Compendium Entry001: Devoratus Animarum

Everything We (Unfortunately) Know About Soul-Eating Space Spiders.

SUMMARY

Deep Space Needs Better Pest Control.

Subject

Devoratus Animarum (Colloquial: Space Spiders, Soul-Eaters, Eight-Legged Existential Crises)

Image

HERE

Observed Location

The Void; Extradimensional Summoning Incidents (Ref: EotWI Pt. 4, Pt. 5). Primary Habitat: Assumed Void / Interstitial Nightmares.

Nocturnal Hazard Index

Class H (Horror)
Warning: Expect severe psychic distress and existential risk. Your panic literally makes them stronger. Avoid accordingly.

Researcher

Your Narrator (Reluctantly, and with ongoing therapy scheduled).

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

Initial Notes

My first encounter with these... things... occurred during an extremely disorienting transit through the Void (Pt. 4). Subsequent encounters involved smaller specimens summoned via dimensional rift (Pt. 5), suggesting external control is possible by certain powerful—and frankly, rude—beings.

Initial briefing by Entity 'Thalia' included the frankly unhelpful advice "Don't be scared" coupled with the contradictory mechanism of fear attraction. This paradox seems deliberately cruel, possibly designed by committee to maximize mortal panic.

Methodology

Primarily direct, involuntary observation under conditions of extreme duress. Attempts at calm, detached analysis were immediately compromised by subject's multi-limbed, hair-and-teeth-based horror aesthetic.

Hypothesis: Existence is pain.
Addendum: Especially when spiders are involved.

Observation Data

• Appearance: Disturbingly arachnoid structure. Size appears variable—Void specimen was significantly larger than summoned variants.
  Appendages resemble polished bone or dark chitin, frequently incorporating matted human hair (hygiene standards are clearly lacking in the Void).
  Hooked claws produce distinct click-skittering sounds on surfaces (even non-surfaces, somehow). Oral cavity defies conventional biology; described by witness (Adam Harper) as "spirals of teeth and heat."
  Overall visual impact: Unpleasant. Deeply, fundamentally unpleasant. Like finding a spider in your soul.

• Auditory: That multi-layered click-skittering is a key identifier, often preceding visual confirmation. Intensity may correlate with proximity or agitation. A sharp, skull-vibrating hiss was noted when prey (Subject: Me, Adam) attempted to retreat.

• Abilities:

  • Confirmed Fear Attraction: Thalia explicitly stated attraction "like a magnet," with stronger fear apparently enhancing 'soul flavor' for prolonged torment (verification of torment duration mercifully pending). This makes instinctive panic actively detrimental.

  • Pursuit: Thalia warned "It'll chase what flees." Observation confirms agitated pursuit of retreating subjects.

  • Void Traversal: Native or adapted to navigating non-Euclidean Void space.

  • Summoning: Can be brought into standard reality via dimensional rifts by capable entities (Pt. 6).

• Confirmed Weaknesses:

  • Psychic/Authoritative Repulsion: Specimens noticeably recoiled, hesitated, and exhibited distress upon encountering Adam Harper's uncontrolled 'Pride' emanation—mental "GET THE FUCK OFF MY LAWN" projection (Pt. 5). Suggests strong psychic presence or assertion of domain disrupts their targeting or feeding mechanism.

• Unconfirmed Weaknesses/Observations:

  • Physical Vulnerability: Unknown. No direct physical engagement observed by this researcher (See Pt. 6 for unrelated Void Demon encounter). Thalia's energy attack only briefly stalled one. Assume high resilience until proven otherwise.

  • Light Aversion: Possible, based on general horror tropes and Void's nature, but unconfirmed. Bring a flashlight anyway? Can't hurt. Probably.

  • Mint Aversion: Highly suspect data point originating from Adam Harper's internal monologue during extreme duress. File under "Sarcastic Coping Mechanisms," not reliable biology.

Conclusion

Devoratus Animarum should be considered NHI Class H (Hazard/Horror) entities posing an extreme existential threat. Their primary weapon appears to be leveraging the prey's own fear against them. Standard survival instincts (running, screaming) are demonstrably counterproductive.

Recommended course of action involves attempting impossible levels of zen-like calm OR generating an overwhelming aura of psychic dominance (easier said than done; requires access to dormant god-fragments/untapped wells of pure indignation, apparently). If calm or godhood are unavailable, preliminary anecdotal evidence suggests maybe thinking really loudly about intensely boring subjects (e.g., tax forms, printer manual error codes, the collected works of corporate HR policy) might interfere with fear signature?

Results not guaranteed. Mostly, just try very, very hard not to be noticed. Or afraid. Good luck with that.

Further Research: Will be conducted exclusively by volunteers recruited from the free subscriber tier. Do not ask the Narrator. My therapist explicitly advised against further exposure, citing "arachnid-adjacent existential trauma."

[End Compendium Entry // File Under 'Reasons to Avoid Interdimensional Travel']

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Until the next experiment,

—Your Narrator

P.S. if you’d like to see my entry on Void Demons, you can do that below.