The ground crunched beneath our steps as we followed the boy. The air down here was dense, and with every step forward, the darkness wrapped around us a little more.
I had no idea how long we had been walking, but the scenery never changed: ruins, dust, and an unsettling silence.
The boy suddenly came to a stop.
—We're here. It's this way.
I watched as he crouched down and moved a small rock on the ground. Immediately, a dark opening was revealed.
—It's down here.
Without another word, he jumped into the hole without hesitation. I stepped closer to peek inside. It was a narrow, deep tunnel.
—Hmm... it looks really filthy... I don't want to get my kimono even dirtier in there... —murmured Saria with disdain.
Before I could reply, Ardan appeared behind her, his gaze cold.
—Are you stupid or what? You're already dirty, so just get down there.
Without giving her a chance to argue, he shoved her in with one swift push.
—KYAAAH! ARDAN, YOU BASTARD!
I watched as Saria vanished into the darkness of the hole. I let out a sigh.
—Well... here goes nothing.
I gripped my spear tightly and jumped in after her. Ardan did the same. Kogorō, who had tried to slip away, was dragged into the void when my spear hooked him along with me.
—JIROOO, YOU IDIOT!
We were falling. The tunnel swallowed us in an instant, and the next thing I felt was my body sliding at high speed. It was like a natural slide, but instead of fun, all I felt was sheer desperation.
The earth and rocks rushed past us in a whirlwind of dust and shadow. I couldn't see a thing. I could only hear the others' screams as we descended without control.
Finally, the tunnel widened, and we hit solid ground. My body rolled several times before coming to a stop.
I lay on my back for a few seconds, trying to catch my breath. Then, I slowly sat up, brushing the dust off my clothes.
I looked around. It was a strange place. It wasn't completely abandoned. Paper lanterns hung from the rocky walls, casting a faint, flickering light.
Between them, fireflies floated through the dimness, subtly lighting the space.
Saria, still on the ground, grumbled as she adjusted her hair.
—What is this place...?
From the distance, the boy's voice called out to us.
—Hurry, follow me!
We exchanged confused glances, but we didn't have many options. We stood up and followed him.
The path grew wider as we moved forward. My footsteps echoed against the damp earth, and the atmosphere grew heavier with each meter we covered.
I tightened my grip on my spear. I didn't like this at all.
—Just tell us already —where are you taking us?
The boy didn't answer. And then, I saw it.
In the distance, the tunnel opened into a massive underground cavern. Improvised houses made of wood and rusted metal stood on different levels, held up by scaffolding and crude structures.
Scattered across the area were small camps with flickering bonfires.
But the most unsettling part was the people.
Children, girls, women, elderly women. There were barely any men. A chill ran down my spine.
Why? What did this mean?
The boy turned to us with a tired smile.
—Welcome to our surface hideout.
The air was thick with dust and despair.
With every step I took, my chest tightened even more.
The people in this place... they weren't just hiding. They were broken.
A mother, her hair filthy and her eyes sunken from exhaustion, cradled her baby in a desperate attempt to hold onto a shred of humanity.
An old man, gaunt and hunched over, could barely stand. His bones jutted out from his skin like dry branches on a withered tree.
Wounded children, wrapped in dirty bandages, played in silence — their eyes empty, stripped of the spark of life a child should have.
Hunger. Fear. Agony.
They all wore tattered clothes, dirt so deeply embedded in their skin it seemed they had never known cleanliness.
And the food... there was so little of it.
The pots held nothing but thin, watery broth, and the rations they handed out were pitifully small.
This...
This wasn't a refuge.
It was a sentence.
—What is this...? —Ardan muttered, his face hardened as he looked around—. This looks like a damned hell.
I couldn't blame him for reacting that way.
I clenched my fists, feeling an unfamiliar rage swell inside me.
The boy who had brought us here lowered his gaze, staring at the misery around him with poorly disguised sadness.
—We're forced to live here... because of the reign of the Tarantula Queen.
The mere mention of her name sent a chill through my body.
That woman... that creature... was the cause of all this.
The boy gritted his teeth, and with a weak, forced smile, tried to hide his distress.
—But at least we're safe here.
Ardan scoffed and struck the ground in fury.
—Safe? You call this safe?
His voice echoed through the place, drawing a few tired glances.
—This isn't safety —his expression darkened—. This is being buried alive.
Saria looked around, her face caught between outrage and sadness.
—And look at all this... —she murmured—. How do you even survive? These people... they're dying slowly in here.
Kogorō, who had remained silent, crossed his arms with a deep frown.
—Also, kid... what happened to the men?
The atmosphere grew even heavier with that question.
—There are barely any here... I only see old geezers and kids... Not even any older teens.
My eyes scanned the settlement once more and a shiver crawled down my spine.
Kogorō was right.
There were no young men.
I swallowed hard and stepped forward.
—What happened to the men?
The boy looked at us for a moment.
His lips parted slightly, as if he were about to tell us something... but then he averted his gaze.
—I know you have a lot of questions. And I plan to answer them.
He sighed and pointed ahead.
—But first, I'll take you to my lair.
—Lair? —Ardan raised an eyebrow.
The boy didn't reply. He simply ran through the shadows and motioned for us to follow.
We followed him through the underground maze.
Mothers, young girls, and elderly women worked in silence.
Some cooked what little they had. Others sewed with scraps of old fabric.
The place was filled with hushed whispers.
And as we walked...
I felt eyes on us.
They weren't curious eyes.
They weren't eyes of relief.
They were strange looks.
Some filled with fear. Others, with distrust.
For some reason, our presence here made them uneasy.
At last, we reached a secluded corner.
The place was decorated with trash, but arranged with a strange sort of order.
The boy stopped in front of a makeshift door built from poorly nailed planks.
—It's here.
He pulled a rope and the door slowly creaked open.
The boy ran inside and waved us in.
—Quick, come in!
We exchanged glances for a moment, but in the end, we stepped inside.
The room was lit by paper lanterns.
Drawings covered the walls — clumsy sketches of what looked like warriors fighting spider-shaped shadows.
There were also improvised weapons and artifacts made from scrap metal.
The boy lit more lamps and then turned to us.
—The others haven't arrived yet.
His voice sounded calm, but there was something else behind his words.
—They must still be on the surface... but they'll be here soon.
We stood there in silence.
But deep inside me...
I knew something was very wrong.
The boy offered us makeshift seats inside his hideout.
No one spoke as we settled in.
The air was heavy, dense... as if something invisible was pressing against our chests.
The sound of water dripping from the cavern ceiling was the only thing breaking the silence.
The boy sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.
—Alright... now I'll tell you how it all happened.
He looked at us with an expression far too old for his age.
His eyes were filled with memories... and sorrow.
—A long time ago... this world was a beautiful place.
His voice was quiet, but every word echoed like a distant memory of something lost forever.
—The waters were clean... the rivers flowed pure, reflecting the blue sky.
The forests were alive, their leaves danced with the whispering wind, and the flowers never withered.
The boy lifted his gaze, as if trying to see beyond the stone ceiling.
—The air was pure... healing... as if every breath was a gift from the gods.
His voice quivered slightly.
—It was a dreamlike world.
We remained silent, listening.
—The sun shone brightly... always offering its light, warmth, and energy.
And when night fell... the moon would rise, guiding the dreams of those who slept, calming the ocean with its gentle glow.
There was a pause.
His gaze turned nostalgic.
—People were happy.
Animals ran free.
Children laughed in the streets...
And the elders told stories without worrying about tomorrow.
The boy closed his eyes.
—It was a world full of peace.
But then... his expression darkened.
—Until one day... everything began to change.
The atmosphere grew heavier.
—At first, no one noticed.
Just a rumor, something fleeting...
—But little by little... the strong, young men started to disappear.
Jiro felt a chill crawl down his spine.
—At first, it was just a few.
But as time passed... more and more vanished.
Fear gripped the village.
—Something... or someone was calling them.
And no one knew what it was.
—Until one man... a town drunk... claimed he had seen something in the forest.
The boy fixed his eyes on us.
—He said he saw... a woman.
—A beautiful woman... of a beauty beyond anything he had ever witnessed.
The air grew cold.
—Her long, silky hair... her voice soft, hypnotic...
She was calling him.
Seducing him.
And he... couldn't resist.
—He followed her.
Without realizing it... he became lost in the forest.
His expression hardened.
—But then... he saw her true form.
Saria shivered.
—Her lower half...
Wasn't human.
It was a spider.
The silence in the cave became suffocating.
—He tried to run... but she was faster.
She caught him... and dragged him to her lair.
The boy took a deep breath.
—There... inside the cave... he saw the other men who had disappeared.
—But they were already dead.
The shadows seemed to stretch along the walls.
—Their bodies were dry, soulless, lifeless.
She had drained every ounce of vitality from them... until nothing was left.
Breathing became difficult.
—The man managed to escape... because he knew how to use magic.
But... no one believed him.
—They called him mad.
The boy smiled bitterly.
—They said he was just a drunk, raving nonsense.
He paused... then lowered his voice.
—A few days later...
He disappeared too.
Jiro felt a chill at the back of his neck.
—But even after that... the village paid no mind.
We were blind.
He looked at us with deep pain.
—And for our ignorance...
We doomed ourselves.
His voice turned dark.
—One day in particular...
He paused.
—The village held a festival.
—We were celebrating the end of the disappearances...
—But the families of the missing... didn't join the celebration.
His eyes gleamed with restrained fury.
—They knew something was wrong.
And then...
The sun vanished.
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
—What do you mean it vanished? —Ardan asked, tense.
The boy swallowed hard.
—In the blink of an eye... day turned to night.
He took a deep breath before continuing.
—And in the sky... the moon appeared.
But it wasn't the moon we knew.
—It had turned purple.
Saria covered her lips with her hands.
—From that moment on... the world changed.
The boy looked at us with an indescribable sadness.
—The plants began to wither.
The rivers and seas stopped flowing.
The ships could no longer sail...
—The water no longer moved.
His voice trembled.
—The animals... died.
The air grew even heavier.
—The earth began to rot.
And the oxygen...
He paused.
—Became toxic.
We remained silent.
This wasn't just the story of a tragedy.
It was the story of a world's end.
The boy lowered his gaze.
—That day... we realized our mistake.
But it was already too late.
His voice was barely a whisper.
—That was the day the Tarantula Queen seized control.
And we...
Became the last survivors.
We sat around that improvised space, surrounded by artifacts made from scrap and faded drawings on the walls. The dim light illuminated the tired faces of my companions, and the boy, wearing a somber expression, took a deep breath before beginning his tale.
—A long time ago... this world was a paradise —he whispered, with a hint of nostalgia in his voice—. The water was crystal clear, the plants pulsed with youth, and the air... the air was pure, healing. Every sunrise the sun bathed us with its warmth, giving us life, and the moon, in its eternal dance, calmed the seas with its light.
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to imagine the world he described. A world without fear, without despair. A world that no longer existed.
—People were happy, animals were free... peace embraced us —he continued, his gaze fixed on the floor—. But that happiness slowly crumbled. One day, young men began to disappear. At first, it was an isolated case... then another... and another one. No one understood what was happening until someone, a wandering drunk, claimed to have seen something.
The boy lifted his gaze and looked at all of us, making sure we were paying attention. I had heard terrifying stories before, but the way he spoke, with a dark weight behind his words, sent chills down my spine.
—He said that deep in the forest, he encountered a woman —he whispered—. A woman of indescribable beauty who lured him in with her presence. He followed her without questioning anything, intoxicated by her spell... until he saw what she really was. Her lower body wasn't human. She was a spider.
Ardan frowned and clenched his fists. Saria covered her mouth with her hand, horrified.
—She kidnapped him and took him to a remote cave —the boy went on—. There, among shadows and death, he discovered the fate of the missing men. Their lifeless bodies, withered... drained of all vitality. But he... he managed to escape. He used magic to defend himself and returned to the village to warn us.
The air grew heavy. A suffocating feeling spread through the room.
—We didn't believe him —he admitted, with a bitter smile—. We thought he was delirious, that his alcoholism was playing tricks on him. And then, days later... he vanished too.
Kogorō exhaled in frustration. No one said a word. There was no need.
—Our ignorance condemned us —the boy said, his voice cracking—. If only we had listened... if only we had acted sooner... But no. We carried on, pretending everything was fine. And when the disappearances stopped, we celebrated. We thought the worst was over.
He hugged himself, as if reliving the pain of that day.
—And then... the world changed —he whispered.
Silence enveloped us. Only the echo of his voice and the faint flicker of the light filled the room.
—The sky turned red... a blood-red. The sun vanished, and the moon... the moon appeared instantly, turning into a sinister shade of purple. The vegetation began to die, the seas came to a halt, as if their spirit had been ripped away. Ships stopped floating, animals fell dead... and the air... the air became poison.
He paused for a moment, his breathing ragged. No one interrupted him. We were all trapped by the weight of his story, by the horror he had lived through.
—And then... they came.
His voice broke.
—Creatures of shadow, with eyes that devoured the light. Monstrous spiders that descended upon us, tearing everything apart. We didn't stand a chance. We tried to fight... but magic stopped responding. We couldn't channel our mana. It was as if the whole world had abandoned us. And so... we were forced to hide down here. Underground.
The room fell into complete silence. My throat felt dry. My mind tried to process his words, to grasp the horror he had described. I swallowed hard and spoke cautiously.
—Then... what does the Spider Queen look like?
The boy raised his head, and his eyes reflected a deep, paralyzing fear. He took a deep breath before answering.
—She always hides her face with a thin veil —he said—. Her appearance was a mystery... or so we thought. Until I saw her with my own eyes.
A chill ran down my spine.
—It was when she took my father —he whispered—. Two years ago.
He hugged himself, as if reliving that moment in his mind.
—Her face... wasn't what we expected. We thought it would be monstrous, inhuman. But no... it was the complete opposite. Her beauty was hypnotizing... her eyes, crimson red, her lips moist, her skin perfect. But her presence... her presence was something beyond terror. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. It was as if darkness itself had trapped me.
He looked at all of us, his voice trembling.
—She looked at me... and I knew I was going to die.
The fear in his expression was genuine, hauntingly real. No one could utter a single word.
—I tried to run, but my legs wouldn't respond. My body wouldn't obey. It was as if she was commanding me to stay still... her cold gaze, her smile... I knew she was going to kill me.
He covered his face with his hands for a moment before continuing.
—But then... my father appeared.
His voice broke.
—He stood in front of me, with a determination I had never seen before. But it was useless. One of her legs pierced his chest and she took him away... as if I didn't exist, as if I had never been there.
He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes tightly.
—I didn't have the courage to follow her. I didn't have the courage to save him. I just let her take him.
The silence stretched endlessly. No one dared to say a word. Only the faint trembling of his voice and the shadow of his grief lingered in the air.
The silence weighed down as if the air had become denser after hearing the boy's story. No one said a word. Only the sound of the flickering torches broke the stillness, and for a moment, I felt as though I couldn't even breathe normally. Fear had tangled itself in each one of us, as if the Spider Queen were watching us right then, from the closest shadow.
Kogoro, the spirit who always seemed the calmest, even dared to break the silence with his puzzled and low tone, almost as if he didn't want the echo to betray him.
—How are these people still alive... after everything they've been through? —he whispered, though his voice sounded more like a thought spoken aloud than an actual question.
My body remained still, motionless, until something inside me sparked. I slowly got up from my seat, feeling the weight of every word the boy had shared sinking into my mind. My eyes, darkened by a mix of thoughts and emotions I couldn't explain, fixed on him.
—You say that this spider woman took your father... is that true? —I asked in a low voice, almost empty, as if the words came out on their own.
The boy nodded. He didn't need to speak. His eyes, red and dim, held such a deep and numbing gaze that his silence was louder than any word.
—I understand... —I responded, letting the sentence die in the air, with no emotion whatsoever.
I noticed Kogoro watching me from across the room, his eyes fixed on me with a certain strangeness. I could feel his thoughts floating in the air, as if the unease could be smelled.
—What's wrong with him? Why did he react like that to the boy's father? —Kogoro murmured, showing his boredom and confusion.
Meanwhile, Ardan remained silent, but his face was another battlefield; his thoughts spoke louder than he did.
"That Spider Queen... she sounds very dangerous... and the worst part is, that power I felt on the hill... it doesn't seem good for us. We need to leave this world as soon as possible... without crossing paths with any enemies..."
Ardan was still trying to organize a plan in his mind, but before he could give shape to his ideas, Saria interrupted him by tapping his shoulder.
—Ardan... Jiro has disappeared.
The world seemed to stop for a moment. Ardan quickly turned his head, his eyes scanning every corner of the place... but there was no trace of me. Not even the silhouette I had left behind remained.
—Where did Jiro go? —Ardan asked, his voice broken with surprise.
The boy, somewhat confused, slowly shook his head.
—I didn't even notice... he just vanished.
Ardan ran a hand through his hair, desperate, shaking his mind as if that could bring me back to where I had been. His thoughts betrayed him, as clear as if he were shouting them.
"This can't be happening... Jiro, as always, ruining everyone else's plans... And if something happens to him... or if that Spider Queen eats him... what are we going to do?"
Saria tried to calm him, her voice soft, trying to cut through the hysteria that was already taking hold of Ardan.
—Hey, Ardan, I think we should...
But before she could finish her sentence, Ardan grabbed the boy by the shoulders, shaking him desperately, as if he could find an answer in his eyes.
—Hey, kid! Just tell me... where do you think Jiro could have gone?
The boy, somewhat shaken and nervous from the pressure, barely managed to swallow before responding.
—I... I think he went to the Moon Hill... that's where the Spider Queen lives...
Before he could finish his words, Ardan didn't wait another second. Without saying anything, his body shot forward with such speed that it kicked up a cloud of dust and smoke behind him, covering us completely.
I stood there, watching the empty space he had left behind. Saria wiped the dust from her face as she exhaled a tired sigh and turned toward the boy with an ironic smile.
—Well... I guess they've left us alone.