He walked toward the terrain sketched in ash. A sharp smell filled his nostrils as he approached. He passed by the spider lying on the ground without a hint of emotion. The beast lay still with its massive body. Soon, his view was filled with rhythmically marching, soldier-like spiders. All of them were in similar shades of yellow as the one on the ground. Meyer felt something inside him die as he looked ahead. His blood felt no longer liquid—but solid. With only his fists clenched and grabbing a rock from the ground, he hurled it forward at the spiders.
The stones began to rain down on the metallic skeletons of the spiders. "Dank!" echoed with each hit. They were like robotic boxes. Emma cried out helplessly, begging him to stop. Meyer shouted, "Leave me alone! I'll get revenge on those damned hook-faced bastards! Then on that son of a bitch Magnus! Then on my father! On everyone who ever crossed me!"
"Th-this isn't you," Emma whimpered.
Meyer burst into laughter and knocked over a spider that had lifted a leg toward him, seemingly trying to express something. He missed his obsidian blades and glasses—but for now, his fists would do.
"This is me! The real me!" he roared, zigzagging through the spiders. But instead of attacking, the spiders slowly moved aside. "What's wrong? Wasn't your purpose to harm me?" Meyer mocked. "Now you're going to scurry away and protect yourselves?"
"They can't protect you from yourself anymore."
A voice echoed from behind.
Two bright, polished blades crossed against his neck. "I sent the children, but it seems you wanted to meet me instead."
A cocky grin crept across Meyer's bronzed face. He quickly grabbed the blades, clutching them tightly, gritting his teeth. His fingers were sliced between the sharp edges, but the pain felt dull. What used to be agony now felt like pulling a tooth.
He sensed the shadow behind him struggling to cut his neck. He turned around with full force—and saw the face.
"Y-you…" he gasped at the familiar face from the past. It was as if the past had risen to stand before him. "My arch enemy!" He laughed, showing his teeth, looking down at the hands tightly gripping him.
Magnus Truve.
"Y-you," Meyer growled through clenched teeth.
Magnus didn't loosen his grip for a second. "Stop!"
"Why the hell should I?!" Meyer bellowed. A fire surged from deep within him, from the core of a volcano. His pupils shrank. Magnus' hands, along with the shattered blade, fell. With a backward kick, Meyer launched Magnus three meters into the air.
"AAAH!"
A crack rang out—Magnus hit the ground face first.
His eyes were closed, blood trickled from his mouth.
Meyer felt adrenaline pulse through his veins. He saw the spiders approaching from the path. There was nothing human in their movement. Then again, Meyer wasn't sure if any humanity remained in himself either. Every job he'd done for a little more money, every life he had taken with his obsidian blades, played before his eyes like a film reel. He looked at Magnus lying on the ground. Then shouted at the spiders.
His voice shrieked through the air, full of endless breath. "Back off or I'll kill you all!"
As if to prove it, he swung his fist in the air. A fire flickered in his eyes—between amber and orange.
He kicked Magnus' body again.
Emma, frozen in place, had no idea what had just happened.
She looked at Meyer as if he were a stranger.
And Meyer… felt like a stranger to the world—deeply, absolutely.
The sound of rhythmic, metallic spider legs echoed again.
With every step they took, red-toned dust rose toward the sky. Spiders with amber eyes gleamed in the burning, suffocating heat. One of the front spiders lunged at Meyer. He saw it pull out an obsidian blade from someone's thick belly. He locked eyes on it. "I'll take that," he whispered.
Taking a deep breath, he charged with heavy steps toward the spider. He aimed to kick it—but a metal leg blocked the blow. "Come on," he grunted, flipping backward to strike with his other leg. When that failed, he leapt four meters forward, targeting another spider's blade.
The spider wasn't eager to hand it over.
"This is gonna suck," he muttered, continuing to run.
Running and dodging—his specialties.
This time, the spiders gave chase. Confused, they looked at each other.
Magnus lay unmoving on the ground. Meyer saw flying obsidian blades in the air and felt excitement rush through him.
"Blades? Now that's more like it," he grinned, pivoted sharply, and ducked. The blades narrowly missed his back and stabbed into sponge-like rocks. Reflexively, he reached out with both hands and caught one midair by its hilt. A drop of golden blood trickled down its tip.
"AAAAAAAH!" he screamed as he sliced the spider's neck connection.
The ground was now covered in blood.
He giggled, swung his blade, bent one of their weapons, tore off another's head and arms. Left one with a single leg and watched it fall. He was enjoying it—all of it. "Anyone else?!" he shouted.
The spiders responded by launching something into the air.
Barbed arrows.
They rained from the sky like needles.
Meyer grew excited again. Emma had hidden under a thick leaf.
She stared at Meyer with wide, fearful eyes.
Each barbed arrow grazed Meyer's body as he soared through the air—like a paper plane. Suddenly, he realized gravity was weaker. He could jump higher. He used the arrows like steps, climbing toward the sky. The atmosphere thinned, grew sparse. Breathing became harder. He screamed as he hurled himself downward—ripping off the back legs of a spider on impact.
The creature let out a squeal under the sudden weight. Meyer retrieved an obsidian blade from between its fallen legs.
Now he had two blades.
The spiders froze. So did Meyer's breath.
He panted heavily.
His legs still tingled with overwhelming power.
Magnus soon stirred.
His bright eyes stared ahead.
He pushed up on his hands.
He looked at the fallen bodies and the spiders laying their blades before Meyer.
It was…
An oath of submission.
Meyer had become the second person worthy of that oath.
The first…
The sky split apart. A thunderous explosion rang out. Dark brown smoke filled the air. The scent of soot burned their throats. Everywhere the churning clouds touched turned black. Surrounded by smoke, Meyer looked up at the descending figure. Everything around him was airborne. The man descending from above carried a blade-like machine in his heavy arms—a ritual slicer.
Meyer gazed at him with thrill. Some parts of the armor on the man's back glimmered under the light.
The Cutter turned off the machine, clipped it to his left belt, and clapped dust off his hands. His face expressionless. He slowly reached into his inner pocket, eyes never leaving Meyer's beast-like gaze. Then drew out a chain—at the end of it, a card dangled.
With heavy, muscular legs, he walked toward Meyer. The horizon had become just a line.
Standing amid the wreckage, Meyer felt cold metal wrap around his neck. His hands rose instinctively. His eyes fell upon the bold black letters on the card.
"The Curse of the Spiders has been acquired. Phase 0 complete. Do you wish to continue the mission? If so, kneel before the one in front of you. If not—fight them. And simply: kill."
A scream echoed.
Among the desolate stones.
"No!"
Meyer glanced at Emma emerging from the leaves. Her whole body trembled—from within and without. "No," she said as tears streamed down her face. Her chest heaved with sobs. The man before them looked annoyed that his show was interrupted.
Emma struck the iron armor. "Leave him alone!"
Her fingers slid off the shiny metal like a drop of water.
The man scowled and glanced at the slicer on his left hand.
Meyer looked at him with eyes full of fury.
The Cutter.