Lucas watched as the clouds spiraled away, their dark expanse rising above him. With his grin unwavering, he hit the water, splashing through its cold surface.
Almost immediately, a barrage of waves slammed into him, their weight pushing him deeper into the depths.
Snapping back to his senses, Lucas struggled to move, but his body refused to listen.
'Whats happening? Why won't my body move?!'
Lucas looked around wildly, only to discover a mass of glowing green vines making their way up his arm and across his chest.
With each passing second, they wound tighter, digging their thorns deep into his skin. Blood seeped from the gashes left behind, and dyed the water red.
Lucas gritted his teeth, and fought to move his arm. Feeling his fingers twitch, a small laugh escaped his lips, only for water to take its place.
Coughing, Lucas quickly shut his mouth and cursed his own stupidness.
'Crap! I need to be more careful!' He thought, shaking his head.
Refocusing on his arm, he began to move his fingers one by one until he could feel his entire hand.
By that point, he was only a muscle away from being able to swim back to the surface. Alas, that's when he noticed a dark shadow shifting through the water.
It darted back and forth, seemingly unhindered by it's massive size. Golden scales lined its body, and with each swish of its tail, a strong current would sweep through the water.
Lucas felt his heart stop as the creature's gaze fell upon him, it's golden eyes shining through the darkness. With a flick of its tail, it propelled itself forward, shooting through the water.
'No! I can't die like this! I need to get out of here!' Lucas thought, straining against the vines.
Finally, he felt his arm move, but the effort had cost him the last of his oxygen. As his lungs gave out, and the creature closed in, the world around him began to dim, along with his consciousness.
'No... not like this...'
...
'Cough... cough, cough,'
Lucas spewed the remaining water from his lungs, and rubbed his blurry eyes. Shivering, he looked around, trying to figure out where he was.
He sat in a dimly lit cavern, illuminated by the glowing stalagmites scattered across the ceiling. Water dripped from their tips, and splashed against the ground.
Behind him laid a dark pool of water, surrounded by a ledge of stone, while in front there sat a tunnel, leading into the unknown.
'How did I get here?' Lucas wondered, peering into dark water. His reflection stared back at him, worn and battered.
Pulling back, he winced as the vines rubbed against his skin. Fortunately, they seemed to have stopped growing, though blood still dripped from their thorns.
Clenching his teeth, he slowly retrieved his dagger and began to carefully remove the vines. One by one, they fell to the ground, and withered away.
Eventually, only a few remained inbedded in his skin, to difficult to remove at the moment. Sighing, he gingerly rose to his feet and examined the rest of his body.
Several long gashes marred his chest, and blood still dripped from where the vines cut, but beyond the minor injuries he was okay.
Frowning, Lucas turned his attention to his clothes, which were now tattered once more.
'Well, at least my cloak and boots are still intact,' Lucas thought, his expression sour. With his examination done, he turned towards the tunnel, which sat quietly behind him. 'I wonder where it leads? Perhaps to a way out?'
Out of the two options presented before Lucas, the tunnel appeared to be the less dangerous one. And if it ended up being a dead end, he could always return to the pool and decide what to do then.
Making up his mind, Lucas approached the tunnel with haggered steps. Breaking off one of the hanging stalagmites, he held it up as a makeshift torch.
Its light also provide a bit of warmth, which helped lessen the chill afflicting his body.
Over the next few hours, Lucas traveled the tunnel with no end in sight. There were a few times he considered turning around, but the thought of going back under the water terrified him.
Eventually, he noticed the tunnel changing as he walked. With each step he took, the floor seemed to smoothen, and the walls became more spaced out. The ceiling was also growing more distant, and was now pocketed by roots.
Lucas took a moment to study the roots, his hope of reaching the surface intensifying.
'I have to be close, right?' He thought, increasing his pace.
It only took him another couple of minutes before he spotted a light further ahead, brighter than any stalagmite could create.
Casting aside the makeshift torch, he rushed through the slanted tunnel, and burst free from its dark confines.
"Haha! I finally made it out of-" Lucas trailed off as he looked skyward, only to discover a ceiling of stone and root, from which hung a massive glowing seed.
Beneath it, there stood a mysterious temple, whose ancient stones and arched pillars were covered by a layer of vines and ivy.
"What? Where in the Hall's of Mildune am I?!"
Lucas swore, and frantically scanned the cavern, but no matter where he looked, he couldn't spot another exit.
'Don't tell me I came all this way, just for a freaking temple! Surely, there has to be a way out!'
Desperate to escape, Lucas spent the next half-hour scouring the cavern, but besides the tunnel he came through, the place was sealed shut.
With no other options left, Lucas slowly turned his gaze to the temple. Much like the cavern, it was sealed shut, but a small hole on the second floor caught his eye.
'Maybe there's something inside? I'm already here, so I might as well check.'
Lucas approached the temple and ran his hands across the bricks. The passage of time had left them rough, and with plenty of ledges.
Using these, he was able to quickly scale the wall, and reach the crack in the side. Twisting his body in a way that would amaze even a street performer, he squeezed through the hole and into the room on the otherside.
"Gods above, why does everything have to be so difficult?" Luxas muttered, dusting himself off.
When he finally looked up, he was surprised to find himself surrounded by an exotic garden, full of strange herbs and blossoming trees.
A glass ceiling allowed for light to slip into the room, and the stone walls kept any heat from escaping, providing the plants with the perfect growing environment.
Making his way through the room, Lucas's eyes widened as he glanced at the different herbs.
"No way... Isn't that a Sunset Fortune! I've never seen one before, but there's no mistaking it's color! And that flower over there! That should be a Mithril Assasin, shouldn't it?!"
Lucas excitedly named off a few more plants in rapid succession, most of which were ones he had only heard of before.
"Incredible! I'm certain the alchemist back at the Alchemy Hall-" Lucas froze, and his smile faltered. Dropping the herbs he collected, he slumped against a tree. "Oh, wait... They're all dead."
With sunken eyes, Lucas scanned the room once more, until eventually he spotted a stone door hidden by a wall of ivy.
Making his way over, he silently pulled out his dagger and got to work. As the leaves fell away, and the door became visible, Lucas noticed an intricate pattern carved near the top.
Quickly brushing away the remaining ivy, he furrowed his brows and took a step back.
"What's this? I've never seen symbols such as these before..."
With wicked curves and chaotic edges, the message drew Lucas in, trapping him in an endless loop.
Although only a second passed, it felt like an eternity before he managed to tear his gaze away, the effort of which left him dizzy and gasping for breath.
Grabbing a hold of the wall, he stared at the ground with a hand across his face.
'Just what in the world is that message?!' Lucas thought, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
It took him a moment to calm his nerves, before returning his attention to the stone door.
Although it didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary, a deep gash ran across its base, at least three inches in depth.
Lucas gritted his teeth and pushed back his hair. Gathering his strength, he squatted down and slipped his fingers beneath the doors bottom.
With all of his might, he lifted the door, his veins threatening to burst. As soon as it reached his shoulder, he ducked beneath, allowing the door to slam down behind him.
'Whew. Let's just hope I don't have to make a quick escape' Lucas thought, turning his gaze upon the room.
His first impression was of beauty, for as far as he could see, there stood pillars made from marble and wrapped in vine.
Each one helped support an arched roof, whose ledges were lined with moss, and whose center was adorned by a glass dome.
Beneath that stood a stone statue, whose smooth surface and curved edges were carved into the shape of a young woman.
And though a veil of hair covered her face, she carried an imposing aura, whose power was only intensified by the stoneoak sword she wielded.
"Welcome, child... I've been awaiting your arrival."