Death resumed its deadly activities. Rahu awoke standing knee-deep in black water that oozed decay. The surface was eerily still, yet something was moving beneath it, brushing against his legs slowly; he did not retreat.
The moment the calm water stirred upward, flooding his lungs with icy filth, he forced his body to remain upright, refusing to surrender.
He drowned standing with his eyes open and memorizing the sensation of air abandoning him.
When he returned…he was falling, no sky, no ground. Just endless,maddening descent through crushing pressure that destroyed his body piece by piece.
The fall hadn't ended with an impact; it ended when his awareness could no longer endure being stretched infinitely.
Darkness…
He awoke kneeling on scorched ground, his hands already burned to ashes. This time, the pain was accurate and precise, almost surgical. His nerves were isolated and ignited each individually, as if the trial wanted to watch him squirm and break.
