Level 6

Level 6 is the first Level considered a lower level, and the formost fear of all those native to Level 5. It's an endless, continuous forest made of pale-gray, leafless trees and dense, ever-present fog. The terrain has no notable variation, with no mountains, no bodies of water, nor a visible sky. Lighting is diffuse and directionless, with ambient light that provides visibility without any identifiable source. Timekeeping is unreliable, if not entirely impossible.   Settlements are sparse and located almost exclusively near passageways leading up to Level 5. These outposts are small, heavily fortified, and structured around centralized light sources such as bonfires, torches, and burning wards. A rare few draw electric cables from Level 5, giving them colorful neon lights to contrast the mute grayscale. Communities tend to rely on routine and rigidity to minimize psychological strain and avoid disorientation. Travel between settlements, or even any travel at all, is so rare one can consider it non-existent.   The forest is teeming with phenomenons to disorient unfortunate souls, including illusions, auditory hallucinations, and apparent spatial instability. This causes people to hear voices and see false lights and movement within the fog. Best case scenario outside the firelight is psychological degradation. Worst case, one gets lost in the fog. This happens not only to individuals, as entire settlements are known to vanish without trace.   Native creatures include reclusive demons adapted to the environment, and some malformed creatures that defy demonic classification. These beings vary greatly in appearance, and seem to navigate the forest without difficulty. Some are hostile, while others remain passive unless provoked. It is suspected these are souls transformed after getting lost in the fog. Human residents are primarily those who have descended from higher levels, adamant souls who are ascending from the war on Level 7, or small scientific enclaves studying the uniqueness of the level. The determined few who willingly stay on Level 6 learn to adapt to the strangeness, baffling those stuck in rigidly structured settlements.