The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Unnamed Exoplanet)

(Hidden Location- A Strange Door)

A man coughed heavily as he opened a door and dust fell on his shoulders. He stared at the dirt with an expression of disgust on his face.

The interior of the room was completely devoid of light, so it was impossible to see who or rather what was lurking inside.

"Master…" the man stood by the door and whispered softly. He did not receive a response and yet a cold chill ran down his spine.

The sounds of chains rustling could be heard coming from somewhere inside the darkness along with the faint cries of young children.

"Welcome back," a hoarse voice gently spoke.

The man standing in front of the dark room shivered as he felt an invisible presence wrap around his body.

Invisible hands tore off the black cloak that was covering his body and revealed his true features.

The man standing in front of the door bore a striking resemblance to the late emperor and possessed a charm and beauty that seemed almost unnatural.

His beauty was both feminine and masculine. His hands were a pale white colour and free of any calluses or scars.

He was the exact image of a delicate prince who had never known a day of suffering in his life.

A member of the royal family who had grown up in endless privilege and excess wealth.

"You are just as beautiful as the day I created you…" the voice whispered with a trace of pride.

The man nodded respectfully and knelt down to the ground. He gently placed his forehead on the dirty floor and remained frozen in that humble position.

His master… was not someone who tolerated any form of rebellion no matter how slight.

The invisible hands that were wrapped around the man's body gradually vanished and a dark chuckle echoed through the room.

"You may speak…" the voice gently whispered. The faint cries coming from the darkness had now turned into screams of agony.

One could hear the sound of something chewing in the darkness. Something that was inhuman… monstrous… unnatural…

The screams eventually stopped but the chewing noises continued, and it almost sounded like bones were being crunched.

The man kneeling on the ground did not even dare to raise his head since he had no desire to gaze into the abyss.

Only once before had his master allowed light to enter his private room and what he had seen inside still gave him nightmares to this day.

Those young children… the bits and pieces of flesh…

"Master… I have established communication with the crown prince and his loyalty is being reinforced using the Kry'en crystals," the man finally spoke with a faint tremble in his voice.

"He was able to invite most of the targets but there were a few who rejected his invitation. In addition, there are some nobles who are beginning to doubt the prince's new attitude."

"I worry that eventually someone will realise that he is being controlled…"

"Someone already has…" the voice inside the darkness spoke.

"The crown prince… I would not be surprised if that old man in the royal family knows about our schemes… nothing escapes his eyes…"

"But still… he has no idea about my true goal… he probably assumes that I wish to influence the Imperial Family…"

The voice stopped talking and there was a brief moment of tense silence. The man kneeling on the ground fidgeted slightly as he waited for his master to continue.

A good tool did not ask questions.

A good tool would always obey.

He was just as much a puppet as those who were infected by the Kry'en crystals.

He owed his master his life.

Everything that he had… everything that he was….

All belonged to his master.

"Did the crown prince manage to get a connection with House Peterlor?" the voice whispered softly.

"No… princess Cleo seems to have been influenced by Duke Peterlor's decision to stay neutral during the fight for succession and declined," his subordinate immediately replied.

"Ahh… a pity… Cleo, was it? I think I remember her… no… I remember her mother… a brutal woman with one single desire… to get her daughter on the throne," the voice muttered quietly.

"Shame she disappeared… her tenacity and viciousness… such qualities are to be admired in one so young…"

The man kneeling on the ground furrowed his brows as a dark surge of jealousy rose up in his heart.

His master had never praised anyone else before.

What was so special about a former concubine who belonged to the late emperor?

She was nothing but a greedy whore who spread her legs to create an offspring who could inherit the throne.

The man took in a few deep breaths and then spoke in what he hoped was a confident tone,

"Master… I promise that within two weeks I will have princess Cleo under our control and soon even the youngest god stage cultivator will be under our influence."

"Your name will resound throughout the universe. Allow me to be the blade that you will wield in order to tear the Federation apart from the inside… I… I…

The man's voice cut off abruptly as a thick fleshy tendril of meat wrapped around his ankle and pulled him inside the dark room.

He opened his mouth to scream but another tendril entered his mouth and slowly wriggled around inside his jaw.

The fleshy tendrils felt wet and mushy and there was a faint scent of blood that lingered in his nostrils.

The man tried his best to escape the tight grip of the tendrils, but it was no use.

He was dragged along the ground for what seemed like hours until his head bumped against a hard surface.

He groaned in pain and raised up his right hand to touch the back of his head. He could feel a wet liquid which meant that his skull had cracked under the impact.

"My beautiful child… your form… it is too recognisable…" a hoarse voice echoed through the darkness that seemed to come from every direction all at once.

"Please… let me unmake you… allow me to rebuild you… better than before… more suited for your mission… I… love you…"

A soft hissing noise filled the dark room, and the man could feel his eyelids slowly begin to close under the influence of the gas.

No… he had to stay awake…

Why would his master do this? He obeyed all of his orders! No… No… NO!

The last sensation that the man felt was the cold metallic edge of a knife as it slowly dug into the flesh on the underside of his arm.