"Here you go Rowan" I extended my hands with a folded cloth.
He lowered his head slightly. politely aking the cloth from my hand.
"Thank you. mistress." he said before slipping it on.
"Well... what do you think?" I asked.
"I... like it" A trace of a smile softened his features.
A sigh of relief escaped me.
Bilbo, who stood beside me, did the same, placing both his hands on his hips.
'Finally. That took forever.'
Rowan was incredibly picky about his clothes. It took us nearly an hour, and I have to rest in between to replenish my MP.
'He was so picky I nearly ran out of MP to keep him human, before he could even decide. And all that just for him to pick black in the end... well he is a crow afterall.'
"Well... at least when you turn human, you won't be..." My cheeks flushed red "Naked."
Convince Bilbo: 89% 15 days left
Hobbit reputation: 100(Family)
———
'It had been two weeks since this world stopped feeling temporary.
Back home… no one was waiting for me anyway. sometimes,I even wondered if anyone had noticed I was gone.'
And somewhere along the way, the quiet notifications stopped startling me.
Level 10.
HP: 270/270
MP: 270/270
It isn't much and I didn't feel stronger.
Just… steadier.'
———
Out in the meadow I played with the young children of Hobbiton casting small displays of magic—flickers of golden light that danced like fireflies, tiny illusions of butterflies made of smoke and shimmer.
Their laughter rang across the grass.
It filled the empty space in my heart.
My new family.
It entertained them.
And it also benefited me.
Each cast of a spell, no matter how small, sharpened my control. The more I practiced, the steadier the magic felt in my veins.
Slowly. Quietly.
It matured.
———
The children went home soon after.
After the long play beneath the sun, I sat in the grassy meadows surrounded by drifting dandelions seeds. Warm winds brushed through my hair, tugging gently at my robes swaying gracefully as it swayed along its current.
I stared towards the horizon.
There — past the friendly meadows of Hobbiton — the land dipped slightly.
Nothing grew there.
Even from a distance, the grass looked thinner. Duller. withered
The farmers whispered about it.
Children were told not to wander near it.
Even livestock skirted its edges.
The wind moved everywhere else.
But not there.
With a graceful wave of my hand, Rowan descended from the sky. Golden light engulfed his form, feathers dissolving into flesh as he took his human shape beside me.
Then sat beside me. He followed my gaze.
"Mistress. I know you're powerful..." he admitted. His voice barely audible.fingers curled against his palm."But whatever stirs in that hollow… it does not welcome us. please reconsider."
———
As I stepped into the forbidden hollow, the air shifted.
Rowan did not follow.
That alone told me enough.
The scent of rot clung faintly to the wind. Trees stood brittle and grey, their branches skeletal against the sky. No grass dared grow beneath them.
Life was absent.
Something brushed against my senses — not a touch, not an insect, but a pressure. A slow, gnawing dread that lingered in the air like breath held too long.
It pressed against my thoughts.
But it did not affect me.
Perhaps because I was no stranger to darkness.
(Side quests: Heal the land)
Difficulty: High
Reward: Maleficent's staff
Before I could act, the land itself struck.
Withered vines tore from the soil, slithering violently across the tainted earth, snapping toward me like starving serpents.
For a heartbeat, something inside me stirred.
I had always wondered what it would feel like.
To stand as she did.
To command.
"FOOLS!" I said, channeling far more menace than the situation probably deserved.
The word left my lips colder than the wind.
Mana surged through my veins.
Nature Manipulation — 28 MP consumed.
The vines froze mid-lash, suspended inches from my throat.
'So that's what it felt like — standing in her shoes.
...quite satisfying I must admit'
Suddenly—
The ground beneath my feet trembled.
Then It split apart like fractured glass as thicker vines erupted from the tainted soil.
Larger. Heavier. Ancient
One rose higher than the rest its bark twisted and blackened, looming over me like the trunk of a dead tree.
It hovered for a breath.
Not staring — but sensing.
Then it struck.
I raised my hand instinctively. Green light burst from my palm, surging outward in a wave of force.
The vine met it head-on.
This time, it did not freeze.
It pushed back. Violently.
The impact forced my boots deep into the soil as the weight crashed against me. The earth swallowed my heels.
A low grunt escaped my lips.
The pressure drove me to one knee.
[Warning: Overexertion Detected]
MP -100
(142/270)
The vine pressed harder, splintering the ground beneath me.
My magic wavered. It lacked. Not controlled enough.
I exhaled slowly.
Then it dawned on me.
This was not about force.
It was about command.
The green light dimmed around my palm — then sank into the soil instead.
Deeper. Further. I felt it then.
The roots beneath the corrupted soil.
The living core still breathing under the rot.
"Grow."
The word was not shouted.
It was declared.
Magic surged.
Nature Manipulation — 120 MP Consumed.
The ground answered.
Now instead of freezing vines —
Healthy roots erupt.
Twisting. Binding. Crushing the corrupted growth.
The tainted vine shrieked. not audibly — spiritually.
And then it shattered.
For a heartbeat, everything went still.
Then—
Green returned.
Grass crept slowly across the soil, driving away the withering decay inch by inch. Roots knit themselves together. The brittle trees exhaled and straightened, bark darkening into rich hues once more.
What had been a desolate hollow began to breathe.The grass grows darker green than normal.
The lingering darkness unraveled like mist beneath the sun.
And vanished.
My Hands and knees dropped to the soil. as I gasped for air.
Slowly I raised my head.
my eyes widened.
From a tree not far away...
A staff stood embedded in the earth — a crooked stick crowned with a pulsing crystal that glowed faintly as it finished taking shape.
'The staff!'
I slowly walked toward it.
when my fingers brushed it's surface, a wave of green light erupted from my body.
It shot upward spiralling briefly into the sky before it sinking back into the crystal.
(Maleficent's staff)
Artifact Bound.
MP: +330
Item Skill: Thunder Strike
MP Cost: 300
Effect:
Summons a bolt of lightning from the sky,
striking a target area with devastating force.
Effective against large enemies and corrupted entities.
Passive:
(15MP regen per 20sec)
(Side quests: Heal the land)
Complete:
Level up: 15
HP +100
MP: +100
Skill Acquired: Verdant Dominion (Passive)
– Minor mana regeneration while standing on living ground (5 per 10sec)
While standing on corrupted land/Stone: – Mana regeneration suppressed.
———
Soon after. news of my deeds took root in the hearts of many. earning the admiration of the Hobbit-folk.
Back in the shire Bilbo stood stiffly at his gate, arms cross, lips slightly curved in a knowing smile.
"What?" I asked, rolling my shoulders.
Bilbo raised an eyebrow.
"Only that half of Hobbiton is talking about you." Then his gaze swept onto the staff. "and... It seems you have something new"
Before I could reply
A high-pitched caw echoed above the sky.
It was Rowan.
I slightly lifted my staff off the ground and tapped it gently against the earth.
The crystal at its tip flared with a pulse of green-gold light.
Rowan swooped down just as the magic spread outward.
The moment the light touched him, his body dissolved into a swirl of feathers and shimmering glow.
When the light faded, Rowan stood where the crow had been — dark hair slightly messy, black clothes settling around him as he straightened.
Bilbo blinked.
"…Well," he said slowly.
"That's certainly more convenient than before."
From then on, each day I channeled my magic Into the soil, gradually reviving what had once been a patch of decaying land.
Little by little life returned.
Grass returned first. Then wildflowers. Even the wind felt lighter passing through the valley.
Life was stubborn like that. It always found a way back.
'Even at level 15, every day spent tending the land made me feel sharper, steadier… as if the earth itself was teaching me new tricks.'
———
Convince Bilbo: 99% 5 days left
Twenty-five days had passed since my reincarnation.
In that short time I had met Bilbo, the Hobbit-folk, Rowan… even Gandalf the Grey.
What began as confusion and panic slowly turned into something else.
Comfort.
Life in the Shire was peaceful—quiet in a way my old world never was. Somewhere along the way, I had started enjoying it.
But deep down… I knew this calm wouldn't last.
The dwarves would arrive soon.
And when they did, the story would begin.
I could choose to stay behind…
but that would be unfair to Bilbo.
'If only I had actually watched the movies back home… I'd know what to do right now.'
The meadow lay still, the air warm and fragrant after weeks of growth.
Rowan perched nearby, his gaze sharp, and restless, while Bilbo leaned on the gate, humming to himself.
I lifted the staff slightly, testing the weight, the power still thrumming beneath my fingertips.
It's peaceful. Too peaceful.
A faint ripple of energy shivered through the air, almost invisible, yet unmistakable.
Something unnatural was here, watching, waiting.
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. Let it come. I wasn't going to hide anymore.