The Web of Iron

Chapter Six: Grounded

The spider's attack on the mall lasted two more hours. The DSD managed to destroy many creatures in a series of explosive battles. Now and then, you could hear the sounds of attack names being called and explosive weaponry. Rioletta escaped, though, alongside a large number of captives. While she was on the onbranch, news of it flashed across Kiyora's mind as if it were the strangest thing in the world. Yet she suspected, no, knew, that in a few days, it would be pulled.

And everyone would begin to forget again.

Of course, she had bigger problems than just that.

"You are grounded, Young Lady!" said Mom.

"But Mom-" began Kiyora.

"I told you not to go into anything dangerous, and you directly ignored me!" said Mom.

"But I wasn't even looking for the Black Star when the spiders attacked," said Kiyora. "I was just checking out the mall with Laurus and Tenius!"

"I don't want to hear it!" said Mom. "For the next week, you aren't going anywhere except school! Now go to your room!"

"I hate you!" shouted Kiyora before storming upstairs.

She threw herself onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling. As she did, she remembered how she had reacted to seeing those people bound up in silk. Why had she responded that way? It had been horrible beyond description. Yet it had gotten her far more interested than she would have liked to believe.

Did she have a kink for that kind of thing? What did that say about her? She hadn't reacted the same way with Wraith. But then Wraith had been pure cruelty. There was none of the physical element.

Why did none of this seem real?!

On a whim, she picked up the phone and made a call. Laurus picked up. "Who is it?"

"Hey, Laurus," said Kiyora, "is everything alright?"

"I'm fine," said Laurus. "No one would care if I got home late. However, Dad was pretty pissed at me for not bringing the wine. He uh... never mind. How did your Mom take it?"

"I'm grounded," said Kiyora. "Something has been bugging me, and I wanted to talk to you first."

"What is it?" asked Laurus.

"Why did no one die when Laughing Wraith possessed the entire city?" asked Kiyora.

"Why are you asking me that?" asked Laurus. "Would you rather someone had died?" There was an edge in his tone.

"No!" said Kiyora. "But... look, I've seen how he operated in the dream world, okay. What he did here was tame in comparison. Did you hold him back or something?"

"The city wasn't as deep in his power as it could have been," admitted Laurus. "But no, I didn't. You've got to understand we were kind of the same being. His mind occupied the same space as my mind. One minute I'd be doing something normal, then he'd manifest and make me do something.

"Even so, I... I don't think it even occurred to him to try killing anyone. Me going after you with a shotgun was my idea."

"But that isn't anything like the Wraith in the dream world," said Kiyora. "Even if he didn't kill people, he mutilated them horribly. But no one was even seriously hurt."

"I don't mean it didn't occur to him to do something horrible," said Laurus. "I mean in the sense of... how do I say it? Okay, when you are late for school, it doesn't occur to you to sprout wings and fly there, does it?"

"No," said Kiyora. "Why would it?"

"It wouldn't," said Laurus. "Because that is not something you can just do. Not without powerful magic, anyway. So because it is an ingrained limitation, you don't think about straining it."