Ray pulled out the last of his provisions from the bottom of his worn bag. Inside was a strange green, gelatinous substance slightly sticky, with a rubbery texture and a tiny amount of water to divide between them.
"You've seriously been eating that this whole time? Are you sure it's even edible?" Celestia asked, her face scrunching up in discomfort.
Ray scratched the back of his head, clearly a bit embarrassed.
"It's surprisingly nutritious… and it doesn't spoil easily," he replied with a sheepish smile.
Celestia waved her hands quickly in front of her, flustered by her own reaction.
"Oh no, I didn't mean to criticize! Thank you for the food, really."
With that, they both fell silent, chewing slowly. The tension faded as they ate their modest meal in quiet understanding. Once the food was gone and they'd sipped the remaining water, they stood up and readied themselves to move forward once again.
"Are you ready?" Ice asked Celestia in a firm, serious voice.
She gave a determined nod.
Now that he was convinced of her ability to hear and detect the monsters, it was time to push her training further. She needed to be ready;truly ready by the time they reached the border, where mistakes would not be forgiven.
That was why she had to keep her eyes shut from now on, relying solely on sound and instinct to identify the direction the monsters were approaching from. Ice held her hand to guide her and ensure she didn't lose balance or wander away from them.
She had also been trained to describe directions using the face of a clock. Vague statements like "it's behind us" simply weren't accurate enough. He needed pinpoint precision especially when she sometimes struggled to detect them quickly.
She had adapted quickly to the clock system and could now orient herself with relative confidence. But identifying monsters blindly was still her biggest weakness. She often responded just a second too late and here, that second could make the difference between life and death. Worse still, she occasionally misidentified their numbers or positions.
Still, there was undeniable progress. Each time, she reacted faster, made fewer errors. She was improving and impressively so. Ice knew that with just a little more time, he could help her perfect this skill.
But time was the one luxury they no longer had. He and Ray, with their eyes wide open but still nearly blind in this realm, were proof enough of that.
The border was close now. He needed to reach it soon and he needed to conserve as much strength as possible for whatever waited on the other side.
"So, where is it this time?" Ray asked, his tone tight with apprehension.
"Eight o'clock," Celestia answered calmly.
They turned to face the indicated direction, squinting into the murk. It took them more than ten full seconds to finally spot the creature.
Ray and Ice exchanged wide, satisfied grins. Their little radar had almost reached full functionality even after nearly ten hours of walking without rest or complaint from her.
"So we're close," Ice muttered, raising his hand and staring at his fingers, now barely visible in the gloom.
Ice didn't see it, but Ray's expression turned distant, almost grim, before he responded.
"From this point on, every step might be the one that takes us across the border."
"Any idea how long it'll take us to get out?" Ice asked, his voice low.
Ray shrugged slightly. "No. This is as far as I got last time. It could be five minutes… or feel like decades."
They continued forward, deeper into the shadowy unknown. But with each step, their pace slowed slightly. Doubt seeped in as their vision failed them more and more. The three of them held hands, Celestia sandwiched between the two boys, her eyes shut tight.
The darkness thickened until Ice could barely tell if he was even awake anymore. But something shifted. Something subtle but unmistakably different.
The air changed. It grew heavy, almost oppressive. It was a dramatic shift from the still, almost inert air of the previous zones. At least, he didn't recall feeling any breeze or movement until now.
And then there was the sound.
Each chime of the bell now rang like a deafening toll, echoing through the void with a haunting presence. A smell accompanied it too strange and metallic, like a mix of rust and blood.
Ice found himself hanging on Celestia's every breath, every twitch, as if she were some kind of divine messenger. Yet she hadn't said a single word since they crossed the invisible threshold, and the silence was becoming unbearable, may be worse than any warning she could give.
She was oddly calm, unnervingly so. Or rather, she was trying hard not to lose composure. After all, her vision wouldn't return until they were fully past the border.
The pressure Ice had put on her weighed heavily, but it wasn't nearly as intense as the sense of pride swelling inside her. For the first time, she truly felt needed vital. She had made up her mind: She would not crumble in the dark. She would shine within it.
"One at eight o'clock… three more at six…" Celestia's voice broke the silence at last. "I think… I think there are hundreds all around us. And there's something else."
The words hit Ice and Ray like a blast of cold wind. They had expected trouble, yes, but not this many. Not hundreds.
"What is she talking about?" Ice thought, his chest tightening.
"They're… asleep. Different than anything we've seen before. And I think we're close to the exit. There's a place up ahead, where they all stop, like something is blocking them from going any further."
"Eleven o'clock and nine o'clock. Those are the last two in front of us."
Without a word, they moved faster. Their legs burned with fatigue, but adrenaline pushed them forward. They were so close. He could feel it. Just one last effort, one last push, and they'd be out. They'd finally see freedom; or at least, the possibility of it.
The bell rang again.
And then Ice felt it: Celestia's hand trembled in his grip.
It was barely noticeable, but to Ice, it was alarming. She'd remained composed through everything so far. This was different.
"I think… the monsters' behavior changed," she said, her voice shaking. "They're watching us now."
The moment she spoke, the boys reacted instinctively. Without hesitation, they grabbed Celestia under the arms and broke into a full sprint, burning through the last reserves of their strength.
Behind them, monstrous footsteps roared to life; fast, violent, relentless.
Their hearts thundered. Sweat drenched them. Breaths came in gasps.
Ice started to slow. The monsters were closing in fast.
"We're almost there!" Celestia shouted, her voice wild with desperation. "One last push!"
Then a horrible sound tore through the air.
Ice stumbled—suddenly aware that he was supporting all of Celestia's weight. Ray was no longer holding on.
"Ray!" he cried out, panic in his voice.
"I'm still here, just keep running!" Ray's voice echoed back.
He'd been struck hard in the ribs. But he pushed forward, stumbling but not stopping.
"We're here," Celestia said with a grin that almost looked unhinged, equal parts joy, relief, and madness.
And then, everything changed.
The world shifted. For a split second, reality itself seemed to pause as if time had halted, and the space they occupied no longer existed.
Then, suddenly, it all returned, only different.
"Keep your eyes closed unless you want to go blind," Ice warned, his voice hoarse.
A brilliant, blinding light flooded them as they emerged from the darkness.