Zephyr found himself walking across a huge lake that shimmered like a mirror. The sky above reflected upon its surface so perfectly that it seemed as though he strode between two worlds. As he wandered, he had no idea where he was or how he got there. Then, a loud crack broke the quiet. The lake's surface split apart like broken glass, and his reflection shattered into a thousand pieces.
The reflections twisted, some still resembled him, others were unfamiliar, different versions of himself with empty, haunting eyes.
The lake shattered.
He did not plunge into water but into a void of shifting shadows. The darkness coiled around him like living tendrils, grasping at his limbs and dragging him downward. He thrashed, desperate to break free, but the more he fought, the deeper he sank.
Cold seeped into his bones, an unbearable emptiness pressing against him from all sides. Loneliness gnawed at his mind. He did not understand what was happening, but something inside him screamed ... if he didn't get out, he'd be gone forever. His body fought against the pull of the abyss, but the shadows were relentless.
Then, familiar warmth.
It felt like sunlight after a freezing night, pushing the cold away. The shadows let go, and the heat spread through him, chasing off the dark.
"Wake up."
A sharp slap jolted him back to reality. His eyelids fluttered, and as the haze of unconsciousness lifted, a familiar soft voice reached his ears.
"You are awake."
His vision cleared, and and he saw a face of breathtaking beauty. Even with damp strands of hair clinging to her skin and dirt smeared on her cheeks, she was incredible.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, with features that blended sharpness and grace as though carved by talented sculptor's hands. Her fair, smooth skin carried a gentle glow that even fatigue could not dim. Yet it was her eyes that truly captivated him—icy blue, like twin stars set in a vast night sky, filled with wisdom and resilient.
For a fleeting moment, Zephyr lost himself in her beauty, his thoughts wandering far away. It was only when she waved a hand before his eyes that he was pulled back to the reality. As his senses returned, he tried to sit up, only to discover that his wrists and ankles were bound. The soft sand beneath him told him he was on a beach, with the scent of salt and sea filling the air.
Confusion clouded his mind as he turned toward her and asked in a rough, uncertain voice, "Who are you? Why am I here?"
The girl laughed, light and clear as the tinkling of silver bells.
"Same questions as before," she said playfully. "Guess you're still yourself."
Zephyr blurted out: "Dianna?" The only person he had spoken to in this new world.
She smiled. "That is me. We made it out."
She pointed to the horizon, where a dark fortress sat high on a cliff. "That's Goham up there". The fortress of Count Geofri stood like a grim sentinel against the sky, its shadow stretching long over the sea.
"We are at the coast, not far from Goham," she explained. "Unless they can fly or throw themselves off the cliff, it will take them quite some time to reach us," she added. "So we are safe… for now."
Zephyr stared at the fortress, then looked back at Dianna. She still wore the same tattered clothes from the prison, but like him, she was soaked from head to toe. Her torn clothes sticking to her, showing off every grace curve. Her body, lean yet perfectly proportioned, radiated both elegance and strength.
He tried not to stare, but his eyes drifted to her chest, and his face burned. Now, he couldn't look away. Back on earth, he'd been too buried in books and headaches to notice girls. But now, for the first time, he realized just how alluring a woman could be.
Had he ever seen anyone as breathtaking as Dianna? No.
She noticed his lingering gaze and smirked.
"Better watch those eyes," she teased, crossing her arms, "or I'll pluck them out."
Zephyr flinched and turned away. "Sorry," he mumbled then changed the subject hastily. "Can you untie me?"
She grinned but didn't say anything as she loosened the ropes. Before he could ask more, she held up a hand. "I know you've got questions, but first, we need to dry off. Then I'll explain."
Zephyr nodded, shivering as the chilly sea breeze hit his wet clothes. They gathered dry branches and stacked them up. He knelt down, grabbed a stick, and rubbed it fast against a flat piece of wood, trying to spark a fire the old-fashioned way.
Dianna watched curiously, tilting her head. "What are you doing?"
"Making fire," he said, keeping his eyes on his hands.
She sighed. "let me do it."
Without another word, she lifted her hand. A spark flared to life in her palm, forming a small, flickering fireball. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it onto the woodpile, and within seconds, flames leaped upward, crackling hungrily.
Zephyr's jaw dropped, staring at the fire."You… conjured fire?" His voice was a mix of awe and disbelief. "You're a witch?"
Dianna's expression darkened.
"I am not a witch," she said, her voice suddenly sharp. "I am an acolyte of the Sun Goddess."
Zephyr's heart pounded as he stammered "The Sun Goddess … The gods are real?"
He'd spent his life as a man of science, dismissing tales of gods as childish nonsense. But now? After what he'd just seen—after somehow tumbling into this strange new world—the impossible stared him in the face. And if gods were real, then maybe, just maybe, they could unravel his mess and send him home.
Dianna gave a slow nod, her voice warm with quiet pride. "Yes. Long ago, the gods walked among us mortals. Our people, the Arathi, have revered the Sun Goddess for centuries."
Zephyr swallowed hard, his fingers fidgeting before he spoke again. "Can I… talk to the goddess?" His words hung in the air, tentative. "Maybe she could help me ... recover my memories."
It was a lie, smooth and calculated. He couldn't care less about Jack's memories—this life he'd stumbled into wasn't his. But if gods held power here, they might be his ticket back to the world he knew.
Dianna exhaled softly. "No one can speak to the gods anymore," she admitted. "They disappeared long ago. Yet, those who remain faithful still draw upon their power, so we know they exist… somewhere."
A flicker of disappointment settled in Zephyr's chest. He frowned, piecing things together.
"You wield supernatural power and you even disguised yourself as an old woman," he said slowly. "Surely you had a reason to be held in Goham's prison."
Dianna let out a small chuckle and gave a slow clap. "You're sharp," she admitted. "I've been in disguise ever since Count Geofri took control of my village. Beauty, in this world, is not a blessing, it is a ... curse. It brings trouble."
Zephyr glanced at her and nodded to himself. She was right about that. "So, you got caught on purpose… to escape?"
Dianna nodded. "I already told you; it was the only way to escape. A few people managed to flee by jumping off the cliff, so now the gallows are always guarded. The only time anyone can get close to the edge…" she met his gaze, her expression unreadable, "is when they are about to be hanged."
Zephyr could only imagine the courage and determination it took to escape this way. Dianna was really a strong woman.
"So," he said slowly, "you dragged me off that cliff?"
"Yes," she replied with a mischievous grin. "And, honestly, it was easier than I thought. Everyone was too stunned by your awakening to stop us before we reached the edge. I had planned this escape carefully, and I was confident I could survive the fall. But bringing you along made things much more difficult," she admitted with a smirk. "Still, we made it."
Zephyr felt a chill creep down his spine. The thought of leaping from that height, of plummeting into the unknown, made his stomach twist. He had always feared heights.
"Luckily," he muttered, "I was unconscious at the time."
Even so, the memory of his dream, of falling into endless darkness, sent a shiver through him.
Zephyr took a deep breath and turned back to Dianna. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "For bringing me with you."
Dianna shrugged lightly. "It not a big deal, you saved yourself when in your awakening. It would have been a waste to leave you behind after that spectacle," she said. Then her expression turned thoughtful. "Tell me, what did you feel when you awakened?"
Zephyr hesitated. "I… I don't know," he admitted. "I felt… strange. It was as if something inside me was set free... like I grabbed onto a power I didn't know I had."
He paused for a moment, looked deeply into her enchanting eyes, his voice soft and searching. "What did you mean by 'awakening'? What exactly awakened in me?"