After burning the hand of the silhouette, Brock and Hawk leave the house, descending the stairs. Hawk takes dramatic steps, flipping the flashlight boastfully as he glances over at Brock. Brock, attempting to fix his messy black hair, winces from the bruises on his face, tapping them before rapidly retracting his hands.
While this is happening, Hawk keeps checking the flashlight as if it's a loaded gun. The flashlight flickers for a moment—just once—but it's enough to make both of them freeze. They both feel a sudden coldness.
Brock mutters, "Don't let that thing die."
Hawk slaps it, and it steadies, but tension rises—what if it does go out?
Brock stops for a second, not in horror but lost in his thoughts, staring towards the ground. Walking ahead for a moment, Hawk notices and backtracks, asking if he's okay, but there's no response.
"Am I the issue?" Hawk starts to worry as, again, there's no response. He waves his hand in front of Brock's face but still gets a blank stare.
Brock mutters one word: "Hawk."
Hawk's eyes lighten up, glad he spoke. Brock, feeling horrible, explains something very important to show he cares for him.
"Hawk, listen, please. This is not safe. You saw what happened, and I don't want you hurt because of me."
Hawk looks happy, like he's about to shed a tear but stays strong, saying he doesn't care even if he dies and that he's here for the long haul. Putting his hand out, Brock shakes it as a sign of their alliance, knowing he can trust him. Looking forward, then back to Hawk, Brock proudly recommends they continue forward as they're nowhere near done with this journey.
After five minutes—or what felt like longer—of just talking as they walk with no idea of where to go, they arrive at a forest, a place that looks scarier than it sounds. There's a path that seems to go on forever, with tall trees lining it.
"Do we have to enter, Brock? What is the point of this? What will we even learn?" Hawk looks backward. Brock scratches his face as hes become randomly very itchy and insists they do, due to the recent talk Hawk doesn't want to be a burden and be useful. So Hawk agrees... step... step... step...
Brock starts to feel lightheaded but says nothing, thinking he's overthinking. Step... step... step... Brock feels nauseous. 'Do I say something?' Brock feels his body tense up, and he can't move, but he's walking.
'My legs are moving on their own.' 'Hawk, help.' No response. 'I'm yelling, am I not?' The only thought Brock's thinking is what's happening as he can't move his mouth. His neck unstiffens, and he looks over to Hawk and is startled to see him staring but still walking.
Brock collapses to the ground, and right before he passes out, he sees Hawk staring dead in his eyes with an evil smirk.
"Where the hell am I?" Brock mumbles, extremely confused. As he looks around, all he sees is black skies with red clouds and a small platform he's standing on, floating in the sky made of stone and magma that burns to stand on. After the pain kicks in, he bolts over to a small pillar elevated above the magma. Looking down below the island, he sees a white spiral and a staircase leading down.
Brock looks around, seeing the silhouette teleporting short distances as a way of moving, jaunting here and there. Brock hides as it starts getting closer. Noticing the only way to escape is down, he dashes down the stairs into the abyss.
Brock looks up to see if he's still being chased and sees nothing. Knowing he's safe, he sits down to think, 'Did Hawk betray me?' Thinking he's insane, he decides to continue walking.
'So am I insane, or did he? I know I saw that grin, and he never helped me.' Feeling betrayed, Brock walks more, only to stop a second in to look around. Brock sees what looks to be a building down the stairs.
Running down more, he finally makes it. 'Where am I?' Brock is met with a door, a huge door about three times his size.