When she wakes it's to the sound of splashing, or rather because of it. She doesn't realize it, but if nothing had changed, she would've slept forever. Now, instead, she's only slept for an extremely long time, and even though age hasn't touched her, she can feel it in her bones.

The way her body had settled causes quite a few cracking noises as she gets up for the first time since she lay down all those years ago.

But in that time there has been plenty of opportunity to learn about her, vacant as she was, which allows for a more… direct perspective.

⟱⟱⟱

The only reason I don't think I'm blind when I open my eyes is because I can see my own face. This does not in any way make the black void above me less unsettling; Which is another good motivator to get my bearings.

Although the vague memories of the battle I partook in do not have any moment where I broke anything, the various popping and cracking sounds I make as I begin moving are still… worrying to say the least. After a few gentle motions of my sword arm I don't seem to be getting any pain, well not any new pain, so I continue. Off to investigate whatever is happening in this monochrome world.

While the infinite white is not much less terrifying, the gray cube beneath me and the horizon where the "sky" meets the "sea" help make everything feel a bit more normal. What also helps is that the monotony is broken up by stuff falling from the sky.

I say stuff because the moment I get to actually see it is the instant before it falls into the white with a goopy sounding splash noise.

Some of the stuff bobs back up and remains afloat, but is coated in the white of the ocean, most of it sinks to the bottom. If there is a bottom.

When the rain of objects comes to a sudden stop I decide to take my chances and lower myself into the white. A quick swim through the strangely comforting and still ocean nets me two items. As I toss them back up on the gray cube I watch as the white that coated them flows over the edge of the cube.

My curiosity wins over the comforting sensation of the ocean against my skin and I climb back out. The white flows off of me in a slightly unsettling manner, hurrying to return to the ocean, moving in ways water does not. I don't like the absence of the "water", as if a warm blanket was pulled off of me. Shrugging off the sensation, I go to inspect the treasure I pulled from the deeps.

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Pirates have it better, I think to myself as I look at the clump of grass and the metal cylinder lying in front of me. Not that money would be of any help right now. And in their defense they are somewhat more interesting than I make them out to be. Somewhat.

The grass has a gradient to it, fading from a deep green at its root to a white at its tips. Turning it around I find the earth is also white, but only on the outside.

I inspect this particular puzzle for a few seconds more before shrugging and putting it to the side, next to my armor.

The metal cylinder is far more interesting because it was clearly made by someone. There's a tiny window inside it showing a reflective silvery liquid. At the top there's a handle to grip onto, which I grip and twist a few times to make the top come off the canister.

At first glance, this seems to have been a mistake.

Whatever the silvery goop is, it wants out and it goes hard. The moment I opened the canister, it rose up and flung itself outwards, flowing over the edge down onto the surface of a gray cube.

At the current moment it's just laying there and I've moved myself to the corner of the cube. I went to draw my sword forgetting I lost that in the fight before all this.

I grab the clump of grass for protection and comfort and stand back as I watch the puddle lay still for a moment, next to the canister where I dropped it.

It's a standoff where neither of us do anything, the goop draws first however, although it's not a sword aimed at my throat it pulls. It just kind of… started moving around.

It takes a while but eventually I decide the thing is harmless, which is a perfect way to get me to lower my guard; I'm fully aware of this.On the other hand, standing watching warily gets tiring and there'll be no back-up for me, no cavalry to save me if it is actually a problem.

And it's kind of cute, although my standards may have lowered drastically since I entered wherever the fuck this place is. (I'm still furious at whatever trickster pulled this on me, but it's more a cold anger, not the very much active throat-throttling humour fueled anger I felt earlier.)

So a friend, even if it's a godsdamned puddle, is very much welcome.

It moves over the edge of the cube, touching the white and quickly decides it does not like whatever the liquid is, pulling away from it and shedding part of its mass into the ocean.

It flows towards me and I squat down, poking it with a finger on my non-dominant hand. It's going to touch me anyhow, might as well let it when I'm awake rather than when I'm asleep.

The sensation is kind of fizzy and warm, it holds still for a moment before it moves away from me, seemingly disinterested.

"Thank the gods."

And curse those below for putting me here.