POV Narrator:

Over the horizon, the sun was ending its descent, marking the end of the day’s journey. The duo has arrived at the volcano’s base in a short amount of time. The Colossus lets out a sigh of relief, with a smile plastered on his face, and offhandedly comments, “Looks like there was no reason for us to rush, we made it before the sunset.”.

The Colossus approaches the base of the volcano. Lava rivers snake around his feet, as he reaches the volcano’s base. “Hold on tight, it would be a tragedy if you fell off today,” The Colossus advises Zohn in a commanding tone filled with seriousness. “I’ll make sure to hold on tight,” Zohn replies, heading the Colossus’ warning. A small grin of anticipation forms on Zohn’s face as he stares at the mighty volcano that they are about to ascend.

Zohn carefully makes his way towards his home and enters its courtyard. Making his way towards the courtyard’s centre, Zohn starts to prepare himself. Zohn tenses his muscles, and he clenches his spear with all his might. Focusing his entire spear towards a single point, Zohn plunges his beloved spear into the Colossus’ granite shoulder, forming a robust and stable handhold for him to use in the Colossus’ climb.

Steeling his determination, the Colossus starts to move. He lifts his left leg and kicks the volcano’s wall. The volcano’s wall crumbles and a foot hole forms. The Colossus carefully takes his first step in ascending this mighty volcano. The Colossus grabs a ledge as a handhold and lifts himself, over fifty meters at a time.

Off in the distance, the sun’s final rays start to disappear. The Colossus anchors himself to the volcano’s wall and turns his head to stare at the descending sun. A contemplative look appears on the Colossus’ face, and he suggests to Zohn in a calm voice, “Night is approaching quickly, so it might be better if we find a place to rest. It’s dangerous to climb at night with low visibility.”. “That’s not a bad idea, but I don’t see any place for us to rest for the night. We’ve already climbed over a thousand meters,” Zohn replies, agreeing with the Colossus’ suggestion.

The Colossus looks over at Zohn, and a mischievous grin appears on his granite face. The Colossus pulls his right arm back and punches a hole in the mountain's side, much to Zohn’s dismay. The Colossus continues to dig a hole for ten minutes until he’s dug out an alcove big enough to comfortably fit his giant body inside. Finally settling inside his small alcove, the Colossus turns towards the alcove’s entrance.

The Colossus’ legs dangle out of the alcove, like a small child sitting on a chair that’s too big for him. Zohn finally unclenches his spear and exits his courtyard. Carefully making his way towards the Colossus’ head, he finds himself a place to sit on the Colossus’ shoulder. Staring out of the alcove, Zohn observes beautiful night sky in all its majesty.

The bright constellations glitter in the night sky and they remind Zohn of his childhood days in his home village, learning about all magnificent creatures that each constellation represents. Leering over the Colossus’ shoulder, Zohn stares at the ground below them. The bright lava rivers snake around the landscape, like the roots of a tree and the volcano as the tree itself.

“What a beautiful sight,” Zohn remarks out of pure admiration, igniting the night’s conversation. “Views like these are one of the reasons that I still wish to roam the world.” The Colossus replies, agreeing with Zohn’s remark. “Is that the reason why we’re climbing this volcano?” Zohn asks, still curious about their reason for coming to this dangerous location.

The Colossus looks over to Zohn on his shoulder and gives a thoughtful look. “This is just a bonus. The real reason why we are here lies at the top of the volcano.” The Colossus replies to Zohn, still unwilling to give a straight answer. “Can’t you just tell me whats at the volcano’s top?!” Zohn grumbles in a quiet voice, irritated by the Colossus constantly eluding his question.

The Colossus stares at Zohn intently for a few seconds that seemed like an eternity and finally lets out a sigh, “Fine, I’ll tell you.”. Zohn’s expression lightens after the Colossus’ agreement. “The truth is that I don’t know what awaits me at the top of the volcano, but I feel something pushing me to reach the volcano’s summit, and I feel compelled to follow this urge.” The Colossus replies, finally revealing some of the truth to Zohn.

“But what do you hope to find at the volcano’s summit?” Zohn continues to ask, still curious about the Colossus’ goal. “Hopefully a way forward.” The Colossus replies in a mysterious tone, leaving a frown on Zohn’s face. “That is enough questions for tonight, let’s leave the difficult conversation topics for another night and just enjoy this gorgeous view.” The Colossus states in a firm tone, turning his head towards the landscape stretching out below. “I’ve learned enough for tonight. I’ll ask again at a better time; maybe then will Col tell me the whole truth,” Zohn lets out a sigh.

After observing the landscape for what seemed like hours, Zohn finally decides to stand up and head to bed, knowing that he’s going to need all the energy he can get for tomorrow’s final push towards the volcano’s peak. Carefully making his way on the Colossus’ granite shoulder lined with moss, Zohn quietly enters his home. Arriving at his bed, Zohn lies down and closes his eyes, drifting off into the world of dreams.

As the first rays of sunlight break the horizon, Zohn exits his house. Making his way towards the Colossus’ head, he arrives without a problem. The Colossus looks over at Zohn and asks in an excited voice, “Are you ready to finally climb the volcano?”. “Let’s be the first beings in history to achieve this mighty feat,” Zohn replies in a voice filled with renewed determination.