For the longest time, I drifted in darkness. I saw nothing, heard nothing… felt nothing. Time ceased to exist. Lost in dreamless slumber, I could do nothing. The embrace of oblivion dulled my senses and numbed my thoughts.

Out of nowhere, the song of whales rang in my ears. Weightlessness gave way to sinking immobility. Lethargy and grogginess washed over my body. I struggled to lift my eyelids, which felt like heavy weights. Amid the overwhelming lethargy, I struggled to regain focus.

Where…? Where… am… I…?

I wanted to fall asleep once more. I wanted to drift away, to be one with the peaceful darkness. My hazy thoughts moved in and out of consciousness. The darkness’ peaceful embrace seemed so alluring, so comforting to me. The warmth of this place soothed me, as though I had returned to my mother’s womb. As I furrowed my brow, a voice called out from the darkness.

Son… my son…

The ancient voice echoed around me in every direction. My eyelids fluttered in the darkness. Hazy blue light pulsed around me, unfocused and blurry. I could do little to stop myself from closing my eyes again. I felt so very tired… like I couldn’t wake up at all…

Bubbles brushed against my skin. Muffled noises echoed through the liquid surrounding me.

Child of my womb… the hour of your rebirth has arrived…

Searing warmth travelled down my skin and face. Lethargy gave way to fear. The memory of my encounter with the blue light filled my mind. Glowing symbols branded my flesh, tracing patterns along every limb of my body. As terror gripped my mind, the ancient voice called out once more.

Awaken, my son… Awaken…

Compelled by the voice, my eyes snapped open. I found myself suspended in fluid, with my arms and legs tucked into my chest. Walls of pulsating silver flesh greeted my eyes, followed by bubbles floating through liquid. I tore my hand and legs away from myself, and whipped my head around. To my own horror, I found those same walls surrounding me from all sides, pulsing with blue light in vein-like patterns…

What is this?!

My heart raced. I could not breathe. Terror drowned out all reason. The walls felt as though they had begun to close in on me. As I grasped at the fleshy membrane confining me, I panicked.

I had to get out of there. I had to get away from this. I could not breathe. I did not want to drown. I did not want to die here.

Then, amid the terror and confusion, I felt it. Blue light silhouetted my form. From deep within me, a force unlike anything I had ever known manifested. Energy surged through every part of my body.

No… no!

I looked down at my form, silhouetted by the light, and watched as the same patterned that branded my skin on the deck of that boat manifested once more. Pressure built up within me and around me. I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to stop the overwhelming flow of power from assaulting my senses. The sound of walls crumbling, followed by the droning hum of energy, rang in my ears.

A loud boom tore through the madness. Currents of water swirled around me, surging with blue energy. Within moments, I found myself sucked into a raging whirlpool. I screamed at the top of my lungs, unable to escape the torrent of water and energy.

What’s happening to me?!

The current of water pulled me higher, until I floated at the center of a raging cyclone of water. Cascades of torrential rain, wind, and lightning surrounded the column of water around me. My heart throbbed in my chest. The sound of my screams echoed in every direction. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, my will fighting against the alien power rushing through every part of me.