Forest didn't returned back to normal.
Not after the ground had tried to swallowed someone whole.
Limbo walked ahead, slowly and steadied.
Behind him- No, not behind.
Beside him —
A small hand held onto his sleeves.
The child hadn't let him go since he pulled out of the swamp.
Even now they moved away from the sinking patch of the earth, her finger clungs to the fabric as it was the only thing strong left on the world.
Limbo didn't shake her off.
Didn't comment.
He just simply adjusted his pace.
Slower.
The forest around them was quite again.
But it wasn't the same silence as before.
This one...listened.
They walked for several minutes without speaking.
The girl's breathing had calmed, but not completely. Every now and then, she glanced back-toward where The mud had been.
As if expecting it to follow.
"It won't reach here," Limbo Said.
"Or... something else you're worried about." he thought in mind.
She flinch slightly.
Then looked at him.
"... Really?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
But her grip didn't loosen.
A few more steps passed.
Then—
"What's your name?"
The question came without him looking at her.
"...mi...mora.... Mora."
Her voice was small.
Careful.
"Limbo." That's my name.
She blinked.
Then nodded again.
As if mesmerizing it.
Silence returned.
The ground ahead looked normal.
Too normal.
Limbo's gaze moved subtly as he walked - reading the soil, The roots, the faint movement of energy beneath everything.
The strain was still there.
Just thinner.
"You're strong."
"Mora's voice came again.
Quiter this time.
Limbo didn't respond immediately.
"You think...?"
"I saw it," she continued. "The ground...it stopped when you came."
A pause.
"...i didn't do, i just did what was needed."
She frowned slightly.
As if that wasn't the answer she expected.
They stepped over a cluster of exposed roots.
Mora stumbled slightly.
Her grip tightened.
Limbo slowed again, "Careful."
"...Mm."
For a while, they walked like that.
Uneven steps with different rhythms.
But somehow... aligned.
"Where were you going?"
The question came after a long silence.
Mora hesitated.
Her fingers tightened again.
"I...i wasn't supposed to go that far."
Limbo glanced down briefly.
Yeah...
He continued, "from where?"
"...North side."
He stopped.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Then continued walking.
North.
That direction wasn't random.
Mora shook her head quickly.
"No...I mean—yes—but I got separated."
Her words tangled.
"I was just...I went to pick berries and then..."
Her voice trembled.
"The ground started moving."
Limbo's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Moving how?"
She looked down.
Thinking... trying to remember.
"...like something was turning under it."
A pause.
"Not breaking."
Her grip tightened again.
"Shifting."
Limbo didn't speak.
That matched.
Too closely.
They continued to walk forward, with every step the forest began to grew denser and darker, roots were thicker.
The air was heavier.
A faint crack that echoed somewhere ahead.
Made the Mora Froze.
Her breath hitched.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yes."
Limbo taking initiative stepped slightly in front of her now.
Not blocking her completely.
But shielding.
The ground ahead didn't collapse.
But it wasn't stable either, thin lines ran across the soil.
Faint.
Barely visible.
The same veins.
"... stay behind me."
Mora nodded quickly.
Something moved, it's vibration felt under their feet.
Not fast.
Not aggressive.
Limbo shifted his eyes.
A small creature emerge by jumping.
Twisted, half-corrupted.
It's movements were uneven, like it couldn't decide whether to flee or attack.
Mora stepped back.
Her grip tightened again.
Limbo didn't move immediately.
He just watched standing.
The creature twitched.
Then lunged.
A flash.
With lightning snapped once.
Clean and precise strike the creature was dropped dead instantly.
Silence returned.
Mora stared wide eyes.
"What happened?" She didn't asked but was written on her face.
"...you didn't even move."
Limbo didn't answer.
Instead,
He looked down.
Maintain silence.
The coruption from the creature began to sink into the soil.
Just like before.
Pulled.
"...it's faster now, " he murmured.
"What....?" Mora asked.
"Nothing."
But it wasn't nothing.
The pull had strengthened.
He straightened.
"We're moving."
She didn't argue.
They continued as fast as they can this time without wasting moment.
After a while, the tree began to thin slightly.
Mora's steps slowed.
"...are we going back?" She asked.
"No."
She blinked.
"Then where...?"
Limbo didn't answer immediately.
His gaze moved ahead.
Far beyond what she could see.
"...Forward."
Because now, turning back didn't make sense anymore.
Not when the problem wasn't behind them.
It was ahead.
Mira hesitated.
Then-
"....Will the ground eat me again?"
A small voice, afraid.
Limbo looked at her.
"Not while I'm here."
She nodded slowly.
And for the first time, her grip loosened even for just a little period.
They walked on.
But beneath them, deep below the roots, something shifted again.
It didn't just watch now.
Listening and followed them..
And somewhere far ahead, the earth waited to open once more.