After a few steps, the mysteriously persistent rain finally ceased, allowing Leonard to better understand the workings of the ancient trees. Still, something stirred in his mind.
"That corpse… it wasn't really me, was it?"
"And if it was, how did I end up like that?"
"What happened here? Where am I really?"
Nothing seemed to make sense. Countless doubts, unanswered, churned within his dark thoughts.
"One remarkable thing is that the closer you get to these great trees, the rain begins. Or maybe they only appear during the rains, creating this vicious cycle…" Amid his reflections, he felt something missing, a piece that escaped understanding and would probably remain hidden for a long time.
Leonard clicked his tongue and moved forward, the path filled with smaller trees whose twisted trunks formed a dark and claustrophobic horizon that sent chills down his spine. He felt watched.
Limping as usual, his leg showed no signs of improvement. On the contrary, the exhausting moments might have worsened its condition. Still, his mind was no longer on the brink of despair.
"From the vision I had of Dante, it became clear that I can get out of here somehow… Although I don't know exactly why or how, I still have a nagging feeling about how I will do it…"
The young man's gaze shifted to a dry branch on the right. Leonard noticed something resembling an owl. He observed it silently. Unlike the other striking creatures, this one seemed ordinary, except for the blackened veins protruding around its eyes.
"That dream… I still feel strange when I think about it. It's like it was a… memory? I don't understand what that means…" The disturbing memory of his death left him uneasy. Maybe understanding the future carried the risk of succumbing to the unbearable burden of wisdom.
The night went on long and beautiful. The full moon, unlike that black sun, brought a comforting resemblance to Earth, confusing Leonard for moments until the torment around reminded him otherwise.
"Damn, this isn't the time to relax…" Remembering his mission, he continued marching toward the abyss that seemed to wait for him with half-open arms.
"That rain was different too… It felt like the world itself was crying, but I couldn't understand why. Was killing those wolves a mistake? No… it was kill or be killed, and I'd rather not die."
Looking downcast, he noticed a few strands of hair falling from his head — white strands, something strange to see…
He stopped for a moment, panting, trying to process what was happening to him. He raised his sword, using the worn blade as a makeshift mirror.
The reflection showed a man with white hair and gray eyes. It was Leonard, without a doubt, but the hair… defied any explanation. In such a short time there, he seemed to have aged a whole decade. Still, the rest of his body showed no signs of wear or aging.
"How is this possible? It doesn't even make sense how I am — it's like I've been here for at least ten years."
Countless theories passed through his mind as he stared at the reflection, but the most plausible — though disturbing — was stress. The days spent in that place, the constant tension, the weight of impossible decisions… Everything seemed to have accumulated, transforming him inside and out.
The eyes, however, were what troubled him the most. There was something deeply unsettling in them. The sensation of living flames flickering in his irises, intertwined with translucent lines that seemed to move unpredictably.
The more he fixed his gaze, the more unbearable a throbbing emerged in his head, as if the image was draining his mental energy. It was hypnotic and oppressive, as if he was looking at something he shouldn't.
Leonard suddenly averted his gaze, his chest heaving for relief. The sword nearly slipped from his trembling hands.
The young man spat to the side, holding onto the sword, and limped back into the void. The moonlight illuminated every part of his body, reflecting on the rags he called clothes, now on the verge of ruin.
"That light… at least it doesn't abandon me in the dark of these damned trees…"
He pulled out his canteen and took a few sips, almost emptying it.
— Hah…
"I need to find more water, I should find a pond soon; after all, this place seems to have water everywhere…" The young man's body began to crack, the trapped air in his lungs escaping in gasps, betraying exhaustion. There was still much to travel, but the path seemed endless.
He followed a thin silver thread that stretched into infinity, guiding his steps. He didn't know if it would actually lead him out, but it was his only hope.
The young man placed his hope in a mere ethereal line, without a doubt, it was the strangest thing he had encountered in recent days. No, this was the strangest day; every part of this damned day left him marked.
Unlike the other days, this one was more turbulent and full of twists. At one moment he thought about giving up, and in the next, he clung to hope. He saw himself dead in a strange tree and, at another moment, it seemed like the future.
Thinking about it, the very name evoked something deep in his subconscious. It seemed strange — why was it called "Eternal Vision" and what would it make him different from other people?
"If I remember… Some investigators are known for peculiar abilities they develop themselves — no, if I'm not mistaken, they all have supernatural powers. Would that make me similar to them?"
While seeming to gain new understanding about what he witnessed two hours ago, he wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't determined to stop. The silver thread ended at a certain point and the horizon of trees revealed itself as now a plain… No, a field.
A field of beautiful white flowers, for some reason, made every hair on his body shiver in the light of the beautiful full moon. The beautiful field had an even more majestic air, for reasons unknown. Leonard just wanted to stay there if possible for all eternity.