The absence and bringing of Light

Nero was sitting in a fetal position on top of a nearly half submerged and demolished building. He looked like a trembling statue, his wet raven black hair and tattered clothes sticking to his malnourished body like glue. His dead pan stare made it look as though he was frozen in time… and in his mind he was. He had been like this for hours on top of this building looking out at the faded brown light emanating from floating light poles still shining over the flooded city and under the night sky. Feeling the building under his feet caving and shaking, Nero stirred from his daze, faster than he could even stand the jagged building began to topple over. Plunging into the thrashing water, Nero reached for the pole protruding from the building's inner foundation. Just as he grabbed onto it he, along with the top of the building, plunged into the rushing water. Once his body submerged it was assaulted by jagged rocks and shrapnel. They cut deep into his pale skin and tattered his clothes further leaving him more exposed, naked almost. Using all the strength left in his cold and weak body he held on profusely to the pole. But his lungs were giving soon the pain of a piece of shrapnel plunging into his thigh sent blazing pain throughout his body. At the same moment he let out gargled screams underwater; water entered his eyes, mouth and lungs. Losing his grip, Nero fell deeper into the rushing water, his body twisting with waves until they rammed him forward into a large platform of rock, knocking him unconscious and plugging his mind into darkness… but that only lasted for a few moments because the pain in his thigh and the shrapnel still assaulting him drug his mind back from the darkness of unconsciousness. Running off of pure adrenaline Nero grasped onto the edges of the platform and rotated the side he wasn't on to face the water rushing towards him. The pushing force and gravity pulled him and the stone platform upward to the surface of the water. After a few long and agonising moments of twisting, plunging and rising with water he and the platform finally broke water. feeling the furious air assault his body and eyes and fill his lungs he coughed and vomited violently onto the cold wet stone… still rushing fast with water but now atop it, Nero gave himself a few moments to gather his vigor and calm his trembling. After a while still holding on tightly, Nero lifted his head slightly to see where he was. All he could see was jagged skinny buildings climbing high on both sides of him. He was obviously in a street although he couldn't see the ground, being on top of the water now. The layout made sense for it to be so, Laying his head down slowly and rotating down to look behind him there was a massive cathedral. Relief and hope burned in Nero's tired body and beating heart. There was nothing blocking his path to the cathedral. Letting out a cold shaky breath, Nero closed his eyes and rested giving himself more time to collect his mind. After more than 30 mines of drifting fastly; he crashed into the half submerged stairs leading to the cathedral. He didn't account for how fast his stone platform was actually moving. Which cost him a few broken ribs, laying on the pagoda of stairs Nero let the fatigue of the last few hours wash over him and plunge his mind into the sweet darkness of sleep.