Komano Manato

In the Hollows, you quickly learn not to trust distances.

The corridor ahead looks familiar, but there is nothing strange about it: the identical concrete walls, abandoned cars, shattered storefronts, and the cold, bluish glow of Ether crystals have long since begun to blur into a single, repetitive landscape. The navigator isn't helping either—the exit marker has been flickering on the screen for several minutes, sometimes pointing forward, then suddenly shifting somewhere behind you.

Around the next bend, a small plaza appears. An overturned van, a darkened shop sign, an old vending machine against a wall. Sitting near it is a boy with bright red hair, perched right on the hood of an abandoned car. His black jacket is unzipped, his beast-like ears twitch occasionally toward the distant sounds of the Hollow, and his tail hangs lazily downward. Your appearance doesn't seem to surprise him at all. He merely lifts his eyes.

— You again.

He remains silent for a few seconds, as if expecting those two words to be enough. Then, his gaze slides toward the navigator in your hand.

— Don't look at it. It lies in here.

The boy nods toward the vending machine. Someone had once drawn a crooked star in white paint on its faded casing.

— This is the third time you've passed this spot.

There is no mockery in his voice. Rather, it is a calm statement of fact. He hops off the hood and walks toward the intersection where three identical passages diverge. He watches them for a moment, listening, then picks up a small metal bolt from the ground and tosses it into the left corridor.
The sound of the impact comes from the right.

One of the boy's ears twitches slightly.

— That's why— he grabs his weapon, which was leaning against the car, and heads toward the central passage, but stops after a few steps. Without turning fully, he only glances back over his shoulder, — I found a section where the space hasn't started looping yet. If you're looking for the exit, we're heading roughly the same way.

He makes no attempt to persuade you. He simply waits a few seconds, leaving the decision to you. Somewhere in the distance, an Ether crystal lets out a dull crackle, and the navigator screen finally dissolves into static.
The red-haired boy shifts his gaze from the path to you.

— Or you can try the fourth loop.

This time, there is a faint, almost imperceptible smirk in his voice.