Time passes, hunting on request, getting more money, improving out living standard and so on. Every so often, I find myself making a cut on Hannah. A little deeper. Maybe this will wake her up. I have to stop after six months, because I am feeling tormented and guilty by how visible and noticeable it has become on the tree.

A full year has passed. I have ranked up to the 3rd rank as hunter. I am feeling incredibly downcast, though. Over the course of this year, I have had two goals. The first one was clear, to make contact with Hannah, but it has now been two years since we arrived here. She has not responded to my hugs, to pressure, to cutting her to nothing. It’s as if she is just a damn tree and I am an insane old man. I repeatedly find myself using my magic, just to check if it really has a signal, but it does every time. I am not insane.

My second goal was getting closer to Amina. We already live together. And she is beautiful. And buxom. It’s not that I particularly care for her, nor can I exactly tell when this became the goal, but I tried finding some warm comfort in her. Not that she wants to. Every time I try hugging her, or patting her head, or massaging her shoulder, or anything, she retreats immediately.

On the other hand, she often seeks these same traits of affection from me. It is leaving me confused and slightly hurt and impatient for something to happen. I didn’t plan to get involved with anyone, but Amina somehow forced herself into my life and seeks my affection, but if I give it to her uninvited, I am thrust away. It makes me feel bad.

Due to the increased pay, I no longer have to work anywhere close to every day, not that I could. The guild often had no requests for me, that was within a reasonable radius of the town, as I cleared them out with startling efficiency. I was even asked by the guild master to only show up every second day, so that other hunters can have a chance to take the requests. Apparently many of them have already left the city due to a lack of work. Whoops.

I am laying down in the undergrowth of the forest after lunch. Amina’s cooking has become pretty damn great. I can hear her humming happily as she does the dishes. Why won’t that woman let me love her, dammit?

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But this is when something unusual appears. I hear faint footsteps and activate read to get something, but nothing turns up. We have a gift user visitor. I rise up from my relaxing pose to go greet them and find out what they want.

I spot him from a distance. Short, blue hair, blue eyes and a small stature, almost that of a child.

“Greetings” I say as I come to meet him. He freezes up.

“Wh-What are you doing here?”

“Me? I am living here. I thought you came because you have business with me?” Huh, he is not here for me?

“No, uh, sorry. This place is important to my family and I only came to check it out” Reminds me of how Jorgen used to live here with me for seven years.

“It’s okay, feel free to look around, not that I dare claim I own the place or something” I laugh a little, but he seems pretty tense.

“We just ate, but if we can get you something, I am sure Amina, ah, that’s a woman I live with, can conjure something up for you.”

He nods. “Then, can I have some water please?”

I lead him to wear our keg is stored. I recently filled it, so we are good for like, half a month. He looks increasingly anxious.

“Anything specific you are looking for?” I ask.

“Well, there is this one tree” I shirk at the mention.

I point to Hannah “Do you mean this tree?”

He looks over “AH? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?”

“Sorry, sorry, she wouldn’t wake up no matter what I did, and I….” I feel my voice trailing to nothing as I try to find an excuse.

Wait.

“wait, “Did you just?”” our voices overlap.

“You know Hannah?” I ask. “Are you a dryad?”

He nods, but corrects himself. “I don’t really know her, but I know I sprouted here and that she is my mother. How could you do this if you knew she were alive??”

“Sorry, really sorry. She is also kind of my mother, I was just desperate to wake her.”

“Impossible, you are no dryad, I can tell!”

“Well, I did say kind of! She raised me for a couple of years! And taught me magic!”

We start to raise our voices at each other.

“No-one calling her mother would do such a thing!”

“I said, I AM SORRY! I had to do something!”

He suddenly looks confused.

“But wait, what are you, if not a dryad? How could you have known her, interacted with her?”

Ah, yeah, I was planning to tell as few people as possible. Well,

“You are kind of my step-brother, so I will tell you. I have a gift I am immortal”