The Spider Lord didn't move.
But inside, his thoughts churned faster than ever.
His scouts had gone out.
But they don't see anything or hear anything.
No sounds.
No contact.
No ripple in the detection web.
The mana field—the one he'd spent decades weaving through every stone and tunnel—was failing him. Or worse… being tricked.
He clicked once, his mandibles twitching with unease.
Still no feedback.
No change.
But his instincts wouldn't settle.
He wasn't just guessing now. He knew.
There were intruders deeper in the nest than anything he could track.
And somehow, they hadn't triggered his defenses.
Not directly.
Only through the slight, unnatural fluctuations in the mana density, like pressure changes in a sealed jar. Something was displacing the air.
But leaving no footprint.
And that was terrifying.
Because if he couldn't see them, and his scouts couldn't sense them…
Then he was blind.
He was blind in his own nest.
