~Chapter 8- The Scorpion's Nest~

~ Eight years later ~

~Age 991B~

Over the years, Valr and Gweneva took their own paths. Gweneva trained among her people and became one of the strongest of the Arachna warriors in their clan. The people of the woods became stronger, their defenses more resilient. If an attack like the one with the scorpions ever happened again, they'd be more than capable of handling it.

Meanwhile, Valr left for the Lands of Ralosia, the homeland of his parents. For years, he traveled that place, growing far more powerful. When the sixteen-year-old Valr finally returned, he brought two other Ralosian boys with him by the names of Aero and Jirro.

They were about as strong as Valr and were eager to become even more powerful. They thought that staying in the Lands of Ranuulo would toughen them up.

After assisting the hunting party in rounding up a beetle, the boys hadn't had enough. The black-haired Ralosian boy, Aero, went directly to Petri after the hunt and asked, "Hey mister Petri! Do you want to spar with me?"

Petri cocked his head at the boy, "Aren't you tired after the hunt?"

Aero enthusiastically shook his head, "No way! I'm ready for more!"

The blonde-haired Ralosian, Jirro, calmly stepped forward, "I'd want to spar with you as well."

Petri chuckled, "You boys are insatiable... Alright, let's do it."

Petri zipped along a strand of web to a clearing in the forest, "How about this? Whoever amongst you boys lands a hit on me first wins?"

"Deal!" Aero and Jirro shouted before springing to action.

Valr and Gweneva simply watched as they went after Petri. The two darted through the forest at great speeds, nearly appearing as blurs as they zipped around. But as fast as they were, Petri was always a step ahead. He deftly avoided their attacks, using his webbing and light strikes to keep them off him.

A smile could be seen on Aero's face as he jumped around after Petri. Jirro had a calm smirk on his face as well.

"They're so... light-hearted," Gweneva couldn't help but think aloud.

"The Lands of Ralosia a peaceful place. Nothing like it is here," Valr commented, "I doubt either of them have had a hard day in their lives."

"Not as hard as we've had it, that's for sure," Gweneva added.

They continued to watch as the boys darted around the forest after Petri, full of boundless energy.

"Are you tired after the hunt?" Valr asked calmly.

"No. Are you?"

"No."

The two sat in silence for a moment.

"Do you want to join them?" Gweneva asked.

"No. Do you?"

"No."

They sat quietly again.

Valr sighed for a moment before breaking the heavy air of silence, "Want to go west?"

Gweneva took one look at him. Without another word, the two of them knew what they wanted to do. She stood and resolutely replied, "Yes."

Valr flew while Gweneva swung by her webs, fearlessly venturing towards the jagged terrain in the west. Gweneva used whatever rock column or high point she could find to swing from, and when there was nothing around, she ran.

A stampede of beetles was traveling through a valley nearby. Gweneva effortlessly jumped over the group of them and kept moving.

They came to a canyon bathed in the purple of the sky. Gweneva climbed the rocky surfaces to the top of the canyons, and Valr flew beside her. They were near the scorpion's nest. The two looked over the edge of the canyon.

"There they are," Gweneva said, pointing to a cave at the bottom of the canyon. Near it, several scorpions of varying sizes scuttled around. It made them furious to see it.

"I only want the one that killed Mills," Valr said coldly.

They traveled down the canyon's walls, taking care not to be seen. Among the scorpions outside the cave, they didn't see any that looked familiar.

"It's been a few years; maybe the one we're after died..." Gweneva remarked.

Valr flew closer to the canyon floor when he finally saw it. A pale scorpion, larger than the rest, overlooking the group.

"That's him." Valr said coarsely.

Gweneva squinted, "Let's make a commotion."

The two flourished their hands, and from them, purple and blue bursts of light came forth, striking the canyon floor. They didn't strike any of the scorpions; their intent was simply to stir them up.

They unleashed more Focus Bursts until the scorpion's nest was in a panic, all of them scurrying every which way. When they were children, Focus would drain their stamina greatly with each use. But over the years they've harnessed the ability like true masters.

Valr watched as the pale scorpion ushered the others out of the area while it scurried around, trying to determine the source of the disturbance. Its beady eyes looked up at their position along the canyon's walls. It saw them.

Valr flew down into a dive, going directly for the scorpion. The creature lunged its stinger-pointed tail at him. He dodged it, grabbed the tail, and began to fly deeper into the canyon, carrying the scorpion with him.

When he reached a dead-end, he swung the scorpion over his head so it landed on its back. The creature quickly used its tail to bounce back to its numerous legs. But just as it regained its balance, Gweneva swung from the canyon walls and kicked the scorpion, knocking it away.

The scorpion was clearly hurt, but it still stood. It jabbed its tail at the two of them fiercely and snapping its pincers whenever they got close. The pincers of the creature managed to grab Valr and squeeze. But rather than cleave him in half, Valr grabbed hold of the pincers, opened them up, and broke free.

Valr flew underneath the scorpion, placed both hands under it, and lifted the creature over his head before chucking it into a dead end.

The scorpion's movements were pained. Its tail had curled up, and it placed its pincers out in front of it as if to protect itself.

Valr flourished his hand, and it glowed a bright purple. He was prepared to unleash the most powerful Focus Burst he could muster to destroy the creature entirely. But when he looked at it, he couldn't help but feel sorry for it. It looked terrified.

"Valr..." Gweneva softly spoke from behind him. She shared the hesitation he was feeling.

The purple light emanating from his hand dissipated. He levitated off the ground and floated to her, "That's enough, isn't it?"

Gweneva meekly nodded, "Yeah... killing this thing won't bring Mills back."

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The two left the scorpion's nest and headed back to the Arachna woods. They soon found Jirro at the settlement.

The blonde-haired Ralosian boy asked, "Where did you two go?"

"What do you mean? We didn't go anywhere," Gweneva fibbed.

"How did sparring with Petri go?" Valr asked, quickly changing the subject.

"It's bizarre how powerful he is. We didn't land a single hit. I think he was just messing with Aero and I." Jirro explained.

Valr took a brief glance around, "Where did Aero go?"

"Oh, he's playing with some Arachna kid."

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They found Aero with a little Arachna girl clinging to his back as he was climbing a tree. The kid couldn't have been more than five-years old.

"Come on, you should at least try!" Aero urged the kid.

Valr, Gweneva, and Jirro moved to their positions in the trees. Gweneva clung to the tree near them and asked, "What's going on?"

"I'm trying to help this kid start climbing," Aero said with a smile.

"But I'm scared! What if I fall?" The little Arachna girl shuddered, clinging even tighter to Aero.

Valr levitated near the kid, "Have you ever climbed on your own before?"

"No..." She replied.

Valr nodded, "Well, we're here to catch you if you do fall. You just have to be a little brave."

The little Arachna girl squinted at Valr, "That's easy for you to say! You can fly!"

Valr drifted back in the air for a moment and chuckled, "True. But you'll be able to do things I can never do. I mean, Aero here can't even stick to trees like the Arachna can. He's just holding on really tight."

Aero glanced back at the girl and smiled, "That's right!"

"He can do that cause he's really strong!" The girl insisted.

Jirro climbed to a branch near the child and said, "No one is born brave and strong. But anyone can be."

Valr smiled, "Yeah! I mean, I didn't learn how to fly until I forced myself to. I think that'll be the best way for you to learn how to wall crawl. And we'll be here in case anything happens. So how about giving it a try?"

The child took a moment to think and nodded. "Okay... but you better catch me if I fall!"

"We will!" Gweneva clung beside her, "Focus on adhering yourself to the wall at your hand. Then your foot."

"Okay..." The kid muttered nervously. The child started by placing one hand on the tree, then a foot. Her other hand was still gripping Aero intensely. She started to steady herself and stepped off of Aero's back entirely. She was clinging to the surface of the tree all on her own.

"Very good! Now slowly start climbing like me," Gweneva said, climbing slowly ahead of her. The little girl cautiously followed.

Her attention must've faltered since her hands slipped from the tree. Valr flew directly beneath her, ready to catch her. But the girl surprised them by flourishing a strand of web from her hand and tethering herself to the tree by it. She pulled herself up by it and adhered herself back to the tree all on her own.

"Good job!" Gweneva exclaimed, "Let's climb down. Carefully!"

"Okay!" The little girl exclaimed.

Gweneva coached the Arachna child as they traveled down the tree, giving her triumphant praise when she reached the ground all on her own. She was eager to tell her parents what she learned that day.

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When everyone was ready to turn in for the day, Valr flew through the woods to a particular place. The place where he had lost his friend... but when he reached that spot, he saw someone sitting on a log by it. A young Arachna boy with black and red accents across his body.

Valr rubbed his eyes, yet the boy was still there. It couldn't be real, of course.

The boy glanced back at him, gave him a devious look, and waved him over. Valr hesitantly flew and joined the boy on the log.

"How's it goin, Valr?" The boy asked.

"Umm... Well enough, I guess." Valr replied, "How about you?"

The Arachna boy chuckled obnoxiously, "Heh, I've been better."

Valr felt his mouth dry up. There was something he always wanted to say. "I'm sor-"

"Don't!" The boy promptly cut him off, "Don't even start with that."

"Right... It's just that-"

"You woulda done the same for me, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then we don't need to talk about that."

Valr smiled, "Alright."

The little Arachna boy kicked his legs back and forth before saying, "Well... seeing as I did die for you... I think you owe me a little bit."

"I'll do anything!"

The boy chuckled, "You have to live for both of us now Valr. Can you do that?"

"I'll do my best."

Valr blinked, and suddenly, that little Arachna boy was gone. He stood and looked around, but there was no sign of him.

Yet, he felt content. In a way he hadn't felt in a long time. Valr chuckled to himself and couldn't help but hear Mills' laugh in his own. He floated to the place where he thought he had lost his friend, knelt, and placed his hand to the ground.

"Thanks bud."