Meeting the World Tree
At first glance, the elven village appeared simple—almost understated—but beneath that simplicity lay a quiet, undeniable beauty that was difficult to ignore. Rows of elegant white houses stretched along carefully organized paths, as though every stone had been placed according to the will of nature itself. The buildings lacked the extravagant grandeur of human capitals, yet they possessed a distinct charm born from perfect harmony with the surrounding forest.
And at the very heart of the village stood the sacred tree.
The World Tree.
A colossal entity beyond the limits of description, its branches reached upward as though they sought to hold up the very dome of the world. Its roots plunged deep into the earth, radiating an endless, almost breathing sense of life. To the elves, it was never merely a tree—it was the primordial mother, the origin from which their civilization had been born, and the sacred existence to which they had devoted reverence across countless generations.
For this reason, they appointed a Saintess, tasked with conveying the will and teachings of the World Tree to the elven people.
When Leo and Eliaria arrived at the village accompanied by soldiers, silence did not greet them.
Whispers began to spread almost instantly.
Countless eyes turned toward them—but most of those gazes were not directed at Eliaria.
They were aimed at Leo.
Sharp.
Cold.
Filled with disdain and disbelief.
The kind of look reserved for an intruder who had stepped onto sacred ground where he did not belong.
Soon, the whispers escalated into voices.
"What is a human doing here?!"
"How was he allowed to enter?!"
"Have you lost all respect for the sacred tree?!"
The commotion grew louder and louder, as though the crowd itself teetered on the edge of eruption.
Then, a voice cut through everything.
"Silence."
It was only one word.
Yet it fell like a bolt of thunder.
In an instant, all voices vanished.
Silence swallowed the crowd.
The weight of that single command did not come from its meaning, but from the man who spoke it. A commander forged in battlefields and death-laden wars—his presence carried a pressure that struck the mind before it reached the ears.
Afterward, the soldiers escorted Eliaria toward the royal palace, while Leo was taken to a temporary residence within the village.
---
The Elven Forest was renowned for its extraordinary affinity with natural elements, especially wind and water.
Because of this, the mana permeating the forest naturally leaned toward those two elements.
The moment Leo sensed it, he understood—this place was an opportunity.
A perfect one.
He sat in his room and began refining the surrounding mana.
His refinement techniques were unlike anything in this era—methods forged through a lifetime of reaching the peak of sorcery itself.
Time slipped away unnoticed as he immersed himself completely in cultivation.
When dawn broke the next day, he opened his eyes slowly.
His efforts had not been in vain.
On the contrary.
His affinity with wind and water had increased significantly, and the power of his related spells had reached an entirely new level.
With the dense mana of the forest and his unique refinement methods combined, Leo had stepped onto the threshold of the mid-stage of the Fifth Circle.
Then came a knock at the door.
A guard entered respectfully.
"The Saintess requests your presence."
Leo rose without hesitation.
On the way, the guard muttered under his breath, assuming Leo could not hear him.
"Tch… I never thought the Saintess would summon a lowly, short-lived human."
Leo said nothing.
He only cast a brief sideways glance.
Around him, many elves watched with similar expressions.
Disdain.
Resentment.
Rejection of his very existence among them.
Leo exhaled quietly within himself.
The elves… haven't changed. Even after all this time.
---
He finally arrived at the Church of the World Tree.
The structure stood directly beside the colossal trunk, as though it existed solely to reflect the tree's divine majesty.
Golden ornaments shimmered across its surface as sunlight filtered through the vast canopy above, making the entire place resemble a fragment of a heavenly realm descended upon earth.
Then the doors opened.
And the Saintess appeared.
The moment she stepped out, every elf present bowed deeply.
Every single one of them.
Except for one.
Leo.
He did not bow.
Nor did he show any reaction.
He merely observed.
Yet the Saintess did not seem offended.
Instead, she looked directly at him and spoke.
"Child of the chosen fate."
Leo blinked once.
Child of fate? What nonsense.
But she continued.
"You who have received acknowledgment from the higher existence… step forward toward the sacred tree."
Leo did not understand her intentions.
Nor the meaning behind her words.
But after a brief pause, he thought:
I have nothing to lose.
So he stepped forward.
---
The moment he stood before the World Tree—
It happened.
Something no elf had ever witnessed in recorded history.
A surge of overwhelming life force, purity, and divine presence erupted from the tree.
Green-golden light flooded the entire area.
The mana across the forest trembled violently.
Elves fell to their knees one after another.
Some even broke into tears, overwhelmed by emotion they could not contain.
But Leo…
Saw the world dissolve around him.
---
When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the forest.
He stood in a different space entirely.
A self-contained world.
Endless, silent, filled with calm green light.
Leo immediately sensed it—the flow of time here was different.
No matter how long he stayed, only a single instant would pass outside.
Then—
A voice echoed.
"Alovinus."
Leo froze.
For the first time in a long while, a flicker of disturbance appeared on his face.
How does this voice know my past life's name?
Light particles gathered before him.
A beautiful fairy-like figure formed—radiating an overwhelming presence that made it difficult to even look at her directly.
She smiled gently.
"So it will be easier to speak like this."
Leo stared at her for a moment before asking:
"Are you the World Tree?"
She nodded.
"Yes. Forgive me for the delay in introducing myself. My name is Ava… I am what you call the World Tree."
Leo went straight to the point.
"Why did you bring me here?"
Ava let out a light chuckle.
"You are quite direct."
"Then I'll be brief."
"I'm listening."
Her tone shifted slightly.
"I cannot reveal everything yet… but I must warn you."
She paused.
"A catastrophe is coming to this world."
Leo's eyes narrowed.
"The demons?"
She shook her head.
"No."
Then she said, heavier than before:
"What is coming is far worse."
A silence lingered before she continued.
"And you are the only one who can stop it… Child of Fate."
"What catastrophe? And what does that title even mean?"
Ava lowered her gaze slightly.
"That… I cannot tell you yet."
"But the Child of Fate is the one chosen by the universe itself."
Leo frowned.
"And how do you know my name from my previous life?"
Ava smiled softly.
"As the World Tree, my connection to the universe is deeper than you can imagine. Through that connection, I know your name."
Leo asked again:
"And why do you think I will accept?"
Ava's smile turned confident.
"Because I am not asking for free."
She raised her hand.
"I will give you one of my roots."
A brief pause.
"And… the Eye of Fate."
Leo's eyes widened slightly.
"The Eye of Fate?"
"Yes."
Ava explained calmly:
"It allows you to acquire the abilities of magical creatures after killing them and using them as you wish. It also absorbs a portion of their mana, increasing your own reserves over time."
"It sharpens your perception in battle, allowing you to perceive enemy movements as though they are slowed."
"It grants absolute resistance to illusions, possession, and all forms of mental magic."
She smiled faintly.
"And above all… I will make all elves obey you as the envoy of the World Tree."
---
Leo fell into deep thought.
A root of the World Tree.
The Eye of Fate.
And a warning of an impending catastrophe.
All of it was extremely tempting.
But in the end, his thinking was simple.
He had once reached the pinnacle of power.
And he believed only one thing.
If he regained that power…
Everything else would be solvable.
After a moment, he raised his head.
"Alright."
"I accept."
A golden beam erupted from Ava's form and entered his eyes.
His eyes ignited with radiant gold.
Complex patterns formed within them.
Ava spoke:
"You are now the bearer of the Eye of Fate."
"But at your current level, you cannot maintain it constantly. Use it during battles or when killing enemies."
Her figure began to fade.
"My time is up…"
"We can continue this conversation another day."
Leo's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait, I still have a que—"
But before he could finish…
Everything vanished.
---
He was suddenly back inside the temple.
Standing once again before the World Tree.
As if nothing had happened.
Yet his mind was overflowing with questions.
Countless questions.
And no answers at all.