10/7/2025, 5:09 AM
The river was a familiar one, though some things seemed... different. The scents that had crowded its shores were sparser, now. Thin, and scattered. A wispy fog rolled off the mountains, hanging low over the rippling surface like clouds. And most interestingly, it no longer felt the same pull as last time; the one that had drawn it here (among others) in the first place.
The water still burned going down, bitter and acidic. It retched the foul liquid into a bush, but other than a mild numbing of the tongue and throat, it did not die. Curiosity, as it always did, nagged at it.
It went for another sip.
The water still burned going down, bitter and acidic. It retched the foul liquid into a bush, but other than a mild numbing of the tongue and throat, it did not die. Curiosity, as it always did, nagged at it.
It went for another sip.