The sound escaped him before he could stop it. He glanced back at his companions, finding that all of them were staring at the same spot with varying degrees of disbelief.
Mayumi opened her mouth, then closed it again without saying a word.
Elion looked back toward the stone, his curiosity overcoming his momentary hesitation.
After a small shrug, he stepped forward and gave himself a slight push off the ground, following the girl with a short, awkward jump.
For one fleeting instant, he imagined himself embarrassingly striking solid rock and falling backwards in front of everyone.
Instead, the surface gave way.
A cool pressure passed over his face, followed by a momentary distortion that stretched the surrounding walls into indistinct bands of colour.
He felt his boot find solid ground almost immediately, and the strange resistance vanished as abruptly as it had appeared.
Sound rushed over him.
