We were back home, in the living room. Lavanda was tending to my injuries with her best potions, as healing magic could only go so far. As she wrapped bandages around any bruise she could find, I was reprimanded again, again, and again.

“What were you thinking!” She said. “Not using your fire magic from the start was stupid, you almost died! I swear, if Lendwrek didn’t stop me, I would have incinerated all of them into oblivion!” There was nothing I could do. Her arguments were true, what I did was stupid. Putting my life on the line for a childish reason, I almost died, again.

At this point, a few hours after the fight, I was still feeling … strange. I survived death for so long that I thought of myself above everything else. Even against mere spiders, what I did was wrong. Each time I remember what I have done, I almost puke. All that meaningless butchering was my doing. I inflected upon them pain beyond what anyone deserved, I knew that more than anybody else.

The spider queen was hiding behind me, Lavanda's threatening stare forced her to stay inoffensive. Back when Lavanda fetched me, the spider shed her old dead body, for a new much smaller one, around the size her children had.

I couldn’t bring myself to leave her alone in that bloody forest. It took some work, but I was able to convince Lavanda to spare her and bring her back here. The Queen could have tried to kill me multiple times now, I didn’t know why, but she didn’t.

Looking more closely, her shell was now a dark green rather than the black of her old skin. Scythes were equipped on her two front legs, and the pattern on her back was unique compared to other spiders. Overall, she looked like a fused version of the three-spider type, but with a less threatening outlook. It still wasn’t enough to completely calm Lavanda.

“That thing is still too much of a wild card,” Lavanda said. “If you want to keep her here, you will need to turn her into your familiar. It that, or she goes flying through the cloud.” She said as she held a bottle of blue slime.

The spider gave me a look which I couldn’t stand. Killing all her family and then turn her into a familiar was a bit much. She climbed the couch I was on and sited on my lap. From her point of view, this was this or death. If she stays with me, at least there was a chance for her to live a longer life.

Taking the offered bottle, I already knew the familiar bonding ritual, since it was explicated in the book Lavanda gave me. It was a permanent thing and was not to be taken lightly. Doing this will change my life just as much as hers.

“Lavanda, the book mentioned the vital force of the two parties, what is the vital force? It is not explained anywhere.” As much as I have read, I never saw any clear definition of what vital force was. The name itself was self-explanatory, but I wanted to be sure what it meant.

She sighed. “It is the energy of the soul, that makes you live, breathe, and heal. It’s what allows you to use magic and dictate what you are as a person. All living beings have it to a different degree. Whatever is linked to your vital force is linked to your soul, like your body, or a familiar.”

“If it is so important, why did you never tell me about it?” I asked.

“Because all the techniques using vital force are extremely complicated and advanced, you are not ready for them.” She answered. “Also, you are a more exceptional case in that regard, so I wanted to verify a few things before telling stuff that may not apply to you.”

“Not apply?”

“Yes, you are an otherworlder, your body and soul may act differently from those who are born here. I already confirmed that you do have not a normal vital force.” Seeing my curious glare, she continued. “Your scars. They should have healed the second I use pure healing magic. Normally, when a scar caused damage to a person's vital force, healing magic is used to heal it completely. But yours haven’t healed at all, beyond closing themselves. This is not normal.”

“It that strange to have scars?” In my mind, having a scar after a battle was normal. I thought that healing magic had limits, but I was the limited one. Since my acid burn scar, I thought it was common to not heal completely. Even on Earth, it was normal, but it seems things were very different here.

“Yes, but don’t worry. I already contacted an expert on the subject, and she should arrive in a few hours with Randal.”

“Randal is almost back! Didn’t you send him with a letter about the screech?”

“Yes, to fetch someone. And she also knows more than me about vital force. If someone can explain how and why you got here in the first place, it’s her.”

The teacher's attitude vanishes from her face to go back to a murdering glare. “Now make that thing your familiar, or I swear I trow it to Randal as a welcome snack!”

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I could see a silhouette approaching the island. Its wings flap as it comes toward us. Lavanda and I were waiting at the edge with full baskets of meat and fruit. Through her bond with Randal, Lavanda knew that Randal would be hungry from all his time travelling.

Tara, my new spider familiar, was sleeping under a hammock not too far away. In our fight, she had received substantial damage that forced her to shed her old, battered body. From the experience and damage she received, she also suffered vital force damage and would need a long time to fully recover from what I did, on Lavanda guess it would take around 3 years to go back to the giant spider I knew. Sleeping accelerated slightly the process, but Tara was probably more of a sleep head than anything else.

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Randal landed near us and I rush to hug his neck.

“I missed you big boy,” I said as Lavanda join the hug. He started licking us, making us know that the feeling was shared, but I knew that his eyes were fixated on the baskets. Once free of us, he hopped to them, as his head swung left and right, just like his 3-metre tail.

The figure on his back jumped off and landed right in front of Lavanda.

“Hi Lavanda, been a while,” She had blond waist-long hair, and her outfit looked perfectly fit to travel with a warm coat made with golden fur. Winter was not here yet but definitively made his approach known, especially when flying on the back of a monster going extremely fast above cloud level. I could see long pointy hears poking out of her hair.

“Hi Caryly, yes, it has effectively been 57 years since we last saw each other. Don’t worry, I had worse.” Lavanda said, smiling.

“So you do have been counting the years. I knew you were a softy at heart.” Caryly said as she hug Lavanda. After a while, she stopped and her eyes fell on me.

Analyzing me like a new species she never saw before, she put her face right in front of mine and looked at anything she could find about me. Shifting my hair, sniffing my scent, observing for any reaction of mine. I was not spared.

“It strange of you to act like that, is everything alright?” Lavanda asked with a frown.

After a moment, Caryly answered. “I tell you about that later, anyway, sorry for my rudeness. My name is Caryly, a pleasure to meet you.” I could feel something strange about the woman. Not dangerous, or hostile, but rather familiar. The feeling was small, but it was telling me that this woman will never do me any harm and could be trusted. This was a different kind of trust than the one I give Lavanda and Randal, this one feel natural rather than earn. I kept eyeing her for a few seconds before realizing that she was waiting for me to say something.

“Um, hi, I'm Emery, pleased to meet you,” I said, offering a handshake. It was probably not the thing to offer, but I was lost in this situation. Instead of taking my hand, she trowed me a hug. The harmless feeling I detected earlier grew a bit warmer, as I felt the urge to hug her back. It was so strange, in the arms of a perfect stranger, I was feeling comfortable and safe. And I knew that she was feeling the same.

“Okay, something is definitively up,” Lavanda said as she separates us, and kept the back of my head in her chest. The feeling she gave was different but still comfortable.

Caryly was a bit heartbroken, but quickly recomposed herself and still had a smile on her face. “Again, I tell you later, for now, let's talk inside.” As we entered the house, Randal finish his feast and sat near Tara. He clearly recognized her as the spider queen that almost killed me, and made sure that she will recognize him as the one who could carbonize her instantly if anything happen to me. His stare, simply waiting for her to wake up to start the lesson.

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“Mmmmm,” Caryly took a moment to think after Lavanda told her about the screech, which was the reason she was called here in the first place. Relaxing on the couch, I sipped at my tea while Lavanda wait for her friend to speak. Even with all the healing and potions Lavanda used on me, I still haven’t fully recovered from the fight with Tara earlier. Outside, the light was getting darker, as Lavanda lit the room with a light spell.

After waiting longer, Caryly opened her eyes. “I might be wrong, but it's probably a Calamity monster.” The tension on Lavanda didn’t seem appeased by the statement.

“I thought so,” Lavanda said with a sigh. “Dear gods, what are we gonna do…”

“Excuse me, but what is a Calamity monster?” It was the first time that I had ever heard about that kind of monster, and with a worried Lavanda, it was not good news. Keeping her head low, she was stuck in her thought.

The one who answered was Caryly. “A Calamity monster is a monster who has the magic capability to affect the world and other living being on a whole different scale than normal monsters. Some countries had fallen because of them, and those who lived suffered catastrophic damage.”

“They are that strong?” I asked.

“They do not have all the same strength and power, but yes. It is for a good reason that those who killed one become heroes across all countries. Their power can vary greatly. Some are literal powerhouses, while others have more complex magic that can affect a vast area. In history, there is even one that had plagued a whole country and its inhabitants, making it impossible for them to leave, and for others to come.” These monsters were no joke. If one was nearby, we couldn’t stay here any longer. I liked the place, but it is not like I have any big emotional attachment here other than our little family. Lavanda though lived here for hundreds of years and I couldn’t imagine the feeling of losing your home because some pest invaded the place.

I sit beside Lavanda and give her a much-needed hug. Whatever she decides to do, it was her decision to make, not mine. It took her a bit to find something to say.

“Its power affected all the wildlife in the nearby area, If we are careful we might be able to lure it elsewhere,” She looked at Caryly, waiting for her opinion.

“Yes, there have been cases where people were able to lure it far away, forget about it,” At these words, Lavanda regained some colour in her eyes. “But. This is extremely dangerous and complicated, I would prefer it if you instead come with me. I can find you lodging and a new place to settle.” After a short pause, she continued. “Your talent and knowledge could be useful, there is always a need for reliable people. Now more than ever.” Did something happen outside our recluse oasis? Would never have guessed so, not that I cared. Lavanda is my only worry right now and whatever she chooses, I will stay with her.

“With my exiled status, this will only give you more problems. You’re a renowned magic specialist and researcher, just knowing me gave you enough trouble, I don’t want to bother you more than necessary. I'll find a way to lure it away from here.” I feel like Lavanda is trying to dodge a bullet, not just for herself, but for both of them. For all, she knows the world might have changed, but it still rejected her into the wild. Before today, I didn’t even know that she kept contact with someone outside the flying archipelagos. Of all the living people on this planet, Caryly must be one of the few people that she trusts.

Looking a bit dejected, Caryly look at me for help, but I stuck myself to Lavanda. From my instinct, I knew I could trust her, but Lavanda is the one who gave me everything while I had nothing.

“I won’t stop you Lavanda, but please don’t take too much risk, I don’t want to lose you.” Caryly had no choice other than to go along with Lavanda's idea, even if it was a stupid one. “But just in case, I will stay here for a while, my job is important, but so is your safety to me, and…” She looked at me. “... I wish to learn more about Emery.”

“Thank you,” Lavanda said with a smile while hugging me possessively.