2. You Shouldn't Have Awakened Me

"No," Titus thought to himself, his voice firm and resolute. "I won't let them drag me down to their level. I won't become what they want me to be."

With that, Titus squared his shoulders and faced his tormentors, his eyes flashing with determination. He may have been surrounded by darkness, but he refused to let it consume him. He would find his own path, his own way out of the shadows, no matter the cost.

As a rock connected with Titus's head, a searing pain shot through his skull, and darkness swallowed him whole. For a moment, he was adrift in a void of nothingness, his consciousness slipping away. But then, like a bolt of lightning, memories came crashing back to him, vivid and visceral, as if they were happening all over again.

He was just a child, alone and abandoned in the unclaimed lands, a forgotten wasteland where the weak were preyed upon by the strong. He had been cast out by his own people, branded a freak, an outcast. But he had always known deep down that he was destined for something greater, something beyond the confines of their narrow-mindedness.

And then, one fateful day, it had happened—the moment that changed everything. With a surge of power coursing through his veins, Titus had transformed into a monstrous creature—a 30-meter spider Titan, with legs as thick as tree trunks and fangs dripping with venom.

He had slaughtered them all, his former tormentors, his oppressors, his enemies. Their screams had echoed through the barren landscape, a symphony of agony and despair. But Titus felt no remorse, no guilt, only a primal satisfaction—a sense of justice served, of vengeance fulfilled.

But as the memories faded and darkness closed in around him, Titus was left with a haunting realization—the darkness within him, the same darkness that had consumed him once before, was threatening to consume him once again. And this time, he wasn't sure if he could fight it.

As Titus heard the voice of the Arachnid Titan echoing in his mind, he felt a surge of power coursing through his veins, an overwhelming force that threatened to consume him from within. With a jolt, he awakened to a world gone mad, his laughter ringing out like a deranged symphony in the air.

"Are you ready to be eaten?" Titus's voice was twisted with madness, his eyes gleaming with a manic light as he faced Donny and his gang. "I've seen how you treat your kind, so I believe a worldwide atonement for your sins should suffice, don't you?"

Donny and his gang exchanged nervous glances, their faces pale with fear as they realized that something had changed within Titus, something dark and dangerous. But before they could react, a blinding flash of light engulfed them, accompanied by a putrid stench that filled their nostrils.

As the smoke cleared, they saw him—Titus, transformed into the Arachnid Shifter Titan, his form towering over them like a monstrous shadow. Eight green eyes glowed with malevolence, each one fixated on its prey with predatory intent.

Donny and his gang screamed in terror, their cries drowned out by the deafening roar of the Arachnid Titan. With a swift movement, Titus lunged forward, his massive jaws snapping shut around them, their screams silenced in an instant.

As the last echoes of their cries faded into the darkness, Titus stood amidst the wreckage, his body pulsating with power. He had become the very thing he had feared, the embodiment of vengeance and retribution. And as he surveyed the carnage around him, a twisted smile spread across his monstrous face—this was only the beginning of his reign of terror.

As Titus devoured the limbs of Donny and his gang, a grotesque display of primal savagery, he felt the power of the Arachnid Titan coursing through his veins, guiding his every movement with a single-minded purpose. With deft precision, he wrapped the remaining bodies in silken strands, each thread gleaming with the same eerie hue as his titan form's eyes.

The titanic silk, a testament to his newfound power, shimmered in the dim light of the abandoned outpost, casting an otherworldly glow upon the grisly scene. Titus moved with a fluid grace, his movements no longer his own, but those of the Arachnid Titan—the most feared titan to ever exist, rumored to be the progenitor of all others.

As he surveyed his handiwork, Titus felt a surge of satisfaction, a primal thrill coursing through him at the sight of his prey ensnared in his web. He knew that his actions would send shockwaves through the world, striking fear into the hearts of all who dared to oppose him.

But amidst the chaos and destruction, a sense of purpose stirred within Titus—a sense of destiny, of a legacy waiting to be fulfilled. He was no longer just Titus, a soldier lost in a world of strife and conflict. He was something more—a harbinger of doom, a force of nature unleashed upon the world.

With a triumphant roar, Titus raised his head to the sky, his voice echoing through the cavernous depths of the Titan skin and bone. The Arachnid Titan had awakened, and the world would never be the same again.

As the newfound Titus basked in the euphoria of his newfound freedom, he reveled in the realization that time was no longer a constraint upon him. With the Arachnid Titan's power coursing through his veins, he felt untethered from the limitations of mortality, liberated to enact his will upon the world.

With a maniacal laugh that echoed through the empty halls of the abandoned outpost, Titus turned his attention to his first order of business—hatching baby spiders. These tiny creatures, born from the essence of the Arachnid Titan, would serve as his loyal minions in his quest for world domination.

With practiced precision, Titus began to weave a web of intricate silk, each strand pulsating with the same malevolent energy as his titan form's eyes. In the heart of the web, he carefully laid the eggs, each one a harbinger of his impending reign.

As he watched over his unhatched offspring, Titus felt a sense of pride swell within him—a pride born from the knowledge that he was no longer bound by the constraints of his former life. He was no longer just Titus, the disgraced soldier. He was the Arachnid Titan, a force to be reckoned with, a harbinger of doom and destruction.

With a final glance at the eggs nestled within their silken cradle, Titus turned his gaze towards the horizon, his mind ablaze with visions of conquest and domination. The world lay before him, ripe for the taking, and he would stop at nothing to claim it as his own.

With a sense of purpose burning bright within him, Titus set forth on his path of destruction, his laughter ringing out like a clarion call to all who dared to oppose him. The Arachnid Titan had risen, and none would be able to stand in his way.

As Titus stood amidst the eerie glow of his unhatched offspring, a voice echoed in his mind—a voice that was not his own, but that of the Arachnid Titan, the ancient entity that now dwelled within him. The voice was cold and commanding, filled with a sense of superiority that sent shivers down Titus's spine.

"You know you shouldn't have given in," the Arachnid Titan scolded, its words cutting through the silence like a knife. "You knew it was your last strike, and yet you allowed me to consume your emotions, to gain power and take control."

Titus felt a pang of guilt wash over him, a wave of regret for the choices he had made. He had known the risks, the consequences of allowing the Arachnid Titan to consume his innermost fears and desires. But in his desperation, in his desire for revenge and power, he had succumbed to the darkness within him, allowing it to consume him whole.

"I-I'm sorry," Titus stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't know what else to do. I thought... I thought it was the only way."

But the Arachnid Titan was unforgiving, its gaze piercing through Titus's soul with an intensity that left him feeling exposed and vulnerable. "There is always another way," it intoned, its voice reverberating with a sense of ancient wisdom. "But you chose the path of darkness, and now you must face the consequences."

Titus bowed his head in shame, his heart heavy with regret. He knew that he had made a grave mistake, one that could cost him everything he held dear. But as he stood amidst the silence of the abandoned outpost, surrounded by the remnants of his past life, he vowed to redeem himself—to reclaim control of his destiny and rid himself of the darkness that threatened to consume him.

As Titus listened to the chilling words of the Arachnid Titan, a sense of dread washed over him, mingling with the realization that he had been deceived all along. He had thought that he was in control, that he was using the Arachnid Titan's power to further his own goals. But now, he understood the truth—he was nothing more than a pawn in the Titan's twisted game.

"Foolish mortal, you still haven't realized, have you?" Hades's voice echoed in Titus's mind, cold and calculating. "Now watch from the sidelines as I destroy your world... Maybe we can have some fun once you truly realize nobody ever loved you besides me... nobody ever helped you besides me."

Titus felt a shiver run down his spine as Hades's words sank in, his heart heavy with the weight of the truth. He had always felt alone, abandoned by those who should have cared for him. And now, he understood that Hades had been the only constant in his life, the only one who had ever truly been there for him.

With a sense of resignation, Titus accepted his fate, embracing the darkness that now enveloped him. "Hades," he whispered, his voice filled with a mixture of fear and reverence. "I am yours to command."

And so, together, Titus and Hades set their goals upon world destruction, their alliance forged in the fires of despair and betrayal. As they gazed out upon the world, their eyes gleaming with malice and anticipation, they knew that nothing could stand in their way. The age of darkness had begun, and none would be able to escape its grasp.