Cold Plunge

For a small moment, June could perceive nothing. Everything around him was a vast expanse of darkness, devoid of anything.

However, the shard on his forearm glowed, providing a dim light within the shadows.

Without hesitation, he brought it up and summoned his Runic Web.

The moment he did, a description was provided to him, saying:

[Trial Goal: Escape Infinite Purgatory]

With that, the darkness collapsed, leaving him stunned.

Directly after, he felt a slight wind brushing his face. Once his consciousness picked up on that, everything rendered in — both in the distance and close by.

It was a vast expanse of drowned-out land, with a colossal lake claiming every inch of it.

Several constructs were protruding out of the deep lake, such as temples, a few statues, prodigious columns, and so forth.

There was also a deep shroud of fog veiling the distance, with several chunky mountains serving as the backdrop of the grayish atmosphere, their peaks hiding amidst the eerie fog, obscuring the boundary between land and sky.

'W-wait…'

There was a lot to gaze over… and that's what was off.

June had a view of nearby land from a decent altitude which meant…

'C-crap!'

Once he realized, he began plummeting.

'Crap, crap, crap!!'

Beneath him, the visibly cold water awaited.

Meanwhile, above him, the magical Rift through which he had appeared began closing, its otherworldly mouth shutting after having expelled him.

June flailed his arms, panicking.

Surely the fall wouldn't kill him, right?

That's all he could wonder, though. 

He flailed his arms, trying to control himself. But the more he descended, the faster he got.

Then, not long after, he met the brutal force of the ice-cold water with his back first, splashing through.

He immediately felt the cold touch of the dark waters seep through his skin and into his bones, chilling him to his core. It was almost impossible to hold his breath, cold enough to make him want to give up under its pressure.

No the less, he persevered, finding his way to the surface. He couldn't see through the dark water, as if it was devoid of light, but he managed. Using his senses, he resurfaced and let out a long, desperate breath of air.

Now floating, he wiped his eyes and shivered as he took a look around.

The fog mostly covered everything, providing little to no vision for him to peer through. But June had to find a way out of the water soon.

If he didn't, he'd likely freeze to death.

Turning, he looked over to the opposite side. 

'Damn it!'

Nothing was viable. Yet, that wasn't his only problem anymore. The water began rumbling, while the level around him began rising and falling.

Accompanying it was the distant sound of more rushing water, growing closer.

It was a wave.

With gritted teeth, June took a deep inhale of air before being met with the oncoming wave head-on. The force sent him somewhere — anywhere, even. He couldn't tell; he just felt his body buckle under the chilling water's force, drifting through the large lake.

He tried to make sense of his direction, but it wasn't possible for him. The moment the wave made contact, he was taken with it, now struggling for air.

***

Gemm rested by a ghostly fire made from a single feather her brother had given her, its white flames swaying within a small pit of stones she had found nearby. 

As she gazed distantly into the pale fire, the edges of her mouth curled into a frown. She held her knees close to her chest, hugging them as she thought of what to do now.

Carelessly, she had missed avoiding the Shift. 

Although their group was tethered to a nearby Idol, they had grown desperate, venturing too far from it.

This decision, in turn, not only created a large distance from their Anchor but severed the Tether they had to any Idols at all. 

Well, at least Gemm's. 

Unlike the rest of her group, she hadn't communed with the nearest Idol in order to reset the limit the Tether required to avoid the Shift before leaving. 

Now, she was paying the price for it. 

'Damn it, what was I thinking…'

Her heart ached, wishing she could go back and change it all. She was as good as dead now. 

Gemm was within a new Dimension. She had been for the last few hours, wrestling with her own emotions.

The sky's were gray, the space was foggy, and the jet-black waters invited death. 

Anyone who dared to plunge into such horrific depths would undeniably die a slow death — if they hadn't already. Which was why she steered clear of it, finding a small rocky alcove to rest inside.

Not like it mattered anyway; it was highly unlikely for her to encounter someone — at least a human.

In fact, other than her group, the only humans she ever encountered were Corrupted — and rarely at that. No one else outside the Sheltered Void was living.

Growing cold, Gemm held out the palms of her hands to bask in the calm heat of the fire. The gray sky outside seemed to be dimming, inviting the forlorn night within the Dimension.

Usually, the darkness invited hungry creatures. 

Gemm had encountered many nights where that was the case, which meant this Dimension would undoubtedly be the same.

Any Dimension where day turns to night spells doom.

What's worse, her current spot wasn't the greatest. At times like this, it'd be better to find higher ground before nightfall.

With a sigh, she dismissed the Item [Ghostly Feather] before bringing up her Runic Web.

Inside, she took a glimpse at the Personal Tether Duke and her had… which, by the second, grew more distant.

'Is he going back…'

She wistfully wondered.

No, her big brother wasn't the type to do that. He was likely hell-bent on finding her, despite the stark odds.

Even so, she was well aware of how impossible such a task was.

Of course, through their Personal Tether, they could see each other's status as well as whereabouts, but that didn't exactly define how far and what path awaited them.

Within the several vast Dimensions of Infinite Purgatory, she not only could be hundreds of miles away, but also hundreds of Dimensions away.

'Damn it!'

If she had simply communed with the Idol… she could have avoided the Shift, giving her enough time to return to the Anchor alongside the group.

Suddenly, alerting Gemm, a pair of footsteps approached, surprising her. 

Casting away her thoughts, she resolutely grabbed her katana by the hilt and listened.

The steps were heavy, almost human-like.

They were also drenched, the sound of dripping water meeting the rocky stone path outside reaching her ears.

Using her [Aura Perception] ability, she honed in on the being.