Yuna Ji walked up to the table, gazing at the large diamond. She reached out and touched it. There was a sizzling sound, and then—boom—a sudden explosion. All I saw was a flash of light, and I could only raise my hands to shield myself.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself wrapped in a pile of bone fragments. The bones extended from Yuna Ji’s body, looking disturbingly odd.
"Ethan Zhang, just as I thought—we can't touch it, but you’re different. All right, hurry up and go eat that thing."
I shot Yuna Ji a resentful look, then walked over, craned my neck, opened my mouth, and leaned in. But I stopped abruptly—the explosion had already cracked the surrounding walls, and the small room was starting to collapse, stones falling everywhere.
"Is this really edible?" I asked again.
"Hey, Ethan Zhang, are you even a man?"
I could only grit my teeth, open my mouth, as the sound of bricks thudding to the ground echoed from the collapsing walls.
"Hurry up, Ethan Zhang."
I brought my mouth close to the diamond. A burst of rainbow light flared, and then the diamond vanished, transforming into multicolored light that entered my mouth. There was nothing unusual.
"Told you, Ethan Zhang. No problem at all."
Yuna Ji spoke as she walked up to the wall, reaching out and gesturing for a moment. The purple door appeared again. We walked out together.
Suddenly, I widened my eyes. Marcus Ouyang, Vivian Ouyang’s brother, had just been lying here—but now he was gone. I checked the time: it was 12:20.
“Hurry back, Ethan. Otherwise, people will start getting suspicious.”
Yuna Ji said, reaching out as a green glow appeared. She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.
Once inside, I saw that massive stone gate again. I let out a gasp.
“If we have to walk back, isn’t that…”
“It’s fine, Ethan. We have time.”
As she spoke, the stone gate opened. Yuna Ji told me to hold onto her. I looked around but couldn’t find anywhere to grab, so she smiled mysteriously and took both my hands, placing them on her. Instantly, I felt awkward—the softness under my hands—and with a rush, Yuna Ji took off, flying with me.
We were incredibly fast. In no time, I saw that green, ghostly river. With a splash, a shark-like skeleton leapt out and then disappeared into the water.
Beneath us was a world washed in green. In many places, mist was rising; elsewhere, piles of bones were stacked. I’d seen this scene before, but it still unsettled me.