No sooner had the silence that had enveloped the cabin settled than it was suddenly torn apart by the force of a violent gust of wind that surged through the surrounding trees, as though the place itself had exhaled a heavy breath after a long slumber.
The wooden door slammed violently against its frame, then swung halfway open before the wind hurled it back with even greater force, its sound echoing throughout the cabin like the beating of drums preceding an imminent catastrophe. As for the old windows, they began to tremble without stopping, their wooden panels letting out a sharp creaking sound, as though they were protesting the force trying to tear them from their place.
The wind grew even fiercer.
The entire cabin began to sway atop the massive tree trunk that had supported it for many long years, until Sera felt that the ground beneath her feet was no longer steady.
Her hand quickly reached out toward the wall, using it for support so she would not fall, while her eyes wandered around the cabin with growing confusion.
Then…
She raised her head.
The wooden ceiling was shaking as well. Tiny particles of dust fell from it, while thin cracks began to creep between its old planks—cracks that had not been there only moments ago.
Her eyes slowly widened.
What is happening…?
And why now, of all times?
She turned around quickly, as though a sudden thought had swept through her mind.
She looked toward the corner where the old woman had been standing.
No one.
She turned her head toward the child.
Gone.
Then she looked toward the place where that girl who had been calling her by name had stood.
Emptiness…
Nothing remained but emptiness.
Her eyes moved from one corner of the cabin to another, searching for any trace of those people who had filled the place only moments ago, but the cabin now appeared abandoned, as though it had not welcomed anyone for years.
Nothing remained except the echo of their voices…
Resounding in the depths of her mind.
She placed a hand on her head and whispered, as though trying to convince herself of the truth.
"Was I… imagining it?"
The question was too heavy for her to answer.
At that very same moment…
That disturbance was not confined to Sera's mind alone.
Outside…
The giant trees jolted all at once, their towering crowns bending beneath the pressure of winds the forest had never known before.
Eileen was still kneeling beside Sera's body, watching her face, which had not left its stillness, while Rafa stood nearby. The moment the ground trembled beneath their feet, both of them lifted their heads at the same time.
They exchanged glances.
What they had felt was not merely a passing tremor.
Rather, it was something like a tremendous pulse flowing through the depths of the forest.
The winds intensified even more, until the trees' branches began crashing into one another, while spirals of dust rose from between the trunks, swirling through the air before fading away, only for others to be born in their place.
Eileen grabbed hold of the trunk of a nearby tree so that the wind would not sweep her away, then turned toward Rafa, concern clearly written across her face.
"Rafa… stay close to me."
Rafa immediately moved closer to her, looking around in confusion.
"What's happening…?"
Eileen did not answer her at first.
She was staring at the trees.
At the wind.
At the dust that was gradually beginning to fill the forest.
Then she said in a quiet voice, though she could feel the weight of her own words.
"I don't know… but something… is approaching."
Silence fell between them.
Neither of them knew what was happening.
But both of them felt that the forest was no longer the same as it had been only moments before.
At that very same moment…
Deep within Sera's mind…
The shaking of the cabin reached its peak.
A thunderous sound rang out, followed by a rapid succession of cracking noises, until the wooden pillars began to bend beneath the weight of the roof.
Sera lifted her head one last time.
The wood was splitting apart before her eyes.
Then…
The first beam collapsed.
It was followed by the second.
Then the third.
In a single moment, the cabin completely lost its balance.
Sera fell backward, with no chance to avoid the debris crashing down from every direction.
She instinctively threw her arms over her head, but that was not enough to stop the wooden planks from collapsing on top of her until the rubble completely swallowed her.
A thick cloud of dust engulfed the place, making it impossible to see anything.
Several moments passed…
During which nothing could be heard except the sound of wood settling on top of itself.
Then…
A wooden plank slowly shifted.
A hand emerged from beneath the rubble, trembling as it struggled to push away the weight above it.
The other hand followed.
After tremendous effort, Sera managed to crawl out of the ruins.
Her breathing was ragged.
Her chest rose and fell violently.
Her entire body trembled from sheer exhaustion.
She collapsed onto her knees, planting both palms against the ground while keeping her head lowered, trying to regain the breath that had nearly been crushed out of her beneath the rubble.
Amid that silence…
A distant voice reached her ears.
"Sera…!"
Her limbs trembled.
Then the voice came again, clearer this time.
"Sera… wake up!"
It was Eileen's voice…
But it sounded incredibly far away, as though it were coming from another world, slipping through layer upon layer of dense mist.
Sera slowly raised her head, still unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.
The moment her breathing steadied slightly…
The air before her began to twist around itself.
A tiny pink point of light appeared…
Then it slowly began to rotate, growing larger little by little until it transformed into a transparent vortex radiating a gentle light.
Its pink glow reflected in Sera's eyes, and she stared at it for a long moment without moving.
She did not feel fear…
Only strangeness.
She whispered in an exhausted voice that was almost lost between her breaths,
"Pink… energy?"
The vortex continued to spin in silence.
Then the light gradually began to grow denser…