Chapter 3 - Sisters

Slaughter of the Multicolor Leaf Forest.

Thus was called the episode that involved the death of a dozen merchants and about twenty armed bandits.

This event had sparked a great uproar in Leaf City as it was a city far from war zones; accidents with such a large number of people involved rarely happened.

When the mercenaries returned to the city with wagons full of corpses in such terrifying conditions, they communicated what had happened to the city authorities. Soon the rumor that this slaughter was the work of some powerful spirit beast spread among the ordinary people.

The thought that some dangerous spirit beast lived nearby aroused the citizens' terror who had grown up as children with stories about such creatures' dangerousness.

However, the rumor that it was the work of some powerful martial artist passing there circulated too. Although people much more appreciated this rumor, those in power were more afraid of it than the idea of having to deal with some dangerous spirit beast.

So they waited for several days, organizing teams to limit the forest's outer perimeter around the accident's area and blocking that stretch of road.

After several days of useless waiting, due to the increasing anxiety of the people who spurred on taking out the beast, the authorities gave the task to the guards dedicated to the city's management - they had to send a team to explore inside the forest. The city also set up rewards for mercenaries and volunteers who weren't afraid to enter that place.

So, after several meetings and arrangements, the exploration team was ready, and they left the city to find tracks of the beast and kill it. But in the end, their exploration was unsuccessful.

They scoured the outskirts of the forest without finding anything that might resemble the culprit. According to their opinions, it had probably escaped into the heart of the forest. However, penetrating so deep involved a very high risk for the soldiers and mercenaries who made up the team. Although it wasn't an impossible undertaking, the price to be paid would be high. Not even the proposed money could convince them to commit such madness. So they could do nothing but return.

The authorities, at that point, to calm the rumors, decided to opt to say that it was the work of a strong martial artist, hoping that this expert wasn't real and wouldn't appear suddenly with strange intentions.

Fortunately, as time went on, this ruckus soon calmed down gradually and was quickly forgotten by the people who resumed their activities.

*

Three years after the Slaughter of the Multicolor Leaf Forest

On a sunny spring day, a child was chasing some butterflies through the vegetation.

Although it was a rather ordinary image at first glance, the place where he stood was far from being ordinary as a place to play. It was the heart of the Multicolor Leaf Forest, where various kinds of spirit beasts could be found inside, many of which were dangerous to humans. However, even though there was an inviting morsel running around, none of the spirit beasts in the surroundings dared to make a move towards that strange little animal that was running on two feet.

In fact, in the heart of the forest dwelt the most dangerous creature they had ever seen. After many deaths, they realized that it was better not to approach that area or attack that strange little animal protected by that monstrous creature. The latter spread death to anyone who wanted to attack the little man or tried to get too close to that area. Only insects or small beasts could approach even if they would always remain under observation.

The child, despite being only three years old, outwardly looked like a 5-6-year-old. He had dark brown skin with black hair and dark brown eyes, tending to black. He was dressed entirely in silvery silk clothes that sparkled in the sunlight.

Although this forest was dangerous for ordinary people, he didn't seem to be very worried while focusing on chasing butterflies. Instead, he was so engrossed in his game that he was about to get out of the perimeter designated by his mother.

At that moment, he heard a sharp sound. Suddenly, he heard a voice inside his head. To normal humans, this sound would seem only a series of incomprehensible noises produced by some beast. Still, for the child, it was as understandable as the language spoken by people.

‘Don't go any further; come back. I forbade you to go beyond the borders I showed you. You have to pay attention to your surroundings even when you are playing, do you understand?’ Said the strange voice in his head with a reproaching voice.

The child, surprised by the voice, immediately stopped. Worried and, with a sad tone, he produced a series of sounds that meant. ‘Yes, you are right, mother. I am sorry, I'll be right back.’

With this, the child rushed to his home, where he lived with his mother.

This child was the same newborn rescued during the accident three years ago, while his mother was the spirit beast spider who had saved him. For the past three years, they had been living in the middle of the forest.

The house in question was a huge dome-shaped spiderweb, 10 meters in radius and 5 meters high, that had been firmly tied to the ground. At the center of this spiderweb, there was a large recess on the ground where the child could pass inside, which would then be closed during sleep hours.

When the kid crawled through that slit, his mother immediately came into his sight and looked at him intently before saying.

‘Don't be afraid; I'm not angry. I just want you to be careful. Anyway, it's time to eat, come.’

Hearing this, the child smiled happily and ran to hug his mother. Although the sight of such a large spider would generally frighten people, for the child, it was the most comforting and enjoyable sight in the world.

With a smile on his face, he prepared himself to eat the food prepared by his mother. It consisted of a fish and some insects cooked on a small fire lit on one side.

Although usually, the fire would have destroyed the web, this wasn't an ordinary spiderweb. Therefore, there was no fear that it would catch fire. Moreover, there was a large hole at the top to disperse the smoke, which would be closed during the night, creating an isolated environment.

While mother and son were happily enjoying the meal, suddenly, two sharp noises could be heard as if something was breaking.

Upon hearing this, the mother flinched and turned quickly, looking in the direction of her two eggs sheltered in their silk bags. These were vigorously shaking as they continued to make such noises. The silk bags broke not long after, and two small spirit beasts came out from them.

One was a small dark purple spider with silver patterns, while the other was a small black snake with gold patterns. They were panting as they devoured part of their shell.

Soon, they noticed the presence of the enormous spider and immediately realized that it was their mother. Then, they curiously looked at the strange creature beside their mother while they finished eating the eggs and the silk sacks that had contained them for all these years.

‘Finally, they came out. Come, child, come and meet your siblings.’ The adult spider motioned for the little human in the den to follow her to meet the two newcomers. With a bit of uncertainty, the child did what he was asked to do and approached the two little spirit beasts.

The mother spider examined her two little ones and discovered that they were both females. She then took some water from some roughly made wooden buckets to clean the little spider and the little snake. Once finished, she prepared to introduce her two cubs to the human child.

‘Come, my little ones; this is your big brother. Remember to follow what he tells you and not to fight. Boy, come. These are your two little sisters. Come closer, don't be afraid.’

The child fearfully stretched his hand toward those two little beasts. In turn, the little spider reached out one of her legs while the little snake stuck her tongue out. These came into contact with the child's hand creating a slight tickling sensation.

‘Well, now that they too are finally with us, I think it's time to give you your names. I thought about it a lot in these years, and finally, I decided.’ The big spider happily said as she pointed to the little spider first. 'You will be called Xing, as you are luminous as a star,' then turning to the little snake, 'instead you will be called Ye, as enchanting as the night that supports the stars.' Finally turning his gaze to the little boy to whom, until now, she hadn’t given a name, she said. ‘And you little one, you will be called Hei, like the darkness. Your task will be to protect your little sisters as the darkness does with the night and the stars. Do you understand?'

Hei, who had finally received his name, nodded happily and asked curiously. ‘Mother, and you? Don't you have a name?’

His mother was surprised by this question and thought back to an old episode of many years ago when she was still a low-level spirit beast who had to be careful even to step out of her lair.

‘You saved my life. I owe you. I see you have no name. What would you say if I give you one? Since you are like a kind of treasure found by chance, I will call you Bao Bei.’

Bao Bei was the name that she received a long time ago. Recalling this memory, the spider smiled at Hei and answered. ‘My name is Bao Bei, but you can continue to call me mother like you always did.’

Hearing this, Hei nodded with his head as he smiled and then flung himself out to play happily with his two little sisters.

Although they were just born, they were still spirit beasts. So they had no problem moving immediately after birth and understanding what they were told. However, they soon got tired and, together with Hei, went to sleep under their mother's watchful and happy gaze.

*

A month had passed since Xing and Ye's birth; by now, they had become strong enough not to tire immediately after starting to play. They had also grown a few inches, becoming the size of a palm.

While Hei, Xing, and Ye were having breakfast with insects and apples, Bao Bei turned to them with a serious look as if she had something important to say.

‘Listen to me, my little ones. You have grown enough by now. It's time for you to start your training. You have to learn to be more autonomous and learn to hunt. Therefore, you will have to commit yourself to hunt the prey that I will request from you from now on. Do you understand?’ Bao Bei asked with a serious expression as she shifted her eight eyes to her children.

Hunting, a fundamental activity for carnivorous spirit beasts. Although it was an innate instinct within them, it was still true that hunting without a guide, especially in the non-adult phase, involved enormous dangers. That is why mothers had to teach their children how to hunt, although this principle wasn't applied to every species.

Bao Bei wanted all three of her children to learn the art of hunting as soon as possible. After all, in a dangerous world like this, you couldn't know when your end would come. Also, she wanted to be sure they were independent if something happened to her.

Hei, together with his two sisters, raised their astonished eyes at those words. Usually, their mother was responsible for getting food, and by now, they were used to it. So, they found themselves confused as they suddenly had to deal with hunting.

'Hunting? Mother will not bring us more food?’ (Hei)

‘No, I don't want mother to leave us.’ (Xing)

‘Mother, do you want to leave us?’ (Ye)

Bao Bei, amazed by their words and understanding their misunderstanding, hastened to respond. ‘No, what are you thinking, you fools. I don't want to leave you, but you have to learn to hunt, okay? Would you do it for your mother?’

The three of them nodded happily and were no longer worried about being abandoned. However, Bao Bei refrained from revealing why they had to become more autonomous, not wanting to sadden them or worry them.

When they finished eating, they all came out of the huge spiderweb to start their first hunting lessons.

‘Remember, you must always be vigilant at all times. No matter how weak a creature may seem, you must always act prudently and carefully assess the situation. If you decide to attack, then you must do so to end their life immediately. Playing with the prey is something I don't accept, alright?’ Bao Bei said, staring severely at Hei, Xing, and Ye.

Hei immediately signaled that he had understood, followed by his two sisters. Seeing that they understood, Bao Bei went on to explain.

‘Another rule is to show respect for what you kill and eat. All creatures have their role, and killing one of them means getting your hands dirty with their blood. For this, you have to kill only if necessary and never for fun. And when you kill, you don't have to waste anything on your prey. To survive, you have ended their life, and the only way to honor them is by making full use of their bodies.’

Having finished saying this, Bao Bei illustrated the various hunting tactics, such as the use of vegetation to hide and ambush, prepare traps, and multiple ways of attack to kill the prey.

Xing and Ye initially struggled a bit as it was the first time they used their skills voluntarily. But in the end, they were spirit beasts. Something inside them told them how to move and what to do precisely. So, it didn't take them long to digest all these new concepts. However, this didn’t mean that they had learned how to hunt since they hadn't yet practiced with a real moving target.

Hei, on the other hand, being human, found it more challenging to learn since he had no unique ability, such as throwing webs or injecting poison. Furthermore, Bao Bei was a spider, not a human. She had a profound knowledge of the techniques used by spiders and snakes, but it wasn't easy to convert these into something that a human could use.

‘Mother, I can't do it. I'm not as Xing and Ye who can use poison and have powerful fangs, and I can't even produce webs. Why am I the only different one?’

Being born in an environment devoid of people, the very concept of being human was unknown to Hei. Furthermore, Bao Bei had never told Hei anything that could be traced back to the human world. A part of her was afraid to tell him the truth about his origins, fearing that the diversity of species would end up causing her to lose her son.

Seeing his sad face, Bao Bei immediately hastened to console him as she ordered Xing and Ye to continue their training. ‘Hei, listen. You don't have to be sad. Does it matter if you are different? Aren't Xing and Ye different as well? There is nothing wrong with being different, and regardless of what you are, I love you anyway. Okay?’

Hei heard his mother's sweet words and stopped crying even though he still had visibly red eyes. ‘But I also want to hunt with Xing and Ye and with mom too. So why can't I do it?’

‘Don't give up. You'll see that you'll make it. You worry so much that you are different, but if you want, you can also have sharp fangs and inject venom, you know? For example, just let your nails grow by giving them a pointed shape to have claws, while if you bite hard enough, your teeth can become a weapon. Regarding the poison and the spiderweb, there is a way to make you generate them. But for you, it is still too early.

However, you have an advantage that neither your sisters nor I have. You have these hands here. With these, you can use particular objects called weapons. With these weapons, you can hunt without having to wait for you to grow bigger, and I will teach you how to do it.’

Hei, after hearing these things, especially that he would be able to do in the future the things his mother and his sisters did, felt flare up with excitement. He was full of desire to start immediately.

‘Alright, mother, then I'll wait when I'm older. Meanwhile, I will learn how to use these weapons. But what exactly are these things called weapons?‘

‘Good boy, this is the spirit. As for weapons, there are various types of weapons, and each has its characteristics. Although I'm not a great expert, I have a basic understanding of how to use them. What I want to teach you is the spear.’ Bao Bei announced.

Weapons, or the death tools used by humans and demons. Although she hated such objects that had killed countless spirit beasts, she couldn't bear to see her son's future blocked by her whim. So she decided to put her feelings aside for Hei's sake.