The Depths

Jade had just finished giving herself the ultimate pep talk—complete with whispered affirmations, dramatic sighs, and a light slap to the cheeks for good measure.

"You are not here for ancient man drama," she reminded herself proudly, lounging back on the cushion like she had conquered something far greater than emotional confusion. 

"You are here to go home, reclaim your future, and maybe find a time-bending amulet along the way. Hashtag priorities."

The Nile sparkled like it agreed with her. The breeze danced through the palms. 

For a brief, shining second, Jade let herself relax.

And then she saw the child.

At first, it was nothing. Just a little girl playing by the riverbank with what looked like a handmade leather ball. 

Other families were nearby—parents, siblings, servants, all wrapped up in their own distractions. Jade gave it a passing glance, her mind still half-drenched in sarcasm and self-empowerment.

But the ball rolled.

Right into the water.

The little girl hesitated, then stepped in after it.

Jade sat up.

She knew exactly where this was going. Like watching a movie she couldn't stop. Her humor dissolved in an instant, her stomach knotting as the child waded too far, arms reaching—

The current took her.

There was a splash. A panicked cry. Thrashing limbs.

Screams followed. Parents are suddenly aware. Chaos.

But no one moved.

No one jumped in.

Jade didn't even think. She was already running.

She launched off the lounge bed like her soul had ignited, sprinting barefoot through her chamber and out into the sun-drenched palace grounds, heart pounding.

This wasn't about timelines or royal drama or lost kisses.

This was a life.

And she wasn't going to let that child drown.

The palace walls blurred behind her as Jade sprinted barefoot across sun-warmed stone, down the path, and toward the crowd gathered by the river. 

Her breath came in sharp bursts, chest tight with adrenaline.

People were shouting. Crying. Pointing. But no one was in the water.

Are you all seriously just watching this happen?!

Without a word, she shoved past two stunned onlookers, hit the edge of the bank, and dove straight into the Nile.

The water swallowed her whole—cold, cloudy, and deeper than she expected. She kicked hard, arms slicing through the current as she scanned frantically below.

Nothing.

Her lungs burned as she surfaced for air—just a second—and dove again.

Come on, come on—

There. A flash of movement below. A small, pale figure drifting just beneath the surface, barely holding on.

Jade surged forward, swimming with every ounce of power she had left, reached out—and grabbed the child.

The little girl was limp in her arms.

Jade kicked upward, hauling them both to the surface, then swam with all her strength toward the riverbank, ignoring the shouts behind her, the chaos, the splashing of people now trying too late to help.

She reached the edge and was immediately swarmed—hands, voices, panic. The parents reached for the child, sobbing, desperate.

"Back up!" Jade barked, voice sharp and commanding. "Give me space!"

They hesitated—shocked, but obeyed.

Jade laid the girl on the ground. She was unconscious. Her skin is pale. Lips blue. No breath.

No. No. Not today.

Jade dropped to her knees, soaked and shaking, but already positioning her hands on the girl's chest.

She started compressions. One, two, three, four.

"Come on, baby girl," she whispered under her breath. "Don't do this. Breathe."

She tilted the child's head, sealed her lips over hers, and gave a breath. Then another.

Back to compressions. Rhythm. Pressure. Breath.

People stood frozen, watching a stranger fight to bring their daughter back to life.

"Come on," Jade pleaded. "Please."

"Come on," Jade breathed again, chest tight, arms aching. "Come back to me."

Another round of compressions.

Another breath.

Then—

A small cough.

A sputter.

A sharp inhale.

Jade froze, eyes wide, as the little girl's body jerked slightly beneath her hands. Water spilled from the child's lips, followed by a faint, whimpering cry.

"She's breathing," Jade gasped, almost in disbelief.

The child's eyes fluttered open, dazed, barely aware—but alive.

A wave of sound erupted around her.

Gasps. Cries. Whispers rising like wind through reeds. The crowd stepped back, as if afraid to break the moment. 

Even the parents stood stunned, as if their minds couldn't process what they were seeing.

The mother stumbled forward, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

"How…?" she whispered, falling to her knees beside Jade. "You… you saved her."

Jade nodded numbly, heart still racing. 

"She'll be okay. Just keep her warm—she needs rest."

The father reached down, scooping the child into his arms, his voice thick with emotion. "You… you were sent by the gods."

Jade almost laughed—wet, breathless, and stunned. "I promise I'm not."

But the people didn't seem to believe her.

They stared at her with wide, reverent eyes. 

Whispers buzzed through the air like sparks:

"Did you see what she did?"

"She brought the girl back."

"With her hands. With her breath."

"A foreigner… no, a healer."

"A blessing."

Jade stood slowly, soaked and shivering, hair plastered to her face, and stared out at the river like it had just spat her out of another world—again.

The adrenaline finally began to crash, her limbs trembling.

But she didn't regret a second of it.

The girl coughed again, this time stronger. Her small hand clutched weakly at her father's tunic as he held her close, weeping openly.

Jade took a shaky breath, blinking away the water from her eyes—and just like that, the world around her shifted.

Cries of joy burst suddenly into the air. Cheers. Wails of relief. People dropped to their knees, hands raised toward the sky.

"A miracle!"

"She brought the child back from death!"

"A healer—no, a goddess!"

"The heavens have sent her!"

Jade stood in stunned disbelief as the crowd swelled around her. People reached for her hands, her robes, desperate to touch her, to bless her, to thank her. 

Their voices rose higher:

"She walks among us!"

"The gods have heard our prayers!"

"Praise to the healer from the river!"

"Praise to the goddess of life!"

Jade's heart thundered in her chest.

What is happening?

She stumbled back a step, nearly slipping in the mud, eyes wide as dozens of people bowed in her direction—some weeping, some singing, some murmuring prayers to gods she barely remembered from textbooks.

And above it all, the Nile flowed on, calm and ancient, as if it too knew something she didn't.

Jade looked down at her trembling hands—hands that had just saved a life.

They think I'm divine.

She wasn't.

She was just a girl from the future.