Reincarnated as a Dryad: Reclaiming the World from Humans

Within the forest, a blazing circle could be seen. Sylvan lay on the ground, surrounded by a burning flame that was slowly dying down. He kept staring at his body. It healed itself.

"Impossible..." Cinder muttered as she looked at his fully healed body.

Sylvan sat up and looked at his hands, he thought he died. He remembered being in the white room but no one was there.

"How did you do it," Nyx asked.

Her voice was calm and quiet.

"I don't know," Sylvan answered as he checked his body again.

He felt something was missing.

'Oh.'

He sensed his connection with the tree he created earlier. It was still there but it was getting weaker and weaker. A pulling sensation came from the tree and then it disappeared forever.

Sylvan had an idea of how he was still alive.

His treeify skill. The tree acted like a second life.

Sylvan grinned and looked at the two women, "Extra lives."

He was ecstatic about that prospect. It meant the Treeify skill was much more useful than it seemed at first glance.

"Do dryads have second lives?" Nyx asked.

"If they did they wouldn't have been wiped out so easily," Cinder said before she chuckled, "This is gonna be fun."

She walked towards Sylvan, her fiery orange hair swaying behind her back.

"We're gonna fight again. I'll train you."

Sylvan's smile faded as he remembered the beating he took earlier. His whole body ached just thinking about it. But he nodded. He needed to get stronger, for Erian.

Nyx watched silently. She wanted to stop him from fighting the phoenix again but knew there was no point.

The clouds opened above them and rain poured down heavily. It soaked everything instantly as thunder rumbled overhead. Lightning flashed across the sky every few seconds.

Cinder was the first to react.

"Bleh, rain sucks," she said before running off towards shelter.

Nyx sighed and followed suit, taking cover beneath a large tree nearby.

Sylvan soaked in the rain for a moment. The water droplets felt cold on his skin but it soothed some of the aching in his muscles.

It was night now and he didn't know where he was going. He followed after Nyx and Cinder.

"So uh where are we going?" he asked the two women.

"To sleep. My cave is nearby," Nyx answered.

Sylvan's eyebrows rose up. Nyx was surprisingly calm despite what just happened. To him at least, it was a traumatic experience. But then again he was practically a newborn.

The rain beat down harder than before, turning into a heavy downpour. The trees swayed back and forth under the onslaught of water.

"Why are there no more of those spiders?" Sylvan asked.

"Night Stalkers," Nyx corrected him, "They probably sense... her," She glanced over at Cinder.

Cinder smiled proudly.

After a bit, they reached Nyx's cave.

The cave was small and cramped but at least it was dry.

Sylvan didn't know if this was normal but he couldn't see anything inside. It was pitch black. The only way he could tell anyone else was there was from the sound of breathing.

"Don't you have a campfire," Sylvan said as he felt his way around the cave.

"I can see perfectly," Nyx said from somewhere.

Cinder chuckled, "Same. You're the blind one here."

Sylvan sighed as he laid down. His back rested against the hard ground of the cave. He was tired, and his body still hurt. But he couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about his home, Earth, pizza, and all the fun stuff there.

The cave was quiet. Cinder slept soundly while occasionally mumbling something incomprehensible.

Nyx watched the two of them from the shadows.

Sylvan opened and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him away, but it wouldn't come.

A drop of water fell on him from a crack in the ceiling.

He got up and walked outside. The rain had slowed down a bit but it still poured down heavily. Sylvan sat down at the mouth of the cave. He stared out into the dark forest, listening to the sounds of nature around him.

Nyx came out and stood next to him. She didn't say anything for a while until finally she spoke up, "What did you see when you died?"

He looked over at her.

"What do you mean?"

She turned to look him in the eyes, "You were dead Sylvan. The mana left your body."

"Oh," Sylvan said.

They stood quietly again.

"My village has a ritual they do when someone dies. They put the corpse inside a tree and let it sink deep in the lake. I wanted to do that with you."

Sylvan furrowed his brow, "Why?

"So you don't meet the gods."

A tightness formed in Sylvan's chest. He exhaled slowly. "Why not?"

"They're monsters," Nyx paused, "At least that's what the elders say."

Sylvan stared at the rain. Was the God of Nature a monster too? Was he being manipulated by the gods right now? He wanted to know.

"Hey Nyx," Sylvan's voice echoed in the forest.

"Why are you helping me?"

Nyx smiled softly. Her blue eyes twinkled with melancholy as she looked away, staring at something that only existed in her mind.

"You're the first person I've talked to in years."

Sylvan felt his heart ache, she was lonely.

"I'm sorry."

The two of them stood side by side watching the rain.

"Were they killed by the adventurers too?"

"No," Nyx bent forward and lay her head on her arms.

She let out a sigh and said, "They don't want me."

Sylvan stood there feeling awkward and unsure what to do. He wanted to comfort her somehow. But how?

He opened his mouth and closed it again.

Nyx turned to look at him.

"If you get your revenge. My village will most likely be wiped out. All of them killed..." she trailed off.

Sylvan's jaw tightened as he felt guilt rise up inside him.

"The fairies, the ents, the golems... they might be eradicated too," Her words left him speechless for another reason.

His selfishness would cause mass murder.

Sylvan looked at his reflection in a puddle. His green skin glistened in the moonlight; his eyes were duller than ever before. What did he want? He wasn't sure anymore.

"I want revenge," Sylvan said finally, "If I back down now... I feel like I'd hate myself forever."

Nyx closed her eyes.

"I see."

He also closed his eyes, expecting Nyx to kill him right there and then but she didn't. He opened his eyes and looked at her. Her blue irises stared into his own.

"You'll be my enemy," she said with a sad tone.

Sylvan felt his heart drop again.

"Yeah."

The two stood there silently for a long time until the sun rose above the horizon.