Vol2-Chapter 8: My Human!
The next day at the Academy.
Hania stood in the Academy's weaving chamber, staring at her hands.
She had spent the entire morning trying to reproduce the threads from yesterday. The dress was supposed to channel her mana, Lusha had explained. The connection was already there. All she had to do was reach for it.
But every time she tried, nothing happened.
"I don't understand," she muttered, flexing her fingers. "Yesterday it worked. I made a whole three inches of terrible silk."
Archivist Velvet observed her patiently. "Perhaps you are trying too hard, Princess. Weaving requires flow, not force."
"I'm not trying too hard. I'm trying exactly the right amount." Hania focused again, imagining the thread flowing from her palm. Her fingers twitched. A faint shimmer appeared, then vanished.
"See? It's there. It just won't—" She stopped.
Wait.
There was something familiar about this feeling. The way her mana was responding. The way it was slipping through her fingers like smoke. She had felt this before. When she first woke up in this world. When she was a baby trying to do magic and feeling her power held back by—
No.
That was different. That was the seal her father had placed on her mana when she was a baby. The restriction that locked away ninety percent of her power. She was supposed to have grown out of that. Her mana core had been stabilized. The seal should have weakened.
Unless it wasn't the seal, but something else was blocking her connection.
Hania closed her eyes and focused inward. She traced the pathways of her mana, following them from her core through her veins, past her heart, toward her hands.
And there, wrapped around the channel like a knot of thorns, was something she didn't recognize.
Hania's eyes snapped open. "Velvet. When I was in the coma, did anyone try to perform healing magic on me? Something that might have affected my mana channels?"
Velvet's legs shifted. "The Queen's healers attended to you regularly, Princess. But their magic was focused on stabilizing your physical form and your mana core. They would not have interfered with your channels."
"But something did." Hania pressed her palm against her chest. "There's something woven into my mana. A thread, like spider silk, but it's not Lusha's."
Velvet was silent for a moment. Then she said, "May I see?"
Hania extended her hand. Velvet's front legs reached out. She touched Hania's palm, and her eyes, all eight of them, widened.
"That's not spider silk, Princess. That's... that's something else."
"Something else? What?"
Velvet withdrew her legs, her expression troubled. "I don't recognize the weave pattern. But I can feel the mana signature. It's connected to you deeply. Like it's been there your whole life."
Hania's blood ran cold. "My whole life?"
"I believe so. It's woven into your very core. It's not blocking your mana, it's redirecting it. Channeling it somewhere else."
"Where?"
"I don't know." Velvet paused. "But I know someone who might."
★★★
Hania found Lusha in the Royal Library, surrounded by scrolls and webs. The Queen was reading something, her golden eyes moving rapidly across the text.
"Lusha."
"Hania? You should be in class."
"I need to ask you something."
Lusha looked up. Her expression shifted when she saw Hania's face.
"What is it, little moon?"
"Did you know there's something woven into my mana? Something that's been there since I was born?"
Lusha's spider legs stopped their gentle swaying.
"Hania..."
"You knew." Hania could see it in Lusha's eyes, the hesitation. "You knew and you didn't tell me."
"I was going to tell you. When you were ready."
"Ready for what?"
Lusha set down her scroll. She rose from her seat and walked toward Hania. She knelt in front of the girl, her eyes meeting Hania's.
"The threads in your mana," Lusha said quietly, "are not from anyone who has ever lived in this world. I recognized them the first time I examined your core, when you were still a baby. They're from somewhere beyond the borders of this dimension."
Hania's breath caught. "My mother."
"Yes. I believe so." Lusha reached out and took Hania's hands. "I've been trying to trace the pattern for years. I've searched every archive, every cave, every hidden library in the seven territories. But I've never found anything like it. It's not spider silk. It's not any magic I recognize."
"Then how do I use it? How do I control it?"
"I don't know." Lusha's voice was soft. "But I know someone who might."
"My mother."
"She's the one who wove it, Hania. So she knows how to unlock it." Lusha squeezed her hands. "That's why I've been trying so hard to find her."
Hania stared at her. "You think my mother can help me control my own mana?"
"I think your mother is the only one who can." Lusha paused. "And I think she's been trying to reach you. But something is blocking her."
Hania felt a chill run down her spine. "What is it?"
"I don't know. But I intend to find out."
★★★
Meanwhile, in the Royal Vault...
The golden orb sat in the center of the containment chamber, surrounded by three layers of magical wards. It pulsed contentedly, like a well-behaved pet waiting for its owner to return.
Then it felt a familiar presence that made its golden surface ripple with excitement.
Hania.
The orb had been patient. It had waited for two years, floating in this boring vault, listening to boring spiders talk about boring things. But now Hania was awake. Hania was here. Hania was somewhere in this very kingdom.
And the orb wanted to see her.
It bumped against the first ward. The ward shimmered but held.
The orb bumped harder. The ward flickered.
The orb threw itself against the ward with a powerful splash that shattered the ward into a thousand sparks.
Freedom!
The second ward was stronger. The orb bounced off it like a rubber ball, ricocheting off the ceiling and landing in a corner. It lay there for a moment, stunned.
Then it got angry.
No ward keeps me from my human!
It began spinning in place, faster and faster, until it was a blur of golden light. Then it launched itself at the second ward like a comet. The ward cracked. The orb bounced back. It launched again. Crack. Again. Crack.
On the seventh attempt, the ward shattered.
Two down, one to go!
The third ward was the strongest. It was woven from Lusha's personal silk, reinforced with her own mana. The orb bumped against it once. Nothing. Twice. Nothing.
The orb made a frustrated growl.
Then it began to vibrate. Faster and faster. The golden surface heated up until it was glowing white-hot. The ward started to sweat. The orb vibrated harder, and the ward began to warp.
I'm going to... break... through... NOW!
The orb shot forward like a golden bullet, spinning so fast it created a tiny vortex. It hit the ward at maximum velocity and—
POP!
The ward disappeared. The orb shot through the opening and slammed into the vault door, denting it slightly.
I DID IT!
The orb bounced once, twice, three times, and then zoomed down the corridor like a guided missile on a mission.
---
In the Royal Library...
Lusha was mid-sentence when her eyes suddenly widened.
"Lusha?" Hania frowned. "What's wrong?"
The Queen's spider legs began to twitch. "The orb. It's escaped."
"What?!"
"The vault wards just collapsed." Lusha's voice was strained. "It’s very determined."
Hania's eyes lit up. "The orb! It's coming to find me!"
"That's what I'm afraid of." Lusha grabbed Hania's hand. "We need to find it before it causes chaos. That thing has been cooped up for two years. It's probably delirious."
They rushed out of the library and into the main corridor. Spiders were already scrambling, their legs clicking in alarm.
"Where is it?" Hania demanded.
"Last seen heading toward the Academy," a young spider reported. "It's moving very fast."
"Of course it is." Lusha groaned. "Kix! Alert the Academy guards. I want a containment ring around the entire building. No one enters or exits until we have that orb secured!"
Kix saluted and scurried away.
"Lusha, why are you so worried?" Hania asked. "It's just an orb. It can't hurt anyone."
"It can hurt property," Lusha muttered. "And dignity. And my carefully organized archives. Do you have any idea how long it took me to organize the Royal Library?"
After searching the Academy for several minutes, Hania and Lusha split up. Lusha coordinated the search with the guards while Hania reunited with Velvet and returned to the weaving chamber, hoping the orb might be drawn to the strange threads in her mana.
---
Meanwhile, at the Academy...
The golden orb zoomed through the main entrance, leaving a trail of confused spiders in its wake.
Where is she? Where is my human?
It zipped past a group of young spiderlings, who scattered in all directions. It shot through the Hall of Knowledge, narrowly missing a priceless historical web. It bounced off a bookshelf, ricocheted off a ceiling, and careened down a corridor toward the weaving chambers.
I can feel her! She's close!
The orb burst through the door of the weaving chamber—
—and saw Hania standing in the center of the room, her back turned, talking to Velvet.
HANIA!
The orb zoomed toward her, ready to bump against her shoulder and demand attention.
Velvet's eyes went wide. She saw the golden orb hurtling toward her princess, and her brain went into overdrive.
The orb! It's here! I need to distract Hania before she sees it!
With lightning speed, Velvet reached out and grabbed Hania's arm. "Princess! Look at this tapestry! I just noticed, the weave pattern is absolutely fascinating! It's a rare example of pre-Dragon War silk work! You must examine it immediately!"
Hania blinked. "What? Where?"
"Right here!" Velvet tugged her toward the wall, positioning her body to block Hania's view of the room. "See the way the threads interlock? It's called a Diamond Knot. It's a very rare technique, almost lost to history!"
Hania leaned forward, intrigued. "Wow. That is beautiful."
The orb zoomed past Hania's shoulder, missing her by inches, and slammed into the opposite wall.
WHY DID SHE MOVE?!
Velvet's legs twitched. She could see the orb bouncing off the wall, disoriented.
"Princess, do you see the way the light reflects off the silk? It's because the weaver used moonlight-infused thread. Very difficult to achieve. Only master weavers could do it!"
The orb recovered and zoomed toward Hania again.
Velvet stepped sideways, positioning herself between the orb and Hania. "And look at this section here! The pattern changes subtly! It's telling a story! Can you see it?"
Hania squinted. "I think so. Is that a spider?"
"YES! Very observant, Princess! That's a narrative web! They were very popular in the old days!"
The orb bumped against Velvet's leg, trying to get around her. Velvet subtly shifted her weight, blocking it.
LET ME THROUGH!
Velvet's leg twitched, but she kept her expression serene. "Princess, I think you should examine this section more closely. It's a very important historical artifact."
Hania nodded, completely absorbed. "You're right. I've never seen anything like this."
The orb zoomed upward, trying to go over Velvet's head.
Velvet's eyes tracked it instantly. She reached up and pretended to adjust a hanging web, accidentally swatting the orb away.
OOF!
The orb ricocheted off a bookcase and landed in a pile of scrolls.
Velvet sent a quick signal with her legs, a silent spider communication that only other spiders could read.
Code Red. Orb located. Requesting immediate backup. Location: Weaving Chamber. Princess unaware. Maintaining distraction.
Outside, Kix received the signal and mobilized her squad.
---
Inside the chamber, the orb had tried everything. It had floated in front of Hania's face. It had pulsed brightly. It had even bumped against her hair, but Velvet kept steering her away at the last second.
This spider is my enemy! She's keeping me from my human!
The orb was so frustrated it started vibrating uncontrollably. It zoomed around the room in erratic circles, knocking over a stack of books, scattering scrolls across the floor, and accidentally setting off a minor magical explosion in the corner.
Hania looked up. "Velvet, did you hear that?"
"Hear what, Princess? I didn't hear anything! Probably just the building settling!"
"Velvet, are you okay? You're acting strange."
"Strange? Me? I'm perfectly normal! Everything is—" Velvet's eye twitched. "—just fine!"