WARNING: Those with arachnophobia should avoid this chapter. This chapter may contain gruesome content that is not suitable for some readers.
The next morning I woke up early to clear up the webs in the fields.
"Working this early?" Adrien yawned sleepily. Deeno wobbled next to Adrien, barely keeping his eyes open.
"Got to start as soon as possible before the Silken spiders take over the whole forest," I replied as I was about to head out but something fluffy passed my legs. The furs gliding against my legs reminded me of the wolves. It creeped me out, so I froze.
"Ah! Moku! Morningggg!" Deeno scooped the fat green eyed black cat. Another plumper grey cat with a bump above its left paw passed me.
"We have cats?" I asked a little relieved it wasn't the beast that chomped on my leg.
"Well, the black one, Moku is, but Nada is a stray. Deeno insists Father that we should keep Nada since Moku and Nada are friends. It is pretty cold. We hadn't seen them for a few weeks and were a little worried. Now that they're back, we want to ask him one more time," Adrien smiled," 'Cause we're family."
I locked the doors and cleared the field for hours. This will take about a week. There's many webs and at the pace I'm going, it will be alright, but my work might be wasted if they come back to remark the field as territory. I'll need to make a new concoction to erode most of the webs and repel the spiders so they won't be able to remark the area.
Since Varen wasn't back, I decided to make the concoction on my own in one of his labrooms.
"Adrien, I'm going to need you to care for the house for today. I need to make this repellant for the spiders." I told him.
"Alright, we'll make sure not to bother you." He closed the door for me.
It was lunchtime. Adrien and Avery had cooked for us since I was busy.
"Hey, Brother? Deeno wants to know if you would allow Moku and Nada to stay tonight since it's so cold out," Adrien told me.
"I dont see a problem with that," I replied.
Adrien smiled and turned to the toddler, "D'you hear that Deeno? Cita? Bro says Moku and Nada can stay!" Deeno stood up in his chair and Cita followed. With glowing eyes and smiles, Deeno mumbled what little words he knew.
"Yay yay! Yesh! Thanku Bwo!"
I had never thought that there would be a day I would learn to read or write. I only knew how to recite spells, not read or write them. But here I am, a younger kid than me is teaching me. That's pretty amazing because in Regina, the only ones who knew how to read or write were usually purebloods.
"Bwo! Pet!" Deeno pulled my hand towards Nada. My hand jolted a little when I touched her fur because it resembled so much like the wolves. But it was a little different. It wasn't coarse and itchy. It was warm and soft. She purred and rubbed her face into my hand.
"Want a treat?" I asked her. I fed her pieces of steamed fish.
The next day I taught Adrien and Avery adjusted recipes from home since the only spices available are from Aeris. Adrien was very friendly and Avery began to warm up to me. The toddlers loved anyone, so it wasn't much of a problem, but eventually they all preferred we stayed together.
A little voice called out to me," Wa 'are youuu Bwo? Moku? Nada?"
First came a single knock," Knock knock?" then many tiny knocks.
"Knock knooock. Knock knock knock! Knock knock?" Deeno's little voice grew louder. I opened the door. Adrien had ran to keep up with Deeno.
"Deeno! That's rude, haha. He was looking for you and Moku and Nada," he turns to me," Hey um, brother, can we sleep together? Deeno and Cita want to sleep with you, plus the more the merrier, " Adrien asks.
"Sure," I reply. I never slept with anyone but Zeon, Mom, and Dad.
"Cita!" Adrien left to report the news.
Deeno tugged my shirt for attention.
"Did something happen?" I asked.
"Owwie..." he sniffled. I kneeled to check for wounds and his knee was bleeding.
It has been about a week and my mana had recovered. Our aid kits seemed quite valuable so I used my mana instead. But his wound was a clean cut. Looks like a cut from the webs. I disinfected the area and put my hand above his knee. Deeno watched me carefully in awe as his knee glowed.
Adrien found us in my room, "Woah! Woah! You can do magic, too?!"
"..too?" I ask.
Adrien excitedly says, "Yeah! You and Father Varen can do magic! Me and Avery too! But probably not as well as you and Father Varen. You should teach us! Since we're teaching you so much, you should teach us!"
Hmm... So even the mortals of this domain can use some sort of mana control?
"I suppose I could teach you. It would probably help in our cleaning and cooking duties in case the electricity gives out. But not much, I'm not sure how much Father Varen would allow you guys to know," I reply.
"Bro you're so cool!" Adrien jumps happily.
No one has ever complimented me like that besides dad. Blushing I ask," Anyways, could you get the pills in the med room that says Silken? We don't want Deeno to die from poison."
Adrien straightens up and salutes away, "Yes, Bro!"
I wonder... Where could Deeno have gone to get hurt? They were always home, unless there's- I check all over his body to find four dots on his left ankle. Bite marks! SILKEN BITE MARKS! And a BUMP?!
I felt at the bump on his wrist. The insides of the bump wriggled and throbbed. Parasites... I touch Deeno's head. He's starting to burn up.
"Avery! AVERY!" I carry him in my arms and run to their room.
Puzzled, she looks at me scared. She trembles and responds," Yes..?"
I gasp for air as I ask," I need you, to tell me. Where have you guys gone in the church just the past hour?"
"H-huh?" She just answers with a frightened look.
"Please, where have you and the kids gone? Or which rooms did Deeno last go? Please tell me! Deeno was bitten by the Silken spider! Please remember! Think about it! Where have you guys gone?!" I desperately ask her with Deeno in my arms. This familiar feeling. This painful dread that fills me with panic, anger, fear, and desperation. I can't let this little boy die in my arms. It's painful enough seeing his innocent face breathing in pain.
She finally musters up to say something," We were always in the play room, but there was a point where he wondered off to other rooms during hide and seek. So I'm not sure."
I lay him in bed and roll up my sleeves and pants.
"How long ago was hide and seek..?" I asked.
She replied, "Since lunchtime."
That's too early. The bites and cuts are fresh.
"What about bathtime?" I ask her.
"Bathtime?," she asked confused, "Ah! He wondered off to find you right after bath time."
"Thanks, I'm gonna go look for the spider, so don't leave this room no matter. When Adrien comes here, tell him to disinfect Deeno's bite marks and cuts, then feed him two antidote pills with the green pill. Have everyone take two pills and an injection of medicine labled 'P' from the blue box!" I run off.
The only way to see the webs is misting my concoction in the air, but it needs time and one more ingredient, a finely grounded powder made from their exoskeleton. Their exoskeleton is transluscent and white, containing a tiny amount of luminescence. The powder overlaying the webs is a great way to find their webs with a shimmer of light. But I haven't had the time to search for their shedded shells. So my final tactic, is to go to every room even if it means I'll become shredded cheese!
I run through the hallway to my bedroom with a sickle and short sword. I had no cuts, so no webs. But I spotted shiny black legs clinging from the side under my bed. I sliced the legs on the side so the spider could no longer cling onto the bed. It fell down and I quickly kicked the bed to the side and stabbed the spider. I remember the many nights having to hunt them. The many blank faces and many corpses without faces that were being eaten in front of me. It frightened me to return to the cell with Zeon half eaten by them. So I always made sure I eliminated them in the buildings and gardens.
The spider tried to get back onto its belly, but I stabbed it in the middle and sliced it open. Its green blood gushed out along with its insides.
There has to be many more since this guy's atleast the size of my head.
I search the nearby rooms and run back to the first rooms of the hall. Then I headed down a floor and found an unlocked room. It was a bedroom with a slightly opened door to the balcony. The side of my face bled as I entered the room. Their webs...its getting thicker.
I hear squealing and squirming. As I turned to the bed, the spiders were feeding on a half dead Nada and litter of kittens. Nada was gooped in purple larvae. The spiders fed on Nada and the larvae, and the larvae fed on the spiders and Nada. It was a battle of the fittest between the spiders and parasites. Which would victor in preying on the other...
I heard hissing and growls in the closet. It was Moku. He was defending the one last kitten that Nada had given birth to.
I can't tell Deeno or Cita where I found Moku...
The spiders' shells are not a pure transluscent white color like they should be. Some had red and orange markings or hints of black. They're evolving and breeding with other spiders. It'll be troublesome dealing with hybrids.
Not gonna lie. It's really hard to digest what I saw. I need to stop them... I know they're probably just fighting hard to survive on their own, but... Moku and Nada are those kids' family!
Adrien had run to the room I was in," Bro! Bro-"
"DON'T COME IN HERE UNTIL I SAY SO! STAY WITH AVERY AND THE OTHERS!" I yell out angrily.
"I wanna help! I-" he paused when he saw Nada and her kittens limp on the bed. I was a mess, drenched in green.
"Go! Take Moku with you! He tried protecting what little family he had left..." I tear up, gritting my teeth," Don't come up here no more! Stay and keep Avery and Cita and Deeno safe! Varen should be back soon and when he does, tell him everything that had happened!" he hesitated, still frozen from shock and a spider started crawling towards him, " Go, it's not safe here!" He carried Moku and the kitten and left.
It was noon. The church was freezing as usual, but I felt that my sanity was beginning to learn how to create numbness. Varen had found me drenched like a cut up rose splattered with green paint, sitting in the room Nada and her little ones were.
I had searched every corner and crack, hunted, slaughtered every spider and nest in all the contaminated rooms. But for some reason I returned to Nada. I felt sorry and sad. Sorry that I couldn't protect her in time... How could I have not known... I miss petting her soft fur...
Right afterwards, I dug her and her kittens a grave in the graveyard, despite the state I was in. Varen understood that this must be done before the spider's poison in the corpses emit toxic miasma. But he also knew I was being reckless since my body was already being poisoned through my skin and opened flesh. I was too stubborn. I wanted to be the one to dig her grave. I was the one who was unable to help her... I know it was a little too late for her either way... the queen parasite in her body was the size of my palm. It had been feeding on her for atleast a few months. Those parasites could kill mortals within a week. I'm surprised she lasted for so long.
After I cleaned up the room and myself, we planted a spot of flowers in the garden since the children could not go outside because of the dangers.
Nada had beautiful baby blue eyes, just like this flower.