The Spider Queen

(Unova Syndicate- Planet T'ramran)

(Unknown Location)

There was a brief moment of silence as Sophie and the scout both stared at each other in shock.

The handsome Servie wore a greenish uniform that blended in with the surrounding bushes and trees.

His eyes were a beautiful amber colour and his dark black hair flowed down the length of his shoulders.

Two translucent wings flapped lazily up and down as he hovered in midair.

Sophie opened her mouth to say something when the Servie turned around and immediately fled the scene.

"Wait!" Sophie yelled as she stretched her hand forward to grab him. She grabbed nothing but air as the fairy-like creature zipped away at top speed.

Cloud Treading Dragon!

Sophie's figure blurred and then vanished from the spot as the hybrid girl activated her movement speed technique.

She quickly closed the distance in a matter of seconds and the tiny figure of the Servie warrior was just within reach.

"Slow down… I just want to talk to you," Sophie explained as she raised up both her hands to make a peaceful gesture.

"I mean you no harm… I swear. Look I am speaking the Federation trade language and I can explain my identity."

It was not a surprise that the scout was wary of her but it was important that Sophie convinced him that she was not a threat.

She was about to display a holographic projection of her identity card from her wrist communicator when the Servie disappeared.

Sophie quickly looked around in confusion since she could not understand how the scout had escaped her enhanced senses.

Wait…

A horrifying thought crossed Sophie's mind as she realised what had just happened.

Was it possible that she had been chasing an illusion this entire time?

The excitement of finally meeting a member of the Imperial Army had caused her to let down her guard.

"Fuck! Son of a bitch!" Sophie cursed as she slammed her fist against a nearby tree.

The heavy two-hundred-meter plant crashed to the ground instantly with a dull thud.

No… she couldn't give up now.

Sophie closed her eyes and entered the hidden space within her amulet.

The Spider Whisper Art began to automatically circulate as she allowed the powers of the hunter goddess to flow through her meridians.

Sophie calmly opened her eyes to see her vision transformed into a world of black and white.

Numerous shadowy grey figures that were identical to her appearance ran off in different directions.

Sophie observed the outcomes of each path and carefully noted the events that followed.

Some of her future selves never managed to find the Servie again while others discovered clones that would vanish into thin wisps of smoke.

Over and over again, Sophie peered into the flow of time to see the possible outcomes of her decisions.

It was an almost impossible task since just one single step in a certain direction could branch out to form an entirely different result.

Sophie wanted to stay for longer in this mysterious state but her danger sense began to go haywire.

Sophie hissed softly as she felt a sharp burst of pain in her mind.

Clearly she couldn't use her foresight ability without suffering from side effects.

The mysterious world shattered and Sophie found herself back in the middle of the forest with nothing but the chattering of bugs to keep her company.

Her pale whitish pupils slowly returned to their normal golden hue.

Sophie clutched her head and gritted her teeth in pain since she was still experiencing the backlash from using her ability

Was the right answer the possible future path that involved making a left turn a few meters ahead?

No.. that route just led to an empty cave.

Damn.. which one was it…?

Sophie waited a few moments for the dull throbbing feeling in her head to go away before carefully reviewing the information that she had gleamed from peering into the future.

She had to make a decision soon since every passing second would increase the difficulty of her quest to find the scout.

Rsychosis!

Sophie's figure blurred for a split second before multiple copies of herself appeared in various poses.

There were seven figures in total with each copy being virtually identical to Sophie in every possible manner.

The hybrid girl pointed in a few different directions and then dashed towards the path that she had seen in a particular future during her time in the mysterious black and white world.

The other mirror copies of herself quickly separated and also went in the directions of other possible paths.

Sophie was ninety percent certain that the route that she was currently taking led to the real body of the scout but just in case…

She made sure to create enough clones to explore other potential locations.

There was just one detail that was bothering her.

The golden eyes of the Arachnais race were capable of piercing through any illusion and yet she had been fooled not once but twice.

This meant that either her golden eyes were not as strong as those possessed by a pure-blooded member of the Arachnais race or something else was going on.

Could it be that the scout was an expert in mind control or hypnosis?

Sophie knew that the golden eyes of the Arachnais race were not omnipotent or infallible.

They could only discern reality from illusions that were created externally and not false images that were conjured up by the mind.

Slash! Slash!

Sophie's blade-like appendages extended outwards to slice through any vines or trees that were blocking her path.

It only took a few seconds to clear the way forward but Sophie was still worried that her target was getting further away.

This was a valid concern since the small body of the Servie scout could easily just fly through the gaps.

Time passed slowly as Sophie desperately ran through the forest searching for even a trace of the scout.

Messages would occasionally enter her mind from the mirror copies using the mental link that connected them.

Unfortunately, these messages contained nothing but bad news.

[I have arrived at the clearing seen in seventh possible future and there was no one here]

[I was responsible for going northeast and I did think that was someone hiding behind a bush at my spot but it turned out to just be an oddly shaped bush…]

[Should be roughly five minutes away from the waterfall in the vision that I was assigned to but so far I can't see any signs of life]

Sophie furrowed her brows as she contemplated activating her bloodlust rage in order to aid her search…

But that would have to be a last resort.

Crash!

A sharp noise alerted Sophie to an area to her left but this time she closed her eyes and extended her senses outwards.

It wasn't possible to see but by relying on her danger sense and sharp instincts, Sophie was able to navigate her way towards the noise.

She could hear the sounds of faint breathing coming from a place high above her body. Sophie refused to open her eyes this time and instead relied entirely on her ears.

Bleep! Bleep!

She pressed a raised button on the side of her wrist communicator and activated the voice command function.

"Project my national identification card," Sophie spoke in a polite tone.

She felt the metalloid device on her wrist vibrate and assumed that the holographic projection was now being displayed.

"My name is Sophie Peterlor and I am one of the missing high noble heirs from the incident at the royal palace," Sophie introduced herself.

"Please.. I mean you no harm and I just want to know if you have a way to return to the Earth Federation controlled territory."

"And how do I know this isn't some kind of trap? Furthermore, why would a noble suddenly appear with the Unovan forces?" a low baritone voice questioned.

Sophie took a few deep breaths in order to calm down and then offered a short explanation,

"I was teleported to an unknown planet and the reason why I joined the Unovan forces was to reach the border region safely."

"My father is Duke Peterlor and will reward you handsomely for any help that you can provide."

"This I swear on my honour as a high noble."