Since When Can They Fly?

Duran quickly looked at Lian and then at his surroundings. However, there wasn't anyone whatsoever. "Did you really become friends with a ghost?"

Lian shrugged his shoulders in response. "I wouldn't be surprised if I did. After everything that has happened so far, I'm already willing to believe in anything."

However, there was no answer. That cocky voice that saved their lives was nowhere to be found. "Perhaps I was just hearing things."

Duran agreed with him. "We were in a pretty bad situation a few minutes ago. Going a little crazy in the face of death can definitely make a person go nuts."

Hearing that, Lian couldn't help but ask, "You seem pretty composed, no? Although most of the bodies have disappeared, it doesn't look like you're having a hard time taking it all in."

Duran puffed up his chest in response, telling him, "Did you forget what I teach? I'm a math teacher! Some bodies are far from enough to scare me more than my students."

Lian nodded vigorously in agreement. "I can't go against that logic."

"What about you?" Duran asked back.

Lian sighed in response, telling him, "I'm a chemistry teacher, you know? For me, you're all sacs of elements from the periodic table. You're a very ugly sac of elements, by the way."

Duran's mouth twitched after hearing that. "Hmph! The last thing I want is a man thinking that I'm handsome. Fortunately, the ladies understand the charm of this sac of elements."

"L-Lian, Duran, are you there?" It was then that they heard Carol's voice come from under the gap in the rocks.

They quickly took a look around and could see that the situation wasn't as bad anymore, so they called her out. "You can come out now, Carol. It's fine."

With a hint of hesitation, Carol stepped out of the hiding spot and approached the duo. It wasn't as if all the bodies had disappeared, but the remaining ones were gradually disappearing. "What's happening to them?"

Lian and Duran shook their heads, telling her, "We don't know. We believe they're disappearing because they're dead."

"D-Dead? So, all those people did really... die?" Carol couldn't help but ask again.

Lian knew that there was no meaning in denying reality. "It had nothing to do with you, okay? Now, get yourself together. You're a much stronger woman than you think. For now, we should be alert to any dangers, and that includes you."

Carol took a deep breath and calmed herself down. It's not that she wasn't affected anymore, but she knew Lian was right. "Okay. I won't fall here so easily."

It was then that Duran thought about something. "Say, if only the dead are disappearing, what about the survivors? With so many people falling from the sky, there are bound to be some lucky ones, right?"

"This..." Lian and Carol were taken aback to hear that. Duran's words made a lot of sense. "Should we look for them?"

Duran nodded in response. "We should at least do this much. However, unlike what happened to us, I don't know if others had the same luck. Chances are that the survivors you find are going to be in pretty bad shape, if not in their last breaths. You better be prepared."

Lian was fine with it as long as he kept his mentality of the periodic table. It was only Carol that had some difficulty in accepting it. Nonetheless, she didn't want to simply abandon the people there either. "L-let's look for them."

The three quickly began to walk around the lake, as the highest chances of survival would have been for the people who fell into the water. Sure enough, they noticed a body floating a few tens of meters into the lake. It didn't move at all. However, since it wasn't turning into specks of yellow light yet, it probably meant that person was still alive.

"I'll go there." Lian quickly volunteered.

Duran couldn't help but say in response, "I'm a little stronger than you. It's better if I help that person."

Lian shook his head, though. "Not with your leg like that."

Immediately, Carol looked over. Only then did she notice that Duran's right leg was trembling nonstop. "This... are you okay, Duran?"

Duran bitterly smiled, telling her, "I'm fine. I just twisted it a little. Fortunately, I don't think it's broken. I'm walking, after all."

*Splash!*

Lian didn't wait for them to finish their conversation as he jumped into the water. The person there couldn't wait and probably needed serious treatment.

Unfortunately, halfway through the swimming, that person's body also began to turn into specks of yellow light. Naturally, Lian could see the moment the crown detached from the body's head and started to absorb that energy. "Sigh... seems like there was nothing we could do. We were too late."

Lian could only turn back and swim back to the lakeshore.

Carol and Duran had saddened expressions as they saw the same thing happening, except for the crown part. "It's fine. We might still find others."

Lian shook a little to get some of the water out of them as he nodded in agreement. "Yes, let's keep looking." Yes, shake! After all, anything without life was prevented from entering this place. Naturally, Lian, Duran, and Carol were still naked... It's just they didn't have a head to care about this point at the moment.

However, it was at this moment that the voice echoed in his mind once again.

-Shit! I just spent so much energy! Can't I have a minute of rest?!-

Lian's attention was naturally attracted to that. "It's you again!"

-Shut up!- The voice cut him off. -Go back to the rocks where you were hidden. Otherwise, you'll turn out like all the other people.-

Duran and Carol looked at Lian, confused. "Who are you talking to?"

Lian, however, didn't want to talk about that now. "I'll explain later. Quick, we need to go back to the gaps under the rocks!"

"Why?" the two asked back.

"Just trust me for now. Let's go!" Lian quickly pulled the two with him.

Duran and Carol did trust Lian, so they simply followed.

Once they got under the rocks, Lian moved a little closer to the gap to see what was going to happen.

It was then that his eyes greatly widened with shock. "What the hell? Since when did whales fly?!"