I held on to both my parents until I’d calmed down enough. I still didn’t want to break the hug. Cellestra eventually stepped off my back and waited at my side.

My father was the first to break away and stand up again. He waited patiently as my mother was still running her hands through my hair, a small smile now visible on her face. Eventually, I felt my own lips growing into one as well.

“I still don’t get half of what you said,” My father said. “My mind feels like a soup at the moment. I hope you know more about that, but please do tell me who this person is first.”

My mother let go of me and stood up, her hand not leaving my hair as she looked at Cellestra as well.

“Mom, dad, this is Cellestra, a… friend.” To me, she was more than a friend, but it seemed that my parents’ minds had been through enough for now. “Cellestra, Keelarin, my father, Lilinia, my mother.”

“Nice to meet you,” Cellestra said softly, but warmly.

“As for the full story,” I continued while my parents shook Cellestra’s hand. “Well, better take a seat, or well… sit down, I suppose.”

I sighed deeply as my parents did exactly that. I dug a hole to lay my head in so that I’d be on a somewhat even height with them. Towering above my own parents just didn’t feel right to me. Especially since the last time I saw them, I was barely half their size.

Cellestra sat down in the dirt as well as I prepared to recite everything that happened, including my parents’ deaths. Fortunately for all three of them, it was dry enough to not leave much on their clothes.

“I’ll explain everything,” I said again. “But let me start at the beginning. I’ll go over things slowly. As much as things may not make sense, they are the truth, so please bear with me.”

“Years ago… many years ago, when I was who you remember me to be, we were attacked by bandits while traveling.” I looked at the dirt in front of me. “You two were killed and I was about to be killed when they decided to sell me as a slave instead.”

My parents’ eyes grew wide with disbelief and I paused for a moment to let my words sink in. They seemed to believe me as they didn’t ask any questions.

“I was rescued by soldiers and brought to a city where I grew up in an orphanage. When I came of age, I joined the knights, where I remained. Then one day, while protecting a carriage with nobles, we were attacked. I fought until the end to protect our charges and sacrificed my life, buying just enough time for reinforcements to save them.”

I paused again while looking down at my exposed stomach. It was an odd thought, but I was fortunate that no scars remained where the arrow and spear had pierced my body.

“The next moment I knew, I stood in front of Elysa, in her own realm. She said she wanted to reward me for my noble actions by offering to basically allow me to start over from the moment you were cut from my life.”

“How did she intend to do that?” My father asked.

“Her idea was to place you in this world with your memories about me sealed away until you had built up something. That was what I was told. I would be placed in the body I had at that time, stripped of my memories from that day onward so I could have a second shot without the burdens from that day weighing me down. As soon as you were to lay eyes on me, your memories up until your deaths would return.”

I blinked a few times before continuing.

“Obviously, things didn’t go as planned.” I tilted my head to look at my mother, even though I could see her and my father both perfectly clear with the large eyes on my lower head. “That was where things got complicated… I was about to step through a portal that would lead me here, to where you were, when the portal changed and black tendrils as cold as ice reached out and took hold of me, before pulling me through it. Elysa fired some of her power at me before I disappeared from her realm.”

I took a deep breath and allowed my listeners to process this information.

“I later learned that Hograd was behind that and that he’d cursed me. When I woke up after that, I was a tiny spider, thanks to him… I still don’t know why.”

“Just… a spider?” My father let out.

I nodded, holding up my thumb and index finger, about half an inch apart. “About this size, I guess?”

“But...” My mother started but was cut off when I pointed to the sky.

“That’s where Elysa comes into play. Long story short, she gave me a blessing that allows me to grow stronger when I kill things. I learned all kinds of spells and abilities through that blessing. In the middle of it all, I met Cellestra when I was still a small spider, and she’s been very kind to me… hard as communication may have been...”

I sighed, then smiled thinking about how we had to use pieces of paper with letters written on them to talk.

“I kept growing in strength and size until I got this form, then set out with Cellestra to find you.”

I paused for a second. “Sooo,” I started, then swallowed. “This upper part of me… this is what I looked like when I was grown up before I died.”

My mother smiled. “You grew up to be beautiful, then. I’m just sad that I couldn’t be there to see it.”

I saw my father nod. “It’s a pity we won’t get those years back, but I’m happy to have you here, now, with us.”

“How are your minds doing?” I asked. “It seemed that Elysa’s lock becoming undone did quite a number on you.“

“I’m… doing okay, I think. Keelarin?” My mother asked.

“Things are… messy. It feels like they are being put into place slowly, but I think I’m doing okay.”

I turned my head, observing the fields with tomatoes, or rather, I turned my head so my parents would know what I was looking at. Cellestra had needed some time to get used to me being able to see so much at the same time, so this time would be no different.

“I’m happy to see you are still doing what you’re good at,” I said.

“Forget about that,” My father said as he walked to the halberd in the dirt. “I’m more interested to see what you’re good at. You were a knight, you said?”

“I never stopped considering myself a knight, as weird as it may look with this body.”

Keelarin picked up the halberd and planted the tip in the dirt, motioning for me to take the pole.

“Thanks,” I said softly.

He then pointed a finger at the chunk of starmetal behind me. “What’s that on your… wait, do you have two heads?”

I chuckled. “I do. I have two minds, too. It allows me to cast two spells at once among other things. I’m surprised you just mentioned this now. I think this is the first comment you made on the new me.”

“We just got our daughter back,” My mother said. “Even if it hasn’t been that long for us. A few more legs and eyes do not change who you are.”

“I’m glad you think that way. We’ve had some… issues on the way.”

 
“Kealyna,” My mother said as she stood up. She walked to me and took me in for a hug again, kissing my forehead. “I’m sorry for what you had to go through. I imagine that must have been hell.”

I nodded. “It was,” I whispered. “But I’m okay now.”

“Is this a good time to tell you that I’m proud of you? What you did… is not for everyone.”

“I’m… okay with it. Now that I have you here, everything was worth it. I’m honestly quite happy with what I am now.”

“Are you?” My mother asked with a smile as she brought her hand down to my spider head and carefully touched it. She then shook her head with a suppressed chuckle. “I still can’t believe my daughter was turned into this. At least you’re the least scary spider I’ve ever seen.”

“Truly?” I asked softly.

“Truly.”

I looked at the field while in a comforting hug as an idea was brought to mind. I chuckled at the thought before speaking it.

“I guess I could help you till the soil quite easily with all these legs… if you want some help.”

“If you’re willing to help out,” My father said. “We would really appreciate the help. We’ve fallen behind quite a bit.”

“I’d love to,” I replied with a smile.