Novel Son of the Spirit Beast

Hello everyone, i am nagatosaitou. I am the author of Son of the Spirit Beast (SSB) and this is my first novel. I hope you will enjoy it. You can also read this story on Webnovel or Royale Road

Synopsis
In a world where the strongest beings are represented by cultivators, Hei is born under special circumstances and is raised by a spirit beast spider.

With the body of a human but the mind of a spirit beast, Hei will try to make his way in this conflict-filled world following his convictions and trying to protect those he loves.

Genre: Original, Action, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Martial Artist, Xianxia

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6

 

Chapter 1 - The Birth
​

Rainbow Island, Southwest of the Sun Empire, Multicolor Leaf Forest's outskirts.

It was called Multicolor Leaf Forest because every tree in the forest had different colour's leaves that all together created an amazing sight.

Although it possessed such a scenario, the Forest was little frequented due to the various dangers within. However, from time to time, there were people who dared to approach the forest: whether it was to take advantage of its resources or to save time by following the path that skirted it closely, instead of having to go around by using a longer road.

On a cloudy day in autumn, while a cold wind was carrying away the leaves that had fallen from the trees, creating a rainbow of leaves and dust, a convoy of merchants was following the path just outside the outer boundary of the forest.

The convoy consisted of a dozen people divided into four wagons that contained various types of goods that would be sold as soon as they arrived at Leaf City. That was the nearest city in the vicinity and took its name from the forest. At the head of one of these wagons, there were two male merchants who were happily talking.

"You have to admit that this time we have really amassed a nice amount of goods, don't you think? As soon as we arrive in the city and sell this stuff, we should no longer worry about money for a while," commented the man who had the reins of the horses pulling the wagon.

The man was wearing a purple vest with golden patterns. It was a distinctive vest normally used by merchants. He had blond hair and a healthy pink complexion. His light eyes, together with a round face, conveyed a feeling of cheerfulness and vivacity.

"Yes, we can't complain at all. Fortunately, we were able to complete everything in time and we shouldn't be too far from our destination too." The companion answered in a relieved voice.

Unlike the first man, the second had black hair with dark brown eyes. Although wearing the same vest, because of the dark circles and the severe expression on his face, he conveyed a feeling of tiredness and worry.

"Right, your wife... At the thought of all that money I forgot for a moment that your wife is pregnant. I understand that you have to work to support the family, but wouldn't it be better if you all stayed in some city, Old Jian?!" The first merchant who acted as the wagon's driver asked.

The man named Qin Jian looked at his colleague with a dejected expression and answered as he sighed.

"And where, Shang? We are itinerant merchants, we must move constantly to do business. Furthermore, we have no close relatives and I don't trust leaving her alone in a place where I don't know anyone. I prefer to keep her with me, at least I know she is safe."

Shang noticed the mood of his friend and promptly tried to cheer Qin Jian saying, "All right, all right... Well, luckily your wife has spirit power and had no problems so far. I can't imagine what we would have done if she had given birth outdoors. I'm still young, I don't want to have to deal with brats for a while longer." He concluded this last sentence with a loud laugh before returning to focus on the path, hoping to have brighten up his partner.

Meanwhile, a young woman with a brown skin and long brown hair was sitting with the goods to sell in the carriage driven by the two men. Her light eyes that made a contrast with her skin were looking her big belly that contained the little life form still not born who was living inside her.

'We almost there now, my little one. Soon we will be in the city where you can be born. Then we're going to live with Dad. Hold on just a little bit.' She said inside her while stroking kindly her belly that produced a little sound as if the child was listening to her and wanted to respond to his mother.

The woman's name was Farah, the wife of the merchant Qin Jian.

In the past, she was a slave who was bought by Qin Jian to help him in his work as a merchant since she could read and knew arithmetic. Later, she was released by Qin Jian but she decided to stay with him, and they ended up falling in love and got married.

Despite her delicate state, she decided to follow her husband on a journey not to be separated from him at this important moment and allowing him to complete his business as they needed money for their incoming son.

This was a young couple waiting for their first child and eager to start a quiet life together and settle down somewhere. Unfortunately, fate isn't always benevolent and often leads to misfortunes that change a person's life and sometimes the whole world for good or for bad.

*

As the sun set, while the convoy began to get ready for the night, twenty men dressed in black clothes were watching the merchants in the distance, glancing at the wagons like hungry wolves waiting for their prey.

"Boss, what do you say? It seems feasible. It will soon become dark, it is perfect for a surprise attack. Give us permission." Asked one of the men in black to his team leader who was next to him.

"I also think the same. We've been quite unlucky lately, but this looks like a succulent convoy. With this, we will be without economical problems for a while, although i hope the goods inside are of good quality in order to have a better profit. Get in position first, and then wait for my signal. Remember, don't f*ck this task. Kill them all immediately without wasting time playing fucking stupid games." The chief said in an authoritative voice as he watched the merchants who had finished their operations for the night and were preparing to dine.

An hour later, when the sun had already set completely to make room for the evening, the bandit chief gestured with his hand to his closest man to move.

The latter communicated the gesture to the rest of the group that had scattered around. Shortly afterwards, a rain of arrows rained down on the place where the merchants had gathered.

The sound of twenty or so bows shooting arrows reverberated in the air, interrupting the calm that dwelt in that place.

This sound alerted the merchants who realized too late the danger and they were forced to endure the rain of arrows directly without time to find a place where shelter themselves.

"Arrows!? ENEMY ATTACK!!"

"Sh*t, Bandits?!"

As they pulled out their weapons, a slight aura arose from the merchant's bodies while they tried to endure the arrows. However, not everyone were so fast and a couple of men fell to the ground spraying blood on the cold ground.

After the barrage of arrows, the bandits arrived with their swords raised, starting a fight against the merchants.

Although they were people devoted to business, the merchants had all been trained to defend themselves and began to fight back. However, with the numerical disparity and greater skill of the bandits with the sword, they soon began to fall one by one on the ground where their comrades laid lifeless.

Among them, Qin Jian was fighting with three people at the same time, demonstrating great skill with the sword, while his wife was behind him with her hands outstretched on her belly to protect their child.

"Farah, listen to me carefully. I will open a gap and I want you to ride a horse and get out of here."

"No, how can you ask me this!? How can I abandon you here!?"

"Listen to me! There is no time. Don't mind me, think of our son. You have to look after him, do you understand? Please, do as I told you and don't argue."

As he said this, a tear fell from Qin Jian's eyes. He was sad at the thought of dying and being separated from his family. But he knew that in this situation it was the only way to give a hope of salvation for his wife and son.

While Farah also burst into tears, Qin Jian made a great movement with his sword, momentarily pushing away the three bandits and ran towards the nearest horse, and with a sword blow he cut the ropes that bound the horse to the wagon.

"RIDE NOW!" He said as he positioned himself in front of the horse to prevent the bandits from obstructing the maneuver.

Farah, in tears, still executed her husband's order, striving to remain clear headed to protect their child. With enormous effort, she managed to get on the horse and started riding away from that nightmare.

While urging the horse to accelerate as much it could, she turned around to look at the man she loved, only to witness him being pierced on several sides by the other bandits who had already killed almost all the remaining merchants.

"Jian, NOOO!!! AHH!!!" Farah screamed as she sobbed heavily and began to breathe with difficulty due to the painful and heartbreaking experience. But she had only time to distance herself a bit from that place, when a spear flew in the air and stuck in her shoulder making her fall from the running horse.

Because of her agitated state and the sudden blow, she was totally taken aback but she managed to wrap her lap with a light aura to protect her son while she fell from the horse.

Slumped to the ground, almost totally without strength, the woman slowly opened her eyes to see a man with an unpleasant appearance approaching to her.

"Let's see what we have here."

With a kick on her shoulder, the bandit leader turned her around so he could see her face.

"A beautiful woman, no doubt about it. But we don't have time to waste with you. I also doubt you could be sold as slave with that belly of yours. If you hadn't been pregnant, I could have thought of it. Forget it, I will settle for the load."

Meanwhile one of his men reached him to inform him of the situation. "Boss, we killed everybody. Unfortunately, little Fei was killed, some of them weren't so bad. But the load inside is nice, you should see what stuff. We'll be rich for a while."

The chief, content with the loot, replied. "Don't care about Fei, he was just garbage. Better this way, one less who share the spoil with. Load the goods all on one wagon if you can, and stack the bodies in the remaining empty wagons. Then we will set fire to everything and we will leave."

After saying that, he signaled his man to go while he returned to focus on the woman motionless on the ground.

"Well, fortunately the load is pretty full. Now that my men are loading the goods, all that is left is to set fire to everything to eliminate any traces that can lead to us. To thank you for the precious gift, I will eliminate you immediately without making you feel pain." While he was saying this, he drew his sword and leaned towards the woman.

Farah, who had regained a bit of strength, cried inside herself.

'Why is this happening, why? Jian, where are you? Help our son... please... no matter who... at least my baby... '

These were her thoughts while the cold metallic blade penetrated her throat, ending her life.

Meanwhile, near the wagons where the other bandits were arranging the goods, a black shape suddenly appeared with strange features. Silently, it approached one of the men and with a quick movement it cut him in two halves that fell to the ground. Then it headed for the nearest bandit.

Soon, the other bandits realized that something was wrong, but they were only able to make a short cry before they were all killed in the same way. The cry alarmed the leader who had just killed the woman and was about to return to his men.

Shortly thereafter, the black shadow emerged from the darkness where the wagons were. The bandit's leader, thanks to the light of the moon that illuminated the thing that had killed his men, could see its true appearance.

It was a large spider measuring 1 meter in size; his 8 purple-red eyes were watching the bandit as it gave off a strong murderous aura.

The bandit leader petrified by fear could only murmure: "Spirit Beast..." before the spider with incredible speed appeared before him and with a single stroke of its leg it cut the bandit in two alongside his sword.

Once the man was settled, the spider turned to the woman. Its purple eyes looked at those already lifeless of the woman and then they descended towards her belly.

It seemed to be aware that, although there was a corpse in front of it, there was something alive inside. With quick movements, it approached the woman and two of its legs landed on the woman's belly.

Even though it had cut the various bandits before with those same legs in half, when its legs touched the belly, they didn't penetrate the stomach. Instead, they remained suspended a few millimeters from the skin while a slight aura covered the tips of its legs.

Then, those tips cut the belly following a vertical line along the stomach by cutting just a few centimeters of skin without going over. Its actions were totally different from a beast with a terrifying appearance that would have scared anyone.

After a couple of minutes of cutting, the creature stopped. Increasing the aura on the tips of its legs, it began to open the two halves, now divided, of skin, while two other legs slipped inside the woman's body with a layer of aura, thicker than before.

With those inside, it began to pull something out of the woman's stomach, and soon a newborn baby could be seen while he was covered in blood and amniotic fluid. His umbilical cord kept him joined to his mother while he was kept between the beast's legs, appearing totally unharmed though.

With a gentle movement, the spider moved the baby in front of it and began to beat his small back softly. The slight aura shifted to the child's body and, slowly, the liquid inside the little one came out, causing him to cry as a consequence while he woke up.

At this noise, the spider did a slight tremor but then it recomposed itself. It then cut the umbilical cord and tore off a part of the mother's clothes with which it wrapped the newborn baby.

At this point, after looking at the child who had stopped crying when he was wrapped in the piece of cloth belonging to his mother, and then at the woman, already lifeless on the ground, the spider turned itself towards the forest and quickly entered it.

On its back, illuminated by the moonlight, two eggs could be seen covered with silvery silks and fastened tightly. One was pitch black with golden patterns while the other had a dark purple color with silver pattern, the same purple color as the spider that was carrying them.

That day, unbeknownst to anyone, it had occurred an event that no one would have thought possible. And that event was the beginning of the changes that would affected the entire world.

 

Chapter 2 - Decision
​

How much time had passed?

A decade, a century, a millennium? Or more? Or was it just a day?

Regardless of how long it actually went by, I found myself in a forest full of different colour's trees.

I had arrived here by teleportation. Exhausted both physically and mentally and without any reason to stay alive, I prepared myself for my last sleep.

With the last remnants of my strength, I used my spiderweb and wrapped it around myself to form a cocoon. Then I closed my eyes, hoping I would never have to open them again.

But unfortunately, my wish wasn't fulfilled. I didn't know how much I had actually slept but, in the end, my sleep ended and I went out reluctantly from my cocoon. The sight that appeared before me was this forest.

Although I was unaware about how much time had passed, inside I knew that all my companions had died, including the one I loved.

It was he who teleported me away from that place that was about to be destroyed, although I preferred that he hadn't.

But, as always, his decision proved to be correct.

Not long after my awakening, with surprise I discovered that two eggs inside me, which I had forgotten at the time of my sleep, had been fertilized and inside them were developing two life forms.

The legacy of my love with the one who had changed my life.

To that discovery, I trembled first with wonder and then with joy. When all was lost, I had found a reason to live and something to remind me that everything we had done hadn't been in vain.

The fruits of our love.

At that point, I expelled the two eggs outside and wrapped them in a silk sack to protect them. So I put them on my back where I fixed them using other silk.

Because the priorities had changed, I decided to explore this place and see if it was a safe place for my two eggs while carrying them on my back.

It didn't take long for me to explore the area and I discovered pleasantly that there weren’t any dangerous creatures. So as long as my children stayed with me, there would be nothing to fear. However, two things still disturbed my mind, the same things that had always disturbed my mind and those of my species: the human race and the demon race.

They represented the greatest danger and not knowing if the area I was in had strong humans or demons tormented me. I therefore decided to extend my research area to the outer parts of the forest where I would be more likely to meet them.

*

It was during my exploration in the outer parts that I heard the voices of some men in the distance.

As I approached as quickly as possible, without making any noise thanks to my 8 legs that could run easily on any terrain, I discovered a group of humans riding some wagons.

From their appearance, they seemed to be merchants, although I was uncertain. Not knowing what to do, I decided to follow them from the forest without being seen. I wanted to find out the strength level of the humans in this area, but attacking without information, especially with my two eggs, was risky.

I continued to follow them until evening, when the group stopped for the night, setting up a temporary camp. This allowed me to finally see all the humans in the group, including those in the wagons.

Among them, I was particularly struck by a woman with brown skin. My eyes moved to her big belly. From the shapes of her body, she didn't seem to be fat, so she was likely to be pregnant and it shouldn't be long for her to give birth.

By reflection, I turned to look at the two eggs on my back. Suddenly, I felt a certain sympathy for that human woman, but I immediately repressed it, as soon as I noticed it. Part of me hated humans because of what they did, but I also knew that not all humans were guilty of that.

Shortly after, I noticed the presence of other humans who were spreading themselves at various points. From the way they were positioning, it seemed they wanted to attack the group of merchants, so they were probably bandits.

It didn't take long for my deduction to be accurate and, as I had expected, the bandits attacked the convoy. From there, it arose a battle between the two groups and this allowed me to evaluate their combative strength.

Fortunately, they weren't a threat and, despite possessing spirit power, they were the weakest humans I had ever met. Considering their non-dangerousness, I jumped forward behind them to fight them. It would be a great way to stretch out a little after a long time.

In a short time, I killed all the bandits, including the leader nearby. It was then that I noticed the human woman I had seen before.

I realized that she was now dead, but inside her, the little human creature was still alive. Driven by an unknown reason, I decided to free the human cub. Cutting the mother's belly, I took out the baby.

He was a male, covered in blood and amniotic fluid. He had a body so small and fragile and its weight was almost non-existent in my eyes. I realized he still had some liquid inside him. So, by sending a small portion of my spirit power, I pushed out the liquid inside him and finally he burst into tears and gave signs of life.

At that point, I was overwhelmed by another feeling unknown to me. Although he was a human baby, the enemy of my race along with the demons, I couldn't resolve myself to abandon him there. In the end, I chose to take it with me; I didn't know the reason for this choice, but at the time I didn't really care about.

With a human cub between my legs and my two eggs on my back, I moved towards the forest.

*

I reached a small lake at the eastern end of the forest. The moonlight made the clear water surface shine, giving it a silvery hue while around it reigned a pleasant tranquility, interrupted from time to time by the noise caused by some small nocturnal animals in the surroundings.

I approached the water source and plunged into it, rippling the flat liquid surface. The water near the shore wasn't very deep, so I had no danger of sinking, although that wasn't problem at all to me.

Slowly, I removed the piece of robe that enveloped the child and soaked it with water. I wanted to use it to clean the baby who was still dirty with amniotic fluid and blood residues. However, since the water was cold, I had to use this expedient as it would have been too much for the child to be placed directly in contact with the cold water.

Although this method wasn't so ideal as he awoke crying from his sleep, I finally managed to finish the job without too much trouble. Then, I let out some silk to use it to dry him and then to wrap it up around him so that he wouldn't get cold.

Once finished, I returned to my den in the middle of the forest while the human cub had calmed down once it was wrapped in its silk blanket.

Arriving at destination, I took a large number of fallen leaves and gathered them together, creating a small circle where I could put the child. Then, I untied the silk that bound my two eggs to my back and placed them on the ground next to the human.

I didn't know the reason, but the sight of my two eggs together with that human cub didn't seem strange to me, in fact it seemed like it was the most normal picture in the world.

Fogged by this view, I began to weave a web around my position as I thought about what had happened.

‘Why did I save him? He is human, after all, and I had no connection whatsoever with his mother. Yet the thought that he would die like this, in the darkness inside his mother, without knowing the outside world terrified me. The problem now is: what do I do? Humans will soon find out what happened and investigate, I don't know if this area has strong martial artists, although I doubt it, given the level of those people before. But the child needs to be with his race... ’

Absorbed in my thoughts, I was awakened by the sudden cry of the child behind me. He had woken up from his sleep and was slowly writhing in tears.

With a start, I turned and ran to him. I immediately inspected his body to see if he was okay but nothing was wrong. I therefore understood that he was probably hungry.

I slowly took him with my legs and carried him towards me. Then, pressing against my abdomen, I let out a substance similar to milk and, with my spirit power, I carried that substance near the child's mouth.

Slowly, I let the liquid flow drop by drop into him and soon he became full and fell asleep again.

‘Fortunately he calmed down, otherwise I wouldn't have known what to do. For now, I'd say it's time to go to sleep. Then, I'll come back to where the bandit attack happened to see if there is someone who noticed that slaughter so that I could leave this baby to them.’

Thus, the spider with a human baby and two eggs by its side fell asleep in the thick spiderweb in the heart of the forest.

The following morning, the spider cautiously returned to the site of the massacre and laid in wait for the arrival of other humans.

It was around noon that she saw a large group of people. These had different types of iron armors and were equipped with various weapons. From their appearance, they seemed to be more mercenaries than soldiers of some army, given the diversity of their equipment.

They soon noticed the brutal scene in front of them. Since they were people who made their living making war, the view of this massacre didn't scare them, but the conditions in which some corpses were, worried them.

"Boss, we examined the corpses. This is certainly an attack by bandits on a group of merchants. But something must have attacked the bandits since we found a wagon full of goods. The bodies of the merchants show normal sword wounds and arrows. The problems are those of the bandits: they were done in half entirely with a single blow. In addition there is the corpse of a woman with a half-opened stomach and an umbilical cord sticking out." The soldier reported to the head of his venture company.

The boss, upon hearing this, frowned and dismounted, approaching the woman nearby the bandit's leader.

‘These wounds... can it be the work of some spirit beast? So why did it kill the bandits and then leaves the corpses? Furthermore, this is definitely a caesarean section, there is no way that a spirit beast has the intelligence to do it unless it is a high-grade spirit beast?!’

At this thought the mercenary leader shuddered at the terror of such an eventuality. He remembered very well the stories he heard as a child about the ancient era and the war of the massacre, especially the infernal beasts known as divine beasts.

‘No, no ... it can't be. The divine beasts have been extinct for millennia. Surely it has to be a human, and one high leveled too. Otherwise he wouldn't have left the load... but why did he leave the corpses like that, especially that of the woman?’

Unable to find a reason, the mercenary chief stood up and told his men. "Take some horses and tie them to the wagons. Pile the corpses of the bandits in one wagon and those of the merchants and the woman in another. We will take both of us with the cargo of goods."

Upon hearing the order of their leader, the mercenaries set to work without complaining.

Meanwhile, inside the forest, a dark figure was watching them from afar with his eight eyes.

‘It's a group of mercenaries. Judging by their actions, they don't seem to be bad people. If I left the child with them, I'm sure they would take him to the nearby city. Yet at the same time I don't want to part with him.’ The spider thought to herself as she watched the actions of the mercenaries.

She remained like that all the time and, even when the mercenaries had finished their task and were leaving, the spider remained motionless as she found herself unwilling to act.

Finally, watching the mercenaries disappear on the horizon, she turned around to return to the forest where she had her den.

'What have I done? What have I done? Why didn't I leave the child there with those mercenaries? Why is it so difficult to part with him?’ Throughout the journey towards her den, the spider had repeated these questions inside her head like a chant.

Her rational side was telling her to leave the human cub among his kind while another side was telling her, for some obscure reason, not to let that child go. Finally, after hours of reflection, she made her decision.

'I have decided. It is useless to think about it so much. I'll keep him with me and raise him as my son. I don't know the reason for this choice, but my instinct tells me not to let him go. If this is the case, I will become your mother. But to bring you up in this kind of environment, I need you to get stronger. I hope you won't hate me for this selfish choice in the future. In return I will give you all the love I am capable of, in the same way your mother would have done.’

With this, the spider extracted the same milk-like liquid from her abdomen. At the same time, with one of her legs, she injured her body and blew out a tiny drop of blood from which she took only a tiny fraction. Then she joined that small part to her milk-like liquid which took on a crimson color and gave it to the child to drink.

‘This will make you stronger but it will mark your future. It will probably bring you a lot of problems, but I'll raise you to make you strong enough to solve them. However, as long as I'm alive, you won't have to worry about getting hurt anyway. So, for now, you will grow up healthy and happy, then, when the time comes, I will teach you more about the world and about me.’

With this choice, the child's future was marked towards the tortuous path of cultivation. If this was a blessing or a curse, only time could reveal it.

 

Chapter 3 - Sisters
​

Slaughter of the Multicolor Leaf Forest.

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

This event had sparked a great uproar in Leaf City as it was a city far from war zones, so 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 massacre was the work of some powerful spirit beast spread among the common people.

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

However, at the same time the rumor that it was the work of some powerful martial artist who was passing there circulated too. Although this rumor was much more appreciated by people, 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 outer perimeter of the forest around the accident's area and blocking that stretch of road.

After several days of useless waiting and with the anxiety of the people who spurred on the beast to be taken out, the authorities gave the task to the guards dedicated to the city's management to send a team to explore inside the forest.

To help them in their feat, rewards were also set up for mercenaries and volunteers of all kinds who weren't afraid to enter that place.

So, after several meetings and arrangements, the exploration team was sent with the task of finding tracks of the beast and killing it. But in the end, their exploration was unsuccessful.

They scoured the outskirts of the forest without finding anything that might resemble the culprit who had probably escaped into the heart of the forest.

However, penetrating so deeply involved a very great risk for the soldiers and mercenaries who made up the team, and, although it wasn't an impossible undertaking, the price to be paid would have been high. Not even the proposed money could convince them to commit such madness. So they could do nothing but return back.

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

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

*

Three years after the Massacre of the Multicolor Leaf Forest

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

Although at first glance this was a rather common image, the place where he was, was far from being ordinary as a place to play. It was the heart of the Multicolor Leaf Forest where spirit beasts of various kinds could be found, many of which were dangerous to humans. But, even though there was an inviting morsel running around, none of the spirit beasts in the surroundings had the courage 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. And, after many deaths, they realized that it was better not to approach that area or try to attack that strange little animal that was protected by that monstrous creature that had spread death to anyone who tried 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 dresses that sparkled in the sunlight.

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

At that moment, he heard a strong sound and suddenly he heard a voice inside his head. To normal humans, this sound would have seemed only a series of incomprehensible noises produced by some beast, but for the child it was as clear 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 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 obviously the spirit beast spider who had saved him and 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 he could pass inside, which would then be closed during the hours of sleep.

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 pay attention. Anyway, it's time to eat, come.’

Hearing this, the child smiled happily and ran to hug his mother. Although the sight of a large spider like this would normally have frightened 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 which consisted of a fish along with some insects cooked on a small fire that had been lit on one side.

Although normally the fire would have destroyed the web, this was obviously not an ordinary spiderweb. Therefore, there was no fear that it would catch fire. There was also a large hole at the top that served to disperse the smoke, which would be closed during night, creating a totally 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 jumped and turned quickly looking in the direction of her two eggs sheltered in their silk bags. These were shaking vigorously as they continued to make such noises. Not long after, the silk bags were broken and two small spirit beasts came out from inside 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 great 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. The child with a little uncertainty did anyway what he was asked to do and approached.

The mother spider examined her two little ones and discovered that they were both female, then she 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. The little spider in turn stretched one of its legs while the little snake stuck its 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 would say that the time has come to give you your names. I thought about it a lot in these years, and finally I decided.’ The big spider said happily 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 the 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. Did 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-grade 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 do you say if I give you one? Since you are like a kind of treasure found by chance, I will call you Bao Bei. Abbreviated, Little Bei.’

Bao Bei, this was the name that had been given to her 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 the watchful and happy gaze of their mother.

*

A month had passed since the birth of Xing and Ye; 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. By now you have grown enough and the time has come for you to start your training. You have to learn to be more autonomous and learn to hunt to eat. Therefore, from now on, you will have to commit yourself to hunting the prey that I will request from you. Do you understand?’ Bao Bei asked with a serious expression as she shifted her eight eyes to her children.

Hunting, a fundamental action 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 danger. This is why mothers had the task of teaching children how to hunt, although this principle wasn't applied to all 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, so 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. Normally, it was their mother who was responsable 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 really 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. Bao Bei obviously refrained from revealing to them the reason 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 assess the situation well. If you decide to attack, then you must do so with the intention of ending their life immediately. Playing with the prey is something I absolutely 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. In order to survive, you have ended their life and the only way to honor them is by making full use of their body.’

Having finished saying this, Bao Bei proceeded to illustrate the various hunting tactics such as the use of vegetation to hide and ambush, preparing traps and various ways of attack to kill a prey.

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

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

‘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 get the webs out. 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 disconsolate 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 the same? 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 had still visibly red eyes from crying. ‘But I also want to hunt with Xing and Ye and with mom too. Why can't I just 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 sharp shape to have claws, while if you bite hard enough your teeth can become a weapon. For 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 me nor your sisters have. You have these hands here and 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 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 as he said excited and 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 own characteristics. Although I'm not a great expert, I have a basic understanding about 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 instruments 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.

 

Chapter 4 - Training and Molting
​

‘Before you start training with this weapon, you need to understand how it is made. The spear is a weapon composed of a long handle and a sharp pointed head. If we want to make a comparison, you can consider it as one of my legs.’ Bao Bei said as she lifted one of her legs and simulated a lunge with it in the air.

The mighty spider leg suddenly snapped, creating a rumble that made Hei flinch at her side. The power of this blow could be seen just by this effect. If she had struck an ordinary person, that force would have been enough to kill them instantly.

‘Spears can be made of various materials, the simplest are those made of wood that are also the lightest to handle, but they are at the same the most fragile. However, since you're still small, a wooden one is just fine, without considering that I'm not able to shape the metal, so it's the only choice at the moment. The spear is mainly used for direct combat from a mid-range distance, and the longer it is, the less are the chances of being reached by the enemy, given the range advantage. But a long spear has less maneuverability, so you will have to do a lot of practice, and in the future you will choose the length of your spear depending on how you prefer. In some cases, you can also throw the spear and hit the enemy from distance, but you have to think about it before doing it, because you would find yourself without a weapon.’ Bao Bei continued to explain.

This explanation, despite being difficult for a 3-year-old child, was understood by Hei. This was due not only to the fact that Hei was a very bright child for his age, but, above all, to the education's method his mother used on him.

In fact, as she was able to communicate mentally, since the day she decided to adopt him, Bao Bei had sent to him mental images combined with sound to make him learn as soon as possible how to talk and understand. Furthermore, whenever she explained something to Hei, she would always use such mental images in addition to her explanation so as to make him understand, even though he had no direct experience with such concepts or words.

Meanwhile Hei, who was listening fervently as he watched the various images that were being projected into his mind, was becoming increasingly attracted to the spear. The mere fact that it looked like a spider's leg made it the perfect weapon in his eyes.

It must be said that Hei, ever since he had begun to be aware of himself and his surroundings, had always wondered why he was so different from the creatures in the forest. Although there were beasts of different types, there were always at least several specimens of the same breed.

But he had never met anyone like him and this had started to worry him. Even though his mother still gave him all the love she could give him, and she never mentioned his different appearance, this wasn’t enough to completely dispel his anxiety that, with the birth of Xing and Ye, had increased even more.

However, today, this concern had finally disappeared. He trusted his mother and knowing from her that one day he would be able to become like them, gave him new vigor and hope. And hearing the description of the spear, he couldn’t help wishing to start using it as soon as possible.

Bao Bei, who had concluded the descriptive part of the spear, turned to look at Hei to see his reaction.

‘So what do you say, do you like it as a weapon?‘

‘Yes, I love it! I would like to start right away, can we?’

‘Sure, but first I have to get you a spear. Since it's your first spear and it's made of wood, then you can choose which tree you want your spear to come from.’

Hei, hearing that he could choose the tree from which his weapon would come out, smiled and immediately rushed to look around to see the most imposing and robust tree in the area.

The heart of the forest where they were at, since it was the entire forest's core, had much thicker vegetation than the outside area and the trees were older and more resistant. Choosing which one was the most robust was a difficult task.

'Where do I start? Mother said I can pick anyone but the trees look so much the same though. I really don't know what to choose...’ Hei thought to himself as he struggled to find the right tree.

Unable to see the difference in hardness between the trees, he decided to go according to their leaves color. In fact, although they were similar in the trunk, the trees had leaves of different colors from one another.

The tree that Hei chose was one with dark purple, dark green and dark blue leaves. He liked it because it had colors that weren’t bright and reminded him of the night.

Ever since he had received his name and known those of his two little sisters, he had begun to appreciate the night more than the day, despite Bao Bei still not allowing him to stay awake late into the night.

‘Mother, I want that one.‘ Hei said as he pointed at the chosen tree.

Bao Bei, seeing the tree indicated by Hei, couldn’t help but be happy inside her, immediately understanding the reason behind this choice, and approached the tree. Then, using a thread of spiderweb that she immediately produced, she broke off a large branch from that tree.

The branch that was about to fall to the ground was immediately taken by Bao Bei, who started working on it immediately, by cutting it at various points. It didn’t take long before the thick branch took the form of a spear, although slightly different from a normal spear, since the head, usually made of metal, was also made of wood.

When the spear was finished, Bao Bei placed it on the ground near Hei's feet to make him look closely.

‘Here, this is your spear. For now you can use this, in the future we'll see if we can find you a metal one when you grow up, okay?’

‘Yes, thank you mother. I'm really happy, thank you very much.’

Full of happiness, Hei ran to hug his mother. Hei stayed in that position for a while because he was overwhelmed by the emotions of happiness and gratitude and wanted to show his thanks in that way. Bao Bei who had guessed what was on his mind, let him do it and waited patiently for him to calm down.

Once he calmed down, Hei set his eyes on the spear resting on the ground. Meanwhile, even Xing and Ye, intrigued by what was happening, had come closer to observe the strange object on the ground.

Spurred on by his mother, Hei took the spear in his own hands and raised it from the ground. Although it was made of wood, for a 3-year-old, it had a considerable weight. Furthermore, since it had a length of 1 meter, it was rather difficult for Hei to maneuver it, considering he had just a meter and few centimetres of height.

Seeing him take the spear, Bao Bei was overwhelmed by a flurry of emotions and memories but she suppressed them for the moment.

From the day she decided to take him with her and started giving him her blood from time to time, Hei's future had been shaped toward becoming a martial artist. So it was too late to regret this choice. Moreover, the spear wasn’t in itself evil, but it could become so depending on the purpose for which the user used it.

Bao Bei wanted Hei to learn to use the spear in order to be able to protect himself and his two little sisters. She also trusted him fully - a human being raised by a spiritual beast that wanted to be like them.

For Bao Bei, Hei represented the opportunity to realize the old dream of his deceased companion. But her mother's instincts held her back because she didn't want to impose such a cruel fate on her child. She wanted him to choose his destiny and she would accept whatever he chose.

Leaving aside this storm of thoughts, Bao Bei hastened herself to explain how to hold the spear and the various basic attacks that could be used.

Because she was a spirit beast, she didn’t know precisely the various techniques that could be used with the spear but, having fought against humans and demons for a long time, she knew how this weapon was generally used and she planned to pass her knowledge to Hei. However, she knew that in order for Hei to learn to use the spear properly, he had to learn the technique from other humans and fight real battles. But for the moment it was still too early.

Hei, while he was waving his spear as indicated by his mother, was finding difficult to move it like he wanted. But he didn't give up - he knew it would be difficult, but the thought of looking like his mother spurred him on.

‘Keep it up Hei, train with it every day and in future you will see that you will be familiar with it. Xing, Ye, come with me. Meanwhile, let us resume your workouts, you have to put the same commitment as your big brother into training, alright?’

‘Yes, we will do our best. Promised.’ Said in chorus the little spider and the little snake.

Both of them saw that Hei was working hard and they didn't want to be outdone. They were also getting excited about learning to use their skills and they wanted to quickly be able to use them.

To increase their survival skills, Bao Bei also decided to make them undergoing, in addition to training their hunting skills, a physical training to improve their bodies.

This training was quite simple and consisted of exercises like running and using their bodies to simulate blows in the air - for Xing her spider legs, for Ye her tail, for Hei a mix of punches and kicks. After all, for a spirit beast, the body was a fundamental aspect that had to be strengthened absolutely. Even for humans it was valid this concept, especially for those who fought often.

This hard training regime soon began to become a habit in the life of Hei and his two little sisters. Although it was tiring, they still practiced hard every day under the strict supervision of Bao Bei who, despite being very strict in their education, became increasingly proud of their improvements.

*

It had been a month since the start of their training and they began to see the results of their training slightly, which spurred the three of them to want to increase their training hours.

However, Bao Bei categorically refused to increase their training load by telling them that, in order to get stronger, they needed an adequate quantity of rest.

To make sure they rested enough, she began to force them to sleep after lunch, making them stay inside their den and sleeping with them to make sure they didn't run away somewhere.

It was during one of these afternoon naps that it happened.

As Bao Bei slept with her three cubs beside her, she suddenly felt gasps nearby. Looking down, she noticed that Xing and Ye were writhing in their sleep and then they suddenly woke up scared.

‘Mother, what's going on? I feel something pinching all over me.’ Ye said with fearful eyes. It was the first time she felt such a sensation and she didn’t understand why. Turning around, she saw that Xing was also in the same condition and she started to get even more panic-stricken.

‘Ye, Xing, calm down. Everything is alright. Listen to me, okay? Everything will be alright.’ She tried to cheer them up as Bao Bei examined their condition. In an instant, she immediately recognized what was wrong and hastened to explain to them.

‘Calm yourselves, there is nothing to be afraid of. You are simply molting.’

'Molting?'

‘Yes, practically every now and then, when you grow up, you have to take out a part of your body to become bigger. For Xing it's her exoskeleton, while for you, Ye, it's your skin.’

‘And does it take a lot?‘

‘Well, it depends. But it is an important process and it shouldn’t be rushed. So stay calm and let the molting continue. It is important that you complete it properly and throw away every single old part of your body. You have also to remember that the molting should be done only if you are in a safe place.’

With these words, Ye and Xing calmed down a bit, even if they were still a little afraid for the new experience. However, they decided to listen to their mother and let the moulting process take its course.

Meanwhile Hei who had woken up from the bustle in the den, stood by his two little sisters with a careful look.

‘Mother, will I also mute as Xing and Ye?‘

‘For you, Hei, it's a different case. You don't need to molt, but it's a good think, you know? Molting is a dangerous process to do if you don't have someone to protect you. You have to stand still and if you move a little, you can cause a bad molting with serious consequences. For this reason, from now on, you will have to help your little sisters when they molt, okay?’

‘Yes, mother. I'll protect them.’

Seeing the frightened faces of Ye and Xing and feeling that the molting was dangerous, Hei for the first time thought it was okay to be different from them. Especially, since he would be able to protect his two sisters during these times. Then, thinking back to his mother, he said, ‘And you mother? Don't you molt? I never remember seeing you do it.’

‘Good boy, you have watchful eyes. As for me, I also have to molt but not as much as Xing and Ye. They were born recently and they grow fast. So they will often have to molt. I am already in the adult phase and, therefore, I don't have to do it so frequently. I also have some control over this process, so I can decide when to do it. When the time will come, you will have to protect me, okay?’

As she was saying this, Bao Bei put one of her legs down to caress Hei's head. Happy to be able to help his mother, Hei focus himself on the two that were molting. Under the Bao Bei's guidance, he occasionally helped Xing and Ye in the molting, cutting off the parts that were being thrown away with his two hands.

Three hours passed before the moulting process ended. Xing and Ye, exhausted, were laid on one side by Beo Bei while, helped by Hei, she used some water to clean them. The two of them then went to sleep after the grueling process.

In the meantime, Hei was curious about the wastes resulting from the molting. For some reason he found them very beautiful and asked his mother.

‘Mother, what do we do with these? Can I keep them?’

‘And what would you like to do?‘

‘I don't know... but it would be a waste to throw them away.’

‘You are right, how about eating them then?’

To this answer Hei was stunned. He didn't think these wastes could be eaten. Seeing him speechless, Bao Bei hastened to say.

‘The moulting process is very tiring and consumes a lot of energy. So it happens to become hungry after finishing it, and being in the wild without energy is very dangerous. Therefore sometimes eating one's own molting becomes necessary. But don't worry, it tastes good if you cook it first with the fire.’

Convinced by his mother, Hei decided to help her with preparing food. In the end, they opted to prepare Xing and Ye’s molting together with a couple of rabbits caught in the morning. Obviously, as Bao Bei knew that humans had trouble eating raw food, since Hei had become able to eat solid food, she had always prepared cooked food for him and this habit was also passed to Xing and Ye.

Soon, a fragrant smell was transmitted in the den which awakened the two little creatures who were sleeping. Being still exhausted by the molting, they were more hungry than ever. Together with their mother and their brother, they put themselves in a circle around the fire. Then, the whole family ate together to recover from that hard day.

 

Chapter 5 - Encounter​

It had been 3 years since Hei, Xing and Ye had started their hunting and physical training sessions. These workouts all consisted of simple exercises and capturing small preys, and therefore they didn’t represent a danger to the three of them, especially since they had been constantly monitored by their mother.

However, even if they were nothing special, these exercises changed their physical appearance, strengthening their builds.

Among them, Hei was the one that showed the most changes of all. In fact, unless they lived in a particular situation, human children would have been allowed to grow carefree and without any particular imposition by adults, and, only when they were older, would they receive training, depending on what their parents wanted them to become.

However, the fact that he started training at just three years old allowed him to stand out from a normal child as he had an unusually tall and sturdy body for his age.

As far as Ye and Xing were concerned, since they were spirit beasts and so it was normal that they were trained from an early age, even if not with such a regime, they didn't show any particular physical changes besides a size increase of a few centimeters due to the various molts performed during the years. But they were still more resistant and snappy than when they were just born.

Finally, their mother, Bao Bei, hadn't changed at all during this period. Obviously, having long since entered adulthood, even though she had once molted in these three years, she hadn’t however grown up, unlike her two daughters. But you could notice a certain tiredness in her eyes that wasn't visible before.

In fact, in the last few months she had slightly loosened her constant supervision over her children, occasionally allowing herself moments of rest where Hei, Xing and Ye could play freely even though they were still forbidden to go outside their designated area.

And today was one of these rare moments of fatigue when Bao Bei would fall asleep.

They were in a small pond in the east side of the forest. This place was the same place where Bao Bei had brought the newly born Hei to clean him from the amniotic fluid and blood. It was also a place where they occasionally went to collect water and take a bath.

Consequently, Hei and his two little sisters had learned to know the area rather well and it was for this reason that Bao Bei felt that she could give herself a little rest even if they were not at home, since there wasn't’ the danger that her children would get lost somewhere. She trusted them and she knew she couldn't always control them. As long as they didn't come out the designated area, everything would be fine.

But, unfortunately, children, for one reason or another, didn’t always follow the rules imposed by adults, even if they were educated and devout children like Hei. Indeed, precisely because they were so, it happened that they violated the rules imposed on them.

In fact, Hei had recently noticed his mother's growing sense of tiredness and he began to worry about it. He had tried to ask Bao Bei, but she had always told him that everything was going well, which worried him even more because he felt subconsciously that his mother wasn't telling him the truth not to worry him.

Determined to alleviate their mother's tiredness a little, Hei elaborate a plan with Xing and Ye taking advantage of the fact that they would go to the lake and that their mother would relax a little in the warm sunlight.

‘Listen, now that mother is sleeping it's our chance. We need to act as quickly as possible before she wakes up so we can surprise her, okay?’ Hei said slowly, fearing that they could be heard.

‘Yes, that's fine. But how do we divide the tasks? If we want to capture as many preys as possible before mother wakes up, we should split up and enlarge the reaserch area.’ (Ye)

‘Won't mother get angry if we go too far? Even if we know the place, this applies only to the part around the pond. Won't it be dangerous if we do as you say?’ (Xing)

‘Xing, if we don't take risks we will never catch the preys. Even mother tells us that there are times when you have to risk.’ (Ye)

‘It is true, but she also says that we need to analyze the situation well before acting and it is better not to act than to act rashly.‘ (Xing)

Listening to his sisters arguing heatedly, Hei couldn't help but smile. In these years, in addition to an increase in size, the most notable change in the two of them was the formation of their personalities. With the accumulation of time and experience, two distinct characters had formed in them.

Xing was shy and she always prefer to deal with things prudently, not wanting to go into dangerous situations and instead preferring to analyze carefully before acting. Ye, on the other hand, was more impulsive and lively. She preferred to deal with things openly without making too many problems about it.

As a result, this diversity sometimes generated small discussions, usually about how they should act to hunt a prey. But, even if they were so different from each other and they happened to argue, the two of them still had a very strong bond that united them and every night they would fall asleep next to each other.

Hei, on the other hand, had similarities with both - he always analyzed the situation before acting, but if he saw that there was a good chance, he would decide to act even if the result wasn't 100% insured. Therefore it happened that he had to mediate between the two of them during these quarrels.

At that point, Hei decided to intervene to interrupt the discussion between his two sisters to avoid wasting further time, ’Ok, that's enough. We've already lost enough time. We will split like this: Xing, you will take care of the insects in the area while you, Ye, will try to catch fish in the pond while being careful to stay close to the shore. If you prefer,.you can try to get some mouses in the surroundings. I will instead go on a patrol, and I will go deeper in the forest. From what mother told me, from this position we are near the eastern edge of the forest, so there shouldn’t be problems. I recommend you to pay attention and not to be discovered by mother before I return.’

With this, the different roles were decided and finally the discussion between the little spider and the little snake subsided. Although Xing was worried that Hei wanted to go to other areas and Ye was disappointed that she couldn't go with him, the two of them decided to do as he said.

Ever since they were born, they had always considered Hei as their older brother and would always follow what Hei asked them to do. They also had full faith in him - although he was so different from them, he always had showed deep affection towards them, and during training he always put in the maximum effort to improve even if he didn't have the advantages they had.

Leaving his two sisters and his mother behind, Hei began to go deeper into the forest. In his two hands he was helding the wooden spear that had been given to him by his mother. Although it had become somewhat worn out, it still retained its sharpness and by now Hei had become attached to this weapon.

In order not to get lost, he decided to mark the trunk of some trees with his weapon, continuing in a straight line. Although he had never been to this part of the forest, he knew it wasn't that different from the other areas. Therefore, following the traces he left, it wouldn’t been difficult to return. Obviously, since he had been raised in this forest, there was no danger that he would get lost into the trees and the dense vegetation, and that he couldn't find the signs he made.

After having advanced cautiously but with a firm step, keeping all his senses alert, Hei suddenly noticed a strange noise coming from a bush on his right. Hearing this, he immediately hurried to crouch while holding the spear with his left hand and taking a little bit of earth with his right hand, forming a ball.

As he was left-handed, Hei always tended to leave his spear in his left hand when he didn’t grasp it with his two hands. However, when it came to throwing things, including his weapon, he would always use his right hand. Strangely, although the left one was his dominant arm and had more strength than the right one, with it he couldn’t throw as well as with his right arm.

Once the ball of earth was formed, Hei threw it against the bush to flush out the creature inside it. This, when struck by the small earth ball, made a strange noise and came out of its hiding place, becoming visible.

It was a multicolored hare. They were called that because they had a mixture of different colors and they were very famous because their meat was said to be very nutritious and light, suitable for those who were sick. But even though they were so famous, it was difficult to capture them because they were fast and small, so they could sneak into even small cracks.

Seeing that it was a multicolored hare, Hei's eyes lit up. This animal was the perfect prey to bring to his mother who, despite not being sick, was still suffering from a lack of strength.

Struggling to remain calm, Hei tried to get closer slowly to be able to sink his spear into the hare. However, the animal proved to be faster than expected. Seeing him approach, the hare wasted no time lingering in that position and escaped.

Seeing that it was running away, Hei immediately pursued it. Although he would normally have analyzed first whether it was appropriate to pursue a prey in unknown territory, his desire to be useful to his mother and helping her were clouding his mind and not allowing him to reason with a cool head.

A peculiar feature of Hei was that he was very attached to his family and would do anything to protect them. But this deep affection, despite being his strongest point, also represented a flaw because, as on this occasion, it didn’t allow him to be totally rational and cool-headed.

In fact, he ended up going too far from his previously determined research area, and was nearing too close to the edge of the forest. And it was just as he was about to reach the hare that suddenly he noticed a kneeling figure that was busy to pick up what looked like mushrooms.

It was a young girl about 12 years old. She had a fair complexion, although with a slight tan due to frequent exposure to the sun, with long brown hair. She wore a simple brown robe and she held in her two arms a small basket where she had placed the various mushrooms she had found.

Seeing her, Hei was like he had been struck by a lightning. He immediately forgot about the hare that was running away and stopped to look at the girl.

It was the first time he saw a creature like her; or rather, it was the first time he saw a creature like him.

Although it no longer represented a source of concern, the fact that there were no creatures like him had always remained a mystery. His mother had never answered him adequately, changing the subject each time. Treating it as a simple curiosity, Hei also decided not to investigate further since it wasn’t something so important anyway.

Yet, being now faced with someone like him, that simple curiosity flared up again in his heart in search of answers.

The girl who was at first frightened by the loud noise and Hei’s abrupt appearance, calmed down herself when she saw it was just a child. From the appearance it seemed to be a 7-8 years old child but it was his clothes that intrigued her the most - silvery white silk dressed from head to toe.

This luster was clear evidence of the quality of these garments. Wondering if he was the son of some important person due to the clothes, she asked Hei in a gentle voice, "Hi, are you here alone? Where are your mom and dad? Did you lose them?"

When Hei heard her spoke, the words the girl said had no meaning to him and they were nothing but a bunch of distorted sounds. Sensing that she was trying to communicate with him, Hei tried to do as usual by communicating with the method his mother had taught him.

The girl suddenly heard a series of strange noises similar to those of an animal. Frightened by this phenomenon, she fell to the ground from her squatting position wondering what was that.

While Hei didn't understand why the girl had fallen to the ground when he spoke to her, suddenly he heard a loud noise resounding inside him.

Frightened, he immediately understood that it was his mother and she had discovered that he had moved into an area where he was not supposed to go.

Finally, realizing that this time he had really made a huge mess, he turned abruptly and disappeared into the forest, leaving the young girl on the ground in a daze, while from behind her rose her father's voice who was calling her from afar.

Following the sound of his mother's voice, Hei finally managed to return to the lake from which he had left. There, he could see his mother beside a frightened Xing and a frightened Ye due to the fact that they had disobeyed their mother's order.

'Where have you been? Why did you disobey what I ordered you by even going to places you don't know? Did you even got your two sisters involved in this?! Do you have any idea how you made me worry and how dangerous and stupid was what you did?’

Bao Bei was furious. She didn't expect Hei to be, who was usually the most responsible among the three of them, to one to have broken her orders and done something so dangerous. But above all, it was a rage due to fear. Fear that something would happen to Hei and she would lose him forever.

Hei, frightened by the shouts of his mother, began to cry and was barely able to tell why he had done this.

Listening to the reason behind his action, Bao Bei was stunned. She didn't expect her to be the reason for this foolish plan and she felt horrible since she indirectly placed her son in danger. With her anger slightly subsided, she approached Hei and pulled him near to calm him down.

'Everything is alright. I understand, there is no need to cry. Now, calm down, okay?’

Seeing his mother no longer as angry as before, Hei along with Xing and Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Then, taking advantage of her not being so angry, while he was still continuing to crying, Hei decided to tell his mother about the meeting he had int the forest.

‘Mother, I know I was wrong and I'm sorry. But while I was chasing a multicolored hare, I saw a creature like me. It wasn't like the other animals in the forest and it wore clothes like me.’ Hei said with excitement, starting to forget that he had been scolded just a moment ago.

Hearing this, Bao Bei shuddered. Suddenly she felt something breaking insider her, as the worries she had always kept within herself came out.

Holding back herself with difficulty, she told her children, ‘Let's go home first. Once we arrive at home, we will have to talk about various things and you will have to listen extremely careful, all right?’

Thus, without waiting for their response, she turned to head for home while Hei, Xing and Ye followed behind her, confused by their mother's behavior.

 

Chapter 6 - Truth
​

The distance from the lake to their den wasn’t so far away, so it didn't take them long to get home, considering they were going at a brisk pace.

All the way, Bao Bei didn't say a single word to Hei, Xing and Ye, and they were too scared and nervous to say something.

They didn't know exactly why their mother was behaving this way, but they instinctively sensed that it was better not to ask questions for the moment.

Once at the den, Bao Bei positioned herself in the center and she momentarily closed her eight eyes. With her eyes closed, she said to her children, ‘Come here near me.’ Then, seeing that they hadn’t moved yet, she added, ‘Be at ease, as I told you before, I just want to talk to you. There are important things i want to talk about and you have to listen carefully, okay?’

Noting that she was back to normal, Hei and his two sisters were delighted and prepare themselves to do as their mother had said. Since they still had some fear and remorse, Xing positioned herself on Hei's head while Ye rolled up around his neck instead.

This was an arrangement they had invented to move around together while hunting. After all, it wasn’t always better to split up to reach a goal as they could be in danger alone, and since Xing and Ye weren’t very large, they could be easily hidden and not to be noticed in that way.

Seeing the little spider and the little snake climbing Hei's body with agility, Bao Bei couldn't help but smile inside herself.

Even if she was angry about what they had done this time, she couldn’t deny that she was happy that the three of them were becoming more and more inseparable, and she hoped that they could remain united forever as they were today.

'Well then. I will begin by reiterating, first of all, that what you did was absolutely stupid and reckless. If I gave you rules, it's because there is a reason behind these rules. But, since you've already apologized, I'll let you go this time. But just for this occasion, try not to forget, okay?’

Feeling that they had been officially forgiven, the three of them could loosen their tension while they became curious about what their mother could want to talk so seriously if it wasn't because of what they had done.

‘The thing I want to talk to you about is the creature that you, Hei, saw in the forest. The one similar to you.' At this point, Bao Bei paused to think carefully about how to chose her words.

There were things she wanted to say but at the same time she didn't want to do it, and things that shouldn’t have been spoken about yet for the moment.

Meanwhile, Hei became full of excitement because he knew his mother was going to answer the question he had asked himself for so long.

‘What you saw was a human being. Or to be precise, a female specimen called woman while you are a male specimen called man.’

‘Human being?’ Hei echoed perplexed.

Although he had knowledge of the concept of male and female and therefore immediately understood what the words man and woman meant, he couldn’t well grasp the meaning of the words “human being”.

‘Yes, human being. As I told you long ago, there are so many existing species. For example, Xing is a spider while Ye is a snake. The totality of all animal type's species are called spirit beasts. Human beings are a collection of specimens different from spirit beasts and, although they are very similar to each other, they are at the same time different from one another. Besides them, there is a third group called demons. They are similar to humans, but they have horns of various sizes and differ, like humans, from one another.’

Human beings, spirit beasts, demons.

These were totally new terms that, for the young minds of Hei, Xing and Ye, were difficult to understand. Fortunately, Bao Bei was talking to them mentally, projecting various images into their heads to make the explanation more understandable.

‘As I told you before, the one you met is a female human being. Depending on age, humans can be divided further, as well as by gender. As you described her to me, she seemed to be a young girl. You instead, since you are still small, you are called a child.’

Hei, listening to all this new information, couldn't help but become absorbed in his mother's explanation. At last, his curiosity was being filled, but at the same time this was getting bigger and bigger.

‘And why I haven’t seen a human being until today? Here it is full of creatures, though.’

‘It is because human beings and spirit beasts tend to live usually in different places, far from each other. Furthermore, human beings are individuals who prefer to live together with those of their species rather than live with those of other species.’

To this, Hei suddenly became sad. Humans lived with their fellows and there were no traces of them here. According to this reasoning, Hei shouldn’t live here but with other humans, away from his mother and his two little sisters.

Ye and Xing, taking the meaning of this phrase, jumped from fright and they clung even closer to Hei saying in chorus, ‘No, Hei will remain here! He's our big brother, his place is with us!’

‘Of course he stays here. It's natural. I said before, in fact, “usually”, but Hei is a special case. Moreover, even if he is human, it doesn’t mean that something has to change. Hei is and always will be a member of this family in the same way as you are. Do you understand?'

The three of them, heartened by the words of Bao Bei, exulted in happiness. For a moment, they had feared that being different could separate them.

The concept of diversity, although it was a present and undeniable thing, was something that was up to individuals to decide whether to let this affect their relationships with others.

‘As for communicating, humans use what is called language, which is composed of words. To give you an example, they are similar to the sounds I taught you to communicate, and each of these words has a meaning of its own. If you don’t know their language, it becomes difficult to communicate with them. That's why, when you talked to that girl, she couldn't understand you.’

‘So, if I learned this so-called language, would I be able to communicate with them, right, mother?’

‘We spirit beasts cannot speak using our voices like humans, but it is possible to converse using their language through the mind. But, since you are a human, it isn't necessary for you to resort to this expedient. Not to mention that, at the moment, you three are able to talk to each other with your minds, besides the sounds produced with you bodies, only because I act as an intermediary. To do it yourselves, you need what is called spirit power, but for you it is still too early to talk about it in detail.’

Although Bao Bei had decided to tell the truth about the outside world and the creatures that lived there, she thought it wasn't necessary to say everything in this moment. Indeed, she could produced a negative result by mentioning everything right now.

Spirit power was a power that had to be handled carefully, otherwise the risk of internal injuries was possible. Considering their curiosity, Hei, Ye and Xing could seriously injured themselves without realizing the danger of their actions while trying to stimulate their spirit power that hadn’t still formed.

The fact of today had also reinforced this conviction. Although they looked mature for their age, they were still cubs for their ages and it was better that they proceeded cautiously.

At this point, Bao Bei asked Hei the question that she had held all this time. The question she most feared to ask.

‘Hei, listen to me and tell me the truth. Now that you know about humans, do you want to meet them again?’

This question made Xing and Ye stunned and they hastened to look at Hei. He also was surprised by his mother's question, but seeing the serious eyes of Bao Bei, Hei finally answered.

‘I want to stay with you, Xing and Ye. I don't want to go and live away from you with other humans. But I want to know how these humans are, and what's special about them. Maybe I can learn something useful in order to protect all you in the future.’ Hei confessed with a smile.

He actually wanted to get to know humans and learn more about them, but it was only out of curiosity. As interesting and attractive as they could be, they weren’t in the least able to make him dissuade from being with his family.

When Bao Bei listened to this, she could finally put her heart at rest and replied, ‘Alright. Since you want to know more, I will give you permission to visit them. However, you will go with Xing and Ye each time and you will be able to stay there for a limited period of time, and you won’t have to reveal anything about our house and that you live in the forest, okay?’

Hei, who thought his mother would never have consented to his request, looked at Bao Bei in amazement before answering, ‘Sure mother. I'll always take Xing and Ye with me and I'll do as you ask. We will no longer disobey your rules, thank you so much mother. ’

He ran to hug his mother in excitement. He had obtained in the end the permission to visit the place where the humans lived and to learn about them. Although it was only for a short time during the day, it was still sufficient for Hei since he considered his home being the one in the forest.

Ye and Xing were also very excited and worried at the same time. They were happy for their brother and they were curious about these human beings with an external appearance like Hei. But, at the same time, they were worried about having to go to an unknown place full of creatures they didn't know.

The reason why Bao Bei had chosen to send them together, instead of just sending Hei alone, was because, in her heart, she knew that Hei's response of this time was due to the fact that he didn't know and hadn't really interacted with humans.

Sending him along with his two little sisters was her way of always reminding him that he had a family near him waiting for him.

It was also a good thing that Xing and Ye could learn about human society. Moreover, if they wanted to remain with Hei, it was inevitable that they had to learn how to behave with humans, in the same way Hei had learned to live with spirit beasts.

‘I know you're excited and all, but it's still too early to send you to talk to humans. First, I have to do a reconnaissance to find out if they are dangerous or not for you, then you have to learn to speak human language that I will teach you. The only problem is that the human language can differ from area to area and from era to era. I'm not sure that the one I know it's the same as the one used by these humans near the forest, but we can give it a try, and eventually think about a solution if they are different.’

With this, a new session was started in Hei, Xing and Ye's daily training. In fact, in addition to the classic training of hunting and physical strengthening, Bao Bei would teach them various aspects of the human culture she had learned during her life, hoping that these customs were still valid, since she didn’t know which area she was in or how long had passed.

 

I hope this is not a harem

 

Very nice! Keep up the good work