Oh my Goddess, I can’t believe you did that, Adon sent, almost before he knew what he was saying.

Well, of course I did, Samson replied instantly, his voice chipper. The glow of Mana faded from around his body almost immediately as he walked slowly, awkwardly back toward the mouse. Out of the heat of combat, the little spider was beginning to demonstrate the clumsiness one would expect of someone with a missing leg.

Goldie stepped forward as Samson drew closer to where she stood—nearer to the dead mouse than its actual killer—and began fussing over her son.

Are you all right, Sammy? she sent. You were incredible, even though it was so much bigger than you!

Well, I do have Mana, Samson replied. And venom. I inherited that from you…

The two continued chattering back and forth while Adon considered what he’d just seen.

I remember before, I’d started to think that Samson wasn’t very talented with Mana, Adon thought to himself. He’s definitely good at fighting, though. Is this really his first time in a real life and death battle? Did he serve in a war in our last incarnation, after I died? Once he was in close quarters with the mouse, he didn’t hesitate at all.

Adon recalled his first encounter with the Ladybug Larva that had become his early life’s first recurring villain. The Ladybug Larva had moved to attack him, and Adon literally jumped off what felt like the top of a tall building—in reality the tip of a small plant—to escape.

Well, I guess this just means that Samson is adapting to this reality a little better than me—or maybe that a newly hatched creature shouldn’t be put in a position of fighting for its life as soon as it’s born. Thanks, mother, wherever you are… and whoever or whatever you are, for that matter.

Adon refocused on the present moment. He needed to check on Samson’s condition. The little spider had lost a limb, though that should not be a major issue, considering Goldie and Adon’s recovery abilities.

As Adon focused in, he saw that Samson was already chowing down on dead mouse. Despite the spider’s small size, the middle of the mouse’s abdomen looked hollowed out. As if the poor creature had been placed on a starvation diet recently. Samson, by contrast, seemed to have swollen up. His whole body looked almost ready to burst out of its exoskeleton.

Are you all right, Samson? Adon sent. Are you going to shed your skin and grow that leg back? Um, I hope the food is good.

You didn’t hear us talking? Goldie replied.

Mama was just fussing all over me, Samson sent, still slurping up mouse innards. I can understand why your mind might have wandered elsewhere. The two of us were being kind of silly.

Goldie tilted her head at Samson in a manner Adon interpreted as her being slightly hurt by his choice of words—which felt like a mild rebuke directed at her even to Adon—but the young spider did not seem to notice.

But the fussing is totally unnecessary, Samson continued.

I was just trying to give him some healing, Goldie sent, breaking in as Samson paused to formulate another sentence. I don’t see how that is silly. He lost a limb. One and a half limbs, though at his age, I would surely have died if the same had happened to me.

What I was trying to say is that I actually don’t think I need to be healed, Samson transmitted. Even though I appreciate what Mama was trying to do. I have enough Evolution Points to evolve now. Just from killing and partially eating the mouse. I guess it was considered far beyond my abilities as a hatchling spider! So, instead of growing a new limb, I figured I should just evolve. From the way you and Mama described it, it’s a pretty transformative experience that should fully recover me. A whole new body. Why waste time and energy on just growing a new leg?

That makes sense, Adon sent.

Now that we know you got enough Evolution Points from killing the mouse, Goldie added. Before you started eating it, you were already trying to act tough—like you did not need to pause and heal.

You have a good point, Mama, Samson replied mildly. I guess I’m getting ahead of myself a little.

That seems to be a habit with you, brother, Adon thought silently. Perhaps that was the cost of having lived a much more successful life than Adon had experienced in any of the butterfly’s prior incarnations. Overconfidence, verging on recklessness.

You think that Evolution is a good idea right now, Adon? Goldie asked.

I do, Adon replied instantly. As long as he is not foregoing a better Evolution option that would become available if he was more patient. Adon turned his head toward Samson, to make it more obvious to the spider that Adon was focused on him, waiting for his answer.

I’m not, Samson replied. I already had a lot of Evolution Points from our cushy palace life and all of mama’s provisioning. I just hadn’t evolved yet, because I wasn’t willing to embrace the lowest Evolution option. Now I can afford the personalized one that fits with your personality.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

That sounds amazing, Goldie sent excitedly. Since Adon agrees, I think you should go ahead right away.

Adon had the strangest feeling that he had somehow been roped into the role of Samson’s father figure, before he reminded himself that he had voluntarily chosen to be his brother’s mentor in this new life. The distinction was subtle but important. Of course it was natural that Goldie would respect Adon’s opinion on this, considering how successful he had been in their shared environment—and how successful she had been alongside him.

All right, Samson sent. I’ll do it, then. Here goes nothing!

He scampered over the mouse and chose a piece of ground up against the trunk of the tree.

Easy to defend, Adon thought.

Good spot, he sent to Samson and Goldie.

Samson stood perfectly still for a minute, during which time Adon imagined the spider was looking for the Evolution option he had chosen.

Then Samson’s body began to glow. Light radiated from every millimeter of skin. At first, it was white. Then it dimmed slightly but began to flicker in every color of the rainbow.

And there Samson stood, completely still, his body faintly glowing with mystical energy, while Adon and Goldie simply stared.

A minute passed before it occurred to Adon that this Evolution, like his own, might not be as relatively quick as Goldie’s recent Evolution had been.

He resisted the temptation to ask Goldie how long she thought this would take. He could be patient, and the question was irrelevant. However long this took, he and Goldie would remain in place, protecting Samson’s body—which Adon assumed was especially vulnerable during the Evolution process, as Adon was certain he had been during his chrysalis days.

But the butterfly also did not intend to stand idle for long.

Goldie, I know you were active for a long time while I was in my chrysalis, Adon sent. Enjoying your new, stronger body. Did you get up to a lot of hunting? I remember you mentioned about the spiders in the palace…

That was mainly it, Adon, Goldie replied. I avoided too much hunting. I was concerned with killing any predators that might come after me and my eggs, but once I eliminated the other spiders, I mostly stayed sedentary with the little ones. Why do you ask?

I was just thinking about how we make you stronger, Adon transmitted. For Samson, killing a field mouse was enough. For you, I’m guessing we need to find something much larger. Something bigger and more dangerous than any species you have ever fought before.

The butterfly braced himself for the spider’s reaction. The prospect of fighting creatures deadlier than the Red Slayer Wasps would undoubtedly be intimidating.

I think you are right, Goldie sent. I was just going to stand here and watch Sammy finish his transformation, but there is little point in us both simply sitting here staring at him.

Adon was surprised. Goldie was agreeing very quickly to this barely-sketched plan for her to fight some large, deadly creature.

I suggest that you scout for an appropriate challenge, then return and point me in the correct direction, Goldie continued. If you will protect Samson while I hunt, I will be able to fight with my full attention on the task at hand.

That sounds like a great plan, Goldie! Adon sent. Um, how did you decide you wanted to do it so quickly? If you don’t mind my asking… My whole plan for this trip was for the three of us to watch each other’s backs. This is a bit riskier than what I had envisioned. You’re usually the careful one in the group.

There was little point in second guessing Goldie’s decision to accept Adon’s own plan, but he couldn’t help it. The Willful Golden Hourglass Spider remained his closest friend, and they had even watched each other’s backs through Evolution in the past. Yet he continued to feel that she was far more vulnerable to harm than he was. And he felt a responsibility to protect her from her relatively weaker condition.

It is something I have been thinking carefully about, Goldie replied. I know we have disagreed about what I should do, as our home is threatened. I have thought about what you said, and I think I understand your point of view a bit better. It was hard to see it at first, but Sammy’s attempt at navigating the dark place you showed us reminded me. I can’t forget—or should not forget—just how much weaker he and I are when compared to you. I realized it might be hard for you to protect us in the middle of a war—and hard for you to simply tell us to get lost. You tried to avoid that problem by nudging me toward running away. You did it out of care, so my feelings aren’t hurt. But now that I see your reasoning, more than anything, I do not want to become a burden to you. No, I will not let it happen! I will not have you worrying about me, anymore than I’ll abandon you and Sammy in the middle of the war you are both so determined to fight.

Samson? Adon asked. There was so much in what Goldie had said telepathically that merited response, so much that he had to say—including some partial misunderstandings she had of his motives—but those last words stuck out to him. Samson is determined to fight?

Why are you so surprised? Goldie sent. The two of you are alike in many ways, although neither of you seems to see it clearly. I guess that is how brothers are, especially human brothers. Yes, Adon, Sammy wants to stay in the Kingdom and defend it too. He cares for many of the same things that you do. Glory, homeland, his family—and the Royal Family too.

Adon did not know what to say to that at first. The silence settled over the two arthropods for a minute, heavy and almost stifling.

Goldie seemed unwilling to break it. She had said her piece.

I’m glad we all want the same things, Adon sent finally. I wouldn’t say you described how I feel perfectly—I would never call you a burden—but I do worry about your safety. This will help with that. There was more that Adon wanted to say—for one thing, he wanted to understand more of Samson’s motivations—but Goldie did not give him more time to brood.

Good, Goldie sent. Will you please find me something dangerous to kill, then? I want to be strong enough that you never tell me to run away again. So strong that you will let me worry about you for a change.

Adon thought that would never happen—even if the spider grew stronger than him, the balance of worry would forever fall in the other direction, if only because Adon’s approach to this life involved more risk-taking than Goldie’s—but he had developed enough social skills and simple common sense to not argue the point.

Whatever you say, Goldie, the butterfly sent back.

With a single, strong wingbeat, Adon took off, in search of a difficult challenge for his friend.