11- The Hidden Enemy

Once Hunter and Corona had spilled the news of Richter's betrayal, the atmosphere at Arachna castle had easily turned bleak.

"I knew it!" Igneous shouted, his fist connecting hard with the nearest wall. "I shouldn't have trusted him, or expected anything of him even for a minute."

"I'm just disappointed," Hunter replied. "He's a Spider Rider, just like us. Spirit Oracle gave him power to fight for this world, so why would he use it to hurt people?"

"I agree," Aqune said. "It's hard to comprehend."

"There's one more problem," Corona stated.

"Now what?" Magma wondered, already feeling down enough.

"There was a man talking to Richter in the cottage. I don't know who he was, but there was something really unsettling about him. Even Richter called him a monster."

"What did this man look like?" Igneous asked.

"Well, he was tall," began Corona. "He had short red hair. He was dressed in a really expensive looking suit."

"I'll go and find him!" Igneous declared. "Prince, please come with me."

"Huh?" said Lumen. "What for? And why me?"

"If he's an acquaintance of Richter, then he may have the answers we need," answered Igneous. "And I'd like your support. Hunter and Corona should stay here and rest for a while. But I need someone strong I can rely on."

"And you think that's me?" Lumen asked, not sure if he should be flattered.

"Of course," said Igneous.

"Well, alright then," Lumen said. "I suppose this is a serious matter, so you can count on me."

"I'm grateful," Igneous replied.

"Be careful," said Glint. "I'd hate to lose any more Spider Riders."

"We will," replied Igneous. "But I truly misjudged this time. I'll do whatever it takes to correct my mistake!"

"Buguese…" Aqune spoke. "What do you think?"

The two leaned against the walls outside the castle, their hands clasped together. Aqune was still hoping to make some kind of sense out of the situation.

"At least we know who our enemy is," Buguese replied. "It should not be too hard to defeat one Spider Rider, and that other human."

"I suppose," replied Aqune. "But it's never right for Spider Riders to fight against each other. I wonder if there's another way."

"I agree, Aqune!"

Hearing another voice, Aqune and Buguese let go of each other as a reflex. In front of them was Princess Sparkle.

"You were our enemy too, and now you're our friend," Sparkle continued.

"That's true," Aqune replied. "But the circumstances were a little different. From the start, I never wanted to fight against you."

"Maybe Richter doesn't want to fight either," Sparkle argued.

"I can't say for sure if you're right," replied Aqune. "But I'm glad that you haven't lost hope."

Buguese was simply watching Aqune, but decided not to say anything. However, he turned away when he heard the sounds of a messenger bug approaching.

"Pipipipipipipipi" the bug began chirping.

"What did it say?" Aqune asked, noticing that Buguese did not look happy.

"Shadows were spotted in the Insector lands," replied Buguese. "I am returning there immediately."

"I see," Aqune replied, disappointed that her instinct was correct. "I'm coming with you."

"Oh no!" said Sparkle. "Is Uncle Hop and everyone okay?"

"I don't know," Aqune replied. "But we'll find out. Tell the others that we're going. I'm sure they should know too."

"Okay," Sparkle agreed.

"So this is the place?" Lumen asked, as he and Igneous stood in front of the cottage. "Looks like a cozy spot for a nap."

"Please be serious," Igneous replied. He put his hand on the doorknob, but was reluctant to turn it right away. "We should be prepared for anything that might be inside."

"Got it," answered Lumen.

"Hello!" Igneous called, as he finally opened the door. The fact that it was unlocked was a bad sign already, though. Was he expecting company?

"I don't see anyone," Lumen commented, as he glanced around.

Though the cottage was small, it was well-furnished. There was a bed, a couch, an office area, and a stove among other things. In the office was a shelf filled with many books. Definitely, someone had been living there.

"Even if he's not here, there could still be a clue," Igneous spoke. "Look for anything unusual."

"Right," Lumen replied, grabbing a book off the shelf. "Hmm…" he skimmed through the pages.

"Anything useful?" asked Igneous.

"It's a book of fairy tales," Lumen replied, putting it aside. "Maybe this one."

But after just a glance at the cover, he put that book down as well. "This one is a history book."

"Hmm…" Igneous began studying the spines of the books, for anything of remote use.

"All of them are books about the Inner World," he said. "Either the genuine history, or just the myths." He grabbed on off the shelf which was about Brade. "Maybe Magma would like to read this one."

"But in short, there's not a single clue here, is there?" Lumen spoke.

"Maybe there is," replied Igneous. "Keep searching. I'm not ready to give up."

"Yeah, yeah," Lumen answered, obviously disappointed with that answer.

Outside of the Insector castle was two shadows. Some people were watching them in horror, from a safe distance away.

"You get away!" Grasshop yelled, swatting at one with his dagger. However, it wasn't doing a great deal of good, and Grasshop himself was too afraid of it to fight it much harder.

'Oh man…' he thought to himself. 'I'm probably done for. I hope the next life is pleasant at least.'

But then, Buguese and Aqune leapt down from the sky, each striking at one of the shadows. With the force of their attacks, both shadows disappeared.

"Buguese! I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to see you," Grasshop exclaimed, then bowed at the Insector leader's feet.

"I hope I'm not too late," Buguese replied, mostly ignoring Grasshop and surveying the area. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Nope," Grasshop said. "But, I probably would have been if not for you."

"At least everyone who matters is safe," Buguese replied.

"So what do we do now, Buguese?" Grasshop asked. He was a bit insulted, and that showed from his tone of voice. "The Insector world was attacked, and there weren't any Spider Riders around. Do we go to war? I sure hope not."

"No, there is no need for war," said Buguese. "I now know who is responsible for these attacks. It is the new Spider Rider, called Richter. There will be nothing to worry about as long as he is dealt with."

From a distance away, Richter watched, growling in frustration.

"No matter what I do, these fools keep getting in my way. I thought I'd have no problem destroying the Insectors!" His fists were tightly clenched. "Forget this! Let's go, Wave!"

"Yes sir," he replied.

"I'm sorry, Igneous," Lumen said. "But, I searched everywhere. There's nothing suspicious at all. Although…" he paused.

"What?" Igneous asked.

"If I could use this nice, warm-looking bed for a nap, maybe this experience will all be worth it."

"That's not going to happen," said Igneous, grabbing the prince's hand. "Let's go back to the castle. At the very least, we have one thing to report."

"Which is?" Lumen asked, confused.

"The man who lives here is really interested in researching the Inner World," replied Igneous. "Though we don't know what he intends to do with that knowledge, it could still be a dangerous weapon."

"I see," Lumen replied. "Impressive, Igneous."

"Good. They're finally gone." Once he was certain that Igneous and Lumen were a good distance away, the man returned to his house. "Seems they did make a mess of things though."

He grabbed the books that were put aside, and placed them back on the shelf.

"At least they didn't look at this one." He pulled a thin blue book off the shelf, and quickly turned through the pages. The book was one about Spirit Oracle.

"The best of legends are the ones which are true," he said. "Like the legend of the Oracle's reincarnation, who lives in this world today."