OP Absorption
Chapter 53: Castle

Chapter 53: Castle

They walked for hours.

The forest didn’t change. No monsters. No sounds beyond the rustle of leaves and the occasional birdcall, which somehow made everything worse.

It was too quiet. Too... prepared. Like they were being watched. Like the Queen already knew they were coming and wanted them to arrive.

Fin noticed it first—the tension shifting. It wasn’t about the monsters anymore.

It was him.

Arachne walked beside him in silence, her posture hunched and unsteady. But her silence was not submission. She wasn’t afraid of the woods.

Just the people behind them.

"They’re going to kill you," she said suddenly.

Fin didn’t look at her. "Shut up."

"I mean it." Her voice stayed low, steady. "They’re planning it. I’ve seen it before. Dozens of times. Humans turning on the strong one when they’re no longer in control."

"You don’t know anything about them."

"I’ve been in this dungeon longer than you’ve been alive," she muttered. "I’ve seen how humans act when power scares them. They’ll let you lead until they think they can take it back. Then they’ll cut your throat while you sleep."

He stopped walking.

He didn’t turn, didn’t react, but his grip on her arm tightened for a second. Just a second. Then he kept walking.

"I said shut up," he repeated, quieter this time.

She went silent again, but her eyes gleamed with something between pity and victory. She could smell it on him—doubt, buried deep but rising.

Behind them, the others were speaking in hushed tones. Always just out of earshot. Always watching his back. His new senses picked up their scent: nervousness. Uncertainty.

He told himself they were just afraid of what waited in the castle.

But he knew better.

When they finally crested the ridge, the trees fell away, revealing the final stretch of land between them and the castle. A wide, empty field of black grass. Flat. No cover. No movement.

The castle loomed at the far end, its spires stabbing into the now-cloudy sky. It hadn’t looked that close from the forest. Now, it felt impossibly far.

Mary stepped up beside him, her gaze locked on the dark structure.

"No guards," she said.

"No nothing," Gary added. "Not even traps?"

"That’s the trap," Lucas said quietly.

Hana stayed at the back, as always, her hand resting lightly on the hilt of her sword. Her eyes never left Fin.

"Why do I feel like we’ve already lost?" Joe muttered.

"No one’s stopping us," Susan said, voice flat. "That’s not mercy. It’s confidence."

Fin didn’t speak. He stepped forward, letting the wind shift around him. The field smelled of ash and old blood, barely masked under the scent of earth.

"We move," he said.

The others hesitated.

"Wait," Mary said. "Fin—before we go down there. We need to talk."

He didn’t stop walking.

"Fin," she repeated. "If we’re going into the Queen’s castle, we need to know where you stand."

"I’m standing right here," he said.

"You know that’s not what I mean."

He turned then. Slowly. His eyes were darker than before. Not glowing. Not inhuman. Just... empty.

"I’ve done everything to get us here. I killed for it. I bled for it. You’re alive because of me."

Mary’s expression didn’t change. "We know that. But power changes people."

His eyes flicked toward Hana for just a second, then back to Mary. "So you’re all what now? Afraid I’ll turn into the boss?"

"No," Lucas said, stepping up. "We’re afraid you already have."

That one stung. But Fin didn’t show it.

He looked at them—really looked. Gary, tense but uncertain. Susan, already half-convinced. Joe and Lucas, both shaken but loyal in their own way. Mary, calm but suspicious. And Hana...

She wasn’t even hiding it anymore. Her fingers were tapping on the handle of her sword. Counting.

Arachne watched all of them with quiet satisfaction.

He took a breath, then let it out. "You want to kill me," he said. Not a question.

No one answered.

"Fine," he said, and turned back toward the castle. "Wait until after the Queen. If I’m still a problem, you can try."

Then he kept walking.

And they followed.

Because he was right—again. The castle wouldn’t wait. And if they hesitated now, they’d die before they even touched the gates.

The field seemed to stretch as they moved, like walking in a dream. Every step dragged. Every sound seemed to vanish. Even the wind died.

Halfway across, Arachne stumbled. Fin caught her before she hit the ground.

"You’ll kill yourself trying to keep up," he muttered.

"Wouldn’t that make it easier for you?" she rasped.

"Don’t flatter yourself," he said, but he didn’t let go of her arm.

The gates came into view. They were open. No locks. No guards.

It felt like an invitation.

And a challenge.

They reached the threshold.

Nobody spoke. Not Fin. Not the others.

Then, quietly, Susan muttered, "Let’s finish this."

And they stepped into the Queen’s castle. The hallway swallowed them.

Dark stone walls stretched high, lit by flickering sconces that cast long, distorted shadows. Everything smelled of old iron, incense, and dried blood.

No guards. No monsters. Just silence.

They moved slowly, weapons drawn. Every footstep echoed too loudly. The floor was clean. Polished. Like it had been waiting for them.

The walls were lined with paintings—massive, oil-dark, and unsettling. Each one showed the Queen.

Not the Queen as they imagined her—but as a conqueror.

In one, she stood atop a mountain of corpses, her spider legs spread wide, eyes glowing like embers. In another, she tore through a line of armored knights, webbing dragging screaming men into the air. There were no heroes in these murals. Just victories.

Arachne slowed. Her steps grew uneven, her arms twitching slightly.

Fin glanced down at her. "What is it?"

She didn’t answer at first. Her eyes were wide, staring at the nearest painting—a scene of the Queen impaling what looked like another of her own kind.

"My Queen..." she whispered. "She’s watching."

He stopped walking. The others bunched up behind him.

"What do you mean watching?" Mary asked sharply.

"I am bound to her," she said, her voice shaking now. "We are all part of her. But this bond... it’s pulling tight. She knows I’ve betrayed her. She’s—"

She doubled over suddenly, clutching her head. Her legs buckled.

Fin caught her again.

"She’s furious," she hissed. "I can feel it through the bond. Not angry. Enraged. I’ve never—never felt this before."

Gary raised his hammer. "Then maybe we kill you before she decides to turn you into a beacon."

"No," Fin snapped. "She’s not a tracker—she’s bait. The Queen already knows we’re here. She’s just... waiting."

"For what?" Lucas asked.

Fin looked ahead. The hallway stretched on, curving slightly. The air was thicker now. Warmer. Like breath against skin.

"For us to see how this ends."

He let go of Arachne, but she stayed kneeling. Shaking. Her spider limbs scratched lightly against the floor.

"She’ll take control if I weaken," she murmured. "If she forces herself through me, you’ll know."

"What happens then?" Joe asked, already gripping his dagger tighter.

"I die," she said. "Or you do. Maybe both."

No one replied.

They kept moving.

The next mural was different. It showed the Queen on a throne made of bone and silk, flanked by what looked like her children. Hundreds of them. But one figure knelt alone at her feet. Smaller. Familiar.

Arachne.