[ As soon as he’s out of sight, he essentially stops pretending at being anything other than what he is. It’s the more efficient use of the time he has (if it’s limited at all), or so he decides. Like he had shed his jacket, he sheds the human shape he takes on to become the mass of abyssal black that’s much truer. It’s as formless as the water itself, and he’s able to move through the water far faster than being constrained by limbs.
He dives deep—far deeper than any mortal or the former residents of this island were capable, but eventually, he sees how the pool opens up below. It turns into an expanse of the sea where he sees no bottom even now, but he can see how the roots snake through the structure above to poke out and still continue down, and they too stretch out just as much as the ocean. He’s surprised to see it, honestly. Both the roots and the sea are far more vast than he expects. He swims to the closest root, and for a moment, he does hesitate. His run-ins with the Tree of Life haven’t been ideal, but. A deal is a deal.
He reaches out to the Tree, and indeed, the first impression is absolutely rejection and a sting of pain. As it turns out, it’s not exactly thrilled that Sebastian and Jinx (mostly Jinx, he’d argue) set it, uh, a little on fire. Don’t worry about it. But he pushes through, trying to convey peace as if he were in Communion, and that seems to be enough. But it’s still brief before the connection cuts off. It’s only enough for Sebastian to be certain that this is the same Tree, somehow. How very strange indeed.
It's as he withdraws that he starts to feel the chill seep in as Voryn’s magic fades, and he gives what would be a sigh if he had the breath to do so. Time’s up, he supposes. Just as quickly, he withdraws from the tree and heads back towards the surface, though it’s well before his figure is visible that he reforms to something human. It makes the progress slower (to his annoyance, but not really inconvenience), but it’s not long after Voryn starts to look that a shape starts to become visible in the water. And indeed, with the rate of a very good swimmer, Sebastian comes to the surface.
As he should, he takes an immediate, deep, and sharp breath as he breaches the surface. His skin looks at it should from the extreme chill, but still, he’s remarkably calm. It’s another little detail for Voryn to piece together about what Sebastian is later, likely. He grabs a side of the pool to start to pull himself out, but also reaches for Voryn’s hand, since, well. That’ll make it easier, certainly. ]
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He dives deep—far deeper than any mortal or the former residents of this island were capable, but eventually, he sees how the pool opens up below. It turns into an expanse of the sea where he sees no bottom even now, but he can see how the roots snake through the structure above to poke out and still continue down, and they too stretch out just as much as the ocean. He’s surprised to see it, honestly. Both the roots and the sea are far more vast than he expects. He swims to the closest root, and for a moment, he does hesitate. His run-ins with the Tree of Life haven’t been ideal, but. A deal is a deal.
He reaches out to the Tree, and indeed, the first impression is absolutely rejection and a sting of pain. As it turns out, it’s not exactly thrilled that Sebastian and Jinx (mostly Jinx, he’d argue) set it, uh, a little on fire. Don’t worry about it. But he pushes through, trying to convey peace as if he were in Communion, and that seems to be enough. But it’s still brief before the connection cuts off. It’s only enough for Sebastian to be certain that this is the same Tree, somehow. How very strange indeed.
It's as he withdraws that he starts to feel the chill seep in as Voryn’s magic fades, and he gives what would be a sigh if he had the breath to do so. Time’s up, he supposes. Just as quickly, he withdraws from the tree and heads back towards the surface, though it’s well before his figure is visible that he reforms to something human. It makes the progress slower (to his annoyance, but not really inconvenience), but it’s not long after Voryn starts to look that a shape starts to become visible in the water. And indeed, with the rate of a very good swimmer, Sebastian comes to the surface.
As he should, he takes an immediate, deep, and sharp breath as he breaches the surface. His skin looks at it should from the extreme chill, but still, he’s remarkably calm. It’s another little detail for Voryn to piece together about what Sebastian is later, likely. He grabs a side of the pool to start to pull himself out, but also reaches for Voryn’s hand, since, well. That’ll make it easier, certainly. ]