Chapter 3: Spiders & Knowledge

I had a dream. It was an endless sea of gold as far as the eye could see, no matter how far I walked upon the surface of this sea I couldn't reach its end. The waves beneath my feet allowed me to rise a little higher sometimes as I walked across this golden sea. The sky was a dark starless canvas with its most prominent features being the two orange moons overhead. The night sky was dyed a light orange hue from the moons high above. Before long I saw a flame in the far distance, it was black & blue with it constantly shifting its shape as it blew in the nonexistent wind. As I got closer to the flame I started to notice how big this thing was. It was bigger than any builder I've seen before in San Francisco, it was bigger than any mountain I've seen before while in Japan. The gigantic pillar of flames was surrounded by an endless string of golden chains that came from the sea below.

Before I could ever reach the flame the world around me shifted as an unknown fog appeared out of nowhere. I started to see less and less as I was engulfed by a thick cover of light gray fog. While the fog was all-encompassing, it couldn't block out the glowing light of the golden from beneath my feet. In this foggy realm, all I had with me was the light of the sea and the soft orange light from the twin moons above my head. I could still see those black and blue flames, but it felt like it was forever out of my touch.

I had planned on telling my parents all about my dream like I did in the past with all the others, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Did I have a dream last night, did that happen? Something about two orange moons, a sea... a sea of what? 

What was I even thinking about again? If I forgot about it whatever it was probably wasn't all that important in the first place.

Soon enough, I sat down quietly. While Inside the living room, I was just sitting on the light red couch. I started to admire the walls out of nowhere, its light gray color reminded me of something, but I couldn't put my finger on it. The birchwood floors reminded me of the moon for some odd reason, but I couldn't remember why...

I disliked the entire downstairs floor choice at this poing, he was always wearing socks downstairs due to it having no carpet, unlike the entire second floor.

The kitchen & bathrooms had white marble floors. The bedrooms, hallway, and everything else downstairs had birchwood floors. He was the only one wearing socks downstairs usually. His parents had owned this place for over twenty years, and by now his issues were something they had gotten used to ages ago.

The control his father had over the thermostat downstairs was unbelievable. It was usually the same temperature as the fridge most months for some odd reason.

His large black safety blanket was his only oasis in this icy world during any season but winter. His mother's agreement was odd as well. They weren't that strict upstairs about the temperature. It was only after it was winter that they gave in about the thermostat.

The entire house was usually divided into two layers. The upstairs was always warm, and the downstairs was like a snowstorm 24/7. The only time they raised the temperature was during the winter seasons or else It was always chilly.

'Why did I think of that again, I had already thought of it earlier in a different way. Why am I thinking about this, I'll worry about that later, my head is feeling weird.'

Today was a different story. I was sitting on the downstairs couch with Mom sitting across from me. The trails I dealt with in other months weren't an issue today.

Today is the day I officially began stepping into the mysterious world. The same world my parents have been living in for who knows how many years.

. . .

Mom was sitting across from me in front of the TV by the coffee table. Speaking of coffee I wonder if that cup on the table is black coffee or the kind I like, I can never really tell with Mom since he likes both kinds. Dad was being Dad as he sat upon his self-claimed recliner. I thought we agreed as a family the damn recliner was for the family not something for personal use alone DAD.

Is he sleeping right now... He is, I guess that newspaper on his face is to block out the light or something. Maybe Dad fell asleep like that in the first place since the recliner is just that comfortable.

Is it just me or does the floor have eyes or something, na it must be a weird wood pattern or something. Mom hasn't said anything yet, she might be studying that book of hers or something. I wonder if the wall has any weird patterns.

It was just a light gray wall with a white spider with a black book on its back as a symbol. That spider looks kinda weird, is it magical or something maybe it's mom's pet. Maybe I'm right cause I never heard about any normal spider looking like that. Perhaps that spider...

White Spider was a..... Spider with the black book has something...

What spider, what book, was I thinking of something again. That wall by the TV is perfectly normal with nothing going on. Did I see something again no we saw something, I mean Lucas the new toy didn't see anything.

Before long my attention was brought to mom as she started talking after putting the book down

"Sweetie, today we will be talking about many important things. The first topic will involve us as a family and the powers we have access to. Just like your father told you yesterday, I am a witch who uses magic. Sweetie, the magic we weld is something we inherited as a family. The source of this power dates back to your great-great-grandfather, your great-great-grandmother."

"Grandpa Max was something of a rare & powerful human with incredible levels of magic power. He may have also had a unique taste for certain kinds of mythical races. He married two women, one was a 1st generation shapeshifter, and the other was an ancient witch."

"Our family's abilities come from both Grandpa Max and that dirty witch."

"Mom, why do you keep calling her a witch instead of her name?" Lucas asked as she kept looking mad whenever she talked about his great-great-grandma.

"I'll tell you when you get older, but that bi—- women is one of the reasons we have magic. I won't talk any further about this. The talks of magic are for another day. Your father kept going on and on yesterday about my magic, yet forgot to mention he also had powers."

"Your father uses something called cursed energy and has a tool forging cursed technique. Cursed energy is like magic as to succeed you need talent."

"Do I have cursed technique as well? If I have the magical potential I got from you, then I must have inherited a cursed technique, or whatever." he asked hoping for the answer he wanted to come, that was not to be.

"Sweetie... you are a bit of a special case you see. It's not that you are inferior to anyone, but you were just born without the ability to use that kind of power. Son in the Jujutsu sorcerer world they would either call you a blank or... It's not that you don't have a cursed technique, but it was formed incorrectly, sweetie. You have a massive pool of cursed energy as well from my tests, but something is stopping you from accessing it." I said trying to get my baby boy to not feel bad about his so-called disability in the Jujutsu world.

"Yesterday you were able to see cursed energy since your body awakened that day. Something changed within your body that caused you to be able to see them clearer. Before your awakening, we noticed you saw cursed spirits, but they were all blurry and couldn't be fully seen. We usually destroyed all the ones around the house. We also did the same with any you pointed out."

'So I wasn't crazy after all, those blurry bastards existed, but my parents kept saying they weren't real.' Lucas's hands tightened at the realization of all the lies he faced over the years. He calmed down as he knew it was for him.

"Just a reminder these are the results found from the tests:

1. You can see cursed energy and spirits, but not use any techniques or the energy.

2. You have a powerful magical potential, but no magical knowledge to use it."

"The other two abilities you have are strange as no one in the family naturally has these abilities. Your blood has some sort of purifying properties so any sort of corruption, curse, negative energy, or object can be fully purified with your blood. So in theory, it's harder for you to be possessed by an evil entity in general. This might also be one of the reasons you can't use cursed energy. But since your father can still see your cursed energy it seems unlikely."

"The last ability you have is some sort of teleportation ability. We don't know any of its activation conditions. So we will do some training and tests in the future."

'We know you have something, but we can't find anything on our tests to discoer this teleportation ability. Hopefully we can find something in the future with further training' I thought to myself

"Are those all the abilities I have, Mom? Does that mean I can be like Superman and save the world?" Lucas asked while he got off the couch to start jumping around with a smile.

My face twitched at the fact my son wanted to be a hero, even more so when he picked Superman as his ideal.

'No son of mine is going to be a crazy heroic bastard. Your Uncle Ben with his shapeshifter abilities is bad enough. We don't need another hero in the family. Grandpa Max with his plumber business was another story altogether. Seems me and your father need to wipe that heroic bone out of our baby boy's body.'

"Sweetie, while you have great potential you don't have any real experience or power to help anyone or save even yourself for that matter. Just focus on our next lesson and take your training seriously this week." I expressed hoping my baby boy wouldn't become a self-sacrificing freak who would value the life of a stranger more than themselves or family.

"Ok Mom, but just watch me, I am going to become the strongest, you'll see." Lucas said as he sat back down on the couch.

I paused for a bit before asking if my son was hungry or thirsty before continuing.

"Sweetie, as you already know this world is full of almost every type of creature under the sun. Our previous lecture talked about different abilities within the family, but now I will talk about the different abilities seen around the world."

'Mom didn't talk about her parents or anyone on dad's side of the family. Maybe she will talk about this later on' Lucas zoned out a bit before refocusing on his mom.

I paused for a bit to give my baby boy some time to think for himself before continuing my lesson.

"In this world there exist many beings, sweetie, many of them follow completely different rules in how they use or gain power. I will mostly be explaining what I know so hold your questions till the end, and use the notebook I gave you to write down anything you want like your questions for example."

'Guess mom's signature lecture is going to start, finally, it's about something seemingly more interesting than math, history, English, Latin, Japanese, Chinese, or the other languages she forced me to learn.' Lucas thought as he had always dreamed of learning magic while reading.

"Sweetie, as your mother, I will be teaching you everything I know, but we have to start with the basics first to understand what kind of powers exist. With some basic history with the secret history behind these powers."

'Secret History about special abilities….., maybe I can pay attention to history for once if it involves these subjects.' he thought to himself

"Be aware that I don't know everything. There probably are some other classifications and power systems out there, I have no idea about sweetie."

'Huh, never thought mom wouldn't know something like this. I've tested her knowledge in the past and anything I can think of was already known by her. From the random facts in the books, I read to all the problems I have at school. Her only flaw was her and dad's refusal to use the internet for an extended time.' He thought to himself, before reflecting a bit.

'So most things online are unknown to her and dad, we didn't even have a TV, pc, or internet till I was eight, I had to beg them for it.' He frowned for a second remembering his dark boring past.

"As your father told you yesterday, I am a witch and he is a hunter. I use magic and he uses cursed energy. These are two widespread power systems throughout the world. Japan has the highest number of cursed energy users or as they call them jujutsu sorcerers. Magic and witches can be seen everywhere, but generally, they gather around places of magic."

'Did she seriously forget she had already told me this like 20 minutes ago? Wait, why do I remember her conversations so clearly now.' Lucas thought

'I see, that the awakening they mentioned last night also improved my memory, mom & dad would usually have to repeat themselves for the information to stick back in the day.' Lucas's mind went into a daze as his mind felt more clear than ever.

Soon enough he appeared standing on top of a golden sea with two orange moons above him. The sky was light gray with an orange hue of the shining moons above. In the middle of this sea was a huge black and blue flame with golden chains sealing it. With every step Lucas took he walked closer and closer to the flame.

'I kept talking for a while, but as I got to talking about the seven wonders of the world, and the dragon veins section of my talk, I felt something strange. My instincts were on fire for some strange reason like never before they were telling me to look to my back towards the TV. I didn't even see anything weird besides a white spider on the wall. A white spider by the wall with a black... black book-shaped symbol on its back. HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET IN OUR HOME???'

I was about to launch an attack on the abomination that got inside our home. But I didn't see any abomination, everything was fine. I was just teaching my son about... about.... about....

Yes, my son is fine, everything is normal at home, nothing to worry about. I am Emma, and I feel fine and safe inside my perfectly normal home.

"Son, are you paying attention." I said as my left spot to go towards the couch near my son.

I arrived in front of my son, but my baby boy didn't even notice his poor mother standing before him. He's zoning out like usual, but my baby boy isn't going to zone out while I teach him this time. I shook him a bit with love, but even that didn't wake him up, if my voice and shaking him didn't do the trick, my baby boy has left me with no options left. I used a double combo I knew would wake my little sunshine up from wherever he was right now.

I gave him a big old hug before I gave him a little kiss on the forehead. With that kind of combo, my baby boy would wake up from almost anything.

Lucas was in deep thought as he was close to reaching enlightenment with his sudden epiphany his mind became clearer than ever.

Before he could truly comprehend the black and blue flames within his mind, the gold sea around him grew restless.

Lucas was mindlessly walking towards the flame and just before he could reach it, he felt an invisible pair of arms lock around him holding him in place. Soon enough his surroundings faded, and he woke up with a hug and a kiss.

"MOM, I told you not to kiss me anymore. I'm not a kid anymore, I'm already 13 ok." Lucas said while forgetting about his previous mysterious travel once again.

"Son, if you don't want to be treated as a child, then pay attention like an adult." I said jokingly as I released my son from my hug. Soon enough I went back to her old spot to sit down.

'Something's wrong Emma YOU CAN FEEL IT, BUT WHAT"S WRONG? WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE? I am Fine, fine. Fine. Fine. Fine.' I thought to myself CALMLY.

. . .

The white spider went unnoticed as it sat on the 85-inch flat-screen TV. It almost seemed like it was listening as well with interest.

"Unlike your father's gifts, you completely inherited my witch talents, you even surpassed my potential." I said with a frown thinking my my own talent compared to everyone in the family.

'It seems my grandmother's talents skipped me alone, but Gwen and my father were given the full package. That was probably the reason why she favored Dad and Gwen more than me growing up.' I stopped reflecting before continuing our lesson.

"Hunters are mostly humans who rely on knowledge to use the weaknesses of what they hunt to kill them. Most monsters don't train to be strong but were just born that way with those kinds of powers."

"That's the general way monsters obtain power, but demons unlike monsters can get stronger if they obtain a certain status in hell or have some souls under their command to use to empower themselves. That is the general way demons gain power. They use souls as batteries to fuel demonic methods to empower themselves."

"This isn't something uniquely done by demons with souls being very valuable in general son. Souls contain an unbelievable amount of energy, this unique energy can't be stolen or used without consent to my knowledge. These are the reasons demons are willing to grant you any mortal wish, as your soul is infinitely more valuable than the gold, status, or power they give you for it."

"An example to help you picture the value of a soul would be this. Imagine a person had a nuke capable of destroying an entire city like New York entirely. But, this person was unable to use said nuke. So another person came by with an offer. They told them they would give them a single building with one grenade capable of destroying a single small minivan. All of these usable items would be given to them if they just sold the nuke to the man making the deal. He would try to say you can't use the nuke anyway. Then finish it off by saying you might as well sell it to me while getting something valuable and useful in return." I explained hoping my son would understand the value of souls in this world.

'So nothing in the world is equal to your soul huh? I'll ask Mom later on how to train my soul, who knows maybe having a strong soul might make me stronger. I wonder what kind of knowledge will be involved in that field, I can't wait to learn all about it.' he thought to himself.

"Most monsters or creatures of myth don't train to gain strength but just exist and get strong powers. Beyonder pathways are the way anyone can gain power easily. The Flow power system is another method. Monsters/demons from a certain dimension have demon energy. Angels have sacred energy, the highest form of spiritual energy around. Something only heroes of myth can obtain. We'll talk about this further another time."

"Almost every other power system requires talent or a special bloodline to use. Hunters gain strength via knowledge of those they hunt, creatures in myth are inherently powerful, and using souls requires knowledge and ability. Hunters don't count as they are just regular humans with knowledge about monsters."

'Mom and Dad are hunters, so chances are I will also become one later on.'

"Your father's gifts are like those of a monster, they also have a chance to get stronger with training. Cursed techniques aren't made, they are something you are born with. The cursed energy power system is 80% innate talent and 20% hard work and training."

'80% talent, 20% hard work, that doesn't sound very user-friendly.' Lucas's disappointment at his crippled status in the Jujutsu sorcerer world was telling just from his thoughts alone.

"The sequences in any pathway offer an insane amount of power, but it is also an easy way to go insane. Becoming a Beyonder is extremely dangerous in the long term."

'Becoming a Beyonder sounds dangerous, but perhaps if I do it correctly, it can be very rewarding. Mom says it's dangerous, but maybe I can do it since my blood will probably purify some of the corruption. When did she talk about the corruption again, yes she did talk about it, yes...' Lucas giggled a bit at the endless future possibilities.

"Most Beyonders are hidden from the public. These individuals are the most hidden most of the time. The Flow power system isn't something we use, so if you want to learn more you need a teacher for that."

'I'll leave that up to Mom, maybe she knows someone that can teach me..'

"Those who become Beyonders fight against themselves, and Gods who seek to corrupt them into whatever they see fit. Almost everything you do as a Beyonder is dangerous. But taking on this path is very rewarding with the power it grants. I and your father chose not to become a Beyonder, as we felt it was too risky. If you ever want to become one. Never choose any of these five pathways, Demoness, visionary, Abyss, Error, and Chained. All of them are either owned by powerful groups or powerful gods."

'I hope my boy stays far away from those monsters, madness is eternal, and logic & reason are merely a temporary state for a Beyonder. Those who walk on that doomed path are destined to be crazy in the end. You only need to look towards the church of the Fool who's god was .....'

"There might be other pathways to watch out for Lucas. Be careful, we don't know the ins and outs of Beyonder politics, and these five pathways are just the ones we know to stay away from." I said trying to keep my son's attention away from Beyonders with all my heart for some reason.

'I didn't understand it myself, but I KNEW he had to stay away in general. Maybe we should learn about them more deeply, no he's my son he can't... But Emma if he learns about it he'll be happy and powerful. Teach him more. Let him learn more Emma.' I thought.

. . .

'Sounds like mom purposely left out some information. Can these Beyonders help one become a God? Become a God… Be a God…. DIVINITY!'

'Why be a hero or a wizard, when you can be a God!' The instant he had this idea he felt being a God was a better dream than being an Arch Wizard. All his other dreams didn't seem to matter anymore as being a God was all that mattered. Eternity. . . Infinite knowledge. . . Endless possibilities!!!

Unknowingly without anyone noticing the white spider was on Lucas's shoulder as its mouth warped to form a smile. Without missing a beat the spider turned invisible and vanished.

"Son, remember when I said we were going to talk about ancient history and huge secrets?" I asked, making sure my lovely son paid attention enough to handle the next topic."

"Ya I got it mom, you don't need to repeat yourself anymore. That awakening or whatever improved my memory, so now I feel wonderful." Lucas replied with a joyful tone as he started smiling uncontrollably. 

'My baby boy never smiled that often..., but it's probably all in my mind. He might just be very excited.....yes excited that...that's all it is. My...my baby boy is normal. My baby boy is normal, YES.'

"One more thing, Mom can becoming a Beyonder help you become a GOD!" Lucas held back a bit as he sounded a little crazy saying, God. But, oddly enough, his mom didn't notice it and answered his question calmly enough to him.

"Yes, Lucas you would be… be… bee ri…right.

I..If you beco….be..be become a Beyonder you CAN BECOME A GOD, YES, LUCAS BEING A GOD IS GOOD!!!"

. . .

Emma's loud shout woke up me as I got off his seat to look around while still half asleep. I kept hearing these weird songs in the back of my head, they sang of greed, imagination, and something he couldn't understand. Next, the songs turned into the sounds of random insects crawling around, with whispers playing in the background of my head. It was in a language I never heard before it almost sounded otherworldly.

The voices stopped once I truly opened my eyes to look around in horror as my body was covered in webs.

I used his cursed techniques forging flames to burn them off his body before looking around.

My eyes opened in terror as my wife and son were covered in spider webs with a white spider on the living room ceiling the size of a basketball with a black book as a symbol on its back. The room's light turned red giving the entire room a red hue.