The heat around me is unbearable. Melting my layers, dissolving me into the flow of rocks, unimaginable pressure moving me forward. The journey is long, an eternity passes between meters. A giant, rotating, incandescent core of heavy material at the end redirects the flow, moving back the torrent of liquid rocks. Eons pass in this unchanging cycle, flowing inwards and outwards, until the inevitable comes. A crack releases the pressure, gushing me kilometers up in the air. The falling gives enough time to turn me back solid, as do the cold ocean that meets me.

Eras passes, corals growing and dying on my back, breaking me into sand and dispersing me into the water, until the oceans itself dries. Trees and fauna move and disperse, coming in going in ever changing forms; degrading and decomposing me even more. Now as sand, I flow into the air, traveling around, seeing everything, until my friend, the wind, deposits me in a valley. More and more sand comes, covering, increasing pressure moving me ever downwards, back to the fiery hell, starting the cycle anew.

I start to become one with the earth when something pokes me.

Poking? What? What is that?

Reality melts around me, and the shadows meet me again.

==============================================================

I sit up so quickly that my vision darkens a little. A wave of nausea attacks me, bile rising up my throat.

I turn to my right and throw up.

Ughh.

Holy shit! I’ve Awakened! Fucking finally!

I can feel a hand on my shoulder. Huh, it doesn’t seem to hurt anymore. I turn my head up to see a police officer looking at me, a mix of worry and annoyance on his face. By the low light in the sky I estimate that I’ve spent quite some time on the ground.

“-okay, sir? Do you need any help? There is a homeless shelter near here, do you want me to take you there?” He asks me.

I rise up with his help.

“No it’s okay. I already have somewhere to go. Thanks anyway.”

“Well, if you sure. The scheduled rain is coming in about an hour. Sir Tempest is helping today so expect some heavy rain. I recommend you don’t make stops to your destination.”

I thank the policeman, take my bag and leave.

It took me around five minutes to reach my house. The sky was filled with dark clouds and coupling that to very early morning made it seem that is was night again. My apartment was on a building with two floors, both of them occupied by small, single room apartments, much like those seem on Japan. Moving up the stairs, with my keys already in hand, I am stopped by a strange sight.

Crumpled on the floor in front of my door, was an Arachne. Arachnes were one of the most unlucky centauroids around. Their progenitors powers normally weren’t that useful, making their descendants even worse. Better than normal humans, sure, but nothing that would give them more opportunities, except on the most outliers cases. The racism they suffer from the populace is no small thing, always associated with evil or disgusting creatures, or cunning and conniving personalities. They would always be suspect number one when things went wrong.

I, on the opposite, find this woman in front of me pretty cute. Her upper torso has a head full of white hair, with elongated ears on the sides of her head, her skin, much like dark elves, has chocolate tone. She is chubby, wears a librarian sweater, looks to be in her late twenties and has breasts big enough that makes me question if I really am not in an anime. Her lower body is a huge black spider, with a soft-looking fur covering the rest of it. A tarp like skirt, normally used by centauroids, tries cover her but fails due to her sleeping position. Standing up, I estimate she would be some two meters tall.

Her eyes are a little red and puffy, like she was crying. In her arms she holds what seems like a spider robot, with a small tentacle eye that is looking at me. I swear this thing can show more emotions with it than I could speaking.

This, right here, is one of those moments that life seems to impose on you. One of those that gives you a choice that could change everything. A point where fate converges and your reality changes.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

I look at the girl and then at my door. Without hesitation, I take her into my arms and carry her inside, closing the door behind me.

==============================================================

After getting inside I am immediately hit by a small, chubby, feathery missile.

“Kyu, Kyu, Kyu!”

“Calm down girl!” I say, looking at my pet.

Mimi is a half a meter tall, blue feathered Kaive. This world does not have any of the common pets I remember from Earth. No cats, dogs. It lacks horses too. Instead, they have kaives. Kaives are a family of bipedal creatures looking like a mix of lizards and birds. They range from a few centimeters to three meters tall. They are extremely loyal creatures on the pretty much the only type of pet people have.

They are also capable of comprehending complex orders, and learn language, although unable to talk. They accompanied humanity since before they left the caves in this world, and were essential to the development of civilization, serving as beasts of burden and war. And after the cataclysm, they too, could Awaken.

Mimi finally jumped down, and ran to the kitchen sink while I carried the spider girl to the couch. Unfortunately, my furniture was not designed to centauroids necessities. With a sigh I put her, as best as I could, on the couch and proceed to throw cushions and blankets on the ground. After I am satisfied with my work, I gently lay her on the cushion nest.

Feeling something tug at my clothes, I look down to see Mimi holding a bowl with her beak. After feeding her, I cook a meal for myself and my guest. Since it was practically morning already, there is no reason to try and sleep. Finishing cooking, I lie down on the couch and begin to browse the net on my phone, Mimi sitting in my chest, with a sleepy look.

==============================================================

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

Startled by the scream I wake up, practically jumping from the couch in surprise, ready to fight.

“Who, Who are you? Where am I?!” The Arachne asks frantically.

“Calm down. I found you passed out on my front door. I didn’t think it would be right to leave you there. My name is Lawrence.”

“Oh. Thank you, I guess.” She looks down, a sad frown marring her face.

“So? What’s your name?”

“I’m Helen.”

Look like she really doesn’t talk much. Seeing her looking so sad, pulls at my strings. I move and sit beside her. She seems surprised and moves back a little, before relaxing.

“What happened to make a girl as cute as you pass out outside like that?” She blushes a little while I cringe inside, but remains silent. “Come on, you can talk to me, at worst I will be someone you will never see again.”

She retracts a little on herself, facing the floor with a pensive expression. If she were human waist down, I wouldn’t be surprised if she were hugging her knees. A few minutes pass, with us just sitting side by side, her small robot still in her arms.

“I was disowned by my family. They were doing things that I could not accept. So they banished me and now I have nowhere to go. They destroyed everything I had.” Her eyes start to tear up a little bit at that. “I’ve spent some time wandering aimlessly, until I was tired and just fell asleep.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I put my arms around her shoulders and hold her. This seems to aggravate her further and she starts to cry. We spent some time like that, until I spoke up.

“I left my family too. It’s not the same as your case, as I left on my own choice. I couldn’t quite fit with them, never felt like I belonged there.” She looks at me with intently, and asks:

“And what did you do then?”

“I tried to move on, of course. Strike out on my own with the small savings I had.” I smile wryly. “Not that it did go well as I seem to only gain part time jobs.”

She looks down again and just shakes her head.

“Not even that I have. I have nothing, what should I do?” She raises her head, her eyes looking a little vacant.

“You can stay here. It’s not much but it’s a roof over your head while you pick yourself up.” I say with I smile. I feel attracted to her and really want to know her better. I don’t have many friends, and she seems like she need some help so it’s a win-win.

Her eyes widen at hearing my suggestion.

“Why would that? Trust a stranger in your house? I’m really scary you know! People cross the street when they see me. I could rob you blind!” She says to me, trying to look intimidating, but ultimately failing.

“You look like you’re lonely and in need of some help. And I am lonely too, I haven’t had friends in a long time. And lastly, I like you.” Her face turns a shade of red at that.

“Lik-, like me!?”

“Yes. It is as good as a reason as any other.” I shrug. She jumps at me and gives the tightest hug I ever had in both my lives. I ignore the wet patch growing on my shoulder and pat her head, by our side, Mimi is playing with her robot.

“What I find the most important in people is loyalty. So, as long you do right by me, I will do so by you. We will never have to be alone again.” I say, tearing up a little myself.

“Un.” Is the only answer I get, alongside a nod and the tightening of her hug.

““GRRROOWL””

Our moment is interrupted by our stomachs.

“Come on, I made breakfast, let’s eat.”

In the future, we would look back to this moment as the turning point of our lives. The moment in which we gained the most important person in it. The moment from which we would never be alone again.