A Ripple in the Quiet Forest
Stepping out of the office with the massive hole in the forest, the first thing that caught my eye was the warm glow of lights from the other teams' offices. I turned to Rain and asked, "Hey, Rain. Have the other teams arrived too?"
"Yeah. Not all of them, but most are back."
I peeked through a slightly ajar door. Inside, members of other teams were working diligently, their expressions grave. Seeing how busy they were, we crept down the hallway, careful not to make a single sound.
We walked down the long corridor until we reached the elevator. I pressed the button and waited. The floor indicator numbers began to tick up rapidly. A moment later, the elevator arrived with a soft chime, and we stepped inside.
Our destination was the top floor—the forest. Rain confidently reached out her hand to press the button. "Hup." But with her tiny stature, she couldn't quite reach the top. The elevator buttons were positioned unusually high. Ultimately, Rain had to hop in place to smack the button. *Click!*
The moment she pressed it, the elevator doors slid shut and we began to ascend. The lift carried us upward at a brisk pace, soon arriving at the top floor where the forest lay.
As the doors slowly slid open, the rich, earthy scent of the forest wafted in. Warm sunlight, a luxury completely absent inside the building, wrapped around me in a pleasant embrace. I immediately dashed out of the elevator. "Ahhh!"
I looked around the vast expanse and took a deep, deep breath. The crisp, fresh air filled my lungs, instantly clearing my head. A massive forest spread out around a colossal tree, yet not a single animal lived within it. Without even the common chirping of birds, the silence felt somewhat eerie.
"Which way should we go?" Rain muttered, looking around.
I stood beside her, pondering the same question. Where should we go? Honestly, there were no set paths. Since the forest parted to create a path wherever we walked, it didn't really matter which direction we chose. Still, I hoped we'd stumble upon a scenic spot.
"I think over there would be nice," Shine said, speaking up for the first time as she pointed in a particular direction. Rain and I nodded, heading toward the spot she indicated.
The dense thicket of trees and overgrown grass parted to form a clear path as we drew near. The way the leaves swayed gently as if welcoming us was incredibly endearing. I reached down to stroke the soft blades of grass.
The path, carpeted in thick, plush grass, gave our steps a springy, bouncy quality. That slight elasticity—and the sheer fun of that sensation—brought a bright smile to my face. The three of us bounced our way forward. Just as Allen had said, the forest was infinitely more entertaining than the dull interior of the building. Even though we were just bouncing along, I couldn't stop smiling.
Following the path the forest carved out for us, we eventually came upon a small pond. Its crystal-clear water reflected the surrounding scenery like a polished mirror. I immediately ran toward the water's edge.
A broad, flat boulder sat near the pond, bathed in bright sunlight that warmed its stone surface. The water itself was perfectly still, without a single ripple. I picked up a small fallen branch nearby and began to playfully swirl it through the water. The entire pond rippled, accompanied by soft, splashing sounds.
"There are no fish," Shine remarked, peering into the depths. Just as she said, not a single fish swam in the water.
"Rain, do you think you can tell how deep this is?"
"Hold on a second." Answering my question, Rain slipped off her shoes and stepped onto the pond. Her tiny feet sent ripples across the surface, but her body didn't sink. She walked slowly until she was standing right in the middle of the pond. "It's not deep!" she called out.
Hearing that, I took off my shoes and knee-socks, setting them neatly on the boulder. My small toes wiggled as they were exposed to the air. Since she said it wasn't deep, it probably wouldn't even reach past Rain's knees. I boldly stepped in. The cool water wrapped around my feet and calves, sending a pleasant shiver through my body.
"Shine, aren't you coming in?"
"No." I asked Shine, who was sitting on the flat boulder, but she simply shook her head and lay down on the stone. She seemed to prefer the warm, sun-baked rock.
I waded further out toward Rain. The deeper I went, the higher the water rose—from my ankles, to my calves, and finally to my thighs. I gathered the hem of my dress, holding it high as I approached her. "Rain, it doesn't get any deeper than this, right?"
"Nope." I nodded at her response, though I figured I should still avoid moving too wildly. I really didn't want to get my underwear soaked.
"Are you worried about getting wet?"
"Yeah. I feel like Amy will scold me if I do."
"You have me! What is there to worry about?" With a grin, Rain deactivated her ability. Her body, which had been standing on the water's surface, plunged into the pond with a soft *plop*. Even so, the water only came up to her thighs.
Rain gestured to her soaked clothes and waved her hand. Instantly, droplets of water flew out of the fabric, restoring her outfit to its perfectly dry state. Right, I forgot. With Rain's water manipulation, even if our clothes got drenched, she could dry them in the blink of an eye. I immediately let go of my hem. The fabric fluttered down, instantly soaking up the water.
I plunged right into the water. The chilly sensation enveloped my entire body, instantly jolting me awake. Opening my eyes underwater, I saw Rain's tiny feet dangling above. I swam over and playfully pushed her backward. Rain's body submerged with a splash, her golden hair fanning out like a halo in the water. Her blue eyes widened in surprise. I grinned at her. Though my laughter was muffled by the water, Rain smiled back at me.
After spending a moment searching the pond bed for pretty pebbles, I began to run out of breath and broke the surface. "Pah!" The weight of gravity, unfelt while submerged, suddenly pressed down on me. My wet hair clung to my skin, and my clothes did the same. I looked down at my reflection on the water's surface. Because my dress was made of thin fabric, the wet material clung tightly, clearly outlining the curves of my body. I gathered my dripping hair and draped it over my shoulder.
"Rain?" Rain was still underwater. I waded over to her. As her head broke the surface, I noticed her face was slightly flushed. Her blue eyes darted up and down, scanning my body. Feeling her gaze, I let out a soft chuckle. "Rain, let's get out."
Rain didn't answer. Her blue eyes trembled nervously. Since she wasn't moving, I reached out, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up. Her golden hair clung to her face and shoulders, just like mine did.
"Rain, I feel like drawing now."
"Uh... okay..."
"Rain?" She couldn't even look me in the eye. What was wrong with her? I gently pulled her along as we stepped out of the pond. The sensation of sodden fabric sticking to my skin was starting to get uncomfortable. Once we were on dry land, I wrung out the hem of my dress. "Rain, do your magic, please."
"Ah! Right!"
I held my arms out to her. Rain hurriedly raised her hands, focusing her power. Just as she had done for herself, countless tiny droplets of water flew off my clothes, instantly restoring the fabric to its dry, pristine state. My hair dried just as quickly. I ran my fingers through my silky, flowing hair a few times and spun around in a circle. The uncomfortable dampness was completely gone. "Thanks, Rain," I said, taking her hand with a warm smile. She quickly looked down, her face red, and gave a tiny nod.
Shine was fast asleep, stretched out on the flat boulder. I walked over, sitting beside her to pull on my knee-socks and shoes. Rain, having dried herself off completely, came over and sat down next to me. The gentle warmth radiating from the stone made me feel pleasantly drowsy. But I couldn't sleep yet. I let out a wide yawn and pulled my sketchbook out of my bag. Now that we were in such a beautiful spot, I had to capture it.
I laid out my colored pencils and crayons, trying to decide. What should I use today? After debating with myself for a while, I finally picked up the colored pencils. Today felt like a colored pencil day. Rain lay down beside Shine, clearly intending to take a nap. Bathed in such glorious sunlight, it was impossible not to feel sleepy.
The forest was incredibly quiet. If not for the soft, rhythmic breathing of the two girls beside me, the silence might have been a little unsettling. I focused on my drawing, capturing the sunlight pooling in the center of the pond, the lush trees, and the vibrant grass. I sketched Shine and Rain resting on the massive boulder, and even added a little drawing of myself sketching them.
As I lost myself in my art, a strange patch of black at the edge of the pond caught my eye. At first, I thought it was just a dark stone. But even when I shifted my position to look at it from a different angle, the black shape remained unchanged. It looked like a dot suspended in midair, as if someone had pressed a pencil tip against the fabric of reality. I picked up a fallen branch and stood up. My curiosity was piqued. Careful not to wake the sleeping duo, I crept toward the black spot.
Up close, the black spot wasn't a physical object at all. It was more like a phenomenon—a tiny puncture in the air, resembling a pencil mark on a blank sheet of paper. I picked up a pebble from the ground and tossed it toward the spot. *Whoosh.* The pebble flew straight into the black dot and vanished.
"Ah..." Startled, I took a hasty step back. This was no ordinary hole. Yet, nothing else happened. Intrigued, I picked up another pebble and tossed it. *Whoosh.* Once again, the black dot swallowed the pebble whole. And once again, nothing happened. Fascinated, I began throwing pebble after pebble. *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.* By the time I had cleared all the small stones around my feet, I finally noticed the change. The hole had grown larger.
A sudden, inexplicable dread gripped my chest. Panicking, I spun around and bolted back toward the boulder where Shine and Rain were sleeping. "Rain! Shine!" At that exact moment—*CRACK!*—the sound of something shattering echoed from right behind me.