The dust slowly settled, clinging to our clothes and lashes, making it hard to breathe. We stood there, panting, half-dazed in the aftermath of a brush with death.
"That was so close!" I yelled, my voice trembling with leftover adrenaline.
"Too close for comfort," Ronald muttered, eyes still wide, pulse visibly pounding at his neck.
My knees gave out, and I dropped down, wheezing. "Thanks, Ronald. If it wasn't for you, I'd be split in half."
Ronald offered a sheepish smile. His face was pale, but the faint pride in his eyes glimmered. "No need to thank me. You would do the same."
The tension slowly bled out of us. I sat up, taking stock of our new surroundings. And what I saw made my breath catch.
We were suspended in a vast space that shouldn't exist.
No walls. No ceiling. No ground.
Only stars—billions of them, scattered like diamonds across a velvet abyss.
"Where is this place?" I murmured, awestruck.
"It's really beautiful," Ronald whispered, wonder dancing in his eyes.
I smirked, teasing him without missing a beat.
"I bet you want to watch this with Rona instead of me, huh?"
He sputtered, cheeks instantly flushed.
"Wh-What? I never said that!"
I laughed, the sound ringing strangely in this empty cosmos. It felt good to laugh, even for a moment.
Then Ronald pointed ahead.
"What's that?"
A soft glow pulsed from the distance. We approached, drawn to it as if by instinct.
A radiant spiral shimmered in midair—its edges warping space itself.
'A wormhole.'
'A wormhole? Nothing makes sense in here.'
"A wormhole?" I blinked. "Why is it here?"
A rift in reality. A scar in the world.
"What's a wormhole?"
"It's like a tunnel between two distant points in our universe that cuts the travel time from one point to the other."
"Time travel? So it's a super advanced transportation device with a time-traveling function?" Ronald's eyes sparkled like a child discovering magic for the first time.
I hesitated. "Well... yeah, if you put it that way."
"That's so cool! What else do you know about it?"
Ronald looks really excited when I said time travel.
"Huh? Err... Nothing else, really. Since no one knows if wormholes really exist or not."
"Oh..." The glow in his eyes dimmed slightly. Then he mumbled something under his breath.
"I wonder if I can save…"
I didn't catch the rest.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Inside!" Ronald said, stepping forward.
"All of a sudden?"
"Yup!"
'Where did he get his confidence all of a sudden?'
"We really can't go?" His voice faltered for a moment.
"I didn't say we can't go, so why the sad look?" I grinned. "Come on, Ronald! Let's go! A great adventure awaits!"
His eyes lit up. We moved toward the wormhole.
As we got close, the air changed.
Pressure coiled around us, invisible but undeniable.
"Ronald! Hold on!" I shouted.
His hand found mine.
The pull became impossible to resist—and then, we were gone.
WHOOSH.
The next thing I knew, the sky exploded into view.
Blue. Limitless.
I lay on soft grass, the wind whistling past my ears. My back ached, my body bruised.
'Huh? Where am I?'
I sat up with effort. The pain flared—sharp and biting.
"Where is this place? How did I get here?" I muttered.
A field of endless green stretched out around me. No buildings. No signs of life.
And no Ronald.
Then—
"Ugh..." I clutched my head as it throbbed like a war drum.
Huff.
Puff.
I remember everything now.
The memories came crashing down. The ghost. The trap. The wormhole.
"Argh! What the hell! That hurts like hell!"
I winced, rubbed my aching back, and muttered through a bitter smile.
"I guess jumping into a wormhole wasn't a good idea. I wonder what Shorty would say about this. Hahaha..."
I turned to survey the empty plain. Still no Ronald.
'We didn't get separated into different locations and time... right? Or the pressure from the wormhole didn't tear him apart?'
The panic hit like a spear to the gut.
"Ronald!" I yelled.
And then—
"Hello? Who are you?"
A voice, soft but confident, pierced my panic.
I turned—and there she was.
Familiar. But... unplaceable.
'Huh? This woman... she looks awfully familiar, but how come I don't remember her?'
"Are you alright? Do you need any help?"
"Huh? Help?" My mind snapped back to Ronald. "Ah! Yes! Please help me, miss. I'm looking for someone; he was with me moments ago but now he's gone. I haven't the slightest idea where he is. I do believe he's alive though."
She nodded gently. "Don't worry. I'll try my best. In fact, I was thinking, there's a small town nearby, maybe he went there. If we ask the townsfolk, they might be able to help us."
"A small town nearby?"
"Yes. We just have to walk straight ahead on that road there." She pointed to a tree-shadowed path.
We began walking.
"The place you came from seems really far," she noted.
"Oh, I just wanted to find a place to relax and clear my mind." I lied without hesitation.
"Ah, I see. I heard city life is extremely gruesome. Maybe getting lost here is your luck's doing." She giggled.
"Hahaha. Maybe."
Soon, the town came into view.
A wooden banner overhead read:
Lerringtonville.
'Lerrington? That name sounds familiar…'
"The Lerrington family has been this town's mayor for centuries now. I have to say, they are doing a marvelous job at maintaining the town's peace for so long."
She led me through quaint streets until we reached her home.
"Let me make you something and clean you up before we start looking for your lost partner."
"Huh? But that would be asking too much."
"Nonsense. Now come with me."
I was ushered in, handed clothes, and shown a bathroom. After cleaning up, I entered the kitchen.
"You're here. Perfect timing! I'm just done with the dishes. Come, let's eat."
I sat. The food was warm. Rich with flavor. It eased the gnawing edge of my fatigue.
The woman's kindness was a balm to my wandering soul... but my mind kept racing. 'Ronald...'
I stood up.
"Thank you for the hospitality, but I really need to get going. My friend might be in trouble. I need to help him."
The woman glanced out the window.
"However, it's too dangerous to wander at night."
"At night?"
I looked up.
Her eyes—
They'd changed.
Sky blue, now mixed with a shade of green.
I blinked.
Gone.
'Was that my imagination?'
The window outside—pitch black.
"Huh? I remembered it being sunny just now. How did it turn dark all of a sudden?"
"When we arrived, it was almost dusk," she said. "This place gets dark early. Most shops close before nightfall. If you wish to inquire about your friend, I suggest you do that next morning."
She handed me pajamas.
"I hope you will have a comfortable stay."
I nodded, but—
She vanished.
"Huh? What is this? Where did she go?"
I looked around.
No footsteps. No door creaks.
'She sure walks fast…'
I found the guest room, changed, and lay down.
My heart beat fast.
'I hope he's alright. All of this happened because of my stupid curiosity. Oh, Ronald. Please be alright…'
My eyes fluttered shut.
And the dark took me.