Elion floated there for a few seconds, breathing heavily while surveying his immediate surroundings.
The place he had landed in was not a lake, at least not a natural-looking one. It was a wide, dark reservoir surrounded by jagged black stone, with a faint reddish mist crawling over the surface of the water.
Massive cliffs rose on either side, and beyond them, in the far distance, the sky itself looked sickly. The clouds were low and dark, glowing faintly from beneath with a dull crimson light, as though the entire land was being cooked over some unseen flame.
Elion's brows furrowed as he slowly swam toward the nearest edge, using water magic to push himself forward faster. The moment his hand touched the black stone shore, his fingers slipped slightly. The rock was wet, smooth, and strangely warm despite the cold water around it.
He pulled himself up with a grunt, water streaming off his body as he rolled onto the shore and lay there for a moment, staring at the ugly sky.
