Bubble Breath

Barns emerges from the water slowly, his breath steady, and his body weightless. He inhales deeply when his head breaks the surface - not because he needs to, but out of sheer force of habit. For the first time in his life, he doesn't need to breathe the air.

He blinks in the moonlight, water trailing down his face. His lungs feel stronger. Like they've been restructured from the inside out, adapted to something beyond human limits. He draws in another breath out of habit, but it's hollow. Unnecessary.

He's starting to truly embrace 'the crab'. 

Francois stands above him, still poised gracefully atop the water, her kimono flowing despite the stillness of the night. A phantom in the dark. Her crimson eyes gleam in the dim light, studying him, unreadable.

"So…that's it? I did it?"

Francois tilts her head slightly. "You seem to have survived my little test, yes."

"That's a weird way to phrase it."