Azur Lane: Future Warp - The Retelling

Two - On the Sandy Shore

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??? - ???

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With a weight pressing on her chest and her breathing labored, Enterprise gradually regains consciousness. Water laps against her back, seeping across her chest, and reaching her eyes and nose. Her eyelids flutter open to reveal a sandy expanse and a tuft of grass before her face on one side of her vision, and on the other, a clear blue sky. Regaining control over her hands and shoulders, she musters the remnants of her strength to push herself up from the ground.

Her palms and her foot sank only slightly on a sandy ground, but she manages to get herself up without any hassle, albeit as she looked around, she is confused.

"Where am i?' Enterprise asked by herself.

She still felt her stinging pain above her forehead and she was nauseatic and dizzy. She looked down on her hands to see hints of blood and there was even a small puddle on where she once woke up.

"I'm still injured... Ugh...." she groaned.

She looked around the surroundings on the sandy shore as she tried to recall with the best of her memory.

"The last time I was back there... All i see is the mist... Belfast, Laffey, and the others... They're all swallowed by it... And then..."

She can recall everything up to the moment she was pulled into the vortex and its ripples, but not her wanderings in the endless dark. As blood oozed out from her forehead wound, coaxing by her fingers as she touched, she knew she needed help. Surveying the small beach, she noted a quaint lighthouse, a line of houses behind tall fences, rocks scattered along the shore, and a giant suspension bridge in the distance, with large cargo ships passing beneath.

"Where am I...?" she said to herself. As she continued staring at the cargo ships transiting through the giant suspension bridge, she thought: "This must lead something... I'll have to find out where does that lead..."

Clad in her still damp clothes, she retrieves her sailor cap, also washed ashore, and meanders along the narrow, rocky, sandy shore. She weaves past rows of houses and preoccupied individuals, eventually reaching a small, deserted dock. Climbing up for a better view, she spots the massive suspension bridge. From this vantage point, the horizon reveals extensive land, suggesting a populous area. Descending from the dock, she wanders until the shoreline opens up, and she sees two children from the distance digging in the sand with tiny shovels.

Enterprise stared out at them for only a few seconds and thought:

"So far, I have seen a few people, which is good news that I am in civilization... But what are they doing on the ground with these... things? Are they preparing for war?"

She approached the children slowly and attempted to inquire about their activities, but as they caught sight of a woman drenched in blood, they let out screams of terror and fled, leaving their shovels behind. Despite Enterprise's efforts to call after them, it was futile.

"Come on... at least, tell me where's the nearest town!" she groaned. After the children disappeared from sight, she looked around to see the sandy ground now connects to a nearby road, with parked cars lined up right beside it. She walks closer and is astounded by the design, especially as she peered through the windows.