Celm slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the light. Gone was the dark, stormy sky he had grown used to. Instead, the sky above was bright and clear, the sun shining down on everything. The warmth of the sun on his skin felt unfamiliar, yet comforting. For the first time in a long while, Celm felt the sun on his face, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath.
He sat up, looking around. The air was fresh and clean, not heavy or thick like it had been in the place he had escaped from. The sky stretched above him, open and free. The sea in front of him was a calm, bright blue, its surface smooth and still. He felt an odd sense of peace, but it didn't last long. Something about the situation didn't sit right with him.
He looked down and noticed that he was floating on the water. His body was suspended above the surface, drifting without effort. His hands and feet were barely touching the water, and he had no sense of how he was staying afloat.
"What is this?" Celm asked himself. "This isn't right. I shouldn't be floating like this."
He started to sink. Slowly at first, then faster, as though something in the water was pulling him down. Panic surged through him, and he kicked his legs, trying to push himself back up. His chest tightened as the water rose higher.
"No, no, no!" he shouted. "Not again. I can't, and I won't be trapped in another place like this!"
He pushed harder against the water, and with effort, he managed to rise to the surface again. Gasping for air, he looked around, but everything remained calm. No storms, no threats. Just the sea, stretching endlessly in every direction.
"This place... it's too quiet," he muttered. "Too peaceful. Something's wrong. It's too easy."
Celm swam forward, trying to focus on the task at hand. He needed to find a way out, something to help him make sense of all this. As he swam, he noticed strange seaweed floating in the water. It wasn't like anything he had seen before, bright and glowing, moving as though it had a mind of its own.
"What is this?" Celm said, his voice flat. "I've never seen seaweed like this. Is it... alive?"
He swam through the water, pushing past the glowing plants, and noticed small fragments and shards floating nearby. They were dark, almost grey, and jagged. They reminded him of the Sepulcher, the dragon, and that horrible place he had just escaped.
"No," he whispered. "Not again. I can't be reminded of that nightmarish place."
His mind raced, trying to push the dark thoughts aside. He had to keep moving. He had to get away from that place. He spotted something in the distance, a faint shape, perhaps land. It was a direction, something to focus on.
"Alright, there's something there. I'm going to head toward it," Celm said, shaking off the feeling of dread. "I can't stay in this water forever."
As Celm swam, the water below him was alive with movement. He saw schools of fish swimming in tight formations, their scales flashing in the sunlight. He was careful not to get too close, knowing how dangerous the sea could be. Below him, a massive shape moved, something large and powerful, shifting through the water. It opened its mouth wide and swallowed a group of smaller fish in one swift motion.
"Damn," Celm muttered, watching the massive creature below. "Gotta go, I'm not sticking around for that."
He kept swimming, his focus entirely on the landmark in the distance. His muscles ached with the effort, but he pushed through. He couldn't stop. Not now.
The warmth of the sunlight on his back and the coldness of the sea beneath him created a strange contrast. He had never felt anything quite like it. It was a reminder that he wasn't in the same place anymore. This wasn't the hellish world he had left behind. But it didn't make things any easier.
He kept swimming until he finally reached land. The shore was smooth and soft under his feet, the sand feeling strange but not unpleasant. He looked at himself, his body was covered in sand and debris from the sea.
"I need to clean up, don't i..." he muttered, starting to brush off the worst of it. "At least it's not that horrible place anymore."
He looked around, taking in his surroundings. The land seemed peaceful, even calming. A forest stood nearby, the trees tall and green, the air cool and fresh. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting gentle shadows on the ground.
"This doesn't look like the hell I just escaped from," Celm said quietly, staring at the trees. "It's too quiet here. But I can't get too comfortable. Not yet."
He walked toward the forest, his steps slow and deliberate. The leaves on the trees were a vibrant green, and the air smelled fresh, like earth after rain. He touched the leaves, running his fingers over their smooth surfaces.
"Everything feels... alive here," Celm said to himself. "It feels like the first time I've been in a place that hasn't been destroyed or twisted into something unrecognizable."
He sat down under a tree, leaning against the trunk. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the peace of the place settle over him.
Some time later, the sun began to set, casting the forest in a warm, golden light. Celm woke up with a start, his stomach growling. He hadn't eaten in too long. He needed food. He needed to set up camp.
"Alright, I need to get a fire going," he said, standing up. "Let's see what I can use."
He moved around, collecting dry wood, rocks, and shards he found near the shore. The materials felt different from anything he had worked with before, stronger, almost like they were made for something more than just burning. He examined the rocks, striking them together to create sparks. After several tries, a small fire caught, crackling to life in front of him.
"Good. That's done," he said, satisfied with the fire. "Now for something to sleep on."
He gathered more materials from the forest, large leaves, soft grasses, and the strange, sturdy wood he had found. He arranged them into a bed of sorts, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible. He laid down, but sleep wouldn't come. His mind wouldn't quiet, his body restless.
"This is ridiculous," Celm muttered, tossing and turning. "Why can't I just sleep? It's not like there's any danger here."
His stomach growled again, louder this time, reminding him of his hunger.
"Alright, alright," he said, sitting up and rubbing his stomach. "I get it. I can't sleep. But I'll deal with that later. Right now, I need food." He stood up and began to move around the camp, looking for anything to eat.
His thoughts churned as he wandered around, considering how much had changed. From the destruction of the world he had just left to the strange tranquility he found here, he felt like an outsider in this peaceful world. It was jarring, but it wasn't unpleasant. Maybe it was what he needed, but he couldn't afford to relax just yet.
"Tomorrow," he whispered, looking up at the stars that began to twinkle in the sky. "Tomorrow I'll figure out what's going on here. But tonight... tonight, I just need to get some rest."