Astel held his breath, sinking deeper into the small lake. Water filled his nose as he flapped his limbs, trying to reach the surface, but the water felt so heavy, so restricting—he could barely move.
He had jumped in without thinking it through properly, and now he had come to regret that decision. Whatever was in the water wasn't his only problem; he would likely suffocate before ever coming face to face with it.
"You sure are dumb, aren't you?" the voice taunted, as Astel struggled for his life. "Honestly, brat, this must be one of the worst decisions you've made. Not only did you forget that you've never swum in your life, you also forgot that this world isn't exactly normal."
It laughed uncontrollably, which only made Astel more nervous.
He held his nose with one hand, trying his hardest to reach the surface with the other, all while forcing air out of his lungs in hopes of making himself lighter. The water around him shifted—a strong current struck his side, knocking even more air from his lungs and spinning him around.
Blood rushed to his head. His body tried to keep him alive for even a few seconds longer. Not knowing which way was up, Astel desperately swam in a random direction, the light around him dimming slightly.
The voice spoke again.
"I can save you, you know? Just give me your body… our body, for a moment."
The words sent a chill down Astel's spine.
What choice did he have?
His body was nearing its breaking point. He felt lightheaded and was nowhere near the surface. As he moved again, another strong current struck him, knocking the rest of the air out of his lungs. He only had a few moments before he would faint and drown.
'Kill that thing, will you?' Astel thought, as his consciousness slipped away.
His body floated deep underwater, limbs unmoving, lungs empty—but it didn't rise. It simply stayed in one spot. Slowly and carefully, a long, thin, serpent-like creature circled around him. Occasionally, it whipped its body, guiding the water around it in a precise, fast-moving current, which hit Astel's body again and again.
After confirming its target had drowned, the serpent started to close in. It never dropped its guard—not even for a second.
The serpent opened its maw, ready to crush Astel's skull. But just as it bit down, the pale boy's head moved—the serpent's jaws missed entirely. Before its maw could close, the boy's hand moved toward it.
The serpent reacted fast, dodging the slow strike easily. It tried to distance itself… but was caught from behind by another hand.
Astel opened his eyes in murderous fury, a menacing grin stretching across his youthful face. He tightened his grip and felt the serpent's body slowly begin to be crushed.
The serpent writhed violently, trying to escape the tight hold. It bent in an unnatural way and opened its jaws to bite the boy's hand, its long body wrapping around Astel, creeping toward his neck.
Blood flowed into the surrounding water as the serpent's sharp teeth drilled into Astel's hand.
He didn't flinch.
Instead, he used his other hand to grab the beast's head.
He tightened his grip again—but the serpent wouldn't let go. Its body was firm and seemingly uncrushable.
That left Astel with only one choice.
He leaned forward, opened his own jaws, and bit down on its head. With a savage pull, he tore it off the body—and off his hand.
The lifeless corpse began floating toward the surface.
The other Astel followed it without hesitation and soon emerged above the water.
*
The three men watched the scene from afar. When they saw Astel's pale body emerge from the water, they gasped. Moments later, they saw a pool of blood—and something else—rising from the depths.
One of the men sprinted toward the water, screaming, "Master! Master Astel!"
Receiving no response, he dove in to save the young boy. Along the way, he tripped over his own two feet and slid across the harsh stone, bruising and cutting himself. He stood up, as if used to falling, and limped toward the water.
He swam out to Astel and brought him back to the shore.
"Come here! Quick!" he shouted, signaling with his hand to the deaf man.
The other two snapped out of their daze and rushed over.
The bruised man pressed his fingers against Astel's neck—no pulse. He moved his hands to the boy's chest and began pressing repeatedly.
The deaf man crouched down and looked to the bruised man, who pointed to his own mouth and signaled something. The deaf man nodded and pressed his lips against Astel's, blowing air into his lungs.
After a while, the boy finally responded—coughing up water… and blood.
But he didn't wake up.
*
Astel stood above the clouds, somehow walking on air. Before him was the back of a very familiar figure… himself.
"Where am—?" Astel began, but was cut off.
"Isn't it horrible?" the other Astel said in a reminiscing tone. "This place used to be great. There used to be a castle here. But now? Nothing. As if it never existed."
Astel clenched his fists. "Huh? Stop playing games. What is this place?"
The other Astel smirked. "Do you not remember? Look around… into the distance."
Astel huffed and turned his head slowly. Staring far ahead, he saw something.
"That light…"
"Do you remember now?" the other Astel asked gently. "You always used to sit on the castle walls and stare into the distance, admiring the distant lights. Hoping to one day shine as bright as them… hoping to find the one light you always admired—even outside this place."
Astel's expression softened.
"Lyra…"
Then he blinked, returning to seriousness.
"You asshole. Why did you bring me here? To mock me?"
The other Astel stepped closer and spoke in a soft tone. "Why? I brought you here to complain about the hospitality, of course. Instead of living in that castle, I have to live up here with nothing to entertain myself—all because you thought it would be fun to get stuck in a desert."
Astel was stunned. "What? What the hell do you mean?"
The other Astel grabbed his shoulder, leaned in close, and whispered into his ear.
"Your mind palace. It's gone. It has been for a while."
Astel's eyes widened in horror. Frozen, he eventually collapsed to his knees.
"Does… does that mean… I'm actually… dead?"
The other Astel took a few steps back, looking into the endless clouds.
"Do you feel pain? Emotion? Anything at all?"
Astel didn't answer.
"Then you're alive. At least, in this place."
He turned to face Astel's back.
"I doubt you'll be able to come back up here again… at least, I hope not."
He snickered.
"You should go back. Oh, and you can thank me later—the serpent's dead."
With that, Astel felt something pull at him—and he disappeared.
*
Astel opened his eyes and shot upright, still coughing up water and occasionally blood. Everything was blurry, but he could see the silhouettes of three men crouched beside him, gasping and bowing their heads.
"Praise be to the gods," the men chanted in unison.
Astel tried to push himself up with one hand, but collapsed back down from the pain. He inspected his palm and saw two large gaping holes—and a couple smaller ones.
'The serpent is dead, my ass… and he sounded so confident too,' Astel complained inwardly as he laid back down.
As soon as the men finished chanting, they gently helped Astel off the ground. He was still disoriented. Oxygen slowly filled his lungs and his blood flowed properly again. As his vision returned, he finally saw it.
In the water floated the severed body of a thin, deep-blue serpent—at least three times his size.
His body shivered.
He hadn't noticed the bruises until now. His neck was strained, his chest tight, his right torso aching, and his left shoulder stiff.
He stared at the body for a moment before turning to the men.
"Can any of you swim?"
The two men who could hear raised their hands slowly. The third joined them, hesitating.
With a slight smile, Astel said pleasantly, "Could one of you grab the body of that serpent?"
The already-drenched man nodded and walked to the water. After retrieving the serpent's body, he handed it to Astel.
Astel shook his head. "You, hold on to it. We'll put it on the cart with the barrels and head back. They must be getting worried about us."
The man nodded again, and together they slowly walked toward the cave's entrance.
Reaching the blazing daylight, their drenched clothes and bodies started drying, abnormally fast. The water evaporating without steam, as if by magic.
Loading up the last of their supplies, they began the journey back to the caravan.