Law of The Web - Volume 1 Chapter 4 - Realization

“4th June C-1753.”

Elias said, taking Gideon by surprise.

“4th June already…”

Gideon thought, a sinking feeling settling in his chest.

‘If that’s the case, Stacey and Elias are both close to their deaths. That’s… tragic. But I can’t afford to focus on the lives of strangers right now; I need to focus on my own survival.’

Still, the information gnawed at him, and he turned to Elias, his expression uncertain.

“Elias, are you absolutely sure that’s the correct date?”

Elias looked at him with a faint, weary expression before replying.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Elias said.

“I mean, my birthday’s in four days, and I’ll be 10. I can feel my awakening coming, too, even if… well, it probably doesn’t matter much for me.”

He lowered his gaze, his voice quieter now.

“But even if I didn’t know the exact date, I know my birthday’s close. So yeah, it’s right.”

Elias glanced nervously toward the front of the cart before whispering.

“Can you stop asking me stuff? I don’t want that scary man to get mad and hurt me again.”

At those words, Gideon just nodded his head as he started to put two and two together.

‘I see… he knows he is awakening; does that mean one experiences this so-called awakening at the age of ten?’

Gideon questioned himself as he mulled over the information he had just pieced together.

The date Elias mentioned wasn’t just a random detail; it was confirmation based on his birthday being close, as both him and information on his head align.

He took a slow breath, his thoughts weaving into clarity as his sharp gaze swept over the children huddled in the cart.

‘If the age of awakening is ten.’

He pondered, his mind racing.

‘Does that mean all the kids here are nine or about to turn ten?’

So to test his theory, Gideon began using his new ability, and the moment he activated his ability, it took effect. The details of the children’s personal information came into his view as he read the crimson words.

Fourteen of them were nine years old, with a couple months still to go before their birthdays. Their souls flickered weakly but steadily. On the other hand, the other fourteen kids, Elias included, were also nine but on the verge of turning ten, either within this month or the next. Their souls glowed brighter, pulsing erratically like candles caught in a breeze, but Elias soul alone was behaving in a craze manner compared to the rest.

Gideon’s brows furrowed. He glanced back at Elias, whose birthday loomed just days away. Among all the kids, Elias was the closest to crossing the threshold. Gideon’s thoughts churned. Elias’s earlier comment about feeling his awakening resonated deeply now.

‘So the timing isn’t random.’

Gideon thought, the pieces falling into place.

But as his gaze shifted inward, an unsettling realization began to surface. His mind clicked back to Elias’s words, the ages of the kids, and his own unique situation.

‘I’m not ten.’

Gideon thought.

‘I’m twenty-five, or at least I was right; im not going crazy here am I? None of this makes sense; I shouldn’t even have these powers if awakening happens at ten.’

And then it hit him, like a bolt of lightning straight to his core.

His memories surged back; the bite from Prototype 3, the venom coursing through his veins posioning him, the searing pain that was unbearable. He’d felt death; true unmistakable death.

‘That spider bite… There’s no way I survived that. Prototype 3’s venom is a death sentence, no exceptions. And yet… I’m here.’

Darkness, that was his last memory, the numbing silence that had swallowed him whole after the venom took hold.

And then… Light… Waking up, surrounded by terrified children, his body unfamiliar yet functioning.

Even if he didn’t want to believe it, there was no room to question it.

“No way.”

Gideon whispered, his voice barely audible over the rattling of the cart.

And then the memory from the first timeline struck him like a blow to the chest. The scarred man was barking at him, calling him a brat, lumping him with the other kids. The pieces finally aligned, snapping into an undeniable truth.

“Did I… Did I transmigrate into someone else’s body?”

The words left his mouth shakily, and for the first time since arriving in this world, he truly felt the weight of his situation. Everything, the first incident, the powers, the unfamiliar surroundings; it all pointed to one undeniable conclusion.

Gideon Harley was dead.

“No way… I’m dead… but… no, this isn’t fair.”

Gideon quietly muttered, his voice cracking under the weight of the realization.

He glanced around the dimly lit cart, his eyes wide and unfocused. There was no mirror, no reflection to confirm his thoughts, but his gaze fell to his bound feet. The slippers were small, far too small for an adult, and his legs matched the proportions of a child.

Then there was his voice.

He’d been too overwhelmed to notice earlier, but now, with time to process, it was undeniable. It was the voice of a boy; high-pitched, unrefined, and unfamiliar. It hit him like a punch to the gut.

The children around him, all roughly the same age, only confirmed the truth; he was one of them.

His body was young, just a child’s, but the soul inside was far older, seasoned by two and a half decades of life experience. He clenched his fists, the raw unfairness of the situation boiling inside him.

Yes, this body now carried powers he’d never had before, abilities he couldn’t begin to explain. But none of it dulled the ache in his chest, the void hollowing him out.

Gideon’s thoughts spiraled; he hadn’t lived a perfect life, but he’d lived well, damn well. His job wasn’t glamorous, sure, but it paid better than most, enough for him to afford a comfortable villa, five cars, and a playboy lifestyle he didn’t particularly boast about but secretly enjoyed.

And more than the material luxuries, he’d had people. His mother, his sister, and his grandmother are all alive, all waiting for him to come home.

Now he can’t.

He took a shaky breath, the weight of his loss sinking in. He hadn’t been the most expressive person, preferring quiet solitude, but he’d had freedom.

A life that was his own, lived on his terms.

And now here he was as some random ass kid with no memories of the body he’d hijacked, no prior information to work with, and no idea how or why he was here.

He wasn’t like the transmigrators from the stories, those lucky bastards who inherited convenient knowledge and overpowered skills from their new identities. Sure, he can see things others probably can’t, along with the fact that he could rewind time if he had to guess, but it came at the price of his life if he also had to guess.

He was a blank slate, thrown into an alien world with nothing but his wits and a strange, supernatural ability he barely understood.

The despair clawed at him. Starting over was one thing, but starting over as a powerless, bound child in a world where danger loomed at every corner? That was a nightmare.

Sure, the powers were cool, but what did they matter when everything else he cared about was gone? His life, his loved ones, and his identity were all stripped away in an instant.

He leaned back against the wooden wall of the cart, the rough texture grounding him as his thoughts raced.

“I was at the peak of my life.”

He whispered bitterly, staring at the wooden floor.

“And now… now I’m just some no-name kid.”

For the first time since waking up in this strange world, Gideon let himself feel the crushing weight of it all. This wasn’t just a second chance; to him personally speaking, his current situation was akin to a punishment, in his opinion.

A cruel twist of fate.

And though he was grateful to still exist, it didn’t stop the overwhelming sense of loss. For the first time in a long time, Gideon felt despair.

Like the other children in the cart, Gideon couldn’t hold back his emotions. The air was thick with quiet sniffles, tear-streaked faces, and the occasional hiccup of a stifled sob. Despite himself, despite the layers of maturity his adult soul carried, Gideon felt his own tears spill over.

He hated it. The vulnerability, the lack of control, it was suffocating. This damned child’s body, with its heightened emotions and fragility, refused to obey his will.

“Sniff… so unfair.”

He murmured, his voice trembling as his tears dripped onto the worn wooden planks below.

He cried, unrelenting and unrestrained, until exhaustion finally claimed him. The despair in his chest dulled as sleep took over, giving him the only reprieve he’d had since awakening in this new, unforgiving world.

A loud, jarring BANG snapped Gideon awake.

*BANG… BANG… BANG!*

His eyes flew open, his heart racing as he sat upright. For a moment, he was disoriented, his surroundings unfamiliar. But his new ability, “I Spy,” activated instinctively. The world around him lit up with startling clarity, even though it was night.

The dirt road they’d been traveling on was gone, replaced by dense, shadowy woods that loomed on either side of the cart. The moon hung low, casting an eerie glow over everything, but Gideon’s enhanced vision pierced through the gloom effortlessly.

“So this is night vision.”

He muttered in a flat tone, unimpressed despite the clear utility of the ability.

The loud banging continued, accompanied by the gruff bark of a man’s voice.

“Alright, you brats, get up!”

Gideon turned toward the source of the noise, his gaze landing on the man responsible. His stomach churned as he took in the figure before him.

The man was massive 6’2″ with a hulking frame, his tan skin gleaming under the moonlight. His bald head caught the light, but it was the scar that dominated his face, stretching across where his left eye should’ve been, that caught Gideon’s attention. A spider tattoo marked his forehead, its legs extending like sinister tendrils over his temple.

His outfit matched his brutish demeanor: a sleeveless, unbuttoned leather shirt that showcased his rippling muscles, worn brown pants, and scuffed leather boots. 

But it wasn’t his physical appearance that made Gideon’s heart skip a beat, it was his soul.

Activating his ability, Gideon stared past the man’s imposing frame and into his very essence. Unlike the children, whose souls appeared as simple small, and flickering spheres of light, this man’s soul however was entirely different.

It was a grotesque, crab-like creature, with four massive pincers snapping ominously and a scorpion-like tail coiled above its back, ready to strike. The image was as horrifying as it was fascinating, and information began to float above his, head, and to his surprise he could see his information rather easily.

He blinked, his breath hitching as the truth of this man’s essence became clear. 

Name: Clark Maddian

Age: 47

D.O.B: 6th December, Cycle 1697

Date of Death: 3rd October, Cycle 1753

Cultivation Type: Orthodox

Classification: Orthodox Awaken | Hunter >> 2nd Transformation

Transformation abilities: (1st Transformation Hunter: Tracking, Scale, and Dodge), (2nd Transformation Great Tracker: Monitor, and Slo-mo)

Soul Quality: Mortal Grade 

Cultivation: Mortal Ascension Stage

Status: Happy, Hungry, Want to grab a Drink

Injuries: None

Danger: Too Strong