[31.6] The Unbreakable Webs

[This part is from no one's point of view.]

As the demon escaped, she could sense the man chasing her had no intention of giving up.

With fear clenching her throat, she used her demonic magic to turn from a human-sized spider to a regular one. She hid in a dark corner and waited for the man to draw near.

Using her webs, she felt as he ran along, boosted by intense fire.

Once he ran past her, she let out a sigh of relief.

She crawled along the ground using her threads as a sense of direction.

However, she quickly realized she didn't remember how to get home.

Or where her home was.

Her opaque spider eyes started to water in fear.

Then, she heard a voice from the alley belonging to one she recognized.

"Lene. I've found you."

Her body contorted and grew larger before returning back to her demon form. Her lower lip trembled, "I don't remember. I don't remember. Where am I? Where-"

He let out a sigh, "It's me. Your older brother."

Lene hesitantly stepped towards him, holding out her hands. She blindly felt the face of the man in front of her. He allowed her to do so and stood there patiently.

Finally, she pulled her hands back and smiled in relief, "Brother! It is you!"

He nodded, "That's right."

Her face of fear suddenly disappeared as she pouted, "I'm bored. Let's play a game!"

The man wasn't fazed by her sudden mood change.

He was used to it.

His vibrant orange eyes reflected in the moonlight, "Lene. Why did you leave the house?"

She looked confused for a moment before recalling what he meant. She pointed to the starry sky, "I felt the moon. Mother always had storytime at night."

He stared into her opaque and blind eyes, "It's dangerous for you to leave on your own. What if you had been caught? The humans wouldn't have hesitated to kill you."

She pursed her lips as if trying to make sense of what he was saying. In the end, she grinned at him, "Big brother! I want to hear a story!"

He let out a sigh, "Lene-"

She interrupted, "Oh! Atta destroyed my nest. I forgot to tell you."

His frown deepened, "Oh?"

She nodded, "I think she figured out that we aren't hiding in the west anymore. It's probably just a matter of time before she digs her way over to us."

He clicked his tongue, "Can you prevent it?"

Her eyebrows pinched together, "I-I don't know. I-I can try… But it hurts."

He took her hand gently, "Don't push yourself."

A single tear rolled down her cheek, "Why doesn't our sister like me? She keeps smashing me."

His eyebrows pinched together, "It's not that she doesn't like you. It's that she doesn't like me."

"B-But she doesn't even remember me…"

He let out a sigh, "That in itself is a blessing. Now come on. Let's go home to where it's safe."

She thought hard for a moment, "Home?"

"Yes, home." He pulled her along, "I will tell you a story once we get there."