The Devil Summoner in Shadow

Chapter 11: The Fuck! Where Am I?

There was only water.

Endless, infinite water.

No matter where I looked-above, below, around-there was no sky, no land. Just the vast, unbroken expanse of a deep, silent ocean.

And I was sinking.

Deeper.

And deeper.

I should have been afraid. But strangely, I wasn't.

I had no wounds. No pain. Even the constant burning ache that had become second nature to me was gone. My body was whole-untouched. Weightless.

I wasn't even wearing anything, yet there was no discomfort, no cold, no shame.

Just... peace.

I let myself drift, staring up at the endless blue above. There was no need to struggle. No need to breathe. I could stay like this forever-

Pressure.

It started softly. A gentle weight pressing against my skin as I sank.

But as I descended further, it grew.

Stronger.

Heavier.

The deeper I went, the more unbearable it became.

Light faded, swallowed by the abyss. The blue turned to a murky black.

I tried to move-tried to stop myself from sinking further-but my limbs wouldn't respond.

The crushing weight around me intensified, suffocating, oppressive-

And then, suddenly-

My lungs burned.

I gasped-instinctively-only for water to flood my throat.

I choked.

My body convulsed as liquid forced its way into my lungs, robbing me of air. Every nerve screamed in agony as I drowned, the crushing pressure making it impossible to even struggle.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't-

-!!

----------

I lurched awake.

My body convulsed as I gasped, coughing violently-except it wasn't water I was choking on.

Sand.

I spat it out, desperate to clear my throat, but it kept coming. Grit and dust clung to my tongue, clogged my throat, filled my lungs.

More.

I hacked, chest heaving, arms trembling as I forced myself onto my hands and knees. Every inch of my body screamed in protest, the pain that had vanished in that endless ocean returning all at once.

But I didn't care.

I kept coughing.

Kept spitting out the sand that had somehow made its way inside me.

Until finally-

I could breathe.

Even though my breathing had steadied, my mind was still racing.

I needed to get my bearings.

Slowly, I lifted my head and tried to see where I was.

Nothing.

Pitch-black darkness stretched in every direction, swallowing everything beyond the faintest outlines of the ground beneath me.

That wasn't normal.