The Tree’s first years

The Tree’s first years

Death and reincarnation

I am Matt, an indie game developer. I died in a bus accident on my way home.

You died. An old man says. He reminds me a little of Santa Claus.

Oh, I did. It is a plain white space. Reminds me of the scene where Morgan Freeman plays a god, so I look at him and ask. Are you God, and is this the pearly gates?

Yes I am a god.. My name is Mozart, and Im the administrator of the soul transmission system.

Mozart. What a name.

Uh soul transmission? Wait. Reincarnation?

Yes. Like all the isekai stories youve been reading. Oh thats a good way to explain it. Thinking about all the other reincarnation stories I could not help but feel a little excited. Would I get to build a harem?

Oh nice. So, what am I reincarnated as? What special powers do I get?

Roll this. A big disc appears with weird characters on them. It is like a giant wheel of fortune, complete with colors.

Huh? What is this?

This is the race wheel. The result of your roll woll tells you what you get to be in your next life. You can be a mosquito, or a dragon, or maybe even a minor deity.

Hmm, why not a human? Thats how it normally is for isekai stories.

You did not qualify.

What do you mean?

Based on the kind of life you led, you do not qualify to be reincarnated as a human.

So. Oh that sucks. But why?

That's just how the rules are. Roll the wheel. You will be randomly allocated a race to reincarnate as.

I could not comprehend what are the words on the wheel, so I look at Mozart. More accurately, I stare at him Seriously? Is this a trick?

Just roll. Or you can be a mosquito. Thats permissible. Or a small gecko.

Fuck that. I will roll the wheel then.

I am just about to roll the wheel, then I stare at him again. I do recall having died in a bus accident, so theres quite a few other guys on the bus. Am I being singled out here?

Erm.. how are the other guys in the bus?

Dead. They are going to be reincarnated as well. After you.

Oh. So, do they need to roll the wheel as well, like me?

Nope. They will be reincarnated as humans or elves.

Hey, I am being singled out! Thats quite unfair! What. How come?

They have been chosen by the gods, and those who pray for heroes. Selected as champions of the world they are going into, so they get special powers and stuff, to fight a big bad guy.

How about me?

You are not a champion. You just happen to get on the same bus as the kids.

Wait. I am collateral damage? That reminds me that there are quite a few teenagers on that bus. Its a route that passes by a mall, and it's late so they probably are on their way home after an outing.

Why them? Why do they get to be champions?

Because they are young, courageous, good hearted and have a desire to do good. Not yet tainted by the evils of society.

Wait. So you chose kids to bear the burdens of the world?

That's the criteria the gods and the people look for, so that's what they get.

Damn. I roll the wheel.

And it stops at some random word that I did not understand Wait. The word transforms now.

A tree. I understood what it said.

What?!?! Hey this is not going the way I thought it would. I am supposed to get super powers and get reincarnated.

Yeah, trees have souls too. Mozart seems rather nonchalant about it. Trees are not bad, actually.

How about grass?

Oh grasses of a critical mass have souls. Before that they dont. For trees it is their age. Once the trees reach about a certain size they get a soul. There are world or species specific exceptions of course.

Uh.

Anyway. Tree. Goodbye-

Blackness. Darkness. Kind of like a TV screen gets turned off in the old CRT days.

And then a menu. What is a reincarnation story without a menu, right? It shines against the dark backdrop, and reminds me of old DOS interfaces.

Oh a clock.

Year 1 Month 0

[Skills : [Hibernate], [Germinate], [Autopilot]]

[Species : Normal Tree]

[Level : 1]

Oh wait. Skills and levels. Ah yes I get to do awesome shit!

At first I thought it would take some loading time. Maybe this dark space is like a loading screen. But then a good two hours later I am still in this darkness. And I do not feel a damn thing. No sensation, no vision, no sound either.

It's still dark. Am I supposed to do something? I try to open my eyes but it is still dark.

I kept waiting. I dont seem to tire physically, but I felt mentally exhausted.

An Hour. A day. Two days. Three days. Four days. Five days. Six days. A week. The clock just keeps ticking and nothing freaking happens.

Darkness.

Black.

Black.

Black.

Frustrated I tried using my skills. [Germinate]

*Not the right season.* A pop up appears.

What is the season then? Once I had that thought, next to the clock a seasonal calendar appears. Another DOS like menu, but with a slowly moving indicator that says winter.

Curious, I click [autopilot], and suddenly a popup appears.

[Autopilot engaged. You have activated [hibernate].

And I recall falling into a sleep like state.

And when I woke up, a good four months passed on the clock. But still darkness. At least the season menu says [spring].

[Autopilot has activated [germinate]].

Nothing happens. It is still darkness to me.

And with autopilot active, time passes quickly. At first I thought I misunderstood the clock, but it soon became quite obvious that 1 second is actually 1 hour.

Which is really convenient because there is absolutely nothing to do. And so time passes.

A year passes.

Another year passes.

And another year.

Year 4

In the fourth year, a string of notification appears, instantly kicking me out of autopilot.

[Amber Lee has died. You received a fragment.]

[Samantha Chandran has died. You received a fragment.]

[Peter Varoufakis has died. You received a fragment.]

[Hyuna Park has died. You received a fragment.]

[Reed Constance has died. You received a fragment.]

[Shah Rasul has died. You received a fragment.]

[Mai has died. You received a fragment.]

[Lee Kang Ho has died. You received a fragment.]

[Shane Andrew Fillon has died. You received a fragment.]

[Pink Fong has died. You received a fragment.]

[The Demon King Asmodai has been defeated and sealed back to the demonic realm]

Oh wow. At first, I do not recognise these names at all. But when the demon kings notification popped up, that is when I realise that the kids won.

And nothing. Again.

Darkness. I thought something would happen, perhaps it would prompt me that our mission is complete and we would move on to the next reincarnation, but nothing.

A year passed.

Another year.

And another year.

Year 8

A notification appeared. Similar to the others previously, it just says Saita Maru died.

Year 9

Mark Antoinette died.

Year 11

Samantha Charleston died.

Year 14

Kim Possibru died.

Year 15

A demon king appeared. [Demon King Astaroth has spawned.]

Frankly I think I should panic, but somehow being trapped in this darkness I can do absolutely nothing.

Year 17

A string of notifications again. Azares Fox, Sarah Cole, Pamela Seis, Lucy Braveheart, Winston Chow, Donald Stump all died. Cumulatively, a total of twenty fragments now.

It seems to suggest that they have been defeated by the Demon King.

Year 20

An interesting message appeared.

[The Gods has summoned twenty new heroes from beyond to answer to the threat of Demon King Astaroth.]

Oh god. More kids?

Year 25

Those 6 months pass a little easier with Semara to share his knowledge, but good times do not last very long, and so Semara fades away after those 6 months, disappearing back into his sword.

Year 57, Month 1

On the first day of the year, a young elf kneels before me.

Oh tree, I, Salada Stoppu of the elvish tribe, humbly request for the blessing of the tree spirit.

How did this random elf know of my existence? And his name is Salad?

How did you know about me?

Oh erm.. He seems a little embarrassed, but then kneels. You have been listed in the register of benign spirits by the local council, following the reports of Captain Starric to the town council.

I am in a register of the town council. Seriously. I feel like a botanic garden exhibit.

Fine. Familiar contract?

Thinking about how Semaras spirit accompanied me for 6 months, I add a condition.

You must leave an item with strong personal connection to yourself with me, and on your death, your weapon should be buried near me.

He nods, and buries a small wooden chain next to my roots. This is a small chain I made when I was a kid. Is this fine?

Yes. I frankly do not know what is the criteria to recreate Semaras case but I say yes. And then, I offer him the familiar contract. Maybe Ill gain a skill that lets me tell someday.

He kneels and he leaves, feeling happy.

I sigh, and I go back into my autopilot mode.

Year 57, Month 8

Another elf comes to find me. Another boy by the name Croissanta Fillings. Same deal with Salada I offer a familiar contract and he buries a small metal ring. Happy, he then walks away.

I wonder how long do I have to live as a tree. Would I live longer than them?

A popup appears. *Trees are eternal if they do not get killed.*

No shit.

Year 57, Month 11.

I gain a level [Level 16]. But nobody died. Strange.

Year 57, Month 12

Somebody visits. He does not respond to me but he seems to be trimming some of my branches. But since I do not feel any damage I let him be. He also then collects the trimmed branches, and leaves.

Year 58, Month 1

I gain one level [Level 17]. And I acquire a skill called [self awareness]. Unlike what it says, for a tree, it means being able to look at myself.

That is the first time I can see all my branches and my roots. I am actually pretty big, about the size of a small house. Being able to see myself, I also realise that guy trimming my branches are crushing them to make some kind of tea.

Maybe that is why I am gaining levels?

Year 58 Month 2

Another elf named Corna Corrola comes and ask to be my familiar. Turns out elves have a thing for tree spirits (which is quite rare) and on discovery of a tree spirit in the town of Moton, quite a few migrate to live near me.

Anyway, I agree to let Corna Corrola have a familiar, so I give her the usual terms, but I also made a special request, which is I want her to come back every 6 months and tell me what happens.

Year 58 month 6

I gained another level. Nothing in particular happened. [Level 18]

Year 58 Month 7

A human kneels. He asks for blessing to heal his child of his disease.

I am not sure whether I can, but I can try. Bring him to me.

A small baby, probably 8 months. He looks really sick. I create a magical healing fruit with all the nutrients I can gather.

The man feeds it to his child. The child still is sick, and the man leaves with the child.

Three days later he comes back with the child. The childs spirit looks better. Turns out due to the war against the demons, there are no more healers in this small town. Most of them died some time ago, and those that survive now serve in the royal army, on the Kings army.

Child is actually just having a very bad fever.

I gain a level. [Level 19]

The man returns a few days later again with poop. Cow poop, and he mixes it into the dirt. Fertiliser? I feel nothing, and I thank my lucky stars I cannot smell cow poop.

Year 58 Month 12

Winter. During this time I cannot create fruits. A man kneels and begs for help for his wife, but I cannot do it no matter how much I want to.

I tell him to hang in there and return when spring comes around.

Year 59 Month 1

The man returns and curses me. I guess she did not make it, so I do not respond.

And after the exchange, I gain a level and a skill.

[Level 20]

[Minor winter-resistance]

Yeah, that man is going to hate me.

Year 59 Month 2

A young lady drops by, and begs me to protect her husband. Her husband will be going to war soon, to defend the country from a demonic rift that appeared somewhere. Her voice sounds like she wants to cry, but I am a tree, so in my mind I can only empathise, and explain that I am not a god, I do not have the power to provide blessings. I am just a tree living here.

Is there really nothing you can do?

Does he want a familiar?

Oh. Ill ask him.

The next day a young man comes, along with the young lady. Is this the tree youve been visiting? He glances up, and shrugs. Doesnt look very impressive.

Please Andy, a familiar might protect you.

He shakes his head. Do you have no confidence in me?

Its not that, but if something can give you a bit more protection, will you not take it?

Andy sighs, and walks really near to me. This is so weird, talking to a tree, but hey, if you hear me, can I get a familiar? Just so that my wife feels safer?

I wonder whether having a familiar would offer any protection, as they might overestimate their own abilities and end up taking more risk, but I offer a familiar contract anyway.

Andy seems a bit surprised, Oh wow. There really is a spirit here.

The wife smiles, Please come back to me, Andy.

Yes yes. He accepts, and the couple leaves.

Year 59 Month 3

The man with the sick wife returns. With something in his hand.

He scolds and shouts for a while, and starts hacking at me. I dont feel any pain however, and it is then I realise that my trunk is really really hard. After some time, he gives up and leaves.

It is about that time I wonder how did that other guy manage to trim my branches.

Year 59 Month 4

Corna Corolla returns, and when she touches me I actually get the experience accumulated so far on the familiar.

[I gain 3 levels. I am now level 23.]

She tells me that there is some heavy fighting going on at the moment, and that the town of Moton may not last for very long, as the town is located near the border with the wastelands.

Year 59 Month 9

A bad month, really. The month started with 3 deaths, the 3 elves all died within days of each other.

[Corna Corolla has died]

[Salada Stoppu has died]

[Croissonta Fillings has died]

I gained 12 levels. I am now level 35, and my species transform from normal tree to spiritual tree.

At this point my skills are still mostly things like healing, and defense, but I also gained a skill that is a sort of insurance, called, [tree-rebirth].

Year 59 Month 10.

Death comes to the town of Moton.

I see monsters attacking the town every day, and as much as I want to help, nobody got near enough for me to grant a familiar contract.

I see some fighting in the distance, but it looks like the defenders are losing. On the last day of the month, it seems the war is getting really bad. [Arsene Emir has died. You gain a fragment.]

Oh. One of the reincarnators has fallen.

Year 59 Month 11.

[Demon King Baal has entered the world!]

9 years after the fall of Demon King Dantalion, another Demon King enters the battlefield. Is it me, or it seems to be getting more frequent?

Moton at this point is deserted. Theres absolutely not a single soul that I can see from my [spirit vision]. I hope its more of a case of people fleeing, rather than killed, but the past months battle makes that seem rather unlikely.

Year 60 Month 2.

My surrounding is absolutely barren. Monsters now wander everywhere, and a few tried to cut me down, but thankfully my bark is really strong, and these monsters give up once they realise its pointless.

Year 60 Month 9.

The town of Moton is no more. The destruction of the past few days has been massive.

And I think I see the Demon King. Oh shit.

Hes huge. A massive, massive presence, he looks like he is the height of a 3 story building. Even at a distance I could see his burning presence, and I could see a soul, but unlike human souls which normally appear faint white in color, the demon kings presence is a bright red one, and is surrounded by a reddish fire.

[The Demon King Baal]

A red name hovers right above his soul. Oh damn it really is him.

He turns, notices me, and he walks towards me.

Tree?! He roars, and the earth shakes.

Oh shit. I felt myself shiver and tingle, and I do not even know how I can feel the tingle when I got no sense other than vision!

He raises his arm, and slashes.

Ughhhhhhh! I yelp in pain.

For someone who is a tree, I am amazed and frightened that I can feel pain. It felt like I got hit by a car, or a truck.

The top has been chopped off. For a brief moment, I thought I see his burning soul smile, and then he walks off.

I am in immense pain, feeling like I a. being pulled in multiple directions, but a short while later, I am just thankful that I live.

I live! I am just a tree stump now, but trees do not die so easily!

He disappears into the distance, and once he is out of sight, I fall into some kind of sleep.

Year 65 Month 2

Oh shit Ive been sleeping for the past 4 years?! I am still mostly a stump, but now a few small shoots emerge from the sides.

Theres a notification menu that thankfully records all the string of messages I missed. The four remaining reincarnators has been killed, but amazingly, they manage to slay the Demon King Baal as well.

Also, I gain a level [Level 36]. And an achievement.

[Demon King Survivor]