Inside the cave.
The spiders that were crawling on the roof didn't move.
Not right away.
The soldiers kept walking, their boots pressing into the dusty, uneven ground, each step slower than the last. The deeper they went, the less natural the cave felt.
The walls began to look strange—too smooth in some places, too brittle in others. A few looked like they were webbed over, but it wasn't clear.
The texture had a stretch to it, like dried silk that had hardened over time.
Liliana stared at the screen and said, "Slow your pace. I don't want you walking into anything blind."
"Understood," came Alpha's leader.
They moved carefully, checking each corner and each ceiling arc. The cave opened wider, but not in a way that offered comfort.
It wasn't space. It was exposure. Vulnerability. It felt like walking across a stage while the audience was hidden behind the curtains.
And the spiders?
They were still following.
Not fast, but the sounds of their limbs tensed their nerves.
