Souls Online: Mythic Ascension-Chapter 267: In Silk and Chains

Arachne’s four spiked appendages began to move in a disjointed yet harmonic way. The motions were strange and unnerving, like the twitching of something that was never meant to move at all. Yet as they danced through the air, a thin, transparent web began to form in front of her. It shimmered faintly, each strand catching the light with a quiet, eerie glow.

This was no ordinary silk. It was not born of nature or spell, but of something far older and deeper. Each thread pulsed with an unnatural rhythm, woven from fragments of spirit, intention, and sacrifice. The web stretched outward, forming an intricate circular pattern. The more Arachne moved, the more layered and complex it became, weaving itself into a perfect lattice.

Luna watched, her breath caught in her throat. The presence of the web made her skin crawl. It was beautiful, but wrong, like seeing sunlight reflect off a blade just before it struck. Her soul seemed to recoil, not from fear, but from instinct. Something inside her recognized what the seal meant.

Arachne’s expression remained focused. She did not look at the others or speak until the last thread had fallen into place. She held out both hands as the web lifted from where it hovered, folding in upon itself. The lattice twisted, strands overlapping with a subtle shimmer until the entire construct resembled a cocoon, small enough to fit between her palms.

"This is not a cure," Arachne said at last, her voice cold and even. "It will not kill what dwells inside you. It will only cage it. Temporarily."

The cocoon began to pulse. Thin strands extended from it like tendrils, reaching toward Luna. The air between them crackled, thick with tension.

"You must accept it," Arachne continued. "If you resist, it will unravel before it can bind. You must let me into the place where the creature lives inside you."

Luna swallowed hard. Her hands clenched against the stone beneath her, and for a brief moment she hesitated. But then she nodded. Her voice came out hoarse and soft.

"Do it."

The moment she spoke, the cocoon responded. The strands darted forward, touching her chest like fingers brushing against skin. She gasped as the web sank through her, not piercing flesh but soul. It passed beneath the surface of her being, searching for the rot hidden deep within.

Her body arched. Her fingers dug into the floor. The others stood motionless, watching as Luna trembled under the strain. The cocoon pulsed again, its glow fading as it fused into her. Her eyes fluttered, and her lips parted in a silent cry.

Then it stopped.

The red glow in her eyes dimmed. The corruption that had blackened her veins shrank away, sinking back below the surface. Her hands fell limp to her sides. Her breathing slowed, steady but weak.

Arachne lowered her arms. "It is sealed," she said quietly. "But not forever."

Arachne’s head snapped up. Her pupils shrank into slits as something invisible shifted in the air above. Her limbs twitched, the last threads of the seal trembling in her grasp.

"No," she whispered. "Damn it. I stayed too long."

A crack split open in the air, not in the stone or sky, but in the fabric of space itself. It was thin, jagged, and silent. From it poured a golden light, cold and suffocating, the kind that judged without words.

Chains emerged.

They didn’t crash or strike. They simply appeared, slipping through the breach like they belonged. Their glow was soft, yet absolute. Each one was forged of celestial power, humming with law and punishment. The first of them phased straight through Arachne’s chest, ignoring the flesh entirely.

Adam cried out.

His body jolted violently, then collapsed to the ground in a heap. His breath hitched and his eyes rolled back as something was pulled from him. Not blood. Not life. But her.

The true Arachne, pale and ghostlike, was dragged from Adam’s form. Her spirit hovered above the floor, wrapped in light that burned yet left no mark. The chains coiled around her arms and legs, one around her throat, pulling her upward inch by inch.

All around them the others froze.

Leo reached for Adam but recoiled as one of the chains brushed near. The divine energy curled the air like smoke, too bright to touch. Greg took one step, then stopped. His instincts screamed louder than any command.

Crystal clutched Aria’s shoulder as the singer dropped to her knees, ears covered, her voice silenced by the invisible weight pressing down on them all.

Lily stared with wide eyes. For once, she had nothing playful to say.

Luna remained kneeling, breath shallow as the seal within her pulsed once. The web held, but the light brushing the edges of her soul made her tremble.

Arachne writhed in the air. Her spirit lashed against the chains, limbs twisting like broken bone. She didn’t scream. She only glared at the unseen force above, teeth bared.

"I bought her time," she said, voice hoarse and defiant. "That was the deal."

A new chain slipped into the room. It slid around her neck like a collar and pulled tight. Her back arched as her limbs snapped still, no longer struggling. Her mouth opened, but this time no words came out.

The cracks above sealed shut. The light dimmed to nothing.

Arachne’s spirit now hung suspended in place. Her physical body beside Adam lay limp and lifeless. The only sound in the room was Adam gasping for air.

[System Warning.]

[The Goddess Arachne has interfered in Mortal Affairs and as such shall be restrained in the Hall of Punishment for the next 100 Days]

[Status of Target: Captured]

[Retreating to Hall of Punishment]

A faint ripple stirred the air as the last of the golden chains vanished into the closed rift, leaving behind only silence and a suffocating stillness. Arachne’s spirit hung motionless, suspended in the center of the room like a shattered marionette. Her limbs no longer thrashed. Her body no longer glowed. What little essence remained of her shimmered like mist in the aftermath of a storm.

Then, just before the final thread of her presence faded, a pulse of intent radiated outward from her unmoving form. It bypassed the others, slipping past layers of thought and perception like a whisper through fog. Only one heard it. Only one mind it touched.

Rose.

Her eyes widened as the voice, gentle and tired, settled softly in the back of her consciousness.

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The voice echoed faintly, distant and fading, yet filled with undeniable warmth.

He shall live.

A pause followed, and Rose felt something behind the words. Not pride. Not regret. Something quieter. Something final.

Please... do me a favor in turn. When he wakes... tell him not to miss me too much.

The air around Arachne’s spirit began to unravel, threads of her being dispersing into the ether, drawn away by forces beyond mortal sight.

While he may no longer hear my words, I will continue to watch over him. As I always have...

With those final thoughts, the last glimmer of Arachne’s presence vanished into nothingness, leaving behind only her physical body beside Adam’s unconscious form. The chains were gone. The rift was sealed. And silence fell again.

Rose brought a hand to her chest, her throat tight, her eyes shimmering.

"I will," she whispered. "I promise."

No one heard her.

But she knew Arachne had.

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