The spider moved first.
Its body dropped without warning, the stone cracking where it landed. She threw herself sideways, the impact wave slamming into her ribs and sending her rolling across the floor. Pain flared, sharp and immediate, but she forced herself up before it could follow.
"Too fast…" she muttered.
The spider's legs stabbed down like spears. One tore through her shoulder guard, carving flesh beneath. Another smashed into her thigh, pinning her to the ground. She screamed as pressure crushed the breath from her lungs.
She slashed upward with her knife. The blade scraped against its shell, sparks flying, leaving only a shallow mark.
'Useless.'
The spider reared back and brought a claw down.
She raised her left hand instinctively.
Blood exploded.
Two fingers were severed cleanly, spinning away before she even felt the pain. A strangled sound tore from her throat as she collapsed backward, clutching the ruined hand. The pain arrived a second later, blinding, screaming through her nerves.
'I can't… die here.'
Gritting her teeth, she slammed her back against the wall and forced herself to stand. Her vision shook, but she raised her remaining fingers, blood dripping onto the stone.
"—By the circulating mana, heed my call."
Magic gathered, pale blue light flickering around her palm.
"Condense. Rotate. Release."
"Wind Cutter."
A compressed blade of air screamed forward, slicing across the chamber and crashing into the spider's head. The impact forced it back a step, cracks spreading across its shell.
She gasped, hope flickering—
Then the spider shook its body once.
The cracks closed.
Its many eyes locked onto her.
'Are you serious!.'
The spider lunged again, faster than before. She tried to dodge, but her leg gave out. A massive limb struck her side, sending her flying into the wall. Something cracked inside her chest. She slid down, coughing blood.
The spider advanced slowly now, confident.
She forced herself to raise her hand again, shaking violently.
"Again…" she whispered. "Just one more…"
Magic gathered once more, weaker this time.
The spider didn't stop.
Her breath came out ragged as she forced mana into her palm one more time. Her legs shook, blood pooling beneath her feet, balance already slipping away.
"Wind… Cutter—"
The spell released at the wrong angle.
Her body tilted, pain flaring through her side, and the blade of compressed air veered off course. Instead of the spider, it tore across the chamber and slammed into the far wall.
Click.
The sound was soft.
For a split second, nothing happened.
Then the ground beneath them shuddered.
Cracks spread in a wide circle, stone plates grinding against one another before dropping away entirely. The floor vanished, dragging everything down with it.
The spider reacted instantly. Thick webs shot from its body, anchoring it to the walls. Its legs scraped violently as it halted its fall, hanging in the air.
But she wasn't that fast.
The stone disappeared beneath her feet, and she plunged into darkness.
Air tore from her lungs as she fell, her scream swallowed by the void. The fall felt endless, her body tumbling, spinning, until—
Splash.
Freezing water swallowed her whole.
Pain exploded through her body as she sank, vision blurring, ears ringing. She kicked weakly, panic clawing at her chest, and forced herself upward. Her head broke the surface and she sucked in air, coughing hard as water burned her lungs.
Her clothes clung to her completely, heavy and soaked. Her hair plastered against her face as she dragged herself toward shallow ground, hands shaking violently.
She lifted her head.
Her eyes widened.
Before her stood a massive temple like structure, ancient beyond measure. Towering pillars rose into darkness, each carved with eroded symbols and reliefs depicting figures kneeling, carrying infants, and chains breaking apart. The stone was pale and smooth, untouched by moss. Wide stairs led upward toward a sealed entrance large enough to swallow a mansion, its doors etched with circular patterns and fractured runes.
The air felt warm.
Then a sound came from above.
She turned just in time to see the spider descending slowly, its massive body lowered by thick strands of web, eyes gleaming in the dim light.
She let out a hoarse breath.
"You're not leaving me, are you…"
Her legs trembled as she forced herself to stand, water dripping from her body. She moved forward slowly.
Her gaze dropped to the ground ahead.
Carved into the stone floor was a huge circular pattern, wide enough to span the entire chamber. Interlocking rings overlapped one another, filled with intricate symbols, flowing lines, and small hand shaped engravings pointing inward. At the very center lay a shallow depression, dark and smooth.
Her heart pounded.
'What… is this place?'
She glanced back.
The spider crouched low, legs digging into the stone, its body tensing like a drawn bow. Thick venom dripped from its fangs as all of its eyes locked onto her.
It was about to jump.
Her breath hitched. She reached for her knife
and felt nothing.
It was gone.
Her mind went blank.
Before panic could fully take hold, an image forced itself forward.
Small arms wrapped around her neck. Warmth against her chest. A soft, uneven breath as he slept in her arms.
Her son.
Her teeth clenched.
"I won't—!" she screamed, curling her hand into a fist and throwing everything she had into the punch.
The spider leapt.
Just before it reached her—
Something unseen slammed between them.
A faint glow bloomed in the air, rippling like disturbed water. The spider's body hit it hard and was hurled backward, crashing into the ground with a violent screech.
She froze, fist still raised, eyes wide.
"What… happened…?" she whispered.
The spider rose again, eyes burning red with rage. It lunged once more.
The invisible barrier flashed.
The spider was thrown back again, even harder this time.
Her chest heaved as she stared, confusion overwhelming fear.
Then a voice spoke.
"Don't worry. This is a safe zone. It can't enter."
It was a young voice, slightly deep, like a boy on the edge of adolescence.
She spun around instantly.
"W-Who!" she shouted.
There was no one behind her.
The spider slammed against the barrier again and again, screeching in fury, but it couldn't cross.
The voice spoke again, sounding puzzled.
"Hmm… an NPC is replying back to me…"
Her eyes darted around wildly.
"There's no one here," she said sharply.
"Who is it!"
'Where is this voice coming from?'
"Are you a player by any chance?" the voice asked.
She frowned.
"Player…?"
There was a brief silence.
"Hmm… so you're not. That means you really have consciousness…"
Her gaze drifted forward, toward the center of the chamber. She took a slow step ahead, then another, stopping before a section of stone that felt… wrong. Darker and hollow.
"Uhh… what are you doing…?" the voice asked, suddenly uneasy.
She didn't answer.
She clenched her fist and punched.
The stone shattered instantly, fragments exploding outward.
"WHAAA—!!" the voice screamed.
Inside the broken stone lay a long weapon resting on a raised platform, its curved blade gleaming faintly even without light, the grip wrapped tightly and worn smooth.