Chapter 61: Chapter 61- The Infestation (Part 6)
Chapter 61- The Infestation (Part 6)
"Where... Am I?" Rein muttered as he looked around him in silence. Even with his sharp vision, he couldn’t really see the other side of the room, indicating that it was quite vast. Something like this being hidden in this den was something he didn’t expect. ’Did the spider really build all of this? And what is this smell?’
The floral smell was so odd in this environment that he couldn’t even enjoy how pleasant it was. After scanning the area around him for a moment, Rein finally started walking deeper into the dark chamber.
Holding his side to slow the bleeding, he tried to keep his breath calm and quiet. He didn’t know what could be hiding in the darkness, ready to pounce on him at any given second. His sword was clenched in his other hand, his eyes wandering everywhere as if he was feeling a presence within this abyss.
For minutes, he walked and walked, seemingly with no end to the chamber. He didn’t even understand how such a place existed, and he didn’t notice it. With its size and length, this den should’ve been easily observable from any place in the city.
’Maybe it’s underground, and that is why I can’t really see it.’ He thought to himself. ’In any case, for how long am I going to keep walking? Am I going deeper and deeper into the nest or what?’
Luckily, he didn’t have any other option, so he didn’t feel like he could have remained behind.
Each step echoed in the empty space, reverberating in his ear as if it were a cursed melody. Only someone as calm as Rein could handle this truly blinding darkness and eerie unknown.
Eventually, Rein lost track of where he was, how long he walked for, or even if he was still going in the right direction. He even questioned if he had taken a turn without realizing it. Those thoughts slowly plagued his mind, and he started questioning everything around him.
However, as he was trying to figure out where he was, something appeared in his vision. He stopped, immediately taking a fighting stance. ’Is that a spider? Monster?’ He thought to himself as he waited silently, trying to understand what it was.
The thing didn’t move at all, even after he waited for a while. So, he hesitantly started closing the distance down, trying to gauge what it was. The shape was at first completely ambiguous before Rein finally caught a glimpse of what it was.
’Webs?’ He frowned.
It was a big cluster of webs, appearing in the shape of a cocoon, suspended in the air and tied to the walls through long ropes of webs. Countless ropes tied to it, forming a massive net around the cocoon.
Seeing that, Rein gulped down a mouthful of saliva before he stopped again. ’Is that an egg? Maybe another victim of the spider? But... Why is it here of all places, so deep in the darkness...’
A lot of questions appeared in his mind. However, as he sniffed, he realized that the source of the floral smell was coming from that cocoon, and it had become even stronger than before.
It was unlike any other floral smell he had experienced before. It was sweeter and deeper than any perfume, giving a sense of ease to anyone who smells it. Even Rein found himself relaxing for a second, even though he was standing in a very dangerous place.
Without realizing it, he started walking forward, approaching the cocoon. His mind was still awake and aware, but he was simply drawn to the smell. His sword moved slowly, cutting every rope in front of him as he got closer and closer to his target.
Finally, when he stopped in front of it, Rein stared at the cocoon and realized something he hadn’t noticed before. The cocoon was faintly illuminated with a beautiful golden hue. It was barely visible from inside as it was covered in layers and layers of web.
’Hm... What is inside this?’ He asked himself. ’Logically, should I even open this thing? It’s not wise... But...’
Again, Rein’s gut feeling told him that he had to do this. Something about that light just didn’t feel threatening whatsoever. So, before Rein could even realize it, his sword was already cutting through the layers of webs, one by one.
As the layers fell, the light grew brighter and brighter until his surroundings were completely illuminated. As Rein sliced open the last layer, all the golden light was finally unleashed upon the dark room.
Rein squinted at how bright and strong it was. However, his eyes eventually adjusted as he started opening them and took a glimpse inside the cocoon. The thing he saw inside was just something he could’ve never expected.
His eyes widened, his breath halted as he stared in silence for a few seconds. His eyes reflected the golden light beautifully before his hand slowly reached inside and pulled it out.
’A... child?’ He frowned, almost in disbelief at what he was saying. In his arms was a small girl who looked no older than 8 years old. She had long, beautiful, golden hair that descended like a waterfall. Her skin was smooth, akin to porcelain, and even though her clothes looked tattered and old... It didn’t make her look dirty whatsoever.
The girl... was also alive. He could hear her faint breathing as she lay in his arms. Rein didn’t understand what he was looking at. This child was simply not normal, and he could immediately tell.
She wasn’t an average human. Using his senses for a moment on her, he felt a humongous amount of Essence being emanated from her. An amount so huge, it even eclipsed his.
’An awakened child... She doesn’t... She doesn’t even look like she’s from this world, and yet she has been stuck in here for God knows how long.’ He thought to himself. The peaceful sleeping face of the girl surprised Rein even more. She looked like she had been in deep slumber for a very, very long time. That ancient feeling about her was strong.
"You have got to be kidding me... What should I even do?" He muttered. ’I didn’t expect to find a child like this in here, but she’s clearly special in some way. I should probably take her with me.’
Even if this kid was a monster or a threat, he would at least need to see for himself. After all, it would be way dumber to just leave her behind and only speculate.
"Well, only one way ahea-"
Before Rein could put her over his shoulder and continue walking, he suddenly felt her body twitch. He looked down, just in time to see the girl open her eyes... Revealing two beautiful blue eyes akin to a clear sky.
"..."
The girl seemed confused for a second as she stared dazedly around and then slowly locked onto Rein. The two stared at each other for a few silent seconds, not knowing what to say.
Then, the girl, seemingly realizing something, parted her lips and spoke a word.
"Severeance..."
