A single step. Then another. He walked. He kept walking. And then he walked still more. Walking was wearying. And with every step, the pain that spread across his body reminded him of its presence. Only those who walked like him could understand this ridiculous pain. His muscles were aflame, tearing themselves apart as if to reduce the bones beneath into ash. And none of it was logical. His legs had reason to ache, sure. But his arms? And his chest? Why would his fingertips throb as if he had clenched his fists for years, clinging to life itself in fear of losing it? There was no sense to be found. That cursed pain… at times, he wished it would simply vanish long enough for him to miss it.
Lost in these thoughts, he flinched at a fresh stab of pain in his foot. He pulled it back slightly and reflexively grabbed the sore spot with his hand. He'd bumped into something while walking… again.
"Bone." he thought. "A pretty long one."
Of course, it was only a guess. It wasn't a certainty. He couldn't possibly know. Just like everything else he stumbled upon while walking, this too was nothing but a possibility. Just one of the endless possibilities, and another.
A question appeared in his mind. 'But whose is it tho?'
He thought, as he crouched down to feel the obstacle with his hands. His palms ran over the rough surface of the bone, trying to sense… something. He didn't even remember what exactly he was trying to sense, but for some reason, he kept at it for a while.
'And someone went and left it here. How irresponsible!'
The bone was nearly as tall as he was, and thick as his torso. Which meant…
It was a damn fine bone. So why would anyone abandon such a fine bone in a place like this? This pit really must be full of idiots. Just like that thing last time. The one with horns on its head… a man? No, no, that wasn't it.
Wait a minute, what was that thing again? There was someone, who had even done… something recently… No. Nothing. He couldn't remember. Did such a person even exist? The thought seemed to stir some ancient fear within him, so he rejected it instantly. If they had existed, he would remember! What nonsense!
He narrowed his eyes, lifted his chin slightly, and cast a glance into the darkness. It was as if he were expecting to meet the gaze of someone lurking deep within. Then he shook himself, both mentally and in the literal sense, snapping back to his senses.
'These are trivial matters. Nothing can stop me from walking. No matter how awesome their bone is.'
Even if the determined expression on his face was hidden in the darkness of the pit, the undeniable resolve within him gave him strength. Another step forward meant another possibility. Another possibility meant another step... Every step was a masterpiece, and walking itself was the greatest miracle bestowed upon him. He took a deep breath and drew in the stinking air of this pit. He was completely ready to take the next step on this path where he moved forward without stopping. He lifted his foot and took a step-
He couldn't. A familiar pain stabbed his toe and made him jolt. Everything spun as his feet left the ground. In an instant, he found himself sitting on his ass, leaning back against the bone.
"BONE. Fucking bone! So you were still here, huh!"
What a terrible bone it was. It had no sense of reading the atmosphere. Why had it interfered with his determined stride? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he tilted his head slightly upward, a distant and foreign expression spread across his face. A gentle breeze brushed against him from afar, colliding with the storm of boundless waves in his mind. For a brief moment, he loosened the reins of the doubt rising within him and thought. Could it be…
'You… Is this really it? After all this time… After everything we went through in the past. So… so this is how it is, huh?'
And who was this person? Well that... the idiot who put his bone in his way, of course. The one with horns on his back. Yes. It had to be him. Rubbing the spot on his head where he'd hit it, he slowly stood back up. But why had he done such a thing?
"Isn't it obvious? He wants to stop me. He's jealous of my walk. Yes! He envies my walking. The bastard's even grown horns out of envy."
This was a game he'd come up with recently. It was basically played by asking "why?" about everything. Searching for meaning in what he experienced. Sometimes he came across unexpected problems like this while walking. Then he'd think about it and come up with possible reasons. Well, Most of the time the conclusion he reached had something to do with others envying his walk though.
It was a strange game. Even though it made him feel worse the more he played, he kept playing. It was addictive.
He pushed himself up with one hand against the bone and kept walking. And then walked some more. The rough surface beneath his bare feet had left him with scars. Scars that never healed. Of course, he was proud of them. They were proof that, from the very moment he had found himself in this pit, he had never stopped walking. But they carried another meaning as well? What was it again. He tried to recall, yet focusing on anything other than walking while walking was hard. So he paused for a moment, standing still, and let his thoughts wander.
He tried with all his might to remember. 'What did they mean? There was one more, wasn't there?'
He lingered, then suddenly stepped forward twice. One… Two…
'Perfect.'
He lowered his head and eyed the object lying just a span away from his toes. A bone.
"Fuck! You again!" he shouted in anger. "Show yourself, you filthy bastard! I'm sick of all your little games already. You piece of shit. You think this is funny? You having fun, huh?"
The darkness gave no reply. A deathly silence seemed to blanket this corner of the pit. Nothing moved, and no light could be seen. Just the pit's usual self. The same as always.
He kicked the bone in front of him a few times in anger, muttering to himself, "You and your stupid bones. If I catch you, I'll break every single one of your bones! Just like that."
He beat at it until fatigue set in. At last he planted his hands on his knees, braced his breath, and felt himself settle. Composed, he prepared to continue.
Eventually he bent over with his hands on his knees, breathing hard, and finally calmed down. He gathered himself and readied to walk. He took one step to the side, then glanced, suspicious, at where the bone ought to be, and, hesitating, reached out his hand.
When his hand touched something solid, he jumped up in excitement and shouted, "BONE. Ha. I knew you were still here. You idiot, did you really think you could fool me with these simple tricks?" A smug look came over his face. "I've got plenty of experience, okay? I know a lot. I've seen these tricks before, of course. Heh heh. I could tell you about them, if you want."
There was no reply from the bone.
He stared at the expressionless bone for a while, though beneath his attempt to look cool question marks were spinning in his head. He had no idea how the bone was still there, but somehow it was. 'Normally it should have disappeared. I guess… Or should it not? But if it left, where would it even go? No, no, it shouldn't have left. But it feels like, man I don't even know anymore.'
His memory problem had reached such a point that his mind no longer held answers even for something this simple. Really, did a bone standing in the dark stay there after he walked away?
As he pondered this difficult question, he finally summoned all his wisdom and reached the most reasonable conclusion possible.
Grinning, he said, "Stupid bone," and with the confidence of a man who had just solved a great mystery, he prepared to walk again.
"You're stupid."
"Huh?"
He looked around in surprise and asked, "Who was that?"
It was dark, as always. Seeing no one around, his eyes widened and he turned to the bone. "Bone! Was that you? So you can talk, huh? Why did you ignore me earlier? That was really rude."
Without giving the bone a chance to respond, he kept going. "Anyway, I'll forgive you if you answer my question. Tell me, who put you here?"
"I came on my own."
"What do you mean?" he asked, pausing just a heartbeat before his voice brightened with curiosity. "Wait, you can walk too? But where are your legs?"
"Walk? What's that? Sounds ridiculous. Walking~ hehe. No, I've never done that before."
"Then how did you get here?"
"By rolling, of course. Are you dense, my friend? You really don't know something that simple?"
He thought, 'What's happening right now? What kind of nonsense is this? To get somewhere, you have to walk. Everyone knows that. What is this fool even saying? Rolling? What kind of absurdity is that?'
Meanwhile, the bone continued talking. "What fools are in this pit. The guy doesn't even know how to roll, can you believe it?" Then it started rolling into the darkness.
"Hey, where are you going? Wait!" The man chased after the rolling bone. He had noticed faint light escaping through some cracks on the other side.
Considering it was a bone, it rolled surprisingly fast, credit where it's due. But that speed meant nothing to him. He caught up quickly. "So this is what rolling is." he said calmly as he walked beside the bone. "How ridiculous. You're moving, but so slowly. It's nothing like walking. And it looks so funny. No trace of elegance."
They moved on like that for a while. The only noises were the man's steps and the rattling of the bone as it rolled.
After some time, the man spoke. "Um, can I ask you something? Have you ever seen a horned man around here? Like, someone with horns on his arms and back, or did he only have them on his head?" He tried to recall as he spoke.
"Horns? What's that supposed to be? There really are strange creatures are in this pit." complained the talking bone. The light seeping through the cracks on its surface flickered slightly as it spoke. "And if he had them on his arms and back, is it even correct to call them horns? Aren't they just spikes?"
"I don't know. I guess that's right." The man turned to the bone with a look of admiration. "You sure know a lot for a bone."
"Of course I do." the bone accepted the compliment with a gentlemanly air and added. "This bone once belonged to a wise creature."
Just as the man was about to speak, deafening sounds erupted from above. They were a sharp mix of screams and roars. The ground trembled, and the clashing of heavy things merged with the continuing roar. Then, with an astonishing "BAAM" the pit shook violently, and the man ended up on the ground. The bone had also been flung forward.
Even though he couldn't see what had happened, he understood easily. Another being had fallen from the sky. A thick layer of dust briefly enveloped the pit. At that moment, no one dared disturb the song of silence, until the fallen being began to move.
The sound of falling stones echoed in the darkness. The creature rose slowly, and the fragments it had dragged along tumbled off its body. It was so enormous that it seemed as if the pit itself was moving.
The man scanned the area for the bone and soon spotted it. It was standing a little ahead, its cracks glowing in anxious tones.
The man paused, listening carefully before stepping forward. The creature must have been fully upright now, as the falling debris had stopped. The darkness deepened, and an enormous eye appeared before him. Its eyelids stretched wide, and the eye itself was like a globe of light, illuminating everything around it. In the center, a vertical pupil looked like a slit into another universe. As the eye slowly enlarged and drew nearer, the man realized the ancient creature was bending toward him, studying him intently.
A voice, full of disgust, rose from the creature, and with a hatred that seemed to come from the depths, it spoke a single word.
"Human."