Chapter Text
They woke up. It was a slow, new process. Because everything was new to them, of course. It took a while to come back to consciousness, and it took a while to finally open their eyes.
Once they did, they immediately had to close them, because of the bright light from the sun.
Once they tried again, they were slower, careful. The light burned, but it was also interesting. Eventually, they managed to open their eyes fully again. Time made the light a lot more bearable.
Now came the second challenge. Moving.
Now, they knew they had limbs. They were aware of them. It was strange, to suddenly have a body, and experience all these foreign sensations. But they knew they had limbs, and surely these limbs could move, right. They had to. They had to. Or else it would mean they would be stuck here for all eternity.
No, no, they could do this. They… just needed to remember how the people down there moved.
“Calm down. Just focus. Try to move one limb at a time to start.”
Huh?
Now, almost anyone normal would’ve freaked out if they suddenly heard a voice in their head giving them instructions. But they weren’t anyone, and they only had a loose idea of what normal was anyway. So, they did as they were asked, and focused. It was already a good thing they knew how to understand most words. Some knowledge must’ve been transmitted to them via the magic. That would make things a little easier, at least.
“Try to focus on only one of them.”
They did. They focused hard, feeling all the sensations of their new body. Taking it all in. And… they managed to move an arm.
It worked.
Encouraged by that success, they tried to move it again. And when that worked, they moved on their other arm. Then, they even managed to move both of them at once! They felt ecstatic.
“It seems you’re learning fast. Good.”
But who was…
“Do not worry. I am your ally. I can help you. I will help you, to the best of my ability.”
Then… can you tell me… what’s happening?
Their first coherent thought, and it was a question. Their curiosity was commendable. But then again, it was to be expected, given their position. She could feel the confusion emanating from them.
…How were you supposed to even explain things like that? Could she? Should She?
“…You have been chosen.”
Chosen?
“Yes. The Bubble Rod has chosen you and given you this form. Now, you must protect it. Protect it from falling into the wrong hands.”
They glanced down at the wand, or Bubble Rod. They didn’t even notice it was there. It felt so light in their hands, and it fit so nicely in their hands, like it was meant to be there.
Because it was. Right?
Or maybe it’s just because it just wants to be there. Maybe it’s just that desperate.
Okay… I will protect. …As thanks!
…
“You must also never let go of it for too long. If you do… Then you’ll turn back into a cloud and eventually vanish.”
…
“…I’m sorry.”
…Okay. I get it.
Strangely enough, they did. They understood that this would happen. They knew it, deep down in their gut.
But they didn’t want to think about it. Neither of them did.
So instead, they focused on trying to move their feet instead. It was harder, since their entire weight rested on them, and they had to do it all in slow, almost sluggish movements. Lifting them not to far from the ground so it wouldn’t tire them too fast. And it was tiring. But it worked. They could move them!
Now, they just had to walk.
“Remember, move with one foot after the other. You need to bring each of them forward bit by bit.”
They moved, slowly and methodically. At least them being this careful meant there was a low risk of tripping and falling.
Until they reached some stairs.
Now, there weren’t a lot of stairs. Just ten steps. But to an inexperienced walker, this was a lot.
Oh, they tried to go down as carefully as they could. But they slipped on the first step and were sent rolling down.
Thankfully, it wasn’t too high of a fall. But the pain that suddenly shot through their body was another thing they weren’t used to at all. If they could’ve, they would have let out a cry of pain.
But they couldn’t.
Pain was another thing they had to learn.
“Is everything okay?”
Eventually, the pain subsided, and they nodded.
“Okay. Walking… Might take some time to master properly. But you will get there eventually. You’re a fast learner.”
Despite her words of reassurance, she felt a small hint of frustration emanate from them. But it quickly disappeared, and they managed to get back up, and continue on.
Eventually they reached the entrance of the ruins and took a moment to observe everything with their new eyes. It was… beautiful. The way the sun shined, and the light dyed the clouds a beautiful orange and pink and yellow. The water inside the Bubble Rod was dyed pink too, despite having been blue earlier. That earlier color was merely a lingering effect of the magic that had been used earlier. It was a beautiful sunrise. Their eyes sparkled at the sight, and at the excitement they felt wanting to explore it all. They could move know! They could go see all of this! And then they would go down to the surface and-
Except they were in the sky. And they had no idea how to get down. And also there was more stairs.
She could feel their excitement deflate like a ballon. Still there, but much more muted, plagued by doubt.
“I suppose now would be a good time to teach you about one of the Bubble Rod’s abilities.”
They perked up. Abilities?
“Yes. You should be able to create clouds of your own, solid ones, and use them to get down from here. Just focus and imagine it.”
They did as they were told. It wasn’t too hard. Clouds were familiar. And they knew they could be somewhat solid.
They waved the wand, seeing as the water was being pulled from the air and gathered, and then, a cloud appeared! Success! Following the voice’s next instructions, they climbed onto it. It took a bit of effort, but they were successful.
“Perfect. Now you should be able to ride it down.”
And it worked! They could move it, albeit slowly, and started slowly floating in the sky, gently descending to the surface. Their eyes lit up with excitement once again.
But there was still one thing they needed to do.
Thank you! …Friend!
Could the nice voice be their friend? They hoped so, at least.
“…You’re welcome.”
Thank you.