Satan's Little Helper

X X I I I - [ C H R I S T I A N A ]

THE MOMENT I step in the third circle, I feel my breath getting heavier and heavier, like my lungs are slowly being drained out of its content. Fortunately, though, it doesn't take long for them to acclimatize to my surroundings and soon enough, my breathing goes back to normal, if not a bit more ragged than usual. But just to make sure that I won't collapse or anything, I give myself time to try and control it.

Once my breathing have more or less stabilized, I begin taking in my surroundings, which, to be fair, looks pretty much identical to the first one - an empty desert with little dried-up trees, the terrain composed mainly of terracotta sand and complete, unadulterated dryness.

I walk, wondering just when I am going to encounter the main obstacle of this level.

Just then, I hear my stomach grumble and I stop to look down at it incredulously.

How am I even hungry already? Didn't I eat before I came here?

Shrugging it off, I continue my journey deeper in the circle, ignoring the fact that my stomach keeps telling me to go find something to eat every few minutes or so.

After a while, I start to notice that my surroundings always look exactly the same. It's as if everything is put on repeat, which means that there are only two possibilities: either I'm dumb enough to be walking in circles, or this level is simply constructed like a loop.

I attempt to walk straight ahead to avoid making mistakes that might end up with me lost or back to where I started. The results are the same, though, so I guess it's safe to say that the first probability can be scratched—it's not me. It's just the Circle.

I sigh.

This is gonna be one hell of a long day.

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WHEN WHAT FEELS like hours of walking past the same trees over and over again have passed, my throat starts to feel raw and it is only then do I realize that I haven't had even a single drop of water enter my mouth since I entered the Inner Circle.

Where on earth am I supposed to find water in a place like this?

Stopping once more, I look around to find something I could perhaps drink from. However, this level is nothing but a desert without even cactuses growing from the soil so the best chance I've got for survival is to find water in the trunks of the dead trees surrounding me.

I walk over towards one, somewhat hopeful though I know that there is very little chance that there will be any water or food whatsoever. Still, though, if there is even a chance, I might as well check it out since I have nothing to lose anyway.

As I come closer to the tree, my doubts are proved true; there is nothing on it, let alone surrounding it. There are, however, little creepy crawlies walking around on their tiny legs and making me shoot a look at them all in complete and utter disgust.

Staring at the rotten tree, I mutter, "Padongraph-unveh."

The tree immediately breaks into two at its trunk, as if it is a stick that's simply snapped. Careful not to touch the critters living around the tree, I step forward to check the insides of the trunk to see nothing but a cluster of white, pearl-like objects. Only upon closer inspection do I realize that they are actually eggs. I stagger back immediately, never having liked the idea of insects or anything else that crawls going anywhere close to my skin.