Set out again

Ryoichi got another reborn. He realized that all the people who were bitten and eaten up by the spiders finally turned into the monsters themselves. The same should've just happened to him, but it didn't. Now his body was pure white like fine china. One of his eyes kept his original black, but the other turned into red with a clearer vision. He looked down to see his hands, which felt like more flexible but stronger, seemed like he had eight of them. He slowly fell down to one solid place, and a voice intruded his minds.

"My son, the chosen one."

Who was it? He was wondering, but then he realized he was standing right on that huge spider which was the so-called The Curse of Aranea.

The voice continued: "For hundreds of years, finally, you've come to rescue me and these lost souls."

"What is it? What's going on?"

The spider started to narrate: "Hundreds of years ago, I was just a ranger over the sea, not belonging to any kingdom or queendom. At that time, the whole ocean world was suffering from famine. I was then wandering around to look for food. One day I went to a secret cave under the sea, where there was food. They ain't like just eating raw fish. It was like the delicious cuisine I had never had before. So I went there and started eating. I ate, ate, and ate. The food seemed endless and I just didn't feel full although I had had plenty. With such delicious food, I even forgot I was a human."

"What happened then?" Ryoichi was not afraid of those spiders now. They didn't attack him, but treated him like he was also one of them. He even started to explore over the giant spider's back, looking at the patterns.

"Didn't know how much time had passed, a voice said to my head, accusing me of blasphemy, for I arbitrarily had Poseidon's tribute. So I was sentenced to be a monster, suffering from hunger, and the appetite could not never be satisfied. The sin would not end until you found the chosen one."

"… Ummmm, I suppose I'm the one you're talking about. So are those other spiders all like you?"

"Nope. After the voice in my head stopped, I was banished out of that cave and realized I became a spider. So starving was I that I started to eat everything, but all was gross. One day I saw a dead body. After a taste, I felt like it was much better than the fish or sea grass under the sea although it was not the best!"

"So… what is the best…" Ryoichi thought he knew the answer, but he was too afraid to say it.

"Human flesh of course! But I didn't realize that or dared to kill them at first. The famine finally led to a war between multiple kingdoms and queendoms. Big queendoms might fight by their own, and small kingdoms might unite together. The famous grinder war happened right here. Oh, geez. That was a tragic scene. Thousands and thousands of human bodies were tossed to the trench, which obviously became my supper. Then, I realize the people eaten by me would become spiders, and those eaten by them would also change. Hahaha, so here we are. Thousands of the fallen people turned to monsters, suffering from endless hunger and could never be satisfied. But finally, you've come! I'll tell you how to save us!"

From the deep inside, Ryoichi didn't want to save those cannibal monsters, but on the other side, he would like to hear. Maybe there would be some ways for him to get out of here.

"Before that, there's one thing I want to ask. About twenty years ago, it seems like you swept the nearest queendom. It's said that it was because their king married his related sister. I'm curious. How could you at that time get out of here?"

"Oh that. This net was made by all the witches of all kingdoms and queendoms with the help of Poseidon's power. There was just one day, when I felt the power was weakening, so I, and my children, went out and had a feast. Then, a man sacrificed himself to Poseidon and repaired the net to trap us."

'It might be Katharina and Fiona's father.' Ryoichi thought. "Now, we can discuss how to lift the curse and get out of here."

"Three sacred vessels of Poseidon," the spider said, "down to the trench. One is his beast for riding, one is his trident, and the last one is unknown."

"Why could you just go down the trench and get them?" Ryoichi asked.

"They were too sacred for us to get close. I sent my children there few times, but they would just got bounced hardly and couldn't get close, so we just stay at the middle of the cliff. The prophecy said one day a chaste man would be sent to me. He would reborn in the same way as I turn others but he ain't turn into a monster. He would be the person who wrote a period for the whole sentence and curse."

"Okay," Ryoichi answered, "what is the last vessel? Any clue?"

"I don't know. You have to figure it out by yourself."

'Trouble!' Ryoichi thought, but then he said: "I will go now. I can't do nothing if I just stand here."

"Good luck, my son."

After collecting some armors left and putting them on, Ryoichi finally left the spider community and headed down to the trench for the cure. He was wondering, what was waiting for him? could he successfully lifted the curse? What should he do after? If those monsters could turn back to human, should he just let them go, after what they did? He was confused, but he had to find out the solution first.