Amon kept staring into the abyss.

Seconds passed. Then minutes. His breathing slowly steadied, but his mind refused to calm down. Then he heard it.

Thump...

It was faint. So faint that at first he thought it was just his own heartbeat echoing in his ears.

Thump...

Amon froze. The sound was slow. Heavy. Deep. Like the beating of a massive heart buried far away. He hadn't noticed it before. But now, as he tried to focus more, he could hear it.

Thump… thump…

It wasn't coming from below. Amon swallowed and slowly lifted his head. Above him, there was no ceiling.

The inside of the tree was hollowed completely, stretching upward like a colossal vertical tunnel.

The inner walls of the trunk spiraled endlessly, disappearing into darkness far above. Even the light from his lighter couldn't reach that height.

And that sound… it was coming from above. Far, far above.

A chill ran through Amon's spine. He could not see the end of it. Just like below, the above was also full of darkness, making Amon shiver.

"That's not… normal," he muttered.

The beating was irregular, ancient, and distant. Yet real. Too real.

And while he felt some familiarity with the hole downward, above. Where the sound was coming from, he felt revulsion. Something that should not exist. Something that Amon should not try to know about. Something he should not go toward.

With the lighter in his hand, Amon looked beside him. He turned his head to the right, carefully scanning the interior. As his eyes adjusted, something else caught his attention.

Along the inner side of the trunk, hugging the curved wall, there was a path. A slope going slowly upward.

It wasn't wide. Not even close. Just a narrow, slanted road carved directly into the inner bark, spiraling upward like a broken staircase. There were no railings. No barriers. Just a thin strip of uneven ground clinging to the tree's inner wall.

It was big enough for one person to walk on. One wrong step… and he would fall straight into the abyss below.

Amon's throat went dry. "…So there is a path," he whispered.

He looked above. The path might lead toward the top of the tree. Somewhere above.

His instincts screamed again. Loud. Desperate. This is wrong. Still, he stepped closer.

Carefully, he placed one foot onto the slope. The ground felt solid. Cold and rough beneath his boot. He leaned slightly toward the trunk, keeping his balance, sword held close to his body.

Step by step, he walked along the narrow path.

The slope continued upward, slowly curving around the inside of the tree. With every step, the heartbeat grew a little clearer.

Thump… thump…

It felt closer, yet far away.

Amon's chest tightened. His palms grew damp. His wounds throbbed again, reacting to something unseen.

"This… leads upward," he murmured, realization settling in.

It was a path going higher inside the tree. Toward whatever was beating.

He walked a little more. Just a little. His steps slowed and measured. He moved cautiously.

The darkness above felt heavier, thicker, as if it pressed down on him. The air itself seemed old, stale, and suffocating. Every breath tasted wrong.

Amon stopped.

His body trembled. Not from pain this time, but from instinct. He felt nausea from going upward. Revulsion. And fear.

Something inside him whispered that if he went further… something would change. And not for the better. He should not go there.

"…No," he said quietly.

He turned around carefully, placing his foot back where it had been. Slowly, deliberately, he retraced his steps along the narrow slope, refusing to rush.

He could not go there. His body was already in bad condition, where surviving was already so hard for him. And moving upward despite feeling so much revulsion would be too foolish. Even for a foolish person like Amon.

The heartbeat faded again as he descended.

'I should go back from here.'

Thump…

Thump…

Until it became faint once more.

When his boots finally touched the wider ground near the entrance, Amon let out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

He backed away from the abyss, from the slope, from the hollow depths of the tree. His own heartbeat was loud, beating faster.

"I need air," he muttered.

Remaining inside felt suffocating now. There was no light. Everything was dark. It felt uncomfortable to remain there.

This place was suffocating. Mentally. Spiritually.

He glanced at the hollow pit one last time before moving.

He turned and walked back toward the entrance, toward the faint gray light filtering in from outside. Each step felt lighter the closer he got.

When he finally crossed the threshold and stepped out of the tree, cold wind brushed against his face.

Fresh air.

He exhaled deeply. "Hah… this feels refreshing… despite being so gloomy." He didn't know what word he should use.

The world outside the tree was as usual. Dark gray, gloomy clouds. The forest and mountains surrounding it were not the usual green, but dark black.

But compared to what was inside… he felt refreshed outside.

Amon inhaled deeply, filling his lungs as if he had just escaped drowning. His head felt clearer, though his heart was still pounding.

He turned back and looked at the massive opening of the Celestial Tree's grave.

Whatever was inside… whatever was beating… he wasn't ready for it.

But maybe he might go back later again.

Because something was down there. Something that felt familiar. Something that didn't feel that bad.

Amon stepped away from the entrance, choosing distance for now.

He climbed the path and walked atop one of the roots, then sat on it.

"Sigh… this is so crazy. I am so blank. I don't know what to do. Where to go? What should be my next step?" Amon rubbed his temples in worry.

His expression turned ugly. The more he thought, the more dire his situation seemed.

Growl~

More than anything, his stomach was crying for food. Amon was hungry.

"Where can I get food… in my physical condition… trying to hunt monsters is dangerous."

While he was cursing his situation, something caught his attention.

He narrowed his eyes as he saw something far away, coming in the direction of the tree.

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