The three men watched as August was entangled by the Spinner's feeler, pulled instantly into the air as he gazed down at them, grinning madly. His sword had dropped into the sunken city far below, free of a weapon in the face of danger.
He was swallowed immediately by the mass of pulpy flesh. It wrapped around him, warm and gooey in texture. He was moved forward into the Spinner's carapace by its pulsations, like a manual factory line. He bore the sensation with a grimace, angered by the prospect of his clothes having been ruined.
However, it was all in the pursuit of money. That made it vastly important.
He emerged from the tunnel after what felt like minutes, the darkness of the Spinner's carapace vast. The smell, it was horrid, like rot itself had begun rotting. He reached forward, his hand coated in a blazing light that illuminated his immediate surroundings.
Thousands of tinier Spinners nestled against each other in blankets along the fleshy edge of the Spinner's interior. The sight of so many made August shudder. He did not dislike bugs, but such a thing was unnerving.
It seemed as if he were in a cavern made of bone and skin.
How odd. I never thought being eaten would be so interesting.
What he really wanted sat at the edge of the room, pulsating madly as if detecting the danger it was in. It was the Looming Organ, the real reason he had entered the Spinner's Carapace. He quickly dashed towards it, the blazing light of his hand transforming into a dagger of light that quickly cut through the tendons and arteries connected to the organ.
It fell away from the wall of the carapace instantly into August's arms, thick viscous white fluid spilling out over his arms. He frowned as he pressed his hand against the hole that had been created, stopping the flow of the liquid.
He then turned on his heels, the tiny Spinners having detected the kidnapping of their mother. August grinned, taking a dramatic bow before slicing down into the ground below him. In a single strike, the Carapace was cut cleanly open, blowing a massive hole into its side.
He fell from the sky at a high velocity, like a bolt of lightning in its brightest capacity streaking downwards. He reached out his hand, light glowing at the edge of his fingertips, never grimacing as if death was not an acquaintance of his.
Suddenly, from the harsh stone below, massive blooms shot outwards. Thick, rough lilac petals extended high into the air, spinning wildly as August fell into the center, sending a thick cloud of pollen exploding into the air around him. In an instant, a flower had blossomed around him, catching his fall.
Various sparkling elements began to fall beside him as well, as if the act itself had caused the crystal stars of the Blackbaast's cavern roof to descend. Blues, pinks, and violets shimmered, like lightbugs had gathered a sudden attraction to August's appearance.
Artemis knew this sight well. They were Spirits! But why had Spirits gathered when August had used his abilities? More than that, what kind of powers did August have exactly, that allowed him to move as fast as light, create such a blinding flash and cut through the Spinner with one blow, as well as summon a flower from the earth as large as a one-story building?
The flower gradually sunk to the ground, August's form revealed to the three men, who stood awaiting him.
He held a fleshy, pulsating pink mass in his hand. August's finger was pressed tightly against the writhing hole at the edge of the mass, his hand covered in thick, viscous white fluid.
Artemis's face visibly twisted. "Is that…?"
"Silk runoff. This is the Looming Organ. It's what the Spinner uses to create webs. This is… in essence, the Spinner itself."
"Why touch it in such a strange way?"
"Ah…" August glanced back at his hands, chuckling. "When the Looming Organ is detached from its 'intake' valve, it begins to think of the resulting orifice as an 'exit'. It will start to continuously spew silk runoff until it runs itself out of energy and dies. Then, it will become completely useless to me. So, I will hold it shut until it heals itself."
"When will that be?"
August shrugged. "A day, a week, a month. Who is to say?"
Artemis looked at the man with a sense of shock. His lips curled up into a smile, and then he let out a faint chuckle. "You're quite humorous."
"In this, I'm completely serious." August glanced around him. He teased further. "To think that this was all burnt away because of one King's mistake."
Artemis shook his head. "No, I don't think many people look at it that way."
"In what way, then?"
"Like it is a new Hope."
===
== In the Capital, Henem, Hale Street of the Rudier District. ==
"Eshe, the bread is burning!" Corrin's soft voice exclaimed as she touched his shoulder, shaking him out of his stupor.
Eshent glanced down at the stovetop, which poured flames over the crusty exterior of the bread, now charred beyond belief of its former self, his gaze shaking.
What… am I… doing?
He lifted it away from the flames with his two-pronged fork, sighing as he pouted, still apologetically so. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's been wrong with me recently…"
He stumbled backwards, placing a hand against his head as he let out a groan. His head, it pulsed with an intense pain. What was this?
His daydreams had felt as if they sharpened in recent days, growing far more vague, yet at the same time centered around one single subject… one single place. But he couldn't recall it. Still, he would blank out when it seemed that things needed his full attention.
"Masha will be home soon… we can't waste like this. We aren't living at father's estate any longer…"
"You don't need to keep remembering it. That will only make you feel worse, remembering the past."
"Mother would let me eat all the pastries I wanted-"
"Yes, and we lived in a large estate. Father was a great and grandiose Lord, and all balls were thrown at massive expense. Is that your point? Now, we eat stale bread and soup made from cream that has nearly soured. Our life was better then, so our future is bleak now?"
Eshent placed a hand on Corrin's shoulder, grimacing.
"At least we aren't in danger anymore."
On Hale Street at the eastern-most edge of Henem was where all oddities chose to live. Whether by circumstance or choice, no one was certain why it was the case. However, it was certainly so that Eshent and his older brother, Masha, as well as his twin sister Corrin had gravitated towards it. Their landlord, Mr. Graylise, was kindly. He did not ask for much, he was from an elder generation. He knew of a time when there was no need for such costliness. As long as his utilities were afforded, and the place was kept clean, he did not mind making near to no profit.
While their elder brother, Masha, who had barely reached the age of twenty, went out each day to work, Eshent stayed home with Corrin. They were only fourteen, and it was mandated by law that only children fifteen years or older could work menial labour.
It was only odd jobs that Masha could work. Helping out at construction sites, guarding certain sites and prowling around the harbour for dangerous tasks were all part of his daily life. It was so his siblings could eat, so that they could live free of the danger their former names posed.
After all, more complicated tasks required one to provide their identification; they had no such luxury.
"Because father was wrong, mother died. That is all we need to remember. No pastries, no loyalties of servants, no fancy sheets or lovely gardens can fix that, repair that. Nothing can bring her back. All because father wanted someone special, and our mother couldn't make that of us."
"Because mother was a Lightseeker. If it weren't for that, father wouldn't have killed her, and hunted us down. We would have been like all of his other failed 'projects', left alone to rot…" Corrin retorted, frowning.
"Stir the soup. There's no need to talk about this any more."
Corrin let out an angry huff as she turned away from Eshent, grabbing the wooden spoon that had been lying in the thick brown liquid.
Still, she's right. We've lost everything because we were considered nothing. Success is a threat to us, we must stay docile and below others… it's so demeaning. As soon as I turn fifteen, I can help lighten Masha's load, but still… I hope we can get Corrin into school, at least. One of us needs to rise above…
He picked up a blunted knife from the countertop as he began to chip away at the burnt crust of the bread. He was silent, contemplative, this was just his means as a person, but he had also had far too much on his mind the past few days. It wasn't just because he had been having strange daydreams, but because just like Corrin, the past had been resurfacing in his mind.
What did father mean by 'key'. How can a woman give birth to a 'key'? What does this even mean, and what does it have to do with the Summerrich line? Why is he so obsessed over this inane idea?
He glanced out of the window at the rain which poured over Hale Street, despondent.
At that moment, the door opened wide, a tall figure stepping through the door as he shook excess water from his boots.
"Ah, Masha, you're home."