Back then, I honestly thought it was just my imagination. I mean a tree spoke to me. How could that be real?
In my previous world, that kind of thing was just fiction. There were no whispering trees, no enchanted forests just dirt, steel, blood, and the occasional weak magic practitioner struggling to produce sparks. So when I heard that voice from Yggdra, I figured it was just fatigue playing tricks on my mind.
But then, Mother told me something that changed everything.
There are tree spirits in this world Dryads, as she called them. Ethereal beings tied to nature. And even more fascinating, there are Ents actual walking, talking, giant trees who act as guardians of the forest.
So maybe… maybe what I heard wasn't just in my head.
Granted, Yggdra is still tiny. A sprout, not even a sapling by normal standards. She's far from anything resembling a guardian of the forest. But still… the possibility is there.
Maybe she really is alive in a way I don't fully understand.
---
Anyway, guess what?
I just turned one year old today!
It feels… surreal. Only a year has passed since I was reborn, but it feels like much longer. Maybe it's because of everything I've seen and done so far. Learning to walk again, casting magic, raising a tree… honestly, I've done more in this one year of life than I did in five years back in my old one.
I can now walk not just crawl, but properly walk.
It was rough at first. My balance was awful, and I kept falling. But after a few days of practice (and memories from my past life), I got the hang of it quickly.
My parents were shocked. Again.
They think I'm some kind of genius baby.
And well… they're not entirely wrong.
---
Today felt different, though.
Aside from celebrating how far I've come, a strange sense of longing has crept in lately. Don't get me wrong I love my parents dearly. This life is a thousand times better than my old one. But… I want to explore. I want to know more about this world Terrarium.
I've been holding back from asking too many questions. I don't want to seem suspicious. A toddler constantly prying about magical theory, world lore, and politics? Yeah, that'd be a red flag.
But from what I've gathered, my parents are more than just overpowered farmers. They're Heroes chosen by the Gods themselves, born with extraordinary power. They once fought a war, about five years ago, against the Demon King and his army.
Apparently, every time the Demon King is born, the world plunges into chaos. Monsters grow stronger, more numerous, and wildly aggressive. Even ordinary wildlife becomes hostile.
But it's not just some demon god behind it.
No… it's the world itself.
---
This planet Terrarium is alive.
Mana flows through it like blood, nourishing all living things. But when the Demon King is born, it's as if the world itself turns hostile. They call it the rage of the world.
Some elves like my mom can even hear the whispers of the world through Oracles. They say humanoid races, like humans, elves, and dwarves, might be… an annoyance to the world. The world wants to erase us. Wipe us out.
But the gods who created us?
They fight back.
So, in a way, it's gods vs. world, and we're caught in the middle.
It raises questions I can't yet answer. Who's right? Who's wrong? What did we do to anger the very planet we live on?
I don't know. But someday, I want to find out.
---
For now, though, I'm still just a baby.
A one-year-old with a glitched system, a magic tree, and parents who spoil me.
There's a profession here that caught my attention recently Adventurer.
People who travel, explore, fight monsters, and live free.
It sounds childish, but that's exactly what I want to be.
In my old life, I had no freedom. Every step I took was for survival.
This time, I want to live.
I want to breathe the air of far-off places.
I want to climb mountains, swim through enchanted lakes, and walk the roads of ancient ruins.
I want… freedom.
Glitched or not, I'll make it work.
---
But today?
Today is my birthday.
And my parents went all out.
Decorations were strung from wall to wall—colorful ribbons, glowing paper lanterns, floating orbs of light. It was like a celebration from a storybook.
I'd never had a birthday like this before.
In my past life, birthdays were just an excuse to eat meat—if we could afford it. That was it. No gifts. No decorations. No cake.
This?
This was magic.
And speaking of cake…
"I wan cake! I wan cake!" I roared.
"Fufu, almost done, sweetheart," Mother replied, smiling as she worked on the frosting.
"Hahaha, you're fired up today," Dad laughed. "Want to get out of the crib?"
"Yesh!"
Just as I leapt toward the edge of the crib in excitement—
Knock knock.
"Huh?"
Visitors?
"I think it's them," Mother said with a knowing smile. "I let them pass through the barrier."
Them?
Who the heck is "them"?
My birthday just got a whole lot more interesting…
---