Beyond the Deep Water

Heaven

Slowly regaining consciousness, Camille keeps her eyes closed while analyzing her surroundings. She flexes her hands but stops at the touch of sand beneath her fingers. It's smooth and hot, burning hot, but it doesn't seem to bother her at all. Focusing a little more, Camille begins to feel the blaze of the midday sun burning her skin. She breathes in; while internally examining her body to ensure there's no more damage than before.

Something doesn't feel the same. The air feels humid and cold, it smells salty, and the loud sound of breaking waves slamming against the rocks on the further shore finally catches her attention. Camille snaps her eyes open as the seagulls' squawking takes over in the distance. The extreme brightness of the sun makes her eyeballs sting with dryness.

"Where am I?" Immediately realizing, she's not even close to Blue Water Lake or even Primavera Town. There's nothing but a glittering ocean in front of her. She looks down to see her feet buried in the fine sand.

Camille pats her cheeks to make sure nothing hurts like it did the night before. She pouts her lips to check if the cut is still there. Stretching her arms to search for bruises, moving down to her stomach, she stands with ease, which can't be possible after the night she has gone through. Her body seems to have healed overnight. "No way..." Camille says in disbelief.

She squints her eyes to wander in the distance, trying to figure out what kind of place she's looking at. "Wow!" Camille's jaw drops to the ground at the moment her eyes catch a glimpse of the breathtaking view beyond the ocean. "Where am I?" She breathes in the salty scent of the sea.

Camille is blinded by the radiant surface. It looks like a million crystals have been scattered over it. Further, she can make up a giant castle sitting on top of the cliff in the distance. Surrounded by tall towers that seem to reach the clouds, it rises behind a beautiful forest of mountains and wildlife. Camille inhales deeply to feel the purifying air in her lungs. There's nothing but an overwhelming calmness and freedom after the waves crash at the shore.

"Where's this place?" She whispers as the birds fly towards the towers in the mainland, her eyes narrowed, trying to understand how did she appear in this place, but one discovery makes her wonder if she's dead. "No way..." fanning her hands in front of her to make sure she's not losing her mind.

Taking one slight step back, but her hands twitch with curiosity and hesitation, she needs to decide quickly to stay put and experience this moment or turn around and make a run for it. Camille holds in her breath in fascination to see the shimmering scaled body moving closer to her. A creature with long fins and elegant aerials float with delicacy in front of her. Like a bird enjoying its freedom, this fish is floating in the air. "Flying."

Camille can't take it anymore, and she stretches her arms from side to side, making the fish flinch away immediately. She's standing in the middle of a place she doesn't recognize, still wearing her pajamas, her hair is full of sand, and she's exhausted. Camille recalls the mystery surrounding her that night, the strange wave of energy that transported her to this land. It's still around. She can feel it more than before.

"May I ask, what are you doing here, young lady?" A voice takes her by surprise, making her heart accelerate instantly. Camille gaps with shock as the ending waves reach her feet.

A man stands a few feet away behind her. A strangely old man supporting his weight on a long staff, something a wizard would have. His skin looks fragile and wrinkled by the years, his hair white cascades down to his waist, his eyes are hardly open.

"Um- I don't really know, sir," she hesitates to reply; there's still part of her mind that believes she hallucinating. But, for a strange reason, her soul is caught up in his mystical presence. He seems to be someone out of this world, or more like, someone, out of her world.