The roots under my foot no longer broke,
Neither were they feeble.
Their barks had peeled away, revealing the golden wood hidden inside of them.
The golden roots were indeed the infragilis trees.
In its true glory.
Countless shiny golden roots surrounded us, they stretched endlessly as they twisted together.
They interwined, countless holes peeking through, the roots barely glinting as they provided light.
Helpful.
They gave us more visibility in this fog, the dim golden light could be seen anywhere in our surroundings.
They were indeed helpful.
But not enough to trust them.
Just because it looks 'good' doesn't mean its good.
My bare feet was hurting, the roots were tough like iron and cold as well.
The fog however wasn't cold no more, it was warm.
A warmth that slowly increased.
A warmth still bearable but as time goes on it will start to become unbearable.
Callon walked by my side, no longer ahead, however the two wandering souls didn't seem to do so.
They still walked ahead, unmoved and uncaring, for them no creature can cause harm.
They were guides, their only goal is to guide us through this unforgiving lands and they don't care whether we live or not.
They guide.
And that's all they do.
"How?"
I voiced out my question, a question that also disturbed my companion.
"I don't know."
Callon answered as such, yet his expression remained serious and tensed.
He was frowning, we mortals aren't all-knowing
and that certainty is infuriating him.
Having no knowledge of something dangerous is frightening.
It's even more frightening if you had that realisation when you're deep inside that danger.
I can't blame him.
I really can't.
Only the light from the sun can cause the fragile infragilis trees to turn into the unbreakable woods, but how can sunlight exist in this deep dark grove?
Expect the unexpected as they say.
So how can they change?
"Either this is due to natural causes or something unknown is causing it.."
Callon's voice trailed off, I side-eyed and so did he, our eyes met and I knew he was just as clueless as I.
Which means...
Either we're dead or..
I don't know.
Maybe this is something that's natural.
We, the people of Enlil, never had fully explored the lands of no return nor have we ever discovered everything that has been hidden in the fogs of time.
So maybe this is naturally occuring.
Maybe we're being a bit too cautious.
Maybe we should let our guards down.
No.
The moment you have such thoughts in these lands, remember that's the moment where death is the closest to you.
Never let your guards down.
A heat source can't cause such changes in the infragilis trees.
A 'normal' heat source can't.
Only the heat and light from the sun could.
And where can such a thing be present here?
Unanswered questions and unwilling answers.
And two powerless mortals guided by soulless souls in these forgotten fogs.
Truly poetic.
Tired.
I truly am.
I'm exhausted.
It wasn't an exhaustion caused by overwork or lack of rest.
It was something more.
An exhaustion that refuses to leave.
Where did it began?
Where did this exhaustion started to haunt me?
I know.
That forest.
That forest started it all.
Those events that happened there..
How can I describe it?
This exhaustion didn't remain the same after all.
It increased.
It fueled on my sufferings.
I know it does.
Those visions of the past, they are feeding it,
They are haunting me.
The horned god's past and Adam's past are still vivid in my head.
Unforgotten.
Despite being forgotten by time.
They are remembered.
Although only I do.
Yet they are still remembered.
Just like how I want to be.
I want to be remembered.
However.
Not by a single person, not by some random adventurer who can kick the bucket at moment.
I want to be remembered by all.
As long as civilization lasts, I want to be remembered.
Not as visions but as legacy and myth.
I sighed, Callon noticed it too but he remained quiet and kept his doubts to himself.
Visions.
Yes, those visions, they are haunting me.
Alongside that indescribable exhaustion.
Why?
Visions I can understand.
They are the weight of the past.
The secret of the horned god alongside humanity's rise is important to be remembered.
That hunter...
He was pitiable.
Weak and fated to such cruelty.
And yet he turned it around.
Despite the goddess's loss of interest at the end, he still killed a god.
Killed...
I suddenly stopped.
He killed a god.
Wait.
What?
Confusion overtook me.
Something felt strange.
As if something was being recovered, as if something was gaining interest in my mind.
A forgotten memory..no a forgotten thought emerged in my mind.
My mind raced, it wasn't memories that were returning.
It was something I forgot to do.
An action I forgot to do.
Come to think of it I've never thought much about the horned god's vision.
I just didn't care..no something or someone made me do so.
I remembered.
Something that was supposed to remain forgotten.
Why am I contemplating about it now?
It was a god's ascend.
Why didn't I think of it before?
Huh?
As my mind raced, goosebumps appeared around me, the feeling of being watched send shivers down my spine.
My chest felt heavy, my heart felt strange and foreign as if it wasn't mine.
The sudden realisation hit.
Something caused me to forget and that something has noticed it.
A instinctual primal fear overtook my body as I turned towards Callon.
No one.
There was no one.
My eyes were blurry, and all I could see blurred up fog.
I gritted my teeth, he has vanished, searching for him wasn't an option anymore.
Due to this abnormal feeling I'm having as of now.
Fear, fear that was etched into the hearts of humanity awakened.
A presence crawled up my spine, it slithered towards my chest, towards my heart.
Sweat soaked me, I unwillingly shivered, my heartbeat increased as I felt it being tightened.
Something was constricting it, something was trying to crush it.
Fingers wrapped around my heart.
Rough and long, aged and experienced.
My breath hitched, unlike before I felt it.
I clearly felt it.
I felt pain.
Clear pain.
A pain that sleep deprivity nor hunger can distract.
A pain I will remember.
My heart tightened again, I could feel it trying to beat, trying to pump blood but the hand wrapped around it didn't allow it does so.
It squeezed, my heart was on the verge of exploding alongside the muffled heartbeats,
I knew it was going to explode.
The pressure increased, the beating heart tried to resist however it proved to be futile and further increased the pain.
It felt foreign.
The force bended my heart, tears welled up in my eyes.
My heart was curled up into a ball, I could feel it it ripping slightly, I wanted to scream.
But I couldn't.
The hand didn't care nor did it stop as I collapsed to the ground.
As my heart was squeezed to mince meat.
As I lost consciousness.
As I approached the doors of death.
The darkness returned.
The loathed darkness I never wanted to return to.
I could hear Callon's panicked voice but I couldn't understand them.
Where was he? All this time?
Late, he was too late.
I felt his hands on my shoulders as he stopped me from face planting into the ground.
He shaked me, trying to wake me up.
However.
I was too far gone.
I returned to the darkness once again.
The darkness that made me regret, that made me hate, that made me hope.
That made me appreciate, that made me want to live.
But can it be said the same again.
Will I be able to escape once again?
I don't know.
It all happened in an instant.
An instant is all that is needed.
That is all it is needed for a mortal's life to end.
That is more than enough for such a feeble creature.
Such a pitiful being.
Such a dangerous being.