Tap, tap, tap...
The spacious and distant sound of footsteps echoed on the mountain platform.
A Flame Devotee dressed in a heavy ritual robe, with a stern face, stepped to the edge of the platform, his gaze suddenly extending far into the distance, overlooking the winding pilgrimage path from the foot to the summit of the mountain.
This path was littered with skeletons; crows and vultures perched on the barren trees of the abyss, emitting shrill cooing sounds.
Mars had transformed into a secluded devotee on the mountain again.
He was not a "person", for he had lost all emotions and desires, save for when he glanced back at the towering god statues between the mountains—only then would a sudden flicker of firelight appear in his dull eyes.
Repression!
"Is this really food?"
His heart felt as if it were being clutched by a hand, his emotions quietly influenced, Mars returned to reality, grasping his throat, struggling to breathe, with cold sweat running down his forehead.
No!
