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Antares immediately took off after Aranea, claiming that he was the only one who would be able to find her due to their link to the Web. Nobody went after him. Nobody was sure what they could say to her.
Antares probably wasn't sure either.
Ariel frowned as she finished her examination of Coccinella. "Well… This is confusing," she said finally. "The dark magic infecting her circuits has grown worse, but… She doesn't feel corrupted. She feels exactly the same."
"Should I feel differently?" Coccinella asked in concern.
"Given the amount of dark magic inside you? Especially since your body wasn't designed to handle it? You should," Ariel said, brow furrowed in confusion. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a good thing you haven't gone insane or anything, it's just… Weird."
"What about me?" Nushi asked.
"All the dark magic is still concentrated in Coccinella," Ariel assured her. "Which is also odd, because when you were Dark Red Ladybug, you positively reeked of it. You'd usually find some traces of lingering dark magic after a transformation like that, but… There's nothing there." She scratched her head in frustration. "I have no explanation for this. Neither does my family, or the Buzzing, or any other source of magical knowledge I know. It's a mystery. And a potentially dangerous one."
"Dangerous? Why?" Goro asked in alarm.
"The amount of dark magic inside Coccinella has increased. That means it'll be easier for Nushi to transform into Dark Red Ladybug again in the future, and she may also be even stronger," Ariel explained.
"Stronger?! She just wiped out a pantheon!" Shin exclaimed in disbelief. "How much stronger could she get?!"
"Most of a pantheon, I don't think all the gods were on Olympus when I blew it up," Nushi said uncertainly.
"Is this good news or bad news?" Mibojin inquired.
Ariel shrugged helplessly. "On the one hand, if we need her to, it should be easier for Nushi to assume that form again and utterly destroy anything we are up against. The bad news is… It'll be easier to assume that form again. And while yeah, she's been a big help both times she's done so so far… That might not always be the case, given her nature as a living weapon without morals or restraint. And…" She bit her lip and shot Nushi a worried look. "If the level of dark magic inside Coccinella really does increase every time they transform like that… It's possible a time will come when she becomes Dark Red Ladybug permanently and… And we lose her forever."
An unsettled silence fell over them all after this proclamation.
"Isn't there any way to stop it?" Nushi asked finally.
"Since I have no idea how to get the dark magic out of Coccinella, your only hope is to assume your true super form," Ariel said helplessly.
"Except we have no idea how to do that," Goro pointed out.
Ariel nodded unhappily. "Yeah. We don't."
"It's not something that can just be triggered at will, or at least not at first," Formic said in frustration. "She needs the right mindset and mix of emotions, and that's something that can't really be forced. It's situational."
"And historically, my champions have always had the hardest time reaching their super form," Coccinella added. "Most of the others have had an easier time than mine. That's not to say it's impossible, just… Very difficult."
"… Then I guess all I can do for now is try to avoid being in a position where I absolutely have to use that form," Nushi said solemnly. "While we keep researching alternatives."
Ariel nodded sadly. "It would seem that way, yeah."
"Nushi, Coccinella… A question arises," Apista suddenly spoke up. "When you confronted Jupiter, you claimed to be one of the 'Promised Triumvir.' What does that mean?"
Nushi frowned. "I… I don't know. When I was Dark Red Ladybug, my mind operated on a completely different level than normal. I… I remember what I thought, what I felt, but I also… Don't. That part of me is… Alien. Saying that made sense to me at the time, but I can't for the life of me remember why."
"Hey, didn't Ariel say the same thing the first time she became Supreme White Butterfly?" Shin suddenly recalled. "The Promised Triumvir thing?"
Ariel gasped. "That's right, I did! Except… I don't know why either. It just felt right somehow."
"I have tried to review your memories of being in that state, but while your thoughts and actions are preserved with perfect accuracy in the Buzzing… For whatever reason, the context eludes me or my best analysts, making them virtually indecipherable," Apista said in frustration. "This makes no sense. This has never happened to any of the countless minds and memories stored on the Buzzing throughout the entire history of my people. This is an anomaly unlike any we have ever experienced."
"… Like how Nushi saving everyone despite Aranea foreseeing that she wouldn't?" Goro said.
Apista nodded. "Precisely. It shouldn't have happened. And yet it did. And we have no idea how. Which isn't to say I'm not grateful, of course," she said quickly. "We all are. But… You did something Aranea thought impossible. That we all thought impossible. The implications are… Concerning. As far as I know, no prophecy in the history of the Ascendancy has ever been disproven like this. Their foresight and knowledge of Fate was thought to be absolute. For them to be wrong…"
"Could Nushi be immune to fate?" Mibojin reasoned. "Individuals like that exist, correct? People that destiny cannot control, that prophecies cannot account for?"
"Yeah, they do," Ariel confirmed.
"Aranea said she had a vision of my transforming into Dark Red Ladybug for the first time back in Infershia, though," Nushi pointed out. "And there is a huge prophecy about Ariel and I in Magitopia. Not to mention whatever this 'Promised Triumvir' thing is… How would that work, then?"
"Maybe… You were stronger this time then you were when you transformed for the first time," Manti suggested. "Ariel said the dark magic has gotten worse. Could that have something to do that? Made you somehow immune to fate?"
"Maybe…" Ariel murmured, uncertain.
"I don't know," Apista confessed. "I was led to believe that Arachide prophecies were somehow able to take into account individuals such as the ones Mibojin described, though I don't really understand the specifics."
"… Ariel, if… If Nushi is somehow turning into a being that can defy destiny, then what if-" Lepidoptera started.
"No," Ariel said, looking panicked.
"But-"
"No," Ariel protested, looking desperate. "The Magitopian Book of Prophecy more or less said that we are a destined couple, a pair of soulmates that the entire universe wants to come together to revolutionize science and magic and usher in a new golden age for both."
"It also said that you two would destroy the world-" Caelifer started.
"Break the world!" Ariel snapped. "Which can mean lots of other things besides the obvious! A lot of the prophecies in the book can't always be interpreted as-is, there's tons of wiggle room. Maybe it's referring to how Nushi just totally shattered Aranea's worldview. I don't know. It's usually only obvious in hindsight."
"Ariel," Nushi said gently. "We don't have to love each other just because a book says we do. We fell in love long before we even knew about the prophecy, remember?"
"I know that," Ariel snapped. Taking a deep breath, she repeated, "I know that. But… Nushi, falling in love with you already felt like a fairytale, and seeing our union preordained in one of my people's most sacred texts made it feel just that much more magical. I know we care about each other too much to let our relationship fail, but knowing that destiny itself wanted us together – yes, in spite of the whole world breaking thing – felt like an assurance that everything would turn out okay.
"But that's not the only thing. Like Aranea, my future has been written in the stars since long before I was born, so while the burden on my shoulders is nowhere near as heavy as hers, I know what it's like to have a lot of expectations to live up to. I am a member of the prestigious Ozu family, after all. I've known since my childhood that I would one day succeed Magiel as ruler of Magitopia and become the new supreme goddess of magic. I want to succeed Magiel as ruler of Magitopia and become the new supreme goddess of magic. Not right now, of course – I'm nowhere near mature enough for that just yet, and besides, Magiel isn't going anywhere, so it's not like I'm in a hurry to take the throne – but someday. There are people all over the world – magicians, magical creatures, entire civilizations and hidden worlds – who have been waiting a very long time for the Golden age of magic I'm supposed to create, and a staggering amount of people need that golden age to survive given how magical power worldwide took a major downturn over the last few hundred years and is only just starting to get back to the levels it used to be at. And again, knowing that the Book says I'm going to make that golden age kept me from getting too anxious about this massive responsibility and allowed me to be the cheerful, optimistic, dropdead sexy globetrotting world-class magician I am today. If the prophecies of the Arachide could be wrong, then… The Book of Prophecy can't be wrong too, because if it is, then… Then what does that mean for my future, and everyone who's depending on me? What does it mean for our future?"
"Hey, maybe it means I'll be the new Arch Saint instead," Fuuka suggested.
"Don't even joke about that!" Her cousin yelled.
"Although, if she did become Arch Saint, that would give me even greater incentive to marry her," Philia murmured, earning her a glare from her mother and mentor.
Nushi took her lover's hand. "Ariel, look, you know that I've never bought into destiny and prophecy as much as you or Aranea have, even if both of your cultures have a pretty staggering amount of empirical data and scientific explanation for how it works, which I honestly find pretty refreshing. All I can say is this: you will be the next ruler of Magitopia and supreme goddess of magic, not because the book says so, but because you want to be. Because you'll work and strive and make the throne your own even if there is no magical safety net guaranteeing your success. Just as I want to be by your side forevermore and change the world together, and I'll make that wish come true with my own hands. No other future is possible in my eyes, no matter what any prophet or ancient text says. You are my destiny, and I am yours, and while I understand this might be confusing and scary right now, no matter what happens, even if fate says otherwise, that will never change. Do you understand?"
Ariel stared at her, eyes glistening with awe. "… For some reason, that feels as absolute a prophecy as anything ever written in the Book. You always know the right thing to say to make me smile, lovebug."
Nushi hugged her. "We'll figure this out. Aranea, too. I don't know how, but we'll find an answer some day, some way. And if the world does break, then we'll just find a way to patch it back together again, okay?"
Ariel closed her eyes and buried her face in her hair. "Okay."
Neycombe sniffed, took a picture, and posted it to social media. "You two are my favorite couple. Absolute OTP, hands down. I hope I end up with someone as wonderful as that one day."
Veila frowned at her.
"Darling, why don't you ever sweettalk me like that?" Kari complained to Goro.
He gave her an exasperated look. "I'm a soldier, not a poet!"
"You know, some of my past champions were actually pretty good poets-" Formic spoke up.
"Not helping!"
"I hate to interrupt this moment," Cleopatra said, walking over. "But we just received word that Caesar is on the move. It looks like Argus was able to make good on his word and transmit the location of the Tomb of Alexander to him before Nushi destroyed him."
"Then we should probably get moving too," Nushi said, reluctantly parting from Ariel. "Do we know where the tomb is?"
"We do," Thotep said, holding up a scroll. "I sent a message to Ogdoad asking for the location of the tomb after Argus's defeat, just in case. It looks as if that was the right decision."
"Great!" Shin said, clapping his hands together. "Give us the coordinates, and we can all head there in the ShinLiner! The train is mostly fixed by now, so even if the time drive isn't fully operational, we'll still be able to get there way faster than Caesar's army!"
Thotep grimaced. "Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The tomb is in Duat."
"Or in other words, the Egyptian underworld," Akilah added helpfully.
"The underworld?" The Bugrangers echoed.
"It seems that after Alexander the Great was entombed, the gods dragged his tomb into Duat to make sure that no mortal could ever lay claim to the power of his eyes again and finish what he started by dominating the world," Cleopatra explained.
"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Goro pointed out. "If it's in the underworld, there's no way Caesar can get to it!"
"Yeah, but Caesar's in good with the Roman gods, and Pluto is the God of the underworld!" Ariel pointed out. "So he can probably get Caesar into the Roman underworld, and he can invade the Egyptian one, just like the Egyptrangers were able to invade Mount Olympus to rescue Isis by going the other way!"
"What? But I killed Pluto!" Nushi protested. "… I think?"
"You did," Gozim confirmed. "Except Pluto is the God of the underworld, so…"
Nushi put her face in her hands. "I basically just sent him home. Great."
Mibojin frowned. "Wait… Then does that mean… Are the rest of the Olympians in the underworld as well?"
"Well, of course, where else would they be?" Nefer pointed out.
"Then… Did I actually accomplish anything by killing them?" Nushi asked in dismay.
"You did. Since all of them are now dead, they're trapped in the underworld for the foreseeable future, if not forever, so their powers have been drastically reduced," Thotep assured her. "Pluto is one of the few exceptions, given the underworld was already his domain."
Akilah cackled. "Doubt Jupiter's going to be happy about that!"
"What's to stop Pluto from resurrecting them all and taking vengeance on Nushi and the rest of us?" A worried Apista asked.
"Pluto is a very possessive God, and almost never allows anyone to leave his domain," Mark said, having more or less worked through the five stages of grief at the loss of his entire pantheon, though getting sympathetic hugs from the kittens had helped speed his recovery. "The only reason so many of the more inhuman members of our army are resurrected mythical beasts and monsters was due to Jupiter twisting his arm by making certain… Threatening advances on his wife, Proserpina, to force him to comply. I rather doubt Pluto will let his brother get away with that, now that he's in his power."
"I don't blame him," a revolted Nushi said.
"Wait… Isn't Proserpina Jupiter's daughter, by Ceres?" Luna recalled.
"Like that would stop him?" Gozim said flatly, causing everyone to recoil in disgust.
"Yeah, bastard's got whatever's coming to him," Goro said unsympathetically.
"Will Pluto still help Caesar, though?" Ariel asked. "If Jupiter was more or less forcing his cooperation earlier?"
"Pluto resents Osiris and how our underworld is much less gloomier than his, and would be perfectly happy to snub him by allowing foreigner mortals to invade his kingdom," Thotep explained.
"And even if he doesn't… There is a chance Set might help, purely to spite Osiris and the rest of our gods," Gozim growled. "It would not be the first time he sold us out to the Olympians, after all."
"Looks like we're going to the underworld, then," Nushi said decisively. "How do we get there?"
"I don't suppose there is a big convenient gate somewhere, like there is to Infershia?" Ariel asked.
Cleopatra shook her head. "There are several passages, but most of them aren't ones the living are meant to pass through."
"Gozim or I could probably get there easily enough, but we couldn't take the rest of you," Thotep said apologetically. He made a face. "Also, if I used that method, I don't think I'd be able to come back. Technically I'm not even supposed to be here at all, remember?"
He glanced up at the sky. "Fortunately, we have another method. It's almost sunset. Once the sun goes down, we should be able to hitch a ride with Ra as he ventures into the underworld on his solar bark, as he does every night."
"Would he allow that?" Nushi asked in concern. "Especially considering we are not from around here, and I kind of just… Wiped out another pantheon?"
"Considering they're ones the Ennead have been at odds with you for a very long time, I'm certain he'll be more than happy to invite you on board," Thotep assured her.
"Mark, I'm not so sure about," Nefer admitted, causing the Silver Centurion to groan.
"Awesome! We get another Nile River cruise!" Ariel said excitedly.
"Well, we may have to battle the great chaos serpent Apep on the way," Cleopatra admitted.
"… How great a serpent are we talking here?" Goro asked slowly.
"He wants to eat the sun."
Goro grimaced.
"Well, hold on, are we talking the actual sun, which is the biggest thing in the solar system, or this solar boat thing, or Ra himself…?" Shin asked.
"I think they might all be the same thing in this instance," Mibojin pointed out.
"Bet Antares would love to fight a guy like that," Goro half joked.
"Wonder if he could actually defeat it," Nushi wondered, clearly debating whether or not such a feat was actually possible.
"I would put money on him," Ariel agreed.
"… Think Ra would let us bring the ShinLiner?" Shin asked slowly. "Just to be safe?"
"We'll see," Thotep said.
"We probably won't need it, since we can just call upon our God Beasts even in the underworld, but I suppose it can't hurt to ask," Nefer said reasonably.
"This is kind of exciting," Ariel admitted. "Going into another underworld… I wonder how many more we'll get to visit before our series… Of adventures is over."
"Dad, you… You're going away again already?" Mira asked, upset.
"I'm sorry, honey, I have to," he said apologetically.
"But… Can't you just let the Egyptrangers handle this?" She pleaded. "This is… This is their fight, after all. We aren't even supposed to be here. If that idiot Masaru hadn't screwed things up, then none of this would've happened, and we wouldn't… We wouldn't have nearly…"
She trembled, Kagami and Scarabella hugging her for reassurance.
He sighed and put his hands on her shoulders. "You're right. It's not my fight. But I can't in good conscience stand back and let someone else risk their lives when I can do something to help. That's not the kind of man I am. You know that."
She looked down unhappily. "Yeah. I know."
Jun whimpered. "Sometimes I wish dad weren't so heroic."
"I do not," Shitsuki said.
"Kari, when we get back, we'll… Talk about what I said earlier," Goro said hesitantly to his wife. "And maybe you can also explain why we've apparently now gotten a crocodile, an Ushabti, and a mummy?"
Kari sighed wearily. "You know I can't say no to the kittens."
"Neither can I," he grunted in irritation, causing his children to giggle and Kiya to once again wonder if she would have been better off in her tomb.
"Sorry you had to almost get stepped on on your birthday, Philia," Ariel told her apprentice apologetically.
Philia grimaced, unfolding her antenna back. "Yeah, not… Not exactly my idea of a good time. I think I'm just about ready to go home now, honestly."
"And we will," Apista assured her. "Just after our friends take care of this one last bit of business, right?"
Nushi nodded. "Right. After all, we do need to rescue Masaru."
"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about him," Shin admitted in embarrassment.
"Kagami, you and the others are to go straight to the Royal Palace and wait there until we return," Mibojin instructed her daughter. "Hopefully we will not be gone for too much longer, and then we can finally return home and properly celebrate Philia's birthday. With cake."
"Which you will not be having all of," Apista instructed her firmly.
"I make no promises. Nushi, what about Antares and Aranea?" Mibojin inquired. "Are we going without them?"
Nushi frowned. "Antares will never go without Aranea, and we have no way of knowing if he will be able to find her and bring her back in time. And even if he does…" She bit her lip. "I am… Not sure she's going to be in the right headspace for another fight right now. We can send them a message about our plans, but… I honestly don't think they'll be joining us for this."
"I fear you may be right," Mibojin acknowledged.
"Poor big sis," Philia said sadly.
Apista nodded in agreement. "I hope she will be all right…"
Aranea was not all right.
Usually, whenever she had a problem, she could go to her mother. Thanks to the Web, she could ask her about anything, day or night, no matter how far away from home she was.
Her mother was in a coma, so that wasn't an option.
Thankfully, despite how violently the Arachide Ascendancy had been gutted by the Swarm's invasion, there were still many great scholars, mystics, oracles, and sages Aranea could consult. Many of them had taught her when she was younger, and despite teaching her all they knew they often were able to help her find solutions to anything that vexed her thanks to their millennia of wisdom and experience.
The great scholars, mystics, oracles, and sages were, much like Aranea herself, spiraling, their worldview utterly shattered, millions of years of tradition and theory thrown into disarray by a single, impossible act.
So, regrettably, the Web wasn't going to be able to help her either.
Thankfully, while the greater Web was tearing itself to shreds, her personal Web was still intact. Antares, Scorpio, Arachne, and her consorts were all still there, still supporting her.
Antares and Scorpio assured her they were on their way and told her not to move.
Her consorts showered her with love and support, promising her they were still with her.
Arachne did her best to give her partner strength, to fulfill a role her mother currently could not.
And that was great of them. Really. She was extremely grateful and loved them for it.
Unfortunately, it didn't make her feel better in the slightest or tell her what she was supposed to do now.
"I still dooon't understand why this is sooo bad," Gooop said. "Aranea's vision was wrooong. Her mooom and sister and everyone else are oookay. Isn't it a goood thing that it was wrooong?"
"It is, but it isn't," Rose said sadly. "On the one hand, yes, it's wonderful that the people she cares about were spared. On the other hand, the fact that it happened at all proved that her foresight was fallible. And Aranea, her entire civilization, has built themselves upon the belief that their method of predicting the future is completely accurate. And now that she realizes it's not…"
"She finds 'erself questioning everyzing," HQ-12 continued. "If she could be wrong about zis one zing, zen what else could she be wrong about? What else could 'er people be wrong about?"
"Her entire life has been defined by a prophecy that has existed since the early days of the universe," Krystal said softly. "It's a core part of who she is. What she believes herself to be. And now that has all been thrown into question."
"But why?" Gooop persisted. "Even if the prooophecy is wrong, that doooesn't change whooo she is, right? Ooour Savior. Ooour Queen. Ooour love."
"That's who she is to us," Aria replied. "But the question now is… Who will she become? She thought she knew. And now that's no longer the case."
Aranea was currently holed up in another abandoned temple which looked remarkably similar to the one where they had first encountered Argus – Ariel would probably have made a joke about set recycling, and the thought of the beautiful sorceress, whom she thought she loved, whom she thought would have a place by her side as she ruled the universe, a place she now was no longer sure even existed or if it had been anything more than a fanciful dream of a fool in love, set her off again – curled up in a corner on the ceiling. She had unconsciously filled the forsaken place of worship with webbing, and, fitting her current state of mind, it was a disjointed, chaotic mess lacking rhyme or reason, with none of the elegance usually present in her craft. Her teachers would have been disgusted if they saw her right now.
Thankfully, they were too busy panicking over the potential revelation that everything they knew was a lie. So that was something.
The Princess squeezed her eyes shut. "Pythia. Your species is also proficient in prophecy. Is there… Is there anything that can explain what happened? How… How this is possible?"
"Now and then an individual comesss around with the potential to defy fate and change their dessstiny," Pythia said.
"But I have had visions of Nushi in the past," Aranea protested. "And the Magitopians have prophecies about her as well! And even if that were the case, the Arachide method of divination has always been able to take into account people like that in the past! So why wouldn't it work this time?!"
"I am sssorry you had to find out thisss way, my love," Pythia said sadly. "But the truth isss… Prophetsss don't alwaysss know everything."
"Did this lesson have to be taught so hard?" Aranea rasped, eyes red, throat hoarse from sobbing and dry heaves.
"The mossst important onesss alwaysss are," Pythia said solemnly.
"Aranea," Arachne said. "Prophecy or not, your mission hasn't changed. There is a hole in reality which needs to be patched up forever. An artifact only you can reassemble to restore peace to the universe. A civilization only you can bring back from the brink."
"I know," Aranea said miserably. "Nothing's changed. Except everything's changed. Before, I was able to look at the seemingly insurmountable tasks before me with confidence, certain that fate was on my side. But now, I… I don't…
"I don't know… If I can do this."
"But you can!" Rose insisted.
"All of us believe in you!" Krysta assured her.
"Yooou're the strooongest persooon we knooow! We knooow you can do this!" Gooop exclaimed.
"And that's sweet of you. Really it is." Aranea smiled brokenly. "Unfortunately… I'm not sure that's something I believe anymore."
She took out the piece of the Loom of Fate she had recovered from the Vaults of Tartarus and stared at it miserably. "Is this why you brought me here? To teach me a lesson? To punish me for hubris? Have we truly sinned so greatly we needed to be brought low like this, after everything else we have already suffered?"
She started tearing up again. "Please… What does it all mean? What am I… What am I supposed to do now?"
The crystalline shard began to glow, and suddenly she saw-
An Arachide woman, the most beautiful Aranea had ever seen, bearing a strong resemblance to her mother and herself, was seated before an impossibly complex device, all eight limbs working in unison, pulling levers, tapping keys, moving parts back and forth as iridescent threads of light shot out from the top, weaving together to form a tapestry of color and matter and energy which defied comprehension.
A craggy Scorpioni warrior, huge, bigger even than Antares, and covered in even more scars, approached the woman, an angry look on his face. "I have had enough of this, Hera," he snarled. "I have conquered and plundered worlds in your name. Slaughtered the most fearsome monsters and brought you their remains. Scoured the furthest reaches of the universe for the rarest and most priceless of treasures! All this I have given to you, and yet you still will not give me the time of day!"
"I never asked you to do any of those things," the woman said in frustration, rolling all eight eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you this, Lesath? I. DON'T. LIKE. YOU. You are obnoxious. Cruel. Arrogant. Demanding. Entitled. Even if I liked men – which I don't – you would be nowhere near the top of my list for suitable partners. Do you have any idea how much time I need to spend repairing the damage you've done to the universe? I could have created hundreds of new worlds, woven to life millions of new souls, if I didn't have to keep cleaning up your messes!"
Lesath snarled, clenching his pincers. "That damn Loom is the only thing you care about, isn't it?"
"Not true, I love all of my wives and children," Hera said dismissively. "And don't pretend like you're any different. We both know the only reason you're interested in me is because you want the Loom for yourself."
"That's not true!" Lesath protested.
"Of course it is," she snapped, reaching out to select one of the strands of light in the Loom, causing Lesath to shudder. "You see this? This is you. Everything you are, from birth to death. I know you inside and out. I know your innermost thoughts and feelings. I know your destiny, for I am the one who wove it into motion. I know you, Lesath, and I know that just as there will never be even the smallest spark of romance between us, you shall never possess the power of Fate."
"If you know everything about me, then do you know what I'm about to do now?!" He shouted, drawing back a pincer and driving it into the Loom.
Hera's eyes widened in horror as the entire chamber started to tremble, cracks beginning to form on the Loom, the threads of light cutting off and unraveling. "What have you done."
Lesath's eyes widened as well, realizing too late what he had just done. "I… I didn't mean-"
There was a spectacular, reality shattering explosion.
Aranea gasped as she came back to herself, the glow from the shard fading.
"So…" Antares said slowly, disappointed. "It really did happen like that, then…"
A stunned silence fell upon the entire Web.
And then the remnants of the Ascendancy started screaming again.
One of the biggest mysteries in the history of her people had just been answered.
Hera I hadn't seen the destruction of the Loom coming.
She hadn't seen it coming.
The first and greatest Weaver in history, a living God, heir to the Fates, and founder of her line, had been caught off guard.
Aranea started laughing raucously, tears streaming down her cheeks, clutching the piece of the Loom in trembling claws so tightly if it had been a lesser object it might have broken. "So that's… So that's it, then? Not even my ancestor, the first Weaver and keeper of the Loom of Fate, was omniscient?!
"Has it always been a lie, then?! Our destiny, our mastery of fate, was it ever really real, or just something we told ourselves to make us stand out from all the other great empires?"
She gripped the piece tighter, focusing all of her formidable magical might into the jewel, trying to force it to reveal its secrets. "What does it all mean?! Was any of it real?! Our history, our mythology… Everything we believed in… Was it all a lie?!"
The crystal didn't respond.
"Answer me, dammit! What am I supposed to do now?!"
Nothing happened.
Screaming in fury, she angrily threw the fragment of the most powerful object in the universe away, the crystal clattering against the floor. She hung from her corner, chest heaving, eyes red, body shaking.
Then she buried her face in her hands and wept once more.
"Sisters of Fate," she said hoarsely. "I've served you loyally all my life. Please… If you were ever real… Tell me. What do I do now?"
"Well, since you're asking…"
Aranea looked up, startled, as three shadows stretched out across the floor and a withered hand reached down towards the discarded piece of the Loom.