Deep beneath the surface, something stirred in Elias. A word came to him. Not spoken aloud. But impressed upon his very bones.
When you pass through the waters, I am with you.
A voice that had spoken the universe into existence was now speaking into the wreckage of his drowning life.
I am with you.
His foot struck something solid. His hands found a rock. He clung. He pulled himself up until his head broke the surface. He gasped. He crawled until he felt solid ground beneath him.