Chapter 2 – A Prayer Answered
The cry of a newborn echoed through a chamber bathed in soft light.
Its walls curved like the living trunk of a colossal tree, carved with patterns of leaves and roots that seemed to pulse faintly, as though they were alive. Crystals embedded into the wood glowed with gentle emerald light, illuminating the room without fire, without smoke—pure, serene radiance.
Upon a grand bed draped in deep green silk lay a woman, her body exhausted from labor yet her beauty untarnished. Her long golden hair shimmered as though spun from sunlight itself, cascading over her shoulders. Her emerald eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed down at the small life she cradled in her arms.
She was Serenea Thalorian, last queen of a once-proud elven royal line.
Sweat still clung to her pale brow, but her lips curved into a tender smile as she whispered to the infant.
"My son... my little prince... you are the last light of House Thalorian."
The newborn whimpered, eyes opening for the first time. They were clear, unfocused—yet behind them stirred a consciousness far older than his fragile body. Adrian Cross, an ordinary man from another world, realized in that moment that he had been truly reborn.
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So... this is real? he thought, panic and awe mixing in his heart. I'm... a baby?
His limbs were tiny, his voice reduced to weak cries, his body frail and helpless. Yet his mind was sharp, carrying the memories of the bullet that had pierced his chest, the taste of iron on his tongue, and the desperate prayer he had uttered with his final breath.
A sound echoed inside his head—clear, mechanical, undeniable.
[DING!!]
> Reincarnation Complete.
Welcome, Valdyn Thalorian.
Valdyn... Thalorian... The name resounded in his mind. So that is me now.
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The door opened. Several elven handmaidens entered, their faces alight with awe. They bowed deeply to the newborn, voices trembling with emotion.
"The prince... the bloodline of Thalorian has been born anew..." whispered one.
An elderly elf followed, his long white hair flowing, a staff of carved oak and vine in his grasp. His gaze lingered on the child, then softened.
"Serenea... our people have lived in the shadows of ruin for too long. Yet now... this child arrives. Perhaps... this is the sign we have awaited."
Queen Serenea smiled weakly, exhaustion etched on her face. She pressed her lips gently against the child's forehead.
"Yes... Valdyn. My son. You are our final hope."
The baby wriggled faintly in her arms, but inside, his heart stirred. A broken people... a final hope... so this is truly a fantasy world scarred by war and despair.
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That night, when the chamber fell silent and the handmaidens departed, Serenea remained awake. She cradled her child close, her emerald eyes fixed on the ceiling as though speaking to unseen stars.
"Valdyn... you cannot understand yet. But our race—the elves—has lost nearly everything."
Her voice trembled, heavy with sorrow that had lingered for decades.
"Eighty years ago, the Ragnarok War destroyed us. Humans, orcs, and beastmen joined in bloodshed. Our numbers were few, and in desperation we sent even children to the battlefield. Our World Tree... burned to ash. Almost every elven man perished on the frontlines."
Tears slipped down her cheeks, falling onto the baby's face.
"Now, only we remain—the women, the elders too weak to fight, a handful of children. Our numbers dwindle with every passing year. Our race teeters on the edge of extinction."
Her hand shook as she stroked her son's tiny cheek.
"But you... you were born of Thalorian blood. The lineage that once guarded the World Tree. If there is even a spark of hope left for our people... it rests in you, my son."
Valdyn lay still, unable to answer, yet within his infant heart he swore silently. If this is the mission given to me... then I will see it through. I will not waste this second chance.
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As his eyelids grew heavy, the metallic voice stirred once more, faint but clear.
[DING!!]
> Quest Activated: Rebuild the Elven Race from the ashes of extinction.
Quest Condition: No time limit.
Quest Reward: Unknown.
Valdyn's tiny chest rose and fell as his thoughts raced. Rebuild... the elven race? I... I'm meant to restore them?
But fatigue overwhelmed him, his infant body succumbing to slumber even as his adult mind reeled.
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Serenea bent low, her golden hair falling like a curtain around them, and kissed her son's brow.
"Sleep, Valdyn. Someday... you will return our people to glory. I believe in you."
The newborn's cries faded, replaced by the steady rhythm of peaceful sleep.
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In that quiet chamber, a child rested—yet within him dwelled the soul of a man who had died in another world, bound now to a destiny far greater.
His old name was gone.
His new name was Valdyn Thalorian.
And the System had already set his path:
Rebuild the elves from ruin... or let them vanish forever.
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