In the deep forests of the north, in a quiet clearing where roots curled like their serpents and sunlight dripped gently through layers of leaves, two shapes slowly began to form.
Mana gathered there like soft morning mist waiting patiently.
The forest itself seemed to lean closer, as if curious about what was about to happen.
And right beside the forming shapes, kneeling on the grass with sparkling eyes that could rival the sun itself, and a wide smile shaping the half of her beautiful face. sat the Origin Spirit of Nature.
Sylvaria.
Her hands were clasped together under her chin, her entire body bouncing with barely contained excitement.
"Haaaah~~ Quickly, quickly!!"
she whispered to herself like an impatient child waiting for a cake to finish baking.
Beside her fluttered a tiny green creature with wings that shimmered like a butterfly's. She hovered calmly in the air, watching her master vibrate with excitement.
"…Is this really something to be that excited about, Sylvaria-sama?"
the little spirit asked with gentle skepticism.
Sylvaria gasped dramatically.
"Of coooourse I'm excited!" she declared, spreading her arms wide like a proud queen presenting her kingdom.
"This new species is being born in my territory!"
A strange, delighted grin slowly stretched across her face.
"Hihihi~~ I can already feel it. We're gonna have such a great relationship, haha!"
The small spirit tilted her head.
"…Are they going to be different from me?"
Sylvaria blinked.
"Hmm? Of course they will. You were born from me, so you're a spirit just like me."
She puffed her chest proudly.
"And they're not going to be simple developed living forms like animals or birds either."
She leaned forward dramatically.
"They're going to be a new intelligent form of life, hihi!"
The little spirit nodded slowly, trying to process that.
"But these are a whole new species," Sylvaria continued thoughtfully, placing a finger beside her lips.
"The first of their kind."
She paused.
"…Well, actually there are already two other species born."
The little spirit blinked.
"…There are?"
Sylvaria nodded.
"Yeah! But they were born really far away from here… in places where there's almost no nature."
She pouted.
"So I don't know much about them."
"…Hm."
The tiny spirit floated closer.
Then her eyes lit up with the quiet confidence of someone who just solved a very simple puzzle.
"Sylvaria-sama… why don't you just ask the other Origin Spirits?"
Sylvaria froze.
"…Huh?"
"I mean," the little spirit continued patiently, "those species were born in their territories, or at least where they're authority achieve right?"
"So they probably have better ideas and more information about them."
Sylvaria's face slowly turned toward her.
Her eyes widened.
Her mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
Then—
"A-A-ARE YOU A GENIUUUUUS VIVIIIII-CHAAAN?!"
Sylvaria screamed, grabbing the tiny spirit and pulling her face only inches away.
"You're absolutely right!!"
She began shaking the poor spirit up and down with pure excitement.
"If I ask Zeph-chan she'll tell me about the dragons! And if I ask Pyr-chan she'll know about those demon pairs too! Or maybe Mari-mari knows about the dragons better… probably… right?? RIGHT??"
The small spirit flopped helplessly in her grip.
"…Sylvaria-sama… oxygen…"
But Sylvaria wasn't finished thinking yet.
"WAIT! If Zephyra-chan controls the wind then she probably knows everything, right?!"
The little spirit, now completely limp from the shaking, nodded weakly.
"…Yes… that would be logical…"
Sylvaria gasped dramatically again.
"YOU'RE A GEEEENIUUUUS VIVIIII-CHAAAAN!"
She hugged the tiny spirit tightly.
"I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE WITH MEEEE!"
"Ghaaa—Sylvaria-samaa—air—"
As Sylvaria continued squeezing the life out of her loyal assistant…
The two creatures forming in front of them had already finished appearing. They were quietly sitting on the grass watching them.
Observing.
Their silver hair shimmered softly under the sunlight filtering through the leaves. Their eyes were much yellow, though darker and deeper than ordinary one.
And their ears long, graceful and unmistakably different.
They sat there calmly, knees folded under them, silently watching the bizarre scene unfolding before them like they had just walked into the middle of a very strange play.
Suddenly the small spirit noticed them.
Her eyes widened.
"S-Sylvaria-sama… t-they've been born…"
Sylvaria blinked.
"…Huh?"
She slowly turned her head and saw them.
Her eyes exploded with excitement.
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod—!"
She immediately lunged forward.
The two elves looked at each other. Even though they had been alive for only seconds… They somehow shared the exact same thought.
We should leave.
Without a word, they grabbed each other's hands and calmly stood up.
Then they started walking away.
Faster.
And faster.
Very clearly trying to escape the extremely suspicious green woman running toward them.
"WAAAAAIT!"
Sylvaria screamed as she dove forward and grabbed one of their legs.
Specifically the female's.
"Where are you going?!"
she cried, looking up at her with tears still streaming down her cheeks.
The elf looked down.
And for the first time in her entire existence, Sylvaria saw an expression she had never witnessed before.
Not from her sisters nor from Vivi-chan nor from her own master. and not from any living thing.
Pure unfiltered disgust.
The elf looked at her the way someone might look at a very large, very sticky pile of… Poop.
Silence fell as Sylvaria started to blink rapidly.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
"HAAAAAAAAAAAH?!"
she shrieked.
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO I AM?!"
She said as she pointed dramatically at herself.
"How dare you look at me like that!!"
---
Meanwhile…
Far away in the eastern plains of the continent, where rivers flowed calmly, where the wind wandered freely and sunlight warmed the land under the quiet watch of the first silver moon…
Something strange happened. While there was no mana storm. nor divine intervention. nor spirits hovering nearby. Just an ordinary stretch of land.
And then, simply because the world had reached that point in its story… Two figures appeared.
Quietly and naturally.
As if they had always been meant to stand there.
A species that would one day spread across the continent.
A species I had already expected to appear long before this moment.
Humans.