Prologue: The Weaver of Twelve
Darkness. Silence. A drifting soul moved through the endless void.
No time. No memory. Just quiet existence.
Then something stirred.
A presence — vast, ancient, and curious — stepped forward, light rippling across the void like liquid glass.
Being: "How rare… a soul that does not weep, nor rage, nor beg. You simply are."
It studied the glowing fragment, tilting its head in amusement.
Being: "I will give you a choice. Entertain me, little spark. Choose your power, and I shall place you in a world that dances between shadow and light."
The soul pulsed, faint but clear.
Soul: "The power of the spider."
The being smiled, its voice echoing like thunder and whisper all at once.
Being: "How interesting. You seek connection — not destruction."
The void shimmered, and before the soul appeared thousands of glowing threads — each one humming with the memory of a Spider across countless worlds.
Being: "These are the templates. Heroes, vigilantes, monsters, assassins… beings who carried the mark of the web. I will grant you twelve. Eleven drawn from the infinite web, and one — your original self — hidden even from you. A surprise, when the time comes."
The threads rose, circling the soul like silver serpents.
Being: "You shall not inherit their hearts, but their memories and instincts will remain. When your powers awaken, so will their echoes — a flood of lives you have never lived, yet remember completely."
The soul glowed brighter as the threads began to sink into it, forming a radiant network under translucent skin.
Being: "And because I find you… amusing, I will grant you a companion — an Artificial Reactive Intelligence Substrate. It will protect your mind from intrusion, shield your soul from harm, and obey only your command. Even gods will find it hard to touch you."
The being flicked a finger. A prism of light descended — merging with the soul, fusing seamlessly.
Being: "It will speak when the time is right. A guardian bound to your essence."
But then something shifted.
As the templates merged, the void trembled. Energy crackled. The being's calm gaze narrowed as twelve symbols flared across the soul's form.
> Synchronization anomaly detected.
Template resonance… unstable.
One of the templates — darker than the rest — pulsed with crimson light.
A hooded silhouette stepped forth in the soul's vision — silent, predatory, and swift as death.
The Assassin Spider — born from a universe where the Spider became a shadow operative, master of the unseen, silent steps that made even gods uneasy.
Being: "Ah… now that's new."
A ripple of laughter echoed through the void.
Being: "So you carry the silence of death and the grace of life. Very well. Let's see how your threads weave this world."
The void split open. Light surged. The soul was pulled downward — toward a universe of heroes, villains, and wars yet unwritten.
The being whispered one last thing as reality swallowed the light:
> "When you awaken… the web shall tremble."