Info
This was a three hour exercise and the image is something I made myself! Enjoy :]
You start to lose your strength.
Your desperation to live has reduced your senses to only that which surrounds you: the stinging cold waters. Do you even remember what level you're on? This world has many oceans, many submerged lands, you may still live if you could just remember where you are.
Your arms are tired.
There's no sign of safety in sight, no sign of rescue within reach. Do you remember why you swam out here in the first place? Was it a search for paradise? Was it a chance for relaxation? It was foolish, you realise that now.
Your ever-kicking legs start to slow down.
It's dark out here. But why do you need to see your imminent demise? What will kill you first, what lurks beneath the surface or the waters themselves?
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You're starting to think the depths will be a nicer way out.
You drop.
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The colour of the sky above blots out.
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The vast cold engulfs you.
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Ice stabs your lungs from the inside.
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Your mind spirals in delirious panic.
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Your vision blurs in agony.
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You weakly thrash one last time.
You resurface.
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Depth's End is a rest point for those who escape a watery grave, an enclosed cave lit up in bioluminescence. No one knows how or why those who almost drown find their way here, only that you only visit once. One more chance to try again, one more chance to make it somewhere better.
Nothing else resides here, save for the sound of droplets falling from the cavetop, the strange rock formations that make up the cave, and the warm, lapping waters of luxury. No food can be found here, and the water is too salty to bring benefit. The air is humid, a gentle mix of petrichor and ocean air filling the cave.
Allow yourself the moment to relax, take in the breaths of life - you have been granted a second chance, after all. The pain still exists, yes, but the relief overwhelms you enough not to care for a brief moment. Feeling returns to your hands, smooth stone and gentle waters the first thing to grace that sense. Take your time, you don't need to leave here until you're ready. The water shall lap at your body but it will not take you in.
Exiting may not feel so easy for you. It's the same way you came in, after all. When you are ready to move on, dive into the water's depths once again. When you come to, you will rise within a safer zone of the level that brought you here. From there, it is up to you what you do with your life.
Last chances are not given so easily.