Atop a giant branch of the Evergreen Tree, a boy was napping peacefully, his soft snores mingling with the gentle whispers of the forest. As it was winter, delicate snowflakes drifted down, landing on his face and giving his already beautiful features an even more lively and enchanting glow.
"Screech!"
Suddenly, a sharp and loud screeching sound pierced the air, jolting the boy awake from his peaceful slumber.
The source of the sound was a big fire falcon, nearly 3 meters tall, perched majestically on a nearby branch. Its hawk-like eyes were sharp and piercing, fixed intently on the boy as if awaiting his response.
The boy, named Igor Calamity, rubbed his eyes and looked at the giant falcon beside him with confusion.
"Falco! What's wrong? Why did you wake me up?" Igor asked while yawning.
"Ah, Igor, how long are you going to sleep like this? Let's go hunt some delicious fish in the waterfall!" the falcon said excitedly while licking his lips. His voice was a little childish.
From its appearance, it was clear that Falco was just a baby falcon from the Emberwing Falcon species, with wings that looked like they were ablaze with fiery feathers.
Hearing the proposal of eating fish, the boy's tummy began to growl with hunger, and saliva flowed from his mouth unconsciously.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Igor replied eagerly, wiping the saliva from his mouth. He was really hungry.
Igor swiftly grabbed a small branch and let himself free-fall from a height of 200 meters. But his expression remained as calm as if it was something normal for a 13-year-old boy to do.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous crashing sound, Igor landed, creating a large crater in the grassland. From this, it could be easily guessed that he was no ordinary boy.
Despite the impact, Igor remained unharmed, dusting himself off as if it were just another routine jump.
Witnessing the disaster outside, a small squirrel cautiously peeked from his nest, only to be exasperated by the sight of the crater right in front of his home.
"Squeak, squeak! Ah, Igor, you've done it again. You've destroyed my lawn. I'm going to complain to your mother," the squirrel complained, his small face turning into a pout.
"Oops!" Igor bit his tongue in regret. "Sorry, little buddy. Forgive me! I'll fix it later. Please don't tell Mama."
"For now, I have to go fishing quick. Bye!" Igor hurriedly ran off like lightning.
Falco followed him from the sky, his fiery wings spread wide. He wasn't strong enough to carry someone like Igor.
After a while, Igor stopped in front of the Evergreen Tree's main body, a smile blooming on his face.
The Evergreen Tree sprawled across thousands of kilometers, towering to heights of 20,000 to 30,000 meters. You can imagine how massive her main body was—truly immense.
"Mama, I'm going fishing. Want some?" Igor said mischievously.
"IGOR, YOU EVEN DARE TO JOKE WITH YOUR MOTHER NOW? How brave!" Suddenly, a deep voice of a female resonated throughout the area, like the melody of nature itself. It was the voice of the Evergreen Tree.
The voice was profound, resonating as if it were the very essence of nature speaking.
Igor laughed heartily upon hearing his mother's threat, knowing well that his mother was all bark and no bite. He felt relaxed in the presence of his mother.
"Okay, have fun, Igor. But be careful and return before nightfall," his mother's voice echoed through the forest with a sigh.
"Alright, Mama, I will," Igor replied with a nod, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Just as Igor was about to run off again, he was stopped by a small tree branch. It was from his mother, of course.
"Wait, Igor, I haven't finished yet. You forgot your medicine," the branch chided gently.
"Oh!" Igor scratched his head sheepishly. "I forgot."
"I know. Now open your mouth," the branch instructed.
Igor complied, opening his mouth calmly. Strangely, Igor's mouth appeared unnaturally black, as if something primordial might awaken at any second.
The small branch fed him some shiny green liquid from its tip. As soon as the liquid entered his body, Igor felt a surge of rejuvenation. Every muscle and cell in his being became vibrant with life, and he sensed a slight increase in his power. Though small, it was better than nothing.
"Okay, Mama, all done, right? Can I go now?"
The tree branch swayed slightly, as if nodding in agreement. "Be careful and be back before dawn."
Falco watched their interaction with keen curiosity from above.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
As they ran in sync, Falco's curiosity got the better of him.
"Hey, Igor, why is your mother a tree?"
"Hm?" Igor was momentarily confused as he leaped and sprinted with agile movements.
"I mean, I'm an Emberwing Falcon, and my father is also an Emberwing Falcon, so logically your mother should be a human, right?" Falco asked matter-of-factly, his childlike curiosity evident.
"What are you trying to say?" Igor began to feel annoyed, his temper flaring slightly at Falco's question. "You think she's not my Mama? How can you say that?" His face flushed with anger and defensiveness.
Sensing Igor's hostility, Falco started to feel uneasy. He quickly apologized, "Screech! Ah, sorry sorry! I didn't mean to say that. I was just curious, that's all."
Igor's expression softened a bit as soon as he heard Falco's apology. He sighed and continued running in silence, their pace steady. Despite this, the question lingered in Igor's mind, casting a shadow of doubt about his own identity.
A while later, they reached a vast waterfall surrounded by lush greenery, like a paradise for magical beasts and wild animals. The setting was peaceful, with various animals and creatures quietly going about their business.
There were giant bears, towering elephants, massive rhinoceroses, and even zebras, along with many other smaller animals and birds.
The animals here weren't like the ones you'd see elsewhere—they were enormous, making them seem almost mythical in size and presence. Each one moved gracefully in their natural habitat, adding to the magical and majestic feel of the place.
But their enormous figures didn't deter Igor and Falco in the slightest. Rather, the opposite happened.
"Oh no! The Hunger Monster is here. Run!"
"Mooh! Mooh! Run!"
"Squeak! Daddy, who is that? Why is everyone running away from him?"
"Squeak Squeak, Run, dear. Otherwise, he will eat you too."
As soon as they saw Igor, all the small creatures began to run with their tails between their legs.
Igor was infamous for his insatiable hunger and unmatched strength, striking fear into the hearts of these pitiful animals.
The larger magical beasts observed cautiously from a safe distance, wary of Igor's presence.
Suddenly, a large bear, bigger than the common ones there, approached Igor with casual strides. He was the Bear Lord of this vicinity, a formidable magical beast himself.
"Igor boy, are you planning to hunt in the river once again?" the Bear Lord asked, seemingly familiar with Igor.
"Yes, Uncle Bear. I was feeling hungry, so I came here. See, even Falco is with me. We are doing this together," Igor said, smiling.
The Bear Lord felt a headache coming on. Whenever Igor came to hunt, he caused trouble in one way or another.
"Oh, that's great, Igor. I am proud of you." The Bear Lord had no choice but to smile, considering the other party's background. Igor was the son of the Mother Tree of this vast Secret land, after all. And she didn't like when someone hurt her son in the slightest.
There were some cases in the past where the thunder Leopard king tried to harm him, and as a punishment, she turned the Thunder Leopard King into ashes. That incident still sent shivers down the Bear Lord's spine. Despite being one of the formidable beasts of this wilderness, he feared the Mother Tree's wrath a lot.
However, the Evergreen Tree never hurt anyone innocent. The Bear Lord had a close friendship with it as well. That's how he became Igor's Bear Uncle.
He asked, "Did you get your mother's permission?"
Igor patted his chest and replied confidently, "Yes, Uncle Bear. No need to worry. My Mama gave me permission to play till sunset."
"Oh, I see. Good luck then. I will watch your back for safety. But promise me, you won't bully those small creatures today, okay," the Bear Lord said, looking at the shivering creatures.
Igor frowned a little with annoyance on his childish face. "Uncle Bear, when did I bully them? You guys make me sound so bad. I only ate a few Thunder Leopards because they attacked me first. I don't hurt the innocent."
The Bear Lord remained speechless, recalling how many times Igor gave the same excuse. Whenever Igor got into conflicts with wild spiritual creatures, he beat them into submission and ate them afterward because of his insatiable hunger. This scared the hell out of the weaker spiritual creatures. They vowed to stay out of his way as much as possible.