The scroll floated in the water, as if a force from below had pushed it. It turned over, faceup.
The front of the scroll looked like the mouth of a pipe, pouring out water nonstop. Water plants, mud, sand, small fish, and shrimp also emerged through the surface of the paper.
I took a step back, recognizing the wrinkled scroll.
Crash...
Even more water poured out of the scroll. The sound of the waves filled the room, but it also seemed to come from inside the scroll.
I could just make out the muffled sound of a ship's horn echoing underwater.
In the blink of an eye, the water in the room had risen to my waist.
The Bodhisattva statue in my hand was still faintly warm, but it couldn't stop the water from rising.
Clutching the statue, I hurried toward the door.
I struggled halfway there before I had no choice but to swim.
By the time my hand found the doorknob, the water had risen to my neck.
I frantically tugged at the doorknob.
The door opened a crack, but the water pressure immediately pushed it shut again.
I tried several times, but couldn't pull it open.
A wave hit me in the face without warning, and I swallowed several mouthfuls of water.
I coughed, and even more water surged toward me.
The Bodhisattva statue slipped into the water and sank to the floor.
Something else brushed against my body.
I flailed, trying to find a way out.
At some point, the scroll had floated back and wrapped around my arm.
I grabbed the paper, finally remembering that this thing was the real culprit.
If I could just destroy it...
I tugged at it with all my strength.
In those few moments, the water had already risen above