You fell.

The wind howled past your ears, a rush of cold air stealing your breath as the world above faded into a distant memory. The sky blurred, twisting into something unnatural—shifting colors, bending space, neither night nor day, neither real nor imagined. Then, suddenly—silence.

You plunged into water.

The pool was impossibly still, a surface that had never known a ripple until you shattered it. The water was cool yet warm, heavy yet weightless, clinging to your skin like something alive. It smelled of pomegranates and blooming vines, of distant storms and forgotten dreams. As you drifted downward, the glow of golden lanterns flickered above, illuminating soft voices—gentle, melodic, curious.

Nymphs.

They surrounded you, their laughter like chimes in the wind, their touch feather-light as they lifted you from the pool. Soft hands, curious whispers, knowing smiles. They had seen this before. A mortal arriving where no mortal should be.

And somewhere beyond them, waiting in the place that was everywhere and nowhere—Lucian watched.