Page 61 of Court of Aether and Shadows

Instead, I found myself in a world that defied everything I thought I knew about reality.

The lake I'd landed in was a mesmerizing swirl of blues and purples, with flecks of what looked like starlight dancing beneath the surface. It stretched beyond me, vast and serene, its shores lined with trees whose silver leaves shimmered in a non-existent breeze.

In the distance, I could see mountains that seemed to float, their peaks wreathed in clouds that glowed with inner light. How strangely beautiful it was — the shades of copper and evergreen decorating the mountain tops were, with hints of snow that twinkled like Christmas decor.

But it was the sky that truly took my breath away.

It was a painter's dream – warm, golden tones blending seamlessly with soft pinks and lavenders. Ribbons of color danced across the heavens, like an aurora but more vibrant, more alive.

And there, hanging impossibly large and beautiful in the sky, was a blue moon that seemed close enough to touch. Its surface was etched with intricate patterns that shifted and changed as I watched, telling stories I could almost, but not quite, understand.

Still in shock, I swam to the edge of the lake, hauling myself out onto a bank covered in soft, iridescent grass. Each blade seemed to sing as I touched it, a melody just on the edge of hearing. My combat gear was soaked and heavy, but somehow, Ifelt lighter than I ever had before. It was as if some great weight I'd been carrying my entire life had suddenly been lifted.

Looking down at my hands, I was startled to see my skin glowing with a soft, inner light. Intricate patterns, like the most delicate lace, swirled across my flesh. They pulsed in time with my heartbeat, growing brighter as I focused on them. A few dared to swim in orbit, moving at a constant pace that stressed the importance of balance in my mind.

"What... what is this place?" I whispered, my voice shaky with a mixture of awe and rising panic. The beauty around me was overwhelming, but so was the enormity of what had just happened.

One moment I had been falling to my death, betrayed and cornered, and the next...

My head pounded as I tried to reconcile the impossible.

Instead, I found myself in a world that defied everything I thought I knew about reality.

The rational part of my mind –the part trained for combat and survival– was screaming that this couldn't be real. I must have hit my head in the fall. Or maybe I was dead, and this was some kind of afterlife? Heaven at best? Just minus the angels they talk about.

But another part of me, a part that felt ancient and newly awakened, whispered that I was finally where I belonged.

That this was the home my soul had been craving for.

Centuries lost and memories buried deep within.

As I stood there, caught between wonder and fear, I became aware of a strange sensation building within me. It was as if the very air, the earth beneath my feet, the water still clinging to my skin – all of it was reaching out to me, welcoming me home.

Power thrummed through my veins, foreign yet achingly familiar.

I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by the sensations coursing through me.

In that moment of stillness, memories flickered through my mind – not of my life in the human world, but of this place.

Running through fields of flowers that sang as I passed.

Swimming in lakes of liquid starlight.

Dancing beneath a sky filled with more moons and stars than I could count.

It made a smile creep onto my parted lips, allowing my pounding heart to slow as I basked in the blissful glee of these joyous memories that made me feel innocent and free.

But with those flashes of joy came darker images.

A great battle, the sky torn asunder by forces I couldn't comprehend.

A crown, heavy with the weight of destiny.

And faces – so many faces – looking at me with hope, fear, and expectation.

My smile faded as disappointment consumed me. It felt as if so many peoples’ hope laid upon my shoulders and I’d suddenly let them down. It made me feel pitiful. Like all this power coursing through me still couldn’t protect everything I cherished.

So…what led to me sacrificing it all?

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