Law of The Web - Volume 1 Chapter 2 - The Voice in His Head

Gideon’s eyes snapped open, his breath catching in his throat as though he’d been drowning and only now surfaced for air. His body jolted upright, the splintered floor of the cart digging into his palms.

The musty scent of damp wood and unwashed bodies assaulted his senses once more, and the distant sound of wooden wheels grinding against uneven terrain thundered in his ears.

His head throbbed, and for a moment, he was disoriented.

“You’re awake… Are you okay? He beat you pretty bad, you know.”

Came a timid voice.

Gideon turned sharply, his gaze locking onto the same dirt-smudged boy who had spoken to him before. His heart skipped a beat as his mind struggled to reconcile what was happening.

“What…?”

He muttered, his voice barely audible, hoarse, and cracked.

This isn’t possible.

His memories flashed back to the blinding pain, the whip, and finally, the man slamming his head into the floor. He could still feel the phantom ache, a dull throb at the back of his skull.

“Where… am I?”

He asked though the words felt like a repeat, a haunting echo.

The boy’s wide, frightened eyes darted toward the hulking man at the front of the cart, but he still whispered back.

“The borderlands… They’re taking us to be sold… to somewhere they call the pits…

Gideon’s mind reeled at that moment.

This was exactly what the boy had told him before.

The same words.

The same tremble in his voice.

The boy tilts his head, confused by Gideon’s silence.

“Are… are you sure you’re okay?”

Before Gideon could respond, a sharp whisper seared through his mind like a snake hissing directly into his ear.

“Cause of death: internal brain damage. You have returned to a random checkpoint in time… However, keep in mind fate is a universal force; mortals cannot defy fate, the law has been set in stone, and records have been documented as such; what is meant to happen will happen as documented; the time till your fated death is 1 minute, 12 seconds… the objective this time around is an easy one; survive at all costs.”

He froze.

The voice was inside his head, but it wasn’t his own. It was cold, distant, and otherworldly, like the voice of a machine whispering secrets into his ear.

“Your sanity has permanently fallen slightly as a result of dying twice. Fated End 1 has been documented in the Thread of Fate.”

The words hammered into his consciousness, accompanied by a pulse of raw understanding, as though the information was being branded onto his very soul.

“Who… what the hell is?…

He began, but the whispering continued.

“Your Law Beast, Primordial Spider Lily, has grown slightly stronger. As a result, your soul has become more resilient.”

Gideon clutched his head, his fingers digging into his temples as a wave of nausea churned his stomach. This wasn’t natural.

“Each time you succumb and defy fate, your soul will increase in strength.”

The whispers ceased abruptly, leaving Gideon panting and disoriented. His surroundings seemed sharper, every detail etched in unnerving clarity, the whimpers of the other children, the rhythmic squeak of the cart’s wheels, the stale air thick with fear.

Gideon felt his heart pounding against his ribs. Something in him had changed.

“You… shouldn’t talk.”

The boy whispered again, his voice trembling.

“If he hears you…

It was the same as before.

The exact same.

Gideon’s jaw clenched.

His mind was racing, trying to piece together what had just happened. That voice had said something about his Law Beast, the Primordial Spider Lily. The name sounded foreign yet strangely familiar, like it belonged to him, but it was also an alien concept he had yet to grasp fully.

Then came the final set of whispers, crisp and unwavering.

“Documenting Fated Death. The cause of death has been recorded in detail. Second retry: Fated Death can be countered via the Threads of Fate.”

Threads of Fate.

Gideon’s hands clenched into fists.

So this is what it meant.

He wasn’t just alive again; he had been reset, sent back to this moment, to this checkpoint. And the cost of this second chance was more than physical. His sanity seems to have dwindled; honestly, he has many questions, but those questions can wait; his objective is to survive.

The boy’s voice snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts.

“Hey, you’re not gonna shout again, right? You really shouldn’t. We honestly thought you were dead when he kicked you in the stomach.”

Gideon narrowed his eyes, his memories aligning with the present; he died not by getting kicked but by getting his head smashed in. The last time he had shouted, it had led to that whip, the scarred man’s fury, and his death.

Not this time.

“I… won’t shout.”

Gideon said, his voice steadier now, the edge of panic giving way to calculation.

He needed to think to understand his situation better. That voice had spoken of Threads of Fate. If he could counter his “Fated Death,” then perhaps he could rewrite what was supposed to happen.

So naturally, if he had to guess, the reason he got his head bashed in was that he spat on the man in anger and caused a scene. 

So if just does something differently from that script and doesn’t cause a scene, it would mean he is defying fate, or he hopes it does.

Gideon took a deep breath and glanced at the boy.

“What’s your name?”

The boy blinked, startled by the question.

“Uh… Elias.”

He whispered hesitantly.

“Elias.”

Gideon repeated, grounding himself in the boy’s innocent fear.

“I need you to listen to me. No matter what happens, stay quiet. Got it?”

Elias nodded quickly, though his brow furrowed with confusion. Wasn’t he the one telling him to do that?

Gideon turned his attention to the front of the cart, where the scarred man still barked orders at his accomplices. The other children were quiet now, their spirits crushed by fear, but Gideon wasn’t going to let this cycle repeat itself.

He flexed his bound hands, testing the ropes. They were as tight as before, but his body felt different, as though a new surge of energy was flowing through him. Was this because of the “Primordial Spider Lily”? He didn’t know what it was yet, but something had shifted in his soul.

But either way, he stayed still and waited.

‘Let’s hope I am right about this.’