The Unknown Realm #4 (Waverly Stump and The 7 Realms)

XLVIII

An icy blast of wind sped out from the east and filled up Waverly's lungs as it blew past. She glanced in the direction and saw nothing, noticing only the loud voice that was the whooshing wind itself. The frightening phenomenon repeated as quickly as it faded, leading her to believe that the wind traveled in a really fast circle.

She tried to push herself to stand, but keeled sideways and fell. Her body felt like a sack of meat. There was no ounce of tiredness within her, but she felt sorely weak and heavy – as one would after swimming for a prolonged period of time. Just then, she lifted her head, her brows furrowing in alarm. The last thing she recalled was an opaque body of water so large that the lake nearest to her home would have felt embarrassed to call itself the same. She remembered vivid blackness.

Labored breaths escaped her as she glanced about in search of Judson. He had been by her side when the wave hit. A rush of panic drove her to fight to sit. When she eventually did, she caught glimpse of a tiny figure a good way off, nestled in blankets of rolling waves. Her head cocked to the side.

"Onympha?" She called under her breath.

Her wobbly arms pushed against the strange crystal sands of the beach, supporting her heavy frame and thick, pouchy clothes to an upright stand. She staggered forward a few steps, perplexed at how using her own body suddenly felt alien and awkward. It felt as if she had been taken out of her own frame and put into a much larger one. Her multiple layers of clothing was soaking wet down to her boots and, as such, made no difference when the waves splashed into her.

She approached the Nedae and fell on her knees with a thud, her chest heaving with tired breaths. "You brought me here."

Onympha nodded and crooned a melancholic tone for a while as if trying to convey a heartbreaking message.

Waverly stared into the former's face, her own crumpling into fear. She gulped. "You brought me. . . only me."

The Nedae nodded again and lowered her head in a wavelike motion. A building sob made Waverly unable to produce sound for a quarter of a minute.

"Where is Jud?"

No answer came. Onympha refused to look up.

"D-Did. . . Did you see him w-when you found me?"

A head shake and another croon made Waverly bury her face in her hands, but before the tears could fall, she glanced up again. Along the length of the beach, fog draped the atmosphere in thick folds, yet, she had caught sight of a spot of color as her head lowered.

She stared on, absentmindedly pushing her heavy self up. "There! I see someone."

With hilarious swaying movements, she hurried along the sand, deflecting fog by constantly waving both hands in front of her face. The nearer she came, the clearer the atmosphere became. Then, with a gasp she lurched into a run.

"Judson!"

He laid flat on his back with arms apart only a few paces from where the waves broke over land, and on either sides of him were several familiar faces. Niana had her long arm over Judson's midsection as he occasionally floated from the returning water. Several other Nixies were behind her, but still suspended in the ocean afar off. Waverly tried to count them, but found that her attention refused to be taken by anything other than Judson.

She knelt and partly retrieved him from Niana. He looked frighteningly pale and bloated, like a blowfish. His curls were plastered about his face and his belongings had come loose around him, yet were miraculously still intact. Unlike her, he had no more than two layers of clothing on because anything additional would make him look outright ridiculous.