Ms. Sandel placed both hands against the falling boulder again. The burning pain remained, and that layer of water did not offer much help. Yet she still gritted her teeth and refused to withdraw her hands, desperately pushing upward. Even if she could not stop the stone door from falling, she thought it would be enough if she could at least slow its descent.
But even that was beyond her. The sealing method of the Ancient Earth Witch was not something a single Mermaid could contend with.
Her renewed attempt had wasted a little time, and the stone door had already descended halfway. When she finally gave up and knelt to look inside again, the group of four beyond the door had drawn closer, but Ms. Sandel could tell they would never make it in time.
"Give up."
The worry and tension on her lovely face intensified. A voice in her heart told her so, but all the experiences she had shared with Grandma Sianode, Ms. Knight, and the mysterious Ms. Meister immediately flooded back into her mind.
She remembered how Grandma Sianode had saved her, how Ms. Knight had silently handled all sorts of trivial matters, and how everyone—including the mysterious Mr. Hamilton—had been trying to find the Oasis Heart through their own sacrifices.
And now, the complete Compass was in the satchel she had dropped behind her. Even if she ignored what was happening beyond the door, it would not affect her obtaining that treasure.
"If I leave now, nothing will happen."
The new thought surfaced again, but when she turned to look at the lonely desert outside the "mouth," illuminated by the Moon, she knew leaving would cost her nothing. Still, the warmth rising in her chest kept her from doing so.
"I really am an idiot."