Chara ran through the forest, the trail beneath their feet a blur of tears. Their foot connected with a tree root, causing them to stumble. They threw out their hands to try to regain their balance. Pain shot up their ankle. Chara desperately wondered how much farther they had to run before they were safe.

How much farther could they run?

Running was dangerous at night. What were shiny rocks and colorful leaves in the day time became dangerous obstacles at night. Plus, they were starting to tire. It had been twilight when they'd fled their village, and as they'd ran the shadows had grown longer and deeper until the whole forest was bathed in darkness. Now it was night.

Chara knew that they should keep running. People were out here, searching for them.

No, Chara shook their head, hunting for them.

They paused to rub their eyes. Fresh tears replaced the ones they wiped away. Their breath came in shallow gasps, a mixture of exhaustion and crying. They considered stopping for a few minutes to catch their breath. Just as the thought dared to cross their mind, they heard a rustle in the brush behind them and the sound of a stick snapping. Chara let out a scared squeak and ran away, faster than they had been going before.

The logical side of their brain argued that the noise could had been anything. It could have been a rabbit hopping in the undergrowth for all they knew! Chara ran for another minute and, hearing nothing else out of the ordinary, collapsed against a tree.

Shaking from exhaustion, Chara dug their hands into the rough bark, fighting to get their breathing under control. The shock and rush of adrenaline was starting to fade. They clutched the bark harder, distracting themselves from dangerous thoughts.

I let her down. It's all my fault.

She's dead.

Chara let out a cry and covered their mouth. The sound reverberated in the otherwise quiet forest. If someone heard that… Chara's shoulders shook. They could imagine people tracking the noise right back to them. Both mentally and physically exhausted, they tensed, waiting for hands to appear out of the darkness and seize them. Chara listened, but the forest remained quiet, the echos of their cry fading. Finally, after a good minute of silence, they sank to the ground, keeping their trembling hands firmly planted over their mouth to prevent another outburst. A minute passed, then two. Chara trepidatiously stood, listening. From somewhere in the distant wood, Chara could hear someone stomping through undergrowth and dense trees.

Chara flinched. They looked toward where the noise was coming from, but saw nothing. The sound kept coming, closer and closer. Chara's knees shook as they lowered themself to a crouch. They bit their hand to keep their teeth from chattering. They knew that they couldn't go on much longer. The noises grew louder. Over the crunch of leaves and twigs, Chara heard someone swear under their breath. Chara didn't move a muscle, fighting their growing terror as the silhouette drew closer. It's shadow fell on dying grass in front of Chara. Chara held their breath. After a pause, the shadow turned and faded away.

Chara released a shaky breath. They stood, eyes trained on the patch of dark where someone had been, mere seconds ago. Their mind raced. Where to go now? They had no plan, no ideas, nothing. Where could they go now? Where could something being hunted like prey escape to?

They whirled their head around as a crash echoed through the trees in the clearing below them. Chara saw birds burst out of the branches, spinning towards the sky. Flying somewhere they knew no one would follow. Chara tilted their head to follow the bird's path, staring up at the creature that loomed above them. Mt. Ebott.

Once on the mountain path, Chara began to relax. They let their pace slow to a walk. Chara gasped as they lost their footing on a rock. They fell, crying out as their hands met the ground with a sharp pain. They rose to their feet, wiping blood off their knees with bloodier palms. Chara winced as they took their first step forward, ankle screaming in protest. They briefly considered stopping, then shook the thought from their head. They needed to keep going. They couldn't just stay on a mountain indefinitely.

What do I do after that?

Their fast stride slowed into a staggering limp. Dazed and in pain, Chara could only muster the strength to keep moving forward.

A sound like a gunshot broke their trance. Chara jumped backwards, catching themself before nearly tumbling off the mountain path. A light rain started to fall, the drops keeping pace with Chara's racing heart. They knew they couldn't keep walking. The ground was growing muddy, clinging to Chara's sneakers. Between their ankle, their exhaustion, and the slippery path, it was testing fate to keep walking. They needed to find shelter.

They paused for a moment to look around. The trees around them were too thin to keep them dry. They kept going, planning to cut back down the mountain to thicker cover when they had put enough distance between them and their town.

A town full of people who could care less about me.

They pushed the thought aside, forcing themself to focus on their movement. Step… Step… One foot after another. They kept their gaze trained on their feet, watching the fabric of their worn shoes crease and tighten with each step. They were so preoccupied with this that they passed something. It took Chara a few steps before they registered that there was indeed something there. They turned back to get a better look. It was a cave. Chara stood at the entrance, peering in. They could only see a few meters of shadowy gray rock inside the cave before darkness consumed any visible light. There was a moment of indecision.

Mt. Ebott. The mountain of monsters.

It was a cursed place. Should they really be here? They suddenly felt cold. They wondered how much of the folklore was real. Since the time they were old enough to walk they had heard stories about the monsters that roamed beneath the mountain. After a long and bloody war, the humans were left victorious and locked the monsters under their feet. Enraged, the monsters cursed the mountain. They promised death and suffering on anyone foolish enough to climb it.

They thought back to years ago, the first time they'd made this journey. Everything had seemed so simple then. They closed their eyes, taking in a deep breath. Then, I guess the legends were true. Death and suffering to anyone foolish enough to climb it. So, everything that's happened, that's been my fault, hasn't it? Unknowingly, they had sealed their fate a long time ago.

Guilt weighing heavily on their shoulders, they entered the dark cave.

Despite everything that had happened, Chara felt oddly calm. The only thing they felt was a thick, unrelenting tiredness.

It didn't matter. Did it?

None of this did.

They spotted a rock on the side of the cave. They sat, busying themself with worrying the end of their bracelet. Chara's eyes began to droop. They needed to sleep, needed to be ready to move whenever the storm cleared up. The weather outside had taken a turn for the worse. The rain was pouring buckets. Lightning lit up the sky at random intervals. They scooted deeper into the cave to stay dry from the puddles collecting around their feet. Leaning against the cave wall, they shut their eyes, surrendering to sleep.

At some point, Chara drifted off. When they stirred again, the world was quiet. The rain had stopped, leaving only the faint sound of water dripping from the end of a stalactite. They stretched, attempting to rid their neck of it's stiffness. Looking deeper into the cave, something caught Chara's eye.

The cave expanded forward for a few yards before it slowly curved. Where the path disappeared behind a cave wall, Chara saw the weak glow of moonlight.

Chara stood, puzzled. They peered further into the cave, focusing on the patch of light. Chara let their mind drift back to the legends surrounding this place. Who knew what could be hiding in the darkness.

As Chara walked, the cave began to widen. They turned the corner to find themself in a small cavern where, at some point time, the rock ceiling had collapsed, leaving a massive hole overhead and exposing the small bit of cave to the open air. The moonlight cast a dim light around the cavern, too little to see much of anything but faint outlines and shapes. They turned their head up to admire the stars and the enormity of the night sky.

Tears welled up in Chara's eyes. They searched the sky for a shooting star.

Please, Chara wished. I just want to be able to redo this. Redo anything. Chara felt a tear roll down their face. I've made so many mistakes.

Chara stepped back, trying to catch a glimpse of the milky way. The stone underneath them had been relatively flat thus far, so the last thing Chara was expecting was for their foot to hit a tree root in the ground. Had they been paying attention, they may have been able to catch themself. But, with Chara's eyes fixed overhead, they waited too long to catch their balance.

Chara swung their arms out, further twisting their ankle. They fell backwards, nothing close enough to grab onto. Chara opened up their mouth in a silent scream.

Looking up, they saw a star shoot across the sky. Chara squeezed their eyes shut and braced themself for impact.

I just want to be able to redo this...

...Redo anything.

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