Once in the water, I had to dispel my wings to reduce drag. Like shrinkwrap, my personal shield shrunk to just over my skin, reducing sturdiness but increasing my mobility.
Through my shield, I could feel the water trying to crush me, pulsing and pushing like a living creature. It felt more like squishing through a den of snakes than swimming. The deeper I moved, the darker my journey became. Tiny cracks formed like webs over my body, warning me of impending spell failure.
I wrapped my shield in heat to reduce the pressure trying to crush and slow me. Thousands of tiny bubbles erupted around me as liquid turned to gas, raining upward, away from my body. Normal swimming was impossible, so I had to push myself using magic, like driving a nail into steel. I just hoped I didn’t break before reaching my destination. It was my power against a god—this could end badly.