Crowned

Arc 3, Chapter 57: Mesopelagic

// TW \\

Vomit

Mention of torture

———

OJ stepped through through the gateway, and quickly plummeted out of the sky. His rapid descent shocked him, causing him to yelp as he fell fast towards a vast ocean that laid beneath his point of origin above the clouds. His juice bubbled and his wings soon followed, an excruciating pain shot through his entire body instantly. His wings expanded, and his teeth grew sharper, that's when his body hit the water.

Patches of scales formed on his skin, as well as fins on the backs of his limbs. His limbs became more flexible, and thicker. The impact of the water's surface tension, however, caused cracks to shoot down through his glass. The orange juice never mixed with the water luckily, but blood began to leak from the cracks as they slowly regenerated. OJ's body rapidly sunk into the sea, deeper and deeper beneath the waves.

OJ struggled to grab hold of his composure, and struggled to swim back up. He was sinking fast, with no way to struggle his way to the surface through his pain. A groan and cry of pain escaped him as he sank deeper into the twilight of the sea.

His pain seeping into his very being, he failed to keep consciousness, and continue holding his breath. The light above slowly faded to quiet darkness.

The silent cries for help were drowned by the deafening crashing of the waves above.

Is this the end?

No...

His eyes opened, staring off at the sunlight dimmed by the water above. His eyes landed on kelp and seaweed that swayed with the flow of the water. OJ looked up at the beams of light that hit him. He felt disoriented and confused... His body was cold... very cold. And his eyes no longer stung to the water around. He could feel the heaviness of the water that filled his mouth and lungs, no air remained in his body. OJ could've sworn he drowned...

He tried to move, pain struck him instantly, but it was enough for him to thrash up from the sea's bed and stumble back in the water. His movement no longer slow and awkward, as water usually cause movement to be. OJ looked down at himself, and saw the scales and find that covered his limbs. His feet more like that of a duck's. He attempted to speak, and breathe— but he quickly found didn't need to, his sides had gills doing most of the work. When he attempted to speak, nothing escaped. He was under water, so that made sense.

He stepped across the bed of the sea, and then gave swimming a try. He didn't feel sick— or diluted. Everything around him— the water currents and little disturbances were so clear. He could see creatures he'd never thought he'd ever lay sight upon. This wasn't like Objectica... or the surrounding ocean of inanimate island, which is what he originally thought it to be.

He chuckled, though it wasnt obvious from beneath the water.

He swam, getting the hang of it, though he struggled since he never swam prior to this... It felt so natural. He was astounded by the beauty that he was missing.

He swam towards rocks that spiked up that carried a plethora of life and corals of different colours. He watched creatures swim in and out of the rock formations and coral reefs.

OJ looked up towards the surface, and swam upwards, taking a few minutes to decompress as swam to the surface. His head broke the surface tension of the water above his head. He treaded water looking up at the sunset in the sky. The surrounding waters had no land for miles. Nothing but deep seas bellow unforgiving waves.