"Whoosh-whoosh-"
The soothing wash of waves echoed again and again in Greg's ears as sensation returned, slowly drawing him back to consciousness.
Then a rusty, sickly sweet smell of blood flooded his nostrils.
The smell was so distinct, so real, that it instantly scattered the lingering haze deep in his mind.
Greg slowly opened his eyes, and a somewhat familiar scene soon came into view.
A blood-colored lake stretched endlessly toward the mist-shrouded horizon at the edge of his vision.
Above him hung a dark red sky, without sun, moon, or stars. Only a glow like congealed blood blanketed everything.
And ahead of him.
In the middle of the lake, roughly a dozen meters away, a figure stood in silence.
Her long hair flowed like molten lava, or a frozen cascade of blood, spilling down her back until its tips nearly touched the water.
Her back was to him, her bare feet resting lightly on the dark red lake. Tiny ripples spread beneath them, but she showed no sign of sinking.
Everything closely resembled the vision he had briefly glimpsed when his mind wandered while absorbing the stone tablet's power in the Dungeon.
But there were differences, too.
Last time, the lake had been as still as a lifeless pool of blood, without a single ripple. Now, its waters gently surged, breaking into waves.
Last time, he had stood on the shore. But now...
Greg shifted his body, and a viscous sensation instantly enveloped him.
He looked down and discovered that most of his body was submerged in the blood-colored lake.
The water did not seem deep, only reaching his shoulders, but he felt a heavy restraint pinning him firmly in place. He could barely move, let alone walk or reach the shore.
"Why am I here?"
Greg shook his