The giant opened its eyes.
First, there was darkness, cool and calm like the depths of the ocean, pressing around it in a steady, rhythmic pulse. Then, as sight returned, light splintered through the dark. Its massive eyes took in the sight of a world unknown—green and lush, shimmering under a vibrant sun. Beneath it, waves curled around its stone frame, their saltwater soothing against the harshness of its solid body.
Slowly, it became aware of its form, a shape it could barely comprehend. It reached up, watching as a massive, rough hand rose from the ocean. The hand's weight seemed to pull at the very fabric of the water, causing ripples that spread far and wide. The sight was unfamiliar, surreal, yet its mind, somewhere in the fractured memories, recognized this body as… its own.
It rose from the water. An island lay before it, filled with swaying greenery, vines creeping along tree trunks, and animals moving within the shadows of the trees. As the giant stood to its full height, the island that once seemed vast now shrank, a mere rise of land beneath its gaze. Small creatures scattered, the sound of their footsteps barely a whisper against the ocean breeze.
Raising its hand to shield its eyes from the sunlight, it glanced down, catching sight of its reflection in the still surface of the sea. A being of stone looked back—cracked and ancient, with trees sprouting from its head like an emerald crown, roots trailing down like hair. Its body was chiseled, carved by unseen hands, rugged yet with an almost artistic form. Lines and fissures traced along its skin, and patches of moss clung to the grooves, adding texture to its otherwise barren form.
A faint ache stirred within its mind, a whisper of something else. The giant closed its eyes, searching through the empty space of its thoughts, until fragments began to piece together—flashes of movement, of sound, a crowd of people. He saw a man, his heart racing, weaving between bodies as he dashed toward the edge of a crowded train platform. The world spun, and the face of a stranger brushed past. A misstep, the sensation of falling, then the thundering speed of an oncoming train…
The memories faded as quickly as they had come, leaving the giant in a silence thick with questions. What was he? Who was that man? And why did he—why did it—feel connected to that strange world, that life seemingly lost?
It looked down at the animals moving along the island's shore, watching them with a curiosity that was, somehow, new and yet familiar. Small birds flitted near its hand as it lay outstretched in the sun, their tiny talons finding comfort on the roughness of its fingers. Other creatures, undeterred by its towering form, wandered close, their noses twitching as they took in its scent, perhaps finding it an extension of the land they called home.
The giant let itself relax, lying against the edge of the island, the sun warming the cracks of its stony skin. It closed its eyes, feeling a strange peace settle over it as its body drew energy from the sun above, the earth below. But a question still simmered within: was this the afterlife, some place between life and death? Or had it been… reborn, a spirit placed within a vessel of stone and root?
It didn't know, but it felt a pull—a need to move forward, to understand what it had become.
Slowly, it rose again, setting its gaze on the vast, untamed land stretching before it.