Chapter 208: The forgotten
The gate of bone didn’t just open—it peeled. Each rib of it unlatched like fingers stretching after too long clenched, exposing a yawning darkness beyond. The air that came through wasn’t just stale—it was alive, saturated with the musk of old webs and the metallic tang of ancient blood.
Allen stepped through first, his cock still glistening from the Broodpit’s chaos, his chest still slick with sweat and faint streaks of silk. Fina padded after him, rubbing her thighs together without shame. Rinni clung to his arm, eyes darting to every movement in the shadows, and Syza trailed behind, trembling—not from fear, but from the raw hunger written all over her face.
The tunnel was narrow, forcing them to brush against the walls. And the walls... they pulsed. Threads ran along them like veins, glowing faintly, pulsing in rhythm with Allen’s heartbeat as if the Hollow itself was syncing to him.
They emerged into a cavern so vast the ceiling was lost in the dark. Massive silk bridges crisscrossed overhead, some swaying under the weight of shapes too large to be seen clearly. Below, the ground was uneven, coated in thick strands that clung to boots and skin alike.
Something moved.
It came down like a shadow falling from the ceiling—a massive figure, half-woman, half-spider, her lower body the size of a carriage. Her upper half was tall, regal, and beautiful in a way that felt dangerous. Her hair was long, black as oil, with strands tipped in silver. Her eyes—eight of them—glimmered like gems in the dark.
"So... the Webmother has a new mate." Her voice was velvet over steel, carrying a weight that made Syza step back instinctively.
Allen didn’t stop walking toward her. "You’re not hers," he said plainly.
Her lips curled into a smile. "No. I am older than her. I was the First Spinner, when the Hollow was young and the gods feared our web. They call me Nyxilith." She tilted her head. "And now you’ve stirred the nest enough that I woke from my long hunger."
Allen stopped a few steps from her, looking up at her towering form without the slightest hint of submission. "Hunger, huh? Then why are you still talking?"
Her smile widened, fangs glinting. "Because I am deciding whether to eat you... or keep you."
Before she could move, the silk under Allen’s boots twitched—not against him, but for him. The web responded to his will, shivering like an obedient pet. Nyxilith’s many eyes narrowed.