You wake up.

It's a strange experience - not the waking up, of course, but the condition in which you wake up. A headache pounds through your skull, setting your nerves on fire down from your spine out to your fingers and toes. Your mouth is dry, your throat aches, and you feel like you have eaten nothing but sand and dust for the past number of years. You move to clear your throat and- yep, that's definitely sand in your mouth. Your face is pressed into the ground where you lie, and when you shift, you feel tiny grains slide into your clothing.

When you finally manage to sit up, the pain in your head subsides, and so does the fog clouding your thoughts. The brush of a breeze breaks through the haze of aches all over your body, soothing the soreness and further clearing your head. A familiar salty tang hangs in the air - the sea, the ocean. You're sitting at the edge of a beach, the crystal waves lapping gently toward you a few paces away. Looking over the water, you see nothing but a blue expanse that stretches into the distance, where it melts into the sky.

You turn and take in the scenery behind you. The beach is composed of thin white sand, slowly giving way to grass and trees in the direction you think would be inland. A forest, green and lively, rustles and crinkles in the wind. There seems to be something in the distance rising above the treetops, something bright and glowing, but it's too far away for you to make out what it is, if it isn't an illusion in the first place. There isn't a person in sight, though you think you can see movement of birds and small animals in the shade of the forest.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=3#21 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/16/2021 at 10:42 AM You wake up. It's a strange experience - not the waking up, of course, but the condition in which you wake up. A headache pounds through your skull, setting your nerves on fire down from your spine out to your fingers and toes. Your mouth is dry, your throat aches, and you feel like you have eaten nothing but sand and dust for the past number of years. You move to clear your throat and- yep, that's definitely sand in your mouth. Your face is pressed into the ground where you lie, and when you shift, you feel tiny grains slide into your clothing. When you finally manage to sit up, the pain in your head subsides, and so does the fog clouding your thoughts. The brush of a breeze breaks through the haze of aches all over your body, soothing the soreness and further clearing your head. A familiar salty tang hangs in the air - the sea, the ocean. You're sitting at the edge of a beach, the crystal waves lapping gently toward you a few paces away. Looking over the water, you see nothing but a blue expanse that stretches into the distance, where it melts into the sky. You turn and take in the scenery behind you. The beach is composed of thin white sand, slowly giving way to grass and trees in the direction you think would be inland. A forest, green and lively, rustles and crinkles in the wind. There seems to be something in the distance rising above the treetops, something bright and glowing, but it's too far away for you to make out what it is, if it isn't an illusion in the first place. There isn't a person in sight, though you think you can see movement of birds and small animals in the shade of the forest.

Disoriented, Falcon tries to spit the last of the sand out, rubbing his temples even though the ghostly migraine has already passed. The irksome grains that have found their way into his clothing are there to stay for some time, he knows.

He blinks as he gets up, taking in the scene for a second time. He's never been to a beach before, nor has he seen the ocean... at least, he doesn't think he has - he allows himself a moment to simply sit and experience it all.

Whatever that strange sensation was, he figures it has something to do with the void in his memory where something telling him why he's here and where here is should be. He pats down his pockets, confirming that he hasn't got anything on him. That means no food, and no water - he's going to have to fix that. There is no way he's dying on this beach with absolutely nothing to his name, forgotten.

All of this nature is foreign to him. He needs to find civilisation, and as tempting as that glowing structure is it's of no use to him if he gets lost in the forest. It also looks a bit... high. He decides his best bet for now is to pick a direction and wander along the beach, skirting the edge of the trees. If he's walking for too long he'll stop, try to spot the distant structure again and head for it. Otherwise he's on the lookout for signs of other people, keeping a wary eye about him all the while.

The first thing that enters your attention as you drift up from a thick haze of unconsciousness is a smear of moving colour all around you, from down to up. As your gaze is still blurry, you can't make out any details, but you do identify blue - pale, blinding blue. Then, a clashing colour appears. Muddy red and dusty brown rise toward you from below, and when you look down, it grows larger. There's a streak of darker colour down the middle, like a crack, and that, too, is growing larger. Rather rapidly, too.

Your senses are slowly coming back. The next thing that you notice is that your hair and clothes are being blown up by wind, flapping and trailing behind you. A faint pain bounces through your skull as your jacket whaps you in the face, and when that passes, you are fully coherent and-

Ah, yes.

You're falling.

The blue from before is a brilliant cloudless sky. The ochre red is the ground, dusty and dotted with dry shrubs as far as you can see. The dark crack is a canyon sinking deep into the earth. A canyon that you're currently falling toward, opening wide like massive jaws about to swallow you whole. You pass between the two walls, and you're plunged into a whole different world. The shade of the sandy walls blots out the sky, and you have to squint to adjust to the abrupt change in lighting.

Out of nowhere, a force slams into you, forcibly halting your downward momentum. Whatever is under you digs painfully into your flesh as it creaks, barely able to hold up your weight. Your head spins with the abruptness of it all, and when you recover, you notice that you are precariously balanced on a thick, rough branches jutting out of the fairly smooth canyon wall. Below, a far drop down, you hear the rush of water.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=3#24 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/17/2021 at 2:13 PM The first thing that enters your attention as you drift up from a thick haze of unconsciousness is a smear of moving colour all around you, from down to up. As your gaze is still blurry, you can't make out any details, but you do identify blue - pale, blinding blue. Then, a clashing colour appears. Muddy red and dusty brown rise toward you from below, and when you look down, it grows larger. There's a streak of darker colour down the middle, like a crack, and that, too, is growing larger. Rather rapidly, too. Your senses are slowly coming back. The next thing that you notice is that your hair and clothes are being blown up by wind, flapping and trailing behind you. A faint pain bounces through your skull as your jacket whaps you in the face, and when that passes, you are fully coherent and- Ah, yes. You're falling. The blue from before is a brilliant cloudless sky. The ochre red is the ground, dusty and dotted with dry shrubs as far as you can see. The dark crack is a canyon sinking deep into the earth. A canyon that you're currently falling toward, opening wide like massive jaws about to swallow you whole. You pass between the two walls, and you're plunged into a whole different world. The shade of the sandy walls blots out the sky, and you have to squint to adjust to the abrupt change in lighting. Out of nowhere, a force slams into you, forcibly halting your downward momentum. Whatever is under you digs painfully into your flesh as it creaks, barely able to hold up your weight. Your head spins with the abruptness of it all, and when you recover, you notice that you are precariously balanced on a thick, rough branches jutting out of the fairly smooth canyon wall. Below, a far drop down, you hear the rush of water.

Still shaking up by that rough awakening Oris took a moment to try and stabilise himself on the branche, at least enough so that he would not immediately replicate the first flight of a stone and meet the ground before his brain had caugh up with the situation.

He was still trying his best not to break the plants that were holding him above the emptiness bellow as he slowly turned his head to look at the walls around him. On the bright side, the senary was beautifull, if he was a bird he would probably enjoy it more tho. Well, if those had the brain capacity to do so that is.

With no memories of what had lead him in this situation, Oris coudnt realy compare this experience, or even dwell on it too mutch on his precarious perch. It felt familiar but, not, if that made sense, tho he was very mutch hoping that falling into canyons was not a normal occurence of his life before he lost his memories.

After stalling for as long as possible he finaly forced himself to look down, witch was not somthing he would ever recomand to anyone as he felt the hairs on his neck rise in fear. He realy had to see if there was a way, somwhere to get eather up or down without breaking his neck. Even if ithe answer was as simple as landing in deep enough water.

Everything hurts. It's as if an explosion had burst inside of you, shuddering through your nerves, tearing apart your muscles, and shattering your bones. You can't even groan or scream, for the pain is too much to bear, and the very movement of your voice box and lungs could send you into unconsciousness.

Through the pain, there's another sensation. Something prickly, a little uncomfortable, but nowhere as agonising as whatever is going through your body right now. Eventually, you manage to crack open your eyes and let out a shuddering breath. So that's what the weird needly sensation was - grass. You're lying on some coarse grass, the blades poking into your skin where it's exposed, and with how your face is so close to the ground, you can see the tiny details on each green stalk, as well as the grains of dry earth beneath. A beetle scuttles by, too close for comfort.

Slowly, the cotton that has stuffed your head begins to evaporate. The pain goes with it, leaving behind sore joints and stinging muscles. You take a deep breath. Then, you push yourself up into a sitting position.

Bright sunlight beams down on you. Your head spins. You're in the middle of what looks to be a grassland, between two lumps in a terrain of rolling hills that go as far as you can see in any direction. A great shadow falls on you, and you startle, looking up. Thankfully, it is not some massive dragon coming to swoop down and snap you up for lunch, or some giant projectile coming to crush you into pieces. In fact, what casts the shadow is far, far above, drifting high in the sky like a massive balloon, partially blocking up the sun. It's shaped like roughly an oval with some parts sticking out of it and moves slowly, so you deem it unthreatening and return your gaze to your surroundings.

Scattered across the hills you can see bunches of bushes and shrubs here and there, with an occasional copse of squat looking trees with wide branches fanning around them to create well covered shade beneath them. In the distance, large clouds rise up, puffy and white, but darkening at their base. You think you see a strand of smoke between them, but it could just be another cloud.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=3#26 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/18/2021 at 10:55 AM Everything hurts. It's as if an explosion had burst inside of you, shuddering through your nerves, tearing apart your muscles, and shattering your bones. You can't even groan or scream, for the pain is too much to bear, and the very movement of your voice box and lungs could send you into unconsciousness. Through the pain, there's another sensation. Something prickly, a little uncomfortable, but nowhere as agonising as whatever is going through your body right now. Eventually, you manage to crack open your eyes and let out a shuddering breath. So that's what the weird needly sensation was - grass. You're lying on some coarse grass, the blades poking into your skin where it's exposed, and with how your face is so close to the ground, you can see the tiny details on each green stalk, as well as the grains of dry earth beneath. A beetle scuttles by, too close for comfort. Slowly, the cotton that has stuffed your head begins to evaporate. The pain goes with it, leaving behind sore joints and stinging muscles. You take a deep breath. Then, you push yourself up into a sitting position. Bright sunlight beams down on you. Your head spins. You're in the middle of what looks to be a grassland, between two lumps in a terrain of rolling hills that go as far as you can see in any direction. A great shadow falls on you, and you startle, looking up. Thankfully, it is not some massive dragon coming to swoop down and snap you up for lunch, or some giant projectile coming to crush you into pieces. In fact, what casts the shadow is far, far above, drifting high in the sky like a massive balloon, partially blocking up the sun. It's shaped like roughly an oval with some parts sticking out of it and moves slowly, so you deem it unthreatening and return your gaze to your surroundings. Scattered across the hills you can see bunches of bushes and shrubs here and there, with an occasional copse of squat looking trees with wide branches fanning around them to create well covered shade beneath them. In the distance, large clouds rise up, puffy and white, but darkening at their base. You think you see a strand of smoke between them, but it could just be another cloud.

Crystal looks around carefully not familiar with the enviroment. Not thrilled to be outside the city she tries to get her barrings before slowly getting to her feet. She was glad that her head was no longer pounding as bad as it was before but at the same time she wondered if her headache has something to do with this strange place.

Looking around one more time she carefully goes towards the bush. Being unfamilar with what was in the area she doesn't try to get food from any of the bushes asuming they even have food like berries or certain bugs on them. Knowing that those types of clouds meant trouble she heads towards the smoke trying not to reveal her presence until she knew who or what she was up against.

You traverse the length of the beach, following the coast next to the hissing waves. The sand is loose and soft, so when you walk, your shoes sink into it, and it takes a little bit of effort to pull your foot out to take the next step. It's fine at first, but soon it begins to wear away at you. You've made significant progress, though, as you look back and notice all the way you've come, the pale slice of sand dotted with shells and driftwood behind you.

The sunlight beams down at you. The air is cool with the breeze from the water, but light carries energy and the longer you walk the warmer you grow. It's that feeling where the heat is only skin deep and keeps on getting whisked away by brushes of soft wind. The heat is building up, though, and you feel that if you stay in the direct sun for too long it won't be a simple warmth anymore.

You plod on. The beach begins to narrow, tapering out, and grass takes over, trees following suit. The ground slopes upward toward a rocky promontory which you can't see over, but you guess after that there's just going to be forest and no more sand. Well, guess it's time for your second plan. Hiking up the hill, you notice that the top is rocky and full of wild grass. It's flat, and the earth there shows signs of being worn out, as if someone or something has frequented this place. Further inspection reveals a small dirt path nearly concealed by the amount of pebbles and shrub by it leading into the forest. It seems to go in the general direction of the might-be-an-illusion-might-be-real structure, though you can't see far enough into the shaded forest to know if it swerves away.

After a moment, something comes to your attention. If the waves had been any louder, you would not have picked up on it, but you hear a soft, airy melody drift through the air toward you. It comes from within the forest, occasionally breaking off as it's overpowered by a bird calling or a branch snapping.

Since you are more or less lying on your side, with one arm folded and splayed behind you uncomfortably, you have to move in able to see down properly. So you do. Slowly, you bring your free arm in front of you and grasp an offshoot of the main branch you're lying on. It doesn't move. You exert force on that arm, trying to lift yourself just slightly so you can get your other arm out from underneath you - it's losing circulation at this point and you can feel a slight static feeling in it. Just as you manage to get both your arms to a useable position, something cracks. Your perch shudders, and tiny fragments of wood tumble down below. Thankfully, you and the rest of the branch don't fall.

With a gulp, you notice that the canyon is deep, deep enough that you can't see all the way down. It's deep enough that the shadows darken to almost pure black, and the only indication of something being there is the slight glimmer of faint light bouncing off of water spray. You can't tell the depth of the water, only that it's moving, and it's moving fast. As for other ways to get out, you inspect the canyon walls. Now that you've calmed down relatively, you notice that what had looked smooth from before was actually rough, layers of sediment stacked on each other with tiny ridges between each layer. Are the ridges big enough for handholds and footholds? You're pretty sure not, but you do see some that might be. Those, however, aren't close together.

While you stew in your conundrum, a new sound enters your attention. There's a sputtering buzzing that starts off faint at first, but gets louder, and it seems to get closer. Eventually you hear a whir join into the amalgamation of noise. A crunch punctuates the phrase, followed by a short but drawn-out scrape. Then, everything is silent.

Or so you thought.

Moments later, you hear footsteps and someone's voice from above. It seems like they're talking to themselves, too rushed and quiet for you to make out any words, but the sound of it slips into the canyon and echoes down into your ears.

The closest batch of bushes is on the crest of the hill next to you. As you creep closer, you notice that there's a wide variety of plant life in the bunch. The main component of the collection is a fluffy bush with thick, heart-shaped leaves that are about the size of your palm. Between them are tangles of thorn which sport clusters of juicy, deep purple berries. The grass here grows taller, with some of the stalks having bulbous white tips. Bees drone between the stems of bright flowers, some red with spiky petals, some yellow with round, sunny petals, and some blue with petals folded into bell shapes, hanging from a drooped stem.

Movement catches in the edge of your peripheral vision and you quickly duck behind a bush before turning to look. A group of people have just crested a hill a few dips and rises from yours. They ride on horses decked in colourful tassels and ornaments, slowly cantering along the ridges. A few of them bear spears while the others have quivers of arrows attached to their back while a bow rests in a sling on the flank of their steed. The person at the front - dressed in bright greens and reds while the rest of the procession wears mainly browns and muted colours - points to the sky, toward the floating shape. The others follow their direction, all tilting their heads up to see. After a while, the person at the front calls some command, and spur their horse into a trot. The rest follow suit. They stop watching the shape between the clouds and turn their attention forward as they ride.

They don't notice you next to the bunch of shrubs. After a while they turn and head away from you, in the direction of the clouds and smoke.