Savage Forest - Chapter 133.1

The skull spider led the two of them forward.

“It seems this is the monster’s lair.”

Tarhan muttered, holding Enya in his arms.

He was right.

The skull spider was taking them to a place it had never shown them before. It was a different location from the peak of the forest where they had moved the rescued people.

This place was deeper within the forest.

‘What an incredible spiderweb.’

Enya thought.

The dense web was so thick that she couldn’t even see an inch ahead. Finally, the skull spider let out a soft breath and lowered them down.

The massive creature’s body slumped and collapsed.

Tarhan, who had been holding her with one arm, sensed the creature’s change and spoke.

“Is it planning to die here?”

Indeed, as he had said, the skull spider’s breathing had become irregular.

Enya gently slipped out of Tarhan’s arms and slowly approached the giant monster. The creature, having completed its task, lay motionless. Its movements were almost imperceptible. The eight eyes were still fixed on her.

Enya reached out.

She stroked its dark purple fur. Now that she looked closely, she could see patches of white in its fur.

‘Why didn’t I notice this before?’

She realized that the monster had grown old.

‘It really has endured for as long as it could.’

The skull spider made a strange sound. The massive monster’s heart trembled as if it had used its final strength.

Enya’s eyes began to fill with tears.

Her instincts told her everything.

She was witnessing the last moments of the giant monster.

The skull spider’s eight eyes began to close, one by one. They were in the deepest part of the Nervana forest, with rain steadily falling.

The skull spider let out its final breath in front of the Daughter of the Forest.

Enya closed the creature’s remaining open eye for the last time. Tears streamed endlessly down her face.

“Enya.”

Tarhan pulled her into his arms again, catching the tears that fell from her chin with his tongue.

She leaned against his chest, his strong arms pulling her in tightly.

* * *

“There’s a saying that when a spider dies, it rains in Nervana.”

Kiyan said calmly, unaffected by the death of the skull spider.

Just as she had said, after the forest’s ruler passed, rain fell for several full moons. The entire plains surrounding the area were submerged, nearly drowned by the rising waters. The residents of Nervana Forest settled at the peak to avoid the flooding.

In the place they left behind, millions of spiders began to swarm in. It was the aftermath of the skull spider’s death.

“It’s almost as if they’re mourning the dead skull spider.”

Enya murmured.

She stood at the edge of the forest’s peak with Kiyan, watching as the Nervana people began to establish their new home.

Kiyan’s wrinkled eyes blinked as though answering her unspoken thoughts.

“The spiders are just moving to higher ground to escape the rain. It may seem like these swarms of spiders have appeared suddenly, but that’s just an illusion.”

After the spiders moved to the higher ground to avoid the water, the entire area of the forest was covered in webs.

“Is it alright for the forest to be so covered in spiderwebs?”

Enya asked, looking at Kiyan worriedly.

Kiyan shook her head.

“That’s not a problem. The webs will help catch the harmful insects that thrive right after the rain. In many ways, it’s beneficial.”

Kiyan explained further.

“After rain, the number of pests increases. The spiders’ webs will help control that population. The skull spider was thinking ahead for Nervana until the very end.”

Enya nodded.

She didn’t tell Kiyan about the place where she had seen the skull spider’s eggs. Kiyan didn’t ask, either.

“When will the next generation of skull spiders be born?”

Kiyan stared at Enya as she muttered. There was a faint smile on her lips.

“They’ve probably already hatched.”

Enya’s eyes widened in realization.

“Are you saying they’ll hatch the moment they see me?”

“Exactly.”

Kiyan smiled kindly.

“The larvae of the skull spider that hatched are already growing on their own. In about ten years, one will become a perfect adult. When the next generation of skull spiders is ready, it will come to you.”

She uttered with a sense of pride.

“Enya, you’ll have to guide that skull spider well.”

Her gaze held many emotions as it looked at Enya—pride, gratitude, and an indescribable sense of regret.

“Yes, I will.”

Enya nodded.

All of a sudden, Kiyan bowed deeply to her. Startled, Enya quickly helped her stand.

“Ki, Kiyan, why are you doing this? Please, don’t.”

But Kiyan didn’t release her hand; instead, she held it tightly with her wrinkled fingers. The voice burst from her throat, filled with emotion.

“No… I’m just… so grateful… I’m so grateful…”

She couldn’t continue speaking.

Enya felt a wave of emotions she couldn’t explain. She didn’t want to let go of Kiyan’s trembling hand that she was holding.

After a moment of hesitation, she opened her mouth.

“…For just a brief moment, when I was connected to the skull spider, I saw echoes of the past.”

Kiyan’s eyes quivered.

Her eyes, full of anticipation, fixed on her.

“I was able to see Eireke’s figure, even if only for a moment.”

Kiyan’s eyes, which had been trembling, finally closed at her words. Enya continued speaking. She spoke in a careful voice.

“She was returning to the forest, keeping her promise to Nervana Forest, but I was inside her womb. The skull spider had no choice. It recognized Eireke, but its body moved on its own and attacked her.”

She recalled the time when Eireke had failed to form the blood bond and was cast out of Nervana Forest in a desperate flight. The despair and sighs the skull spider must have felt at that time were indescribable.