I wish I could say that I was brave and that I did not scream continuously as I fell through whatever substance made up this strange, mutable place. When Tzeentch had let me go, he had simply dropped me naked into what was presumably the Warp, telling me I had to find my own way home. The air was thick and thin, hot and cold, solid and not solid, all at the same time. There is no way I can adequately describe how terrifying this situation was. Perhaps I had died and I was falling to hell, I thought again in between screams. How I was able to still breathe through this nightmare storm was a mystery, but when I took breaths I received flashes of memories that weren't even mine, futures and potential futures, all singing from some different facet of possibility. A few deep breaths, and somehow, I "knew" things. One, that I was definitely in the Warp, and two, that I was being pulled toward a point in another reality, a different Materium.
Oh no, not 40k. No, I thought. Anything, please, not that!
The mutable storm responded to that thought with a giggle, and transformed itself into a shoal of multicolored squid that writhed and screamed. "Oh, yes! That!" it bellowed in a familiar Tzeentch-y voice before dissolving into a gale of black blood and viscera. Trying to keep my eyes closed didn't work, because the images that swam around me seemed to be cutting directly into my mind.
I had managed to find myself in the worst possible position anyone could find themselves in. I was either dead or dying while trapped in the naked Warp, pulled from my own world and dragged into the damned 40k reality because why not. Considering my situation, I would probably be a tasty daemon lunch pretty soon. Tzeentch was known for being a liar, so all those things he said about finding my way out were probably just lies he made up to entertain himself. Mortals were just playthings of the gods, anyway.
They say you see your life flash before your eyes during a near death experience, and that is exactly what I was witnessing while falling through the storm around me. The whirlpool of viscera faded into a "normal" storm, and the images decided to configure themselves into more recognizable shapes.
Shards of memories coalesced and faded like living fireworks. Shattered moments encased in condensed fear lashed around me like water and rain as I fell. I began to notice daemonic faces leering at me from behind my memories, watching me with what appeared to be interest before they dissolved back into the aether. Strangely, though I was laughed at and watched by daemons, none laid a claw on me to harm me. It was as if I were an interesting insect surrounded by fascinated, monstrous children. In disgusted wonder, I saw what appeared to be a monstrously huge Lord of Change, vulture headed and snake necked. The daemon flew madly around me while reciting something from a book. I couldn't quite make out what it was saying, but I caught "...Probability of survival... .0099%! Blessed number! Blessed is the Traveler! Hope-hope-hope-h..." Assuming that was about me, I would think that .0099% probability of me surviving sounded really generous, but the Lord didn't harm me either. It flew away without incident.
The closest thing I could compare this surreal experience to was Dorothy being taken away by the tornado in the Wizard of Oz. As I had that thought, I began to feel as if I was buffeted left and right, not just up and down. Great, me thinking about a tornado actually made this into a tornado.
In addition to my own memories and laughing daemons, I began to see other distinct things. I saw a man with an eagle's head slaughtering a group of robed cultists with sweeping, elegant movements with a spear that shimmered with energy. The image faded, and then I saw other things. I saw the Statue of Liberty as it animated with profane energy, growing gigantic claws and stepping off its pedestal. A proud robotic man in a red robe, sitting next to a gigantic clockwork eagle made of solid gold. A man hunting a beast with others of his kind in heavy futuristic armor. These images came quickly and unbidden.
As I continued to fall while hallucinating, a fleshy multicolored daemon with too many arms and serrated teeth reached out and grabbed at me through a vision of a giant brass scorpion, and I found myself feeling guided through the emotional maelstrom. I looked at my wrist, and a lanky clawed pink arm held me tightly. It did not harm me, and I sensed bemusement from the strange creature.
I come with you. It said to my mind. Help, guide. We stop now. Witness the summoner.
As if the storm heard it, I found myself standing on somewhat solid ground. Around me, the violent psychic wind still raged, but it felt as if I was in the very center of a hurricane, the very eye of the storm. I felt myself pulled toward a certain direction by the colorful changing monster holding my arm. It pointed at something, and as I looked, I could see another shape in the chaos.
There was a woman standing with her arms outstretched above her head, her eyes rolled back in her head, her dark hair buffeted in the wind. There was something glowing with an intensity so bright that it left smears of light across my vision, as bright as an arc welding torch. She was chanting something I could not make out, her words echoing maniacally in the wind. The daemon remained pointing at the woman as it let go of me, and it began to shift and change again into something else. Having no other choice in what I should do, I approached her cautiously. She did not seem to see me as I began to observe her more closely.
She was about my age, fair skinned, and of average height. Her dark long hair blew wildly in the wind, whipping around her with ferocity. She stood in a small circle, which was ringed with mysterious glowing runes, two of which had burnt out as I had begun to walk to her. Another rune guttered out as I came within arm's length of the mysterious figure.
As I stepped closer, I heard the noise of what sounded like horses or other animals screaming, and the light on her chest grew even hotter.
I was now close enough that I could see the glowing object with more detail, despite its brightness. It was some kind of round pendant hanging from a thin chain on her neck, and now that I was very close, I could also hear a resonant whine which seemed to radiate from the item, as if someone had struck a tuning fork right next to my ear.
With a triumphant scream at the end of her chanting, she leveled her head once again, and her pale wild eyes found mine. She could see me!
Surprised, I stepped back. The summoner was gazing at me with mad joy, as if I were an old friend she had finally seen after many years. Her arms remained outstretched, but were now in a somewhat welcoming position, as if she wanted me to come to her. I searched for the daemon that had led me here, but it appeared to have vanished into the aether.
I'm not sure why I did what I did. I'm not sure why I felt like I had to do this. Maybe I was mesmerized by the gem she wore, or maybe it was some wild Warp bewitchment, hypnotizing me? I felt as if I needed to touch the strange mad woman in the center of the storm. At her feet, the glowing runes were dying like guttering candles as I advanced, and I reached for her. Or rather, I reached for the hypnotic stone. Right before my fingers found it. A cluster of thoughts and emotion washed through me. Her intention was clear. Release me! Deliver me! I felt.
In fascination, I reached out and grabbed the glowing pendant at her neck. As my hand closed around it, the Warp swam away completely, and I felt the sound of rushing wind all around me. Incredible relief radiated from the woman, and then, she was gone, and once again, I was alone in darkness, the storm snuffed out like a guttering candle.