After the exhausting battle with the lesser wyverns, Ashborn found himself in that same familiar white space.
"Huh?! AM I DEAD?! AGAIN?!!"
A chuckle echoed around him, followed by a voice he recognized.
"Haha... Don't worry, you're still alive."
Ashborn turned to see a towering figure—a three-meter-tall humanoid cloaked entirely in white.
"Wait... Are you who I think you are?"
"Yes, it's me. The one who sent you to your new world," the figure confirmed.
Ashborn pouted, puffing his cheeks. "You know, you sent me off way too fast last time! It was really confusing, you know!"
The figure chuckled. "Summoning a soul from another universe takes a lot of energy… Our time was limited."
"You really seem to enjoy being a kid again," he added, watching Ashborn's expression with amusement.
Ashborn blinked, realizing what he was doing. "Ugh! This is embarrassing!" He quickly turned his head, trying to hide his flushed face.
The figure only laughed. "Relax, you really are just a kid."
And he was right. To ensure Ashborn's soul could fully adapt to his new body, most of his past life memories had been sealed. His mind, in every sense, was now that of a three-and-a-half-year-old child.
Ashborn's expression softened. "So I really am a kid now…" He hesitated for a moment before bowing his head slightly. "I just want to say… thank you."
Deep down, he had been carrying a weight—an unshakable feeling that it was wrong for him to enjoy childhood again. But knowing that he truly was a child lifted that burden.
"Now that that's out of the way… I should properly introduce myself," the figure said. "My name is Xeno. I can't say much about myself due to causality."
Ashborn tilted his head. "Causality?"
Xeno's expression grew serious. "Yes. I called you here to make a final modification to your system and warn you about something important." He crossed his arms. "Because I broke the laws of the Universal Tree to send you here, your soul accumulated an immense amount of causality. I managed to clear most of it, but… some still lingers."
Ashborn's expression turned serious as well. "Okay, so what exactly is causality?"
"It's a force that builds up when you defy the laws of the Universal Tree. It eats away at the soul over time and can cause severe damage to one's mind realm," Xeno explained. "The only way to remove the remaining causality is to strengthen your mind realm, grow stronger, and heal the damage yourself."
Ashborn nodded. "Got it! And what exactly is the Universal Tree?"
"It's similar to the World Tree you may have heard of, but far greater. It holds all the infinite universes in existence. Even we do not know its true origins."
Ashborn absorbed the information before remembering something. "And last time, you mentioned something about saving the world… What did you mean by that?"
The moment he asked, his body started fading, as if he were being pulled away.
Xeno sighed. "Looks like our time is up… I'm afraid I can't tell you the full truth yet. But know this—there is a threat capable of destroying your entire universe." His voice turned solemn. "You need to get stronger. Fast."
As Ashborn's vision blurred, he heard Xeno's final words.
"Take care, Ashborn. We will meet again when the disaster begins."
Ashborn closed his eyes. "Goodbye, Xeno."
The next moment, he woke up in bed.
Bandages covered his body, but most of his injuries had already healed. He barely had time to process what had happened before he felt tiny fingers pinching his cheeks.
"Aelwyn! Can you stop… playing with my… face?" Ashborn mumbled, his voice soft and tired.
"Ba! Baaa!!" His little sister giggled, completely ignoring his protest.
Just then, the door burst open.
"My baby!!"
Feronia rushed in, eyes filled with worry. "You finally woke up! You slept for three days! Are you feeling okay? Does anything hurt?"
Ashborn felt a little awkward being fussed over like a child… but he was a child now. He chuckled.
"What about Dad and Uncle?"
Feronia's face darkened. "Oh, you don't even need to ask. I gave them a nice three-hour-long lecture."
She then handed him a bracelet—made from a gold alloy with a large green mana stone embedded in it.
"This is an artifact I made. If they try anything funny next time, just use the bracelet. It'll alert me to your location, and it's imbued with an 8-circle defensive and offensive magic spell."
Ashborn's eyes widened. Artifacts of that caliber were so valuable that wars could break out over them. Only an 8 or 9-circle mage could craft them, and there were fewer than 50 in the entire world. As for Feronia—she was a 9-circle mage, one of the Seven Sages.
Ashborn clutched the bracelet, feeling grateful. "Thanks, Mom… but can I take a bath now?"
A Few Hours Later—Castle Training Grounds
The sun was beginning to set when Ashborn stepped onto the training grounds and called out.
"Hey!! Mr. Spirit, can you hear me?"
A swirl of wind appeared before him.
"Finally!! You called me! So, how can I help you?" The spirit circled around him before stopping midair.
"Why were you following me?" Ashborn asked, crossing his arms.
"To watch over you and teach you about the energy of nature."
Ashborn frowned. "Energy of nature?" He vaguely remembered his mother mentioning it but never fully understood.
"It's the life force that flows through all of nature—plants, trees, animals. It gives life and, if controlled properly, can rapidly boost your recovery, strength, and potential." The spirit grinned. "With the blessing of the World Tree you received, you can even heal soul-related attacks."
Ashborn's eyes sharpened. He already knew he needed to get stronger—this only confirmed it. "Alright. Since Mom and Dad already knew about you, I'll trust you."
"Of course! As a Spirit of the World Tree, I would never lie!" The spirit puffed out its tiny chest proudly.
"Then… teach me!" Ashborn's voice brimmed with excitement.
"Hoho! That's the spirit! Let's form the contract now!"
Wind swirled around them, carrying bright green leaves and glowing pink plum blossoms into the air. The spirit's voice rang out.
"Ashborn, do you accept me as your spirit?"
"I accept!"
A burst of green light, tinged with pink, flashed. As it faded, the spirit took on a new form—a tiny humanoid figure, only five inches tall, with shimmering fairy-like wings.
It struck a peace sign.
"Yo!" The spirit grinned.