I find myself stranded in the middle of the southern Kiish ocean, blood pouring from my right shoulder. A wound created with what looks like a knife. Though I can not be sure, unfortunately I can't recall anything of what's happening. How long I've been here, I don't even know. The only thing I can tell you is my name, Aero.
Both my mind and body are weak. My hands tremble when I try to hold them out in front of me. I have just enough strength to hold onto this log that is keeping me afloat. My stomach screams at me from hunger. I don't know how long it's been since I've eaten, or better yet had water. I fear I'm getting very close to dehydration. Ironic--I'm surrounded by sea and have nothing with which to quench my thirst. If I'm unable to find land and something to drink soon, I will die.
I've never been this close to death before. It really opens your eyes. I look back on my life--at all the things I've done--and wish I could change it all. I wish that somehow there were some way I could redeem myself for all the pain I've caused. I've certainly done many things I'm not proud of. The list is far too long to even start going through. Who knows, though--maybe I will make it out of this, maybe I will have a chance to right my wrongs. I suppose if this is the end and I don't make it, this is what I deserve.
No, I can't allow myself to think like that! I'm going to make it out of this. I will survive and be fine, somehow. I just need to focus on the task at hand. Now what was I doing just before I became lost out here? Come on, Aero, think, you didn't just fall into the ocean. You had to have been on a ship. By the look of things you were coming from Kheran Island. It's the only place around this area, aside from the mainland. Sounds reasonable, and I do vaguely remember being there. Yes, yes, it's coming back to me now. I was on Kheran and left by boat not long ago. Ahriman, Strah, and Khalm were there also. Now what were we doing? Why were we even on Kheran? Wait, if my friends were with me then where are they now? If our ship was attacked when we left Kheran, then that means my friends are in just as much danger as I am. For their sake, I hope not, I hope they're okay.
Maybe they are nearby and can hear me. Possibly in the same situation I'm in. "Ahriman!" I yell at the top of my dry and weakening voice. I wait quietly, listening intently. Only silence responds. Again I call out, "Strah!" Waiting, waiting, and nothing. I fear I'm alone out here. I can't keep shouting; my strength is draining out of me like water from a cracked vase. I don't know if I have enough to keep myself awake. It's getting late, the sun is falling fast, and my eyelids are getting heavier by the minute. Soon it will become very cold. This part of the world is known for its brutal nights, and here I am without a blanket. Hmph, guess I'll have to manage. Ok... ok... one more time. I'll call out once more before I really need to start saving my strength. With what I have in me I ready a deafening roar. "Khalm!" Come on! If anyone is out there, now is the time to speak up. Someone has to be nearby. We couldn't have separated that much. That is, if they are even out here. For all I know, they could be on land searching for me. I guess I can only wait for a response. A few seconds goes by, nothing. A minute, nothing. Two minutes, three minutes, no one is there. I just have to face it; I'm alone out here.
Once I get on land I'll set off to find my friends. For now though, I need to just focus on staying alive. "You just need to hold on a little while longer," I whisper to myself. Even though no one's around to hear, it is still comforting to hear myself talk. Letting out a long sigh filled with exhaustion and pain, I notice something. My breath--it's turning to fog. The temperature is dropping fast. Soon it will be dangerously cold. How much more time do I have left before the sun goes down completely? With what strength I have, I prop myself up on the log enough to look behind and see how low the sun is. It's touching the horizon. Night is only moments away.
Looking at the sunset behind me, I realize something. There is a long red trail following me. Sitting on the surface of the ocean, following the small waves and darkened by the twilight sky. "That's my blood, that is a lot of my blood," I say aloud. As if I didn't have enough to worry about already. Now I need to make sure I don't die from blood loss. I need something to stop the bleeding. With nothing better to use, I rip off my sleeve and use it as a bandage. It will help a little but without anything to disinfect the area, I'm at risk of it turning really ugly. I will just have to work with what I have for now. Shore can't be that far away. The island of Kheran is fairly close to the mainland. I've already been out here a while, drifting in the right direction. I estimate to be out of here by the end of the night. That is, if I don't freeze to death. With the water being as cold as it is, I need to keep kicking and paddling to get my heart rate up.
One, two, kick. One, two, kick. Follow the pattern, come on, keep pushing forward. Stay awake. One, two, kick. It's gone now. The sun is gone. Just complete darkness ahead and the stars for light. If I follow the big star Seiren I'll be heading in the right direction. One, two, kick.
I can really feel it now. The cold is starting to settle in. Every inch of exposed flesh feels like it's been stretched thin. It feels brittle too, as though it could shatter with one good blow. The longer I'm here, the more it settles in. The chill pierces more deeply under the skin, even down to the bone. They rattle and shake from the feeling. The quiet rumble of the water is the only sound to be heard along with a shivering body and chattering teeth. Just hold on and keep kicking. With what energy you have left, keep kicking.
Every kick is like a whole new enemy. Fighting and pushing to keep moving forward but I can feel my energy drain with every kick too. I feel dizzy and sick. I don't know if I can keep doing this. My will to survive may be strong but my body fights back every inch of the way. It doesn't want to continue, it wants to rest. It wants to just lay down and sleep. Sleep, that sounds good right now. It wouldn't be for long, I can just rest for a few minutes then keep going. All I need to do is rest my head and close my eyes. Yes, that's it. That feels refreshing. I close my eyes and let my head rest. I'll move again in a little bit. I can already feel my heart rate drop. My body is coming to a complete rest. My breath lessens. The shakiness starts to lessen. Maybe I can stay like this for a little longer than planned.
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Thump, thump, thump, I can feel the pounding of my heart. It's soothing and peaceful. Every beat calms and relaxes me. Thump, thump, thump, time continues to pass me by as I slowly drift along with the sea. The seconds become minutes and before I know it, I have been resting far too long. Thump, thump, the feeling only continues to drift my mind further from this world and my problems. I don't seem to mind what's happening anymore. My eyes burn too much to open them and gaze out to my goal. I only want sleep. Thump, thump, the beats are much further apart now. With every pulse I feel much more than just peace and relaxation. I can feel my energy bleeding out from my body. My consciousness is following close behind. Maybe I'll just sleep for awhile. Thump, yes, I'll wake up in a while and continue. Is that a good thing to do? I am not sure. I don't know if I'm really thinking clearly right now. It doesn't feel like I'm even making this choice on my own. More like my body is doing it for me. Don't worry--I'll do what you say. Just a few minutes won't hurt anything, thump...
Thousands of icy needles rake across my face. Struggling to swim back up from under the water I hold my breath and grab onto the log. What happened? Now, more alert to what's going on, I realize I’d fallen asleep. Spitting out salt water I think to myself, How could you be so foolish? There was a good chance you wouldn't have even woken up from that. Death is lurking just around the corner, crouched and ready to pounce on any chance you give it. You need to be more careful. Next time you might not be so lucky.
It's not long before I realize something has changed in my surroundings. The night is almost gone. Sunlight is rising right out in front of me. As it makes its way above the horizon a flat beam of light shoots across the sky, hitting me directly in the eyes. I turn my head slightly and squint. Even though death may be lurking right behind me, hope and salvation are just ahead.
I can see it ahead. A small but noticeable sliver of land is bathing in the glow of sunlight. You're almost there, Aero, now push! With all my might I begin to kick forward, inching closer and closer to my goal. The sun rises higher in the sky and no longer blinds me. It's bigger now, and I'm close enough to make out details. The color of the sand. Green lush trees following the shore across miles further than the eyes can see. Snow tops mountains in the background, creating a gray and white spine as high as the clouds. All of it blends perfectly together, creating a sanctuary I wish only to step foot on.
Only a few more feet and it's over. I can hear the gentle crash of the waves. I can feel the water push and pull against the shore. I summon my strength and put both hands and knees down on the sand. Crawling up the slant of the shore, I head for dry land. Once I've made my way from the water I can feel the sand. It's brittle and doesn't shift beneath my weight. Instead, it crumbles apart and leaves a deep imprint. A crust of frost covers the entire shore. It whitens the tips of grass ahead and the tops of all the trees. It's still cold out, very cold, but right now that’s not important. I'm just glad to be out of the water. I turn around and fall flat on my back. Sprawling out on the ground, I take a much needed rest. As I lay there, rays of sunlight fall from the sky and cover me from head to toe. All my limbs are numb, I look up into the clouds and feel nothing. I can't feel my arms. My fingers burn and feel as if they want to fall off. Breathing slowly, time seems to be standing still. I finally made it, but something doesn't feel right. I just can't seem to put my finger on it.
It takes me a moment to realize the problem. I'm not bleeding anymore. It would at first seem like a good thing. This is not the case. It hasn't healed itself--no, it's completely frozen over. The blood that was once running out of me has now solidified. I can't leave it like this. It's still cold out and can continue to freeze even under the skin. I need to pull it out. Who knows the next time I'll be in a town with a healer?
Mentally preparing myself for what I'm about to do, I try to not think about how much it could hurt. Okay, let's do this. I reach my hand over my shoulder, dig my fingers under the icy patch, and pull. I let loose a deep growl of pain while baring teeth like a wolf warning an intruder. Collapsing under the pain I let out a deep breath and examine the wound. The amount I managed to pull off reveals it's beneath my skin. Icy tendrils are slithering over my veins creating a deep intricate root system. I can't simply leave it be. I need something to help get through this. Looking around I only see the log I hung on to only moments ago. I could break off a branch and bite down on it. That will distract from the pain just enough to tear it off.
I put the branch between my teeth and bite down. Dig my fingers under the ice. One, two, three, pull. I immediately sink my teeth deep into the branch to keep pushing through. I can hear the veins ripping out of my shoulder. One by one, I can feel them separate. Slowly at first then ripping faster and faster like the cords of a rope under too heavy of a load. I'm almost through, just one last tug and it will be out. I bite down even harder and ready myself for the pain. One, two, three, pull. Snap, the pain was too much. I snapped the branch between my teeth. The final veins violently ripped from my body. Any of the veins still attached sprung back and sank under the skin. That's it, I did it. Completely drained of any energy I have left I fall flat on my back and gaze up into the sky. Relaxing my hands I let the bloody patch of veins slide through my fingers. Close my eyes, and release one final deep breath. "It's done."