Purpose

“No. This is as far as I go. You saw those barricades back there. It was sealed from the outside for a reason.”

“We’ve come this far, I’m not turning back,” you say sternly.

“It was designed to keep something inside, not to keep people out! Don’t be a fool!”

You shake your head, “I have to keep going.”

“Alone,” he says, turning to leave. “If you make it out alive, may we meet again.”

He was afraid. Now you’re on your own. Down here in the dark, you wander a little bit further, past rock walls that look no different to the ones ten metres back. There’s a pull on you, as you stumble down through the shadows, and it’s not just the allure of the unknown.

There is a… presence.

Unsteady flooring that threatens to give way with each step and the humidity hanging in the air make for an uneasy feeling. Turning a sharp corner, followed by another twist, there’s a smell that hits the back of your nose. It’s unusually fresh. Flowery. It’s like spring has invaded your sinuses.

With another turn, there’s a heat and a faint blue light, as the tunnel widens into a cavernous hollow.

There it is.

Water.

You were expecting more ominous, dingy blackness; rocks and debris, and some dirt, but this is quite the opposite. Crystal clear. A natural underground spring. Glowing crystals in the rocks shine from all directions, providing pale blue shimmers that coat every wall and every crevice. There’s a gentle passage of ripples over the surface, from the very back where water spills in from above.

You approach the edge and stare into the depths.

Silent.

Still.

Peaceful.

There’s a stone, not like the others, propped up by the near edge of the pool and upon that is an engraving. Old and moss-covered but still decipherable. You dust it off gently with your fingers and then pull the notebook that was given to you before the search began. Matching symbols to words provides the vaguest of translations, as best you can make it out.

It speaks of a choice and a world beyond.

It speaks of the unquenchable thirst of man and the dangers of desire.

Your breath hangs in the air as you kneel by the water’s edge, your chest heaving with apprehension, a churning sensation swirling in the pit of your stomach, bringing your heart to the back of your throat. You have no idea how long you have knelt at the side. You’ve not taken a single glance upwards, but now the nerves settle, it is the only urge you feel.

You dip your hand into the water—it’s not hot nor cold, no boiling burns nor icy chill. It’s just lukewarm. Comfortable.

You dance your fingers below the surface. It feels as though time has ceased its march as you stare at your hand and beyond it to the seemingly bottomless pool. The weight of your body shifts unnaturally as if an unseen energy is pulling you under, beckoning you. It is no longer in question whether you will venture inside the spring, you have no choice but to descend.

Inhaling deep, eyes closing slowly, you are powerless to resist. Toppling forward, you enter the welcoming water and its tranquillity washes over you like nothing you have ever felt before.

“It’s been so long.” A voice echoes all around you and your eyes bolt open, there’s nothing there but deep blue and you slam them shut again in fear. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to give you purpose,” she coos.

It is as if she is the water itself, the words speak in your ears, her very voice coursing through you. Soothing yet tantalising, dangerous, and entirely divine

“You sought me. You have found me.”

You struggle and thrash in the water as panic consumes you, unable to grasp any sort of orientation. There is no up, no down, no surface, nor edge. There’s a tightness in your chest, the need to breathe, but you can’t open your mouth, not down here.

“Stop moving, you are in safe hands. Trust me and I will keep you afloat. Trust me and you will breathe,” she soothes. “Don’t fight the water, let it carry you.”

You grow limp, accepting. All you hear are her soft-spoken tones, all you can feel is her embrace around every inch of your body, every curve and crevice and within moments, you succumb. When your lips fall open and you try to take a much-needed breath, it just works. Like it’s second nature.

“Open your eyes.”

The naked form of a woman is before you.

In her flawless human appearance, her long, wavy hair floats effortlessly by her shoulders and her mesmerising smile pierces the depths. Her long legs somehow find purchase on nothing, she walks towards you with ease, unashamed in her bareness.

She holds out a hand and it calls out for you to rest in her touch, as the weight of your own body carries you down. You settle as she grazes her fingers over your cheek and warmth spreads from her hand, down your spine and into the extremities.

“Did you read the warning? If so, why did you not heed it? Do you seek pain, torture, death or worse?”

“No… I,” you mutter.

“Then are you just a fool?” she smirks. “Blinded by discovery and the thrill of danger? Then I will be honest with you. The world above the surface no longer welcomes you, it has forgotten you now. As it has many people before you.” Her voice is both powerful and alluring. “So, as with every mortal my kind draws into their waters, I offer a choice, two roads, and you must decide.” She brings her other hand to your face, cupping your cheeks between her hands, pressing the tip of her nose against yours and bringing her lips close. “Though it’s not much of a choice.”

She smirks, and then pushes you down, deeper into the water, and she follows, whisking you in a current that threatens to consume you in its unnatural wake. There’s a harsh change in environment and temperature, from comforting warm and tranquil, to painfully bitter cold. Your limbs start to become heavy and numb, making it harder and harder to fight against the water’s embrace, to kick and reach for anything you can. But there is no escape, only surrender to the inevitable, the unavoidable.

Then it comes into view, below you, somehow, an island, with grass, trees, and other greenery. There are grand structures littering the landscape that you can barely make out from this height. In any other situation, the beauty that lays far below would be enchanting, but not now.

“The Isle of Avalon. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Heard the rumours of how beautiful it is, what a paradise it is,” her voice fills you once again. “You can call it home now. Take what I give and relinquish the rest. Or I can send you out to a world where you are now no longer welcome—where only death awaits.”

She moves into sight again, her delicate body floating around you, and as soon as she looks into your eyes, you are ensnared once more. She smiles the most innocent, pure smile, yet it fills you with a lust that you cannot describe. Her eyes penetrate deep into your very being, reading your innermost thoughts. You finally muster the most simple of questions, “Who are you?”

“You know who I am,” she whispers, placing her hand on the side of your head and it awakens in you like a memory.

“Tzuyu. You’re a water nymph. A protector of Avalon,” you recall from a false memory.

“And what do I want?”

“Me,” you admit, somehow knowing that it is true.

“Only you.”

Tzuyu’s hands drift along your neck and down your chest, and as she does, your clothes just fall away from your body, seemingly disintegrating into nothing until all that is left is yourself, bare and floating.

“Choose.”

“I choose life. I choose the isle of Avalon, if it’s with you,” your lips spill your desires of their own volition and Tzuyu moves closer and closer to you. You fall deeper and deeper into her gaze, her alluring eyes of the deepest hazel are hypnotic and impossible to break free from.

Your hands find her waist, some semblance of control coming back to you, and she says, “Good choice,” and pulls herself close.

Your bare body comes flush against hers as she pushes her lips to your own, and her kisses taste like every beautiful thing combined into one. A tinge of wild berry, of sweet chocolate and vanilla. You’re powerless to resist when her tongue slips between your lips. Instinct demands your hands slide down over her waist and across the curves of her ass.