I placed Elira on my back before waving to my parents as I took off, the little girl holding on with all her might as I ran around the nearby fields. The large smile on her face filled me with joy, in a similar fashion as when I looked at Cellestra’s.

I galloped a bit, as well as I could with eight legs. It offered a bit of a challenge to the girl, but I kept it within certain boundaries. After running around the fields, she stared into my rear eyes as we walked back to our parents.

“Thank you, sis. You’re so cool!”

I chuckled. “No need to thank me. I’m having a great time as well.”

Elira leaned forward to look at my eyes better. “Can you not close those?”

I shook my head. “I can’t, but fortunately for me, I don’t need to.”

“That must be so nice!”

“Uh, not sure. I never really thought about it.”

“How is it to be half spider?” Elira continued her questions.

A smile built on my face. “It’s pretty nice, actually. I can’t say I would willingly go back to being an elf. This body is far too convenient.”

“Elysa did that right? Can she do that to me too?”

“Uhm,” I let out. “I don’t think she can. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

My death and reincarnation wasn’t something I felt I should talk about with a little girl, even more so considering she was my little sister. I wanted her to go through life without thinking about death or any other negative things in life, at least for a while.

“Aw, okay…” She nodded but was obviously disappointed.

I lifted her off my back as we approached the others again. My mother handed me a plate with a long bread roll on it. I thanked her as I skittered to the table to put down the plate and started eating as the others took a seat.

Cheese and tomato slices. Delicious, but I was still left longing for meat. It couldn’t be helped, though. I’d take whatever I could get my hands on just to ease the ache a bit.

Elira went to play with the cats. My father eyed her, a smile on his face, as my mother poured him a cup of tea.

“It’s so sweet to see you two together,” My mother said warmly. “Elira’s nature seems to go well with yours.”

“She’s amazing,” I said. “I never would have guessed things would turn out this way. I’ll admit, when you first told me you adopted someone, it hurt in a way.”

“I can see why,” Lilinia replied softly.

“But, I knew it was unfair to blame you for that. Besides, I’ve known her for a day now and I’m completely in love, too.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” My father said. “But I am hesitant.”

I looked at him and saw a serious expression on his face. Clearly, whatever he wanted to ask had weighed on him.

“It feels like we hardly know you,” He said clearly after making sure Elira wasn’t close enough to hear our conversation. He then sighed. “Our memories are back, obviously, but still.”

“No,” I said. “I completely understand. I’ve gone a long time without you. My memories of you have eroded over the years as well, and obviously, I’ve changed… a lot.”

He nodded. “Would it be a lot to ask to share some stories about you?”

I sighed, deeply. “I don’t know…” I admitted. “I’m trying my hardest to forget my old life and focus on this one. Perhaps I could tell you some stories from when I was a knight.”

“We would love to hear anything about you, as long as you’re okay with it,” My mother added.

“I think I can do that,” I said with a nod as things quieted down.

Elira had a stick with a claw bound to it that she used as a toy to play with the cats. She was running with it while the animals chased her down. It was quite cute to see.

“By the way,” I said between bites. “Something I just thought about. Would it be a lot to ask to sleep in the barn tonight?”

“Huh?” Cellestra let out.

“So I can sleep fully without having to worry about threats in the area, and you won’t have to stay on guard. I figured it would be a good idea since I’m exhausted and my eye needs to heal,” I explained.

“That’s fine,” My father said. “There’s a good lock on the door so you can get all the sleep you want. Will you prepare a bed for Cellestra, love?” He asked my mother.

“I…” Cellestra said softly. “I’d like to stay with Kealyna.”

“It’s her nightmares,” I said. “My healing magic prevents them. You don’t want her sleepwalking through the house and slamming the walls.”

“That bad?” My father let out in disbelief.

Cellestra nodded with her eyes closed.

“Can I join too?” Elira asked as she ran up to us.

“No, you can’t,” Lilinia said. “Your sister needs her rest. You’re not going to allow her any of that.”

I giggled as the young elf pouted. I felt kind of bad for her, but my mother was right. I wouldn’t get any sleep with an energetic girl like her there.

“If you’re going to be staying, I’ll prepare a few things for you to get it at least somewhat comfortable,” My mother said.

“Thank you,” I replied before I took notice of the sun’s position.

It was mid-afternoon right now and there was still something I’d like to take care of before evening fell.

“Cellestra,” I called her name, grabbing her attention. “Shall we go to the forest and work on our shelter a bit more?”

“Is that a good idea, you think?” She asked. “Aren't you trying to recover your mana?”

“My silk doesn’t use much mana at all. I also need to clean myself. I’m a mess.”

“That’s fair.” She nodded. “I assume you want to go and do that now?”

“Yes.”

She knew me too well.

“Alright.”

“Take care out there,” My father told us.

“Thank you. We’ll be back later.”

“Bye, sis!” Elira said as she waved. Cellestra climbed on as I waved back.

“Take care. We’ll see you in a few hours.”

With that, we set out to the forest. Along the way, I decided to ask Cellestra why she wouldn’t rather sleep in a bed. I didn’t particularly lie when I told my parents about her situation, but I could simply cast my spell preemptively and she’d be fine.

“Kealyna…” She whispered. “I…” She looked down into my eyes and then averted her gaze. ”I prefer being with you.”

I remained quiet. I simply didn’t know how to react.

Cellestra inhaled deeply before she let it all out. “Remember what I said earlier? How I don’t want to lose you, either? Kealyna…” She paused.

“Is this what you feel? Is this love?”

I shook my head, my eyes closed, a smile on my face. “I don’t know. I can't tell you. I know what I feel and it hasn’t changed. I want to be close to you, to hug you, to make sure you're happy, and of course I don't ever want to lose you. I think that's love. I’m not sure how it works for others, only for myself.”

“If that’s love,” Cellestra said softly. “I feel the same way…”

I felt my heart beat faster in my chest after that. After all this time, to find out she could feel the same way about me as I felt about her… I felt like I could fly.

Cellestra giggled, her obvious hesitancy and uncertainly blown away.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“Are you trying to fly or something?”

“Huh, what?” I let out. I was just thinking about how I could fly, but what made her say that?

She giggled again. “Your ears,” She said, pointing a finger.

I moved my free hand to my head to find them twitching, almost in tune with my heart rate.

“Oh.”

“I think it’s cute!” Cellestra said with a chuckle.

“Thank you…”

I fell silent after that as I continued walking in the direction of the forest. I felt… relieved, and most of all, euphoric, but I tempered it. I couldn’t lose sight of things, even if this was perhaps one of the most important things that had ever happened to me. Cellestra had seemed extremely hesitant about all this, so I would slowly let her explore her own feelings.

We reached the webs I’d spun so far, and without words, I continued my work.

Cellestra sat on the webs as I created another hanging web, this time, far above the ground. She watched me work with great interest and delight. I noticed that she was absent-mindedly running her fingers over the silken foundations, a small smile on her lips.

She didn’t know, but I felt it through my legs. The gentle caressing was soothing to me. I let the emotions that it conveyed fill my core as I worked.