A tree.

Tall, strong, deeply rooted in the earth.

A TREE.

Sturdy, climbable, and likely beautiful to behold.

A TREE.

I get killed by the world’s clumsiest evil mage, sucked into a god’s domain, stripped of my sanity, left alone for who knows how long, and my reward is getting stuck in a tree? Laux suffered in silence in his new form. How was he supposed to search the world to find Iria if he was not able to see anything or do something as basic as moving? He was torn over whether he should have not hit the goddess at all or hit her even harder. As of now, he was leaning towards the latter.

Yet the Goddess Sila had given him this second chance as a gift. There definitely had to be something special about this tree. Maybe it had arms and legs like one of those rare golems he had seen. Or maybe it could fly. Or had cannons hidden deep within its branches. Laux cast aside his concerns and began to test what he could do. He knew that he needed to spend more time reacting and grieving over his new form but the chance of falling back into the complacent he had just escaped and curiosity about what epic powers he now had pulled him onward.

After a few days, Laux was finally able to compose a list of his new abilities: none.

He had spent all that time in vain trying to get his body to move and using what minimal magic he gathered to uncover information about his environment. He could not move, speak, or properly see anything and no, he had no cannons. Laux was just a tree in the middle of the forest.

While he was unable to discover any special hidden abilities, Laux did find out some other useful information. Through vibrations in the wood, he was able to slightly hear noises around him and in the forest. Said forest was densely packed with close growing oak trees which stood a little taller than normal. Strangely, they made an almost perfect ring around him, almost at the edge of his magic detection radius which was now nearly a kilometer in radius. Although of all the things he learned, that was not the strangest.

Laux’s new body was big. No, not just big - huge. His trunk was over fifty meters in diameter that stretched upwards to an unknown height that had him towering over his surroundings. His branches extended out in strange twists and turns like the tentacles of the kraken before coming together to form a massive canopy. Below, roots even thicker than the branches carved into the ground and appeared to be part of what had destroyed the ruins that lay around him. Laux was confident he could destroy any castle defense if he could find a way to move.

One of the last discoveries that he made was where he was located within the tree. It seemed that he was within the trunk of the tree at ground level. The concept was an odd one for him to understand since the tree was his new body. He both was and was not the whole three. Laux’s best understanding was that this spot that he defined as “himself” was akin to his brain or maybe his soul. Whatever it was, Laux knew it was a spot he would need to protect if threats ever emerged.

But what kind of threats am I going to face? A lumberjack? Maybe a really persistent woodpecker? Alone with his thoughts, Laux continuously grumbled.

The solitude was the final realization. Laux had been alone within his head for an undetermined amount of time and nearly lost himself. Yet now that he knew that there was a human near him he felt more alone than ever before. The unfamiliar person with the strange-feeling hand had pulled him from his depths and helped him wake up. Laux wanted to thank them in some way but with them not returning in all the time he had been experimenting and him not being able to move, he was unsure as to how he would present a gift. Yet no-one ever came. Other than an occasional animal, most living things seemed to avoid him and the ruins.

If Laux had a forehead he would have been slamming it against a rock in frustration. What should I do? Laux considered his situation carefully. He refused to give up. He needed more information about his whereabouts and a way to move. His location and the date should help him figure out his next steps. Laux was thankful that he at least had some level of hearing and, though minimal, had a consistent flow of magic.

Please wait for me just a little longer, Iria. Laux hoped his selfish prayer made it to her, wherever she was.

He did not know how many years had passed or how often that stranger came by but he would wait however long it took. Laux was in control of his mind once more and was ready to utilize the new life he had been granted. He would find Iria in this life, even if he had to rip his roots from the earth and walk away. Though that goal seemed so far away now.

Darkness clouded Laux’s thoughts as the hopelessness of his situation sank in. He had no clue if Iria had decided to return to life or had moved on to Keya. It was possible she had passed on and had been waiting for him for all this time. The mental image of her chasing after him in Keya for being late helped him cast aside his intrusive ideas. Laux knew Iria would forgive him and he could not risk not searching for her here on Amexia.

While we waited for an idea or a potential companion to appear Laux quietly scanned his surroundings. He sent out his magic every fifteen minutes or so to see if anything moved in his environment. Other than the occasional bird or rodent, nothing ever changed in the ring that surrounded him. It was a boring pastime but at least he was able to be active in some way. The thought of the darkness he had been trapped in made him shudder. Keyo would freeze over before he let himself get back into that kind of situation. Thus he focused diligently on his searches.

Around two months after waking up, Laux had created a detailed mental map of his surroundings. It was all etched deep in his mind to the point that he could sense the hoofprints of a deer that had entered the clearing or know when a piece of a ruin had crumbled away. Changes in the normal environment were easy to spot but things that were actively changing or were new to his detection were still difficult to interpret. Overall, using magic detection so frequently had honed Laux’s abilities to the point he was sure that with another year or so of practice might be able to detect the movement of each blade of grass.

What do you think about that, Master Nherda? I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to keep it up constantly if I practice for a little while longer. Laux gloated to his former master. I might just become an assassin instead of a hero this time around.

Laux sent out another wave of magic. Although nothing will be diffe-. Something caught his attention. A new figure had wandered past the trees and into the ring. His mind’s eye figured them to be an adolescent person wearing a simple dress and hair that flitted in the wind. Were they a young girl? She gave off an odd feeling to his detection. It was like she had a physical body but his magic also passed through her without restraint as if she was made of water or gas. Regardless, it was possible she was the one who had helped him before. He had to find a way to contact her.

Before he could, however, another person broke through the trees and dragged the first girl back beyond the boundary. The retreat was so fast Laux barely had a chance to get any information on the second individual other than the same strange sensation from their body. Albeit being a disappointing conclusion, Laux was glad to know there were humans nearby he would someday be able to communicate with.

Wait. Why did they get pulled away? Laux began to stress about his two visitors. Am I a cursed tree? Is that why no one - not even other trees - get near me?

He quickly shut that convoy of thought into the back of his mind. There was no way Sila would do that to me right? He paused. Right?! Laux wanted to have faith but the way things had turned out so far had him a little concerned. He would just wait for his visitors to return. It would have to be another day though since it was already getting dark.

Laux had figured out how to get a general approximation of the time of day based on how warm his leaves and trunk felt. He had lots of time to learn such trivial things about himself now that he learned he had no need for sleep. That did not stop him from taking an occasional nap when he got overly bored or annoyed with that one bird brave enough to keep nesting in his branches.

Just as he was about to return to experimenting, Laux felt a sharp sting on his trunk (He would later have a crisis as he tried to determine if that was his stomach or his back). The pain was minimal but the pain was becoming a subtle annoyance as it crept against his thoughts. Fine, guess I need to see what it is.

He pulsed his magic once more and witnessed a terrible sight: the tip of a rusty spear was lodged deep into his side.

Oh my gods. Am I going to die again? I just got started figuring things out! Laux trashed about internally as he decried his cruel fate. He had gone through all that trouble only to bleed out at the hands of such a dirty and unkept weapon. Is this punishment for the times I ignored the King summons? Or is it because I convinced the maids that Master was the one who wetthe bed instead of me? All this effort just to end up with another death surrounded by a pool of my own blood.

Wait. Blood?

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Relief seeped through Laux’s mind. Trees had no blood to bleed. Other than a scar, he would be fine. For the first time, Laux was truly glad to be a tree.

Now, onto finding out where this spear had come from. Someone had to have thrown the spear an incredible distance for it to have come from outside his clearing. With the frequency raised to once every ten seconds, Laux cast his magic detection but found nothing. Perhaps it was from a hunt gone wrong.

Suddenly some of the trees on the northern barrier disappeared in an explosion. A second later they reappeared as they crashed, burning, into the ground after having been thrown a dozen meters. Large plumes of smoke curled out of the newly formed hole and interfered with the detection. Laux immediately focused his attention on the new threat and pushed the frequency of pulses even further to less than three seconds. Doing so burdened his magic supply but it was necessary to have a visual of the potential threat.

Swirls of smoke scattered as an odd shape broke through the clouds. Laux realized it was the second figure from earlier. Faltering steps and an erratic gait confirmed to Laux that they were injured and running away from whatever had caused the explosion. Something large was drooped across their arms which further hindered their movement.

They ran as hard as they could until they reached Laux's tree before falling to their knees with exhaustion. Carefully, they leaned the thing in their arms against the base of the tree and stood back up. Without pausing for more than a second, they jumped and dislodged the spear from Laux’s side. Immediately upon landing they turned back towards the source of the disruption and ran back about a quarter of the way. They struggled to transition into a pose as they prepared to fight.

Looking towards the lump resting against his trunk, Laux was surprised to see that it was the young girl from before. He could not see how injured she was but the way she had slowly crumpled to the ground told him it was serious. He still had the nagging feeling that this was the girl that had helped him wake up. Now more than ever Laux wished he could move. This was the perfect chance to do something for her in repayment.

Down below the ground began to tremble as a horde of humans crashed into the clearing and immediately charged towards the center of the ring where Laux and the others were. Dozens of men and women stormed past the treeline wielding torches, swords, and a variety of other one handed weapons. Most of them had muscular bodies and wielded some form of axe.

Oh wow, Laux thought, I really did end up having lumberjacks as a threat. He freaked out for a moment thinking they were coming to cut him down but noticed their attention was solely focused on those who had taken refuge under him.

Laux was torn as he saw the situation unfolding before him. He still did not know if the people at his base did actually help him. For all he knew, they were criminals running away and the mob was the local guard chasing them down. If he found a way to intercede, he could be punished for aiding their escape. Any confusion was banished from his mind, however, when a sound finally reached him from across the clearing: laughter.

They were laughing. The throng swarmed towards him with typical grunts and shouts and yells. And they were laughing. Rage bubbled up within Laux, threatening to consume him.

Laux had laughed during combat before, but only from the thrill of the battle. Undeniably, the clashing of weapons or fists in a battle of wits and strength had always excited him but he was not cruel. While laughing before contact was fine for intimidation purposes, laughing at your opponent during a battle- especially at a wounded opponent- as they struggle to survive was nothing more than sick. That was a lesson Master Nherda did not need to teach him. It was something he had learned from his many conquests from his last life. Laux decided; no matter the reason, he was going to side with the two that had visited him before.

Without any magic symbols carved somewhere on his body it was impossible for Laux to cast his magic in any other way than its raw form. Laux racked his mind to think about a course of action. Maybe I can consolidate enough magic to create a burst like Decoa did to give them enough time to escape. Accepting that plan, Laux limited his magic detection towards the third of the glade that had all the commotion. Whatever was left began to slowly pool together.

As that was happening, the group had caught up with the stranger. While Laux’s hearing was not good enough to make out any words at that distance, he could make out that the defender, who he figured was a girl, was shouting at the others only to be laughed down. The girl lunged forward and chaos ensued.

She bobbed and weaved through the crowd striking at her opponents. Her spear lashed out, clanging against weapons and throwing opponents to the ground. Though the attacks seemed lethal, those who had been hit shouted and scurried away. Whoever she was, despite being injured, she was managing to avoid blows intended to kill her while efficiently incapacitating those around her with minimal injuries. Her weapon glided around her body, spinning, twirling, vanishing before appearing once contact was made.

Within moments over half of the group had been defeated. Laux’s “eyes” were drawn to her as she spun and floated through the air. It was like he was watching a ballerina with how sharp and graceful her footwork was. He would have loved to spar with her in his past life.

Her weapon sliced through the air once more except it did not make contact this time. She staggered as the front half of her spear spiraled away into the dark. A man, probably the leader of the group, had blocked her attack with a swing of his axe. He was bald with a burly build and wielded dull axes in both hands.

Instantly the twin blades slashed through the air. Their paths were wild and inconsistent but the strength behind each blow was enough to set the girl on defense and scare the crowd back. She abandoned the broken spear and managed to land some blows only to keep getting pushed back. Soon they were nearing the child and her defender was getting desperate.

The man spun the axes in his hand so the blade pointed towards him and roared as lashed out with both at the same time. Escape failed as the girl’s leg gave out and she took the full force of the swing. It caught her in the side and flung her back towards Laux. Laux instinctively tried to move to catch her only for nothing to happen. She collided with his trunk before crashing to the ground.

The logger and his companions began to get closer, cackling once again. Laux prepared to try to release his magic. He could only hope it was dense enough now to have a physical effect unlike his magic detection which was intangible. Despite the magic that swirled within him being at the largest concentration he had had since awakening, it still seemed to only fill a tiny portion of his body. There was no extra to spend on a test shot.

Magic swirled and bubbled as it readied to discharge. Laux only had one shot at this. He aimed at the lead lumberjack who now stood with his axe ready to swing down on the girls. Laux had to attack now. Any later and it would be too late.

Laux froze. A sickening feeling crept in on him.

On the ground, the older of the girls had dragged her ragged body and positioned herself on all fours above her younger companion. Despite how her body shook from the injuries she had sustained she remained in place. She was determined to guard the young girl at the risk of her own life.

The situation reminded him of his death. No, not his death. Dying sucked but it was bound to happen. It reminded him of his failure. That Iria died because of him. The way he had tried to catch her only to leave her in a weakened state to have them risk everything to protect someone else was exactly like before. If only he was stronger, if only he was better, she would have lived.

Is this all I can amount to? I was the strongest Hero in the world and even in my second life, I can’t protect those that need me when it matters most.

In spite of the fact that Laux was too distraught to do anything, someone else was not. He was brought back to his senses when something touched him. It was warm but cold at the same time. The little girl had placed her hand upon him once more and spoke in a labored tone that he just barely managed to hear.

“Please save us Elder.”

Her request tore at his soul. Never again. I will never let someone who needs me die ever again!

With those final thoughts, his desperation grew to be too much to bear and he lashed out in the only way he could think of. He would not learn about what happened after until sometime later. Laux, struck with grief, regret, and anger, lost control.

Branches and roots from the tree in the middle of the clearing began to shake, rending the ground and filling the area with a terrifying sound. Many of the intruders ran away as tremors rattled the ground and the leader was thrown to the ground. Some of the braver ones remained to help up their boss and watch him finish off their targets.

The air around the tree began to warm and the grass around the roots began to wither. It was as if though the air itself was trying to boil them alive. Both girls, however, were unaffected by the commotion around them. The older of the two clutched to the younger for dear life, confusion and fear plastered on her face. Of the two, the child was the one who appeared completely unfazed. She was confident in their protector.

Upset by the chance at missing out on his kill, the lead logger stumbled and threw an axe at the girls. It carved its way through the air, spinning right for their heads.

Halfway there it vaporized.

Blue and green flames erupted out of the ground between the girls and their pursuer and spiraled upwards. They crackled and sparked as they roared their way upwards, coiling around the tree and spreading outwards until a wall of flame was formed. The twin flames grew hotter and more intense, driving back the lumberjacks. The loggers launched their weapons at the wall only to watch them disintegrate the moment they made contact.

Within the ring of flame, the girls were unharmed. All around them flames whipped about and tore at the air yet did not come near them. They were in the middle of a tornado of fire that burned as green as the grass of the forest and as blue as the deepest lake. Despite its ferocity they could not help but feel comforted by it; it was truly a beautiful sight to behold.

The flames moved upwards from the center and collected around the crown of the tree. Each and every leaf glowed with a small flame coiled around it, shining as bright as the noon sun. Most of the magic swirled together in a giant multi-colored ball, pulsating and struggling within itself. It strained and bucked as it grew as wide as the furthest branch. Then, it exploded.

A halo of the flame burst outwards from the entire tree, hurling the attackers into the woods. Incredible force inundated the clearing, toppling some of the ruins and uprooting all the trees around the perimeter. Weaker trees up to three kilometers away would be found broken in half from the force.

At the same time, a tighter column of fire lanced towards the sky. It shone like a beacon as it pierced the clouds and stretched into the night sky above. Unlike the blast which lasted only a moment, the column remained for over forty minutes before fading.

Everything was silent after that. No animal, lumberjack, or wind dared make a sound that might trigger another event. No living thing that witnessed the sight that night had ever seen anything like it before.

Still at the base of the tree, the weary warrior ran her hand through her charge’s hair to calm her down. Although it was really more for her own sake. Instinctively she knew that she would have died if the fire had not started yet neither she nor her companion were gifted enough to use fire magic of that level. “What in the world just happened?” she mumbled to herself. “Was it a miracle sent by the gods?”

In answer, the young girl broke free from her guardian’s arms and placed her hand once more on the trunk. She had a twinkle in her eye as she spoke in a voice which held immense gratitude and gave no chance for her partner to doubt her words.

“No gods shined their eyes on us tonight. It was the Elder. She is the one who saved us. After all these years, she is finally awake.”