What is drowning, anyway?

  Physically, it could mean the lack of air and the unmet desire to inhale—suffocation by water.

  Emotionally, it could be the inability to freely move, the panic, and the slow sinking that comes with being in a body of water and not knowing how to swim.

  But I was submerged in the water for mere seconds, so how could I be drowning so soon? I knew how to swim, kept a clear mind, and my time underwater wouldn't be enough to cause me to feel even the beginnings of air deprivation. Yet the sensation of drowning sprung up in my mind as soon as I was submerged in water.

  The mismatch between my inner feelings and expectations was answered a second later.

  Pressure.

  It was unexpected, but I found myself stranded a hundred feet underwater, and the crushing pressure I was subjected to made me feel like a half-blown balloon being strangled by an angry toddler.

  Disoriented, I span around, looking for something, anything that will bring me out safe from the current predicament, desperately trying to counteract the water pressure.

  There! A glimmer. I could see the light breaking on the surface of the water.

  I swam as hard as I could, pushing myself further with Force, every stroke easing the element's unyielding grasp on me.

  Finally, I broke the surface like a cork shooting out of a bottle, flying higher only to drop back down again.

  I hurriedly looked for the shore and was already planning the return back to the Undercity, only for the spectacular sight to strike me dumb.

  The distant ceiling, the splashes of green bioluminescent fungus, and even the ever-present fog were missing. Instead, my view was clear and uninterrupted as far as I could see. Floating in the middle of the sea, I was greeted with clear skies.

  A new dawn was slowly chasing the darkness away, the dark colors of the sky gradually receding, making way for a beautiful shade of blue, and the first rays of the sun gently falling on my skin, caressing me like a long-lost friend.

  Oh, how I missed it.

  I was out! I was finally out, miraculously finding my way out of that hell hole.

  Two small islands beckoned me in the distance. I took a deep breath to enjoy the fresh air before the inevitable trek to land, only to be disappointed by the stale air inside the bronze mask that was still glued to my face.

  I was so accustomed to it that I forgot it didn't leave my face.

  But then the realization dawned on me. I was still using Force to propel myself through the water, and I was still using Sight to see through the metal mask.

  And was I really out if I was still using the fantastical abilities I had developed during my stint in the Undercity, or was I simply in another unexplored area of the same cursed place?

  Another sign that I was not as free of the Undercity as I had believed didn't wait long to present itself.

  The dark form of another giant squid was quickly closing in on me under the surface, my reflexive panicked use of obscuring effect stopping its frantic movement, and the sobering presence of the monster brought me back to my senses.

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  I swam to land, concentrating all my focus on hiding from the aquatic predators. I was not out of danger yet and had to act accordingly.

  At least a dozen more of them passed me on my way. Some wore close resemblance to the Squid we had butchered a few hours prior. Others seemed to belong to some giant species of megalodon shark, their movements intimidating as they circled for prey.

  All the sea life I passed suffered from unnatural gigantism and just as unnatural population density, bringing any hope I harbored for a return to normalcy crashing down.

  When I finally made it to land—to the closer of the two islands—I fell on the cool sands trembling from exhaustion. It would have made the journey so much easier if it wasn't for the need for hiding, but I seriously doubted my ability to outswim any of the creatures I'd witnessed.

  When the sun started to sting my uncomfortably salty skin, I stood up and began my exploration of the island. And what an island it was—it surpassed even my wildest dreams.

  My first hours of exploration were affected by my previous encounters with the dangerous inhabitants. But as cautious and slow as my approach was, there was nothing to fear as long as I stayed on land.

  The sun-bathed island was as close to a paradise as I could imagine. A plethora of small critters and singing birds that couldn't pose me any risk even if they tried. I relished the variety of fruits and berries that were freely available to be picked. Only the minute amounts of corruption in my meals could put a damper on my excitement, though even that was effortlessly Drained away.

  It had seemed that my worries were for naught.

  The day went by in a daze, with me refusing to believe my good luck, and then when the night fell, I remembered that I was not out of the woods yet.

  No, there weren't any night predators that came out to hunt—it was sleep.

  Sleep was as elusive here as it was in the Undercity. Fortunately, I was excused from having to remain awake for the whole night by my liberal use of Hibernation, only having to partly come out of it for a short while to resupply the mask with fresh mana. The action became so instinctive that I couldn't say how many times I had to repeat it, like not remembering snoozing the alarm when everything was done half-asleep.

  After the wait that could have lasted seconds or an eternity, I was glad to greet another sunrise.

  The second island was explored faster than the first. I forwent any attempt to conceal myself and instead tried to cover as much ground as possible, but the island was indistinguishable from its twin.

  Beautiful nature, small animals, abundant wild fruits, but no signs of civilization. Not even ruins or anything that could have signified the habitat of people, no matter how distant.

  Still, the experience was pleasant, touching the grass and the trees, enjoying the slight breeze under the sunlight, and the sounds of the tiny critters. I appreciated every moment.

  Only one thing was genuinely missing—company.

  I had so much to enjoy but no one to share it with. I felt another pang at Kenny's loss.

  Was this how I wanted to live out my days? Hoarding this small spot all for myself, a private paradise for the antisocial hermit?

  No. I didn't always like contact with other people, but I still needed it. Having a talk with another person, planning or cooperating for our future. It felt right.

  No amount of nuts and berries or tanning in the sun could substitute the company of someone to share it with, and it made me sad to realize that it took me too much time to understand this.

  Decision made, I put my mind to return to the Undercity, even if it would only be to show others the way here.

  Another night went by in a mix of regular resting and Hibernation with leisurely contemplation of the pleasant sounds and sensations of nature around me and star-gazing.

  When morning came, I got to it. Instead of swimming again through the monster-infested waters, I decided to try out a hunch that wouldn't let go.

  I built a ring made of small rocks and pebbles around me and sat down inside it, intending to isolate the space inside the circle from the outside reality. I wanted to be utterly removed from the sunny islands outside, and this desire was generously backed by an unsparing stream of my mana.

  Little by little, I could feel reality's hold over the space around me retreating, and my Presence, which I had only recently become aware of, naturally permeated it without any additional spurring from me.

  Slowly becoming the uncontested ruler of the marked space, I fought my curiosity to look at the change, knowing that even peering outside using my eyes or the magical Sight would invite some of that connection back.

  Ever so slowly, the area of the circle around me was changing, becoming more akin to how it felt in the thickest of the fog outside the undercity, malleable. Where distances were a suggestion more than unyielding reality.

  It took longer then than it did during my previous experience with the technique back at the undercity when Maggie had just told me about it, but my assault was unrelenting.

  Finally, when I couldn't feel my influence growing further, I stood up and started walking, every step fueled by mana and the desire to move me closer to the Undercity.

  Just ten or so steps later, I activated the Sight, expecting one of two outcomes. Either I was still on the island, walking blindly, or I made my way back and was now wandering underground, far away from the city like on the day of my arrival.

  Instead, my Sight showed me something impossible.

  I was back underground, the Undercity appearing some distance before me, but it was clear of the haze I came to associate with it, and it was bustling with activity. Every foot of it was crawling with people, more than there ever were in living memory. Thousands, tens of thousands, and maybe more, their loud voices merging into an unintelligible clamor.

  And above the overrun city was the Pillar.

  A ring of pure light was installed part way up its length, its yellow light bathing the Undercity with an intensity that would have felt comparable to the sun's if not for my recent visit to the islands.

  I was left stunned at the unexpected changes.

  What the hell happened here?