"Ah…" Ethan exhaled slowly, caught off guard.
"Sorry, didn't see you there," He said, extending a hand to Adrian.
Adrian looked at him for a second, taking the hand while he used the other to wave him off. "It's fine! It's fine!" he replied, smiling brightly.
Ethan blinked, as he looked around. The crowd following Adrian looked at him with a frown, whispering to each other.
'Mildly annoying…'
That was when a noise resounded behind him.
"Ethan!"
It was Samantha, with the rest of the group following behind. "Don't just run off like that without a word!" Samantha chided gently, positioning herself beside him.
Ethan shifted his body a bit away before his face bloomed a twitching smile, "Sorry, I zoned out for a second there..."
Samantha's cheeks flushed as she opened her mouth to respond, but Gilbert cut her off, noticing the countless stares from everyone around them. "Ethan, is everything alright?"
Hearing Gilbert's question, Adrian answered instead, "Ah, me and Ethan kinda bumped into each other. It's no biggie." Gilbert nodded in understanding while Adrian turned to Ethan, "Say... were you also heading to that Vase over there?"
Ethan hesitated for a moment, before nodding reluctantly. "Yeah..."
Adrian looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"I see…"
Ethan frowned, matching Adrian's eyes.
'Does he know something about it..?' he thought.
Adrian looked around, signalling a tour guide to come closer. With that, he turned around, walking to the Vase.
"You're not coming?" he turned around, looking at Ethan.
Normally, Ethan would have declined to follow Adrian, however, he felt as if Adrian knew something. A premonition that he couldn't quite shake off.
Soon, Adrian's followers –more like the entire class– had gathered around the weird vase.
Adrian glanced at it for a bit, before turning to the tour guide with a smile, "Miss, could you tell us about this vase?"
The tour guide frowned slightly, scrutinising the artifact. "This, I believe it's a recent addition. I don't recall seeing it here before."
Ethan quickly noted the twitch in Adrian's smile, before glancing at the vase again.
There was a feeling in his chest... a familiar feeling. He glanced around.
Every artifact in the museum was accompanied by an informational sign, detailing its origin and significance. However, this vase lacked any such plaque. In fact, there wasn't even a protective glass casing around it. It was as if it materialized from thin air.
A feeling of uneasiness washed over him. 'Strange..'
Adrian, meanwhile, stared blankly at the Vase. His hands on his chin as he squinted at it. A few beats later, he spoke, "I don't think this is it."
Immediately, everyone lost interest, their heads turning elsewhere as the crowd slowly dissolved. Ethan, however, stayed the same.
His thoughts were racing as he turned to Adrian slowly walking off. 'What did he mean by 'it?'
Adrian definitely knew something about the vase… but what?
"Ethan? Are you done?" His thoughts snapped as a voice pulled him back. He turned to see Gilbert and the rest waiting for him. Behind them, Adrian walked, his throng following close behind.
In that brief moment, Adrian's narrowed crystal eyes met Ethan's vermillion gaze. No words were spoken, but the message was clear as day for Ethan.
He blinked, turning away from the stare and walking towards his friends, "Ah, yes."
As he walked, Ethan couldn't help but cast one last look at the vase.
He frowned.
The monkey's golden eyes were open.
Blinking in disbelief, he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining things.
"Ha ha..."
"Hm?" Everyone in the group halted. "What's up?" Gilbert asked.
Ethan pointed at the vase, "Those eyes… they are open."
"Strange. Its eyes are open for me as well," Samantha said, frowning.
"Me too."
"Me three!"
All of them looked at each other, before turning back to the vase, chuckling awkwardly. Their faces meanwhile... remained serious.
The forced laughter was soon broken as Gilbert shouted, "What the hell?!"
His voice, however, was instantly drowned out by a deafening scream that echoed through the hall.
"I CAN'T LEAVE!" A girl shrieked. Ethan's head whipped around towards the source of the scream. His heart began to beat louder as he saw several of his classmates frantically pounding against the air, their eyes wide with panic. Beyond them, Ethan saw their doppelgängers, talking and laughing as they followed the tour guide.
"That is not me!" a boy shouted, his face ashen with terror while his lips trembled.
That's when he felt a tug on his side. Ethan looked down to see Samantha shaking, her eyes widened with tears as her finger pointed shakily towards a distant corner. "E-Ethan, l-look!"
Ethan felt his stomach drop.
He saw himself.
Walking next to Gilbert, Samantha, and Reyna as they group exchanged hearty dialogue, making their way towards the exit.
He felt nauseous, a pit forming in his stomach. "T-That's us. I-Isn't it..." Samantha stammered, her body trembling.
—Thud!
Gilbert fell on the floor, crawling backwards as his jaw shook uncontrollably. "Gilbert! What happened?!" Reyna panicked as Gilbert raised his shivering finger and pointed at the vase. "I-It blinked."
Ethan turned to the vase with dread.
It was looking at him, only at him.
"What the fuck.."
His eyes began to dilate as he felt his stomach churn looking at the vase's topaz eyes.
Fear.
That was what he felt.
Then, the vase began to tremble. Slowly levitating in the air, his lips part as it chanted in an unknown language.
Reality swirled around them, as cracks appeared in the air. "What the hell is going on?!" Reyna yelled as everything shattered. Then, in the blank space, a strong force pulled Ethan backwards while the world accelerated forward in a dizzying blur.
Samantha clenched onto his arm tight. Ethan's ears began to ring as he shut his eyes tight.
Reyna and Gilbert clung to each other, their eyes widening in horror. The blank space was soon replaced by a tunnel, countless shooting stars all around, blazing backwards.
Students began to scream and cry, breaking down on the spot, a few even trying to puke. Ethan tried taking deep breaths as he clenched his fist, waiting for it all to be over.
In an attempt to distract himself, he tried to look around. That was when he spotted Adrian, strangely, all by himself. Arms crossed and a portion of his lips tugged upward. He was the only one who seemed unfazed by whatever the heck was happening.
Before Ethan could even think, the world sped up faster, making him grimace, his stomach churning violently. He shut his eyes tightly once more, biting down on his lip hard.
Then, just as abruptly as it had started, it stopped. He slowly opened his eyes, catching his breath as he took in his surroundings. They were floating in the middle of a nebula, surrounded by swirling clouds of vibrant colors—pinks, purples, blues, and gold—interspersed with twinkling stars.
"Beautiful..." Samantha muttered beside him while Ethan felt the Adrenaline fade.
It was beautiful indeed.