Stealthily avoiding the sound-sensitive Dark Shrine, I successfully collected the serpent and crane ema symbols, finding the last ones. After reading mournful stone writings in the land of the dead, I slipped past the wandering monster with quiet steps and made a final dash to the shrine door.
I waited patiently for the monster to move to the other side, not wanting to mess with it again. Once it cleared the path, I moved ahead, hoping I was heading in the right direction.
Suddenly, I saw the monster getting closer to me, but I somehow managed to slip out of its reach. Continuing forward, I found another Hokaro shrine and used it to save my progress.
With that done, I decided to go after the next ema. Searching through more symbol shelves around the area, I successfully found the serpent symbol.
That left only one piece missing, meaning I still needed to track down the crane.
My map updated to show the general area, but I knew I had to be extremely careful about making noise. I could hear the Dark Shrine walking around, its chains rattling heavily in the dark. By moving carefully and listening closely to its movements, I hoped to safely reach the other side.
The last symbol location was close by. Searching carefully, I spotted the crane, which I secured without struggling much. Having gathered the final ema, I had everything needed for the combination lock.
As I started walking backward toward the shrine, I passed some stones covered in writings. Reading them, I learned that this place was considered the land of the dead, where people had tried to speak to their parents, only to find they were never coming back no matter how hard they tried.
Up ahead, I noticed the Dark Shrine was close by again, so I froze in my tracks, knowing the creature hunts by sound rather than sight. The monster began walking directly toward my position, forcing me to back away.
It seemed to be patrolling randomly, trying to block me at any cost as I grew closer to my destination.
Deciding to try an alternate path to reach the shrine safely, I made sure not to run fast or make any loud noises unless the monster cornered me directly, knowing that sound would only attract it and make things much harder.
I walked as quietly and slowly as I possibly could. Realizing I was finally close to the shrine and seeing no sign of the monster nearby, I risked a final run for the shrine door, safely reaching it to check my progress at the Hokaro shrine.