Whispers of Eldoria

1

The cold water embraces me as I jump in. My eyes take a moment to adjust to the salty sea. I look at my surroundings, seeing a lot of fish and a bunch of coral nearby. I swim towards the reef, eager to see what I can find. I see a pair of sunglasses hiding in the sand and I swim down to retrieve them. They don't look like they've been here to long, they seem to be in pretty good condition so I put them in my mesh bag. I continue to swim around the reef, admiring all the different fish and other inhabitants. Before I know it, I need air. I swim to the top and catch my breath. The sun has just risen, casting a warm glow on my face. I close my eyes, wanting to soak as much up as possible before diving again. I steady my breathing, focusing on slowing my heartbeat down as much as possible, before taking a breath in and going back underwater.

This time, I look farther out, past the small reef and towards the open ocean. I can see a shadowy figure in the distance. Seeing the way its tail is positioned I figure out its a shark. But I'm not to worried, I'm not planning on bothering him anytime today so I focus back on the seafloor. I can see some small shells littered across the sand, going deeper down, I reach for one. On one side, it looks kind of dull and boring, but when I turn it around, it reveals a gorgeous, shimmery inside. The blues and pinks reflect off of the light from the sun, making it even more pretty as it shines in the water. I put it in my bag and continue on.

After a bit of swimming, I come across this huge circle-like architecture made out of huge stones. It's nuzzled in the sand and has some ancient looking markings on it. I debate swimming closer and checking it out. On one hand, I don't know what it is, and I've never seen anything like it before. And on the other hand, I don't know what it is. It could be some sort of trap, or new piece of equipment or something. I finally decide to get some air before checking it out.

I get to the surface and take a deep breath in. Seeing the sun has risen a bit more than the last time I saw it. I draw a big breath in before going back under. Not knowing it'll be the last time for a very long time.

I swim back towards the circle and allow myself to get closer. I'm able to get a better look at the ruins. Each ruin is on its own stone, all of them connected together to create the circle. I reach out and touch one, moving my hand across the stone, it's smooth, not what I was expecting. I reach for another one but something happens. The ruins start to glow. The bright blue hue catches me off guard so I swim backwards. Or, at least, I attempt to. Somethings pulling me in, like a current or something. The middle of the circle turns from being and empty void to a swirly, blue current. I panic. Trying to swim to the surface becomes impossible as I'm suddenly pulled into the swirly void.

That's when everything goes dark.
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I wake up to the feeling of a soft, gentle hand brushing stray hairs out of my face. My eyes flutter open, revealing a lavishly decorated room. The room is decorated floor to ceiling in white with gold accents. It feels like a dream.

Did I drown? Am I dead?

"Good morning." A soft voice speaks from my left. I turn my head to see a young women, not much older than me, standing beside my bed. She has a long, simple looking dress on, her blonde hair is pinned back into a low bun.

"Where am I?" I finally find my voice. I look down at the bed I'm laying in. It's gold with cream bedding that feels like clouds. Instead of my swimsuit or other clothes, I'm wearing a soft, white night dress. The tank top sleeves fall loosely down my shoulders.

"Your in Eldoria. Come come. Let's get you dressed to meet the high court." She pulls back the covers. I expect it to be super cold, but the temperature is perfect. She holds a hand out for me to take and helps me to stand.