Goraldia: The Element Wielders

1: New Awakening

I open my eyes suddenly, and gasp for air. I feel for my body, which is oddly still intact. My heart is racing. I have neither broken bone nor skin, but my mind is in shambles. I scurry over to a corner between two rocks, and sit there, huddled, collecting my thoughts and assessing the situation. I still have my clothes from before, brown cargo shorts, an Avengers shirt, my watch, and my black and blue shoes, but they're all torn up and ripped. I'm scared out of my mind, but I am alive. I conclude that the surrounding area is safe, so I "relax" for a while.

Half an hour passes, and my breathing and heart rate slow. My mind is calm enough to take in my surroundings. I am in a natural cave with man-made decorations and floor. There is a small stream running around the edge of the relatively circular room. There are curved light gray stone pillars running from the outer edge of the floor, just inside the stream, and extends to the center, stopping just before to leave a circle about fifteen feet in diameter. Some of the pillars have broken and only about half of their arc is still there. The floor has a fantastic and beautiful mosaic pattern, in dull blue and dark gray, probably weathered down. The cavern is nearly completely enclosed, with no torches, yet I can still see. There are light sources, but they were nothing like I've ever seen before. They were like floating snakes, but fluffy with light and no hissing head, giving off little wisps from time to time. They gingerly floated here and there. It was very magical, and confusing. Then in the middle of the floor, where the circle of the arches were, was a lightning bolt carving. THE LIGHTNING BOLT! I remember. 

"I - am in - another - world," I realize, as I tell this to myself very slowly. "I am in another world," I repeat, faster now. "I... what do I do now?" I ask the nothingness. I stand up, and wait there for another few minutes. Then I walk to the center. As I enter the circle, I begin feeling empowered. After waiting a short confusing while, I feel completely rested. "What is this?" I murmur. But this is no time for wondering. I can't stay here forever, so I exit through the cave tunnel. After every curve, another light snake or two are revealed, lighting my escape.

Twenty minutes later, or so, I come to the exit. I'm about halfway up a mountain with a fairly sized lake below and the sun, beating above. "A perfect place for storms to form," I remember. On the other side of the lake is a small civilization. I gasp, "I can get help!" I assured myself. As you are hunted down by the less gifted of this world, I recall. "Wait. Maybe I shouldn't approach them just now..." I ponder. "Hmmm... less gifted. What did the voice mean by that?" I contemplate. I also realize I'm in my usual Earthly clothes. "Are the clothes here different?" I wonder. "Whatever's the case, there is no way I could find food here. I need to go. I'll figure this all out there," I persuade myself.

There is a path up to the cave I was in, a temple I presume, and I've always been good at moving around on big rocks, so I had no need to travel down slowly. While up on the mountain, I observed the surrounding area and beyond. Around the lake there was a large forest. Off in the distance to the left, there was a desert. Way off behind the forest was a great big city, with odd architecture and a plains beyond that. To the right, the mountains had curved and marked the boundary between the forest and god knows where. The temperature is perfect, but the sun is out and I am completely exposed. I am getting overheated. Almost down. Keep going. Almost down. Get to the lake. Relax at the cool lake. Then get to the village.

After my long hike down the side of the mountain, I arrive at the lake. "Aaaah, cold, watery goodness," I rejoice. I take off my shirt, watch, and shoes, and jump in. The water was crystal clear and felt cool. I swam for a good long while, feeling very happy, until cold. At that point I had gotten out and laid in the sun on a rock to dry and warm up. The lake was satisfying, but having a food source and people would be even more so. I put my clothes back on and start my trek around the lake.

I look around me as I traveled. The trees were normal, and that made me feel safer, but I swore I saw a man in the middle of the lake, halfway under, as if there was a sandbar underneath him. That is a lake. That couldn't be possible, I thought. And sure enough, when I looked back there was no man. "You're just scaring yourself," I told myself. "This world is mysterious, but a man standing in the middle of water is crazy." And so, I continue my journey.