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Loa entered the third door.

It was pitch blackness and silence that greeted him and yet... not. There was... he wasn't alone? He could swear he entered alone but there was definitely...

There was thumping.... was that a voice too?... Was it calling him? Why?

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving him blindly seeking a way forward. There was no turning back now, only groping at pitch blackness ahead of him as he wandered on. He tried to ignore the panic building in his chest. He tried to ignore it twice as hard when he realized something large was blocking his path now. Something... red? What was a red shiny doing out here?...

The thumping was endless.

Loa reached out to try and take the red shiny. Was this his gift?

The thumping suddenly stopped.

That was no red shiny, Loa suddenly realized with a sinking feeling of dread. It was another. One like him? No... no... the heart was the wrong colour. It was not like him.

His gaze turned from his bag to his scissors and finally the red that laid partially in the chest. It slowly became clear what the goddess wanted him to do. Loa could only comply.

It took some time as he worked to snip through layer after layer. Some layers harder than others, but he was determined. He was not satisfied until he could feel it. The heart. The creature surrounding it suddenly erupted with life, clawing him in a final desperate desire to live. To not be destroyed by him of all - "CORBIE!" It shrieked in a heinous voice that hurt Loa far more than the nails.

She smelled like fresh baked pastries, especially on Saturdays like this one... He wanted so badly to help her but he couldn't help but feel like he was only getting in the way. She was so skilled at what she did. Maybe he could just mix this bowl for her while she - "Corbie!" The sandy blonde woman's tone was scolding as she approached and reached for his hand to stop him. "You don't have to bother yourself with that. She seemed so tall... even more now that she was leaning down to meet his gaze with the most beautiful grey-blue eyes. He recoiled and felt both guilty and useless at the same time. The feeling dissipated as she pecked him on the forehead. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "Awe mum... I'm no a baby." He still reached to try and hug her as she reached to do the same, but...

Loa's blood ran cold as he wrapped his arms around the strange red... thing... instead of whoever that lady was. Enraged now by the feelings of that stupid hallucination, he grasped the red core with both hands and pulled with all his might. He was sure this confusing hell was over.

The heart was now free to his hands and more thoughts began assaulting his senses.

He had no clue who or what he was. He was so small, scared, and alone... he was helpless. There were so many people but none of them were... they didn't smell like her... they were not her. Where did she go? Why are they handing me to this stranger? He wanted to cry so much. The stranger held him close and hummed a soft nameless tune. He inhaled the scent of this new person, so eager to bring comfort. They were not her but... he stared up at her pale grey-blue eyes. Was she who he was really looking for?

Loa placed the heart in his bag wordlessly.

But he was right. Just this once.

"NO!" Loa shouted into the water with conviction. He was right this time. He didn't want to die and it was clear this... thing... was not going to allow him to pass alive. Her or me. He was so much stronger now. He was so much more... complete. When he becomes a goddess he could... she has no chance if the goddess sent him... but he does!

He swung his scissors with all his might, burying them deep into the face of the creature... it shrieked again. A voice that filled Loa with overwhelming guilt. But it was over now. It was gone. Right? The water was... and he was alive now, he was sure of it! He held his scissors that much tighter as he continued forth towards the glowing door to freedom, scissors and sack held close.

Loa stumbled for the door in desperation. He glanced back and found it was closer. Right where he did not want it. What the hell was with this code anyway?! How was he even supposed to know? Was he just a lamb sent to slaughter? Was there no hope for him in the first place? No... he refused to accept that. He full-body charged against the door and bounced off it uselessly.

Whatever that thing was. It was closer now. Closer and laughing a dark throaty chuckle that seemed somehow familiar. "You didn't practice did you?" A scolding voice called out to him, dripping with a twisted sense of humour that brought no comfort.

Loa desperately groped around in search of something, anything, to help him escape. They were getting closer.

He suddenly noticed a piece of paper with a red stain on it in shape of the letters 'A C E G'. Why did it almost sound familiar? Why did that even matter right now?! It was a bunch of letters when he needed NUMBERS. Number. Pad. Okay?! NOT LETTERS.

Loa wanted to throw the biggest fit in desperation.

Loa slammed his body into the door again and began clawing at it. He wanted nothing to do with you you horrible creature. Surprise, it didn't work the fourth time he's tried the same exact thing. It was time to try something else.

Loa turned to face the encroaching enemy, "You will never amount to anything!" Was her answer.

Loa hated you so so so much - and he was going to prove you wrong. Whatever that meant.

Loa ran from the door into an area that appeared to be outside once again, trees towering over him and concealing him from... NOPE. Nope, nope, nope. Loa was running full throttle through the woods even as he heard the creature calling to him from the distance. It wanted his heart in return for taking theirs? What the ******** was it even talking about?! He had never taken anyone's ---

A rickety old bridge stood before Loa.

He glanced back once again; she was still there, muttering some weird metaphor about bridges.

Loa ran across the bridge to the other side, just in time to turn and watch several boards crumbling in his wake. That should stop the-

No such luck, they were still coming and still taunting him. "I should probably cut your strings if you aren't going to use them for anything decent."