Chris launched another attack, this time swinging his axe at both Merrick and Jayden. But this time, Jayden met him head-on, blocking the strike with his own weapon. The clash of steel echoed as the two locked into combat, while Merrick stepped back, watching the chaotic exchange unfold.
Suddenly, Chris used a special move—his axe glowed with ice, and he hurled it straight at Jayden. But Jayden responded just in time, channeling lightning into his weapon and launching a counterstrike. The frozen axe was deflected, clattering away with a burst of sparks and frost.
But Chris wasn't finished.
Using the icy mist now swirling around them, he reappeared from the haze and struck Jayden's left shoulder, freezing it solid. Jayden staggered back, pain shooting through his arm as Chris summoned his axe back to his hand. He was poised to strike again—this time, to kill.
Jayden, of course, wasn't weaker. He simply didn't want to hurt his friend.
At the last moment, Merrick intervened. He conjured water and froze Chris's arms and legs in place, halting the fatal blow.
Jayden backed away, panting, while Merrick approached, keeping his hand raised toward Chris, maintaining the freeze.
Jayden: "Are you okay, Merrick?"
Merrick: "Yeah… The injury's not serious. I can hold him for now but he's fighting back hard."
"What the hell is going on? He suddenly snapped… turned into someone else entirely."
"Remember? He reached for the back of his neck just before screaming..."
"You think there's something back there?"
"Exactly."
"I'll go check."
Jayden stepped cautiously toward Chris and examined the back of his neck—and there it was.
A strange, black spider, clinging to his skin.
Jayden: "Merrick, I see it. There's something here—it looks like a black spider stuck to his neck. I'm going to pull it off."
Merrick: "Stop! Don't touch it with your hands. It might latch onto you instead. Use something else."
Jayden: "Got it."
Jayden pulled a screwdriver from his shirt and carefully wedged it under the spider, trying to pry it off Chris's skin.
Chris let out a scream of agony but Jayden kept going until, finally, he dislodged the creature and flung it to the ground. The spider began to scurry away—but Merrick acted fast, trapping it inside an ice cube prison.
Chris collapsed, unconscious. Jayden caught him before he could hit the ground and gently laid him on the grass.
Merrick approached, holding the cube with the black spider inside.
Jayden: "So this little freak was the cause of all this? Let me crush it."
Merrick: "No. We need to study it first."
"You've got to be kidding. Just let me smash it."
"Don't worry. It's not going anywhere. What matters more now is who sent this thing. If it were a stone heir, we would've sensed them. But we didn't."
"Whoever it was, we have to find out."
Merrick sighed and ran a hand over his face.
Merrick: "Damn it. I'm so tired of this…"
A new problem had emerged—one with hidden hands manipulating from the shadows. Who sent that cursed spider? And what were they trying to achieve?
Elsewhere, the twins Luna and Yuna had left the base for a walk through a nearby forest—something they both enjoyed. They hated staying indoors too long.
They raced through grassy fields and laughed like children, chasing birds and kicking up leaves. Eventually, they lay side by side, staring up at the blue sky.
Luna: "The sky's really beautiful today."
Yuna: "Yeah... and the birds flying through it too."
"I miss spending time with the rest of the family."
"Me too. We haven't had a proper outing in ages… not since all the recent chaos."
"We have to wipe out those scumbags threatening us—once and for all."
"By the way, do you have any idea what that 'secret operation' was? The one that guy mentioned during his interrogation?"
"I'm not smart enough to guess but we've been ignoring it too long. We need to investigate."
Back at the base, Clara and William were training using only their elemental powers—no weapons. That's when they saw Jayden and Merrick returning, with Chris slung unconscious on Jayden's back.
William had already become familiar with the rest of the group, especially training with Luna and Clara—both heirs of the fire stone like him.
Clara: "What happened? Why is Chris unconscious?"
Jayden: "Long story. We need to get him to a room first."
"Alright."
Chris was laid down in Jayden's room to rest while the others stepped outside. Merrick then explained everything that had happened.
Clara: "A black spider made him hallucinate and attack you? That's... terrifying."
Merrick: "Yeah."
"Is it still with you, or did you destroy it?"
"It's still here. Trapped in my ice."
Merrick pulled out the icy prison and showed the spider to the group.
William: "Hey, Merrick… What if that thing's actually a surveillance device? You may have just shown the enemy where our base is."
Merrick: "Relax, William. The base is shielded—no GPS signals work here. And I already thought of that. I clouded the cube from the inside. Even if there's a camera, it can't see or hear anything. Only we can see it."
"Good."
Just then, they heard Chris stir awake. Everyone rushed back to the room.
He sat up, dazed and groggy.
Jayden: "Hey, Chris. You okay?"
Chris: "Yeah… I remember attacking you guys. I'm sorry. I wasn't myself."
"It's not your fault. It was that stupid spider's."
Merrick showed the spider to Chris.
Merrick: "It was latched onto the back of your neck."
Chris: "What is that thing…?"
Jayden: "We'll figure it out soon enough. For now, we know this—it's one of the Fauvism tricks. Which means they know about you and me now."
"So we'll both have to stay in the base now. Keep out of sight."
"Exactly."
"I'm sick of this. We need to stop hiding like rats and crush our enemies."
Merrick : "I agree. But we need intel first. Knowing your enemy is half the battle."
Clara: "He's right."
William: "Then we need to move quickly."
Chris stood up.
Chris: "Sorry, guys. I need to get some air. I'll be in the garden."
Merrick: "I'll go with you."
The two made their way to the garden and sat beneath the trees.
Merrick: "Chris, tell me—what exactly did you see? Can you describe it?"
Chris: "It was like... some massive beast attacking me. I was trying to defend myself. But then I'd suddenly see you and Jayden… and I was attacking you."
"Can you describe the beast?"
Chris went quiet.
Merrick: "What's wrong?"
Chris: "It was... too terrifying. I can't describe it. I just want to forget it."
"Alright. No need to force it."
Chris stood abruptly, agitated.
Merrick: "What's wrong, Chris? Sorry—I didn't mean to bring that up…"
Chris: "It's fine, Merrick. I just need to walk a bit. Alone."
"Okay."
Chris wandered through the garden, trying to clear his mind—when he spotted two familiar figures approaching: Yuna and Luna, just returning to the base.
Yuna: "Good evening, Chris."
Chris: "Hey, ladies."
Luna: "Hey… you don't look so good. Something happen?"
"Yeah. A lot, actually."
Yuna: "Tell us what happened."
"We were ambushed—mentally. The Fauvism used some twisted method... they stuck a black spider on me. It made me hallucinate and attack my own team."
Yuna dropped the bread she was carrying, and Luna let go of her chocolate. Their eyes widened in pure shock—and their expressions frightened even Chris.
Chris: "D-did I say something wrong?"
Luna: "Did you say… a black spider? Attached to your neck from behind?"
"Yes… How do you know that?"
Luna ( eyes darkening ) : "Because I've had a bitter, terrifying experience with one... before."