When Darryl dropped into the water, the impact made more damage on his already weak body. Everything to him was blurry and he was paralyzed that he could do nothing but feel the call of death.

Suddenly, everything that happened in his life flashed before his eyes like a movie. He saw himself at the age of five, having tea with his grandmother and sisters in the forest mansion. He was nothing then but a child full of innocence and dreams, so were his sisters. Who would have thought things would end this way? Who would have thought it was his own sister who fired the bullet and wished him death? Was this the payment for the path he chose to take, the path that got him his woman and not the path meant predestined to him as the Lagdameo heir?

​​

As Darryl's body slowly descended into the depths of the ocean, the scene before him became dark and brutal. The body of Dannah laying across the ground bloodied and the eyes of Dian filled with bloodshot taunted him and he ended like a hopeless mess without any salvation. He knew he was going to die right then and as much as he wanted to change everything, it was all too late.

"Help! Mommy! Dada," The sound of Willow screaming suddenly rang into Darryl's ears and only then was he reminded that his daughter was in serious danger. The threatening circumstance gave him some strength and for once, all his nerves awoken and although injured, his determination to save her made him swim back to the surface.

"Willow!" Darryl shouted the girl's name and scanned the whole place. There was nothing there but the vast ocean and the bridge above him. For once, he immediately got worried that the girl was drowned as he was told earlier that the girl can't swim.

"Help!" Willow, who just got up from the surface, managed to scream again. She had drunk a good amount of water and was too weak to fight for her life. One more minute and she knew she couldn't survive it anymore.

"I got you! I got you child," Darryl was able to swim to her side and save Willow from her distress. When she felt some warm chest and arms that wrapped around her, she felt thorough relief. However, because of the ocean water she had drunk she coughed and was choking so bad.

"You are okay my love, you are okay" Darryl tried to calm her down as he kept her steady. Darryl knew he couldn't hold himself and the girl for long and so he looked around and thought of something that could save them both until some rescuers came. The shore was of considerable distance and he knew he's going to pass out before he can bring the girl to safety. As he was thinking, he realized they were near the pile cap foundation of the bridge and so with the strength that was left of him, he swam carrying Willow to it. The pile cap was thick and the dry surface was way too high for him to climb but luckily, there was a rough edge where a small metal was sticking through and Darryl held on to that.

As he did, Willow also steadied but she was already in a daze ready to doze off. The girl was already exhausted and the impact of her fall was already hitting onto her as well as the ocean water she had drank.

"My love, please hold on. You are now safe," Darryl, who was already so weak, managed to encourage the girl. Although he and Willow were safe right then, he knew it wouldn't last. He was just praying that some rescuers will come before it's too late. Willow needed immediate care, so was he. "My love, Appa is here. I will keep you safe,"

"Appa?" Willow looked at him and repeated his words as if she was trying hard to decipher why Darryl referred to himself as her dad. All the more, he used a manggan tribe language to say it. Right then some confusion rose into her but she was too weak to even care. Soon, while her eyes still stuck on Darryl, she drew her last strength and dozed off completely.

"Willow…" Darryl shook the girl, but like her he was soo tired and the pain of his fresh wounds blended with the sea water brought him a stinging pain that was draining all that was left of him. He tried to keep awake as he was the one holding him and the girl steady on the pile cap but couldn't anymore make it. Luckily he was wearing a jacket with him and as his last attempt to save them both, he partly took off his jacket and tied the free end to the metal as a support. By that, even if he faints, they will remain afloat.

***

When Ziggy recovered from the impact of his fall, the first thing that he did was to look for any signs of Darryl and Willow. However, after minutes and minutes of searching, he couldn't find them.

"Willow!" He was screaming the girl's name but for some reason, it seemed like he was alone floating in the ocean with nothing but seabirds accompanying him. However, as much as he wanted to give up, he just couldn't. He knew he too suffered an injury from the impact of his fall but remembering Willow and Darryl's injury, he couldn't just think about it.

"Wil—" He tried to call the girl again but he was cut off with the sound of birds flying away as if afraid of something. When he looked further, Ziggy saw that the ocean water had gone red on that part!

"It must be Darryl's," He thought as he was aware the Lagdameo heir was shot with three good bullets. Thinking about it, he understood it wouldn't be long before it would be too late to save his life. With urgency, he followed the trail of bloodied water and it led him to the pile cap of the bridge.