At the edge of a cliff surrounded by a large forest stood a young adult man, his skin bronzed by the sun, and his hair jet black and well-maintained, contrasting sharply with the unkempt bush of a beard that sprouted his face. He held a red camera, capturing the beauty of the forest below and the yellow sun that illuminated the earth. His steel-blue eyes were clear and sharp as they gazed through the lens of his camera, taking pictures of the surrounding forest that stretched out from view.

As he clicked away, his body refreshed under the sun's warmth. He paused to take in the scenery around him: The birds flying in the air, the smell of pine trees, and the sun rising high, giving warmth. A radiant smile spread across his face as he took in the natural splendor of the world. On top of this cliff, high above the world, and alone, he was in his element.

*Ring*

Shocked out of his reverie, the young man reluctantly pulled out his phone to look at the caller ID, causing him to recoil his shoulders.

Sigh, You reap what you sow.

He paused, hoping his stalling would magically let him avoid the conversation, before sheepishly answering.

"Hey, Liz."

"It's been three weeks, Cyrus."

All Cyrus could do was sigh. He ghosted his friends, girlfriend, and family to camp in the coniferous forests around his town. Even worse, it was a group event everyone was planning for, though Cyrus originally intended it to be a solo sojourn.

"Liz, I told you that I wanted to be on my own for a few weeks. The stress was piling up. I didn't want a group event."

Elisabeth's voice became heated, "You always do this, Cyrus! Whenever we plan something together, you always go off on your own! We need to talk when you get back."

Click.

Shaking his head, I need to head back now.

But before turning back, Cyrus took enough steps to walk next to the cliff's edge. His face became gloomy while his eyes dulled.

I could fly… Ah, I see some gray again.

Shaking his head to disperse dark thoughts, Cyrus quickly returned to his pack to gather his things into his black camping pack. He prepared for an extra two weeks, but it seemed that wasn't in the cards anymore. His gear was the essentials for camping and then some.

Hoping to numb his mind, he turned on his phone's radio to hear the news and listen to music for the climb down.

-Bzzt- "In the latest news, Climate scientists are baffled by the worldwide temperature drop. What has been an ongoing debate about the rising temperature has completely reversed! The global temperature decrease wasn't building up, but it spontaneously occurred recently! we-" -bzzt-

-Bzzt- "In more local news, this marks a whole year since the disappearance of the serial killer that would leave his victim's bodies completely charred through unknown means. Hopefully, he wi-" -bzzt-

-Bzzt- "Enemy countries surround Edenia. Commercial flights are at risk of being shot down while in the air." -bzzt-

Sigh.

Shaking his head, Cyrus couldn't help but have pessimistic views of life. Life was beginning to take its toll to the point that Cyrus felt he was drowning, so he went on the camping trip into the forests of Edenia.

As Cyrus carefully descended the sloping cliff, his boots found purchase on the rough terrain, sending small rocks and dirt tumbling down. The trail had dense foliage and vines along the path, and the scent of damp earth filled his nostrils. He could feel the humidity on his skin, making him sweat slightly.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

His eyes focused on the ground to avoid missteps. Despite the troublesome climb up, the descent was easy enough that his mind was distracted by intrusive thoughts of his life and how Cyrus would need to explain himself to his girlfriend, Elisabeth, for leaving her behind... again. He soon started having imaginary conversations about said talk with Elisabeth.

"Hey Liz, I'm sorry I went ahead. I just needed some space."

"No, I do care about you."

"Hey, Liz, we need to talk about us..."

"I'll have to go back to my dead-end job."

"I'll have to spend time with people I don't care about."

As he traveled downwards, his thoughts became louder, drowning out the sounds of the forest around him. His heartbeat quickened, and he felt a tightness in his chest. His vision became slightly blurry, and he had to blink a few times to refocus.

The world was turning gray again.

Despite the peacefulness of the forest, he felt anything but as the wave of thoughts of his life became a weight that became too hard to hold.

If anyone were to look into his eyes at this moment, they would have noticed that a thick and gray soupy cloud was within instead of the usual clear and sharp eyes.

As Cyrus' steps grew heavier with each step, his foot suddenly slipped on a loose rock.

"Ah!"

His body tumbled down the hill, bouncing off rocks and fallen branches; each hit felt like a punch until he stopped at the bottom.

Thankfully, Cyrus had the mind to follow his survival teacher's advice and cover his head as he fell, protecting himself from serious injury. He lay there for a moment, dizzy and disoriented. It was a miracle that his heavy camping pack didn't crush him.

"Sigh, I need to be mo-My camera!"

The thought made him panic, completely ignoring checking his well-being to dig through his pack.

"Hell, it's been with me forever! I'm never going to replace this!

With shaking hands, he pulled out a sturdy black case and checked the contents within before smiling.

It's okay.

Inside his pack was a black case holding his red digital camera wrapped in a foam protection mold.

"What would I have done if my carelessness caused you to break?"

The ZoomZephyr HK-47 series camera was a sight to behold, with its sleek, angular design and sharp edges reminiscent of an item from a distant retro-future. Its body was coated in a deep, rusted red, giving it a sense of danger. The camera felt sturdy in one's hand, built to take a beating from the world.

At first glance, the camera appeared simply made, with only a few features on its surface. But upon closer inspection, one could see the intricate details and advanced technology that went into its design. Moreover, its lens was a thing of beauty, sharp and precise. The idea for the ZoomZephyr HK-47 series is "never to miss a shot you're aiming for."

This camera was older than the current steel-black HK-50 ones sold, but Cyrus felt that those were too mass-manufactured as the original series was a prototype, and few ever made it to sale.

Cyrus carefully examined the camera, checking every nook and cranny to ensure it worked perfectly. His fingers moved confidently over the buttons and dials, adjusting the settings until he was satisfied. For Cyrus, photography was more than just a hobby; it was a passion that had taken him on adventures and captured memories of his travels. He grew addicted to the thrill of exploring new places, knowing that each photo would forever immortalize the memory of him being there. As he gazed upon each image, he was transported back to those moments, reliving each memory with fondness.

But soon, Cyrus frowned, realizing how much in pain he was.

"I might have a contusion… A miracle I didn't break anything."

The pain wasn't so much as debilitating, but enough that he could have difficulty returning to civilization. And with that pain, he noticed the world around him, pausing at what caught his eye, making him break out into a cold sweat.

"Wha.. what's going on?"

Cyrus had slipped into a grove, and a thick blanket of fog surrounded him, muffling the sounds of the world around them and shrouding everything in an eerie, otherworldly light blocking the sun's rays. The tendrils of mist snaked across the ground like ghostly serpents, their movements slow.

The fog made it seem like the trees were silently moving outside his field of view, causing him to be disoriented. For some reason, something was causing him to perceive that every way except one was wrong.

This didn't perturb Cyrus as he tried to step out of the intended way, but then the fog would thicken and obscure his vision. Then, when he could see again, the plants and trees seemed to have moved around him.

"This isn't good. This can't be real!"

Cyrus was a materialist through and through. Magic, spirits, gods, whatever related to the spiritual or supernatural was complete nonsense to him unless he saw it before his eyes. But now his senses were screaming to him otherwise amid the fog. He could feel a presence that seemed to be emanating from all around him. His heart began to race, and he felt primal fear building up inside of him. Something otherworldly was at work here, and he could not resist it.

As Cyrus made his way through the fog, it was as if he was the only living person left in the world, with nothing but the haze and the wind speaking through rustling leaves.

The tendrils of mist were like the tentacles of some creature, subtly stretching out to control Cyrus's direction, forcing him to walk deeper into the heart of the forest next to the hill. It's billowing and coiling like a hydra with multiple heads.

Several thoughts ran across Cyrus' head, "Where am I going? Am I going to die here? Why is this happening?"

Cyrus felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine as he gazed at the smoky tendrils that seemed to writhe with life, and he couldn't help but regret his life choices. But even with the absurdity of a conscious and malicious fog, Cyrus couldn't help but raise his hands and...

Click.

Take pictures.

The camera's weight was comforting in his hands, and he snapped a photo of the smoke-like serpents coiling around the trees forcing his path.

"These images have the fog in them and their crazy movements… If I die here, maybe someone will find this someday..."

A small comfort that gave him strength.

It felt like an eternity until the fog tendrils led Cyrus to the heart of all this, a cave nestled along the cliff's hill where the fog seemed to have originated.

Cyrus couldn't help but sigh at the situation while taking a far shot of the cave.