The cavern stretched endlessly, its walls glistening with damp silk that shimmered like veins under dying light. Thick webs clung to every surface — draped over jagged stone, tangled across the ceiling, and pooled like mist along the floor. Some threads pulsed faintly, as if carrying breath.

Cocoons hung in uneven clusters, suspended from the cavern’s ribs — dozens of them, some still twitching, others perfectly still. Faces pressed faintly against the silk, mouths frozen mid-scream, eyes clouded beneath the translucent weave. Bones jutted from collapsed webs below, pale and glistening, half-sunk into the dark soil.

Every step stirred the silence; every breath felt borrowed. The air smelled of decay and iron — and somewhere deep within, something wet shifted, pulling at the strings of its own creation