Continue...

Author's note: okay, this leg of this branch should be fully playable now, with no orphaned choices up to the point you either move on to a different area or reach a game over. If you want to play along as this thing gets worked on but also want a complete mini-experience, now's the time to do it!

You walk along the dirt path, thankful when the hard ground and infrequent, but painful, pebbles slowly transition to a more soft and yielding loam. As you reach a clearing you quickly discover why: a large beautiful lake with waters as clear as glass stretches before you. Cattail reeds huddle proud and straight along the bank while on the lake itself colossal lilypads float lazily as they soak up the warm sun.

The whole scene is remarkably picturesque for a hell dimension created to test you.

You suddenly hear a splashing sound and... laughing? You look more closely and see what look like people playing in the water just off the shore, but you would have to get closer to be sure.

It strikes you that you're probably supposed to find a way across the body of water to the other side. A quick look reveals that besides this and the far opposite shore the trees hem in so close there's no safe path around the perimeter. Yup, definitely supposed to get across.

Seems easy enough. Hey, maybe Kyris is giving you a freebie.

There are a few things in the area. You could search the biggest thicket of cattails. Alternatively you could give the lake itself a closer look, or those splashing people.