Once the boy was at the bottom of the mountain, he was faced with a forest of charred trees. The ground is filled with endless ashes for as long as he can see.

  "Why does everything look burnt? Even the leaves have a dark color. Now that I think about it..."

  When the boy was walking down the mountain, every single surfaces is charred black, except for the area around the stairs and the shrine, which retained a grey surface like rocks. There was also a constant smell of sulfur ever since the boy woke up. It was quite bearable back at the shrine, but it is getting more pungent now that he is at the bottom of the mountain.

  Thingy has already faded long ago. It seems whatever Thingy is, it can only last around thirty minutes after the ritual. It was just a source of confusion for the boy anyway, since there was nothing much to make of the information. Besides, the boy already memorized the information just in case it would be helpful.

  The boy began wandering the forest, beginning to doubt his decision to go down the mountain with a frown. From what he observed so far, the area around the shrine seems to be less influenced by these supernatural features or burns. It may have been safer to stay at the shrine, but there doesn't seem to be food and water around the shrine when he checked earlier.

  He needs to ensure he is able to survive first before continuing to do anything else.

  "Is there ... even a single living organism here? What could survive in a place that looks like someone committed mass deforestation or arson? Well... I guess trees count... but where do I even go? There's nothing as far as I can see when I was on top of the mountain. It's hard to determine east or west with the suns like that...hmmm."

  Of course, he is less calm on the inside.

  '...WAIT! What if the suns are the arsonists? Am I cooked, or getting cooked?! How the hell did I survive 16 years in this place?!? Did I even live here to begin WITH?!? I'm going to starve to death, am I?!?'

  Nothing in particular happened when the boy was walking around the forest. He tries his best to keep the mountain within his vision in case he ever wants to run back to the shrine. He is too paranoid on the inside to actually leave it because it's the only landmark he knows.

  Besides, he was hoping to find some people.

  '...There would be people, right? I mean, someone cleaned it very well, so it doesn't look abandoned...'

  Additionally, in case he ever found the source of the burns, he plans to run straight back to the shrine. It looks like they don't want to burn it... or can't.

  It was quite hard to keep track of the mountain because of the canopy covering almost every aspect of the sky. He only managed to keep track of the mountain through occasional gaps in the canopy. The canopy is quite dense, but the small amount of light that seeps through somehow brightens the area a lot.

  After a while, the boy groaned. Although he has been handling the situation really well, his body aches from the constant exploration. He also felt a little lightheaded when he tripped earlier and hit his head earlier. However, it seems that Thingy seems to be a healer of sorts. The boy realizes the wound on his head has closed once he is done reading information about himself.

  The boy touched his closed wound on his forehead. 'Hmm... Would Thingy heal me if I offer him blood every time? I knew it! Basic demon transaction stuf-'

  His thoughts were cut off when he sensed something. He turned his head to the right. He was facing deeper into the forest and away from the mountain.

  Nothing was there. There was no odd sound, there were no changes to the surroundings, and the sulfur smells still lingered all the same.

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  '...Am I getting too paranoid? Am I actually developing a mental issue right now??'

  Despite his thoughts, he was still staring in that direction. He was having that feeling again, like when his first instinct was to do the ritual. It's like he's feeling something through his mind right now.

  He's not compelled to do anything this time, however. Instead, he simply knows that there is something there in that direction. He even knows that it is at least 1000m away from his current position for some reason.

  '...Ah hell nah'

  The boy turned around and ran straight back to the mountain.

  'First rule of a horror movie, DO NOT GO CHECK IT OUT.'

  Perhaps that was the best decision the boy ever made in his entire life.

  Because immediately after the boy ran, the thing he was sensing was now closing in directly in his direction. Whatever it is, he's not testing the waters. He doesn't know if the thing chasing him is part of his delusion or an actual, real thing, but he wants to be on the safe side.

  ...Because it is chasing him at twice his speed.

  'SLOW DOWN BRO, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING YEEETTT!'

  The presence chasing him felt... wrong. Of course, everything is unnatural as is, but the presence he is sensing through his mind felt heavy like a weight pressing against the edge of his mind.

  Approximately 900 meters away. There was no noise. There wasn't even anything to see.

  But it was there.

  He didn't know what it looked like. His sense doesn't seem to work like that. It just told him something existed. Something big. Something is moving in his direction.

  The boy took a deep breath.

  "It's ok. That thing is still pretty far away. I could make it."

  The boy started running faster. His shoes kick up countless ashes. The sky above was a blank white strip between black branches and leaves. It's like there is no color to the world except for the black trees, gray ashes, and the subtle lights that occasionally leak between the canopy.

  700 meters away.

  The boy's head is already feeling strange from staring at the same shades of color over and over again. He remembers that the mountain should be close by the last time he checked.... which was a while ago.

  Then he widened his eyes in realization.

  'How actually far off am I?' He grimaced, realizing he had no idea and only the general direction of the mountain. The trees now seem more harrowing than the thing chasing him. There is no gap big enough to see the mountain in the boy's desperation. It's like the trees are hiding the world from him in this critical moment. Trapping him inside an endless black and white tunnel.

  400 meters away

  His lungs began to burn. The boy was not running on fresh air. Sulfur was thick in his throat and tasted like metal on his tongue. He forced himself to ignore the accumulating pain.

  The mountain. He needs to go to the mountain.

  Behind him, the ground thumped. While the boy was grimacing about his situation, there are finally signs of the presence as the boy felt slight vibrations on the ground.

  100 meters away

  His heart pounded faster. His vision blurred, and his breath got stuck in his throat for a moment. The boy is no longer having a flood of concerns in his mind. He is simply praying.

  'How much further?'

  He stumbled slightly over a root hidden in the ash, and he felt his heart pounding to the point of punching his ribcage. He barely kept his footing. As despair began to take over him...

  He saw it.

  The gray stairs with occasional cracks on them, leading towards the shrine. For the first time in what felt like hours, he allowed himself to take a full breath.

  He is safe now....maybe

  But he wasn't in the right state of mind to think about whether it would actually save him or not. His body is almost collapsing already. His lungs were screaming, and his legs were trembling. He is very lightheaded from the lack of color. But he did not slow down.

  50 meter

  He could hear its movement now. Countless wet gurgling sounds can constantly be heard. It sounds very horrid, as if it is running at an unbelievable speed through mud. An occasional wet slurp can also be heard, hungering for his prey.

  Chills ran down the boy's spine. He did not dare to look back.

  Because just a little more. Just a few more steps and maybe...

  Then maybe he can survive this....

  10 meters

  As a few steps are taken up the stairs. A shadow that slowly is slowly enlarging began to loom over it’s prey. And it finally appears in the peripheral vision of its prey.

  ....or he dies trying