Midnight Rain

She was drowning.

Aesther was startled as she softly sank deeper into an underwater abyss. She could feel the pressure of the cold water grazing against her skin as she held her breath. The waters were not ordinary.

Their waves grazed and burned against her skin. There were no signs of Ezrahl, and her heart was frantically beating more and more. She could not be sure if they have arrived inside the trial or if this was a boundary between realms.

But Aesther slowly stopped fighting the currents, and let the icy cold waters claim her while he focused on making her heartbeats steady.

Slowly, she embraced the depths and finally found a balance in the waters.

Aesther was no longer afraid of falling or being lost. Instead, she felt a strange serenity settling over her; as if an invisible hand had reached out to protect her from the elements, cradling and caressing her with its embrace.