The third day brought no progress.
It brought exhaustion.
The air in the forest felt different.
Thicker.
Slower.
As if something invisible had settled between the trees… waiting.
And then—
the mistake.
Emily and Alejandro didn't see the nest.
They felt it—
too late.
The first thread fell in silence.
The second already caught a knight by the neck.
By the time someone shouted—
they were already inside.
The forest closed in on them.
It wasn't a clearing.
It was a trap.
Silver threads descended from every direction, reflecting the light as if they were beautiful.
Until they touched flesh.
And didn't let go.
—Formation! —Manuel Carter shouted.
But formation no longer existed.
Four men had already fallen.
Not dead.
Worse.
Suspended.
Trapped in the trees, wrapped like prey… waiting.
Fifty-five.
That was the number someone managed to say before the fight swallowed everything.
Hatchlings.
Dozens.
Moving across the ground, the trunks, the bodies.
And above—
the mother.
Class B.
But not like the others.
This one didn't fight.
It hunted.
Emily raised her hands.
Without hesitation.
—Luminis Radiance.
Light exploded beneath her feet.
A golden circle expanded, pure and clean, breaking the invisible pressure in the air. The atmosphere shifted.
The knights could breathe.
Mana flowed more freely.
The darkness retreated a step.
But it wasn't enough.
It never is in a nest.
—Advance! —Alejandro ordered.
His sword burned.
Literally.
Every strike cut threads, burned hatchlings, carved space where there was none.
They weren't winning.
They were… surviving.
—Above! —someone shouted.
Too late.
Far too late.
A knight was suddenly lifted.
A thread around his leg.
A pull—
and he vanished into the canopy.
The scream didn't last long.
Alejandro looked up.
He saw her.
The spider.
Moving through the branches without a sound.
Too large.
Too fast.
Too intelligent.
It didn't attack directly.
It chose.
It watched.
It waited for mistakes.
And it found them.
Alejandro didn't shout.
He acted.
A burst of flame rose from his blade, cutting the threads before another man could be dragged away.
—Fire at height! —he ordered.
The group responded.
Poorly.
Late.
But they responded.
Flames began to rise, burning trajectories, forcing the creature to move.
To change.
And that made it more dangerous.
It vanished.
Literally.
One moment it was there—
the next, gone.
And then—
it descended.
Silent.
Onto a distracted knight.
Fangs struck.
Clean.
Precise.
Poison.
Retreat.
The man collapsed without a sound.
Paralysis.
—Fall back! —William roared.
Mage.
The strongest in the group.
The only one who could keep up… barely.
But even he—
couldn't lock onto it.
Couldn't trap it.
The spider didn't fight him.
It avoided him.
Always.
That was what chilled Emily's blood.
It wasn't a monster.
It was a mind.
Then—
it descended again.
Straight toward her.
No warning.
No sound.
Only shadow.
And death.
But the forest erupted in fire.
Alejandro.
He didn't think.
He didn't hesitate.
—RANGE FIVE!
The roar of flames devoured branches, air, distance.
The spider retreated.
For the first time.
The group attacked.
Everything they had.
No order.
No control.
Pure desperation.
But the response was worse.
The shriek.
Sharp.
Piercing.
Painful.
The hatchlings went berserk.
They didn't attack by instinct.
They attacked by command.
The knights fell back.
Wounded.
Exhausted.
Overwhelmed.
And then—
the ground shook.
A second group burst through the trees.
Daniel Carter.
He didn't arrive shouting.
He arrived killing.
His men didn't stop.
Didn't assess.
They entered.
And broke the rhythm of the battle.
The hatchlings fell quickly.
Too quickly.
That was what enraged the mother.
It changed.
No longer hunting.
Now it attacked.
Direct.
Brutal.
Daniel stepped forward.
His sword shone.
Pure light.
Every impact shattered the creature's dark resistance.
William joined him.
Wounded.
But steady.
Two against one.
For the first time—
the spider was pushed back.
Legs severed.
Movement limited.
Mistakes.
But it did not fall.
Not yet.
In its final attempt—
it chose.
Not the weakest.
The most dangerous.
William.
It dropped.
Impact.
Fangs.
Shoulder.
Poison.
—No! —Emily screamed.
But it was too late.
William fell to his knees.
The venom spreading fast.
Too fast.
And then—
fire.
Alejandro didn't shout this time.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't calculate.
He simply struck.
His sword pierced the creature's head.
Deep.
Total.
—Burn.
Mana exploded.
Flames didn't surround.
They consumed.
From within.
The final scream wasn't rage.
It was failure.
The body fell.
Heavy.
Lifeless.
And then—
silence.
Real silence.
For the first time since they entered.
The clearing fell quiet, dense… suffocating.
It wasn't an uncomfortable silence.It was a silence heavy with memory.
Emily didn't look away from Alejandro.
—Don't speak like that —she repeated, quieter, but firmer—. You know what happened to Baron Joel for insulting a Douglas.
No one answered immediately.
The crackling fire was the only sound daring to exist.
Alejandro clenched his jaw, but didn't respond.
Manuel didn't smile this time either.
Because they all remembered.
Not as rumor.
Not as exaggerated noble gossip.
They had seen it.
The public execution.
The displayed head.
The message.
It wasn't punishment.
It was warning.
Emily swallowed.
—It wasn't an argument… —she added, barely steady—. It wasn't a duel… or a minor offense.
She lowered her gaze, as if she could still see it.
—It was a decision.
The air felt colder.
Manuel crossed his arms, but there was no irony left in him.
—A count… —he murmured— killed his own relative… to prevent what would come next.
No one needed him to finish.
They all understood what wasn't said.
Retaliation.Punishment.Erasure.
Something worse than death.
Alejandro looked away, uneasy for the first time.
—That doesn't mean we should fear them like gods… —he muttered, but his voice had lost its edge.
Emily looked at him.
Not with anger.
With something more dangerous.
—It's not worship —she said softly—. It's understanding the world we live in.
A cold wind passed through the clearing, shifting the ashes of the destroyed nest.
—In this world… —she continued— there are names you don't speak lightly.
A pause.
—And decisions that cannot be undone.
The distant buzzing of the forest returned, as if Cymopelia itself were breathing around them.
Manuel sighed, running a hand through his hair.
—Even so… —he said at last— I won't live on my knees.
Emily didn't answer immediately.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
She thought of Lusian.
His calm.
His way of observing… calculating… deciding.
And what he had said in the garden.
"Sometimes, even good actions have violent consequences."
She lifted her gaze.
—It's not about kneeling —she said—. It's about surviving long enough… to choose when not to.
Silence returned.
Manuel was the first to break it, cautiously.
—The baron insulted you… —he said carefully— and Lusian ordered his execution, didn't he?
Emily lowered her gaze.
The weight of the words pressed on her chest.
—It wasn't like that… —she murmured—. Lusian only tried to stop it… but I intervened. Everything… got out of control.
Alejandro frowned.
—You mean you…?
—You don't understand —she interrupted, voice trembling—. The baron threatened me. Lusian reacted to protect me… but what happened after… —she swallowed— was my fault.
The fire crackled.
No one moved.
—If I hadn't spoken… —she added quietly— none of it would have happened.
Alejandro clenched his fists.
—Still —he said, restrained anger— that man lives surrounded by fear. One day, someone will have to end that tyranny.
Emily suddenly looked up.
There was fear in her eyes… but something deeper too.
Real fear.
—Don't do something insane —she warned—. You don't understand what that family is capable of… Lusian isn't like his father, but if you provoke them… you'll pay a heavy price.
Alejandro didn't respond.
He stared into the fire.
Flames reflected in his eyes, feeding something inside him.
Rage.Pride.Humiliation.
—That's why… —he said at last, colder than before— I will leave Count Carter's knights.
Manuel looked up, surprised.
—I will join the royal knights —Alejandro continued—. One day I will restore my family's name… and when I do…
His eyes burned with determination.
—I will put an end to the power of the Douglases.
The air grew heavier.
Even the forest… went silent.
Emily felt a chill run down her spine.
It wasn't an empty threat.
It was a promise.
Manuel clenched his fists.
For a moment, he hesitated.
But the image of his sister… alone… marked… surrounded by whispers… weighed more.
—If that's your path… —he said at last— I'll support you.
Emily turned to him, alarmed.
—I won't stand by while my sister suffers.
—Manuel, don't say that! —she stepped forward— You don't understand what you're saying.
But Manuel had already crossed that invisible line.
—All my life I've heard about the honor of House Carter… and the justice of the kingdom —he continued—. But if that justice allows the Douglases to do whatever they want…
He lifted his gaze.
—Then I want nothing to do with it.
Alejandro watched him.
And for the first time since the conversation began… he smiled.
Not warmly.
In recognition.
—Then I'm not alone…
Emily covered her face.
Tears slipped through her fingers.
—Please, stop! —she pleaded— I don't want anyone to die because of me… you don't understand…
She struggled to breathe.
—Lusian isn't what you think.
Alejandro frowned.
—What are you saying?
Emily hesitated.
But the memory returned with brutal clarity.
The mansion.The head in the basket.And Lusian…
—I saw him trembling… —she whispered— I saw fear in his eyes.
Silence fell instantly.
—He's not a monster —she added—. There's something in him… something broken.
Manuel studied her.
And then asked, without hesitation:
—Do you like him?
Emily froze.
Firelight flickered across her face… but she didn't answer immediately.
When she finally spoke, her voice had changed.
Stronger.
More grounded.
—You don't understand what you're saying.
She lowered her hands slowly.
—Facing the Douglases isn't courage… it's a death sentence.
She looked at both of them.
—Every move… every word… has a price.
Her voice softened.
—And if you make a mistake… it won't just be you who dies.
A pause.
—You'll drag your entire families with you.
Manuel lowered his head.
Reality was starting to sink in.
But Alejandro…
Alejandro didn't.
He stared into the fire, fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
The flames reflected in his eyes.
And inside him… something had already decided.
I won't let that man take you as well.
He gritted his teeth in pain.
And this time…
it wasn't passing anger.
It was the beginning of something far more dangerous.