Amukelo moved carefully through the uneven terrain. He had no intention of making the same mistakes as before of stepping on a sand that would release more weird creatures.
The sun was rising higher. He calculated that he had at most a few hours before dusk, maybe more. That meant if nothing slowed him down, he could reach his cave in time to rest for the night. But after everything that had happened, he couldn't trust time anymore. The titans had been wiped clean from the valley as if it had never happened. The entrance to the chamber had unsealed itself as if something had simply erased the destruction. What if the same force that had done that had also tampered with time? The thought made his grip on his sword tighten. If he had been unconscious for longer than he thought, then who knew what had changed outside the cave while he was trapped beneath the mountain?
As time passed, he made his way higher into the mountains. Eventually, he reached the top of mountain that was next to his own. From here, he had a clear vantage point over the path he needed to take, and he could see the more vegetated side of the valley, where his cave was. He crouched low behind a jagged rock formation, his eyes scanning the area below. At first, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. But then he saw a weird creature that he had seen for the first time in his life.
It was a strange figure moving slowly across the ground below. From a distance, it almost looked human—a walking skeleton clad in battered, rusted armor. But as he focused, he saw that its bones were not normal. They were sharpened, jagged, like weapons fused into its skeletal body. Its hands weren't hands at all but instead razor-thin blades protruding from its wrists.
This was a creature with no purpose, no thought, no will. It simply walked—mindless, wandering. It never stopped moving for long, yet it never seemed to have a destination.
His body tensed as he carefully adjusted his position behind the rock, lowering himself even further to ensure it wouldn't see him. He watched as it moved without direction, taking slow, mechanical steps. Its head was slightly tilted downward, as if it weren't truly looking at anything.
At first, it seemed like it wouldn't be a problem. It wasn't heading in his direction. But after several minutes, his jaw tightened as he realized something frustrating.
It was coming toward the exact path he needed to cross.
He exhaled slowly through his nose. He wasn't about to take a risk fighting something he didn't understand, especially after barely escaping death once already. Fighting for no reason was stupidity. He would wait.
Amukelo crouched lower, positioning himself behind the rock so that he was completely hidden from view. Time passed painfully slow. The creature's movements were excruciatingly deliberate, every step dragging. And worse—it kept stopping.
He narrowed his eyes, watching with irritation as the creature would pause for long stretches before continuing as if nothing had happened. There was no reason behind it, no clear pattern. It just… stopped. Stood there, unmoving, and then started walking again.
Minutes turned into an hour. Still, it hadn't passed far enough for Amukelo's comfort.
Amukelo sighed quietly, shifting slightly to glance up at the sun. It was getting lower. He could still tell that there were a few hours left before nightfall, but he didn't have time to waste.
After another thirty minutes, the creature had barely moved.
Amukelo rubbed his temple, exhaling through clenched teeth. How long was this thing going to take? He glanced at the distance between them, quickly calculating how much time he had before the creature crossed the path. It was still far enough away, but at the speed it was going, it could take another hour before it was far enough for his comfort.
That was time he didn't want to waste. He slowly shifted his position, making sure not to make a sound, and whispered to himself, "Okay… if I begin now, it should put some more distance by the time I arrive at the closest point to it."
Amukelo moved cautiousl. The creature was slow—painfully slow—and its movements were entirely aimless, like a puppet being dragged along by an unseen force. It had no real direction, no clear intent.
He descended lower, stepping over small cracks in the rocky surface, weaving between natural cover where he could. He had to move fast. If he wasted too much time waiting for the creature to move, night would fall before he made it back to his cave. And he did not want to be out here in the dark.
After some time, he came across a small clearing—a space where there were no rocks, no natural covers to obscure him from sight. He immediately felt more exposed, but the creature was far away, still crawling along at its unbearable pace. He exhaled and moved forward carefully, making sure his steps were precise.
Then the ground shifted and the unstable rocks gave way. His leg slipped, and before he could react, he collapsed onto the ground, hitting the earth with a loud dull impact.
Amukelo froze, his breath caught in his throat. He flattened himself against the ground, pressing his body as low as he could, hoping that if the creature turned its gaze in his direction, it wouldn't see him. He had no idea how its vision worked—if it even relied on sight at all. Was it blind? Could it only hear? The uncertainty sent a rush of cold through his veins as he slowly lifted his head, just enough to see the creature in the distance. It had stopped.
Did it hear me? Or did it just stop randomly like it does? He had been watching this thing for over two hours now, had seen it pause for no reason countless times. Maybe this was just another meaningless stop in its aimless wandering.
But then—its head twisted.
A sickening, unnatural snap filled the air as it rotated a full one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, scanning the area without moving the rest of its body. The motion was wrong, like something out of a nightmare, a grotesque imitation of what a living thing should be capable of.
It stood like that for a long moment, its head unnaturally twisted, its hollow, dark gaze sweeping across the area as if searching for the source of the noise. Amukelo held his breath, staying completely still, willing himself to blend into the earth.
Then, finally—it turned its head back.
It continued standing there, motionless.
Amukelo let out a slow, controlled breath, though the tension in his body did not ease. He had to move. He could not stay here forever. If he waited too long, darkness would fall before he even made it halfway to his cave.
Slowly he began to push himself up. Every movement was calculated, his weight shifting carefully so that he wouldn't disturb anything beneath him.
But then, as he lifted his leg a cascade of small rocks tumbled downward. The sound was louder than before.
Amukelo's body froze mid-movement, his posture caught between standing and crouching.
Then, without warning, the creature's head snapped toward him again. This time, it saw him.
A horrific, guttural sound erupted from its throat—a noise that was neither human nor beast, but something in between, something broken. Then, without hesitation, it moved.
Its slow, mindless movements were gone, replaced by an unnatural, horrifying speed that did not match its previous form.
Amukelo didn't even have time to think. He pushed himself up with everything he had, no longer caring about the noise.
His feet pounded against the ground as he sprinted down the mountainside, his eyes locking onto the valley that connected to his own mountain. His mind worked quickly, assessing his options. If he could just get down, if he could lose it among the uneven terrain, he had a chance.
But as he ran, he could hear it behind him. And it was gaining.
He risked a glance over his shoulder, his breath catching in his throat as he saw just how fast it was.
"Ahh… how can this thing be so slow, then so fast now?" He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to go even faster, his legs burning as he pushed forward.
But no matter how fast he ran, it was closing in.
His stomach twisted, and he hissed between his teeth, muttering, "No way… now it's faster than I am?"