I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

The terrarium was a large glass box filled with soil, branches, and leaves that Lukas collected from the inner garden. The lid was made of wood with ventilation holes, secured by small metal latches.

That night, however, one side of the lid had been left slightly open.

Lukas had forgotten to fasten one of the latches.

Prata moved slowly.

Her long, articulated legs touched the edge of the partially open lid. She tested the opening with one front leg, sensing the gap. Then, with silent grace, a fluid, continuous movement without hesitation, she climbed out of the terrarium.

The spider walked across the table.

Her legs touched the polished wood with an almost ethereal lightness. They made no sound. They did not scratch the surface.

She climbed down one of the table legs.

Her legs gripped the rough wood, finding tiny ridges and cracks that Lukas had never noticed. The movement was slow and deliberate.

Her legs touched the soft carpet on the floor.

The carpet was made of thick wool, completely muffling the sound of her footsteps. Prata moved across it like a shadow, black against the pale fabric, nearly invisible in the darkness.

She climbed onto the bed.

One leg at a time, gripping the fabric of the blanket. The movement was so gentle that Lukas felt nothing. Tilbo, on the pillow, did not stir.

Prata reached Lukas’s chest and stopped.

Her eight eyes fixed upon the boy’s peaceful face. The faint moonlight entered through the window, reflecting in her eyes like tiny black stars. The silver hairs on her body glowed softly.

Five seconds passed.

Then something happened.

A mysterious and unknown energy appeared from nowhere.

It was not like the connection with Tilbo. That one had been explosive, a wave of pure energy that had flooded Lukas’s body, burning through his muscles and bones, granting him innate strength all at once.

This was different. More subtle. More silent.

Like a warm silver current flowing between the two of them, invisible to ordinary eyes but tangible to anything capable of sensing it. The energy wrapped around Lukas’s chest and Prata’s body, forming an invisible line of light between them, bright and gently pulsing, pulse, pulse, pulse, in a slow and steady rhythm.

Lukas, deeply asleep, noticed nothing.

His body merely shivered for an instant, a tremor running down his spine, through his arms and legs, as if he were dreaming.

Perhaps he was.

Perhaps somewhere deep within his consciousness, he felt something.

But he did not wake.

The connection lasted for several seconds.

Perhaps ten.

Perhaps fifteen.

Then it vanished completely, as though it had never existed. The silver line of light faded away. The energy dissipated into the air. The room returned to silence and darkness.

Prata remained motionless for another moment.

Her head tilted slightly, as if processing something. Her multiple eyes moved, not all at once, but one after another, as though they were ”scanning” the room.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she climbed down from Lukas’s chest. She crossed the bed, descended the blanket, traversed the carpet, climbed the table leg, and returned to the terrarium.

She closed the lid behind herself with one leg.

The metal latch clicked softly into place.

Lukas continued sleeping.

His chest rose and fell in a calm rhythm. His face remained relaxed. His lips were still slightly parted.

Tilbo, on the pillow, moved her antennae once.

As if she had sensed something.

But soon she settled back into rest.

The night continued peacefully within the Dmond mansion.

The crickets continued singing outside. The wind continued swaying the trees. The moon continued shining through the window, painting the room in shades of blue and silver.

But something had changed.

Something invisible.

Something Lukas, still unconscious, had no idea about.

A new connection had just been formed.

...

The following morning, Lukas woke with sunlight shining directly onto his face.

He blinked, confused for a moment. The light was strong, stronger than usual. He sat up in bed, rubbed his eyes with his small hands, and looked toward the window.

The curtains were open.

”Judite...” He murmured, his voice rough with sleep.

”You forgot to close the curtains yesterday...”

But Judite was not in the room.

He yawned, stretched, and looked toward Prata’s terrarium.

The spider was inside, motionless as always. Her multiple eyes reflected the sunlight.

”Good morning, Prata.” He said with a small smile.

Prata slowly moved one leg.

Lukas noticed nothing unusual.

’She looks the same.’

He yawned again, stretched, and stood up. He put on a simple tunic and walked to the door. Extending his hand, he reached for the handle.

The moment his fingers touched the wood, he felt something strange.

A faint resistance.

As if the door were... stuck.

He frowned and pulled harder.

Crack.

Five small splinters of wood came away with his fingers, stuck to them as if attached by powerful glue.

Lukas froze.

His eyes widened as he stared at the fragments in his hand.

”What... the hell?”

He did not understand.

The wood on the door had been intact, but now there were tiny holes and splinters clinging to his fingers. He tried to shake them off, but they refused to come loose easily. He had to pull them away with his other hand one by one, feeling the wood resist as though glued in place.

In disbelief, he sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding the fragments.

”This doesn’t make any sense... I just touched the door...”

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. His heart was racing. He looked at the damaged door, then at his fingers.

There were traces of something thin, almost invisible, faintly glimmering beneath the morning light.

Webbing?

Silver threads, impossibly fine, nearly impossible to see.

He touched the bedside table with the tips of his fingers, just to test it.

Stuck.

His fingers adhered to the wood.

When he pulled away, more splinters came loose.

Lukas stared at his own hand, dumbfounded.

The initial panic slowly gave way to profound confusion.

”What is happening to me?”

He took another deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He focused on the sensation in his fingers. The pressure. The intention.

’Don’t stick. Don’t stick. Just touch.’

With the slightest effort, almost like a conscious breath, he managed it.

He touched the table again.

His fingers slid normally.

No sticking.

He repeated the test several times.

Touching. Focusing. Releasing.

Touching harder. Releasing.

The wood remained intact.

Lukas sat on the bed for a long minute, staring at his own hand as though it belonged to someone else.

”Webbing... or something similar.” He finally murmured.

”Adhes. Production of threads...”

His eyes shifted toward Prata’s terrarium.

The spider remained motionless, but her eight eyes seemed to be watching him.

A shiver ran down Lukas’s spine.

Not fear.

Excitement mixed with disbelief.

”Prata... did you give me this?”

He extended a hand toward the spider.

She climbed onto it immediately, just as she always did.

Lukas tested again. He touched the table with his fingertips.

Nothing.

He pressed harder.

Nothing. Then he thought about sticking.

Focused on it. His fingers adhered to the wood.

When he pulled away, small fragments came loose with them.

A low laugh escaped his lips, almost disbelieving. Lukas sat on the bed, his heart pounding.

A new ability. A connection he had never even noticed forming during the night.