Lukas stood in front of the cage, on the tips of his toes, his violet eyes fixed on the spider with an almost reverent fascination.

He didn’t even realize he had stopped breathing. His small body was motionless, his hands open at his sides, his fingers slightly curled. Even Tilbo, inside the pocket of his green tunic, seemed frozen, her antennae perfectly still.

The creature was larger than he had imagined.

The size of his open hand, from the tip of his middle finger to the base of his palm. Its black body gleamed like polished obsidian, reflecting the afternoon sunlight in tiny silver specks.

Its legs were long and jointed, covered in fine silver hairs that caught the light and shimmered softly whenever the spider moved, which was not often. It remained still most of the time, like a living statue.

The spider’s eyes were multiple, eight, Lukas counted, arranged in two rows on the front of its head. They were black and glossy, reflecting light in tiny white points. When Lukas moved to the right, the eyes followed him. To the left, the eyes followed him.

’It’s watching me.’

’Just like Tilbo watched me on the first day.’

The pattern on the top of its abdomen was dark red, almost brown, shaped like an hourglass, or perhaps a stylized hourglass, with smooth curves instead of straight lines.

’Similar to Earth’s black widow. But bigger. Brighter. More...’

He didn’t know the word. More of everything.

His family arrived right behind him.

Aurora let out a deep sigh when she saw the scene, her son glued to the cage, eyes shining, mouth slightly open, wearing the expression of someone who had just discovered a treasure.

’Here we go again.’

She already knew what was coming. First the ant. Now the spider. Before long, Lukas would be trying to bring home an entire One-Horned Tiger.

Clavor crossed his arms, a faint, amused smile on his lips. He watched his son with a mixture of pride and bewilderment.

Most children Lukas’s age would be terrified of a spider that size.

Judite peeked out from behind her mother, curious but cautious. Her brown eyes were wide open, and she kept a safe distance of at least two meters from the cage.

"Is that... a spider?" she asked in a whisper.

"It is," Lukas replied without taking his eyes off the creature.

"It’s big... It’s beautiful."

"BEAUTIFUL?" Judite made a face.

"It has eight legs!"

"That’s why it’s beautiful."

Judite didn’t understand. She took another step back.

The owner of the stall was a thin man with a patchy beard and sharp eyes.

He wore a worn brown linen shirt, open at the chest, and patched trousers at the knees. His arms were thin but muscular, the arms of someone who spent his days carrying cages and feeding animals.

He noticed the little boy’s excitement immediately. Lukas’s eyes were so fixed on the spider that he wasn’t even blinking.

The merchant leaned over the counter with a business smile, the kind of smile worn by someone who saw an opportunity for a good sale.

"Interested in the spider, little noble?" he asked, recognizing the discreet crest on Lukas’s clothing. The wolf was embroidered on the brooch, the fine fabric of the green tunic.

"Yes," Lukas answered immediately, without taking his eyes off the animal.

"What kind of spider is it?"

The man chuckled quietly, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening.

The square was busy, but no one was paying attention to the exotic animal stall. Most people preferred to buy birds or rabbits.

He lowered his voice as if sharing a secret.

"That’s a Silver Thread Venom Spider." He pointed at the spider with his little finger.

"A rare monster species. Found mainly in the dense forests of the southern kingdom, near the border. Not much is known about them because they’re difficult to find and even harder to capture alive. Most hunters who try end up... well, paralyzed."

"Paralyzed?" Lukas raised an eyebrow.

"The venom. Powerful. Strong enough to paralyze an adult man in minutes. It doesn’t kill, not directly, but it leaves the victim immobile, conscious, and unable to move for hours."

"They say it’s a horrible feeling. You lie there watching the world around you, but you can’t move a single finger."

Lukas felt a chill run down his spine.

’Paralyzing venom. Interesting. And terrifying.’

"But the most valuable thing," the man continued, his eyes gleaming.

"Are the threads it produces when it matures. Silver threads. Durable, flexible, infused with natural mana. Used to make indestructible hunting nets, magical ropes that won’t snap even under the weight of a horse, and even lightweight armor fabrics, lighter than leather, stronger than steel."

"Does it produce those threads now?" Lukas asked.

"No. It’s still young. Once it’s fully grown." The man spread his arms, indicating a size almost three times larger.

"It’ll start producing them. Until then, it’s just a beautiful and venomous spider."

Lukas listened with complete attention.

His heart raced with every word. Every piece of information was a brick in the construction of his knowledge about the creatures of this world.

"How much does it cost?" he asked directly.

The man blinked, surprised by the seriousness of such a small child. Most noble children that age were more interested in sweets and toys.

But he smiled. Business was business.

"For you, little noble," he said, lowering his voice even more.

"I’ll let it go for one silver coin. Normally I’d charge double, but..." He glanced at the spider inside the cage.

"It seems she likes you."

Lukas didn’t hesitate.

He slipped a hand into the inner pocket of his green tunic and pulled out the silver coin Clavor had given him earlier, the one that came from the sale of the One-Horned Tiger.

The coin gleamed in the palm of his small hand.

He handed it to the merchant.

In exchange, he received the metal cage.

The cage was small, about the size of a shoebox, made of thin iron bars spaced apart. The spider sat inside, motionless, its legs folded, its black eyes fixed on Lukas.

He held it with both hands.

The smile on his face widened until his cheeks hurt.

Aurora arrived at that exact moment.