Trapped in the den of the giant spider, I refuse to let our story end here...!

The spider lunges for us, ready to dive in with its fangs. I dodge out of the way, getting a glimpse of the creature's true scale as it narrowly misses us.

...I'm as big as it's head.

No wonder I never saw this thing in my years here-- it must've grown so big that it couldn't leave its own den, preying instead upon the unlucky souls who find themselves lost in the labyrinthine caves. I'd almost feel bad for it, if not for the fact it's actively trying to kill us.

Another lunge-- dodged.

Okay, Penelope. What do we do here? It's intelligent enough to know to block us from escaping, so we have to do something. We can't just keep dodging forever, especially since my wings aren't giving me nearly as much of a vertical advantage as when I fought off Crimson Black. I need to put myself on the offensive.

I take a deep breath, spraying out fire in an attempt to scare it off. Sure, I'm being dwarfed by it, but to state the obvious, it's not exactly pleasant being set on fire.

...

It hardly even reacts. It's as if I barely raised the heat of the room.

The spider chirps out in rhythmic fashion. Is... is it laughing at us? After calming down, it takes another lunge, which I dodge by deftly--

"Gahh!!"

--flying into the tapestry of web it was luring me towards.

"I c-can't... move!" I struggle and struggle to break free, to no avail.

"Hold on, I'll get ya out, sis!" Khil swings at the webs, breaking them off one by one. She's barely making any progress, however, given the density of the webbing and the speed I took flying into them.

...The spider begins approaching, taking a prolonged stride as if to play with us. It knows we can't break free.

"It's not working...!" An idea pops into my head. "H-hey, get off and run to safety. I've got an idea."

"Are you sure...?" Khil asks, still half-heartedly swinging in an attempt to break me free.

"Trust me."

She hops off, keeping a distance from the spider but still choosing to stay within the den. Of course she'd stick by my side. That's what she's done our entire lives. ...She's being foolish, but it means a lot to me.

Okay, Penelope. The spider's nearly here. Deep breath in...

I send out a miniature inferno, spraying fire directly onto the webbing. Get ready for your house to become the biggest fireplace in Arethon, spider...!

...

...

It's-

It's not catching ablaze. The webbing isn't catching ablaze.

It's melting, at least-- meaning aside from the burns I'll be giving myself I'll still be able to get free, at least, but the spider's right at my face.

D-dammit! Shame on me for trusting fiction, I guess. I genuinely thought the webs would catch on fire. Maybe if they were covered in dust, then maybe...

Whatever. ...Whatever. I'm about to become spider food, aren't I? Food for thought in my next life-- forgive the pun.

...

I think I'll keep my eyes open for this. I've died before, so the sensation is nothing new to me. ...I'm sure stabbing yourself with a knife doesn't compare to being eaten alive by a spider, but whatever.

The spider moves in to dig its fangs within me.

I'm sorry, everyone.

...

!!

A spear whizzes to the ceiling, dropping a loose stalagmite-- ...stalactite?? Whatever. A large rock shatters into pieces on the spider's head, causing it to scream out in pain.

"K-Khil!"

"I'm not gonna stand by and let a giant spider eat my lil' sister, are you stupid?" She giggles, sticking a tongue out at the spider before running underneath it to retrieve her spear.

The spider changes targets-- it's going after her, now. She's bought me some time. I get back to work melting the web trapping me, fighting past the burns and generally being out of breath. I'm really pushing myself to my limits, here.

"G-gahhh!!"

Khil trips over herself, trying to maneuver past falling rubble.

The spider takes advantage of this...

...lunging at her...

...and pulling her into the air with its fangs.

!!!!

"KHIIIIIIIL!!!"

In an instant, the spiderwebs erupt into a bright golden flame, burning up into nothingness before me. How did I-

"Nnnngh...!" I hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, collapsing under the immense pain no doubt caused by blasting fire against my legs for minutes at a time.

"R-run, sis...!" Khil forces herself to speak through the immense pain as the spider begins feeding on her. "The w-world needs Demon Lord Pento...! Y-you c-c-can't die here..." Despite everything, she's smiling. She wants me to be free. She doesn't want her death to be in vain.

But I refuse to let her die. I've changed fate once, I can do it again.

What do I do, though? This thing's very sturdy-- I doubt I'd be able to knock Khil out of its mouth, at least. Even if I did, that could cause more harm than good depending on how deep its fangs are within her.

...

What if...

I look to the ceiling, catching the faintest glimmer of inspiration. If Khil was able to, then...

Quickly, I fly up, finding another stalactite-- this one looking far bigger and far sharper. It'll take some time, but it's directly above the beast. I don't exactly have any other options here. Not having a spear, I improvise and slam my body at full force into it.

Stars explode from my eyes, yet the rock doesn't fall. I gain some distance before going at it again. And again. And again.

It rattles, it shakes, but it doesn't give.

I think I'm bleeding from my head. I think I might've chipped my horns. But I can't give up. I need to save my sister. I'm going to save my sister.

One more push... just one more push!!

!!!

CRRRRRRKKAAAKKKAKKKKAKKK

The rock finally gives way-- falling down directly onto the spider's head, spraying blue everywhere as the beast is impaled by it. It flails and thrashes, dropping Khil to the ground before ultimately collapsing, its movements slowing down as it eventually dies.

I fly over to Khil.

Her body is blistering and she's bleeding profusely, but she's still alive.

"W-we did it, sis!!" I exclaim, coughing up some blood. "We... We can leave together! We can... we can become Demon Lords together!"

I move to help her onto my back, but before I can...

She stops me.

"I... I-I don't think I'm gonna make it, sis." She wheezes out, her breathing having shallowed. "Y-you didn't... have to s-save me..." She smiles. "But thank you."

"N-no... Y-you'll be fine! Zephys can heal you! W-we just need to make our way to her, and-"

"Sis... listen. Please."

"..."

"F-find my dad... free him... and..."

"A-and...?"

"Tell him all about me."

I choke back tears.

I nod. "I love you... sis..."

"I love you too..."

Me and Khil'nub share a hug, one last time.

And then...

Nothing.

I sit there, straining myself to try and channel my time powers, hoping against hope I can get a do-over. If I could just go back to before I got trapped in those stupid webs, then...

...

Nothing.

Time keeps moving forward.

No second chance this time.

The cicadas' cries have stopped.

The cave is no longer collapsing.

Silence has fallen all around me.

No sound.

Nothing.

...

...

The silence is deafening.