Chapter 1: I’M A TREE??!!
Thump, Thump
' What's this…? '
Thump, Thump
' A heartbeat? No… Multiple..? '
Thump, Thump
' It's warm… so warm. '
" 𐌕ⶴ𐌄 𐌕ዪ𐌄ቹ ዐ𐌅 𐌋ጎ𐌅ቹ… "
The sound of muffled voices could be heard in multiple directions along with the sounds of laughter and something else.
' Hm..? I definitely heard something just now.. but… I'm so tired.. '
Satoru wanted to know what the noises were but an overwhelming sense of drowsiness took over and he fell into yet another slumber.
Unbeknownst to him, time was passing quite quickly.
1 day, then 10, then 1000 and so on. Yet he slept without issue.
***
[Ding]
[Notice: Hibernation complete.]
' O-Oh.. what..? I'm not sleepy anymore.. hey, why didn't you warn me that I'd be sleeping for so long?? '
[Notice: I'm sorry. Next time you will receive a warning before going into Hibernation.]
' Next time— No more importantly.. explain the situation. '
By situation, Satoru meant the view. Currently, he was able to see in front of him a beautiful garden of Lush green grass and countless beautiful flowers and trees. The sky was the most beautiful view however, with its Two pale moons in the distance and a large beautiful sun shining brightly. He tried to move but was unable to and noticed that he also couldn't speak yet somehow could see and hear.
[Notice: As you've noticed, You have been reincarnated! From today onwards you will no longer be Satoru Satoshi, you are now "Tree Of Life." Would you like to know more?]
' … '
[…?]
' Did I hear you wrong? '
Satoru was unsure that he had heard the system properly. Afterall, being reincarnated as a tree sounded really strange. Especially so, because of all of the skills that he acquired before he lost consciousness.
' A tree? You definitely didn't say that right? Why would a Tree need skills? Why would a tree need to hibernate? A tree wouldn't need a system right? I misheard right? '
[ Notice: You heard correctly. You are the "Tree of Life" to hear more information about your situation and race, just ask.]
' … '
[…]
' Before that… What is your name? Why should I call you? '
[ Notice: I do not have a name. You may call me what you want, you are my master. ]
' Then… From now on, You are Azeroth '
[ Ding! ]
[ Notice: Name Received! ]
[ Undergoing Evolution…]
The mention of a sudden evolution was surprising to Satoru and the silence made him nervous.
' Evolution? Azeroth? '
[…]
However, there was no response. All Satoru could do was sit silently and watch as the time passed. Soon, the sun set and the two moons raised their heads into the sky casting their pretty blue glow across the field. The sky was full of gorgeous stars and beautiful aurora lights.
While waiting for Azeroth to come back, Satoru watched as Elves came and went. They would often come at different times. In the mornings came the Leader and religious head elves. Children would come in the evening, and in the night time would come parents and single elves. After Azeroth went silent, he watched the elves for 130000 days and nights., learned the language spoken by the elves and learned that the elves were born from the tree making him their parent.
"Greetings Father, you are glowing even more beautifully than yesterday. It would seem you're in a particularly good mood today."
A smooth deep voice, and long hair as black as ink. Smooth and fair skin, golden eyes and clothes that look like he's some kind of celestial being from heaven. Or maybe he's just so handsome that the clothes look several times better, who knows? This man is the Eldest out of all of the elves and yet he looks no older than 20. He comes every sunrise and sings praises, recounting information about his siblings, and praying for everyone's wellbeing and safety.
He is a good child, even when he isn't paying me a visit he's hard at work protecting the elf village. It's not particularly big, there's only 30 elves, and half of them are practically newborns. However, he is diligent, gentle yet knows how to be firm when needed, he's smart too and seems to hold quite a bit of knowledge despite never having been out of the village since he was born.
' It's always a good day whenever you come. '
After being able to do nothing but sleep and observe, he had more than enough time to learn everything that he could. Not only did he know just about everything happening in the village but I know about everything happening in the entire forest. At least to a rudimentary degree. Whenever someone or something enters within the elf forest's territory, he is able to see and hear everything. Meaning that he can also assess someone or something's physical and spiritual conditioning. Most times when people or monsters get too close to the forest it's usually because they are lost or injured and seeking temporary shelter. Humans may not reach the elf forest as the amount of mana required to even step foot into the forest is several times higher than most humans can have even with external help. If a normal human gets too close to the forest they will be teleported back to the safest place that they could reside. Most likely a village or adventurers guild. Though, he supposed he could say that humans who get too close are saved, rather they're lost or being pursued by others, they will be teleported somewhere where they can be safe. However, animals are different. Animals are allowed in the forest, unfortunately so are monsters, and while animals pose no threat to the forest or elves it's a different story entirely for monsters. That's why even though the forest tends to be quite peaceful and quiet.. There have been times that unwanted fights have broken out when a pesky intruder made their way in. So far he had come to the realisation that there are more races in this world than he was previously aware of.
' Well… that makes sense, I died before I got to see any of the updates. I wonder how much changed that day… '
Sigh
' Regardless, I've grown a bit fawn if the elves.. I'm still not really used to being referred to as "father" or "mother" but well, after spending 356 whole years watching over them.. I suppose I naturally started to think of them as my own. These are my children, my people. I just wish I could do something for them. Talk to them or help them in any way… despite me not doing anything they still seem happy and pray to me everyday like I'm some kind of idol. I don't like it.. I want to repay them. '
Sigh
' Ah… he's gone. Goodbye for now… '
The day went by as any other, elves came to pray and sing praises and thanks. Children came and played around and on satoru's branches and then got scolded by any adults that caught them. Parents came by shortly after and prayed for the well-being and safety of their siblings and families. At night, animals would gather close to Satoru and sleep, burrowing in and under him. Since satoru was now a tree, he no longer needed to do things such as sleeping, and while trees usually use photosynthesis to "eat" and nourish themselves, Satoru didn't need to do that. Unlike other trees, Satoru was different. Being the "Tree of Life" meant that he didn't need anything, literally. He would never die, he doesn't eat, sleep, bleed, or anything. Even if someone could somehow manage to "destroy" the tree, he would not die. Even if his entire existence was destroyed, somehow, he would not die. At most, he'd have to wait for his body to regenerate. Depending on the damage sustained, he might have to be "reborn" as another tree of life. But that was fine. In the first place. Satoru could at any time choose to "transfer" into the body of any of the elves. Afterall, they literally came from him. Making them his children, but also, vessels for him. Also, every year for over 356 years, he has been producing more vessels. Both giving birth to elves and also pollinating trees and plants. Similar to the trees that you may be used to, he has been "reproducing" with the other trees, but unlike other trees, his limit doesn't stop there. He can reproduce with anything, so long as it has a form, he can reproduce and create children and vessels to his desire. Satoru believed that perhaps that's what the skill he had gained called [Immortality] meant. You can't exactly kill something that has infinite vessels that they can occupy. Or maybe that was only part of it, he wasn't sure, not without Azeroth being there to confirm. He couldn't exactly test it out himself, creating more vessels was effortlessly easy to do, and while he hasn't tried it yet, he could instinctively tell that occupying them wouldn't take any effort either.. However, testing his immortality and its limits wasn't something he could do as that would require him to sustain injuries bad enough to "die" and none of the elves would do that, and none of the monsters that have gotten into the forest managed to make it close enough to even attempt such a thing. Basically, no threat to satoru's life exists and therefore without an explanation from the one who gave him the skill, he had no way of knowing its limits at the moment.
' Azeroth.. when will you come back? It's been so long.. are you even coming back? '
Sigh
[ Ding ]
[ Notice: Evolution complete! ]
' Ah?? Azeroth, you're back! '
[ Yes, because this was my first evolution, it took more time than anticipated. My apologies, master. ]
' I see… what do you mean "more time than anticipated" and why did you leave for so long? '
[Notice: Evolution]
[ Evolution is a natural phenomenon that occurs when one receives a huge burst of power. Evolution occurs for various reasons such as receiving a name, skill, purpose or sometimes in rare cases, one who receives near death growths. In this case, because you gave me a name, master.. I evolved into a greater version of myself. Would you like to know more? ]
' Yes, it's not like I have anything better to do and I'm not exactly going anywhere either.. '
[ Understood. ]
[ Notice: Hibernation ]
[ When one goes through an evolution, they are automatically forced into slumber via the skill "Hibernation" which is acquired only when one is close to evolving. That is why you immediately went into a slumber upon being born into existence. The amount of time that hibernation stays active depends entirely on external factors such as how much power one has gained, the skills as well as the surroundings also have an effect on the timing. For example: If a human were to go through an evolution during a war, they would not be able to go through a full term hibernation, therefore, they would have to evolve in under 30 years. Meaning that they would have to acquire a subversion of the Hibernation skill called Rushed hibernation. Their ability would still grow stronger but it would only be about half of whatever it should have been, and because humans live such short fleeting lives, the chances of them going through a full hibernation and gaining the remaining half of their abilities are far and few. ]
' Ah.. so basically, it's best to go through hibernation and evolution when you're completely sure of your surroundings and have no immediate threats that can be posed. '
[ Correct. ]
' So then, I am not too far off to assume that you, having been hibernating for over 300 l years, must have gained quite a large upgrade, no? '
[ You would be correct to assume so. A few of the changes I have undergone include the ability to perceive mana levels and fluctuations, transfer skills to and from others, store data, and analyze foreign information such as individual abilities, I can also get a rough estimate of how skills are used and copy them if needed. ]
' Whoa, you sound seriously OP… heh.. maybe this is what game and novel protagonists with systems feel like. It's a total cheat. '
[ I'm glad that it pleases you, Master. However, this is only my first evolution, there's a chance for a second evolution to occur overtime. ]
The remainder of the night went by smoothly. As the night progressed, Satoru watched over every animal and elf ensuring that they could rest comfortably and safely. After 356 years, Satoru had finally begun to feel at home somewhere. Furthermore, he was no longer alone, he and Azeroth spoke together throughout the entire night, talking about anything and everything from how the elves came to existence to how to use a few of his skills. Despite Satoru not needing to sleep, he decided to rest for a short while as Azeroth kept watch in his stead.