Nil is falling through an endless void.
She tries to recall how long she has been trapped in this state, "Months, atleast..."
A light appears below her and grows brighter and brighter until it hurts. She hides within her large, pointed hat, then suddenly she is still. She hears lapping waves and feels sand beneath her.
Cautiously, she peaks out from under her hat and sees the sunrise for the first time in over a millennia. She quickly takes cover once more, but to her surprise she is not bursting into flames.
Dropping her hat, Nil stands and watches the waves, breathes in the sea air, feels the warm sand beneath her feet, and she smiles.
"Whenever you're ready, Little Witch." A familiar voice says from behind. Nil spins around to see Xronad, human and fully clothed for once, standing beside Benaiah the Dwarf, also known as Cool Hand Luke.
They smile and Benaiah extends a hand, "I'd say we've earned some rest, aye?"
A single tear runs down her face as she takes a step towards her friends, but her other foot is caught in the sand. The sun begins to retreat below the horizon as she begins to sink.
"No!" Nil shouts, extending a hand, "Please help me!" But they are gone. The sky turns red and the ocean becomes blood. A cold breeze chases the warmth away as she struggles, but there is nothing to grasp. She attempts to cast spells, but feels no magic. She screams in futility.
As the sand reaches her neck, it becomes snow. The sky is dark and devoid of stars, the freezing tide washes over her, and then she is falling through the void once more.
But not for long.
Nil lands on her back in a field of red moss. For a moment, she watches a crescent moon dance across a starry, violet sky until her hat appears and glides down beside her. Sitting up, she places the hat upon her head and examines the strange forest of bioluminescent trees and plants around her.
Then she notices another Elven woman standing not far from her, arms crossed, blue eyes cold, piercing, and glowing in the dim twilight. The womans pale skin has a blueish tint to it and is covered in patches of hoarfrost. Her grey and blue dress is regal, decorated with spiders and web like patterns, and she wears a crown of ice within her long, white hair.
"Winter." Nil glares at her sister.
"Autumn." Her sister responds, in a mildly bored tone.
"You killed me," Autumn stands, fists clenched, "You tortured me! In that order!"
Winter rolls her eyes, "Oh please. I may be cold and cruel, but I would never harm you or our other siblings. I'm a b[b]i[/b]tch, not a monster."
Autumn thinks for a moment and her red eyes widen as she recalls some of what transpired, "It escaped!"
"Yes."
"We need to stop it!"
"Obviously."
"Wait, we're dead!"
"Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring, dear sister."
"Hmm," Autumn ponders a moment, "This is mother's realm. Where the Far Realms bled into the Feywild after-"
"Yes yes, we're dead and in the Nowhere." Winter interrupts, pacing back and forth before her, "So, do some magic or something."
"Excuse me?"
"Well, you're the Witch!" Winter waves her arms around, "Use your Necromancy to bring us back to life!"
"That's not how it works! I need bodies or materials or something on the mortal plane to do that!"
Winter roars in anger and shoots a cone of cold into the forest, covering everything before her in a thick coat of ice.
She turns back to Autumn, fists clenched at her sides, "I dont like being played for a fool... I don't like being used, like a puppet, forced to watch as I do horrible things, unable to control my own body..."
The sisters glare at eachother, then Autumn wraps her arms around Winter and squeezes. For a moment, Winter does not react, then she does the same as tears silently fall from her chin as tiny frozen droplets.
"Alright, that's enough." Winter pushes Autumn away and collects herself. "What are our options?"
"I may be able to get us out of here, but I'll need supplies." Autumn spins in place, searching the forest for any signs of life, "There should be some semblance of civilization in this realm..."
"What about Spring? Can you send her a message?"
"I've no idea where she might be. I could probably find Summer..."
Winter's eyes roll once more, "What would that meathead do? Stab the veil and cut a portal open?"
"Or she could find Spring for us...they were always close."
"Point taken, do it."
"I can't, I've no materials."
"You are useless, and you smell terrible. Have you been living in a dumpster?"
Autumn smiles, "I've missed you, sister."
The sisters enter the forest and begin a new adventure together, that I will write some other time as it is 3:20am and I have work in 6 hours.
Nil is still dead.
-
Bumple!