The sight of the base of the tree was amazing—the tree had been turned into a building. Windows were carved into the side of it, and there was a large door at the base of the tree. More conventional small buildings dotted the area around it, all masterfully crafted of detailed stone and living plants. It was everything I dreamed an elf village could look like and more. The south expanded into the plains and had what looked to be some small farms on it. There were hundreds of elves walking around doing their daily tasks. Most wore muted colours but a few stood out in detailed, decorative, bright but not outlandish clothes. The air even had a sweet taste to it, and there was a hint of a cinnamon smell.
Most of the elves paid us not even a glance, but the few who did notice me blatantly stared at me with malice in their eyes. I was getting the feeling elves were deeply racist towards humans. I wanted to yell at the system but remembered the quest I was given. After all, I had lots of time to re-read it on our many days of travel. The system wants me to unite the races, and the challenge level is almost impossible. How long would the system interfere on my behalf, I pondered. Would every group of elves treat me like this, or is this just the extra racist ones? What about the other races of this world? My past life went by in a flash. Will the next 15 years be the same?
I was interrupted by my musings when we entered a building just beside the giant tree. The building was made of grey stone and had green vines with sharp red flowers growing along the edges of the stone. The roof was arched with the top making a dome and made of highly reflective ornate silver shakes. If not for the persistent shade of the tree, it probably would have been impractical with how reflective it was. It had two doors of earthy red wood that looked well-aged yet maintained and sturdy.
Once inside, there was a female elf sitting behind a table with bright pink, short hair cut, and a tight grey jacket. My mouth dropped. I would have pointed if my hands were not bound in my prison wrap. I could not help myself and blurted out, “System, why is there a Keran in this world?”
All the elves looked pointedly at me for a moment as if I had committed some sort of faux pas by speaking. I gave my best ‘I’m sorry’ look and glanced down, noticing the decorative rug that covered the floor. It was a royal blue with white patterns etched in it. I wondered if it was machine-made or handmade. When my childlike fascination drifted and I looked up, the system had responded to me by using an identification tag.
(Female elf: Kárenthál)
I had to bite my tongue so hard it hurt. Even still, a few giggles slipped out, resulting in Heme putting her hand over my mouth.
Karen got up from the desk and met us in the middle of the room. Everyone else, including the guard who brought us here, left the room and closed the door behind them.
A conversation between the three felt formal. I tried to follow the gestures for clues but was getting nowhere. I whispered a question, “System, what is going on?”
[This is your naming ceremony. Your father wants to call you Péthánthál and your mother wants to call you Táurhír.]
I groaned, getting an unpleasant stare from Karen. I looked away and quietly asked, “Why must they be so long and hard to pronounce? Is there something special about them?”
[Elven tradition is to name a child related to their birth. Péthánthál means “Peed on Shoe” as that is the first thing you did when discovered by your father. Táurhír means “Found in the forest.” Elven tradition is also such that the mother gets to make all the primary decisions for a child until they become 10, and then the father takes over after that. Your father is making the case that since you are human and that humans mature and grow faster, 5 years should be an appropriate age for the transition, and he should get primary decision-making rights now and not in 5 years.]
“You have got to be kidding me.”
When Karen returned, she was wearing new shoes. Elen and Hema were standing next to each other as stiff as boards. The tension was as thick as a brick—Karen pointedly stayed a few extra feet away from me with her hands on her hips. The conversation between the three became more heated. This was much worse than when Elen was talking to the guard. It was loud enough that I felt like I could slip another quiet question to the system. “What’s going on?”
[You get the worst from both worlds. Kárenthál has decided your name will be ‘Peed on Shoes’ and you get to spend the next 10 years under your mother.]
Elen had noticed me talking and squeezed tighter. Well-motivated by being suffocated, I struggled to spit out my next desperate words. “You do know you only gave me 15 years to complete your quest. How am I supposed to do that if this female elf raises me under a bubble for the next 10? Please, I am begging you. I will do anything to prevent that!”
[New Quest:
Do anything for the system: You grant the right to the system to auto accept any quests provided by the system.
Reward: Primary decision maker to be handed off to your father
Difficulty: None.
Time limit: 3 seconds
Accept: Yes/No]
I noticed the timer rapidly dropping, so I skipped everything but the reward section and selected “YES” as fast as I could before the timer ran out. The notice vanished, leaving me clueless about what I had just done to get my request. However, the look on Keren’s face made it worth whatever the price would be. Keren had the most wonderful expression, like a Karen who had been put in her place by a competent manager. She was left so dumbfounded she couldn’t speak. Her eyes went as wide as golf balls, showing the telltale signs of someone reading a system message.
Elen and Heme stopped talking and stared at her, then exchanged confused looks before giving me a concerned glance. After a few moments, Keren gave me a blank look she was completely non-plussed. I responded with my victory smile. Yes, I did this. Whatever you just saw was because of me. I don’t even know the price I paid for it, but you will hand me over to my new father now before this woman kills me.
Instead, she turned around, went to her desk, and sat down. No, there is no need to drag this out. Do what the message says and hand me over. Heme gripped me tighter. I was pretty sure I was turning blue and could no longer talk. I was taking short, painful breaths. Heme did not notice. Both she and Elen were staring intently at Keren. I was feeling weak and sleepy. I closed my eyes, only to be thrust awake abruptly with Elen holding on to me with his yellow glowing hands shoved onto my chest.
[You have received minor healing: Your lungs have been healed to a minimum working state. You have not been taking it easy. It will now take 7 months to heal or you need to find a better healer.]
He now held me gently and looked at me with deep concern. The talking between the three continued. Softer this time. I got a notification.
[Quest ‘Do anything for the system’ complete]
Looking up, I saw Karen walk over. She gave me a resigned look and nodded to Elen. Heme looked at me with a look of disappointment and then Elen with a smile and a nod. Karen walked over to her desk and put her hand on a wood tablet. Brown vines grew around her hand and she started speaking—her eyes started to glow as she did so.
Elen and Heme wrapped their arms around each other and gave one another loving looks. After a short while, Keren’s eyes returned to normal, and the vines receded back into the wooden tablet. Similar vines started to emerge from the rug on the floor. Instead of being brown like the tablet, they were blue and white like the carpet. The vines began to slowly wrap around the three of us. Heme whispered softly in my ear with a calming tone as Elen gently held me against his chest. Rather than being oppressive or suffocating, the vines exuded warmth and smelled of spring after a rainfall. The veins began glowing with the same soft yellow light that Elen’s hands did when he cast his healing. We were encased in a tight knot, leaving only our faces exposed. I felt power flowing between the three of us. I could feel what they were feeling, their hopes and desires pressed into me and mine into them. For the briefest of moments, we were one being. I understood them, and they understood me. We were now a family. I had a father and mother. My soul knew it right to its core. They are forever my parents, stronger than the bond of a human child to his parents. Yet I was still human, and they were elves. As quickly as the oneness came, it parted. My mind rapidly forgot their thoughts but remembered their emotions and an impression. I knew my parents were much older than I was in my past life, yet in other ways younger than a human in their thirties. I understood that they had been trying for a long time to have a child but were unable to, something that many elves had issues with. I understood the fear, hurt and anger the system gave them when it asked them to be my parents. Their hatred of mankind was boiled by the personal harm humans have done to them and their kin. The fear that for thousands of years humans hunted them for the greed of personal power and they were on the verge of extinction despite their natural long lives. I wondered what they got from me. As the vines released back into the rug, I looked up at my parents and they both had wide eyes. My father was smiling and my mother was crying. My father spoke some soft flowing words and a notification popped up.
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[New Quest:
Name update: Your father wants to name you Péthánthál do you accept?
Reward: Get the name Péthánthál (Peed on Shoe)
Difficulty: None.
The system has accepted this on your behalf!
Status updated.]
A trumpet noise occurred, startling me, and I frantically looked around as I got more notifications.
[New title acquired: Child of Elves]
[New title acquired: Son of Elanthrál]
[New title acquired: Tribe of Sylvalúme]
Huh? I had looked at my status screen a lot while being dragged through the forest and there was no title section before. What is the system up to? Oh, there is more.
[New trait acquired: Old Soul]
[New trait acquired: Strong Will]
[New trait acquired: Keen Mind]
[New trait acquired: Fast Friends]
[New trait acquired: Elven Kin]
Another new section, this one looks to be missing descriptions. After a few moments, more notices appeared.
[New affinity acquired: Water]
[New spell acquired: Stone Skin.]
[Error spell ‘Stone Skin’ incompatible. Spell removed.]
[New spell acquired: Water Bolt.]
[Error spell ‘Water Bolt’ incompatible. Spell removed.]
[Please stand by.]
I am so in a video game! I looked away from the notices as a cold shiver ran down my spine. Every fiber of my being told me the two elves standing before me were my parents. It was so real to me. I have deep and real love for them because of that connection we just shared. Could a computer manipulate me like that? This error was giving me something to ground myself with. I had to decide. Was I going to fight this or live this? Just a few moments ago, I thought of them as nothing more than named NPCs, but after being one with them, how could they be that? AI has no soul—they definitely have souls. I looked up into my father’s eyes. I tried to think of him as Elen and knew that was wrong. I went to force the thought but wavered as indescribable weight came over me. Something scratched at the back of my mind. I wanted to know more before I continued. “Display traits.”
---
Traits: [a] Realmwalker, Durable, Old Soul, Strong Will, Keen Mind, Fast Friends, and Elven Kin.
---
There it is—Strong Will. No explanation. “Explain the trait Strong Will,” I asked and got no response. It looked like I was on my own on this. I looked over to my mother and my heart melted. I was not going to hurt her by rejecting her. Without intending to, I made a decision. Fake or real, as long as I was in this place, they are my parents. I began to cry softly as I looked upon her. She reached down and wiped a tear from my face and then leaned in and kissed me on the cheek as a loving mother.
The conversation between my parents and Keren had wrapped up. Dad removed my prison wrap and put me into what I had come to know as my evening waist cloth. He then popped me up onto his shoulders and carried me out of the building. A light mist was rolling off the roof and acted like a curtain as we walked out. A bunch of elves in the area had gathered around the building and were looking above the building. More were walking over as well. As we emerged from the misty doorway, the crowd’s attention drifted upon us and they started to cheer. Gone were the dark looks—all replaced with jubilant faces and kind eyes. A few came up and gave what looked to be warm greetings to my parents and me. What changed? I pondered as we walked into the crowd. My father turned around and then I saw it. Above the building, the tiles were lighting up in different colours and the mist above the building had a hologram hovering above it. It was displaying rune-like symbols strung together, scrolling and dancing in the air. Even without understanding what they said, it was as captivating as fireworks. No wonder everyone had come to watch. I guess this is the village’s way of making announcements. Judging by the sharp change in the way the elves looked at me now, I had a good idea what it said. The village was taking my adoption as intently as my parents. I continued to watch the show as my parents talked with people in the crowd. A new notice popped up.
[New skill acquired: Accelerated regeneration: You heal physical damage faster.]
[New skill acquired: Water Step: Increase stability and movement speed when walking on wet surfaces or in shallow water.]
[New skill acquired: Foot wetter: Able to pull nearby water to your feet]
At this, I started to laugh—a bright, childish laugh. Looks like the system wants to give me a freebie for getting a silly name. I could not stop laughing and began to wheeze, and then the pain from my lungs became pronounced. I started to lose my grip around my father’s neck. He pulled me down and looked at me. Then, with wide eyes, he put glowing hands on me.
[You have received minor healing: Spell ineffective—too low of level to produce further healing.]
I appreciate the gesture, Dad, but we already tried this and it’s something you can’t fix. I had dealt with pain before. I continued to gasp for breath. A different, unfamiliar pair of glowing hands reached out to me.
[You have received basic healing: Lungs have been fully restored.]
[You have received basic healing: Fused rib has been fully restored.]
[You have received basic healing: Fused arm bone has been fully restored.]
Instantly, I could breathe again and every pain that had lingered from the orc attack was erased. I was as good as new, just like when I was born into this reality. The excitement calmed down and I took a look at the elf that had healed me. He was wearing a flowing white garment with golden trim. His hair was as white as his garment and his eyes were the same jade as my father’s. I looked between the two. Were they related? The face structure was similar, but this man’s was more rectangular than triangular. They both had the same sharp nose. They had to be related. I activated identify. This was something I could do with just thinking it, whereas most things I had to say out loud. I would have to look into that later. The tag appeared above his head.
(Male elf: Envinyátar)
I tried to pronounce it out loud. “En-VEE-nyah-tar?” The two male elves looked at one another and rapidly started talking. Another elf walked over and joined the conversation. All eyes were upon me now. This elf pointed to her mouth, then to mine, and nodded at me expectantly. Okay, I guess she wants me to say her name. Identify it is.
(Female elf: Lóthándrá)
Great, another mouthful. Here I go. “Loth-andra,” I stated. She smiled warmly at me, then she said some flowing words and moved her hands and a notice appeared.
[Translation spell failed.]
My father said some words to me, but I did not understand. I shook my head. “I have no idea what you are saying, do you understand me?” I asked hopefully. They looked at me like I was speaking baby talk. “System, why did the spell fail?”
[Your language is incompatible.]
“But you understand me, so why not make it so they can?”
[You need to learn to speak their language. I gave you the ‘Keen Mind’ trait so you will be able to pick it up without issue. Just put a little effort into it and stop complaining.]
I rolled my eyes. “Fine,” I stated sarcastically.
The elves were back to talking to one another. Everyone but my father. He had a massive smile and his eyes glinted with excitement. We stayed here far longer than I liked. Lots of elves were coming up to have a look at me and talk with my parents. I was getting bored and had something new to try out. Turns out I could activate other skills without talking. I tried ‘Accelerated regeneration’ but could not notice any difference as I had already been fully restored. My father had put me back on his shoulders so I could not try out ‘Water Step’—not to mention I did not see any puddles of water around. That left the oh-so-silly named ‘Foot wetter.’ I activated it and also did not notice anything right away. Perhaps this one takes time. It did say it pulls water to my feet and I am not standing in water. After a few minutes, my feet did feel a bit clammy, perhaps even sweaty, but I could not see anything yet.
After what was probably a few hours, everyone slowly trickled away. Even my mother left after giving me and my father a hug. I imagined that the elves would be more restrained with their emotions, but everyone here seemed so expressive. The system probably only called them elves because of the pointy ears and long names. I was not about to open my mouth and have another conflict with the system like I did with the jackalopes. As we headed off, I looked at my feet and tiny droplets of water had started to stick to them. I was wondering what utility this would have. I could get mildly soggy feet after a few hours. Perhaps it would be a way to cool me down on a hot summer’s day if I were barefoot. I am sure the only reason the system gave me this was for the lols.