shore. He was now everything he had, he had to fight for himself, and that was much harder than fighting for the sake of others.
He breathed in and went under the surface to catch a current that would hopefully ease his ascent towards the shore.
The time under the waves felt longer than the time he had once spent waiting in the emergency room because of the sickly nature of his former body.
