Chapter 2 - Decision (1/2)

How much time had passed?

A decade, a century, a millennium? Or more? Or was it just a day?

Regardless of how long it went by, I found myself in a forest full of different color's trees.

I had arrived here by teleportation. Exhausted both physically and mentally, and without any reason to stay alive, I prepared myself for my last sleep.

With the last remnants of my strength, I used my spiderweb and wrapped it around myself to form a cocoon. Then I closed my eyes, hoping I would never have to open them again.

But unfortunately, my wish wasn't fulfilled. I didn't know how much I had slept, but, in the end, my sleep ended, and I went out reluctantly from my cocoon. The sight that appeared before me was this forest.

Although I was unaware of how much time had passed, inside, I knew that all my companions had died, including the one I loved.

It was he who teleported me away from that place that was about to be destroyed, although I preferred that he hadn't.

But, as always, his decision proved to be correct.

Not long after my awakening, with surprise, I discovered that two eggs inside me, which I had forgotten at the time of my sleep, had been fertilized, and inside them were developing two life forms.

The legacy of my love with the one who had changed my life.

To that discovery, I trembled first with wonder and then with joy. When all was lost, I had found a reason to live and something to remind me that everything we had done hadn't been in vain.

The fruits of our love.

At that point, I expelled the two eggs outside and wrapped them in a silk sack to protect them. So I put them on my back, where I fixed them using other silk.

Because the priorities had changed, I decided to explore this place and see if it was a safe place for my two eggs while carrying them on my back.

It didn't take long for me to explore the area, and I discovered that there weren't any dangerous creatures. So as long as my children stayed with me, there would be nothing to fear. However, two things still disturbed my mind, the same things that had always concerned my mind and those of my species: the human race and the demon race.

They represented the greatest danger and not knowing if the area I was in had strong humans or demons tormented me. I, therefore, decided to extend my research area to the outer region of the forest, where I would be more likely to meet them.

*

It was during my exploration in the outer region that I heard the voices of some men in the distance.

As I approached as quickly as possible, without making any noise thanks to my eight legs that could run smoothly on any terrain, I discovered a group of humans riding some wagons.

From their appearance, they seemed to be merchants, although I was uncertain. Not knowing what to do, I decided to follow them from the forest without being seen. I wanted to find out the strength level of the humans in this area, but attacking without information, especially with my two eggs, was risky.

I continued to follow them until evening, when the group stopped for the night, setting up a temporary camp. That allowed me to finally see all the humans in the group, including those in the wagons.

Among them, I was particularly struck by a woman with brown skin. My eyes moved to her big belly. From the shapes of her body, she didn't seem to be fat, so she was likely to be pregnant, and it shouldn't be too long for her to give birth.

By reflection, I turned to look at the two eggs on my back. Suddenly, I felt a certain sympathy for that human woman, but I immediately repressed it as soon as I noticed it. Part of me hated humans because of what they did, but I also knew that not all humans were guilty of that.

Shortly after, I noticed the presence of other humans who were spreading themselves at various points. From the way they were positioned, it seemed they wanted to attack the group of merchants, so they were probably bandits.

It didn't take long for my deduction to be accurate, and, as I had expected, the bandits attacked the convoy. From there, it arose a battle between the two groups, and this allowed me to evaluate their combative strength.

Fortunately, they weren't a threat, and, despite possessing spirit power, they were the weakest humans I had ever met. Considering their non-dangerousness, I jumped forward behind them to fight them. It would be a great way to stretch out a little after a long time.

In a short time, I killed all the bandits, including the leader nearby. It was then that I noticed the human woman I had seen before.

I realized that she was now dead, but inside her, the little human creature was still alive. Driven by an unknown reason, I decided to free the human cub. Cutting the mother's belly, I took out the baby.

He was a male, covered in blood and amniotic fluid. He had a body so small and fragile, and its weight was almost non-existent in my eyes. I realized he still had some liquid inside him. So, by sending a small portion of my spirit power, I pushed out the liquid inside him, and finally, he burst into tears and gave signs of life.

At that point, I was overwhelmed by another feeling unknown to me. Although he was a human baby, the enemy of my race, along with the demons, I couldn't resolve myself to abandon him there. In the end, I chose to take it with me; I didn't know the reason for this choice, but at the time, I didn't care.

With a human cub between my legs and my two eggs on my back, I moved towards the forest.

*

I reached a small lake at the eastern end of the forest. The moonlight made the bright water surface shine, giving it a silvery hue while around it reigned pleasant tranquility, interrupted from time to time by the noise caused by some small nocturnal animals in the surroundings.