For a moment, there was silence, until the Cocooned started rising out of the water, slowly making splashes all over. Josh stood there, observing; he did not dare touch or speak with the Cocooned this time, as he could still remember the last time he tried communicating with one of them, and things did not end up well.
With crimson eyes, they all stared at him for some few moments before continuing on their journey; the cocooned moved past him like he did not exist. His eyes trembled at the sight; he was now sure that this was not just a dream, but instead, it was something much more. It was as if his soul had been somehow transported to hell; to him, this place was just like those descriptions of hell. A place of eternal torment; to him, this was pure torment, being cocooned under vast darkness and then being released only to wander around aimlessly while his body was submerged in strange waters.
He knew he had to find a reason why he was here in this place, and he could see that the cocooned did not mind him, as long as he was minding his own business; then there seemed to be no reason to worry as of now. If he had to discover more about this place, then he had to investigate, with his mind being clouded he had forgotten all about his divine gifts. Kneeling down, he placed a hand into the water and murmured one word: "Reveal."
For a moment, he thought that the gifts were not working since he was not in his real body, but then a second later, things changed; the waters, which were dark and terrifying, suddenly transformed into beautiful, crystal-clear water that was bustling with life. Looking up, he saw a blue sky with a beautiful sun hanging high above his head; looking far in the distance, he could see land from far away. But before the scene could continue any further, it shattered like glass, and he was sent back hurling, knocking down a few of the cocooned; and his heart dropped, thinking that they would stop and stare at him once again like they had done before, but luck was on his side, as the cocooned he had knocked over got up and resumed their aimless walk.
[That was terrifying.] He thought as he slowly got up; he rubbed his back and stared at the cocooned passing him by on their futile journey. He thought of how the vision of the past had failed to work, but did it fail though? Or had someone or something forcefully shattered the vision, and that is why it shattered like glass before hurling him away?
[Now that is strange, a new finding I guess.] He thought to himself; he had never thought that an external influence could intervene with his gifts [I'm guessing the old fart forgot to write that down.] Or maybe he simply wanted Josh to uncover the mystery behind the gifts all for himself, but then he had also discovered something in his failed attempt, and that was this place was not always like this.
[So what to do now? With insufficient information, I cannot come up with a plan, and I guess asking the cocooned is out of the question; well, then what haven't I tried yet?] He thought to himself; hundreds of the cocooned passed by, and for about an hour, he did not even move from his spot, as he racked his brain for a plan.
[Well, let's see; when I first tried to touch a cocooned with the intention to speak, well, that did not end up well; but now, when I was hurled back and knocked a dozen of them down, there was no reaction at all. So, the difference was the intention behind the initiated physical contact?] He thought with his finger on his chin; suddenly, the still, dark water began to rise.
[What now!] He screamed internally, but the water had already submerged all of his body, and the sight he saw beneath the dark waters made his soul shudder. [I....] He could not even gather his thoughts as the sight before him shook him.
Below the water distorted around a massive figure, its body swollen like a pregnant woman's. The skin was smooth, glowing softly in the dim light. Its face was calm, almost serene, but its enormity was overwhelming. The figure seemed to stretch on forever, its presence terrifying. Threads of smooth, silky material connected the figure to the Cocooned, binding them with a gentle, pulsing energy. The threads hummed softly, vibrating with a rhythmic motion that seemed to match the beating of his own heart.
[W-why am I seeing this?!] he screamed to himself, his eyes on the surreal sight. In his mind, he could only curse at the old man [Just what the hell were you old fart?] He asked himself, from the distance there was movement from the being's closed eye, and then it stopped. Josh, who was already so tense, breathed out a sigh of relief, but he had celebrated too quickly because right then the being's eye shot open, and in that moment, it was as if a tidal wave had been directed right at him, and it swallowed him whole.
Josh shot up straight and drenched in cold sweat; his heart was practically pounding against his chest, and his breathing was rushed. Simon peeked over from above and asked, "Is everything okay, pal?" Josh shook his head and slowly began to gather his thoughts.
[Take a deep breath, take a deep breath...] He repeated to himself, and after a few minutes, his breathing was even, and he could now think with a clear head, but he trembled slightly every now and again, and it did not escape Simon or, in this case, Roy's discerning gaze.
"Wanna talk about it?" Roy asked. Georgie/Josh nodded and chuckled after a moment, "If I don't talk about it, I'll go crazy, pal, but if I do talk about it, you'll think I'm crazy...Ahhh, what a dilemma."
"Believe me when I say that there is no such thing as crazy in this world, so talk." Simon responded and pressed for him to talk; before Josh could open up his mouth to talk, Simon gestured for him to keep quiet with his finger, before he got off the top bunker and moved to the door and drew a symbol on it with his finger. He did the same for the walls too, and then he nodded for him to speak.
"What was that?" Josh asked with a raised brow. Simon shrugged, "Warding symbols, to muffle the sound, making sure that whatever is said here remains between us." He responded; his eyes met Georgie's, and Georgie resisted the urge to roll his eyes but then remembered what he had seen just a few moments ago, and he shuddered.
This time around, he wanted to come clean to his friend about everything; he was tired of hiding things from him. Even though he knew Roy was also hiding stuff, he wanted someone to share this burden with, and he knew he could not ask for a finer life and death companion. So, he began recounting everything that happened to him, meeting the old man and getting two divine gifts and a letter that spoke of a key. He revealed everything but only left some parts out, not out of secrecy or anything, but not to put a target on his friend's head; vital information like the formation of the key and the third gift he left out, but everything else was laid bare.
Simon went silent for some time, seemingly digesting the information he had just received; he would sometimes stare directly at him and shake his head or click his tongue. And when he finally spoke up, Georgie was dying of anticipation.
"I'm disappointed that you kept such information from me for such a long time, but I am also glad you shared it with me. What I'm most worried about is your recurring dream; you are seeing things not meant for a mortal's eyes." Roy said, and he went quiet again before adding, "I have an assumption that what you witnessed below the dark waters was the birth of a Blighted, a demonic race of beings yet to be understood or studied properly. The only thing we know of this race is that they see us as nothing but food."
Simon/Roy explained, with his explanation he also revealed hints of himself to Josh/Georgie. "It seems like I was not the only one keeping secrets in this friendship." Georgie spoke with a sigh, and Roy could only laugh awkwardly, "Well, we both had our reasons, really; but bear with me for a little while, I will share everything about myself with you, just not now." Roy spoke calmly; Georgie nodded and asked, "So, about the things you call Blighted, where do they come from?" Georgie asked because he was certain these were the same race of creatures that slaughtered his men.
"They don't come from anywhere; they are birthed when a certain area or place has fulfilled certain requirements; Blighted are born from that respective area."