Polly's Eternal Adventure (P.E.A)

Part 1 | Segment 5.5 | The Dark Spot In Woods

"What the hell... Did you get that, Mani?" Polly asked.
"I-uh... don't... L-let's keep moving... I-It's probably nothing," Mani replied.

As I pressed on in the forest, the sound of my steps crunching in the frosty ground, I came across something. It was an orb—labeled simply as "A" The glass ball glowed faintly, but the light was weak, as if it was...

"Dying..." Polly murmured.
"It's strange... but it looks like there are several of these orbs. Like it's part of a full set," Mani said.
"This is strange. The orb feels heavy but light?" Polly wondered.
"It looks like you have to collect all seven to complete it," Mani explained.
"Well, what does it do?" Polly asked.
Mani's eyes unfocused for a moment, as if she were scanning some invisible manual. "No further data available... Function unknown. But..." She blinked back into reality. "I'm not sure... But whatever 'that' is... It's not normal," Mani said.
Weird. But then again, everything was weird lately.
"Huh... Well, away it goes," Polly said.

I threw the orb and continued on my way, but the moment I exited the woods, I saw what looked to be the next puzzle. I took another step... But then, as soon as we emerged from the trees... I stopped dead in my tracks.

"No way," I said.
"I knew it," Mani replied.
"We are back at the beginning of the woods, and all because of that—"
"Orb..." Mani finished, already processing the pattern like she was running a checklist. "It's looping us. Possible connection to the orb you threw."
"What do we do?! Do you think it's gonna loop us again?" I asked, panic creeping into my voice.

With an idea with no explanation, I took off running as fast as I could. I crossed 40 meters in just a second flat, but...

"We are still back here again?!" Mani exclaimed, in genuine shock.
I gritted my teeth. "Alright, I'll try again."
"Wait, Polly! It's maybe better just to—"
"Grab the orb? Nah, I don't trust it," I cut her off, shaking my head.
"Well, in that case, I trust you to do it!" Mani said.
"Heh. Damn right," Polly replied.

I tried again. And again. Each time, I bolted across the distance, pushing myself harder, but no matter how fast I ran or how determined I was, I couldn't break through the exit. The path kept pulling me back like it was toying with me. By the time I hit my 50th attempt, even I had to admit this was getting pointless.

Then, on that 50th run, something changed.

"Polly, look!" Mani called out.
I skidded to a halt, panting lightly. "Yeah... I see it. The surroundings... they're gone. The people too. Even the trees... And not to mention... The distance was gotten considerably shorter while I was running it," Polly observed.
"Polly, I think it would be best to at least hold onto the orb. Maybe that way we can leave," Mani suggested.
I picked up the orb from where I'd thrown it earlier. It felt the same as before, still glowing faintly, but heavier now. "Yeah, that would be for the best. Hup! Well, for some reason I feel great! I'm barely tired and I'm not even out of breath, even when I was running it." Polly noted.

Mani's eyes widened. "Really? That's interesting... While you were running back and forth, the distance kept increasing by 10 meters every time you made a lap. You started with 40 meters, but by the 49th attempt, you were running an additional 490 meters."

"What?" I asked, blinking. "But... it only felt like 40 meters every time."

She nodded eagerly. "Exactly! And the weirdest part? No matter how long the distance became, you crossed it in just 1 second. Right up until your 40th attempt—then it jumped to 1.3 seconds. I mean, it's insane! You're practically defying physics."

"Aw~ Really?! Heh, I'm a pretty fast gal, aren't I? Hehe!" Polly joked, a smug grin spreading across her face.
"Gal? Polly, are you accepting your nature as a girl now?" Mani asked.
"Uh—WHAT. No, I meant guy! I'm a pretty fast guy!" Polly corrected quickly, feeling her face flush.
"Hehe~" Mani giggled softly.
"Don't laugh, it wasn't funny, ugh... Seriously, how are we—"
"So, you're the one, huh?" a voice interrupted cut through the air, startling the both of us.
"Ahah! Finally, someone... Other than Mani, I mean!" Polly exclaimed with exaggerated relief, turning toward the voice.
"Yo, we've met before... Haven't we?" the stranger asked his tone low and deliberate.
"Do you know him, Mani?" Polly asked, a bit thrown off by his familiar attitude.
"Unfortunately, yes... B-but that's not the focus here now, you need to know who he is and what his motives are!" Mani responded.
"Right!" Polly agreed.