🌀 Those Who Stand Still on Wuthering Heights 7

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Chapter 7: The Rushing Water

At first, it was just a trickle.

Tracing the ground, the water moved toward the lower areas. That alone was not yet something to fear. But the flow did not stop. Water seeped out from everywhere on the ground. From small cracks, gaps between stones, and from beneath the uncompacted soil—as if the world itself were exhaling.

“...It’s increasing.”

Hozumi said quietly. Looking back, the places that had been dry just a moment ago were already glistening. The water gathered, spread, and erased the boundaries.

“This is bad...”

Leon looked around. The land was low everywhere. Every single spot was beginning to become a path for the water. That was when it happened.

—Rumble.

A heavy sound echoed from afar. The ground trembled slightly.

“What was... that?”

Algerina hunched her wings. Before he could answer, the sound came again. This time, much closer. The water was no longer just a flow—it had begun to move as a mass.

“Run!”

Leon shouted. The three of them started running toward the direction that looked even slightly higher. But the water was fast. The water rose above their ankles, struck their shins, and clung to them with a weight that felt like it was stealing their lives with every step. Leon used his thick legs to break through the water, forging a path, but Algerina was being tossed about by her wet, heavy wings and looked as if she might plunge her face into the water at any moment.

“Hold on!”

Leon grabbed Algerina’s wing with one hand and pulled her in forcefully. Every time they took a step, their bodies felt like they were being pulled back.

“Don’t fall!”

Hozumi also moved forward while supporting Algerina’s back.

“I’m okay...!”

Though she answered that way, Algerina’s voice was swept away by the wind.

Behind them, there was the sound of water colliding.
Multiple currents were merging, becoming one large surge.

“This way!”

Leon found a rocky area and changed his course toward it.
If there were many stones, the flow would split a little.

But—

The water did not avoid the stones.
It hit, splashed, shattered, and yet continued to move forward.

“Something like this...”

Hozumi gasped.

The surface of the water was agitated.
She realized the wind was getting stronger.

Looking up at the sky, clouds had begun to gather before she knew it.
Low, thick, and colorless clouds.

“Rain...?”

Plop, something cold hit her forehead.

One drop.
Two drops.

The next moment, the sky opened up.

The rain began to fall as if it were lashing down.

“Ahead! Over there, it’s a little higher!”

In the direction Leon pointed, a gentle slope could be seen.
The three of them pushed forward with their last bit of strength.

The water was closing in right behind them, and the mud tried to sweep their feet away.
Every time they took a step, the world shook.

Even so—
The three of them did not stop.

“We can make it...!”

Hozumi said, gritting her teeth.
The sound of the wind was ringing against the brim of her hat.
It sounded as if it were screaming, or perhaps crying.

Finally, the water level dropped a little.

When she looked back, the land they had been walking on just a moment ago was no longer visible.
Nothing but water.
Flowing, rippling, and constantly changing shape.

Algerina muttered softly while clutching her wet wings.

“...We can’t go back.”

Algerina stared at her own wings, which were covered in mud and hanging heavily.

“...Yeah. The path is gone.”

Leon replied briefly. Beyond his gaze, the muddy torrent was carving into the earth, etching the shape of a new river.

“We have no choice but to keep going. To a place where the water won’t reach.”

In the distance, thunder rumbled.
As if to remind them that the sky and the earth were still connected.

The three of them just kept moving, looking forward.
They didn’t know where they should go.

But if they stopped, they would be swallowed up.

The water, though it had just been born,
had already begun to change the shape of this world.

The three of them are completely done for...
What lies ahead...

Only the note that I (Muhi) hold knows 😁

Next time is here

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