No Emotions to Feel

Ch 18: The Spider's Thread

The vessel had sensed it, just the faintest trace of Soul, but that was enough.

While The Hunter had been talking, the vessel had noticed it and gotten distracted. That wasn't good. Whatever, the vessel could find The Hunter again later. The figure in red had proved harder to get to, and took higher priority.

The vessel focused on the trace as hard as it could as it launched itself through greenery and over a large acid pool.

It would not lose the figure again.

It sent a sharp pulse of Soul out, picking up the pace as it sensed the trail get stronger.

A flicker of red up ahead gave the vessel its opportunity. It leapt forward and reached out, grabbing the end of a single thread, and yanked. The figure got jerked down, pulling the vessel with it, while letting out a gasp of surprise.

The two rolled onto a stone path, both getting up again as fast as possible.

Finally, the vessel could see who it was...

...

and suddenly the vessel realized why the Soul signature was so familiar...

the color red had drawn its attention so easily too.

no wonder.

Standing in front of the vessel was the princess. The gendered child, Herrah's child, though she was far from a kid anymore.

Her horns had grown much longer, and she was now twice as tall as the vessel. She brandished a large needle- was that Herrah's?

How long...?

What was going on?

The vessel didn't have time for that. Whatever the age, she was still the princess.

So the vessel took a knee into a deep bow.

...

But it seems the princess didn't recognize the vessel. 

Because for a moment, and just a moment, the vessel realized that the princess would let her needle pierce and shatter its mask.

It glanced up at her- why did it do that?! Keep its head down! The King would not approve of that disrespect- to see the needle hurtling towards it.

— — — — — — — —

The half-spider had gasped as she felt the end of her Soul thread get yanked down, almost pulling the needle attached to it away from her. She grimaced as she hit the floor and tumbled onto a main path.

Thankfully the vessel had fallen with her. It was already getting up from the floor, so now was the time to strike!

She threw her needle towards its mask...

Time seemed to slow down... as the vessel got down on one knee and bowed.

why..?

and then it looked up at her.

no...

no way...

That crack down the mask's eye socket...

An old memory resurfaced.

One that had given her nightmares for years. One of regret and fear that she had resorted to blocking from her mind.

She was a child, and there were familiar faces around her. Someone comforting was holding her hand. The room was so dark, too dark. And the bugs next to her were very bright. Ahead of her, an even brighter blinding light. Behind the light, a small figure. A sibling, the small sibling. They were kneeling, to the light. Yet they looked up. They looked right at her and the one holding her hand. But the sibling is now coming apart. They're shaking, so why isn't the light stopping? How could they just let the happen?! Stop it you're hurting them! A horrible crack rings out as darkness breaks down their face- 

 ❁✺... remember ...✺❁

"wait-!" She pulled the thread so hard the needle almost hit her on its way back. It clattered loudly to the floor behind her, thread pooling around it. But she paid it no attention.

She couldn't remember the last time she had run to someone so fast. Was that a flicker of hope too?

She grabbed the vessels shoulders and stared at it. "are-" she hadn't hurt them, could she really have this relief? "are you really them? please, just..." what could she possibly ask of it that would prove it was her old sibling? it would just do anything she said either way...

She felt a small tap on her arm and looked back up at the vessel, a little desperate. She almost felt disappointed at how easily this had broken her mental walls.

But then it raised its hands and signed the one thing her siblings could use to communicate with her, the only word in sign language she had learned as a child: 'princess'.

It was them, it was actually really them.

Her grip on their shoulders tightened as she nearly collapsed.

On her knees, she let her head fall onto their cloak.

She just held them, as if any second they would disappear.

She didn't think she could ever let go.

(note: aaaaaaand here comes the feels train! all aboard cause this chapter was just the first stop!  I'll see you guys next 16th!)