Finding Sunlight

Pan was underwater and did not know how to swim. He was almost out of breath and started guzzling water. The lake water was clear, sweet, and cold. It was almost welcoming.

'What sort of trap is this?' he thought in panic. 'Did my bullies set this up?'

But the magic he was experiencing was too advanced to be carried out by a first year. Did he fall into one of the academy's ponds?

Initially, his instincts acted up, and his fingers reached for the surface, wiggling as a signal for help. However, as his body flailed helplessly, he saw the surface retreating. 

Pan was sinking. Nobody saw the boy drowning, and hence nobody came to his rescue.

Every insult that he had ever been subjected to flashed across his mind. The words resonated in his head and hurt him like fatal slaps. 

'Why do I let myself be treated like shit?' he wondered.

Pan was convinced he was dying, but part of him gasped for air, trying to break to the water's surface. 'Why am I struggling to live?'

'The world out there hates me.'

'Why are my limbs trying to get me out?'

'Someone give me an answer!'

His eyesight faltered, and his mind started slipping. 'Someone give me a bloody answer! Why am I trying desperately to stay alive?!'

"BECAUSE YOU HAVE A DESTINY TO FULFILL," a voice echoed in the water.

Pan waved his body around, looking for the source of the words. 'Who is there?'

"RIGHT HERE."

The boy followed the sound and looked below. There was a hole in the lake's bottom. He could see bright sunlight, trees, and grass through it. 

Pan determined he was hallucinating because of a lack of oxygen. What was it called? Hypoxia? 

'Anyway, it seems I am hallucinating.'

"YOU ARE NOT HALLUCINATING."

Again! The voice! Was it in his head? 'Who are you?' Pan asked within his thoughts.

"THE MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION IS… WHO ARE YOU?"

"I am Pan."

"DO YOU WANT TO LIVE, PAN?"

'Maybe. But I don't like the circumstances I live in!'

"THEN WHY DO YOU STRUGGLE TO GO BACK?"

'I don't know.'

"DO YOU WANT TO KNOW? WHETHER YOU HAVE A HIGHER PURPOSE?"

'Yes. I want to know! I want to know whether my life and my existence mean anything at all!'

"VERY WELL, THEN FOLLOW MY VOICE, AND FIND SUNLIGHT."

Pan's mind was fading. He had only about a sliver of energy left in his limbs. 'Find sunlight?' But he couldn't possibly swim up. Or swim in any direction, for that matter.

Did the voice mean he should go through the hole at the bottom of the lake?

"UMM… YES." the voice said.

'I'm dying, and you are giving me riddles, huh?'

".........."

'Oh, what the hell,' the boy thought. 'I am dying anyway. If I can't swim, I can sink. Ultimately, I would do something right before dying.'

Pan shook himself, kicked out his legs, and waved his arms wildly. He let himself sink. His body approached the lake floor. 

The boy's lungs were killing him, begging for an ounce of air. It seemed as if they were on fire. Was the voice a fantasy that he concocted just before he found death?

Bloop! As Pan's feet touched the hole, he felt an enormous drag. His body was pulled into it.

Splash! He broke the portal's water surface on the other side. The world turned upside down. He went through and was thrown against a grassy surface.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Pan vomited oodles of water and then gasped for air. He breathed in and out gratefully. In a minute, the boy had recovered. The fresh air of the natural surroundings seemed to have healing properties.

"Where am I?"

"Is this heaven?"

Pan sat up and surveyed his surroundings. In front of him was a small pond littered with poppies and lilies. A thick layer of algae floated above it. He seemed to have ingested a fair amount of the slush. However, the boy had never felt this healthy.

Pan got to his feet and walked forward beyond the pond's bank. He stopped himself abruptly. Beyond the pond's fringe was a sheer drop downhill. He was on a precipice! 

Pan's vision had just returned to normal. He raised his eyes and saw a world that one could see only in fantasy movies. 

The downhill view was of an exotic land brimming with life, with such diverse and outlandish flora and fauna, that he was transfixed for an entire minute.

Birds and animals of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Dancing and swaying trees. Walking seedlings. An aura of red and blue fog. Tiny creatures which looked like fairies or pixies. The more Pan looked at the world below him, the more he was convinced that he was dead.

"If you are done sightseeing, I have some business to talk about," a voice interrupted his thoughts.

Pan gave a start and almost fell off the edge. He snapped around and looked for the voice's source. The boy looked, and he looked again. He scanned the entire area, squinted his eyes, and waved his hands. However, he could find nobody there.

"Down here!" the voice said with irritation.

Pan lowered his gaze and saw a frog by the pond's edge. It wore a small hat, and its mouth moved as it said, "Yes! Finally! Don't be alarmed, Pan. I am just a standard-issue liaison. I've been asked to prepare you for the journey ahead."

The boy looked utterly puzzled. "Am I dreaming? Or is this toad really talking?"

The creature's eyes bulged for a moment. "Ahem. I am a frog and not a toad. And it is not surprising that you are skeptical of what you see and hear in this world. Because it is magic."

"Magic? This place has magic?"

"Yes, powerful magic. Much more potent than other worlds. Magic allowed me to bring you from your world to ours. It is magic that helps me communicate with you through words."

Pan scratched his head and sat down before the talking frog.

"Is this heaven, then?" he asked gingerly.

The frog leaped onto a large leaf and turned towards Pan. "I assure you, it is not. More importantly, you are not dead. So, the question of heaven or hell does not arise."

"Then why am I here? What world is this?"

"Good. I like direct questions. First, let me introduce myself. I am Jewel—an official liaison of this project. Now, as far as your second question is concerned, you are on the planet Erode. It is a few light-years away from Earth. This world is so small that your astronomers could never spot it behind all the space dust." 

Pan kept scratching his head, digesting the new information.

"Anyway, let us address your other question," the frog continued. "Why are you here? The answer is simple. You are one of the offspring of the Great Conqueror, the Almighty King Eros. He is the god of lust and desire."

"Eros?"

"Yes. His Majesty had made seven childlings and sent them to be nurtured and raised on earth. Now, it is time to harvest the eggs; hence, all the brats have been summoned to Erode to be tested." 

"Tested for what?"

Jewel flipped out his tongue and caught a fly. He took a few seconds to gulp it down. "For divinity, of course. We are to judge who actually has inherited his power."

"Wait, do you mean I am not an Osbourne? Rather, I am the son of the god of sex?"

"Don't put words in my mouth, silly kid. He’s the god of desire. But yeah, why not? The King likes to fuck. I mean, who doesn't? He helps others get laid, so yeah…  God of sex is not an inappropriate title. Tell me, have you been feeling horny over the past few weeks?"

Pan nodded. "Why, yes? It's as if I have lost control, even though I have developed restraint over my thoughts."

"Don't worry. Nothing's wrong with you. It's just that you have come of age, and Eros' spirit in you has come alive. 

"I see. That makes sense."

"And you are right about not belonging to the Osbourne family. I can confidently say that you are the son of Eros and Karina, both incarnations of the god of desire."

Pan's eyes widened. "Whoa. Can I meet them? My real mom and dad?"

Jewel croaked loudly. "Of course, you cannot, boy! First, we must determine your divinity, and then the final three contenders will be chosen. They will get to meet King Eros and his harem. The King shall name his successor after the ultimate test. Do you agree to these conditions?"