25: Spectator

The immense and colossal spider webs covered every corner of the crimson labyrinth, leaving no place that wasn't wrapped in webs.

'No, not everywhere. The peaks of the elevated structures are clear... Maybe, at least up there, I'll be safe.'

Now that sunlight bathed the vast abandoned area, Grey could better see his surroundings, allowing him to begin studying them meticulously.

The most important thing to survive in an unknown place is information. Learning everything possible about the environment could be the key to survival in dangerous situations or in case he needed to escape.

He spent several hours memorizing the visible paths from his elevated position, observing the routes of the crimson labyrinth from atop his cliff.

He estimated that he was at the top of a cliff at least two hundred meters high, a steep slope that left him vulnerable to attacks from nightmare creatures, who would not find it too difficult to climb.

Another thing he noticed were the multiple paths stretching in the opposite direction of the black sea that had receded.

'No one in their right mind would go toward that cursed sea, right? It's best to move in the opposite direction.'

In the distance, he could make out several cliffs jutting out of the landscape that might, perhaps, avoid sinking when night fell. Potential spots to stop if he decided to explore beyond his current position.

However, something caught his attention. At the edge of his vision, he saw movement... Something was moving quickly.

'What's that?' They were small black dots rapidly advancing toward a cliff, one even higher than the one Grey stood on.

He amplified his senses, focusing his vision and perception with enhanced precision.

And what he saw was not encouraging.

---

What moments before had seemed like mere black dots now revealed themselves as enormous spiders racing at full speed across the countless webs and crimson corals.

'What the hell are those things!? Could it be another fight between creatures...?'

Grey focused his enhanced vision on the hill where those creatures seemed to be heading.

There, at the top of the towering cliff, his eyes widened in surprise: there was a human desperately trying to descend.

'Another sleeper! The creatures... They'll kill him before he can get down! I have to—' Grey stepped forward, preparing Odyssey to descend the two hundred meters that separated him from the ground. But he stopped, paralyzed, as he realized what he was about to do.

It was naive to think he could intervene. Even if he could descend in a second, he would never reach in time to warn, save, or do anything he imagined to help that boy.

He could only watch as those creatures would finish off the defenseless sleeper, who had the misfortune of being discovered.

Grey took a step back, horrified, as the giant spiders reached the cliff and began to climb the steep slope.

'I have to do something... But what can I do?'

Helplessness overwhelmed him completely. There was nothing he could do but be a passive spectator to what was about to unfold.

With his heart in his throat, he watched as the spiders surrounded the sleeper, cutting off his limbs with monstrous precision. Then they wrapped him in webs and dragged him down the cliff.

Grey watched, unable to look away, as the creatures carried the unfortunate sleeper to some distant place, probably their nest, until they disappeared completely.

---

When night covered the land, Grey heard the roar of the black sea returning to its place, covering the labyrinth and turning the cliffs into small islands floating on the water.

'So the sea recedes at dawn and returns at dusk...' Suddenly, his eyes widened as a random but impactful thought crossed his mind.

'Could it be that... the sea itself is a living being?'

The very thought of something so immense and massive being corrupted chilled his blood, forcing him to suppress a shudder.

'No, I don't think so. It's impossible for something so vast to be a nightmare creature, right?'

Taking a few breaths, he calmed his mind and began to think about what he would do next.

'I've already memorized several paths. Tomorrow, when the sea recedes again, I'll leave this place. I don't understand how those creatures detected the other sleeper, but I'm not risking being found as well.'

Grey moved to the center of the platform and lay down on the cold rock. He could still feel the icy wind and the hardness of the ground beneath his body, but he was beginning to get used to it. After all, he had endured much more cold during his nightmare, so this was nothing new.

He decided to stay awake that night and not sleep. Even though nothing had tried to devour him the previous night, there was still the possibility that more of those giant abominations that fought on the first night were lurking around.

'Though, either way, I couldn't do much...'

The hours passed as the potential routes Grey had memorized played out in his mind. So many paths and escape routes were too much information to analyze, even for him.

When the pale sunlight appeared on the horizon and the black sea roared, Grey stood up, summoned his spear, and headed to the east side of the platform, watching as the sea receded.

"Alright, it's all or nothing. If I stay, they'll find me and kill me. If I leave, I might die in the jaws of some creature, but... at least there's a chance to survive."

With that said, he jumped off the cliff. At thirty meters down, he thrust his spear into the rock, spun on it, and with the momentum, pulled it out to continue his descent.

After repeating the same process several times, he finally touched the ground of the labyrinth, ready to explore this strange crimson land.

---

Note: Do you know who that sleeper was? 😉

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